The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 71 South China Sea Ship City
Those scattered points of light on the sea were actually countless ship lights!
The outlines of ships of all sizes can be seen by the light of their lamps.

That was a floating city pieced together from countless ships!

Tanka boats, Haicang boats, Fujian boats, and Guangzhou boats were all mixed together in a chaotic and twisted manner. Some of the boats were already rotten, and most of them were submerged in the water and trampled by other boats.

All the boats were twisted and crooked together, looking like a bunch of rats with their tails tangled together.

Meanwhile, the voices on the ship city became increasingly clear.

Screams, laughter, and howls mingled together, piercing the eardrums.

Bai Qing stared blankly at the scene before her.

According to the legends of the Tanka people, there is a boat city on the South China Sea, composed of 100,000 Tanka boats, and the city is home to the souls of all those who died at sea.

Those who die violently at sea cannot be reincarnated; they are forever trapped on the ship city, indulging in pleasure and revelry.

For the Tanka people, this story is both bizarre and exciting.

Indeed, many Tanka people believed this story and went to sea to find the boat city, never to return.

So the rumor spread that they found the ship city and were left there forever.

These stories were a mix of truth and fiction, and Bai Qing was half-believing and half-doubting them.

To her, the strange fish with a boat lamp on its head was more plausible.

Unexpectedly, the ship city was right in front of them.

Bai Qing felt dizzy and lightheaded. It turned out that the old people's stories were true!

For a moment, Bai Qing was at a loss for what to do. She hid in the darkness and stared blankly at the ship city.

By the dim light of the ship's lanterns, one could vaguely see the shadowy figures on the ship's deck. Some were burying their heads in wine jars and drinking heartily, while others were burying their heads in women's breasts.

The women in the city were equally shameless, standing close to the men under the boat lanterns and shouting with all their might.

Everyone was indulging in pleasure without any restraint.

"Boom!"

Just as Bai Qing was lost in thought, the hull of the boat was suddenly tapped. Bai Qing reflexively squatted down, drew his dagger, and looked around.

The surrounding sea was completely empty, with nothing in sight.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the hull was tapped lightly again, the sound dull, coming from the port side of the hull.

Bai Qing felt a chill run down her spine, her heart pounding, and she slowly leaned out.

She saw a person lying in the seawater, his face swollen and pale, laughing eerily at her.

He then rammed his head against the hull again.

"Boom!"

In an instant, Bai Qing felt a ghostly hand grip his heart, causing it to pound violently a few times.

She didn't react at all, but just stared intently at the man.

He remained in that stiff posture and with that strange expression, and then, propelled by the waves, he rammed into the hull again.

Bai Qing steeled himself and examined it carefully. He realized it was a corpse, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, though his heart was pounding.

She sheathed her dagger and used the oar to move the corpse's face closer to the boat.

The body had been soaking for an unknown amount of time; some of the skin had peeled off, and there were bite marks from fish and shrimp, revealing the white flesh underneath.

Bai Qing recognized the person.

He was also a pearl farmer from Guangzhou, and boarded the St. Anna with Bai Qing.

Because of his excellent skills, he was chosen by Lin Qian to accompany the Fujian ship on its voyage to Macau, but unexpectedly, he died here. Bai Qing used the oar to turn the body over and examine his wounds.

The man was missing a finger, his hands and feet were not bound, and he had several knife wounds on his body that had already scabbed over, as well as more than ten new wounds. The blood had drained away, leaving only the rolled-up edges of the flesh.

The fatal wound was a cut to the neck that severed a blood vessel.

Bai Qing guessed that this person must have been wounded and captured by the enemy, and then taken to the ship city for imprisonment.

After recovering from his injuries, he tried to escape but was discovered, hacked to death, and thrown into the water.

Bai Qing used the oar to push the corpse aside, stood up and looked at the ship city. His eyes were no longer filled with fear, but only with rage.

A faint impact sound came from the hull again.

Bai Qing looked down and saw that the corpse she had pushed away with her oar was being pushed back by the waves.

Seeing this, Bai Qing was not afraid. He squatted down and said to the floating corpse, "Second Brother Chen, don't worry. I've memorized the location of our enemy. I'll report to the Chief at dawn, and he will definitely send people to attack. I will personally avenge you then!"
But this ship city is surrounded by hidden reefs, and I must escape under cover of night. If you are watching over me from above, please show me the way!

Whether it was a sign from heaven or not, after these words were spoken, a wave surged in, pushing the body aside slightly. After a few waves, the body disappeared into the dark seawater.

With the night still dark, she had to get away as quickly as possible.

She had turned left and right among the reefs and circled around the ship town when she came, and now she could no longer remember the route she had taken.

With the help of the North Star, she could barely discern directions and knew that to return to shore, she should row northwest.

It just so happens that the second brother of the Chen family drifted off in the northwest.

Bai Qing got up, took one last look at the ship city, and then rowed away, heading in the direction indicated by the corpse.

After rowing for a long time, a thin fog rose on the sea. She turned around in the fog and saw that the lights of the ship city were huddled together, hazy and indistinct in the fog.

Bai Qing rowed more and more slowly and carefully. After some time, the surrounding fog became thicker and the waves gradually grew larger.

She was surrounded by a hazy mist; she could not see the stars when she looked up, and only saw the inky sea when she looked down.

The good news is that the heavy fog at sea means it will be dawn soon, and there is no storm.

The bad news is that she can't see the road ahead at all. Whether she goes the wrong way or hits a reef, she will surely die.

Now we can only leave it to fate.

As Bai Qing rowed the boat, he kept praying for the protection of his third grandmother, his mother, and his second brother from the Chen family.

She was now aching all over, hungry and thirsty, and felt the oars in her hands growing heavier and heavier.

Bai Qing simply retracted the oars and lowered the rudder.

Not afraid of being discovered by the people of the boat town in the thick fog, she simply used the oars to travel faster.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, the thick fog gradually dissipated, and waves began to rise.

After a long while, only a thin mist remained around us, and the sea behind us began to lighten with a pale, fish-belly white.

Bai Qing realized that he had unknowingly walked out of the reef area and that his course was correct.

He couldn't help but exclaim how lucky he was, and in his heart he thanked his third grandmother, his mother, and Chen's second brother.

As the sun rose, she could see land, and fishing boats could be vaguely seen leaving the harbor on the shore.

She sailed out to ask for directions, and after figuring out the way, she headed towards Nan'ao Island.

They hadn't gone far when they saw a fleet of Tanka boats approaching.

As Bai Qing sailed closer, he saw that the leader of the fleet was none other than Bai Langzai, and quickly greeted him.

When Bai Langzai heard his sister calling him, he was taken aback at first. But when he saw Bai Qing on the sampan, he was overjoyed. He quickly rowed over, took Bai Qing to his boat, and asked anxiously, "Sister, why are you only coming back now? We were so worried!"

Bai Qing shook his head: "There's no time to say more. Hurry back to Nan'ao Island. I need to see Brother Lin."

(End of this chapter)