Of course! I'm so clever! I shook my head smugly, mimicking him, and clasped my hands in a fist and palm salute, saying, "Easy, easy..."
Before the second "easy" could be finished, Feng Qiansu's voice suddenly came from the other side of the beach: "Young Miss, the Iron Cavalry is back!"
Volume 1, Chapter 4: A Sudden Turmoil (5)
Section 5: The Dilemma of Water
Along with the cavalry came a large ship.
A quick glance revealed that although everyone's clothes and hair were soaked, they didn't look particularly disheveled. Their long training had proven effective. One of the men lightly leaped down from the bow of the ship, which was ten feet high, and landed in front of me. He knelt down and said, "Please, Miss, Chief Steward, and the two young masters, board the ship."
"How is the battle going?"
"There are fifty water ghosts, forty of whom are dead and ten are missing. We have twelve dead and five wounded."
The number of dead exceeded the number of wounded, demonstrating the ferocity of the battle.
Gong Feicui, being helped onto the boat by Xiao Zuo, asked upon hearing this, "Where are Du Sanniang and her husband?"
“Du San Niang escaped by diving into the water; her husband is dead.” The cavalry leader took out a bracelet from his pocket. “But before she escaped into the water, she threw this bracelet at us.”
I reached out and took it. It was gleaming silver and had an elegant, antique design. It was the same one that Du San Niang had worn on her arm earlier.
Gong Feicui leaned closer for a look and murmured, "If they're going to run away, why leave this bracelet behind?"
"I don't know." I shook my head. "Miss, let's get on the ship first."
Gong Feicui nodded in agreement, and as she boarded the ship, she asked the iron cavalry, "How did you get this ship?"
"Reporting to Miss, we happened to meet that high-ranking official who was retiring to his hometown. It turned out to be the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Shi, who had participated in the exhibition of rare items. When he learned that we were in trouble, he offered to lend us his boat."
Gong Feicui said "Oh," and after thinking for a moment, I said, "Miss, should we go up and thank them?"
"Alright." Gong Feicui nodded casually. "Go then."
I then instructed the helmsman, "Catch up with Lord Shi's ship."
The helmsman took his orders and left. I leaned against the deck railing, watching the waves churning below the ship, recalling the moment the ship sank and fell into the water, as if from another world… Everything was going wrong! Why had everything gone wrong on this journey?
"What's wrong?" Baili Chenfeng asked as he caught up.
I sighed softly, "Legend has it that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, he used a divine axe to split the high mountains into the Gate of Humans, the Gate of Gods, and the Gate of Ghosts, allowing the Yellow River to flow eastward into the sea, hence the name Sanmenxia (Three Gates Gorge). So, passing through here is like choosing one of the three realms—whether one becomes a human, a god, or a ghost—one may know for oneself?"
Baili Chenfeng's eyes became misty. Realizing I had been a bit out of line, I smiled and brushed it off, saying, "After we arrive in Baili City, will we be able to meet that remarkable adopted son?"
"You want to see him?"
"Very much." Curiosity is human nature, and I'm no exception. However, what I'm more concerned about is whether he and Xiao Zuo are the same person. This question has been troubling me for a long time, and I'm unwilling to accept it without an answer. "What kind of person is he? How does his martial arts compare to yours?"
Before Baili Chenfeng could answer, a voice drifted over and said, "If Miss Feng is concerned about whether he is truly as immune to all poisons as the legend says, then I can answer for her."
I turned my head and saw Xiao Zuo grinning, his eyes sparkling. If he thought I would be embarrassed or uneasy, he would be wrong. I smiled slightly and followed his words, saying, "Then, I'll trouble Young Master Xiao to clear up my doubts."
"My answer is—no matter how invulnerable the city's young master is, he'll be finished when he meets the wind."
Are you sure?
“Very much.” He mimicked my tone, nodding vigorously to show his affirmation, though his eyes were clearly full of laughter.
Believe him? Unless I'm an idiot.
My plan to get some inside information from Baili Chenfeng was interrupted by Xiao Zuo, so I simply gave up and turned to look at the river, saying, "We will reach Hukou in half an hour. To be honest, we are slower than originally planned, but not by too much."
"No, we will not dock at Hukou."
“Very well.” I wasn’t surprised at all. For some reason, I had expected this incredibly cunning young man to change his plans at the last minute, so I simply asked casually, “So, what is Young Master Xiao’s new plan?”
“We’ll disembark in Hancheng, take the route through Weinan, and then enter Lishan. That way, the horde of ghosts in the mountains will never expect this, and their plans will be completely disrupted. The more chaotic their situation, the more advantageous it will be for us. Don’t you think so, Miss Feng?”
I said calmly, "Young Master Xiao is our guide, so naturally everything is up to you."
Xiao Zuo stared at me, his eyes flashing, but before I could catch a glint in them, he had vanished. Just then, Gong Feicui emerged from the cabin and walked towards us: "What are you all talking about? Can you guess who's behind this?"
Is this some kind of trick?
Seeing my confusion, she pouted and said, "It's that Du San Niang! Although her tricks aren't very sophisticated, if the next thing she does is use these honey traps or something, it's hard to guarantee that someone won't fall into the trap without even realizing it."
Xiao Zuo coughed awkwardly, his face showing a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
As I watched, I suddenly found it quite amusing: although he could always infuriate Gong Feicui to the point of rage, conversely, the only one who could leave him speechless and embarrassed was Gong Feicui.
Baili Chenfeng pondered and said, "Du Sanniang shouldn't be from the group of ghosts in the mountains."
"No?" I looked at him.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to arrive at the ferry crossing so quickly and wait for us to take the bait.”
"That's strange. Could it be that there's another group of people coveting the treasure bottle?"