Chapter 260: Section 48: I Still Want to See Dad One Last Time
“Knock, knock, knock. Sir, Lan Zao seeks an audience,” came the voice of Lan Zao from outside the door.
After receiving permission from the Dragon-man youth, Lan Zao respectfully and solemnly pushed open the door of the cabin and entered, “Captain Long Fu, you have been here for quite a long time. You need to eat something, let me take your place.”
The Dragon-man youth hesitated slightly.
The Big guy had already awakened, “Dad, eat something, otherwise you will be hungry.”
The Dragon-man youth couldn’t help but smile. Cang Xu’s unique skills were proving effective, and the Big guy was becoming more alert. With the encouragement and comfort of the youth, the Big guy’s current mental state was very stable.
“Then let Lan Zao accompany you for a while, is that okay? He is someone dad trusts,” said the Dragon-man youth.
The Big guy hesitated for a moment but then nodded his head.
The Dragon-man youth pushed open the cabin door and temporarily left the Big guy’s side. He wasn’t going to eat, but Lan Zao’s words reminded him of his need to fulfill his responsibility as the captain, inspecting the pirates’ work. He had rashly changed course for the sake of the Big guy, and now he needed to stabilize morale.
Left alone with Lan Zao, the Big guy suddenly became nervous.
Lan Zao clenched his teeth and suddenly spoke, his first words making the Big guy shudder.
Shortly after, the reality Lan Zao disclosed dumbfounded the Big guy.
“Dad, Dad… is he going to die for me?!” the Big guy was struck with shock.
“He might die,” Lan Zao candidly said, “To save you, we need to call upon a bishop-level clergyman. This will expose us all under the watchful eyes of the gods.”
“Wuwuwu…” the Big guy struggled to control himself, clenching his lower lip tightly with his teeth, but still let out a sob.
“Am I going to die?”
“Will I not see dad anymore?”
Lan Zao closed his eyes, then opened them again, his pupils reddening, “Yes. If you die, you will not see your master again. Now the master insists on saving you, and others disagree. His obstinate course of action could likely lead to his death because of you.”
“No, I don’t want dad to die! Dying—bad.” The Big guy hastily shook his head, bursting into tears.
“Keep it down. Do you want the master to discover you? He has always wanted to keep the truth from you,” Lan Zao immediately advised.
The Big guy hastily suppressed his cries, using his swollen, chubby arms to continually wipe his tears.
Lan Zao licked his dry lips; speaking had never felt so difficult at this moment. But ultimately, he spoke out, “Now, the only one who can save the master and everyone is you, Big guy.”
Lan Zao pulled out a Dagger and handed it to the Big guy, “Only if you die earlier, will master accept the reality and will not risk heading to the temple again!”
The Big guy was stunned, staring at the Dagger in Lan Zao’s hand. After a few breaths, he looked at Lan Zao, “Are you… telling the truth?”
“Of course!” Lan Zao said with absolute certainty, “If possible, I would also sacrifice my own life for the master. But now, you are the only choice.”
The Big guy cried again, tears streaming: “It’s all my fault, all my fault! If it weren’t for my sudden bloodline mutation, dad wouldn’t have taken such a risk… Wuwuwu.”
As he sobbed, he took the dagger.
He positioned the tip of the dagger towards his own heart.
The Big guy was in very poor physical condition; without Cang Xu’s spell, he would have remained unconscious. His body was also on the verge of collapse, the original recovery capability completely lost. A dagger stab to the heart would kill him on the spot due to such damage.
However, holding the dagger backwards he couldn’t bring himself to thrust it.
“Can I see dad one more time?” the Big guy pleaded with Lan Zao.
It was as if Lan Zao had been stabbed in the heart first. He endured the grief, constantly remembering Cang Xu’s words. He shook his head, cruelly and coldly almost disbelieving it was his own demeanor: “No, Big guy, I understand how you feel, but you can’t. For everyone, and even more for the master… you have to understand!”
The Big guy wailed softly, tears flowing copiously.
He could never have imagined that just a moment ago, his dad was gently encouraging him to persevere, and now he had to say goodbye to him.
A separation between life and death!
Yet, Lan Zao’s reasoning convinced him.
He didn’t want his dad to suffer because of him.
He didn’t want the Dragon-man youth to risk his life for him!
The cries of the Big guy suddenly stopped; he bit his teeth hard, closed his eyes tightly, but his face was filled with a resolute glow.
The next moment, his arms swiftly contracted inward, driving the dagger towards his heart!
Thud.
A soft sound.
Blood streamed continuously.
The Big guy’s body violently trembled, the anticipated intense pain did not come, he opened his eyes, immediately showing a look of bewilderment.
At the critical moment, it was Lan Zao who had reached out and tightly grasped the dagger.
Warm blood splattered from his hand and continued to flow down.
“You can see the master one more time. But please do not mention what just happened, understand?” Lan Zao’s voice was strained.
At the critical moment, he had softened.
A surge of impulse in his heart had caused him to intercept the fatal dagger, disregarding Cang Xu’s admonition.
A massive surprise suddenly struck the Big guy.
Big guy frantically nodded, tears streaming down his face again.
This time, they were tears of joy.
The Dragon-man youth inspected the Justice, calmed the pirates, and returned to the bow deck.
“The master is coming back, do you remember what I told you? Hold steady!” Lan Zao gave his last reminder to the big guy.
Big guy nodded fiercely, “I remember it all. First, the expression should be natural. Second, the tone should be calm. Third, the movements should be steady.”
A dozen breaths later, the cabin door swung open, and the Dragon-man youth walked in.
“…” The big guy was silent, stiff as a rock, staring intently at the Dragon-man youth.
The Dragon-man youth, finding it peculiar, smiled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Daddy!!” Big guy suddenly shouted, lunging towards the Dragon-man youth for a hug.
Lan Zao glared at him fiercely.
Big guy froze in place, realizing he had gotten too excited, and quickly stopped his motion to embrace the Dragon-man youth.
His arms were halfway stretched out, already beginning to rise.
Now, suddenly stopping forcedly, his posture became unstable, and he toppled to the floor.
“That hurts.” Big guy couldn’t help but groan.
His physical condition was so poor that he couldn’t even withstand that minor impact.
The Dragon-man youth quickly walked over to him and helped him back to the bed, “Don’t get too excited. Daddy is here. You will get better.”
“Just hold on for one more day, and we will reach White Wings Port.”
“Once there, your daddy will ask someone to help you get through this tough time.”
“Daddy also hopes you can become strong in the future to help daddy.”
According to the course, the Justice was indeed only a day’s journey from White Wings Port.
However, even if the Dragon-man youth entered White Wings Port, it would still take time to locate the bishop of the Life Sect and time to persuade him to help.
The actual time spent would definitely be longer than a day, which also includes the possibility of using force if verbal persuasion fails.
Looking at the youth so close at hand, Big guy bit his lip, producing a whimpering sound.
Lan Zao stepped forward and glared at him fiercely again.
Big guy, getting the hint, quickly covered his mouth tightly.
But the tears couldn’t be stopped from flowing down.
He hurriedly covered his eyes too.
Lan Zao: …
The Dragon-man youth gently brushed away Big guy’s hands, “Does it hurt too much? Hang in there, Daddy will help you.”
Big guy was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded.
“Daddy.”
“Thank you!”
“Daddy will be alright too.”
“Of course.” The Dragon-man youth patted Big guy’s head.
Big guy squinted his eyes, basking in the happiness.
But in the next moment, the youth’s dragon claw suddenly struck.
Big guy’s neck was hit, that familiar sensation…
Big guy fell into unconsciousness.
The Dragon-man youth’s expression turned grim, and he turned to look at Lan Zao, “Does he know all the facts?”
Lan Zao immediately knelt on the ground, bowing his head honestly, “Yes. I told him!”
The Dragon-man youth snorted coldly, just about to speak, when suddenly an alert from the lookout came from outside.
“Pirate ship spotted!”
“Many ships!”
“Oh no, it’s Silver Hook.”
“Silver Hook Pirates spotted ahead!!”
The Dragon-man youth’s heart sank heavily, “At this time…”
He quickly ordered the fleet to avoid.
“Can’t evade, the enemy has spotted us and is heading towards us!” the helmsman reported.
With no other choice, the Dragon-man youth had to take Lan Zao, come out of the cabin, and onto the deck to face the Silver Hook Pirates directly.