The storm was nothing like they had ever seen.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQuqAIr4fG
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj0r354H32
It did not come in waves. It came in walls of water – black, towering, hungry. The wind screamed like a thousand dying animals. Rain fell so thick that breathing was like drowning from the inside.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QR0Z1mweX
General Feng Jian held onto the mast stump, shouting orders that were barely heard. "Everyone inside! Below deck! Now!"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlk2DN4wm1c
The servants scrambled for the hatch. The crew followed. The guards pushed the wounded ahead of them.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyClK5OT7L
But Liang Wei remained on the bow.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEQNSO2miQ
He stood alone, his staff gone, his robe plastered to his broken body. He faced a wave taller than the junk's mast. He took a breath – shallow, painful – and blew.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWeRp9znn0
The wind from his lungs met the wave. The water curled, folded, collapsed. The wave fell back into the sea, harmless.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5ZMzDDu3G
Another wave rose. He blew again. It fell.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fMV9GTktZ
A third wave, larger than the first two combined, rose from the port side. Liang Wei's hands moved. He spun them – slowly at first, then faster. A tornado formed between his palms, small but fierce. He pushed it toward the wave. The tornado met the water and twisted it, scattering it into mist.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6vJfKai11
The general heard the sound of bones cracking. Liang Wei's ribs. His spine. His knuckles. Every movement cost him, and he paid without flinching.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCKbjLrFbP
"Master, you cannot—"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlCSci07PE
"I can," Liang Wei said. "And I will. Get the others to safety."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3MW2KipqG
The general turned and barked orders. "Keep moving! Shift your weight to starboard! Use the torn sails – catch whatever wind you can!"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xqlqbpMTU
The crew obeyed. They leaned, they pulled, they pushed. The junk swayed but stayed afloat. For an hour, they fought.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2izW2Mzmxm
Liang Wei fought the waves. He blew. He spun. He punched. Each wave he killed, two more rose. The storm adapted. It learned.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2a01KbQ6Xc
He stopped a wave with his palm. The water splashed aside – then reformed into a tentacle, thick as a tree trunk. It whipped toward him. He ducked, but the tentacle followed, changing direction.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RqflnIG3P
The storm was learning his techniques.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rLLQk6UFl
He jumped.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfqRXSHFYM
Into the air he went, above the tentacle, above the waves, above the screaming wind. From above, he could see the whole storm – a spiral of black clouds and green water, miles wide. He was a speck in its eye.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNERfuugtR
He came down fists first, striking the tentacle. It shattered. He landed on the water, ran three steps, and launched himself again.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGoD8FIyVI
Above the waves, he was more effective. He could see the patterns, predict the strikes. He moved like a dragonfly, touching the water only to spring again.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKGa0XvtpT
But his body was breaking.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkhUqFwSCv
The general heard it – a crack like a dry branch every time the master landed. His left arm, already useless, hung at a sickening angle. His chest wound had reopened. Blood dripped into the sea.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JzUAnRywa
"Master, please—"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoCA1NmSOd
A stray wave caught Liang Wei from the side. It tossed him like a doll. He flew through the air, spinning, and crashed onto the junk's deck. The impact splintered the planks beneath him.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KPRfw3Z8p
He did not move.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrkqdMznQq
The general ran to him. "Master!"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDO0z3GGKp
"I am… alive," Liang Wei gasped. "Where is the navigator?"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIJqUXaya2
The navigator, Master Chen, stood at the stern, his spyglass pressed to his eye. His hands trembled. His voice cracked.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0boKiF6UVp
"Land! I see land! Fires on the shore! I swear by all the gods – land!"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8LcxvACw5
The general looked. Through the rain, past the waves, he saw them. Small orange dots. Campfires. Distant, but real.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHzLH38J7w
"How far?" the general shouted.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtt5PIDmjv8
"Two miles! Maybe three! If the storm does not sink us first!"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31aW4FEcSb
Liang Wei pushed himself to his knees. His face was gray. His eyes were hollow. But his voice was steady.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zWHhKebTr
"India," he said. "Take the lifeboats. Get everyone to land."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyhYAN3NXV
"Master, you are coming with us."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8L54r3kVn6
"No." Liang Wei stood. His legs wobbled. "The storm will not let the boats reach shore unless someone distracts it. That someone is me."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyD5GOAXdWd
"Master—"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8tQYKx5Oe
"That is an order, General." Liang Wei turned to face the sea. "Go. I will come to you as soon as I am ensured your safety."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutOWRmWOAj
The general opened his mouth to argue. Then he closed it. He saw the truth in the master's eyes. He turned to the crew.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTxBXKpsJF
"Lifeboats! All of you! Now!"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rQiox3T8O
The boats were scarce – four small vessels, each meant for six people. But the crew was willing to crowd. The servants climbed in. The guards helped the wounded. The general pushed Li Hua toward the last boat.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfKjIYQJ8M
"I will stay," the general said.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡar1Gmn79ns
"You will not." Liang Wei pointed at the boat. "Go. Protect them."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EmXPcAEwc
Li Hua wept. "Master Liang Wei…"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nyCecBtVb
Liang Wei did not turn. He raised one hand in farewell.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFMiNrzPbg
"Go."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeG9ANfsrJ
The boats lowered into the churning water. The crew rowed with broken oars, with wooden planks, with their bare hands. The waves tried to swallow them. The wind tried to push them back. But they rowed.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJN64HtfM9X
Liang Wei watched until the boats were specks on the dark water.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXCaeQnnbF
Then he turned to the storm.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrdRPbqqrK
The water before him rose. It formed not a wave, not a tentacle, but a face – vaguely human, vaguely dragon, all hunger.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aW6G6TIIG
"You should have fled with them," the storm seemed to say.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK31YcAklyo
"I do not flee," Liang Wei said.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NjFF8qf7j
He leaped.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jh54F5rrV
He landed on the water and ran. The storm struck at him with fists of water. He dodged, he blocked, he struck back. The water adapted. It grew more tentacles – six, eight, a dozen. They moved in patterns, coordinating, learning.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWYzBRXXAP
One caught his ankle.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7wI2Vtjhw
He fell. The water dragged him under. He kicked free, surfaced, gasped for air. A tentacle slammed into his chest. He flew backward, fast as an arrow, and crashed into the junk's hull.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtPBjL6RWl
The wood splintered. The junk lurched. Water poured through the new hole.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIV2TfP7FD2
Liang Wei pushed off the hull, staggering. His vision blurred. His ears rang.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFAe7UcUDe
A sixty‑foot wave rose before him. He had no time to dodge. It crashed into him, smashing him against the junk's railing. His head struck wood. The world spun.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPZnSOMd5H
He heard the general's voice, in his memory: "Don't die on us."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvo5K8kZAK
He tried to stand. He could not.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFOSMFTCj1
A final wave – seventy feet, black as ink – rose over him. It hung there for a moment, as if savoring its victory. Then it fell.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39ryrdosHJ
The water swallowed Liang Wei.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqpZxQ5xK6
The junk rolled. The mast snapped. The hull split in two.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JkDmlwGrx
And the master sank into the dark.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgMW5ZG82w
***
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVavZ4BUaEZ
On the shore, the boats scraped against sand.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4t2Rjvbxs
The crew stumbled onto the beach, dragging the few supplies they had grabbed – a bag of rice, a water barrel, a coil of rope. They collapsed on the wet sand, coughing, weeping, praying.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkOQkAPpQb
General Feng Jian stood apart, staring at the sea. The storm was still raging, but farther away now. The junk was gone.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlq5eXyRk1s
"Master," he whispered. "Forgive me."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2usd2slC0
Li Hua knelt beside him, her face wet with tears. "He will come. He promised."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJrfzYtQJm
The general did not answer.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz31rLXGSp6
A guard pointed toward the tree line. "General. Look."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiasVGI81m
Figures emerged from the bushes. They carried torches that hissed in the rain. They were tall – taller than any man the general had ever seen. Seven feet at least. Their shoulders were broad. Their steps were silent.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhk4rX9Gc5
Their skin was as dark as the night sky, but the moon gave it a faint blue hue. They wore finely woven leather armor over their chests, and robes that stopped at the knee – multicolored, each with intricate patterns, each unique. Their faces were hard, their eyes sharp.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCXZHEiUC7
One stepped forward. He held a spear with a blade of polished stone. His voice was deep, like a drum.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwW65tniw1
"Who goes there?"
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzUpIk6Fxb
The language was foreign – nothing the general had heard in China, nothing the navigator had heard in his years at sea. But the meaning was clear: Identify yourselves.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4qRJ7RVmL
The general drew his sword. The guards drew theirs. The crew huddled behind them.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBl1uSAgVHx
"Stay calm," the general whispered to the navigator and the guard beside him. "We are not in India. But we are not safe either."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTYW5ulmos
The tall man stepped closer. His torch illuminated his face – high cheekbones, a broad nose, eyes that reflected the firelight.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnZzdbdB91
"I asked," he said again, slower this time. "Who. Goes. There."
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQ7TaFj7MW
Li Hua began to cry.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KTEZn0jus
The general tightened his grip on his sword. His heart pounded. He wished the master was here. He wished Liang Wei would rise from the sea at that very moment, calm and steady, and speak in that quiet voice that made enemies pause.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9wCYRR8c9
But the sea only roared.
56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFxjIvVrVN
And the tall men waited.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGWquKucTg
and then Add to home screen.