Chapter 6, First Meeting (Part 1)

At this moment, Zhang Wei had discovered that he had been stabbed in the buttocks. He lay on the deck while He Bin hastily bandaged him, grimacing and gasping in pain. Upon hearing Zheng Zhilong's call, he staggered forward.

Hahaha ... ... Today, I, Zheng Zhilong, also have my moment! Second brother, from now on, let us brothers work hard; we will definitely do better than the Li brothers.

Seeing Li Dan strike at Zheng Zhilong again, He Bin urgently said: "Zhang Wei, hurry and save Boss Zheng"

Zheng Zhilong, in a moment of distraction, glanced around and discovered that it was Zhang Wei who had saved his life. He inwardly thought: what a stroke of luck; had it not been for my whim to take this young man as my subordinate, I would have perished here today.

That is natural, brother, I will listen to you in everything

Li Dan ceased to speak, raised the knife, and pressed it forcefully against his neck. Blood gushed forth wildly, and a generation's hero met his demise.

Alright, this is my younger brother Zheng Hongkui. You two should get to know each other well; from now on, we are all family.

At this moment, He Bin's leg had already sustained a minor injury. Seeing his leader in a critical situation, he gritted his teeth and wanted to step forward to block, but he could hardly move his feet. In a state of panic, he threw the short knife in his hand at Li Dan. He was originally a frail scholar, and although he had fought fiercely against Li Dan's subordinates with a surge of bravery, he was merely a strong bow that had not yet been drawn. Even if he risked his life to throw the short knife, how far could it possibly go?

The day before yesterday, the entire ship of spices was returned, and in a few days, when it arrives in Japan, it will be a whole ship of silver

The man wiped away the bloodstains, shook his fleshy face, and broke into a broad grin

Zheng Hongkui, contrary to his outward appearance of being coarse and ignorant, possesses a delicate mind and is ruthless in his actions. He is a capable assistant to Zheng Zhilong in his rise to prominence. At this moment, he does not extend the same level of trust to Zhang Wei as his brother does, and there is a clear implication of warning towards Zhang Wei in his words

Li Dan, witnessing his subordinates being slaughtered at the bow of the ship and realizing that his own life was also in jeopardy, determined that he could not harm Zheng Zhilong. However, he resolved to take someone down with him before his demise. Thus, he wielded his long knife with great ferocity, each strike aimed at the vital points of Zhang Wei, clearly demonstrating his intent to take Zhang Wei along with him on this final journey

What you say is unnecessary, as a brother it is only right to stand by you even at great personal risk. Moreover, you have also saved me in the past

Although there was a deep-seated resentment in his heart, he knew that if he did not act at this moment, regardless of whether Zheng Zhilong could survive, he himself would certainly not live for long. Thus, he could only let out a loud shout, holding a gleaming steel dagger in his right hand, while his left hand elegantly formed a flower gesture, swiftly charging forward, but then stealthily launching an attack from behind Li Dan.

That is natural, Brother Li, you may go in peace. As for the matters behind you, I will naturally take care of them well.

Lowering his head, he crawled desperately on all fours towards Zheng Zhilong. Li Dan was taken aback, clearly not expecting this young man to resort to such a humiliating method to escape. Without further thought, he flicked his long knife, which was already close to Zhang Wei, and struck. Zhang Wei only felt a cold sensation on his backside, unaware that he had been cut. He thought he had simply soiled his pants out of fear, and thus did not feel any pain. He hurriedly scrambled behind Zheng Zhilong, grinning foolishly, while his hand reached back, thinking to himself: this time, I truly lost a lot of face.

Hearing the wind of the knife still dancing vigorously behind him, Zhang Wei could no longer care whether the knife could strike him. He thought to himself: It's now or never! Whether he could survive depended on this encounter.

At the ship's ladder, Zheng Zhilong's numerous subordinates had already rushed up, engaging in a chaotic battle with Li Dan's men. For a moment, they could not approach Zheng Zhilong. The sailors on the ship were all battered and bruised. He BIn, unarmed, scanned the scene with his eyes and spotted Zhang Wei, who stood behind the injured sailors, holding a dagger with an imposing presence, clearly unscathed.

Zheng Zhilong, however, paid him no mind and proudly said to the stunned Li Dan: "Old Li, I see you are also a good man. Throw away the knife, and as brothers, I won't make things difficult for you. I will let you keep your whole body."

How dare you ruin my affairs and then think of running away

Zheng Zhilong, however, was unconcerned. He turned to a burly man who was polishing the blade and asked, "Have the three ships carrying raw silk from Boss Li returned from Bengal, India?"

The short dagger emitted a blinding white light, flashing before Li Dan's eyes. Startled, Li Dan hesitated for a moment, but the dagger had already exhausted its strength and fell to the ground. Li Dan paid it no further attention, raised his arm, swung the long sword, and struck again at Zheng Zhilong's back.

Brother Zhang, do not panic, quickly hide behind me

Zhang Wei, however, was in a great panic. He was ungrateful for Li Dan's goodwill and was also very reluctant to accept it. Thus, regardless of whether he appeared graceful or not, he ran around in a frenzy at the bow of the boat, shouting loudly and calling for help.

Zheng Zhilong could only hear the fierce wind rushing from behind, yet he was troubled by the need to defend against Li Anping's broadsword. In that moment, he could not even think of retreating, let alone blocking or dodging; he could only silently lament: How unfortunate, I never expected that today I, Zheng Zhilong, would meet my demise here

In the midst of his busy schedule, Zhang Wei's eyes darted around in confusion, only to discover that Zheng Zhilong had taken advantage of the chaos to cut down Li Anping, standing beside He Bin with a grin.

Li Dan, however, was so enraged that the corners of his eyes turned red. He simply turned around and swung the large knife towards Zhang Wei's head. Zhang Wei, who was feeling quite pleased with himself, thinking that his first move was extraordinary, suddenly saw the gleaming knife coming down towards him. He let out a ghostly scream, his body recoiling violently as he attempted to dodge towards a more crowded area.

Alright, there is no need for us brothers to be polite. There are about forty to fifty small boats in Penghu, all belonging to the elder brother. In a moment, you can choose a good one, and the elder brother will lend you some capital, so you can start your business.

Zhang Wei had long foreseen the precarious situation of Zheng Zhilong. Weighing his own strength, he initially intended to feign ignorance and hide away. However, after being shouted at by He Bin, he felt a deep resentment: Do you think I am an invincible iron man? These two madmen are wielding large sabers, yet you expect me to fight with this small dagger?

With a bitter smile, Li Dan said with a lack of interest: "Zheng Yi, this time you have won. A life in the martial world is inherently a bloody affair, and today was within my expectations. I only ask that, for the sake of our brotherhood, you give my entire family a proper burial."

Good brother. This time, the elder brother's life was saved entirely thanks to your selfless rescue!

Well, this young fellow seems quite clever. In the future, he should follow our Zheng family and do well. He must not have any ulterior motives.

With a silent curse in his heart, Zhang Wei put on a look of being taught a lesson, repeatedly agreeing. Zheng Zhilong let out a hearty laugh, gesturing for someone to support Zhang Wei and He Bin, as a group of them proudly made their way to Li Dan's residence

Zhang Wei heard that a ship had arrived, and knowing well the substantial profits of trade, he immediately broke into a broad smile, momentarily forgetting the pain in his backside. Upon learning that the fierce-looking man before him was Zheng Zhilong's second brother, he hurriedly stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

Good, Brother Zhang, come here

Thank you, brother

Elder brother, do you have any instructions?

Li Dan was filled with great hatred. After being momentarily blocked by He Bin, this young man came up to cause trouble. Although he initially intended to ignore it and wanted to perish together with Zheng Zhilong, his body reacted involuntarily. Upon hearing Zhang Wei rush forward, he instinctively twisted his waist and dodged. As a result, what should have been a certain strike against Zheng Zhilong turned into a glancing blow, merely slicing the edge of Zheng Zhilong's clothing