Chapter 2131: King of Pirates (22)

Chapter 2131: Chapter 2131: King of Pirates (22)

The captive felt relieved upon hearing Chuzheng’s words; this pirate leader didn’t seem that vicious.

The captive might be relieved, but the other pirates were completely puzzled.

Wasn’t being a pirate all about fighting and violence?

Chuzheng scanned the captives: "Who’s in charge on the ship?"

The captives glanced at each other, but no one stepped forward.

Chuzheng glanced at the person behind her, and a pirate with insight stepped forward, grabbing one of them and placing a knife against his neck: "Speak, who’s in charge!"

The threatened man hadn’t had a chance to speak before Chuzheng said: "What are you doing?"

Pirate: "???" Isn’t that what you meant?

"Don’t be so bloody," Chuzheng said nonchalantly. "Throw him into the sea until he talks."

Pirate: "..."

Captive: "..."

Is this not bloody?

Not seeing blood doesn’t mean it’s not bloody.

But Chuzheng is the Island Master, so what she says goes.

The pirate dragged the man towards the ship’s edge.

"No, help me! Don’t throw me in, help!"

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk, let me go!"

The pirate stopped, and the man immediately pointed into the crowd: "Him, he’s the one in charge."

The steward who was pointed out turned pale, and the pirate rudely dragged him out.

"You... what do you want?" The steward’s voice trembled: "Take everything on the ship, just spare our lives."

Chuzheng didn’t respond, but glanced at the pirates beside her.

The pirates were a bit flustered; why was the Island Master looking at them now? This was a question they couldn’t answer!

Chuzheng: "..."

Pirates: "???"

Just as the pirates were bewildered, the boy they had seen before was carrying a chair over, placing it behind Chuzheng.

Pirates: "!!!" Damn!

Sorry, they didn’t understand this routine because the previous Island Master didn’t have these quirks.

Bu Qing’s appearance made the captives feel a strange sensation.

That boy didn’t look like a pirate...

"Why did you come down?" Only the Good Person Card was sensible.

"... Can’t I come down?" Bu Qing asked cautiously.

"Nothing." Chuzheng could now speak officially: "Go get another chair."

The pirates scrambled to obey, bringing not only a chair but also a small table, placing it between Chuzheng and Bu Qing, and the boy arranged some food.

Chuzheng settled Bu Qing in, then looked up at the kneeling steward in front of her: "What’s your ship carrying?"

The steward trembled: "Tea leaves."

"Tea leaves?"

The steward nodded: "Yes, all tea leaves. You can have someone check if you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t dare deceive you."

The pirates had already checked earlier and nodded to Chuzheng; it was indeed tea leaves.

Chuzheng tapped her fingers on the chair armrest, tapping idly.

Tea leaves don’t do much for me...

"Do you know..."

"I don’t know, I don’t know anything," the steward said with a sobbing tone. "Please let me go, I have old and young waiting for me at home. If I die, they won’t survive either. Just spare us, we won’t say anything when we go back."

Chuzheng was a bit annoyed: "I haven’t even finished speaking, what do you know?"

Steward: "..." He’s just scared.

These are pirates, ruthless pirates! Anyone who goes out to sea knows if you’re unlucky enough to run into pirates, there’s only a dead end.

"Do you know of any ships carrying fabric?"

Steward: "???"

Fabric?

He actually does know...

"I... I’ll tell you, could you spare me?"

Chuzheng didn’t respond: "Let’s hear it."

Steward: "..."

Pirates were fierce: "Speak quickly!"

The steward was intimidated by the pirate’s knife: "There’s another ship behind us, carrying fabric, it departed two days later than us."

"On the same route?"

The steward nodded; they’re merchant ships with the same destination, of course on the same route.

Chuzheng wanted fabric; these tea leaves were of no use for now, but she couldn’t let them go, so she’d keep them for a while.

The captives were all locked up, Chuzheng was worried someone might cause trouble, so she directly had them drugged to keep them unconscious for a day.

"Island Master, why didn’t we just kill them?" The pirates expressed their confusion.

Why keep them around? For New Year’s?

"You have nothing better to do?"

Pirates: "..." A bit.

Chuzheng: "Go clean the ship."

Pirates: "..." They’re pirates! Pirates!! Cleaning, is that something they should be doing??

Finally, a group of pirates begrudgingly went to clean.

Bu Qing cleaned Chuzheng’s room, wiping sweat a bit tiredly.

"Why are you doing this again?" Chuzheng saw Bu Qing doing chores as soon as she came in.

Bu Qing pointed outside.

Wasn’t it you who told everyone to clean?

"They’re idle, and you’re idle too?"

"..." Indeed, there’s not much to do; Chuzheng doesn’t restrict his activities, but there’s nothing else to keep him busy on the ship.

Chuzheng took out two books from the cabinet: "If you’re idle, read more."

Bu Qing was taken aback, eyes filled with longing, but he quickly shook his head; he couldn’t understand them.

"I’ll teach you, want to learn?"

Reading and literacy can make a person stronger; Bu Qing knew this.

But...

Can he really?

"Come here."

Bu Qing looked at Chuzheng’s open palm, she wanted to teach him... He could recognize more characters, understand more knowledge.

He could write down what he wanted to say, letting her know.

Bu Qing rubbed his palm against his clothes, placing it on Chuzheng’s palm.

Chuzheng pulled him to sit beside her, almost enclosing him in her arms.

Chuzheng opened the book: "Point out all the words you know to me."

"..."

Bu Qing’s gaze fell on the book, fingers pressing against the pages, slowly moving.

Bu Qing recognized the more common and easily identified characters, those with fewer strokes.

"This character is pronounced bǐ, used for writing," Chuzheng taught each character one by one.

Bu Qing listened attentively, memorizing each character carefully.

Chuzheng didn’t teach too much at once because a person’s memory is limited; it’s impossible to learn too much at once.

"Write it down," Chuzheng prepared blank paper and ink: "Write it multiple times to remember."

Bu Qing obediently nodded, slowly starting to copy.

The first attempts were shaky, but he improved quickly.

When he reached a character he couldn’t remember, he’d point to it, cautiously tugging at Chuzheng’s sleeve.

Chuzheng patiently taught him again.

But if he still couldn’t remember, Bu Qing would be punished...

Even though Bu Qing felt she was taking advantage, his shame made him afraid of making mistakes casually.

That night, Chuzheng prepared a set of stroke and radical materials for Bu Qing to practice writing tomorrow.

Bu Qing immediately wanted to start writing.

"What are you doing? Write it tomorrow, it’s time to sleep."

Bu Qing pressed his lips together, obediently lying back down.

Chuzheng joined him, the boy docilely leaned over, hugging her waist.

*

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