You Go First

The night sky on the sea is boundless and full of stars.

Standing on the bow, Qiu Jing couldn't help but sigh, "Min Rou said that the most beautiful thing about Xingluo Island is the starry sky, and it's true."

Gu Ling stared at the island that appeared in his sight. It was dark and he couldn't see anything clearly, like a sleeping lion lying on the sea.

Inland, standing on a high place, you can also see the same beautiful starry sky... Gu Ling didn't want to spoil the scenery, so he didn't say it.

"Where to stop?" Qiu Jing asked. According to the plan, they would not get too close to Xingluo Island, and at that time they would mainly rely on negotiations to achieve their goals.

Gu Ling estimated the distance, "Wake up everyone, speed up, prepare the catapult, throw the explosives up first, and remember the position."

Qiu Jing's face was shocked, "Okay! If they don't let them go, we will set fire!" He was about to make arrangements, and then reminded Gu Ling not to show up, not to reveal his identity, and not to rashly board Xingluo Island. If they really want to go, they will go together.

Gu Ling nodded, "I understand."

Qiu Jing patted Gu Ling on the shoulder, "If you dare to mess around, we will break off our friendship." He left after saying that.

The soldiers brought were all elite, and they were the best archers in the southern army of the former Gan country. Their daily training along the way was arranged by Gu Ling. Due to the environment on the ship, the intensity was not high. They were all waiting to take action. When they heard the order, they quickly prepared.

Qiu Jing took the map of Xingluo Island and its surroundings drawn by Gu Ling based on Min Rou's description. Gu Ling had designed in advance where each ship would be located, where to throw the explosives, and how far to throw them. They only needed to execute them seriously.

After the deployment was completed, the ten ships quickly dispersed and headed towards their respective positions.

Except for the lights that Qiu Jing had lit when he was making arrangements with the map, open flames had rarely been used on the ship. At this moment, the lights were off, and it was even darker. First, it was to avoid being discovered by the guards on Xingluo Island, and second, the ship carried a large amount of flammable and explosive materials, and it was very dangerous to ignite.

At first, Min Rou accidentally learned about the sea chart of Xingluo Island and told Gu Ling and Su Liang. The people on Xingluo Island didn't know about it.

But as Lao Mu and Cen Man came to Xingluo Island and were probably caught, the people on Xingluo Island naturally knew that their position was exposed.

It was because Gu Ling believed that there was something special about the island that made Mo Yan stay here, otherwise he would suspect that the people on Xingluo Island had already run away.

In the darkest time before dawn, all ten ships arrived at the designated position, set up the catapults, and aimed at the target position.

Qiu Jing stood at the bow of the ship. The sea breeze was very cool. He felt that if there were guards on Xingluo Island patrolling the sea at night, they should soon find their ship.

Qiu Jing sent a silent signal smoke into the air. The next moment, black "stones" flew out of the ten ships, drew parabolas with almost the same height in the air, and landed on the island.

The first wave, the second wave, the third wave... Each ship dropped five times in total, and the positions were scattered. In the end, the explosives dropped on the island almost circled at a similar distance. They didn't reach the center of the island, but if they did, it would be enough to turn the Xingluo Island, which was originally surrounded by beautiful trees, into a sea of ​​fire.

The ship where Qiu Jing and Gu Ling were was facing the seaport of Xingluo Island, where many large and small ships were docked.

"Why haven't we been discovered yet?" Qiu Jing felt a little strange, "Could it be that the people on the island have already withdrawn?"

Gu Ling shook his head slightly, "They won't leave easily. Maybe they set up a trap formation, so they are not afraid of someone going to the island."

Qiu Jing nodded, "It's possible. Maybe Senior Mu and Senior Cen were trapped on the island. So you must not go."

Gu Ling said in a faint tone, "Don't read it." Qiu Jing almost wanted to carve the words "I'm your cousin and I'm doing this for your own good" on his forehead.

"When do we start? Wait until they find out?" Qiu Jing asked.

Gu Ling took out a spherical object from his arms, "Say hello to them."

Qiu Jing followed the black ball with his eyes, watching it streak across the night sky before dawn, like a small stone, hitting the dock of Xingluo Island.

But it was not a small stone. With a loud bang, the dock of Xingluo Island was blown up in sight. The ships originally fixed around the dock were not all destroyed, but most of them were out of the control of the land and drifted away with the sea water.

Qiu Jing's lips curled slightly, he liked this way of greeting.

As long as there are still people on Xingluo Island, they will appear soon.

The sky was white, and the morning glow reflected the colorful light on the sea.

Finally, a figure appeared on the shore, just near the destroyed dock.

Qiu Jing ordered his boat to move forward for a while to facilitate the conversation.

When he got a little closer, he saw eleven people standing on the shore. The leader was wearing a mask on half of his face. It was He Wei who almost blew himself to death in the suburbs of Beijing.

He Wei was holding a hostage, and that was Lao Mu.

Lao Mu had chains on his hands and feet, his eyes were covered with black cloth, his mouth was blocked, and he was still wearing the same clothes he wore when he left home. He didn't know what happened, but he guessed that it must be his own people who came. He wanted to speak, but he could only make a humming sound.

Someone said something beside He Wei, and He Wei spoke, "Qiu Jing? Did Gu Ling ask you to come?"

Qiu Jing thought of Sheng Yue, who had been "worrying" him all the way. Why didn't Sheng Yue show up? Was he injured? Or had he not returned yet? If Sheng Yue hadn't come back yet...

Qiu Jing's eyes flickered, "Gu Ling didn't send me here, but I came to find him!"

He Wei frowned and heard Qiu Jing say, "Sheng Yue captured Gu Ling, hasn't he come back yet?"

He Wei's expression changed instantly.

Qiu Jing looked at their reactions and found that, as expected, Sheng Yue really didn't come back.

At this time, Gu Ling, who was in the cabin, felt his heart sink slightly. Sheng Yue hasn't come back yet? Otherwise, He Wei would immediately refute Qiu Jing's words. With Sheng Yue's strength, he only lost one hand. If he wanted to come back, he would definitely be faster than them. Could it be that he went somewhere else...

Qiu Jing didn't think much about it for the time being, and just planned to continue telling the lie, "He Wei? If you don't want your entire island to be bombed, hand over all our people immediately! Gu Ling, Senior Mu, Senior Cen, Yuan Yinghe Yuanye, and Senior Mo Fei.”

He Wei snorted coldly, "Ignorant kid, so arrogant!" As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his sword and put it on Lao Mu's neck, "Want to save someone? Come up if you feel like it. If you don't, I'll kill him first!"

Qiu Jing didn't waste any time and gestured to a ship on the right, "Say hello to Elder He first!"

As soon as Qiu Jing finished speaking, ten flaming arrows were fired from the ship, all aimed at the same position on the shore.

He Wei watched with cold eyes, thinking that they just wanted to set a fire, so he waved and sent a few people over to put out the fire.

However, when the clouds of flames fell on the island, a violent explosion suddenly occurred, and the fastest person among the people who were arranged by He Wei to pass over was knocked unconscious by the explosion.

He Wei's face finally lost its expression.

Gu Ling heard the second explosion, and the sound was not the explosive made by him. Judging from this, Mo Yan should have laid mine arrays around the island. Only he himself knew where it was safe to walk. If an outsider came to the island, he would die if he was not careful. Therefore, the island does not require anyone to patrol the shore day and night.

Since Lao Mu is alive, Gu Ling feels that Cen Man should be fine too, but he was not brought here. As expected, those landmines should have been discovered after Lao Mu and Cen Man were captured.

Qiu Jing said coldly, "You should know how many ships and how many people we have. Explosives have been delivered to your island before dawn. They are everywhere. As long as you light a fire, the consequences will be like this. Everyone, Prepare!"

Qiu Jing raised a red flag, and the two nearest ships that could see him immediately raised the red flag and passed it on. Soon, the ten ships surrounding the island were ready to release arrows.

He Wei gritted his teeth, "It's a small trick! Call all the people out, burn their boats, and see who gets killed first!"

Qiu Jing didn't panic at all when he heard this, "You are calling for people now, are you sure it will be faster than us? Most of your boats are no longer usable. Since they are still on the island, it means there are some important treasures on the island. I can guess Right? We can only set fire to the outer perimeter, and we may not be able to kill anyone, but the wind is strong today and there are fires everywhere. Can you still save the few people on your island by then? He Wei, I said it from the beginning, I'm just here to save people. Let's leave immediately, let's not talk about other grudges today! Otherwise, the consequences will not be what you want! If you need to ask Mo Yan, then call him out! Of course, you may not dare to let Mo Yan see us, because you are hiding something very important from him! The noise is even bigger, Mo Yan is really here, I Will tell him!"

He Wei was so angry that his face was livid. People around him asked him what to do and whether he wanted to ask Mo Yan for instructions, but He Wei immediately refused, "The master is in retreat. No one is allowed to disturb him as he said!"

After finishing speaking, He Wei said coldly, "Qiu Jing, I don't know if Sheng Yue arrested Gu Ling, but he took someone out and never came back!"

I know... Qiu Jing snorted coldly, "I don't believe it!"

"You'd better believe it!" The sword in He Wei's hand moved closer to Lao Mu's neck. "I can only let this person go. Others are impossible! If you don't agree, I will kill him!"

"If you dare to touch our people, there will be no discussion!" Qiu Jing said, raising his hand and ordering the ship on the left to continue bombing.

At this time, the fire caused by the first wave of explosions was getting bigger and bigger. If the fire was not put out quickly, the consequences would be serious. And if Qiu Jing's side went all out with fire, Xingluo Island would soon be engulfed in a sea of ​​fire.

He Wei knew that they had hostages, and Qiu Jing would not really set fire to Xingluo Island, but burning only a few places would be enough to keep them busy. Because there weren’t many people on the island, and many experts had been lost before. Putting out fires has nothing to do with martial arts.

And Gu Ling guessed correctly, many places in these woods were buried with landmines to prevent foreign invasion. They were indeed laid after Lao Mu and Cen Man were captured on the island, to prevent Gu Ling and the others from coming again. But He Wei did not expect that the enemy came, but they did not land on the island secretly as they expected, but launched a powerful fire attack.

This fire must be controlled as soon as possible. If it continues to burn, or if a fire breaks out elsewhere, not only the explosives dropped by Qiu Jing on the island will explode, but also the mine array on Xingluo Island itself will explode. The consequences could be disastrous.

At the same time, He Wei was worried that things would escalate and Mo Yan would be drawn out. Regarding the fact that Su Liang is Mo Yan's granddaughter, so far, Mo Yan still knows nothing about it as He Wei and Sheng Yue worked together to conceal it.

"Okay! All your people will be returned to you! But there is no Gu Ling, he is not on the island at all!" He Wei said sharply, "Go find someone to put out the fire! Bring all the people he mentioned!"

Then he roared at Qiu Jing, "If you dare to act rashly again, if you move, I will kill one of your people! Put down your arrows, all of you!"

Qiu Jing frowned, "Sheng Yue really didn't come back? Could he have been killed on the way back with Gu Ling?"

Qiu Jing deliberately said this, but when the people on Xingluo Island heard it, they had to doubt that it was really possible.

Qiu Jing was actually thinking about whether to make a big deal out of it, and it would be best if he could lure Mo Yan out and tell him the secret. But he quickly gave up the idea.

Gu Ling had explained that the primary purpose this time was to save people, and no extra things should be done. If He Wei was angered, the situation would be out of his control, and the hostages might be harmed. This is a psychological game, and the degree must be grasped. Even if the situation is temporarily favorable to one's side, one must not push one step further and cause other troubles.

So, Qiu Jing asked his men to stay put, and they didn't have to worry about the people on the shore using fire to attack the ship. Because setting fire to the ship on the shore was too obvious, it could be seen at a glance, and it could be prevented or intercepted. On the other hand, it was impossible for the people on Xingluo Island to intercept the flaming arrows shot by 500 soldiers from all directions at the same time.

This is the advantage of active attack: as long as you deploy carefully and prepare well, you can occupy an advantageous position.

About two quarters of an hour later, the fire near the dock had not been completely extinguished, but there was another explosion in another place.

Qiu Jing had not noticed it before, but now he also discovered that Xingluo Island itself has mines... Defense is very useful, but it is too dangerous, and if you are not careful, you will hurt your own people. If their plan this time is to sneak into the island secretly, it will be bad.

The sun rises, and the light becomes brighter.

Qiu Jing squinted and watched, Cen Man was brought over, just like Lao Mu, with iron chains tied to her hands and feet, her eyes covered, and her mouth blocked.

Not long after, Lao Bai also came. The last ones to be brought over were Yuan Ying and Yuan Ye.

Qiu Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Before this, he was really worried about whether these people would be killed on Xingluo Island. Fortunately, they are all still alive. After all, living people are valuable.

"How do I know if you will leave after releasing people?" He Wei has calmed down. If he released all the hostages, and Qiu Jing ordered the arrows to be shot, Xingluo Island would really be destroyed.

This was within Qiu Jing's expectations, "You can only trust me."

He Wei snorted coldly, "Stop talking nonsense! Listen carefully, one of these people must stay, and you can take the others away! Otherwise, who knows if you will break your promise later? There is no room for bargaining, you pick one!"

Qiu Jing frowned, and heard Gu Ling's voice behind him, "Let Yuanye stay."

Qiu Jing knew that it was definitely not because Yuanye had the least relationship with them, and Gu Ling must have had special considerations in choosing him, so he said loudly, "Okay! Yuanye stays, you release everyone else!"

Unexpectedly, He Wei changed his mind, "No! It seems that you don't care about Yuanye's life, change someone!"

Old Mu on the shore raised his hands bound by iron chains and waved at Qiu Jing, indicating that he should stay.

The current stalemate is not good for both sides. It is impossible to ask He Wei to release all the hostages, because that would not guarantee the safety of Xingluo Island in the future. If Qiu Jing insisted on not compromising, He Wei might kill someone in anger. As long as there was one hostage left, he could still threaten Qiu Jing.

"Is your master okay?" Qiu Jing asked Gu Ling without looking back. Among the hostages, only one was Gu Ling's master, that was Lao Mu.

"That's OK." Gu Ling replied.

Qiu Jing felt strange, but he didn't have time to think too much at the moment. Since Gu Ling said it was okay, he said loudly, "Then leave Gu Ling's master, Senior Mu! Release the others immediately!"

He Wei found a boat and asked Lao Bai, Cen Man, and Yuan Ying to go on board, and then sent someone to drive the boat to Qiu Jing. At the same time, the sword in his hand was always on Lao Mu's neck.

The distance was not far.

The hostages were blindfolded the whole time. After seeing them board Qiu Jing's boat, He Wei shouted, "Get out now! Otherwise I will kill him!"

"If anything happens to Senior Mu, we will raze Xingluo Island to the ground next time we come! Retreat!" Qiu Jing gave an order, and the ten ships turned around at the same time, slowly merged, and headed away from Xingluo Island.

The fire on the shore was finally extinguished. He Wei looked at the woods filled with smoke and dust, and was so angry that he took off the cloth stuffed in Lao Mu's mouth and slapped him hard.

Lao Mu smiled, "He, will you be able to sleep in the future?" He came to save people, and it didn't matter if he stayed now. There was only one hostage left, and He Wei was even less likely to kill him. And Lao Mu believed that Gu Ling would definitely come to save him, so there was no hurry. This time, they had already won.

Just when He Wei was taking Lao Mu back, Qiu Jing found that Gu Ling was missing. There was a letter left by Gu Ling in the cabin, which only said one sentence, "You go first, I'll go save Master."

Qiu Jing's face darkened. Gu Ling finally chose to sneak into Xingluo Island secretly. Fortunately, it is now known that there is a minefield on the island, and Gu Ling can find a way to avoid it.

Cen Man was not injured except that she was a little thinner. She said that she had been locked up since she was caught on the island, and she was blindfolded when she left. She didn't know much about Xingluo Island. What surprised Qiu Jing was that, except for Cen Man, Lao Bai and Yuan Ying, the siblings, were fine, but they all lost their memories, which were obviously deliberately erased.

"Then should we wait for Xiao Gu?" Cen Man looked worried.

Qiu Jing shook his head, "No. Let's go back first. I believe he has a way to rescue Senior Mu and get out of Xingluo Island." To be honest, although he was also a little angry that Gu Ling didn't discuss it with him. But on second thought, maybe Gu Ling hadn't decided whether to go or not, and decided temporarily depending on how things developed. It is very likely that he hid under the ship that sent the hostages to Xingluo Island and had no time to discuss it with him.

So, Qiu Jing decided to follow Gu Ling's arrangement and they would withdraw first. The rest was up to Gu Ling himself.