Chapter 114 - Meeting a Spirit Soldier (2/2)

”Greetings, Sok Yeong-Gi-nim. I, Soo-Yeon, led the captains of the five ships responsible for one of the assaults on the drug convoys and the destruction of the estate at the Black Tea City.” Soo-Yeon reverently announced as he bowed his head before that man. Mo Songmin and the other three captains did the same. The only one who remained standing was Hei.

Sok Yeong-Gi, watching this scene, stopped drinking his cup of tea and frowned at the boy who hadn't bent over like the others.

”I see that someone doesn't know good manners. Why don't you tell me who you are, kid? ”

Noticing Sok Yeong-Gi's angry tone, Mo Songmin hastened to speak.

”Sorry, Sok Yeong-Gi-nim. In reality, he isn't part of our crew officially. He's the guy I talked to the General about. I don't know if she mentioned him to you.”

”I remember something vague, something about a couple of brats, but nothing that interested me.” Sok Yeong-Gi replied, disinterested while still looking angry.

”Hei, this one in front of you is Sok Yeong-Gi-nim. He is one of three spirit soldiers in the service of Pirate General Ho Ri-Na.”

”I see. Hei, pay his respects to the spirit soldier Sok Yeong-Gi.”

Hei took a quick bow, calming Sok Yeong-Gi's anger. He hadn't wanted to make a scene. But in front of figures of authority, such a gesture was excellent for assessing the character of the person in front of him. And from his reaction, Sok Yeong-Gi was the classic pompous ass that looked down on all those with less cultivation than his, which was positive or negative depending on the situation and how Hei would move.

”I have heard of your success in your two missions. In particular, the assault on the estate at the Black Tea City. Compared to the other teams, yours is the one that has suffered the least number of injuries.”

Sok Yeong-Gi complimented the five even though he didn't seem very sincere. Instead, he had told them those words to know the reason behind their unusual performance. After all, the teams had been organized to be pretty much all equally strong. Still, such a gap had arisen.

”The reason is simple, Sok Yeong-Gi-nim. It's all thanks to the boy next to me, Hei. As I said to the General, this guy is a seventh stage. However, it's not only his cultivation that is exceptional for something so young, but his fighting prowess is first class. If it weren't for him, we would have lost many more men.” Mo Songmin explained the situation to Sok Yeong-Gi. The other team leaders nodded their heads to confirm his words.

Sok Yeong-Gi, therefore, looked in the direction of Hei and asked him, ”Boy, you proved yourself more useful than expected, congratulations. Still, I doubt someone like you comes from an unknown place. Would you please tell me your true origins and your real reason for being here?”

Sok Yeong-Gi's request appeared polite and friendly but hid a hidden pressure in it. There was no doubt that he expected Hei to answer the truth.

”It seems to me that I have already answered about it. I have decided to become a pirate to increase my strength faster. After all, we martial artists grow quickly in dangerous situations. As for joining your crew, it was just a coincidence. I had hired a tavern host to introduce me to someone, and it happened to be Mo Songmin, that's all. Regarding my origins, I come from a big sect of one of the various islands of the Forgotten Ocean. To gain experience, I left my sect. So I don't think there is a need to mention it.”

Hei calmly and fearlessly answered Sok Yeong-Gi's questions. Even though a spirit soldier stood before him, he wasn't afraid. He had already seen multiple spirit soldiers at Crossroads Lake, not to mention his mother.

Sok Yeong-Gi looked at him intensely. Suddenly the aura of a spirit soldier rose from his body and enveloped the room. The other pirates in the room activated their spirit power, but it was clear that they were having difficulty resisting. Only Hei was on his feet, albeit with difficulty.

'He is testing me to see if what I said is true. If I come from a big sect, I should have more resistance to being subjected to the aura of spirit soldiers than normal cultivators. Unfortunately for him, mother was far above his miserable power as a spirit soldier.'

After a few moments, Sok Yeong-Gi retracted his aura. He was curious about why a disciple of a big sect ended up there, but it was better not to investigate. There was no guarantee that the boy didn't have contact with his sect. Making another enemy in this delicate moment was stupid. His captain would have punished him severely if something like this were to happen.

”Alright. I will leave it alone for now. Anyway, now I will tell you about the situation of the other teams. Although the losses reported aren't negligible, we have dealt a great deal of damage to that jerk of Hong Shin. In fact, we managed to complete all the attacks.

Right now, his men are going around like crazy flies in search of the culprits. However, the Captain ordered a general stop of our attacks. Although it's a fair chance to attack, we can't overexpose ourselves because of the other Pirate Generals. Instead, we will take advantage of this period to observe their reactions.”

The balance between the four Pirate Generals was precarious. A single mistake and they should have faced not only the crew of the Son of Wind Hong Shin but also the crews of the other two Pirate Generals. It was because it was in their interest to attack the prey, which seemed weaker and at a disadvantage.

By not attacking and defending only, they would have make the remaining two Pirates Generals focus their attention on Hong Shin as he had been weakened. Or they could have incited the Red Devil and the Storm Lightning to attack each other, confident that Hong Shin and Ho Ri-Na wouldn't intervene. Either way, the best thing they could do now was to wait. But at the same time, they had to be ready to sail at any time.

”You can go. If there is news, I will call you. Remember to remain available and that you are prohibited from leaving this island. Was I clear enough?” Sok Yeong-Gi made a slight threat in case someone thought about doing such nonsense.

Hei and the others nodded their heads and left the room to then return to the town. Meanwhile, Sok Yeong-Gi said to his two guards by his side.

”That brat doesn't convince me. Keep an eye on him all the time. We cannot afford dangerous unknowns at the moment. Not now that we are so close to direct confrontation with Hong Shin.”

The two guards reverently nodded as they knelt,

”It will be done. As you wish, Sok Yeong-Gi-nim.”

Quickly, they left the villa and started following the pirate group where Hei was without being seen.

'As I thought. I'm being followed. But it's not a big deal. In any case, we will spend most of our time cultivating, so there is no need to worry too much about these snoops. Of course, if it should become necessary, I should think of some plan on how to get rid of them. I don't know when we will be employed again, and this spirit soldier can be annoying enough to do something during this waiting period.'

Although Hei couldn't see them, with Spider Hair and Snake Tongue, Hei could continuously monitor his pursuers. Obviously, he hoped to be able to spend this waiting period safely. But just in case, he would start preparing escape plans, in case he was forced to act.