Chapter 524: Chapter 287: Just as I Expected, a Great Naval Victory

Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, stood at the bow of the flagship, his sword at his side. At his command, the soldiers and officers quickly mobilized, moving to their battle stations.

Over half a month of sailing had accustomed the men to the swaying of the military vessels and life at sea.

Lines of warships quickly fell into formation, charging toward the Wako pirates like arrows loosed from a bowstring.

The Red Coat Cannons roared, and arrows rained down.

Under the overwhelming barrage, a dozen or so small, dilapidated boats caught fire and sank into the sea...

The soldiers of the Three Guards of the Mansion had expected a vicious battle. In reality, the two sides never even boarded each other’s ships for fierce close-quarters combat before all the Wako vessels were sent to the bottom of the ocean.

This level of resistance was almost a farce. Compared to the battle at Elephant Island, no highly cultivated Da Xingzi had appeared.

The soldiers cheered, waving their arms in the air!

Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, immediately ordered his forces to split up and search the nearby islands to prevent any from slipping through the net, completely clearing out several of the Northern islands.

The soldiers of the Three Guards of the Mansion encountered almost no stubborn resistance as they drove the Wako pirates from the Empire’s land and territorial waters.

Xiaoliu’Er, while cleaning up the battlefield, said to his Second Brother, "Second Brother, these Wako pirates are a total pushover. I bet the local militia could’ve driven them back into the sea."

"You should just focus on cleaning up the battlefield," said the second adopted son, Lantian. "Don’t ask questions, and don’t overthink things."

The "Second Brother" Xiaoliu’Er mentioned was Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu’s, second adopted son.

Like the first adopted son, Lan Ying, the second son, Lantian, was one of Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu’s, most trusted aides.

Not only was Lantian extremely loyal to the Marquis, but he was also the one who handled many of his unsavory affairs.

The reason this bandit suppression campaign went so smoothly was that Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, had used Lantian to inform the Wako pirates of his army’s route and objective in advance.

The Wako pirates, in turn, had sent out a dozen or so dilapidated boats to ’oppose’ them, having already withdrawn most of their people from the nearby occupied islands, leaving only a small number behind to put up a token resistance.

Standing at the bow, Lan Yu casually remarked to a trusted subordinate, "On this expedition, we sank 30 large Wako warships and 63 small ones, reclaimed seven islands, and killed or wounded nearly a thousand men."

"This subordinate understands. I’ll report it to the Court immediately."

...

"Eight hundred li express! A great victory at sea!" A rider with a banner symbolizing the highest authority strapped to his back held a report high, his voice hoarse as he galloped along the road, shouting the news.

News of the great naval victory quickly spread throughout the Imperial City. All the civil and military officials sighed in admiration, proclaiming Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, to be the Divine Ling Empire’s greatest military general.

Soon, Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, would lead the Three Guards of the Mansion back to the capital in triumph.

In the half-month since the second day of the second month, Lu Yuan, Su Liyan, Gu Ziye, and Lu Ruyan had all been staying in the Imperial City, living in a mansion on Prince’s Mansion’s Mansion Street.

In a pavilion in the Imperial Capital’s rear garden, Lu Yuan, Gu Ziye, Emperor Gu Yuanzhang, and Empress Ma sat around a table.

His Majesty the Emperor had summoned Lu Yuan to the Imperial Capital with Gu Ziye not just for the "Dragon Ship Raising" festival on the second of the second month, but because Empress Ma missed her daughter.

Su Liyan, meanwhile, was out and about with their daughter. When Lu Ruyan had heard her father was summoned to the Imperial City by imperial decree, she had clamored to come along.

And so, Su Liyan had no choice but to bring her daughter with Lu Yuan to the Imperial City.

The markets of the Imperial City weren’t much different from those in Taiping City.

Lu Ruyan looked left and right, then said, "Mama, why isn’t there an amusement park here? I don’t think it’s as fun as Taiping City."

Su Liyan gazed at a middle-aged man ahead of them dressed in a magnificent Daoist robe and murmured, "We’ve run into an acquaintance!"

"Who, Mama? Do I know them?" Lu Ruyan asked, blinking her eyes.

Beside the middle-aged man was an elder with white hair and a white beard who looked to be over a hundred years old, yet his frame was still hale and hearty.

The middle-aged man had also spotted Su Liyan. Those vertical pupils and pointed ears had left far too deep an impression on him.

The middle-aged man froze for a moment, slowed his pace, and tried to shrink back behind the old man.

As they drew near, the middle-aged man forced a smile onto his face and feigned surprise. "Well now, what a coincidence! To meet an old friend in a foreign land brings tears to the eyes!"

Though he appeared calm on the surface, the middle-aged man’s heart was pounding in his chest. He was terribly nervous.

Su Liyan, who had originally planned to pretend she hadn’t seen him, realized she couldn’t avoid it and replied calmly, "Daoist Longchuan, your cultivation seems to have deepened considerably since we last parted."

This middle-aged man was none other than the world-traveling Daoist Longchuan.

Ever since Su Liyan had moved into Taiping City, Daoist Longchuan had left the city to roam the world.

As a Great Celestial Master of the Perfection Realm, Daoist Longchuan didn’t try to hide anything. He glanced at the old man to his left front and said, "I found a new master while I was away. He’s incredibly powerful!"

Only then did Su Liyan properly size up the old man beside him, but for a moment, she found she couldn’t see through his strength.

The old man stood rooted to the spot, staring at Lu Ruyan, who was holding Su Liyan’s right hand, his thoughts unreadable.

A sense of unease washed over Su Liyan, a feeling she had never experienced before.

The old man before her gave off an air of unfathomable mystery.

Su Liyan picked Lu Ruyan up and squeezed her daughter’s small cheek.

The old man’s gaze remained fixed on Lu Ruyan.

Daoist Longchuan coughed sharply a few times from the side, but the old man remained unmoved.

Su Liyan spoke up, directly scolding him, "Hey, old man, how rude can you be, staring at a woman’s chest!"

The old man was taken aback by Su Liyan’s words.

’Old man? Chest? Why would a 100-year-old man like me be looking at her chest?’

No one had ever spoken to him like that before.

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