Chapter 428: Elder Cousin, Younger Cousin! (2/2)
If not for Wang Chong, he would have never found out that in the very depths of his heart, this was what he had always wanted!
The current him was the truly authentic him!
He didn't want that dull life. Even without superb martial arts, even without the backing of his clan, he could still rely on his own wits and ability to win the loyalty, protection, and respect of others.
”Younger Cousin, I didn't let you down. I brought back what you wanted.”
Wang Liang let go and pointed behind him to the large ships floating in the harbor.
Many people had died on this voyage, and they had suffered from no small number of thunderstorms and hurricanes. Their greatest harvest had been stored in the large ships behind him.
Although Wang Chong had told him that those were meteorites from beyond the heavens, none of them had been tested. Whether or not all those deaths and hardships had been worth it ultimately hinged on Wang Chong's confirmation.
Hearing Wang Liang's words, Wang Chong also turned to look. However, what Wang Chong looked at was not the decks of the ships, but that the decks were much closer to the water than normal ships.
”Elder Cousin, I've troubled you. Let's leave these matters to others. We'll go back first. You've been gone for so long, and I'm very interested in hearing about your voyage,” Wang Chong said.
The Wang Liang in front of him was a completely different person from the one who had set out. His face, neck, and hands had all been tanned by the scorching sun on the ocean, and the coarse, weather-beaten skin was completely out of place on a descendant of a great clan.
Wang Chong had never expected to see such a composed and dignified person.
Even if Wang Liang didn't say it, Wang Chong could feel that Wang Liang had many stories from this voyage.
”Wait a moment!”
Wang Liang stopped Wang Chong. Confronting Wang Chong's flabbergasted gaze, Wang Liang was quiet for a few moments and then pointed at the members of the fleet before them.
”These people set out with me on this voyage and nearly lost their lives. I promised them that once I returned, I would grant them a great fortune!”
”Hahaha, so that's what it was about. Relax; I've already made preparations. What do you see over there?”
Wang Chong pointed behind him.
Following Wang Chong's finger, Wang Liang saw many horses and multiple teams of two carrying heavy chests made of crude copper toward them.
Wang Liang began to count: one, two, three… There were more than ten of these chests.
Wang Chong snapped his fingers. A horseman pulled out a saber with a clang and cut off the lock on one of the chests. Putting a hand into the chink of the lid, he lifted. In an instant, a dazzling golden light spilled forth.
That copper chest was full to the bursting with dazzling gold.
Seeing those chests packed with gold, the crowd excitedly cheered. Some of the more impatient ones even began to rush over.
”Let's go!”
Wang Chong led a horse over. This time, Wang Liang did not refuse and mounted the horse. Behind him, Wang Chong snapped his fingers, at which point all the clan guards, the guards sent by his big uncle, and the experts sent by Elder Hu and Elder Ye rushed toward the large ships in the harbor…
……
Wang Chong brought Wang Liang to his own restaurant to welcome him.
The entire restaurant was empty, and the table was piled high with fine foods and wine. After the windows and doors were closed and some charcoal fires lit, the atmosphere in the room quickly changed.
While winter winds howled outside the room and snow piled down, the room was a bastion of warmth.
Wang Chong and Wang Liang, these two cousins, sat across from each other at the table. Old Eagle sat on the side, an eagle perched on his shoulder.
Wang Liang took a pot of warm wine out of the stove. He first poured himself a cup and then poured a cup for Wang Chong. He then took a piece of piping hot and tender beef from the food pot and took a big bite.
”Great, it's delicious!” Wang Liang effusively praised, and then he began to chew, occasionally taking a drink of wine.
”You didn't use to drink alcohol,” Wang Chong suddenly said as he watched Wang Liang.
The Wang Liang of the past would have never done something like this, but now he did it as if it was natural. He was not like the scion of a great clan but a sailor who had spent a long time at sea.
”Haha, if you experienced what I experienced, you would also be like this.”
Wang Liang heartily laughed. As he spoke, he continued to eat his beef and drink his wine.
”What in the world happened?” Wang Chong asked.
He had suppressed this question for long enough already.
Wang Liang did not hesitate, immediately recounting his experiences at sea. Even though Wang Chong had expected it, he still couldn't help but feel deeply moved by Wang Liang's tale.
The ocean was an abyss!
In that place, far from land and far from virtue, one was infinitesimally close to a hellish abyss, and one's character would undergo the harshest of trials.
There, Wang Liang had to face all sorts of problems, both external and internal.
As he drank, Wang Liang described his experiences, but it was only when Wang Chong heard that the Wang Clan guards he had dispatched to protect Wang Liang had mutinied that he profoundly understood just how complicated the situation Wang Liang had faced was.
The ocean could make the best of people into the worst and the worst into the best, and it could provoke the greatest potential in the most incapable of people!