With the price agreed upon, the transaction was ready to begin.
The pirates herded all the women onto a single ship, which then steered closer and slowly docked alongside the Wanli Sunshine.
Only at such close range did the sheer scale of the Wanli Sunshine become fully apparent.
What the pirates considered a medium-sized vessel now looked pitiful by comparison. Standing on their own deck, they had to crane their necks and look straight up, like commoners staring at a multi-story building from the street, just to glimpse the towering deck rail of the larger ship.
Thick ropes were lowered from above.
The pirates tied the women to the ropes one by one, then signaled upward. With powerful tugs from the sailors above, the women were hauled into the air and lifted onto the Wanli Sunshine's deck.
They were treated no differently from cargo.
There was not the slightest trace of dignity or respect afforded to them as human beings.
Bitterness filled the women's hearts, yet none of them dared to cry.
They knew far too well how cruel the pirates were. A single wrong word, a single displeasing sound, and a blade would flash without warning or mercy. Now that they had fallen into pirate hands, their only choice was to endure, to lower their heads, and to cling to life however they could.
Being sold like livestock was already unbearable.
If they were to be treated as food reserves…
Tie Niaofei stood to the side, wearing a wicked grin as he counted them like sacks of grain.
"One, two, three… eighteen in total," he said. "At four taels each, that makes seventy-two taels of silver. But since we're friends, I'll round it up to eighty."
Shadow Bat's eyes nearly lit up.
Those extra eight taels of silver would, of course, quietly end up in his own pocket. There was no need to report such a thing to his boss, Liu Xiang.
The transaction concluded smoothly.
Shadow Bat could not help but gloat inwardly. As expected of Boss Liu Xiang. His name alone is enough to make even an Imperial Merchant bow his head.
"My good brother," Tie Niaofei said warmly, his smile full of roguish familiarity. "Until next time. If you have more good things, remember me."
Shadow Bat laughed. "If fate brings us together again, the best goods will be reserved for you."
The two men returned to their respective boats.
Once back aboard his ship, Shadow Bat waved his hand decisively. "We're done here. Let's go."
The six pirate ships adjusted their sails and began heading south.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the Wanli Sunshine, the eighteen women stared at the group of so-called new pirates standing before them.
Fear and unease were written all over their faces.
They had no idea what fate awaited them, only that it surely could not be good.
At that moment, Shi Kefa approached with a gentle expression and spoke softly, "Do not be afraid. We are not bad people."
The women trembled even harder.
Shi Kefa sighed and turned to a nearby attendant. "Bring my official robes."
The attendant hurried over and draped the robes over him.
Shi Kefa smiled faintly. "See? I am an official of the imperial court. I am not a bad person."
To his astonishment, the women grew even more frightened.
Their bodies shook violently, despair creeping into their eyes.
Shi Kefa inhaled sharply, completely baffled. "Why? I've shown you my official status, yet you're more afraid than before. Even more afraid than when you were with the pirates. What is going on?"
Jiang Cheng shook his head with a helpless chuckle. "Lord Shi, that won't work. Calming them down isn't something that can be done just by showing official robes. Besides, now isn't the time for that."
He raised his voice. "Guards. Escort the women into the ship's hold and make sure they are kept safe."
Several sailors stepped forward, cut the ropes binding the women, and carefully led them below deck.
Once the women were gone, Jiang Cheng and Tie Niaofei exchanged a glance.
A flash of determination appeared in both their eyes at the same time.
"Instructor Jiang," Tie Niaofei asked, "what's your call?"
"And you, Elder Tie?" Jiang Cheng replied.
Almost simultaneously, they spoke a single word.
"Attack."
Jiang Cheng straightened, his aura changing instantly. "Gao Family Village Navy, Wanli Sunshine. All hands to battle stations!"
"All hands to battle stations!"
"Engines to battle speed!"
"Gun crews, take positions!"
"Deck soldiers, ready!"
"Damage control, standing by!"
"Engage!"
The Wanli Sunshine roared to life.
Switching from cruising speed to full combat speed, the massive ship surged forward, charging straight toward the six pirate ships retreating in the distance.
Its momentum was terrifying.
Below deck, the women who had just been escorted into the hold saw the sailors around them suddenly burst into motion, preparing for battle. Instinctively, they huddled together, faces pale with fear.
A sailor quickly reassured them, "Don't be afraid. Stay here and don't come out. Hold onto something solid so you don't fall over. Look, that person next to you is a good example."
The women turned their heads.
They saw Zhu Piaoling clinging tightly to a pillar.
Zhu Piaoling immediately protested, "Why are you all staring at me? I'm not good at fighting. Is it so strange to hug a pillar during a fierce battle? Hmph!"
The women fell silent.
After a brief, awkward pause, they all reached out at the same time and grabbed the nearest pillars.
On one of the pirate ships, Shadow Bat was happily counting silver.
Tie Niaofei had paid him two separate sums. One was the so-called respect money, which had to be handed over to Liu Xiang. The other was the payment for the eighteen women, which would be distributed among the crew.
And then there were the eight extra taels.
Heh. Sweet.
Just as he was savoring his good fortune, a subordinate rushed over in a panic. "Boss, that Imperial Merchant ship is accelerating. It's charging straight at us!"
Shadow Bat scoffed. "Isn't it just sailing in the same direction? What's the fuss?"
The subordinate shook his head. "No. Something's wrong. They look like they want to fight."
Shadow Bat laughed loudly. "Fight? Don't be ridiculous. If they wanted to fight, they would have attacked us earlier. Why would they pay us silver first, then attack afterward? Didn't you see how respectful they were? Boss Liu Xiang's name alone is enough to scare these rookies who've just gone to sea."
The words had barely left his mouth when a thunderous boom echoed across the water.
"Cannon fire?"
Shadow Bat leapt to his feet, his heart pounding. Even as he stood up, his mind raced. They're firing from that far away? Are they just shooting blindly?
A moment later, a massive splash erupted beside the ship.
A towering column of white water surged into the air.
It was a near miss.
Shadow Bat sucked in a sharp breath. "They can hit us from this distance? What kind of monstrous cannons are those?"
There was no time to think further.
He turned and saw the Wanli Sunshine bearing down on them at terrifying speed, its massive hull cutting through the sea like a blade, as if determined to send all six ships to the ocean floor.
"Damn it!" Shadow Bat roared. "They're insane! Just now they were bowing and scraping, and now they turn on us without warning. Are they crazy?"
The subordinate shouted, "Boss, what do we do? Should we fight back?"
"Fight back?" Shadow Bat snarled. "With what? We don't even have cannons!"
The subordinate fell silent.
Shadow Bat waved his hand violently. "Signal them. Curse them. Then full speed ahead. Run!"
The subordinate hurried to send a flag signal.
The message read: "Go screw your mother!"
Unfortunately for Shadow Bat, not a single person aboard the Wanli Sunshine understood flag signals.
The insult drifted harmlessly across the sea, completely unnoticed.