In an instant, Lin Yuchan was frightened into a daze, desperately clawing at the large hand around her neck, struggling to say: “Lighter… if you want money, I have money…”

There was a Fahai in this cave, and no one had given her a warning! The moment she stepped inside, she was grabbed!

But this man wasn’t after money. His arm tightened instead, baring a mouth missing half its teeth, his gaze burning as he stared at Su Minguan.

“The boss of Yixing Steamship?” he asked in a low voice.

Su Minguan’s face tensed—he was coming for him.

The moment his fingers curled slightly, the burly man’s expression turned fierce, making a gesture to tighten his grip on Lin Yuchan’s neck another degree.

Su Minguan immediately spread his hands, panic flashing in his eyes as he said tremulously: “Let her go first!”

Seeing his alarm, the burly man couldn’t help but grin menacingly, poking Lin Yuchan’s back.

“What is she to you?”

He was approaching thirty years old, with features that weren’t fierce, but he carried the aura of someone accustomed to killing. Even with his facial features properly arranged, he gave off a murderous air. The corners of his mouth turned downward, as if fangs could emerge at any moment to skewer opposing shrimp soldiers and crab generals like seafood kabobs.

Lin Yuchan desperately tried to stay calm, attempting to elbow him backward, but couldn’t muster any strength. When she tried to kick, the burly man lifted her slightly, leaving her almost suspended and feeling terrible.

She had no choice but to give up struggling, breathing hard and gritting her teeth: “Don’t… don’t know him… just… just happened to come down the mountain together…”

The burly man sneered. Unknown young men and women who just casually “came down the mountain together”?

As if he’d believe that.

He had been lurking here all day, hearing their playful conversation from outside the cave. Now they claimed not to know each other?

Seeing Su Minguan’s expression again, he understood in his heart. His eyes were fixed only on Su Minguan. When Su Minguan moved slightly, the burly man glared with warning and instead gripped Lin Yuchan even tighter.

He was tall with long limbs, able to touch the cave entrance when standing, but on closer inspection, his arms were so thin they had almost no flesh, relying entirely on brute strength from his bones to render her unable to move.

Su Minguan said in a low voice: “Is this about business? We can discuss it properly—don’t harm the innocent. Loosen your grip first.”

He slowly removed his outer garment, indicating he carried no blades or firearms.

The two had come to visit the temple for pleasure and indeed carried no weapons. Then he raised both hands beside his face.

The burly man grinned savagely.

“You’re quite straightforward. I’m surnamed Hong and want to ask the ship boss for a favor. Will you agree?”

Su Minguan immediately said, “What is it?”

“Lend me your ship. Transport some people.”

Su Minguan quickly glanced at Lin Yuchan, looking nervous: “Fine. When and where?”

Lin Yuchan’s heart was about to explode. Across five feet, she frantically gave him meaningful looks, desperately shaking her head in small movements.

Think it through, young master! Negotiate! This man has bad intentions!

She felt this man had destroyed the walkway specifically to lure them into Fahai Cave!

But with her throat constricted, she couldn’t speak.

Su Minguan said without hesitation: “I can agree to everything. Let her go first.”

The burly man hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward. His eyes showed contempt as he sneered.

“Clear the passengers from your ship,” he said roughly. “Carry my three hundred brothers. When we safely reach Hankou, I’ll release your woman, and we’ll part ways peacefully!”

Su Minguan shook his head gently, still holding up his hands: “How long have you been starving? I have date paste cakes with me. She’s not well—release her now. I’ll agree to the rest.”

His voice was low and slow, carrying subtle implications.

The burly man sneered: “You think I trust you, heartless merchants! Come aboard my ship right now!”

Seeing Su Minguan’s loosened outer robe and thinking of his ragged clothes that would attract attention, he added: “And give me your outer clothes!”

With that, he tucked Lin Yuchan under his arm and stood to leave.

Su Minguan urgently said: “She’s weak—she’ll faint!”

The burly man looked down and cursed.

The girl had fainted! She hung limply on his arm, her full weight pulling downward.

Having been tormented by hunger for months, reaching Zhenjiang had already exhausted his strength. Crouching too long in the low cave, he felt dizzy when suddenly standing.

A small living person weighing dozens of jin was quite difficult to carry.

The burly man still gripped her neck but changed his approach: “You swear a poisonous oath—use your steamship to carry my three hundred men into Hankou, don’t report to officials, don’t spread word, follow my commands throughout…”

Su Minguan half-lowered his eyelashes, nodded, removed his outer robe, and draped it over his right arm to offer it.

“Su hereby is willing to let Hong…”

He paused, looking up at the burly man.

“Hong Chunkui.” The burly man stared at his mouth and finally gave his name.

“Su hereby submits completely to Hong Chunkui’s command of the steamship, won’t report to officials, won’t spread word,” he said with lowered brows and compliant manner, slowly speaking. “If I have treacherous thoughts, may my ancestors, eighteen generations, not rest in peace.”

Hong Chunkui again despised this ship boss whose lust had addled his brain. With a wary sneer at the corner of his mouth, he took the clothes with one hand and tossed the fainted girl back to him with the other.

Lin Yuchan opened her eyes halfway through and reached out toward Su Minguan.

Su Minguan steadied her with his left hand, then his right hand suddenly flew up, the outer robe taking flight and covering Hong Chunkui’s face completely. His left hand formed a fist and followed up, striking viciously at his temple!

Suddenly, his previous weak demeanor vanished without a trace. His eyes became cold and sharp, slightly reddened, breathing heavily while suppressing surging anger.

Hong Chunkui became like a headless fly. Just as he reached to pull off the clothes, thud—he collapsed softly to the ground, his head hitting the mud outside the cave entrance, slowly losing consciousness.

Su Minguan pounced forward, added another punch, skillfully turned the outer robe inside out, and bound his hands.

Then he pulled Lin Yuchan into his arms, gently touching her delicate neck.

“Are you hurt?”

Lin Yuchan coughed up tears, trying to use a relaxed tone: “No… just a bit uncomfortable…”

Su Minguan breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of her clever act of fainting on cue, she hadn’t been truly frightened.

The girl he fancied was well-traveled and quite bold.

But being by his side, how much unnecessary suffering had she endured?

He gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with his fingers, then crouched down to carefully examine her from head to toe—indeed, she wasn’t injured.

Lin Yuchan felt a bit embarrassed, scuffing her toes on the ground and saying quietly: “I thought you were going to agree and give him the ship.”

Pretending weakness was his specialty. From the start, he appeared as if he was dizzy and reckless for this girl’s sake, letting Hong Chunkui quickly fall into the trap of underestimating his enemy.

“How could I?”

Su Minguan smiled slightly, silently straightening her clothes, wiping away the dirty handprints on her neck and wrists, holding her tightly for a long time until the little heart in the chest opposite him began beating steadily again.

He suddenly said seriously: “But if it were truly unavoidable, I would consider it.”

Hong Chunkui had fled all the way, his whole person having rolled through mud and water countless times. Even the giant salamanders by the river were cleaner than him. Yet he dared to touch her.

He dared to use those rough, blackened hands to twist her delicate arms and grip her soft neck.

Thinking of this, his heart filled with nameless rage. Seeing the burly man on the ground beginning to stir, he said:

“A’Mei, stand back.”

Su Minguan knelt on one knee, pressing his knee against Hong Chunkui’s chest. A cold gleam flashed between his fingers as a small razor blade pressed against the burly man’s throat.

“Quite capable, aren’t you?” Su Minguan said grimly. “Plotting against a young girl?”

He couldn’t be bothered with gentle restraint, pushing the razor heavily into the neck flesh, drawing a small bloody mark.

Hong Chunkui struggled with his dizziness, opened his eyes to see blood in his eye sockets, and pain in his neck.

His face muscles twisted with fury as he shouted: “You swore an oath—”

Bang! Another heavy blow to the head. From the corner of his eye, Su Minguan saw Lin Yuchan thoughtfully turn her head away, intentionally not watching his violent behavior.

“My ancestors won’t sleep peacefully and will come chat with you tonight as promised.” Su Minguan said coldly. “Are you with the Taiping Army?”

Hong Chunkui had disheveled hair, the front half of his skull overgrown like wild grass—a standard “long-hair.” When Lin Yuchan first entered the cave, he had grabbed her immediately, so she hadn’t seen his true appearance. The moment Su Minguan saw this look, he immediately recognized this person’s identity.

Called out by him, Hong Chunkui wasn’t flustered but instead stiffened his neck and cursed hoarsely: “That’s right! Go turn me in for the reward! Merchant! Official demon! Qing demon lackey!…”

Su Minguan smiled coldly, waiting for him to finish cursing before asking softly: “Escaped from Jiangning?”

Hong Chunkui’s face changed, his cursing stopping abruptly.

“Jiangning has been under siege for a long time—it must be quite unpleasant inside, I imagine?” Su Minguan calmly stared into Hong Chunkui’s eyes, softly speculating. “Some want to defend, some want to flee. You were unwilling to defend, found a small path to escape the blockade, and snuck to Zhenjiang to ambush, wanting to hijack my steamship to fight for a way out for your subordinates.”

Hong Chunkui’s face was ashen. Due to those heavy blows to the head, his pupils were still somewhat unfocused, his limbs were unable to move, and soft moans were emerging from his throat.

“You don’t dare hijack foreigners’ ships, and even if you seized one, there’d be language barriers. So you chose me—Su feels deeply honored.” Su Minguan’s eyes shot a cold light, his mouth carrying bitter mockery. “You figured I had already greased the Hunan Army’s palms and would pass through Jiangning relatively smoothly. As for those hundreds of original passengers on the ship, better to release them to the countryside and let them fend for themselves—no, if you truly controlled my ship, you’d probably silence them all and sink them to the river bottom, since they’re all Qing demon lackeys anyway… As for how the authorities would settle accounts with Yixing Shipping for aiding rebels afterward, that’s also not within your consideration.”

Hong Chunkui showed a cold smile, tacitly acknowledging Su Minguan’s speculation.

Having fought with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom for so many years, the battlefield was always survival of the fittest, life or death—by the time you reasoned things out, you’d already be shot full of holes.

Su Minguan’s voice was like frozen water, calm on the surface but containing explosive force underneath: “Hong Chunkui, Guangdong native, Hong Xiuquan’s clansman, Heavenly Kingdom general, titled Ying Wang, called Three Thousand Years Old. Your Royal Highness Ying Wang…”

Hong Chunkui’s face dramatically changed as he struggled uselessly. He had exceptional talent with languages, speaking local Zhenjiang dialect fluently, but he never expected this person to expose his entire background!

Su Minguan looked at him deeply: “Your Royal Highness Ying Wang, actually if you had found me through normal means today and we had discussed things amicably, seeing as I’ve long heard your great name, I might have helped you. My ship indeed still has some crew positions available…”

Hearing his tone seem to soften at the end, Hong Chunkui’s eyes suddenly showed a hopeful light.

“You, you are…”

“Unfortunately, you chose the most despicable method from the start, using a weak girl to force my compliance. Perhaps you’ve been isolated in Jiangning city too long, styling yourselves as God’s heavenly soldiers, and forgotten that those demons and monsters outside the city are the same men and women as yourselves. You forgot they can reason, have compassion, and rebellious courage.”

Su Minguan stood up, his mouth curving into a cruel arc.

“So, sorry. I have the power but not the will—I don’t want to help. You’re not some chosen children of destiny. When uprisings fail and reputations are ruined, there are too many such people. You need to be able to accept defeat.”

He never had any ocean-wide magnanimity to begin with. In the gloomy sea with high winds and rough waves, steering his small boat was difficult enough—why manage others?

Moreover, if Hong Chunkui hadn’t been weakened by hunger and allowing him to subdue him with one punch, his little girl would have suffered much more.

Su Minguan put away the blade and calmly walked away, taking Lin Yuchan’s hand.

“A’Mei, let’s go back.”

His words brooked no argument, yet after uttering those few words, he couldn’t help but lower his head to look at her expression.

She intentionally lowered her head and silently followed him out two steps.

Hong Chunkui, still with bound hands, suddenly struggled to his feet, stood up, swayed twice, then fell again with a thud, shouting forcefully at Su Minguan: “Righteous sir, wait!”

Su Minguan smiled coldly and ignored him.

“I, Hong Chunkui, take full responsibility for my earlier offense to you both—I won’t make excuses! But… but those hundreds of people wanting to escape with me aren’t all heavenly soldiers—there are also elderly, women, and children, all pitiful people. I beg you to save them! If you can truly rescue them, I, Hong, swear to the Heavenly Father that I’ll slit my own throat in atonement!”

Su Minguan stopped.

Quite loyal. Truly moving.” He turned slightly toward Lin Yuchan, looking somewhat weary. “A’Mei?”

Lin Yuchan’s mind was chaotic. She looked around the riverbank—except for two little donkeys expectantly raising their heads in the distance, there was no one else.

After a long moment, she spoke quietly.

“I… this person made my neck hurt, but you beat him much worse, so it’s balanced. So I don’t hate him now. You can forget about his earlier despicable methods and just consider… consider that he approached you through normal means to make his request.”

She looked up, adding in an extremely soft voice: “Luna is your ship. You assess the risks yourself.”

Su Minguan nodded. Lin Yuchan had made her position clear—don’t let emotions cloud his judgment.

Easier said than done. Looking at Hong Chunkui’s filthy big hands, he particularly wanted to chop them off.

Hong Chunkui suddenly crawled closer two steps, supporting himself on the ground with both hands, saying urgently: “Word is spreading throughout Tianjing that the Hunan Army self-finances military expenses and will loot and kill after breaking the city. They already massacred Anqing once—all males above adolescence died, and over ten thousand women were captured. Hundreds of thousands of living people in Tianjing don’t want to die with the Heavenly King alone!”

Su Minguan smiled coldly: “Who knows if it’s true or false?”

But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw the girl beside him with eyes full of sorrow, lost in deep thought.

…She believed it.

And based on Su Minguan’s understanding of current affairs and various rumors circulating, Hong Chunkui’s words contained little exaggeration.

He still didn’t turn back, saying: “But you only want to save three hundred people. Are they your relatives and friends?”

“The Heavenly King refuses to abandon the city and kills anyone who advises otherwise. If I rashly revealed my intention to leave, I’d probably be reported immediately—I could only contact people I trusted most. Among them, those daring to risk their lives to escape with me were a minority within a minority. So…”

Hong Chunkui roughly confessed, suddenly stopping and sneering impatiently.

“Why ask so much! If you won’t help, just leave!—Hey, untie me so I can sneak back to Tianjing and accompany my wife and children!”

Su Minguan closed his eyes slightly.

Three years ago, when he encountered situations where risks outweighed benefits, he always had one principle: no discussion.

Today, he also wanted to refuse the discussion. But with a kind-hearted girl watching beside him, he had to care about her opinion.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: if only A’Mei hadn’t come with him today…

But then this thought scattered into fragments. Even if she weren’t present, would he refuse to save lives?

Would he dare to boast to her afterward with righteous confidence: I killed a long-haired rebel, even turned him in for a reward, made a small fortune—let’s go shopping?

…

Su Minguan’s expression hesitated for only an instant before he opened his eyes gently and accepted this burden.

Suddenly his sleeve tightened. Lin Yuchan carefully tugged at his sleeve, her eyes holding words, hesitating about what to say.

“I, I think…”

“A’Mei, don’t speak.” Su Minguan domineeringly interrupted. “I’ll decide this matter.”

Being the villain, one was enough. No need to drag her down together.

“Steamships have approved load capacities—overloading would be dangerous.” He glanced at Hong Chunkui, saying in a flat tone: “Passenger quarters are all full. Crew bunks can squeeze in thirty more.”

Hong Chunkui was stunned.

“Right. Thirty. You either go back to discuss it, or write up death rolls now.”

Hong Chunkui’s face immediately went pale as he gripped his disheveled hair forcefully.

Su Minguan’s last statement was more cruel than his earlier “don’t want to help.”

Those who haven’t experienced siege isolation can hardly imagine that desperate mentality: knowing death approaches, with King Yama’s minions attending nearby, yet still enduring daily hunger and cold, just seeking more time with loved ones.

In other times and places, they might still harbor faint hopes that someone would come to rescue and break the siege. But Tianjing was the Taiping Army’s last stronghold. Once the city fell, except for the waterways and wells within the city, they had nowhere to go.

And now, he had to be that blade-wielding King Yama, telling these people who trusted him who would live and who would die.

Choose one to live out of every ten.

Hong Chunkui pleaded hoarsely: “With more people, we can squeeze together… overloading doesn’t matter…”

“I’ll give you twenty seconds.”

Su Minguan pulled out his pocket watch.

Tick, tick.

Hong Chunkui looked pleadingly at Lin Yuchan and suddenly knelt before her.

“Miss, I…”

Su Minguan directly pulled her over.

“A’Mei, ignore him.”

Hong Chunkui cried out in despair.

In his blood-red vision, the weak woman who had been violently seized by him, who had gasped for breath in his grip, suddenly suggested quietly: “Light-weight women and children could count as half, right?”

Like a heavy arrow piercing his heart. This proud “chosen child of God” who had fought for years and killed without blinking, his inner faith finally collapsed completely.

“Yes! Yes!… Sixty light-weight women and children—save one more if possible… From today on, I, Hong, am willing to serve you, righteous people, and willing to serve the young lady. You can kill me if you want, but only after these people safely reach shore!”

Su Minguan turned back, smiling: “Won’t you swear by your ancestors eighteen generations?”

Hong Chunkui: “…Fine, I swear…”

“Forget it, I don’t believe it anyway.”

He grabbed Hong Chunkui’s bound hands and dragged him back to Fahai Cave.

Inside the cave was chaos everywhere. Originally enshrining a Fahai statue, now only a hand and a shoe remained of the stone figure, scattered in corners. The ground was littered with aged copper coins, old incense, torn cloth, and various garbage left by tourists from who knows how many years…

Su Minguan thought for a moment, crouched down to brush away ground debris, picked out four aged incense sticks, broke one of them, and arranged three and a half sticks on the altar before Fahai.

Then he selected a sharp stone fragment and carelessly carved a few characters where Fahai should have been positioned.

“Loyal and Righteous Divine Martial Emperor Guan.”

“Fellow, do you recognize this?”

Hong Chunkui stared intently at the characters “Emperor Guan,” his face alternating between green and white. Suddenly, he looked up at Su Minguan as if experiencing enlightenment.

“Yixing… Yixing Shipping… Right, you are…”

Many from the Heaven and Earth Society had come to join the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s forces. Hong Chunkui had some knowledge of their customs and secrets. Though regional society cultures differed considerably, “three and a half incense sticks” and “worshipping Emperor Guan” were undoubtedly the greatest common denominators. Seeing these two elements, he was immediately certain.

Hong Chunkui’s mouth trembled, forcing out an ugly, embarrassed smile.

“Sorry, I, Hong, didn’t recognize a friend, haha…”

“Who’s friends with you?” Su Minguan’s single sentence choked him back. “If you want my help, first join my Hongshun Hall and be an errand boy.”

Hong Chunkui had been “Three Thousand Years Old” for several years in vain. In his military tent, he had commanded hundreds with a single call. Today, fallen from grace, he was being led around by the nose by a cunning young man.

“No, no, we…”

“Can’t let go of God?” Su Minguan smiled. “Then, sorry. I won’t force you—take care of yourself.”

Hong Chunkui hesitated for a long time. Looking at those three and a half incense sticks, rubbing his bruised forehead, his thoughts wandering who knows where.

Lin Yuchan leaned outside the cave, helplessly watching Master Su’s mystical manipulations.

He had originally simplified the initiation process, but this time made it intricate and complex, using limited conditions to make things as complicated as possible.

She vaguely guessed Su Minguan’s purpose. The Taiping Army’s strong cohesion was largely due to faith. Having worshipped God for over ten years, they were full of hostility toward “heretics,” considering them non-tribal and impossible to communicate with.

As long as this “God” remained in his heart, Su Minguan couldn’t completely trust this person.

Traditional methods were like bricks—use them wherever needed. If the Qing court had this kind of flexible awareness, they wouldn’t have ended up with everyone calling for their downfall.

With several thuds, Hong Chunkui smiled bitterly, kicked away that useless “Heavenly Father,” and accepted the position of errand boy.

Su Minguan cheerfully untied him and gave him clothes to wear.

“My ship still needs a cook. Let’s talk when we return.”

Early the next morning, Luna quietly departed from Zhenjiang port, sailing upstream.

The opera stage at the dock hadn’t been completely dismantled, with melon seeds and peanut shells scattered everywhere. Residents still talked enthusiastically about that dazzling steamship. The three old monks at Jinshan Temple chanted confusedly for a while, gathered their old bones, and went down the mountain to fetch water.

After sailing for just half a day, they saw masses of the Hunan Army’s naval warships. Several blockade lines, like iron chains, locked up the wind-and-rain-commanding Heavenly King in Nanjing city.

Once upon a time, this armed force that Western opinion considered capable of replacing the Qing government was now in complete decay, like the weak sun over western mountains.