163: Chapter 163 The Prelude to the Storm

"Since Pei Qingyun doesn't know what's good for him, we'll give him a taste of our power. He's just an outsider Grandmaster, yet he dares to dream of laying a finger on Deep Water Harbor," Hu Weiyong proposed.

Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng shook his head in disagreement. "Head of the Hu Family, I'm afraid that's unwise. We can completely avoid his initial momentum and slowly erode the Cui Clan. At the end of the day, he's just an outsider Grandmaster; he can't stay in Deep Water Harbor forever. We only need to wait it out for a year or two, and the Cui Clan will naturally collapse."

Hu Weiyong argued, "Old Man Luo, you're boosting the enemy's morale while undermining our own. Pei Qingyun is only at the Early Stage of the Six Bowels Realm. With the strength of the three of us combined, we can definitely take him down. Even if something unexpected happens, we can still make a clean getaway."

Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng still disagreed. "Since there's a more reliable method, why should we take this risk? A year or two isn't that long."

Seeing Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng remain so stubborn, Hu Weiyong's expression darkened. "Old Man Luo, I don't like the sound of that. Why didn't you say this back when you were plotting against Cui Pingyan? You're unwilling to act simply because you're worried the Cui Clan will discover your true identity."

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng's Face also turned grim.

His reluctance to act indeed stemmed from that reason. Although this world was one where the strong preyed on the weak and everything revolved around profit...

...even marriages between families were mostly transactions of interest.

Attacking a Family related by marriage to one's direct line—if word of this ever got out, it would inevitably damage the reputation of his Luo Clan.

Therefore, he preferred to remain hidden behind the scenes.

That way, he could deal with the Cui Clan with ease.

Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng refused to be outdone and launched a sharp rebuttal against Hu Weiyong's words.

While glaring at Hu Weiyong, he sneered back, "What do you mean? You're no better than me. If you ask me, you're the one trying to swallow a family whole after their men are gone."

At this moment, the two of them were not only failing to stand on the same front, but they were also trending toward a full-blown argument.

They were exposing each other's dirty laundry.

Seeing this, how could Yuwen Kuang sit still? He quickly interjected, "Gentlemen, this isn't a wet market. I asked you here to find a solution, not to watch you bicker."

Hu Weiyong said, "Brother Yuwen, since you've put it that way, I'll give you some Face. We'll let you decide this matter."

Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng didn't speak again, which was undoubtedly an endorsement of those words.

In fact, Yuwen Kuang had long expected this.

Although the three of them had united for profit...

...there were actually many conflicts between them.

In particular, Hu Weiyong and Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng had always been at odds.

The reason he had spoken up first was merely to lead the conversation and secure the dominant position.

Subsequently, Yuwen Kuang voiced his thoughts.

He supported taking action.

However, this time would primarily be a probe.

Although he had already investigated Pei Qingyun's background, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

Forces from outside the commandery were, after all, not like local forces.

If it were a local force, he could know them inside and out.

He could even find out what color underwear a certain Family head was wearing today through his intelligence network.

But once it extended to other commanderies, the reputation of an ordinary Grandmaster was completely insufficient to gauge.

Unless it was a top-tier Grandmaster from a second-rate Great Family, they wouldn't have much influence.

Furthermore, on the surface, he was merely a pirate leader at the Full-Circle Five-Viscera Realm. From that perspective, he was even less presentable.

...

The waters of Deep Water Harbor.

A large merchant ship bearing the Cui Clan insignia sailed slowly.

An hour had passed since departure, and the journey had been calm so far.

Forget about being attacked; there wasn't even a shadow of another vessel.

This was actually daily life at sea.

Despite the existence of shipping routes, it wasn't easy to encounter other ships in this vast ocean.

Inside the cabin, VIP Room Number One.

This was Pei Qingyun's private lounge.

After spending some time on the deck, Pei Qingyun returned to the VIP room to rest.

The sea breeze was comfortable at first, but after a while, it lost its charm.

"I wonder how far we've come. Based on the time, we should have covered about a hundred li. In another hour or so, we'll be out of these waters," Pei Qingyun murmured after taking a small sip of his drink.

Despite being inside the cabin, Pei Qingyun remained constantly aware of the merchant ship's movements.

Suddenly.

Ripples of light shimmered across the calm surface of the sea as a massive patch of mist drifted slowly from not far away.

Above the azure ocean, dark clouds had gathered at some unknown point. As the clouds continued to mass, the sky grew increasingly dark.

The sea breeze, which had been relatively mild, intensified with extreme speed.

Some experienced sailors realized this was the prelude to a storm.

Stormy weather was often unsuitable for sea travel.

For small vessels, encountering such harsh weather meant a slim chance of survival.

Even a large ship like the Cui Merchant Ship had to be cautious.

Of course, it wasn't that the waves caused by the storm would capsize the ship, but rather that such severe weather could cause the vessel to drift off course.

Similarly, it would lead to a significant drop in visibility.

At that moment, several veteran sailors began to move, shouting loudly, "A storm is coming! Quick, quick, quick! Everyone get moving! Secure the cargo and furl the sails!"

A few younger sailors looked nervous in the Face of the situation, but they still followed the veteran sailors' commands.

If it weren't for the fact that the Cui Family Merchant Ship had been attacked multiple times over the past six months, resulting in heavy casualties, they wouldn't have recruited inexperienced sailors.

Fortunately, everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, some off-duty sailors also emerged from the cabins to help.

Through the sailors' efforts, the sails were lowered.

"Talk about bad luck. I didn't expect to run into a storm on my first time at sea. This luck is something else," one sailor said, panting heavily.

Clearly, this sudden emergency had exhausted him.

"Brother, I'm the same; it's my first time out too. I didn't expect this either, but it's not a big deal. With a ship of this size, as long as we stay on course, there won't be much of an impact," another young sailor said.

"I'm not worried about that; I'm just not feeling great about it."

...

Just as the sailors were starting to relax, a pirate ship flying a red skull flag was rapidly approaching them from within the mist a few li away.