Chapter 549 (1/2)

Chapter 549: 549

But this pirate did not seem to be lying . He was looking at the others, shuddering, his eyes full of fear .

They asked him why there were living things on that island, but he was unable to give them an answer . Clearly such matters were beyond his grasp .

There was nothing else they could drag out of the pirate, and they had no other way to find out the answer, but it was quite certain that the island was fraught with danger . Yuwen Tong instructed that everybody get ready and do only what they were told to do, that n.o.body take any rash actions after they reached the island .

The pirate, desperate to leave, had been huddling on the floor in fear all along since he had noticed that n.o.body on board was paying him any attention, a hint of despair in his eyes .

“That island is a horrible place . If you get trapped there, you’ll end up eating each other after running out of food, no matter how many men you bring with you!” said the pirate in a terrified voice, as though some unpleasant memories were coming back to him .

After hearing the pirate’s words, Ji Yanlai said, “The fog that the island is wreathed in is probably some kind of concealment Formation . He said the fog had lifted briefly after the quake . I think it was because the Formation was affected by the quake . ”

Ling Zhang had several times used this kind of Formation which gave rise to fog when functioning, so Yuwen Tong, Yuwen Jin and the others were fairly familiar with it . However, it struck them as somewhat incredible that someone had deployed a large-scale concealment Formation around an island on the sea .

“There’s a Formation on our island as well,” said Ji Yin implicitly .

A couple of people couldn’t understand why he brought this up, but the others immediately caught on to what Ji Yin meant .

They didn’t have to worry about the fog, because it wouldn’t be difficult for Ji Yanlai to find a way out .

“Even if the fog is not part of a concealment Formation, I’ll still be able to find us a way out,” said Ji Yanlai, looking at Ling Zhang . “His Highness could do it as well . ”

Ling Zhang was astonished . “Me?”

“Your intuition,” said Ji Yanlai .

The look in Ling Zhang’s eyes flickered as he exchanged a glance with Yuwen Tong .

The Force of Blood in Ling Zhang had been strengthening with the progress he had been making in his internal-energy cultivation, and he was indeed capable of finding a way out by following his instincts, though the process would consume a lot of his mental energy .

Yuwen Tong gave Ling Zhang’s palm a little squeeze and said, “So we don’t have to worry about how to get out of there . ”

“Clan Leader, if that’s the case, your father should have come out some time ago . How come he’s still trapped on that island and you were suddenly unable to sense whether he’s safe or not?” Ling Zhang inquired of Ji Yanlai, bemused .

Ji Yanlai pondered for a while and then replied, “I think there’s really something very special on that island . I don’t know if that thing is dangerous, but considering my father is trapped or mesmerized by it, it is by no means some common treasure . You need to be extra careful . ”

The last remark of Ji Yanlai’s was quite significant . It took Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong only a brief moment to get a general idea of what he meant . The corrupting effect of great wealth is formidable, let alone that of something that had more than just huge monetary value . If some of them failed to resist the temptation and tried to kill each other, things might get ugly .

As this thought crossed his mind, Yuwen Tong summoned the officers and made some arrangements .

…

Even if the fleet kept sailing at full pelt, it would still take them a couple of days to reach the island .

At night, when Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were alone in their cabin, Yuwen Tong asked him, “Where’s that gemstone?”

Ling Zhang was surprised for a moment, then he produced the gemstone he carried with him . There was a patch of milky white substance inside it, but after having it on him for some time, Ling Zhang had felt that the milky white substance had thickened, as though its sentience had been growing .

Yuwen Tong produced his own . When the two gemstones were put together, the two patches of milky white substance started flowing towards each other slowly as though being pulled by some kind of special attraction .

“Keep it with you at all times,” said Yuwen Tong .

Though so far he still hadn’t been able to figure out the secrets of these gemstones, he had a hunch that they were indeed quite unusual, that maybe these stones would really prove to be lifesavers at a crucial juncture .

Ling Zhang understood what Yuwen Tong meant . “I will . You should keep yours with you too,” he said .

Yuwen Tong inclined his head .

“The Clan Leader saw these gemstones as well that day, and I noticed the surprise on his face, which was quite uncharacteristic of him, but he didn’t say anything about it afterward . Do you think we should go and ask him if there’s anything special about these gemstones?” asked Ling Zhang .

Yuwen Tong responded, “Him not saying anything about it that day was actually a tacit admission that the words of the envoy from that western statelet were true . ”

Ling Zhang gave it some thought and felt that Yuwen Tong was right . Now that they’d come to know these gemstones were indeed useful and harmless, there was no need for them to get to the bottom of it .

“We should rest well and recharge in the next few days . That pirate said the island is dangerous . Though we brought some men here, it’s inadvisable to let down our guard . Every one of us should prepare some food and water before departure, just in case,” added Yuwen Tong .