Chapter Sixty-Six: Subduing the Pirates

All the pirates threw down their weapons, crouching on the deck with their hands over their heads. The captives rushed forward to confiscate the pirates' arms. The deck was littered with corpses and bloodstains, most belonging to the captives, a few to the pirates. Wang Hu, Yang You, and several others led dozens of captives in tossing the bodies into the sea, giving them a burial at sea. There was no space aboard to keep the corpses; death meant a burial in the ocean.

Schools of sea bladefish followed behind the ship, quickly devouring every corpse thrown into the waves.

Ye Mo stood on the deck, feeling a strange sadness. These people, in life, were much like himself—harboring dreams and longing for the Immortal Village of the Eastern Sea. Now, not even a patch of earth remained for them to rest; only the endless ocean offered their burial. There was a certain bleakness to it.

"Brother Ye, what do you plan to do with these pirates now?" Gao Jian's gaze fell upon the pirates, and he addressed Ye Mo.

"Though they've surrendered, those among them who committed great evils cannot be let off lightly. The rest, whose crimes are minor, can be dealt with leniently," Ye Mo replied, his icy gaze sweeping over the pirates. None dared meet his eyes; a single glance from him chilled them to the bone, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

Ye Mo noticed a familiar elder with yellowed teeth among the pirates and let out a cold hum.

"Immortal Master... Immortal Master... It was Captain Feng who forced us into these crimes!" The old accountant, caught by Ye Mo's gaze, shivered and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "I was originally the accountant for a wealthy family. Ten years ago, Captain Feng kidnapped me onto this ship to keep accounts. My family of six relies on the meager earnings I bring home to barely survive. If I die here, what will become of my wife and children? They'll starve! Immortal Master, spare me!"

Tears streaming, the accountant wailed. "The accountant speaks true; we were all forced!" others cried. "We are willing to follow the Immortal Master! Please, have mercy and let us live!"

The pirates cried out, for with Captain Feng dead, none wished to follow him to their doom.

...

As Ye Mo interrogated the pirates, Gao Jian, Mo Ling, and others spoke quietly amongst themselves.

"The gap between us and Brother Ye has become like an impassable chasm! Since Brother Ye broke through to become an immortal cultivator, every gesture carries an indescribable power—even his simplest moves are impossible to resist," Li Ruofeng remarked, with a hint of bitterness.

"He is an immortal cultivator; naturally, we cannot compare. We need not belittle ourselves. When we reach the Immortal Village, where immortals gather, and become cultivators ourselves, we may attain such heights," Gao Jian replied with a smile.

"Whether it was encountering Zheng Yiqing on the island, the tide of sea beasts, or this pirate ship, without Brother Ye, any of those crises could have shattered our dreams and left our bodies floating in the Eastern Sea," Mo Ling said.

"Now that we've seized the pirate ship, we can soon continue our journey to seek immortality in the Eastern Sea!"

Mo Ling, Wang Hu, Yang You, and the others felt the same: reverence, gratitude, and excitement filled their hearts.

...

"Pick the ten worst offenders among these pirates. Execute them!" Ye Mo frowned, coldly glaring at the trembling pirates.

The captives, burning with righteous indignation, eagerly selected ten of the most notorious pirates from the group.

These pirates protested, cursing, but their weapons had long been confiscated; they were powerless to resist. Soon, they were driven to the edge of the deck, beheaded, and their bodies thrown to the sea bladefish.

The remaining pirates were terrified into silence. The captives, having vented their anger, found some measure of release.

Ye Mo, of course, had no intention of slaughtering all the pirates in a fit of rage. It was enough to single out a few of the worst as an example. He knew nothing of navigation, and the captives likely had little knowledge of sailing this vessel; the pirates' skills were necessary to reach the Immortal Village swiftly.

"Who usually commands and operates this ship?" Ye Mo asked the remaining pirates.

They looked at each other, and someone hastily replied, "Captain Feng gave orders, and First Mate Chang operated the ship."

"I am Chang Fei, the ship's first mate. Greetings, Immortal Master!" A nondescript, thin man among the pirates, considering how to address Ye Mo as the new captain, stepped forward.

"Oh? How is the ship operated?" Ye Mo scrutinized the man, half believing his words.

Now the actual master of the ship, Ye Mo had every right to issue orders.

"The ship is complex, requiring dozens of crew to work together. Immortal Master need only say where we are bound; I will see it done. Captain Feng never concerned himself with the details," Chang Fei replied quickly.

"Then you should know the name of the nearest spirit island and the approximate travel time?" Ye Mo nodded, gazing at the boundless sea.

He possessed a nautical chart, but did not know their exact location. If he and the captives searched blindly, they might never find a spirit island.

Chang Fei was momentarily stunned, then answered respectfully, "Immortal Master, the nearest spirit island is Donglai Island, a gathering place for immortals from the Donglai Sea. If we sail at full speed, we should arrive in about half a month."

"Half a month’s journey—not too long," Ye Mo considered, then asked, "You seem honest and not a villain. How did you become a pirate?"

"I was originally a sailor from Donglai, working for various ship owners. Captain Feng kidnapped me. When I realized he was a pirate, I wanted nothing to do with it. But he threatened my family and forced me to operate the ship. Over the years, I only managed the ship, never participated in any other activities. Many pirates here were once fishermen, forced into piracy. Only a few dozen truly followed Captain Feng," Chang Fei explained hurriedly.

"I see. I know little about the ship’s operations. The running of this vessel will depend on you," Ye Mo nodded.

"Thank you for your trust, Immortal Master. I will do everything in my power to manage the ship well for you!" Chang Fei was delighted, his body trembling with excitement. Following an immortal master promised a far brighter future than serving a pirate leader.

"As long as you serve me faithfully, you will not be mistreated. Is the ship’s equipment still intact?"

Ye Mo glanced around the deck, worried the recent fighting might have damaged the ship.

"I’m not sure yet. I’ll send men to inspect the ship thoroughly for any damage. When they're done, I’ll report the ship's condition to you," Chang Fei replied respectfully.

...

"Also, you know the pirates well; see to their management. There’s been much enmity between them and the captives, but from today, all is forgiven. Anyone who defies orders or starts a fight will be executed without mercy," Ye Mo declared.

"But we tricked them onto the pirate ship—they must hate us. Even if we don’t provoke them, they won’t let us off easily!" a pirate in a blue shirt voiced the group's concerns.

"Yes, what if they insist on causing trouble?"

"We can't just let them walk all over us!"

Ye Mo signaled for silence. When all were quiet, he spoke, "Since all is forgiven, no one may mention the past. When we reach the Immortal Village, you may stay or leave as you wish. On this ship, no disorder will be tolerated."

"Good, as long as Immortal Master says so, we have nothing to fear!" the pirates responded.

Ye Mo’s expression relaxed. "Your task now is to obey First Mate Chang and sail the ship to the Immortal Village."

Having arranged matters with the pirates, Ye Mo was about to leave, when Chang Fei spoke, "Immortal Master, some seriously wounded pirates urgently need medicinal herbs. What do you say?"

Now the captives controlled the ship entirely, including the storage of herbs. The pirates had neither weapons nor medicines.

"How much medicine do you need?" Ye Mo asked, recalling the issue.

"Minor wounds need only bandaging, but the seriously injured are the Five Earth Slave Guards. They urgently require top-quality healing herbs, or they won't last many days."

"The Five Earth Slave Guards? The ones I wounded?"

"Yes, those five. They were Captain Feng’s personal slaves, not true pirates, but private slaves of the Earth Tribe—lower than ordinary servants, their lives wholly at their master’s mercy. No one on the ship regarded them as pirates."

"If they were Feng Xiongzhang’s slaves, and I killed him, wouldn’t they seek revenge?"

"Not at all. While Feng Xiongzhang lived, they served him. Now he is dead, they have no master. Their slave contracts are in Captain Feng’s cabin; whoever holds the contracts becomes their new master. If you retrieve the contracts, Immortal Master, you will be their master," Chang Fei explained.

He then turned to the five wounded Earth Slave Guards, "Go on, pay respects to your new master!"

Despite their injuries, the five knelt on the deck before Ye Mo.

"Greetings, Master!" they called, kneeling.

"Very well. I have here a supreme healing salve, Black Jade Renewal Paste. Apply it three times daily. Your wounds are severe; if you do not treat them thoroughly, even if you survive, your cultivation will be forever stunted," Ye Mo said, taking a small bottle of black ointment from his bosom and tossing it to the five.

Then, with Gao Jian, Huang Yi, and others, he entered the cabin to sort through the wealth left by Feng Xiongzhang.

"Thank you, Master!" The five guards received the Black Jade Renewal Paste, gazing in astonishment at Ye Mo’s departing figure.