Early the next morning.

As soon as the sky brightened, the dock was already crowded with people.

Most were cargo ships and merchants.

There were also quite a few pedestrians!

It was bustling and lively.

Wen Yu awoke in a wave of pain.

His head felt as if something was constantly stirring inside.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of round eyes staring directly at him.

He was badly startled.

His body shrank backward!

“Mmph mmph mmph…” His mouth was stuffed with cloth, preventing him from speaking.

Xiao Ba grinned at him gleefully, looking quite sinister.

“You finally woke up? I thought you were dead.”

Wen Yu’s back pressed against the carriage wall as he struggled to prop himself up.

His eyes were full of the question “What do you want?”

Xiao Ba grabbed the rope binding him and pulled him out to sit on the wooden board outside the carriage.

They were now right at the edge of the dock, with people coming and going all around, and many workers transporting goods onto large ships.

It was like a huge marketplace.

Before Wen Yu could react—

He heard Luo Yang’s voice from not far away: “Fourth Master, take a look, isn’t this person good?”

Wen Yu turned his head and met the gazes of Luo Yang and an unfamiliar man.

Both sets of eyes were sizing him up.

No, more precisely, they were appraising him!

The man standing beside Luo Yang, addressed as Fourth Master, squinted his eyes and looked Wen Yu up and down, curled his lip, and said with disdain while shaking his head: “No good, no good. Look how thin he’s become! No meat on his face either. Obviously has no strength. Luo Yang, we may have some friendship, but you know that in our line of work, strength is the most important thing. Without strength, he’s no different from a useless person!”

Luo Yang put on the shrewd manner of a businessman: “Don’t let his thinness fool you—he actually has great strength! Absolutely no problem with carrying and hauling!”

“This…”

“Fourth Master, we’ve known each other for so many years! Would I deceive you? Besides, you’ll definitely be going to Zhu New City, so if I deceived you, wouldn’t I be courting death?”

“I suppose you wouldn’t dare.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I’d deceive anyone before I’d deceive you. Rest assured.” Luo Yang’s face was full of sincerity.

Fourth Master thought it over, wavering internally, and finally said: “Alright then, name your price.”

So they really were going to sell Wen Yu!

Wen Yu’s mouth was still stuffed with cloth, and the rope on his body was still held by Xiao Ba.

“Mmph mmph mmph…”

His body twisted several times.

Xiao Ba gripped him tightly: “Stay still, don’t even think about running.”

Luo Yang had already set a price long ago, saying: “Not much, just twenty taels of silver.”

What?

Twenty taels?

He, the illustrious Lord Wen of Qujiang, son of General Huaihua!

Was only worth twenty taels?

Even two thousand taels wouldn’t be enough to sell him for.

“Mmph mmph mmph…” Wen Yu glared with wide eyes.

Hearing it was only twenty taels, Fourth Master was naturally pleased: “You’re willing to sell for just twenty taels?”

“We’re old acquaintances—this is the acquaintance price.”

“You’re a true friend, lad.” Fourth Master added with concern, “But is his background clean? Don’t sell him to me only to have him bring me trouble later.”

“Clean, clean!”

“Alright then, twenty taels it is.” Fourth Master was very generous, directly pulling out twenty taels and handing them to Luo Yang.

“Deal!”

Luo Yang took the silver and walked up to Wen Yu, saying with a grin: “Fourth Master runs a water business. Selling you to him means you’ll have to spend your days on a ship year-round. This way I won’t have to worry about you escaping and taking revenge!”

“Mmph mmph mmph…”

“You should count yourself fortunate.”

Luo Yang then handed him over to Fourth Master.

Fourth Master had his subordinates drag him onto the ship.

The ropes on his body couldn’t be untied for now!

Wen Yu struggled to no avail…

He was forcibly dragged onto the ship.

Then, Luo Yang quietly slipped the silver back into Fourth Master’s hand.

Hmm?

Fourth Master was surprised: “Don’t want the silver? Or are you not selling this person after all?”

Luo Yang sighed and said earnestly: “Fourth Master, we’ve known each other for so many years. You know that Luo Yang has never done anything that damages one’s moral virtue.”

“Then what’s this about?”

“I’m not selling him! But you take him away, and when you reach your destination, just release him.”

“Release him? Luo Yang, what medicine are you selling in this gourd of yours?” Fourth Master was confused by him—what nonsense was this?

“I actually just want to find a way to release him, but I also need to save some face for myself, otherwise it won’t look good! So I’m troubling you to take him far, far away—as long as he can’t find me, that’s all I need.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely true.” Luo Yang implored: “In any case, please help me out and take him far away. Even somewhere remote is fine. In any case, along the way, don’t let him slack off on any work that needs doing. When you reach your destination, just release him.”

Fourth Master asked: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn around and sell him to someone else?”

“What kind of person are you, Fourth Master? Don’t I know? I’m asking you for help precisely because I trust you.”

These words, when spoken, were very pleasing to Fourth Master’s ears.

He felt comfortable inside.

So he agreed readily: “Alright! I’ll do you this favor.”

“Many thanks!”

Fourth Master tucked the silver into his pocket, patted Luo Yang on the shoulder, then turned and left.

Fourth Master had previously passed through Zhu New City conducting business, and Luo Yang had helped him resell goods. Through these interactions they became familiar, and their relationship was quite good. Fourth Master had even wanted Luo Yang to work with him before, guaranteeing him food and drink, but Luo Yang’s temperament couldn’t tolerate being constrained, so he preferred to scrape by in Zhu New City and politely declined.

This time, knowing that Fourth Master regularly shipped goods around Jiahezhen, he came to try his luck and actually did run into him.

Thus, he entrusted him with this matter.

After all, he didn’t truly want to sell Luo Yang to make money.

He just wanted to find someone to take him far away so he wouldn’t have time to come back and take revenge on him.

He could also use the time while Fourth Master took him away to properly find a good physician to treat Xiao Ba’s illness!

Luo Yang pulled Xiao Ba along, saying: “Come on, your brother will first take you to eat something good, then find you a good physician to definitely cure the poison in your body.”

“Mm.” Xiao Ba nodded heavily.

The two were just about to board the carriage—

When a great commotion erupted behind them.

Looking back, they saw seven or eight people emerging from who knows where, simultaneously leaping onto Fourth Master’s large ship.

They kicked away the two men who were about to escort Wen Yu into the cabin.

Both figures fell into the water together!

Water splashed everywhere.

Fourth Master stood on the deck. Seeing that someone dared to cause trouble on his turf, he shouted loudly: “Get them!”

Many people rushed out from the ship.

They surrounded that group in the middle.

“Who are you people? How dare you cause trouble on my ship! Do you have a death wish?”

The seven or eight men who had arrived each wore long swords at their waists.

Their gazes were fierce.

One of them immediately supported the weakened Wen Yu, and seeing his current state, exclaimed in shock: “Lord Wen? How… how did you end up like this?”

As he spoke, he removed the cloth from Wen Yu’s mouth.

“Hah…” Wen Yu could finally breathe.

His pair of bloodshot eyes stared fiercely at the people on the ship.