Time does not linger, and seasons flow like water. Once again, it was midsummer, with gentle breezes swaying and vegetation flourishing. On this day, at an ancient ferry crossing called Da Yi in Ya Prefecture, a ferry boat carrying more than ten passengers was preparing to cross the river. The boatman pushed off from the shore with his pole, slowly guiding the boat toward the middle of the river when a voice called out from the shore: “Boatman, wait!”

The boatman looked back and saw four or five people hurrying along the road. They quickly approached, dressed in ordinary clothes covered with dust from travel. Among them was a somewhat thin young man with a calm brow and bright eyes. The others gathered around him, suggesting he was their leader.

“Boatman, come back! We need to cross!”

A man beside him shouted to the boatman, his voice thundering.

Although this ancient ferry crossing was close to the roadside and the only ferry was the necessary route from the west bank to the east bank, due to its remote location, there weren’t many passengers. The river was wide, reaching dozens of zhang in breadth, with rapid currents. A round trip took at least half an hour, and sometimes the boatman could only make a few trips a day. Now, seeing more customers, his face brightened. He answered loudly and quickly poled the boat back. With a heavy local accent, he bowed to the newcomers and said, “Honored guests, my boat is small. This trip can only take two more people at most, not all of you. The river current is strong, and too many people would be dangerous.”

The others all looked toward the young man. He narrowed his eyes slightly, gazed at the vast opposite shore, and nodded.

The boatman settled on a price and hurriedly called to the passengers already aboard to sit close together to make room for the new guests.

The young man said to those with him, “Yang Yun and I will cross first. The rest of you wait for the next trip.” He then said “Thank you for your trouble” to the boatman and boarded the stern.

This young man was Pei You’an. About a week ago, he had left Wusizang (Tibet), taking the shortcut through Yun Chuan to embark on the road to the capital. However, this stretch of the journey, with its dangerous terrain of numerous mountains and rivers, had no postal road, so progress was slow. Only today had they reached this ancient ferry crossing to the eastern shore.

The boatman quickly bowed, saying he didn’t dare accept such courtesy. After everyone boarded, he once again pushed off from the shore and slowly poled the ferry toward the opposite bank.

As the boat gradually approached the middle of the river, the wind grew stronger and the current more turbulent. The more timid passengers became nervous. The boatman, however, accustomed to these crossings year after year, remained unfazed. Standing barefoot and steady at the stern, he told local stories while steering. He was quite talkative with good speaking skills, and the passengers, attracted by his tales, gradually became less afraid.

Yang Yun was always vigilant. Now, in the middle of the river, he stood protectively next to Pei You’an by the gunwale, observing their fellow passengers. He noticed a young local woman in her early twenties stern, fair-skinned, and frightened, clutching her bundle tightly with closed eyes, motionless. The others appeared to be ordinary travelers with nothing suspicious about them. Thinking that once they reached the opposite shore, the postal road would gradually become more accessible and they could travel by horse from tomorrow to speed up their journey, he began to relax. Just then, he heard Pei You’an ask the boatman: “Uncle, have you been ferrying here for many years? After landing, how far is it to Huayang Prefecture? What’s the most convenient route?”

The boatman smiled and said: “I’ve been running this boat for half my life, so you’ve asked the right person! After landing, continue straight ahead for several dozen li until you reach a three-way fork. Go east for two hundred li, and you’ll reach Huayang Prefecture. Are you traveling for business, sir?”

Pei You’an gazed at the boatman, smiled slightly, and replied: “Indeed. Thank you, boatman.”

As the boat gradually reached the middle of the river, the vessel swayed slightly with the current, and the boatman’s expression became serious. He stopped chatting and carefully maneuvered with his bamboo pole, breaking through the water. Suddenly, there was a sharp “crack” as the bamboo pole, as thick as a small calf’s leg, bent too severely and unexpectedly broke into two pieces. The incident happened so suddenly that no one anticipated it, and even the boatman seemed stunned, standing motionless at the bow.

The boat, suddenly losing its guidance, began spinning in the river’s whirlpool. The vessel rocked side to side, causing panic among the passengers. The young woman screamed continuously.

Yang Yun was startled but had already noticed a spare bamboo pole lying across the bottom of the boat. He shouted: “Boatman, don’t panic! Catch!” He grabbed the pole and passed it to the boatman.

The boatman finally came to his senses and hurriedly came to take the pole. As he passed by Pei You’an, something unexpected happened. The man suddenly bent down, quickly reaching into his waist, and pulled out a dagger. With one motion, he thrust the blade toward Pei You’an’s neck.

Yang Yun was horrified but reacted immediately, shouting: “Master, be careful!” His eyes bulging, he threw down the bamboo pole and lunged forward to intervene, but it was too late. The boatman was too close to Pei You’an, his knife movement happening in the blink of an eye, precise and vicious, showing nothing of a boatman’s demeanor – clearly a well-trained assassin.

Just as it seemed Pei You’an’s blood would spill across the boat, the situation changed again. He appeared to have been prepared, a flash of brilliance crossing his eyes as his body leaned backward, causing the blade to miss. The boatman froze momentarily, but before he could react, his wrist was firmly gripped by Pei You’an’s five fingers. With a single reverse move and a “thud” of metal entering flesh, the dagger plunged into the boatman’s chest, embedded to the hilt with only the handle protruding.

The boatman’s body suddenly stiffened, one hand still tightly gripping the dagger handle, making it appear as if he had stabbed himself in the heart, ending his own life.

Hunched over, the boatman stared intently at Pei You’an, his eyes filled with disbelief, horror, and fear.

A wave struck the boat, causing it to rock. The boatman’s body tilted backward with a “thump,” falling headfirst into the water, immediately swallowed by the current.

Everything happened in a flash. Only after the boatman fell into the water did the passengers react, screaming in alarm. The young woman even began to cry.

“Master! Are you all right?”

Before Yang Yun could breathe a sigh of relief, he felt the boat rocking violently, almost losing his balance. Looking back, he saw several panicked passengers standing up, causing the boat to lose equilibrium. Just then, a whirlpool in the river caught the boat, tilting it to one side. With screams, four or five people from one side fell into the water with successive splashes, struggling and calling for help.

“Steady the boat! I’ll save them!”

Pei You’an immediately shouted to Yang Yun.

Yang Yun’s swimming ability was not as good as Pei You’an’s. He tensed, gathered his wits, and quickly responded by taking the bamboo pole and positioning himself at the bow. He braced the pole against a rock jutting from the water’s surface, struggling against the current. The boat finally stabilized and stopped spinning. Pei You’an had already jumped into the river and quickly brought back several of the fallen passengers one by one before climbing back aboard himself. Just then, he heard a faint cry for help and turned to see the young local woman from earlier. She had been swept to the stern, unseen by him. Fortunately, she had managed to grab a rope trailing from the stern, preventing her from sinking. He immediately went to the stern and reached out to grab her.

As soon as he grasped the young woman’s hand, Pei You’an’s brow furrowed slightly. Instead of pulling her up immediately, he looked at her once and suddenly let go.

The young woman, who had appeared weak and near drowning, saw Pei You’an release her. Her eyes flashed with malice as she gripped the rope and, with surprising agility, climbed onto the stern. Like the boatman before, a dagger appeared in her hand, and she thrust it toward Pei You’an.

Screams erupted on the boat again.

With a faint “crack” of a broken wrist bone, the young woman screamed in pain and fell back into the river. Her head bobbed in the water a few times before slowly sinking beneath the surface.

The remaining passengers were ordinary people who had never experienced such hair-raising events. They realized their bad luck in boarding this “bandit boat” today. Seeing Pei You’an kill two people without hesitation, showing no mercy, and now turning his piercing gaze toward them, they were pale with fear. The more quick-witted ones got on their knees, begging for mercy, calling him “hero” and continuously pleading their innocence.

Pei You’an, knowing there were no more threats among the remaining passengers, gradually softened his expression. He returned to the bow, sat down slowly, and wrung the water from his wet clothes.

Yang Yun calmed himself and, using the current, struggled to maneuver the ferry forward until finally docked.

As soon as they reached shore, the passengers grabbed their belongings and fled without looking back. Yang Yun poled back to fetch the remaining companions and brought them across. Upon landing, he saw Pei You’an standing by the riverside, gazing at the river, lost in thought. Recalling the successive dangers they had just faced, his heart still pounding, Yang Yun walked over.

“Master, throughout our journey, I’ve suspected someone was following us. Today proved it! Fortunately, Master, heaven protects you, and there was alarm but no danger. It’s a pity those two died without confessing. Does Master know who wishes him harm?”

Pei You’an withdrew his gaze and said calmly: “My enemies are not many, but not few either. It’s hard to say for now. Indeed, it’s a pity. I was perhaps too heavy-handed; otherwise, we could have questioned them.”

Hearing his usual tone, seemingly unconcerned about the assassination attempt, Yang Yun’s heart eased. He couldn’t help asking: “When the boatman attacked, I noticed Master seemed prepared. How did you spot something amiss? I noticed his stable lower body, but for someone who poles boats year-round, such stability isn’t unusual, so I wasn’t alert. Thankfully, Master was vigilant. If anything had happened to you, my death would not atone for my failure.”

Pei You’an replied: “This boatman was indeed a local, with dark skin and authentic poling techniques, appearing quite ordinary. But did you notice that his feet and lower legs were significantly lighter than his face and arms? This suggests he doesn’t usually go barefoot in shorts. Think about it—how would a boatman normally wear shoes and long clothing? So when I asked if he had been ferrying here for years and he said yes, he was lying.”

Yang Yun showed admiration and said: “I am far inferior to Master! Please instruct me more in the future! But the young woman—how did Master detect her deception?”

Pei You’an said: “Simple. This woman had fair skin, obviously not a rough farm woman who labors, yet she traveled alone—the first irregularity, though she might have had special circumstances. When I grabbed her hand to pull her up, her hand’s back was smooth, but her palm had calluses, positioned like someone who regularly practices with swords. So I determined she and the boatman were accomplices.”

Yang Yun suddenly understood: “I observed the passengers earlier but didn’t pay much attention to this woman. I’ve learned my lesson and will be more vigilant in the future.”

Pei You’an said: “Remember, anything unusual is suspicious. Especially with women. You’ll learn that being extra cautious with women is never wrong.”

Yang Yun was thoroughly impressed and sincerely said: “Master is wise. I will remember.”

Pei You’an smiled slightly, turned to look ahead, and said: “If I’m not mistaken, the Prince should have already entered the capital by now. Let’s not delay here any longer. There should be a post station ahead. Let’s get some horses, stay alert on the road, and hurry there as soon as possible.”

Yang Yun agreed, and the group set off quickly along the postal road.