Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 34

Xiao Xiao froze, unable to recover for a long time.

Where is justice?! What kind of martial arts master is this?!

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up and muttered to herself, "What kind of brothers are they? They're nothing like brothers..."

She felt helpless for a moment, then suddenly remembered that she had left Lian Zhao behind. If she didn't give him an explanation, she was afraid...

She immediately went out and looked around for the person.

Lian Zhao did not leave the bow of the boat; he sat on the gunwale, quietly watching the scenery.

For some reason, Xiaoxiao felt guilty. She slowly walked over and whispered, "Lian Zhao..."

Lian Zhao turned his head and smiled. "Finished?"

"Hmm..." Xiao Xiao nodded.

"He..." Lian Zhao hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Is he really your martial uncle?"

Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, then nodded again.

"So, you're a disciple of the East Sea Sect..." Lian Zhao's expression was somewhat grave.

Xiao Xiao then remembered that the seventy-two islands of the East Sea controlled the sea area and had influence over the grain transport. During the late emperor's reign, they could get away with it by virtue of the Shenxiao Sect's name. However, now, they were a thorn in the side of the imperial court. Their title was "pirates and outlaws"... Uh, her martial uncle was from the East Sea, which meant that she and Lian Zhao were indirectly enemies?

“I…I just reunited with my martial uncle, and I didn’t know he was from the East Sea…” she blurted out, explaining.

Lian Zhao looked at her, his eyes still gentle. "I just find it strange. I heard Le'er mention before that you're a disciple of the Breaking Wind School..."

"Ah, my master is from the Broken Wind Style. My master and my uncle have been separated for many years, otherwise, I wouldn't have failed to recognize him just now..." Xiao Xiao said.

Lian Zhao smiled. "I didn't mean to press you. Whether you're from Po Fengliu or Donghai, you're still my betrothed. I just feel that the more I spend with you, the more I realize I don't know..."

Xiaoxiao felt even more apologetic upon hearing this. She forced a smile and replied, "We...we've only known each other for a short time..."

“That’s true…” Lian Zhao replied with a smile.

A smile played on her small face, but her heart grew heavier. Up until now, she'd made so many mistakes that she was worried sick. Yet the person before her still chose to believe her. Even when questioning her, he used the gentlest tone. Compared to Wen Su's attitude earlier, she already knew in her heart who was good and who was bad. But the more he acted this way, the more uneasy she felt.

Lian Zhao said that the more time he spent with her, the more he realized he didn't know. She felt the same way. The more time she spent with him, the more unreal it seemed. His family background, character, and martial arts skills were all impeccable. Could there really be such a wonderful man in the world? And she, Zuo Xiaoxiao, had actually met him? ...No matter how you looked at it, it all seemed like a dream. If she took just one more step closer, this fantasy would shatter.

"Little one?"

Her reverie was interrupted by Lian Zhao's voice. She snapped out of her reverie, gave an awkward laugh, and said, "Ah, what a beautiful view!" She looked up and changed the subject.

Lian Zhao followed her gaze and then smiled, "This is the site of the Battle of Red Cliffs during the Three Kingdoms period. Haven't you always wanted to see it?"

Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, then immediately nodded, "Yes, yes, it's truly extraordinary!"

Lian Zhao didn't say much, just smiled quietly. Then, he noticed the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) on Xiao Xiao's back. "A traveling singer," was her most common self-introduction.

He thought for a moment, then spoke, "Little..."

Xiao Xiao smiled and turned around, "Huh?"

Lian Zhao's cheeks flushed slightly. He raised his hand and gently touched his earlobe, saying, "I...I've never heard you play the sanxian before..."

Xiao Xiao looked at him, somewhat surprised. So, when he was shy, he would touch his earlobe. She laughed, "That's easy! I'll play it for you right now!"

She untied her sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) and sat down on the gunwale. Looking at the scenery before her, she strummed the instrument and sang:

"Li Bai's poems, Su Shi's lyrics, a song with a spear across the bow, wine poured out. The turbid waves cannot bury the hero's ambition, the east wind easily dyes the river red. Who fights for the world for personal gain, who fights for a name to be recorded in history, who fights for a temple for ten thousand generations. Fame and fortune are but words in the blink of an eye, heroes last forever, success and failure are but a moment, white hair and black hair."

After listening, Lian Zhao couldn't help but laugh. "This doesn't sound like a song you'd hear on the street."

"Hehe, just a spontaneous thought." Xiao Xiao hugged her sanxian. "If you want to hear some romantic tunes, I'll sing another one."

"No need," Lian Zhao hurriedly stopped him.

Xiao Xiao smiled too; this carefree state is the best...

She hadn't been laughing for long when she heard someone shout.

"Someone is scuttling the ship!"

Xiao Xiao froze immediately. Drill a boat? This was on the river! She turned to look at the surging waters, tears welling in her eyes. Heavens, couldn't I just have a moment of peace? Sigh…

Three calamities and five disasters

"Someone is scuttling the ship!"

Just as Xiao Xiao was lamenting her constant misfortunes and lack of peace, the group of East Sea disciples who had entered the rear cabin rushed out all at once. Several agile ones jumped into the river without hesitation.

The disciples from the East Sea were naturally adept at swimming. Once in the river, they moved like fish in water, their movements so fast they were almost invisible. At this moment, the boat began to rock and become unstable. Chaos erupted inside the cabin.

Could it be that the person who was chiseling the boat was chiseling it from the outside? Xiao Xiao was standing on the side of the boat, and naturally looked down to take a look.

It would have been better if they hadn't looked, because once they did, they saw blood splattered on the river's surface. Several disciples were forced out of the water, already injured.

Xiao Xiao took a step back in surprise. It seemed the man who sculpted the ship must also be a skilled surfer. Could it be that they both came from the East China Sea?

As she was thinking this, someone popped their head out of the waves and laughed loudly, "You surnamed Wen! You killed my brother, I'll make you pay with your life!"

At this moment, Wen Su went up to the deck, and when he heard those words, he frowned and walked to the side of the ship.

The man carrying two swords immediately stepped forward and said, "Senior brother, we're afraid they're river pirates. The brothers aren't familiar with the river's currents and have been at a disadvantage."

Upon hearing this, Wen Su's eyes grew even colder. He drew his sword, leaped onto the gunwale, and then plunged into the river.

Xiao Xiao, who was not good at swimming, was naturally full of admiration upon seeing such skill. At that moment, Lian Zhao beside her also leaped onto the gunwale, bow in hand, arrow in hand, intently watching the swiftly flowing river.

Xiao Xiao tilted her head slightly, looking up at him. The man, who had just been shy, was now imposing and sharp, his fighting spirit emanating from the arrow tip and enveloping his entire body.

Just like the first time she saw him draw his bow, his beautiful figure was captivating. She was engrossed in watching him when the boat suddenly jolted, and her chin hit the gunwale.

She felt a slight pain in her chin and immediately squatted down, clutching it. Tears welled in her eyes. "Just looking at it, and this brings bad luck? Could this be considered an incompatibility of our birth charts?"

"The boat is sinking," the man carrying two swords said. He turned and shouted to his disciples, "Lower the small boat and take the passengers away." He then looked at Xiao Xiao, "Junior nephew, come with me."

Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, looked up, and looked completely puzzled.

"Aren't you my senior brother's long-lost junior nephew? I am Lin Zhi, a disciple of the Seventy-Two Islands of the East Sea." The man laughed, "You can be considered half a junior uncle to me. Come with me, the hull has been breached, this ship won't last much longer."

Xiao Xiao glanced at Lian Zhao.

"Well……"

Before she could say anything, Lian Zhao spoke up, saying, "Young Master Lin, thank you for your trouble."

Lin Zhi clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "It's nothing." He looked at Xiao Xiao, "Let's go."

Xiao Xiao could only nod and follow.

The small boat that the East Sea disciples had used to arrive earlier was moored below the gunwale. The East Sea disciples on deck untied the steel cables wrapped around their wrists, slipped them onto the small boat, and then removed the mooring ropes. Using the strength of the steel cables, they lowered the small boat into the water.

Xiao Xiao boarded the small boat and, as soon as she sat down, looked up at Lian Zhao.

"Junior nephew, are you very familiar with the young master of the Lian family?" Lin Zhi asked, standing at the bow of the small boat.

She was slightly taken aback and didn't know how to answer. After thinking for a moment, she said seriously, "I owe him something."

"Oh." Lin Zhi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Xiao Xiao shifted her gaze to the river. She wasn't a strong swimmer; if she went in, she'd be a dead fish. She wondered how Lian Zhao would fare. The young master of the Lian family probably couldn't handle this great river, could he?

Seeing her staring blankly at the river, Lin Zhi said, "Junior niece, are you worried about my Senior Brother Wen? Hehe, don't worry. Senior Brother's swimming skills are second to none. Besides, we're only dealing with some third-rate bandits. It's alright, it's alright."

Xiao Xiao could only force a smile as she listened to him. Worried about Wen Su? What a joke. With his fierce and powerful martial arts, coupled with his swimming skills honed in the East Sea, if anyone were to suffer, it would be someone else. She would only worry about him after she had endured it. Thinking about it made her realize how unlucky she truly was. Sigh… even her martial uncle had to deal with someone like this…

Just as she was feeling helpless, she heard the passengers on the small boat clapping and cheering loudly.

With a slight lift of her eyes, she saw an arrow shoot out like lightning and disappear into the river. Instantly, the water turned blood-red, and someone floated to the surface.

"As expected of the Lian family, renowned for their archery skills..." Lin Zhi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Lian Zhao drew his arrow again, carefully observing the movements beneath the river.

He chuckled slightly. It was true, his skills were inferior to Yin Xiao and Wen Su. However, that was because what he had learned wasn't martial arts. The Lian family had been military families for generations, emphasizing battlefield combat techniques. But putting that aside, with Lian Zhao's current position and weaponry, those bandits on the river were no match for him.

With each arrow that left the bowstring, a wounded man would surface from the river. Meanwhile, the Wen Su underwater were equally swift and effective. The bandits were already mostly wounded and no longer a threat.

However, the large ship continued to sink, and the river water was about to reach the ship's side. Lian Zhao knew he couldn't stay any longer, so he used his lightness skill to leap into the air.

Suddenly, a silver light shot out from the water, and a dart flew straight towards Lian Zhao.

Everyone gasped in surprise.

Lian Zhao sidestepped, avoiding the attack, and instantly fired an arrow back.

The arrow had barely touched the water when Wen Suyu leaped up, boarded the small boat, and bit the arrow in his mouth. At the same time, Lian Zhao, disoriented by the dart, fell into the water.

Xiao Xiao was shocked and hurriedly leaned out, but unexpectedly, the small boat rocked, and her body tilted to the side, and she was about to fall into the water.

In the nick of time, Wen Su grabbed her collar. He threw down the arrow and said with displeasure, "Hold on tight."

Xiao Xiao, still shaken, turned back, pointed at the river, and stammered, "That...that..."

“There are no survivors underwater, he won’t die.” Wen Su released her and said indifferently.

Xiao Xiao swallowed hard and had to shut up. Just then, Lian Zhao poked his head out of the river and took a deep breath.

The passengers cheered.

Lian Zhao swam to the side of the small boat and reached out to hold onto the gunwale. Seeing this, the others worked together to pull him onto the boat.

Lian Zhao was soaked in sweat, looked exhausted, and kept coughing. Without thinking, Xiao Xiao reached out and gently patted his back.

Lian Zhao looked up and smiled at her. Then, he looked straight up at Wen Su.

Wen Su clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for the arrow."

Lian Zhao remained silent, only slightly frowning, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

"The man who attacked you earlier has been killed underwater. You can rest assured now." Wen Su said with a smile, but his tone was extremely arrogant.

Xiao Xiao happened to be caught in the middle of the two, and had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Although these two people were on different sides, they didn't seem to have any deep-seated hatred for each other, right? Look, they were both clearly soaking wet, so why were they sparking each other?

“Senior brother…” Lin Zhi spoke up at just the right moment, “The small boat is carrying too many people and the current is too strong, I’m afraid it won’t make it to the shore.”

After hearing this, Wen Su turned around and directed his disciples to leave.

Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lian Zhao. His hair was still dripping wet, the weather was still cold, and the wind on the river was strong. Xiao Xiao could clearly see that his body was trembling slightly.

"Are you cold?" Xiao Xiao asked hesitantly.