Seasickness was as fierce as a tiger, and he was used to vomiting. Shen Yuanqiong survived this ordeal and quickly regained his appetite. He ate well and slept well, no different from the old crew, which amazed Zhang Chengyun. On the contrary, the loyal servants Lao Lu and Xiao Sun who were traveling with them could not adapt to the bumps of the ship. They saw themselves losing weight day by day, feeling dizzy, unable to stand firmly, and falling asleep holding their bedding all day long. They were miserable.
After passing through the stormy waves, the storm gradually calmed down. The sky was incredibly blue, the clouds were as white as cotton candy, and the sea was endless and as smooth as a mirror. But for Zhang Chengyun, this was not good news. There was no wind, and with only 240 people rowing in three shifts, he didn’t know when he would be able to reach overseas countries. He calculated that the longer the delay, the longer the delay. , the profits will be diluted.
There had been no wind for a month, and the crew had lost all their strength in rowing. Zhang Chengyun was so anxious that he stared at the sea all day long, with several big blisters on his lips, and he lost weight. Lao Lu, who had always been loyal and steady that day, secretly told Shen Yuanqiong that the food and fresh water on the ship had been almost exhausted. When passing by the front cabin, he heard several crew members whispering, as if they were going to cause trouble.
Shen Yuanqiong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He frowned and thought for a while. Just as he was about to warn Zhang Chengyun, he suddenly heard a cheer from outside the cabin: "The wind is blowing! The wind is blowing!" Shen Yuanqiong was stunned for a moment. , three steps at a time, boarded the deck, and saw wind and water rising in the distance, and rolling waves. Zhang Chengyun stared at a pair of bloodshot eyes, his voice was hoarse, and he was full of energy, and ordered the crew to raise the main sail and hold it steady. Helm, get out of this damn place quickly.
A disaster disappeared invisible, the wind got stronger and stronger, pushing the sea ship forward, with the same momentum as a galloping horse, thousands of miles a day, but after only three or five days, a black land appeared at the end of the field of vision. With twenty years of experience in going to sea, Zhang Chengyun made some calculations based on the nautical charts and believed that the land was the most visited country among overseas countries.
The appearance of the citizens of the Yeyou Kingdom is roughly similar to that of the Xia people, except that their skin color is pale and their eyes are unfamiliar, which makes them look a little weird. They were afraid of the scorching sun, stayed up day and night, and were very fond of brocade and pottery. However, the country's production was poor and they could not produce any rare treasures except animal skins and bones. Merchants pursue profits, and Zhang Chengyun originally disdained doing business with Yeyou Country, but this time he was trapped in the ocean and wasted a lot of time. He was eager to replenish food and fresh water, so he sailed close to Yeyou Country and docked on the shore.
After being bumpy on the sea for a long time, Shen Yuanqiong was still and restless. He said hello to Zhang Chengyun, left Lao Lu to look after the luggage, and called Xiao Sun to accompany him. He went to the shore for a walk and felt the breath of the earth. Night Tour Country was not a dangerous place, but Zhang Chengyun was worried and asked an experienced crew member to act as a guide, telling them to only walk around the area and not go deep into the interior, especially not to go into underground caves.
Shen Yuanqiong abandoned the ship and landed. His feet were soft and he was swaying like a drunken man. His footing was unsteady. After walking for a while, he found some feeling. He secretly laughed at himself. After staying on the ship for a long time, he didn't adapt to it on land. Looking around, Yeyou Country is very desolate during the day, with rolling hills. As far as the eye can see, there are shaggy low grass and trees everywhere, and the wind and sand are swirling and whining.
Shen Yuanqiong's interest was waning, so he asked the crew and learned that the Night Travelers lived in caves, slept soundly during the day, and only came out to be active after the sun went down. To do business with them, you have to wait until the dead of night, and now you can even see the shadow of ghosts. Less than. Shen Yuanqiong walked around for a few times to stretch his muscles and relax his legs and feet. There was wind and dust blowing around him, and there was nothing to see, so he turned back to the ship to rest.
Seeing that he had returned safely, Zhang Chengyun chatted with Shen Yuanqiong for a few words. Suddenly he remembered something and told him to take some goods to the Liu accountant and exchange them for some water and food with the people who were traveling at night. Accountant Liu can speak several overseas languages and has a keen eye, making him indispensable for doing business with overseas countries. Shen Yuanqiong took the goods and handed them to Accountant Liu as promised. Accountant Liu knew the preferences of the people who traveled at night, so he only accepted a few pieces of silk cloth, and asked him to hide the rest of the silk flower headdress, so as not to be exposed in front of everyone.
When the sun went down, Zhang Chengyun and Accountant Liu led about 20 crew members to the land to do business with the nocturnal Chinese, and they stayed away all night. Shen Yuanqiong waited until midnight. His eyelids were fighting, and he couldn't hold on any longer. He blew out the candles and fell asleep. He didn't wake up until three o'clock in the morning. Xiao Sun was waiting for him to wash up, and while he was wiping his face, the ship suddenly rocked. The crew outside the cabin shouted loudly, raised the mainsail, and left Yeyou Country for the open sea.
Lao Lu hurriedly entered the cabin with a face full of joy. It turned out that the transaction between Zhang Chengyun and Liu's accountant and his party was unexpectedly smooth with the night-traveling Chinese. They were very fond of brocade silk cloth and exchanged it for a large amount of food and fresh water. The sea-going ship was now gone. The anchor set sail and sailed to the next country.
The ship rides the wind and waves, which is refreshing and refreshing. The previous difficulties seem to be just a small episode, and Zhang Chengyun also has a smile on his face. However, his good mood did not last long. Only seven or eight days after leaving Yeyou Country, three strange large ships suddenly appeared in front of them. Like sharks smelling the smell of blood, they pounced on them fiercely. Zhang Chengyun narrowed his eyes and looked at it for a moment, then shouted in horror: "It's pirates! Quick, turn the helm and avoid them!"
The crew suddenly became nervous and tried their best to change course to avoid a head-on confrontation with the pirates. However, the ship was turned around due to a disaster. The pirates came quickly and caught up with them a few hours later. They threw out the hooks and set up the springboard. Each one of them held a weapon and fought on the deck like they were desperate. Zhang Chengyun shouted and ordered the crew to rise up and resist. The two sides fought in a melee. Their eyes were red, they were shouting and shouting, throwing their heads and blood, and they fell to the ground like harvesting rice.
Shen Yuanqiong was so courageous that he quietly stole a steel knife and hid in a hidden place to watch the battle. It happened that a pirate was hit hard and fell towards him in a daze. He had an unkempt beard and a ferocious face. Shen Yuanqiong stabbed him into the stomach without hesitation, smashing his internal organs to pieces. Lao Lu and Xiao Sun both exclaimed, "Unexpectedly" The eldest young master seems to be gentle, but he dares to kill people.
Zhang Chengyun heard the exclamation and turned around, only to see Shen Yuanqiong holding a bloody steel knife in his hand. A pirate fell at his feet with a big hole in his stomach. The person introduced by my father is reliable, not bad, looks like a scholar, is unambiguous in handling the knife, and has a bloody spirit. He turned around and continued the fierce battle with the pirates. He took the lead and took the time to overturn the gangplank and cut off the hook. The ship creaked and tilted to one side. Everyone was unstable and rolled into a ball.
The two sides fought desperately for less than half an hour. This group of pirates was so powerful that they had never seen before. They even wanted to break this hard bone, regardless of casualties. Zhang Chengyun finally couldn't hold on anymore, so he lured a group of his confidants to fight and retreat, retreated to the stern of the ship, put down the small boat, and asked Zhang Zhang to abandon the ship and retreat. Shen Yuanqiong hurriedly got on board. The boat was small and could not hold many people. Zhang Chengyun raised his knife and shouted back Lao Lu and Xiao Sun, leaving only Shen Yuanqiong alone to board the boat and escape.
The snake was unable to survive without a head, so Zhang Chengyun escaped in a small boat, while the remaining crew members knelt down and surrendered. The pirates did not rush to kill them all. They separated the young and the old from the weak. They put a knife in the hands of the young and strong men and forced them to cut off the old and weak crew members one by one and hand in the "voucher of name" to join the gang. For a time, wailing, cursing, and begging for mercy came and went, drifting in the wind.
