Chapter 421: Pirates Translator: Tim Editor: GlobeGlotter

Shawn was a pirate, yes, but not an unintelligent one. He only needed to glance at the fallen men to see that none were in the ocean. This meant they had all been killed by someone.

This man killed far more quickly than any pirate. Pirates would typically boast and try to frighten their victims, but for this man, killing seemed as easy as breathing. His expression didn't change, as if killing were perfectly normal.

At this thought, Shawn uncontrollably knelt. He was a pirate and could kill, but that didn't mean he didn't fear death.

Ye Mo ignored Shawn and nodded at Eden, who climbed aboard. Turning to Silver, who had appeared, he asked, “Qingxue, why is a large bird following you?”

Ning Qingxue, still overjoyed at their reunion, recounted the events on the sulfur island.

Ye Mo listened, shocked. If Ning Qingxue hadn't acted so quickly, she would have died from the forces of nature, and he wouldn't have been able to avenge her.

Seeing Ye Mo's worry, Ning Qingxue quickly took his hand. “That’s over. My greatest fortune is seeing you again. I’m sorry about last time, I—”

Ye Mo smiled, stopping her. He didn't blame her. He knew her well, and couldn't blame her given her memory loss. Ning Qingxue was actually more emotional than he was, as evidenced by her journeys to the Flowing Snake desert and Shen Nong Jia.

Once in love, she disregarded her own life. She was extreme, at least in love. When she’d accepted Luo Ying, Ye Mo had fully accepted her. Usually such women wouldn't tolerate other women with their man, but knowing she’d come later, she wondered if Luo Ying would accept her, not if she could accept Ye Mo.

To most people, her decision was unacceptable, yet she hadn’t hesitated. While her family influenced her, it was largely due to her immense love for Ye Mo.

This is why Ye Mo loved her so much. She was very similar to him in this regard. If not for his master, Luo Ying, Ye Mo believed Ning Qingxue would be his best partner. The longer he was with her, the more her love affected him. No one but Ye Mo knew this passionate side of hers. Perhaps others saw her as proud and cold, but Ye Mo knew it was because they didn't understand her.

Ye Mo watched as Eden found rope to tie up Shawn, who was helpless and cooperated.

“You call it Silver? That’s an unusual name,” Ye Mo said, pointing at Silver, who cowered behind Ning Qingxue.

Silver seemed to sense Ye Mo possessed the same energy as Ning Qingxue, but that Ye Mo was more powerful, so it stayed away from him.

“Uh-huh, because I saw a silver plum leaf pattern on its chest,” Ning Qingxue said, leaning against Ye Mo.

“Silver plum leaf?” Ye Mo reached out, grabbing the large bird and examining its chest.

Silver whimpered at Ye Mo’s touch. Ning Qingxue saw anger in its eyes and patted it. “Don’t worry, he won’t harm you.”

Ye Mo set Silver down, frowning.

“Did you see something? It looks like an eagle to me,” Ning Qingxue said.

Ye Mo shook his head. “It’s not an eagle. Eagles aren't like this. It resembles a mythical blue phoenix.”

Seeing Ning Qingxue’s confusion, Ye Mo explained, “This is just a guess, but it's said the blue phoenix is a bird born for love; they spend their lives searching for their mate. They are born from the world and have a silver plum leaf pattern on their chest, suggesting their birth is connected to the silver plum leaf. I just touched it, and it chirped in anger because it’s female. Blue phoenixes are supposed to be sky-blue; this one is different.”

Hearing Ye Mo say it was female, Silver chirped angrily again, as if protesting. Ning Qingxue quickly held it, calming it.

“Qingxue, why are there so many minor ghosts on that ship?” Ye Mo immediately saw what was on Ning Qingxue’s ship.

“You can see them?” Ning Qingxue asked, shocked. She knew the ship wasn’t clean but couldn’t see anything.

Ye Mo nodded. “Your power is still low, but at stage 3 of chi gathering, you’ll see minor ghosts too. You’re only at the peak of stage 1.”

Ning Qingxue understood why she couldn’t see anything but didn’t ask about the one black shadow she could see. She’d tell Ye Mo later.

“The minor ghosts didn’t harm me, I think we can leave it,” Ning Qingxue said.

Eden approached Ye Mo, giving a thumbs-up. “Your wife is far prettier than my Daphne. You’re amazing. This is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful woman.”

Ye Mo ignored him, slapping Shawn’s head. Then he told Eden, “Ask him what he’s doing here and where his base is.”

Shawn didn’t dare hide anything and confessed everything.

Eden began to understand, but before he could explain to Ye Mo, Ning Qingxue said, “Shawn said they came to find their leader. They belong to the Skull Pirate Organization and planned to hijack the Bema, a luxury cruiser, for wealth and women for six months. But they encountered fog, separating the ships.

Eden didn’t expect Ye Mo’s wife to be this fluent in English. Her translation was perfect.

Ning Qingxue continued, “When Shawn returned the women and wealth to their base on Peng Shi Island, their leader was gone. They left the loot and women and came looking for their leader. They met me because my ship belonged to their leader.”

“Qingxue, why were you on that ship? What happened that day? I know you went to find your mother, and she’s fine now, so don’t worry,” Ye Mo said.

“My mother’s fine,” Ning Qingxue said, relieved. Though unspoken, she’d worried about her mother. Even though her mother had told her to avoid Ye Mo, she was still her mother, and wasn't trying to harm her.

Seeing Ye Mo nod, Ning Qingxue recounted everything after boarding the plane.

Ye Mo nodded; it conformed to his investigation.

Eden was still shocked. He hadn't expected the Japanese to be so bold as to abduct so many scientists!

Everything was clear, except for the leader's disappearance. Ning Qingxue knew something about it but didn't say anything.

Ye Mo looked at Eden. “Give this information to the Pentagon; I think they’ll be interested.”

While Ye Mo wanted to destroy the Black Sun Empire, his joy at seeing Ning Qingxue made him want to take her home and avoid fighting. Letting the Americans fight the Japanese was ideal.

“I still want to save Daphne, and since you’re so powerful…” Eden looked hesitantly at Ye Mo. He knew Ye Mo was strong, but Ye Mo had found what he was looking for. He didn't know if Ye Mo would help him find Daphne.

Ye Mo understood. Though he didn't want to go to Peng Shi Island, Eden was a good man. Even after being hit by a cannon, he didn’t flee. They were both searching for people; he couldn’t just leave after getting what he wanted.

Ning Qingxue looked at Ye Mo in confusion. Ye Mo told her Eden’s story. Seeing Eden’s pleading eyes, Ning Qingxue thought Eden must feel as she had felt before.