His smile made Du Sanniang smile too.
I truly admire this woman for being able to smile so beautifully even after her actions have been exposed.
However, she admired Xiao Zuo.
"Young Master Xiao, you're truly amazing! I admire you!" she asked with a charming smile, "What flaw did we reveal that allowed you to see through us?"
Xiao Zuo chuckled and said, "With so many flaws in your answers, how am I supposed to know which one you're asking?"
"Really? Then tell me about the most important one."
Xiao Zuo gestured with his chin toward me and asked, "We haven't revealed our identities, so how do you know she's the eldest daughter of the Gong family?"
I was taken aback, and then I remembered that when I ran to the stern of the boat, Du San Niang had indeed called me "Miss Gong".
Du Sanniang seemed to grit her teeth, her smile becoming forced: "Anything else?"
"Also, silver jewelry is very delicate, especially when it comes into contact with water, otherwise it will easily turn black," Xiao Zuo glanced at the twisted silver bracelet on her wrist and said indifferently, "You say you've been engaged in water-related businesses for many years, aren't you afraid of ruining this silver bracelet?"
Du San Niang's face turned pale and then red, but she could no longer laugh.
Her husband, the old man who mopped the floor, remained unfazed and suddenly asked, "How did you know we were husband and wife?"
Xiao Zuo blinked and said leisurely, "Well, that's just my guess."
Look at his smug expression, as if there is no one in the world smarter or more capable than him.
I snorted coldly and turned to the old man, saying, "Is that even a question? What father in the world would let his married daughter flirt with a man she's just met? If you're not her father, then who are you? She's talking to Xiao Zuo here. If you're just her accomplice, you should know better than to stay away. Why do you have to stay by her side every step of the way? There's only one answer: you're her husband. It's not pleasant to see your wife laughing and talking with another man, but you have to endure it for some reason. And since your wife is so flirtatious, you're naturally worried. Since you can't stop her, keeping an eye on her is the best you can do!"
As I spoke, I secretly glanced at the old man's face. When I said the last sentence, his expression suddenly changed drastically, clearly indicating that his weakness had been hit.
I couldn't help but feel smug. I raised my head and looked at Xiao Zuo, asking, "Am I wrong, Young Master Xiao?"
Hehe! He should be really surprised now! Although I didn't see these suspicious points at the time, it was only because my experience in the world was less than his. If he thinks I'm a fool, he's sorely mistaken!
“That’s right, that’s right.” Xiao Zuo nodded vigorously, “but I still forgot to mention one thing.”
"Which point?"
“He’s not the only one who came specifically to keep an eye on things because he was worried; someone else did too…”
Before he could finish speaking, I screamed, "Who's worried? Who came all this way to see you? I came to see these platoons, okay? Don't flatter yourself!"
"My little darling, can you please keep your voice down?" Xiao Zuo said with a wry smile. "Aren't you afraid of disturbing those little devils underwater?"
"Stop beating around the bush... What? There are people underwater?"
Startled, I was ultimately swayed by his successful attempt to dodge the question.
"Nobody's here, there's a ghost—the kind of water ghost that specializes in sabotaging boats and rafts."
"A broken raft?" I looked at him suspiciously, then suddenly turned pale with shock: Of course! Since someone was planning to sabotage the ship, they had to destroy those life-saving rafts first!
This principle is as simple and clear as one plus one equals two. I even thought that as long as I prepared a set of numbers, I would have a backup plan... Good heavens! How could I have been so naive!
It seems that Xiao Zuo didn't even eat and deliberately followed Du Sanniang to the stern of the boat just to keep an eye on these boats.
As for me, not only was my experience in the martial arts world pitifully shallow, but I also misunderstood him!
Well, of course, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that I can't swim. What will I do if the raft is destroyed?
Sigh, doing business is really tough. Nobody ever told me that to be a good successor, you have to be good at swimming!
I groaned inwardly, and was about to rush to the ship's side to see if there really were water ghosts underwater when I heard Xiao Zuo say, "You can go and see, but I advise you not to look so panicked. If the people below see you, we'll probably hear a very unpleasant sound right away."
I managed to stand up and asked, "What was that sound?"
“The sound of air being released from a sheepskin tube,” Xiao Zuo actually smiled at me, “that’s the sound of those sheepskin tubes that make rafts float in water.”
I think my face must have turned pale, because my voice started to tremble: "Then, what do we do?"
Xiao Zuo smiled again, and suddenly moved his fingers like the wind, striking five key acupoints on Du Sanniang in succession, rendering her unable to move or make a sound. Then he pointed to Du Sanniang's husband and smiled at me, "The Gong family's Heavenly Fragrance Finger is famous throughout the martial arts world. Miss, please."
It's strange, even though I hate his nonchalant attitude, my tense heartstrings inexplicably relax when he smiles. It feels like... as if as long as he's there, even if the sky falls and the earth collapses, it won't matter.
Xiao Zuo controlled his wife's pulse points. Although the old man mopping the floor looked unwilling, he dared not resist and obediently let me use the Gong family's unique technique to strike his acupoints.
To be honest, I feel quite sorry for this couple.
Xiao Zuo's greatest skill is to make people stumble without them even realizing it. One moment you think you have victory in your grasp, and the next you've already got everything under his control.
If you're defeated by someone like this, you're lucky if you don't die of anger!
I couldn't help but sigh softly, a thought suddenly popping into my head: Thank goodness he's not an enemy of the Gong family, thank goodness, thank goodness... Thinking this, I couldn't help but look at him...
He was listening intently with a serious expression. After a while, a look of satisfaction gradually appeared in his eyes. He looked up at me and said with a soft smile, "As expected, the water ghost waited for the signal from the ship before making a move, while Du San Niang probably planned to subdue me first before sending the signal. This delay allowed us to gain the upper hand."
I frowned and asked, "Why do I have to subdue you first?"
Without a second thought, Xiao Zuo answered, "Because I must die!"
"What's the meaning?"
Xiao Zuo said, "If the boat is breached, we'll fall into the water, right? Although there are water ghosts waiting in ambush underwater, given my swimming skills and the extremely chaotic situation at the time..."
Before he could finish speaking, I interrupted him in horror, saying, "You mean, the enemy is afraid you'll escape in the chaos of the water, so they're determined to kill you on the ship?"
“Not bad.” Xiao Zuo said with a wry smile, “The mastermind behind it all is quite considerate of me.”