She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Chapter 368 Enemies Meet

The next morning, just as Chu Zhiyi, Shen Man, and the others had finished assembling the rescue team at the government office and were about to head to the dock, a soldier came to report: "Report! Japanese ships have approached our waters, and some Chiyan people are tied to their bows. The Japanese leader says he wants to negotiate with our general!"

"What? The Japanese brought hostages and want to negotiate with us?" Chu Zhiyi looked at Shen Man, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"They arrived quite quickly. They probably want to use the imprisoned Crimson Flame people to exchange for that ship. It seems that ship is very important to them!" Shen Man said after thinking for a moment.

"Man'er, what do you think, should we switch or not?"

"That ship is a valuable asset; we finally got our hands on it, so of course we won't trade it. However, we can't ignore the lives of those civilians... Let's go to the dock and meet them first; my guess might not be accurate!"

They had originally planned to go to Mosa Island to rescue the person, but now that the Japanese had shown up and brought the person with them, their plans were disrupted.

Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man quickly arrived at the seaside with their men, where they saw a Japanese ship slowly approaching from afar.

At the bow of the ship, five men in red robes were tightly bound with ropes. Behind them stood a group of Japanese soldiers, each holding a musket and ready for battle.

Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man stood side by side on the beach, their cold gazes fixed on the approaching ship.

Once the ship had come to a stop, a woman dressed in Japanese samurai attire, with a samurai sword at her waist, stepped off the ship. She was none other than Yamaguchi Shira, the Japanese leader who had come to negotiate.

With her head held high and a somewhat arrogant gait, Yamaguchi Shiro stopped a few steps away from Chu Zhiyi and the others.

When her gaze swept over Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man, who were standing side by side, a hint of disbelief flashed in her originally cold eyes, followed by deep shock.

"Chu Zhiyi, you actually survived the fire! And Ding Man, what are you doing here?"

Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man then saw the newcomer's face clearly and quickly remembered that she was Zilu, the maidservant of Empress Cui Jintang.

"Hmph, I never expected that the Empress's personal maid would be a Japanese!" Shen Man snorted and said coldly.

Only then did she understand why Cui Jintang would protect those Japanese people in every way; it turned out that there was a Japanese spy hidden by her side.

Shen Man looked at Zi Luo with disgust. Thinking of the bloodshed they had committed in the capital, she wished she could kill them.

No wonder the imperial court sent people to search for their whereabouts but found nothing; it turns out they had already arrived in Rongzhou.

Shen Man drew her soft sword from her waist and pointed it directly at Zi Luo: "Zi Luo, you killed so many of our people in the capital, don't even think about leaving this place alive today!"

"Ding Man, if you dare to touch me, none of the Crimson Flame people on the ship or on Demon Island will live!"

Although Zilu was intimidated by Shen Man's actions, she still forced herself to speak.

"Man'er, don't be impulsive. Let's hear what they've come here for today!" Chu Zhiyi stopped Shen Man and turned to look at Zi Luo.

“I want to make a deal with you!” Zi Luo’s gaze shifted between Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man, a sly glint in her eyes. “I want to exchange the Crimson Flame people on the ship for our ship. That ship isn’t very useful to you, so you won’t lose out in this deal.”

The sea breeze tousled her hair, but it couldn't dispel the calculation in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Shen Man laughed angrily: "Zi Luo, how dare you! Trading innocent lives for something, you are truly heartless. Besides, we found that ship on Mo Suo Island, why should we return it to you? Moreover, who can guarantee that you will keep your promise and release them after you get the ship?"

The soft sword in her hand trembled slightly, its tip flashing with cold light, as if venting her inner anger.

"Fine, if you don't want to switch, I'll order them killed right now!" She turned around, looked at the Crimson Flame Man bound at the bow of the ship, and shouted at them, "You all heard that, didn't you? It's not that I want to kill you, it's that your compatriots would rather have a ship than be switched back!"

Upon hearing Zi Luo's words, the bound Crimson Flame Man's face was filled with terror and despair.

Tears welled up in their eyes, and they began to cry and beg for mercy: "Please, agree to her terms and spare our lives!"

Upon seeing this, Shen Man felt as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer, and she almost dropped the soft sword in her hand.

She glared at Zilu, veins bulging on her forehead: "Ziluo, how dare you! If you harm them in the slightest, I will tear you to pieces!"

Chu Zhiyi's face was ashen. He stepped forward, staring intently at Zi Luo, and said, word by word, "Zi Luo, if you dare to make a move, today will be your death day. How can you allow the people of my Crimson Flame Kingdom to bully us like this!"

Zilu smiled coldly, but did not give the order immediately. She turned to look at the Japanese soldiers on the ship behind her, her eyes revealing a hint of hesitation.

In fact, she knew that once she killed these people, there would be no turning back in the negotiations, and her mission would be a complete failure.

But at this moment, she had to adopt a tough stance to force Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man to comply.

"Chu Zhiyi, think this through carefully. This ship is just an unexpected gain for you, but the lives of these people are in your hands. If their families knew that you would disregard their lives for a ship, do you think they would still obey your rule?"

Zilu tried to persuade her again, but her tone was not as firm as before.

Shen Man gritted her teeth, struggling painfully inside.

On one hand, there were the lives of innocent civilians, those vibrant lives facing a life-or-death threat; on the other hand, there were ships that concerned national interests, and she was unwilling to return them so easily.

She turned to look at Chu Zhiyi, her eyes filled with conflict: "Your Highness, what should we do?"

Chu Zhiyi's gaze was deep. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Zi Luo, release these people first. We can discuss the boat later."

Upon hearing this, Zi Luo snorted coldly: "Chu Zhiyi, do you think I'm a fool? If I release them, what will I use as leverage? You must return the boat to me today before I release the people."

She crossed her arms, her eyes resolute, seemingly determined not to be the first to back down in this game.

The sea breeze grew stronger, making everyone's clothes flutter wildly, and the waves crashed against the beach with a deafening roar, as if they too were angrily roaring at this tense standoff.

The two sides were in a stalemate and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Those Crimson Flame Men, used as bargaining chips, struggled desperately on the edge of life and death, their fate hanging in the balance at the mercy of others.