Everyone's faces were red from the cold, but their eyes were bright and excited.
One cook, sailor, sailor, helmsman, guard, archer … one by one, they disembarked from the ship. Once everyone had left, a weather-beaten youth finally appeared on the first ship.
This youth did not seem very old, but his eyes exuded the aura of a seasoned veteran. He did not look like a young man, but more like a middle-aged man of thirty or forty with a story to tell.
"I'm finally back!"
Standing on the high railing of the ship, Wang Liang looked down at the crowded, lively, harmonious, and united crew, and the familiar, empty harbor. He exhaled a breath of cold air, his mind filled with emotion.
It had only been a little more than half a year since he had set out, but to him, it had been as long as a lifetime.
On this adventure, he had experienced far too much and seen far too much.
Taking in a deep breath of cold air, Wang Liang raised his robe and stepped onto the wooden gangway, descending from the ship. The wooden gangway creaked under his feet, each creak so clear and loud that it felt like it was right next to his ear.
"Captain! … "
"Captain! … "
"Captain! … "
… …
Seeing Wang Liang descend, all the sailors, sailors, guards, cooks, navigators, archers, crossbowmen, and lookouts in the harbor began to cheer.
Their eyes were brimming with fanaticism and worship, as if the youth descending from the railing was some illustrious and influential personage.
Wave after wave of cheers rose up, and not even the wind, snow, or bitter cold could stop them. Even the guards of the Wang Clan seemed to have forgotten Wang Liang's identity. Just like everyone else, they sincerely regarded him as their most important captain.
In their hearts, this identity of captain was clearly even more worthy of respect than Wang Liang's identity as' Young Master Liang '.
Finally leaving the fortress ship and stepping onto solid ground, Wang Liang finally gave his first speech since stepping onto the continent under the gazes of hundreds of people.
"We're back! Just as I promised all of you. All of you will obtain what you want: 'wealth'! "
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
…
The originally excited crowd suddenly became even more fanatical. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that these were Wang Liang's most loyal followers and guards.
Anyone, anyone … if they wanted to harm Wang Liang, they would tear them to pieces!
Di da da!
Just when the crowd was at its most excited, the clanging of hooves came from afar, breaking through the wind and snow, attracting everyone's attention.
In the beginning, the sound of the horses' hooves was faint, but very quickly, it became rumbling, as if thousands of horses were galloping toward the harbor.
"Look over there!"
Someone suddenly said while pointing into the distance. In an instant, everyone noticed a mighty black torrent in the distance, heading in the direction of the harbor.
"Screech! — "
At the very front of the group was a large golden eagle. Its voice was loud and clear, and its wings were like iron. It glided through the wind and snow, appearing extremely conspicuous.
Below the golden eagle was a sixteen or seventeen year old youth wearing a fox fur coat. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and he was leading the way. Although he was young, the youth's every move and action had a kind of prestige that made people believe in him.
"Young Master! It's Young Master Chong! "
In the crowd, the Wang Clan guard was the first to recognize him. Soon, others recognized him as well. There were very few people in the capital who didn't know of the Wang Clan's Qilin son.
A significant portion of this crew had come for the youngest son of the Wang Clan, Young Master Chong. Of course, part of this was because of his reputation, but the main reason was the legendary WuZi Steel weapons of the capital and the wealth of this Young Master Chong.
"Cousin, you're finally back!"
Wang Chong urged his horse forward, sending snow flying. In the freezing harbor and the frozen sea, Wang Chong immediately spotted Wang Liang at the very back of the group.
Galloping through the crowd, Wang Chong dismounted from his horse, strode forward, and fiercely hugged his cousin.
"Hahaha, I'm back, I'm back …"
Wang Liang also heartily laughed as he hugged Wang Chong back.
Although they had suffered a lot during this adventure, and even narrowly escaped death, they had almost died on the sea. But now that he had come back alive, the person he was most grateful to was Wang Chong.
If not for Wang Chong, he would never have been able to break out of the walls of the capital. Perhaps he would still be drifting about in the marketplace, acting as a bird and selling his toys.
If not for Wang Chong, he would never have known that there was such a marvelous world outside of his home, such a vast ocean.
If not for Wang Chong, he would never have realized that this was what he had always wanted in the depths of his heart!
The current him was the real him!
He didn't want that dull life. Even if he didn't have supreme martial arts, even if he didn't rely on the power of his clan, he could still rely on his own intelligence and ability to win the support and respect of others.
"Cousin, I didn't disappoint you. I've brought back what you wanted."
Wang Liang loosened his grip and pointed at the large ships anchored in the harbor behind him.
Countless people had died on this voyage, and they had experienced innumerable thunderstorms and hurricanes. But the greatest harvest was on the large ships behind him.
Although Wang Chong had told him that they were meteoric metal, nothing had been verified. Whether or not so many people had died and so many hardships had been worth it would depend on Wang Chong's confirmation.
Wang Chong also turned his head at Wang Liang's words. But Wang Chong wasn't looking at the railings of the ships, but at the railings. Compared to normal ships, the waterline of these ships was clearly much deeper.
"Cousin, you've worked hard. Leave these matters to others. We'll talk about it when we get back. You've been gone for so long this time, so I really want to hear about your experiences at sea. "
Wang Chong said.
The Wang Liang in front of him was like a completely different person compared to when he had first set sail. The skin on his face, neck, and wrists was the dark red of being exposed to the scorching sun of the ocean. Moreover, his skin was rough and weather-beaten, nothing like the scion of a great clan.
This steady and dignified appearance was something that Wang Chong would never have imagined at first.
Even if Wang Liang hadn't said anything, Wang Chong could sense that many things had happened to Wang Liang on this voyage.
"Wait a moment!"
Wang Liang stopped Wang Chong. Under Wang Chong's flabbergasted gaze, after a few moments of silence, he pointed at the crew in front of him.
"These people followed me out to sea, and nine out of ten of them died. I promised them that once I returned, I would bestow upon them a great deal of wealth! … "
"Hahaha, so it's this. Relax, I've already prepared everything. Take a look at that. "
Wang Chong pointed behind him.
Following the direction of Wang Chong's finger, he saw warhorses in teams of two, carrying heavy and crude chests of copper as they galloped over.
Wang Liang counted: one chest, two chests, three chests … there were more than ten chests.
Wang Chong snapped his fingers and gestured for them to proceed. A knight on horseback pulled out his treasured saber with a 'keng' sound and chopped off the copper lock on the treasure chest. Then, he stretched out his hand and inserted it into the gap of the treasure chest's lid. With a forceful lift, a brilliant golden light burst out.
The copper chest was filled to the brim with dazzling gold.
"Boom!"
The sight of these chests filled to the brim with gold once more caused the crew to excitedly cheer. A few of the more impatient ones even rushed over and pounced on them.
"Let's go!"
Wang Chong pulled over a horse. This time, Wang Liang did not refuse, jumping onto the horse's back. Behind him, Wang Chong snapped his fingers. All the guards of his clan, the guards of his big uncle, and the experts that Elder Hu and Elder Ye had transferred over hurriedly rushed toward the large ships behind them …
… …
Wang Chong was holding a welcoming dinner for Wang Liang in his own restaurant.
The entire restaurant was empty, but the table was piled high with food and wine. After closing the doors and windows and lighting a few pots of charcoal, the interior of the room immediately became as different as night and day.
Outside the room, the wind howled. The world was cold and snowy, but the room was warm.
The two cousins, Wang Chong and Wang Liang, were sitting across from each other at the table. The Eagle, with his eagle perched on his shoulder, sat on the side.
Wang Liang took out warm wine from a nearby stove and poured a cup for himself and another for Wang Chong. Then, he added a large piece of steaming, soft, and delicious beef from the pot and began to chew on it.
"Not bad, very delicious!"
Wang Liang praised, and then he began to chew, pouring wine into his mouth as he ate.
"You didn't drink before."
Wang Chong suddenly said as he looked at Wang Liang.
The Wang Liang of the past would never have done this, but the current Wang Liang naturally did this. He was not like the scion of a great clan, but more like a standard sailor who had spent a long time at sea.
"Haha, if you had experienced what I experienced, you would have done the same."
Wang Liang heartily laughed as he continued to chew on the beef and drink the warm wine.
"Just what happened?"
Wang Chong asked.
He had been suppressing this question for a very long time.
Wang Liang did not hesitate to recount his experiences on the sea. Even though Wang Chong had already expected this, he still couldn't help but be deeply moved by Wang Liang's story.
The sea was an abyss!
It was far from land, far from morality, infinitely close to the abyss of hell, a place that tested one's humanity to the extreme.
In that place, Wang Liang had to face all sorts of problems, both external and internal.
As Wang Liang drank, he played down his experiences. But when Wang Chong heard that the guards he had sent to protect Wang Liang had also turned traitor, he finally understood just how complicated the situation Wang Liang had faced was.
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