Because It's You

2.30 || The Prodigal Young Master

Fortunately, the two only needed to tidy themselves quickly and affix their belts. Yang Wenbao stuffed a long bow and a quiver of arrows into Zhou Yequan's hands, before grabbing his own sword.

When he opened the door, Yang Liyuan was a few metres away, protecting Yang Xiqin and Zhou Yequan's eunuch behind his body as he kicked a monster away off the ship fence. The monster was moss-green in color and looked slimy, with features like a deformed prehistoric reptile, roughly as big as an adult dolphin. However the elongated limbs and the sharp claws were agile and had caused a few gashed wounds on the many soldiers on board.

Yang Wenbao looked around and saw Wu Li's other accompanying vessels to their sides. He could make out some crawling creatures climbing up those ships and shouts and screams from aboard them. No doubt, the attack was simultaneous.

Wu Li was evading attacks from the creatures who managed to get on board; Marquis Yang was behind him, shooting arrow after arrow to keep the still-climbing monsters away from boarding the ship.

Yang Wenbao's gaze darkened when he saw a Daemon stealthily slither on its belly, its claws already extended upwards to snipe at the horrified and oblivious Yang Xiqin. Yang Liyuan had just severed a monster's head to protect the old eunuch, but the eunuch must be too terrified that he inadvertently clung onto Yang Liyuan's arm.

Everyone else did not seem to see the approaching monster. Yang Wenbao tapped Zhou Yequan's shoulder, "A-Quan. North-West. Thirteen degrees to the right, Fifty degrees down. Shoot!"

Zhou Yequan immediately drew his bow and let go three sets of arrow towards Yang Wenbao's instruction, every single one of them punctured the creature's head clean. When Yang Xiqin saw she had just escaped death, she buckled down.

Ruan shi - as scheming as she was in the past - was still a loving mother to her children; she immediately ran from Marquis Yang's side and gathered Yang Xiqin to her arms, disregarding her own safety. Marquis Yang also tacitly concentrated his arrows to protect the pair of mother and daughter.

Yang Wenbao pulled Zhou Yequan to reach Marquis Yang, "Father, you can just tell Zhou Yequan which direction to shoot, he won't be a burden," Yang Wenbao immediately demonstrated, "A-Quan, Thirty degrees to your east, fifteen degrees up."

The released two arrows swiftly punctured a leaping monster in its head. Unfortunately, its claws managed to inflict a mortal wound on a soldier before it keeled over. From the look of it, the young soldier would not be able to keep his life. 

Marquis Yang immediately understood what needed to be done though, and he accurately directed various monsters' locations for Zhou Yequan. The two archers effectively disposed a few handfuls of monsters in a few breaths time.

Yang Wenbao immediately parried a monster together with Wu Li, this particular Daemon was almost a head taller than himself when it stood on its hind legs. With tacit understanding, the both of them swung their blades from opposite directions, finally severing the monster's head.

"I thought your Bei Sui should be safe from monsters?" asked Yang Wenbao. Bei Sui had some native plants that could deter Daemons from approaching. Even the dried herbs Consort Han always had on her possessed the same effect.

Wu Li grimaced and pointed towards a spot in the far ocean, close to the horizon, "Do you see those islands?"

Yang Wenbao blinked, "What islands?"

Wu Li shrugged and stepped sideways to keep another monster from closing in, "Exactly. There's no more. There used to be four small islands there though, and some more small ones around Bei Sui's main land. The herbs only grew on those islands."