Inside the cabin, several people sat around a circular table. They had finally decided to cut open the scabbard—a simple task for Chi Wan—and the object inside was not damaged.
It was a map, as thin as a cicada’s wing, which was why the tip of the sword hadn’t destroyed it. The material was of high quality and very sturdy; she tugged at it forcefully, but it didn’t tear in the slightest.
When unfolded, the map was half the size of the table, but when folded, it was no bigger than a fingernail. No wonder it had remained hidden in the scabbard for so long without being discovered.
The map’s overall shape resembled a snake—no, it had horns, so it must be a dragon.
What was even stranger was that the map had no names or labels. It was a pure illustration. For anyone unfamiliar with the area, it would be difficult to even find the corresponding location.
Jiang Weiyang found the contents of the map familiar. She took out her own sea charts and compared the two. Soon, she found the location.
Beside her, Yu Jiuzhou picked up a brush and began to draw, referencing the map. In no time, a brand-new map, complete with place names and a scale for distance, was created.
Great Zhou’s new maps were drawn to scale, unlike the more abstract ones of the past. With this new map for comparison, it was easy to determine the locations on the mysterious chart.
“But what’s the use of a map?” Xia Qu asked.
It was just a map. What could it possibly signify?
Jiang Weiyang shook her head. “No, look here. This route is one I often take on my voyages. Just before reaching the dragon’s head, at the dragon’s neck, there’s a strait. Every time we reach this point, our fleet goes ashore on the island to rest for half a month. Then we cross the strait to trade with Mugu. Mugu has a great deal of gold and silver, as well as various hides, horns, and high-quality timber. Their gems and spices are very popular in Great Zhou. However, Mugu is poor, so we can acquire these goods at extremely low prices. That’s why Mugu is the most profitable stop in our maritime trade.”
“Back then, the officials dispatched by Great Zhou purchased mineral resources there. Our people doing business in Mugu further reduced Great Zhou’s costs.”
In the beginning, a single voyage could bring Jiang Weiyang a profit of ten million taels. After years of development, the returns from one trading expedition had multiplied several times over.
Great Zhou conducted legitimate business, not plunder. Despite possessing the most advanced technology and the most powerful firearms, Great Zhou remained a trader, not a pirate.
With Great Zhou’s naval fleet, instances of other nations being bullied by stronger powers decreased. At most, aggressors would wait until Great Zhou’s fleet had departed before launching an attack.
In short, Great Zhou’s merchant ships not only engaged in trade but also brought temporary peace to various regions. As a result, many nations welcomed the arrival of the merchant fleet and would even spontaneously protect the people of Great Zhou.
Mugu was one such place. It was a large land with incredibly rich mineral resources—gold mines, silver mines, various gemstone mines, and priceless spices.
Both official and private merchant ships made a fortune there. There was a saying among private merchants: one trip to Mugu sets you up for ten years.
Therefore, Mugu was also the final destination for most voyages.
Jiang Weiyang continued, “One year, I sailed past Mugu and continued onward, but the sea ahead was covered in ice, and there was no one around. This is the location of the dragon’s head.”
Chi Wan guessed that it probably corresponded to the Antarctic.
Then, Jiang Weiyang pointed to another map. “Here, there are people. I took a few ships there once. They are relatively backward, but much stronger than Mugu. They have their own arithmetic, calendar, and writing system. It was from there that I brought back potatoes, corn, and other things. They also have a lot of gold and silver, but it’s just too far. For now, the trade with Mugu is sufficient. Going any further would be too costly.”
“One side is the Ice Continent, and the other is too expensive to reach. That’s why Mugu was established as the final destination.”
But after all that, Xia Qu was still puzzled. “We’ve studied all this before, but what does it have to do with this map?”
Jiang Weiyang pointed to the location of the dragon’s head. “Honglin wanted this map, which follows our sailing route. The dragon’s head corresponds to the Ice Continent. The secret is most likely on the Ice Continent.”
But without a specific route, they didn’t know what Honglin wanted the map for.
Honglin was probably dead by now anyway, so the map was likely useless.
Finally, Yu Jiuzhou made the decision. “Send the news about Nanyue back home and let the Emperor decide. We will continue our journey.”
Chi Wan had one more question. “Marquis Jiang, you know the priestess?”
To know the priestess’s name was Honglin, she must be acquainted with her.
Jiang Weiyang nodded. “Zhancheng is different from other places. It’s a paradise for villains, a place abandoned by Nanyue. It was only after Great Zhou opened up trade and needed a port that Zhancheng was brought under strict control. But the natives of Zhancheng disagreed. They were used to their freedom and didn’t want to be governed. When the royal army was stationed in Zhancheng, conflict broke out between the two sides. Many people died. Zhancheng once had a population of over six hundred thousand; now, only a little over three hundred thousand remain. You can imagine how fierce that battle was.”
It couldn’t be denied that many innocent people had died, but such is war.
Clearly, what she was saying was related to Honglin. “Honglin is the priestess of Zhancheng. Many people sought her out, hoping she would intervene. For some reason, she met with the King of Nanyue just once. The king promised that as long as the business of Zhancheng’s port belonged to the royal family, he would not interfere with Zhancheng.”
“By the way, that was the previous Honglin. She died last year. The one we met is the nineteenth-generation Honglin.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished.
“Does that mean the priestess of Zhancheng is always called Honglin? Do you know the meaning of the name?” Chi Wan asked the question on everyone’s mind.
Jiang Weiyang nodded. “It is said that the first Honglin was the descendant of a human-snake, covered in scales, with the ability to communicate with spirits and make prophecies. The second Honglin was the union of the first Honglin and a human woman, but she still retained scales on her body.”
“A Honglin will have children with multiple Kun Ze, but no matter how many children are born, only one can survive. The one who survives becomes the next Honglin. It is a mutual slaughter among sisters. This generation’s Honglin survived by killing seven of her sisters. She also killed the previous Honglin to successfully take her place.”
In other words, there could only be one Honglin. To become Honglin, one had to kill all competitors. There was no choice but to fight from the moment of birth. Finally, one had to kill the reigning Honglin to become the new one.
Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes simultaneously turning to Yu Jiuzhou.
The imperial family of Great Zhou was fortunate; with few children, the competition wasn’t as fierce. But look at the previous dynasties—the competition among imperial heirs was intense, often involving killing one’s own siblings to ascend the throne. It was rare to kill the emperor, though it did happen. It just wasn’t as blatant as the Honglin succession method.
The struggle for the throne was a matter of conspiracy; the Honglin succession laid out the rules directly and told you to just do it.
“What else? The Heigelieyan Snake and the Heigelie Temple.” They wanted to know about this as well. The memory of the Heigelieyan Snake’s appearance made Chi Wan eager to understand the connection between them.
The Heigelieyan Snake, the Heigelie Temple, Honglin.
At that moment, Yu Jiuzhou suddenly spoke. “Let’s go wash up and eat first. We’ll have time to talk tonight.”
She could see Jiang Weiyang’s hesitation. She certainly knew something but was deliberating whether to say it. She trusted Jiang Weiyang’s loyalty and was willing to give her time.
Back in their room, Chi Wan stripped off all the gear she was carrying. “If only I had a space ring. Carrying all this stuff is killing me.”
Normally, the guards would carry these things, but since they had disguised themselves as guards when they went ashore, they naturally had to carry the equipment themselves. Otherwise, it would have looked too fake.
Yu Jiuzhou glanced at her with a smile. “What’s a space ring?”
“It’s a ring with a huge space inside, where you can put anything you want.” Chi Wan mused that such a thing would have to belong to a world of immortal cultivation.
“Silly girl.”
Yu Jiuzhou chuckled. She had only had such fantasies when she was a child.
Their three little ones had stopped thinking like that after the age of five. Then again, Chi Wan was perennially three years old.
Chi Wan huffed lightly. “I’m not silly. You stopped Jiang Weiyang from talking just now because you saw her hesitation, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Since she was hesitant, there’s no need for us to force her.”
There was no need to pressure her. Jiang Weiyang had done an excellent job over the years. Who didn’t have their own secrets? Even though she was the monarch, her subjects were not obligated to tell her everything.
Chi Wan suddenly moved closer, pressing her forehead against Yu Jiuzhou’s. “My wife is so understanding.”
“And you?”
“Me? I’m understanding of peop—hey~”
Chi Wan’s tone turned uncertain. “I have a question. The first Honglin had scales on her body, and the new Honglin has scales too. Even if the first one was truly a snake-person, after nineteen generations of intermingling, why does the nineteenth one still have so many scales?”
It was like being mixed-race; generation after generation, Honglin should have become more and more human-like.
Yu Jiuzhou knew this as well. Great Zhou had mixed-race people. Maritime trade had begun during the Taizong era, and although it was banned not long after, some sailors had still brought back foreign wives. After more than a hundred years of development, their descendants might have slightly more prominent noses, somewhat better looks, or be a little taller, but there was almost no trace of their foreign ancestry left.
Back when all nations came to pay tribute, many foreign beauties were presented to the court, and even the imperial family had mixed blood. It was just that that particular branch was later executed for treason, the entire clan wiped out.
After all, it was the imperial family; they couldn’t just exterminate nine generations of relatives!
So Chi Wan had a point. During the fight, the sleeve on Honglin’s arm had been torn, revealing the entire limb. The scales on it were densely packed, suggesting her whole body was covered.
If that was the case, how could the snake scales still be present after so many generations?
“We can order someone to investigate.”
With their status, they didn’t need to do everything themselves. What happened in Zhancheng today had already become a diplomatic incident between nations. They could guess how Chenchen would handle it.
Nanyue no longer had a reason to exist.
They could investigate the matter of Zhancheng’s Honglin then. They had wanted to travel and see different places. It seemed they couldn’t go ashore with Jiang Weiyang next time. They could disguise themselves as merchants and go ashore on their own.
Jiang Weiyang could handle state affairs while they had their fun. They would just need to rendezvous back on the ship at the appointed time.
The fleet would stop at various places on its round trip anyway. They carried goods from Great Zhou to sell all over the world, and they could also sell goods brought from other parts of the world to different countries—for example, selling goods from Nanyue in Mugu, and goods from Mugu in Masi.
By the time they returned to Great Zhou, they would not only have brought back goods from various countries but also sold all the goods they had taken from Great Zhou.
Nanyue was relatively small, and the goods Great Zhou needed were already prepared, so they could be loaded directly onto the ships. It wasn’t like in the past when they had to procure from various suppliers, which caused long delays.
Nanyue had only so many goods, and Great Zhou didn’t sell much to Nanyue either, so the stopover time would be shorter. Besides, the two countries were neighbors, making it the safest part of Great Zhou’s sea route. Even if the official ships didn’t come, it wouldn’t affect the trade between the two nations, which wasn’t limited to the sea.
The fleet stayed for three days before heading to the next destination.
This time, there were more people in the cabin, enough for two tables of mahjong. Since they were idle anyway, playing mahjong and cards was a happy way to prevent the sea voyage from becoming too boring.
Chi Wan didn’t like playing cards. She spent her days sea fishing. Whenever the ship stopped, she would start fishing. She didn’t catch many fish, but she did manage to break two fishing rods. Of course, no one was short of fish to eat. At sea, they lacked everything but seafood. The fleet had not only expert fishermen but also masters of diving and net casting. Getting seafood was not difficult.
There was a lot of coal on board; each ship’s cargo hold was stocked with it. A single stove with a few briquettes could last a long time. Whether it was for grilling meat, roasting fish, or cooking rice, it was very convenient. They no longer had to eat dry rations, and using fire was much safer.
It was another day of coming back empty-handed. Facing the teasing gazes of the others, she habitually sat down next to Yu Jiuzhou. “How did the card game go today?”
“I won.”
Yu Jiuzhou’s two simple words broke several hearts.
Yu Jiuzhou’s luck at cards was excellent; she had never lost once. It was either a small win or a big win. A small win was purely because her luck was bad and her hand was poor, but she could still eke out a victory, relying on skill.
The others had their wins and losses, but they lost more often than not. Even when the three of them reached a tacit understanding and played their cards to defend against Yu Jiuzhou, the result was only that they didn’t lose by as much.
Chi Wan asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? Don’t go easy on her just because she’s the monarch. Play properly.”
If only they were going easy on her. They would start with a great hand but still couldn’t win. They didn’t want to admit there was something wrong with their brains.
It wasn’t that their minds weren’t sharp enough; it was that Yu Jiuzhou was simply too intelligent. Few could surpass her in arithmetic. Moreover, she could count cards, remembering every card played by others and deducing what cards they held and what they needed to win.
Her intellect was too high; she was invincible.
Chi Wan, of course, knew this. That was why Yu Jiuzhou had already started to avoid playing cards with them. Crushing novices was no fun.
Yu Jiuzhou was neither fond of nor averse to playing cards. If she had to choose, she would rather play chess against herself. But Chun Gui and the others always invited her to play. Frustrated by their previous losses, they wanted to win back their pride, but the more they played, the deeper their despair grew.
It was clear Chi Wan was being deliberate. Just as they had teased her for coming back empty-handed, she was now teasing them for losing at cards. No one was spared.
They were all retired and had been together for so many years. They were all friends. While they still held great respect for Yu Jiuzhou, they didn’t have as many reservations with Chi Wan.
Mainly, Yu Jiuzhou was quieter. Although she was gentle, the habits formed over many years couldn’t be changed. She was the monarch, and always would be.
Chi Wan was different. She was more playful, so everyone often joked around with each other.
In truth, it’s not easy to have so many like-minded friends in one’s life. For them to be together for so long and even travel together—how could it not be a blessing?
However, in the past few days, Chi Wan had felt that something was off. She had a vague sense of crisis.
She didn’t know what the crisis was, but with her internal energy having reached a state of great accomplishment, her perception of danger was very strong. She trusted her instincts.
Yet, from the time they set sail until now, the only incident they had encountered was with Honglin, and they had only stopped in Zhancheng. The next stop was two days away. At sea, unlike on land, leaving the ship meant facing the vast, unforgiving ocean. Survival would be difficult. She had to be vigilant.
So Chi Wan pulled Jiang Weiyang aside. “Weiyang, have more people patrol the fleet these next few days. Don’t miss a single corner.”
Jiang Weiyang was startled. “Your Highness, has something happened?”
Chi Wan shook her head. “It’s just a feeling. It’s better to be cautious.”
The feeling was strange. She had felt something was wrong ever since they left Nanyue. At first, she didn’t think much of it, but as time passed, the feeling grew stronger, which was why she had sought out Jiang Weiyang.
Jiang Weiyang didn’t doubt her. She had always trusted the Prince. In all of Great Zhou, whose military achievements could compare to the Prince’s? In the hearts of martial artists, the Prince was a god of war, a figure of faith for many.
“I understand, Your Highness. I will assign more people to patrol. I’ll also have some of the cargo opened and inspected.”
Sea voyages were fraught with taboos. It was better to believe something than nothing. For many things, it was better to waste effort than to do nothing at all.
Chi Wan nodded. She hesitated for a moment but still didn’t ask anything.
Yu Jiuzhou had told her that if Jiang Weiyang didn’t want to talk, then it was fine not to.
As if sensing her hesitation, Jiang Weiyang suddenly smiled. “Your Highness wants to ask about the relationship between Honglin, the Heigelie Temple, and the Heigelieyan Snake, right? It’s not that I didn’t want to say anything before; I was trying to sort out the connection between the three myself. Honglin can control the Heigelieyan Snake, and the Heigelie Temple’s name must also be related to the Heige Lie Snake.”
This was obvious; they didn’t need to guess much.
Jiang Weiyang made a gesture of invitation, and the two returned to where the others had been playing cards. Everyone sat down together as Chun Gui happened to arrive with tea and snacks.
As long as Chun Gui was around, she never let anyone else serve Yu Jiuzhou.
The group was laughing and joking, but when they heard Jiang Weiyang approaching and speaking of this matter, they all fell silent in unison.
Then, Jiang Weiyang shared her speculation. “Since the first Honglin was a snake-person, and considering she can control the Heigelieyan Snake, I believe that if she truly has the blood of a snake, it must be that of the Heigelieyan Snake.”
“I’ve mentioned the legend of the Heigelieyan Snake before. A snake that was extinct for a thousand years suddenly reappeared in the hundreds. Someone must be breeding them. It’s highly likely that each generation of Honglin has been raising them and keeping them hidden. The hallucinogenic drug made from the Heigelieyan Snake’s venom is incredibly potent and highly addictive, making it immensely profitable. If anyone knew the Heigelieyan Snake still existed, they would surely not pass up this money-making opportunity. So it’s normal for the successive Honglins to have hidden the snakes.”
“As for this generation’s Honglin, I actually know her. The first time I met her, she was only six years old. At that time, she didn’t have many scales on her body, just a few on her face. The other children not only wouldn’t play with her but also bullied her. I chased those kids away and noticed the scales on her face and neck. I was startled for a moment, but it wasn’t my first sea voyage, and I had seen many strange things, so I didn’t think much of it. I just bought her two buns and left.”
“The next time I saw her, she was sixteen, which was four years ago. I found her on the ship. The fleet was docked at Zhancheng’s port, and she had secretly snuck aboard. We didn’t discover her until we were almost at Masi. The fleet couldn’t just throw her into the sea, nor could we send a ship to take her back to Nanyue, so we brought her to Masi. I intended to leave her there and pick her up on our return journey, but the child was too stubborn. She said if we didn’t take her with us, she would jump into the sea. I didn’t yield to her threat, but she actually jumped.”
“I had no choice but to take her with me all the way to Mugu. There, she suddenly disappeared. A few months later, as we were preparing to return from Mugu, she reappeared. I asked her where she had been, and she said she had gone to see a god. I thought the child might have some mental problems, so I paid it no mind. When we reached Nanyue, she disappeared again. But a few days later, she appeared before me, covered in blood. I had someone treat her injuries, but before she had fully recovered, she was gone.”
“I haven’t been to sea these past few years, so I haven’t seen her. When I saw her at the docks last time, her face was covered in paint, and I didn’t recognize her. It wasn’t until her scales were exposed that I realized she was that little girl from back then, She Qi. As for the Heigelieyan Snake, I’ve only read about it in books and don’t know much. I had my people ask the elders in Zhancheng, but they don’t know either. Those who do know won’t say a word. They believe that even mentioning the Heigelieyan Snake will bring it to their door. They say it’s a ghost snake raised by a god, and if not for the god’s control, the ghost snake would go mad and destroy the world.”
“The deity enshrined in the Heigelie Temple is a snake-person, said to be the god of Zhancheng. The nine-eyed snake in the god’s hand is the Heigelieyan Snake. The temple is called Heigelie Temple because the character ‘yan’ is inappropriate.”
Otherwise, calling it the ‘Yan Temple’ would indeed be strange.
So, She Qi was Honglin.
Chi Wan pondered for a moment. “Honglin went to Mugu, which means she was following the route on the map. Does that mean the map’s destination is in Mugu?”
Yu Jiuzhou shook her head. “If it were in Mugu, why draw the dragon’s head?”
The dragon’s head was the Ice Continent, covered entirely in ice. Large ships couldn’t pass through; they would probably have to use small boats.
“Now that the Heigelie Temple is destroyed, we don’t know if the Heigelieyan Snakes are all dead, and Honglin’s body hasn’t been found. Whatever the map records, it has nothing to do with us. But the venom of the Heigelieyan Snake must never leave Zhancheng.”
Chi Wan decided to let the matter of the map go. They were on vacation, after all. As long as the other party didn’t provoke them, they had no desire to interfere with their plans.
She was only worried that Honglin’s existence could pose a threat to Great Zhou’s borders. With so many nine-eyed snakes, if they truly reached Great Zhou and began to reproduce, the lives of the people in Lingnan, a region already plagued by venomous snakes, would likely become even more difficult.
What she feared most was the venom of the nine-eyed snake. The hallucinogenic drug made from the venom could cause addiction. No matter what, this must never be allowed to spread to Great Zhou.
Otherwise, what kind of ordeal would the people on Great Zhou’s borders face? That was why she had razed the Heigelie Temple without hesitation. It was just a temple; it naturally couldn’t compare to the people of Great Zhou. Even if there was only the slightest possibility, she had to extinguish that small flame.
From what Jiang Weiyang said, it was clear that Honglin was not a benevolent person. The hallucinogenic drug of the Heigelieyan Snake had to be completely eradicated.
Yu Jiuzhou nodded in agreement. “It’s time for this place, Nanyue, to belong to Great Zhou.”
Everyone exchanged glances, a look of pleasant surprise in their eyes. The conquest of a nation! It was a pity they wouldn’t be able to participate in this war.
But Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou still had one concern. Honglin’s body had not been found. They seriously suspected she was not dead.
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