The wind grew stronger, and the waves swelled to nearly two meters high. The Zhenyuan began to sway violently with the tide.
Thanks to his long-standing habit of maintaining a horse stance, Fang Er could still stand on the deck with some effort.
Li Tai, however, had become a rolling gourd, tumbling uncontrollably across the deck.
"Ah~~!"
"Ah, damn it~"
"Mountain Lord, save me quickly!"
Fang Er had no time to spare for him. He glanced at Guan Chang, who stood unmoving beside him, and said, "Take the Prince of Wei back to the cabin."
Guan Chang nodded and walked away. He didn't care about Li Tai's status.
After all, he had almost been beheaded by Li Tai's father. What was there to be polite about?
He grabbed Li Tai by the scruff of his neck as if he were a chick and carried him towards the ship's cabin.
Li Tai, face down and his neck constricted, turned red. Still, the young man didn't forget to shout at Guan Chang, "Hero Guan, cough cough! This prince thanks you!"
Guan Chang replied arrogantly, "No need. Prince of Wei, just don't cause any more trouble for the Marquis."
Watching the giant kite descending slowly from the sky, Fang Er was about to heave a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, with a "snap!"
The kite, at a height of a hundred meters, had its frame snapped by the strong wind, and it plunged straight into the sea!
Zhang Tian was almost scared to death. Gritting his teeth, he tried his best to stay conscious.
Looking at the seawater below, which was getting closer and closer, he closed his eyes in despair.
Head down, feet up, he landed in the water with a splash. The immense impact made his head buzz as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer.
If not for the tattered kite reducing his speed, this fall alone would have been fatal or crippling.
"Remember, if anything unexpected happens, pull this rope immediately!"
Suddenly, Yan Shuangying's instructions echoed in his mind.
He quickly fumbled for the end of the rope.
Meanwhile, the moment Fang Er saw the kite fall, he immediately took out his walkie-talkie and ordered the Zhiyuan to reel in the rope at full speed.
The anchor winch's speed was set to maximum.
Zhang Tian, who had just reached the end of the rope, was suddenly pulled out of the water.
The kite was below, the person above, and he was skipping across the water's surface.
Zhang Tian's face was filled with terror. With only a hundred meters of rope left to be reeled in, if he didn't pull the rope now,
He wouldn't drown, but he was about to smash his head into the Zhiyuan!
His two large eyes bulged like... like... He opened his mouth, about to shout.
A sardine, flung by a wave, landed directly in his mouth!
"Mmm~~"
"Mmm!!"
"Damn it, I'm not hungry!!!!!"
He didn't die from the fall or the drowning, but this damned thing wanted to choke him to death?
He freed one hand and tried to fish the sardine out of his mouth.
"Gag!! Gag!!"
Having just come from the icy seawater into a warm place, the little sardine couldn't get out and frantically wriggled, trying to burrow further into his throat.
The fish was slippery, and his hand couldn't get a good grip. Zhang Tian was about to cry.
"Damn it, my teeth are still clenched, and it's already down to my throat!"
The Zhenyuan had approached. Fang Er, watching Zhang Tian lying on the kite, skipping across the water as the rope was reeled in, was a bit bewildered.
Why was the guy still biting a fish in his mouth?
It seemed he was fine, and when hungry, he would catch fish himself.
Thus, he leaned over the ship's railing, took out a Hongqi Canal cigarette, and lit it.
He casually tossed a cigar each to Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin, who were beside him.
Fang Er wasn't used to these things.
However, Cheng Chumo and his brothers enjoyed them, claiming they were thick, large, and potent!
The three brothers leaned against the railing, puffing away, watching as the crew of the Zhiyuan hauled Zhang Tian aboard. The man was completely limp.
He lay directly on the deck of the Zhiyuan, his eyes wide open, his face flushed red, twitching, and the sardine in his mouth still wagging its tail.
"Well, kid, was that fish tasty?"
Chai Shao walked over and kicked him.
A attendant behind him pointed at Zhang Tian with some uncertainty and said, "My Lord, this fellow seems to have a fish stuck in his throat."
Chai Shao circled Zhang Tian once, then pointed to Zhang Tian's mouth. "Get it out for him."
The attendant stepped forward and pulled the sardine out. Zhang Tian, feeling as if he could finally breathe, used the last ounce of his strength to greedily inhale the moist, salty air.
"Hiss~~~~!"
"Whoosh~~~!"
"Cough!! Cough!!! Cough!!"
The sardine had left some residue in his mouth, and he accidentally inhaled it, causing Zhang Tian to cough violently.
It looked like he was going to cough out his lungs.
It was also bad luck for the guy. By the time he got on the ship, the wind and waves had actually subsided.
Fang Er took a small boat to the Zhiyuan and, seeing Zhang Tian's state, felt a bit awkward.
He had thought the man was eating the fish, but he hadn't expected to be choked by a sardine.
Uh. Saying it like that, something doesn't seem quite right?
Zhang Tian finally managed to catch his breath. Seeing Fang Er, he quickly scrambled up and saluted, "Marquis, I've brought the map down."
He then unfastened the wooden board from his chest and handed it to Fang Er.
The strong fishy smell in his mouth became even more nauseating as he spoke.
"Gag~~~!"
Zhang Tian covered his mouth and ran towards the ship's railing.
"Gag!!"
He closed his eyes and vomited profusely!
"Damn you, Zhang Tian!!!!"
Liu Meng was going crazy! He had been waiting for Fang Er in his small boat below the ship's railing.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Tian had vomited all over him. What's more, he got splashed while opening his mouth to look up at the Zhiyuan!
"Gag~~~!"
After cursing Zhang Tian, Liu Meng, utterly disgusted, slumped down in his small boat and also started to vomit.
The soldier with him quickly steered the small boat away.
At this moment, Fang Er had no energy to worry about their vomiting. He took the wooden board and, pulling a map from his chest, began to compare them.
"Damn, the fleet has drifted off course!"
Comparing the curves on the wooden board with the map, they had reached Kyushu Island.
Fortunately, the deviation wasn't too great. At this location, it should be not too far from Honshu Island.
From here, they only needed to follow the coastline north, pass through the strait between Kyushu and Honshu Islands, and in about a day or two, they could send people ashore to prospect for minerals.
After figuring out their location, Fang Er said to Chai Shao, "Alright, Father-in-law, your son-in-law will return to the Zhenyuan now. You just need to follow behind."
After speaking, he had Zhang Tian sent down to the small boat below, and Fang Er also climbed down the rope ladder.
The small boat set off, heading towards the Zhenyuan.
Upon returning to the deck, the first thing Liu Meng did was grab Zhang Tian and beat him up!
Zhang Tian had no strength left to resist. Lying on the deck, he looked up at Liu Meng who was on top of him with a very resentful gaze.