Pirates Appear
Edward's fleet stayed at Ningport Harbor for half a day. Once Edward finished all the paperwork for departure, the fleet tidied up and set sail again.
"We're heading out to sea!" Leonard Yuan stood on the deck, gazing at the endless ocean around him, his heart surging with excitement. He couldn't stop thinking about finally seeing the girl he'd been missing for so long once they reached France!
"Mr. Edward, if we're lucky and don't run into any storms, will we reach the other side of the ocean in just a few months?" Leonard Yuan turned to ask Edward.
Edward, dressed as a sailor and looking quite capable, patted Leonard Yuan on the shoulder. "Out here at sea, aside from storms, the most dangerous thing is running into pirates."
"Pirates!? Are there really pirates?" Leonard Yuan had only ever heard of pirates, but he'd never actually seen one.
"Of course there are! If we run into pirates, it could get really dangerous!" Edward said, "Pirates are ruthless—they kill and steal without a second thought. Heaven help us that we don't run into any. And if we do, young master, you must hide in your cabin and don't come out, understand?"
Leonard Yuan nodded obediently, "Got it. I'm just a scholar, not strong enough to fight. If we really run into pirates, I'll hide and stay out of everyone's way. But the sea is so vast—surely we won't be unlucky enough to meet pirates, right?"
Just as Leonard finished speaking, Edward exclaimed and peered through his telescope at the distant sea, clicking his tongue. "Oh no, young master, look over there! Pirate ships!? Good grief, you really jinxed us!"
"Ah!" Leonard Yuan froze for a moment, grabbed the telescope, and looked. In the distance, a dozen large ships floated on the water, their black sails flying—the unmistakable sign of pirates.
"Oh no, am I really that unlucky? We just set sail, and there are pirates near Ningport?" Leonard Yuan looked at Edward in disbelief.
Edward took back the telescope and gazed into the distance, muttering, "The pirates near Ningport are really something—here one moment, gone the next. Tsk, it’s as if someone wants them to appear, they do; wants them to disappear, they vanish."
Leonard Yuan was thoroughly confused. Pirates either exist or they don’t—how could they just come and go at someone’s whim?
"Young Master Leonard, please head back to your cabin. I’ll send two of my best men to protect you!" Edward rolled up his sleeves and signaled for two burly sailors to escort Leonard below deck.
Leonard hurried along, glancing back as Edward calmly and efficiently commanded the crew. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Edward wasn’t the least bit surprised or flustered by these mysterious pirates—as if he’d known all along they’d show up.
Before Leonard could dwell on it, the two sailors had already hustled him back to his cabin.
On deck, Edward shouted, "Men, pirates ahead! Ready for battle!"
---
On the largest pirate ship opposite, Eric Qian—disguised as a pirate—stood with his most trusted henchmen.
Rubbing his hands together, Eric Qian’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the Evans fleet. He told his men, "These ships are loaded with foreign goods—all valuable. In a moment, send our men to storm the ships. Capture that foreigner Edward and Su Li’s brother Leonard Yuan alive, kill everyone else. Hmph, so many ships, so much cargo—it’s all ours! We’ll make that foreigner work for us! If the authorities investigate, well, no bodies, no proof. We’ll just say the fleet was lost in a storm at sea."