Chapter 422: Chapter 421: I Made a Decision That Defied My Ancestors
"But if Roger becomes the Pirate King, it’s truly well-deserved. However, you..."
Old Gor’s tone suddenly shifted, nostalgia and sadness vanished, he coldly said: "From what I know, Roger’s capture is closely related to you, and now you still have the face to come to our pirate territory... Zhou Mu, do you really think I would disregard my friendship with Roger and not kill you? Especially because..."
He continued, "Moreover, although the news isn’t entirely specific, the Zhou family has been silenced, which is common knowledge. This means not only Roger but even my in-law Zhou Qianmo is dead. How did you survive?"
"This... it’s a long story. I indeed made a grave mistake and rebelliously captured my own father, but it was completely unintentional!"
Zhou Mu... no, Xu Lingjun, let out a long sigh.
Sighing, he said: "At that time, I didn’t know Roger was my biological father. It wasn’t until my grandfather saw him that I understood our relationship, and I immediately regretted my actions. I wanted to save him, but my grandfather wouldn’t allow it, because if Roger escaped, my grandfather would be held accountable. The Zhou family has been a prestigious family in the Great Xia Empire for generations, swearing loyalty to Great Xia, and he didn’t want the Zhou family’s reputation ruined by him."
He shook his head and said, "I was very troubled, but my grandfather’s orders were something I couldn’t disobey... So during that time, I often went to chat with him, to keep him company. And this Sea King Order, he gave it to me then, along with information about this place."
Xu Lingjun said decisively, "It was thanks to this Sea King Order that after many internal struggles, I finally made a decision that went against my ancestral teachings!"
Sara couldn’t help but listen intently and asked, "What decision?!"
Xu Lingjun proclaimed righteously, "I want to save him!"
He said, "But my grandfather would definitely be unwilling, and if I forcibly rescued him, it would put my grandfather in a dead end. So after discussing with my father, I decided to fake death..."
Xu Lingjun said, "Anyway, my father had promised that the future position of Pirate King was mine. Even if I devoted myself to the Great Xia Empire, my future was already clear—merely a repeat of my grandfather’s path. Such a predictable life couldn’t compare to the joy of freely cruising through the cosmos, indulging in pillaging and looting."
Sara asked, "So what did you do?"
"During the Four Mansions Trial, I deliberately fell into the icy water, beneath which were countless headhunter piranhas. Falling in would inevitably result in death, but I was unharmed."
Xu Lingjun reached up and touched his face, and the Black Panther mask instantly covered him.
This amazing display left everyone stunned, clearly they had never seen such a miraculous suit.
He explained, "I have this protective suit, no matter how many piranhas there are, they can’t bite me. I climbed up from another place, and with the rapid current of the icy river, they couldn’t find my body, so naturally, they assumed I was dead..."
Xu Lingjun smiled wryly, "But I didn’t expect things to turn out unexpectedly."
"What accident?"
This time, even Old Gor couldn’t help but ask, along with the captivated pirates who found the plot surprisingly intriguing.
"The faked death was a secret between my father and me, not disclosed to my grandfather..."
No one noticed Xu Lingjun subtly changing his address from ’father’ and ’grandfather’. He couldn’t help it, addressing them like that was a significant emotional challenge for him... he couldn’t handle it much longer.
Xu Lingjun smiled wryly, "But I didn’t expect there was a Marquis Xia Wu from Central City Martial Mansion present at the time. We fought and fell into the water together. Later, my grandfather salvaged his corpse, and because my clothes were torn apart by him, he mistakenly thought it was me. After informing my father of this, my father, seeing that I didn’t appear in time, also mistakenly thought I had died in the process of executing our plan."
"And then your father went for vengeance on your behalf?"
"Correct, he wanted to find the then-culprit Xu Lingjun for revenge, but inadvertently provoked Wu Hongzhou, Vice Sect Leader of Cuowu Sect, and ended up being killed by him."
Xu Lingjun smiled bitterly, "Can you imagine, bearing the grief of losing both son and grandson, my grandfather could no longer adhere to the Zhou family precepts. He defied ancestral decisions and personally killed Wu Hongzhou. He was subsequently wanted by the entire Great Xia Empire and ultimately couldn’t escape, dying at the hands of Xu Lingjun!"
He said seriously, "But they would never have imagined, as the initiator of everything, I, Zhou Mu, am still alive. My grandfather and father won’t have died in vain. Fortunately, Han Yun City, my archrival, also faltered in the imperial power struggle. He had teamed up with my grandfather to help arrange conveniences in the Imperial Capital. But after grandfather’s death, he was also sidelined. So, out of options, we both stole some of the Great Xia Empire’s most advanced technology and escaped, with the aim of reclaiming my position as Pirate King and avenging my father!"
Han Yun City was then in awe of Xu Lingjun.
He initially thought his fabrications were impressive enough, but he never imagined Xu Lingjun could craft such an enthralling narrative, spinning a different outcome from the same incidents...
Even though they were the same events, why did he feel something was amiss when listening?
"So this is your plan, to become the Pirate King with nothing but this Sea King Order in hand!"
Old Gor slowly stood straight, his gaze sweeping over Xu Lingjun, shaking his head, "Naïve, the Siria Planet is almost a nation now, and you, who have no foundation, no network, no strength to suppress the pirates like I do, think you can become the Pirate King just with a Sea King Order? Do you truly believe you can convince everyone?"
He turned to the people below and said, "You want to be Pirate King? I have no objection; you are Roger’s son, so naturally, I regard you differently, but I cannot disregard public duty for private interest. If my brothers disagree, there’s nothing I can do about it."
"Hahaha, boy, you think your smooth skin can make you Pirate King? You’re better off being a gigolo king."
"So young, lacking skill, lacking prowess, where do you get the audacity to think you can lead us?"
"Indeed, we all respected Boss Roger when he was around, but he’s gone now. Do you expect a mere whelp to lead us?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
When Roger was present, they respected him... but he’s gone now, how could they expect a toddler to lead them?
Xu Lingjun gave a small smile, his gaze sweeping over these arrogant and oddly-shaped individuals, noting that humans were in the minority while the majority comprised mysterious races of the heavens.
He shook his head and said, "Actually, my initial plan was to defeat each of you. I didn’t believe that when you’re kneeling at my feet, crying for mercy, you’d still dare to look down on me... but now, I’ve brought something more precious, something that can offer you a more glorious future, rather than remaining in this barren place, never daring to walk openly in the cosmos your entire lives."
"Oh? What treasure?"
Xu Lingjun didn’t say anything, he simply raised his hand... then, clatter, clatter...
A heap of miscellaneous things fell at his feet, quickly piling into a small mountain, towering over him considerably.