"Don't worry," Wen said. "It was just bad luck that Chin turned up when he did. If we hadn't been so distracted by him, we'd have noticed whatever magic they were using on the Meiyou in time. But look on the bright side, Fengzi: the tear in the sail is clean and will be easy to fix, and if Chin got to the treasure first, well, Chin's ship is a lot smaller than the Meiyou. When we catch up to him, we won't have any trouble beating him. Well, not so much trouble, anyway."
"I think you're missing the point," Fengzi said. "It's not missing out on the treasure that they're upset about."
"I don't see what the problem is. So things were a bit hectic there for a few minutes. They're pirates, Fengzi. They're supposed to expect to face the occasional bit of danger." He called a change of course to the helm, and the Maiden slipped through the gap between two huge rock-piles sitting at the head of what the Dragon Emerald Eye had shown him was a beautiful, calm inlet on the seaward side of Penglai Island. "We got away, didn't we?"
"Danger is one thing. Having to paddle for their lives while being chased by some sort of army of ghost fish is another thing entirely."
"We just need a rest, that's all. And I've found us the perfect spot for it. As for ghost armies, the men are imagining spooks. I didn't see a single ghost fish, above the water or in it."
"There's apparently a lot you didn't see," Fengzi said, and stomped off to be miserable somewhere. We really need a rest, Wen thought. Suddenly, boredom didn't seem such a horrible fate, and his father's health wasn't such an immediate concern.
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