Chapter 264-265
Chapter 264-265
264: Rescue
Yanran looked toward Ming Xi hopefully.
You cant just say save them and well save them. What if theyre pirates? Milty rolled her eyes. Who was this holier-than-thou missy pretending for? Milty unconsciously glanced over at her fianc. Her face went stiff when she saw the admiration in his eyes as he looked at Yanran. But she didnt want to quarrel with him, so she remained silent.
I . . . but you cant be sure theyre bad people. What if theyre just ordinary people? If we dont save them, theyll die! Yanran bit her lip as she stared at the people at sea with pity in her eyes.
Senior, we have to save them. There arent any other ships nearby. Oleen spoke up for Yanran without even thinking.
Ming Xi released his divine consciousness and did a 100 metre scan of the area. Oleen was right. There were no other ships in the vicinity.
Sail the boat over; well save them. Ming Xi ordered. The captain nodded and turned the boat toward the three people floating in the water.
Having spent so many days together already, the crew knew who was in charge. They didnt dare disobey Ming Xis order.
Thats fantastic! Thank you, Senior Ming Xi! Yanran was so happy she nearly cried with joy.
Ming Xis eyes didnt reveal anything as he made a noncommittal sound in reply.
Oleen, on the other hand, seemed to really appreciate Yanrans kindness. He was looking at her adoringly, completely ignoring the fact that his fianc was standing right there.
The crew quickly pulled the three strangers aboard. Two of the three were unconscious. The other was barely hanging on.
There was one woman and two men. The woman barely looked eighteen and had on a mage robe. The men didnt look much older, maybe five years more, probably in their twenties. Judging by their uniform, they were probably swordsmen.
Save . . . save the princess. The semi-conscious swordsman uttered the single sentence before joining the rest of his companions in slumber.
Hurry up and help them into the cabin. Yanran ordered.
This incredibly beautiful girl with slightly flushed cheeks gave some orders. A few of the crew took action and carried the strangers into the cabin.
Seniors, I leave the men to you. I will help the girl change out of her wet clothes. Yanran turned around and walked into the cabin as soon as she finished speaking her orders.
Huh? What was that? Milty grumbled as she looked at Yanrans back.
Oleen looked at Milty in disgust before turning around and walking into the cabin.
Oleen, wait for me! Milty didnt care about anything other than Oleen. She ran after him.
Ink shook his head as he looked at the farce playing out. Didnt expect a love triangle to form after just a few days.
Jier didnt make a comment, but he looked displeased as he stared after them. Yanran doesnt understand the rules and Senior Ming Xi didnt say anything. Shes a freshman and she dared order us around. Dont know if the men at her other school spoiled her too much, so her courage grew big.
Jier had always been an arrogant and obstinate guy. Dont let his usual behavior towards Feng Wu fool you; she was his favorite and it was a given hed spoil her. Jier was actually a really unruly guy. Dont even think about bossing him around if you werent strong enough to back up your words.
He would never be obedient to someone like Yanran, a pretty face who lacked any real strength.
Leo was a more steady and calm person. If the situation wasnt as it was, Leo wouldnt have allowed a first year to order him around either. But it was as it was. Younger Sister Yanran is probably just concerned about the three strangers. She didnt mean to speak in such a way so as to suggest she was above the rest of us.
Leo couldnt bear to see such a kind-hearted girl be hated by Jier. It wouldnt bode well for her if she was hated by the freshmans first seat.
He didnt mind helping the girl out if it was within his ability to do so.
Stop talking and go see about those three strangers. Xiao Wu, go help Yanran. Ming Xi didnt have to think about it. He knew Milty wouldnt be able to help Yanran. The only one suitable was Feng Wu.
Feng Wu nodded and headed inside to the girls cabin.
Two crew members were already helping the two men change out of their clothes by the time Ming Xi and the others entered. None of the girls were in sight. They were in a separate room.
How is it going? Ming Xi asked Oleen.
Their injuries arent serious, but theyve been drifting at sea for many days without fresh water or food. Their bodies are extremely weak. The small wounds they have, though not serious, has become infected from prolonged exposure to the water. They need to be dealt with as soon as possible."
I see. Ming Xi replied calmly. He let the two crew members finish and leave before doing anything else.
A faint purple light appeared in his hand after the crew left. The light leapt from his hand and onto the two men. Their wounds quickly healed, leaving only a shallow scab behind.
They should be fine now. Just have them drink a bottle of recovery potion later. Stay with them and ask them for information as soon as they wake up.
After giving Oleen his task, Ming Xi left to the girls cabin.
Yanran and Feng Wu were helping the woman dress. Feng Wus clothes were too small for the womans bigger frame, so they were using Yanrans clothes. Yanran pulled out an outfit she didnt often wear.
Yanran hadn't used any magic to heal the woman's injuries. As a pharmacy student, she had lots of healing medicine on her, so before even dressing the woman, she had fed her some healing potions.
The womans condition was good.
Ming Xi didnt stay in the room long; he just peeked inside to get a gauge of the situation. Before he left, he told Yanran the same thing he told Oleen.
265: A Carefully Arranged Plot
The three strangers didnt awaken until dark. Their treatment was effective and they recovered quickly, so they were able to get up and walk around shortly after waking.
Ming Xi sat on the chair tapping his hand on the table. Have they told us what happened?
Senior Ming Xi, they said theyre the personal body guards for the third princess, Princess Hailin of the Bohai nation state.
Ink thought about the book hed recently read about maritime countries. Bohai? I read about that country recently. Theyre a small island in the northern sea, rich in mineral resources. Its a good place. The people there are well fed.
The continent of Tianfeng was vast and rich in resources. In addition to the four major empires, there were many minor ones as well. Of course none of the minor ones dared think about expanding and becoming a major empire by invading any of the other four major ones. It would be suicidal.
The descendants of the gods came to Tianfeng to guard it. If any of the four major empires were attacked, the other empires would target the invader. The attacking invaders would also be wanted by Star Marshall hall.
The personal guards for the third princess. Then was the girl we rescued was Princess Hailin? Leo wondered.
Yanran shook her head. The woman we rescued is named Ilis. Her mother is the sister of Bohais queen and her father is the General Dou. She and the princess are cousins.
Princess Hailin ran away from home because she was angry at the king. Her group never expected to encounter pirates as soon as they entered international waters. Princess Hailin was taken hostage and the reguluar guards and crew didn't fare any better. Her bodyguards eventually escaped in the hopes of returning to Bohai to report the princesss capture.
Turned out it was the case of a wayward princess running away from home. Jier and the others quickly sorted the story out.
Just to confirm, Jier asked, So the cousin wants us to rescue the princess?
Yanran nodded. Yes, thats what Ilis said. She hopes we can rescue Princess Hailin. Once the princess is saved, she will put in a request to the royal family for a reward on our behalf.
The reward part left Yanran feeling a little helpless. As a young lady from Feng house, she wasnt short on money or status. The seniors and her other classmates were also aristocrats. Though she didnt know Ming Xis exact background, she was certain he wasnt an ordinary nobleman.
People like them wouldnt care about monetary rewards, so using money to gain their cooperation was a miscalculation on the part of the Bohai people.
Reward? Im not interested. We already did our best to save them, now they want us to risk our lives to save their princess too? Shes really got a lot of nerve to ask, sneered Jier. He had no interest in the princess.
What about the other two? What did they say? Ming Xi asked Oleen.
Oleen was frank. They hoped we would rescue Princess Hailin. They also wish for us to contact either the Bohai royal family or General Dou for assistance.
Ink frowned, unhappy at the request. They had so many people but they were still defeated and their princess captured. Theres only eight of us, how can they expect us to help? Im afraid well just be bringing trouble to ourselves if we go in.
Milty agreed with Ink. Ink has a point. This request, we cant accept it.
No, if we dont help them, what will become of Princess Hailin? Pirates are cruel. We dont know what they will do to her. We cant leave her to die. Yanran disapproved of their opinion.
Milty lost her patience. You know theres nothing we can do, but you still persist in pushing us to act? Be stupid by yourself and leave the rest of us out of it.
There is one thing I havent mentioned. The two guards said they were taken out so easily because their water supply was drugged by a spy on the boat. Thats why the entire crew was captured so easily.
The three of them werent as affected because they drank less water. They were able to escape using a teleportation scroll and drifted at sea for several days after that. If they hadnt run into us, they would never have survived.
Yanran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Turns out the pirates arent that strong. Why would they go to the trouble of using drugs otherwise? It would have been amazing if they did have the strength to attack directly though. There shouldnt be any objections to saving the princess now. She smiled lightly at Oleen.
Oleen was touched and it showed in the softening of his eyes.
Milty gritted her teeth as she watched Yanran make eyes at her fianc. That shameless hussy! Seducing her fianc right in front of her. Remembering where she was, she tamped her anger down, not wanting to fight with Oleen in public.
We dont know how strong the pirates are. They captured the princess without a single casualty. It means theyve been planning this for a while. They didnt want to come in with a big show of force in part because they didnt want to risk outside interference.
Thinking about it logically, why would pirates take the initiative to provoke the royal family? The fact that these pirates planted spies in Princess Hailins retinue so easily means theyve been planning it for some time.
The pirates must want to use the princess to make a deal with the royal Bohai family. The princesss life shouldnt be in danger for the time being.
Ink explained his thoughts on the matter clearly. The pirates actions were unusual in that it wasnt just a robbery, but rather a premediated attack. No matter how you looked at it, whatever scheme they were planning, it has to be something big.
Ming Xi nodded, agreeing with Inks analysis. The entire thing felt like a carefully laid out plan. Allowing the bodyguards to escape so they could contact Bohai and report the princesss capture was probably a part of it too. It would have led to Bohai sending an intermediary to negotiate the princesss release.