The two sailors guarding beside the rope gripped the daggers in their daggers tightly. Following Shao Mingyuan’s instructions, if the situation changed, they had to cut the rope at the first opportunity.

Ye Luo jumped onto the ship, his figure moving agilely into the cabin without making even the slightest sound.

Chen Guang murmured in Shao Mingyuan’s ear: “Ye Luo has entered the cabin. I wonder if he’s discovered anything?”

Shao Mingyuan pressed his lips together in silence.

He naturally knew that Chen Guang was tactfully informing him of Ye Luo’s situation, but being unable to see was even more difficult than he had originally anticipated, like a bird with severed wings – cruel as could be.

A full quarter hour passed. Just when everyone was growing anxious from waiting, Ye Luo finally appeared in their line of sight with an additional person on his back.

Among all of Shao Mingyuan’s guards, Ye Luo’s martial arts were the finest. Despite carrying someone on his back, his movements remained extremely agile, and he quickly jumped back onto the ship.

“What’s the situation?” Shao Mingyuan asked expressionlessly.

“General, there were eighteen people total on that ship. Aside from the person this subordinate brought back, all the others are dead, all from blade wounds.” Ye Luo set down the person he had carried back and continued reporting: “This person only has an injury on his shoulder, but his clothes are stiff – he must have fallen into the water. This subordinate checked, and he still has a weak pulse.”

“Let me take a look.” Qiao Zhao walked over, crouched down to examine the person Ye Luo had brought back.

The person lying on the deck was around thirty years old, tall and sturdy, with a pale wound on his shoulder. His eyes were tightly closed, and his breathing was extremely weak.

Qiao Zhao immediately took a pill from her pouch, placed it in his mouth, then used silver needles to stimulate his pressure points.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the man slowly awoke.

He opened his eyes, and after initial confusion gave way to seeing Yang Houcheng and the others clearly, he moved to get up, but lacking strength throughout his body, he fell back onto the deck.

“Who are you people?” The man reached for his waist, found nothing there, and asked with a guarded expression.

“You don’t know who we are?” Chi Can frowned.

The man was stunned: “Why would I know?”

Chi Can sneered: “Naturally, because we’re your saviors! If we hadn’t rescued you from that ship, do you think you’d still be alive right now?”

The man was shocked and hastily looked around, discovering that surrounding him were all tall, sturdy young men. He immediately looked down at his shoulder and saw that the wound there had been simply bandaged.

He was startled, and only then did the wariness in his eyes fade as he said gratefully: “Thank you, righteous gentlemen, for saving my life.”

“There’s no need for pleasantries. Tell us who you are.” Chi Can said impatiently.

“I—” The man opened his mouth, frowning in pain. “Could you give me some water to drink first?”

“Here, water.” Yang Houcheng gestured for a Jinlin Guard to pass over a water flask.

The man reached out to grab it but found his hands were powerless, looking to Yang Houcheng for help.

Yang Houcheng resignedly took the water flask and held it to the man’s lips to feed him, thinking: Saving people and ending up with a master to serve.

Both Tingquan and Shixi were here – why did this person seek him out? Did he look like a pushover?

After the man finished drinking water, Yang Houcheng asked: “Can you speak now?”

The man said sheepishly, “Could you give me something to eat?”

“You can only drink porridge.” Qiao Zhao’s voice sounded, then she said to A’Zhu: “Go to the kitchen and bring him a bowl of porridge.”

After drinking the porridge, the man finally spoke: “We… we are sea merchants… but we encountered pirates. They jumped onto our ship and killed all my brothers…”

“Sea merchants?” Chi Can raised an eyebrow. “Great Liang law stipulates that private individuals cannot engage in maritime trading activities. No, even the official Maritime Trade Supervisorate has been suspended for many years – where would sea merchants come from?”

The man’s expression changed as he stammered: “Young Master must not be from the south, right? Now sea merchants like us are everywhere…”

“You tell me first – how did you escape the pirates? All your brothers died by the blade, but you only have a light injury on your shoulder.” The woman’s calm voice sounded.

The man turned his eyes to look at Qiao Zhao, a flash of light passing through his eyes as he explained: “Those pirates were too formidable. After my shoulder was injured, seeing the situation was bad, I jumped into the sea and hid in the water. After those pirates left, I climbed back onto the ship. When I came to again, I was here.”

“What cargo was your ship carrying?” Qiao Zhao asked again.

The man’s eyes flickered: “Porcelain…”

“That can’t be right. Our people went to inspect your ship and found no porcelain.”

“It must have all been stolen by the pirates!” the man shouted angrily.

Qiao Zhao looked down at the man lying on the deck, then suddenly half-crouched and said calmly: “You’re lying.”

The man’s eyes contracted: “What do you mean, Miss?”

“When you were unconscious, I had already asked our people who went to inspect the ship. There wasn’t a single piece of straw or rice chaff dropped in your ship’s hold, so your cargo wasn’t porcelain.”

Porcelain was delicate. During transport, the boxes containing porcelain would be packed full of straw, rice chaff, and other cushioning materials to prevent damage. If these people were sea merchants selling porcelain, transporting porcelain year-round, how could there not be even a bit of straw or rice chaff that had fallen?

Hearing Qiao Zhao say this, the man immediately changed his story: “I remembered wrong. Recently we switched to selling cloth—”

Qiao Zhao waved her hand to interrupt him, stood up directly, and asked casually: “Do you know why, after we rescued you, we’ve kept you on the deck this whole time?”

The young woman’s tone was casual, but the man didn’t dare not answer. After thinking, he asked: “Is it because I’m too dirty and you’re afraid I’ll soil the bedding—”

The young woman smiled slightly and shook her head: “No, it’s because this way it’s convenient for us to throw you into the sea to feed the fish at any time.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the man’s expression immediately changed.

Yang Houcheng stared wide-eyed in shock, thinking: Such terrifying words – is it really okay for Miss Li to say them so casually? Wah wah wah, I wonder if other young ladies are like this too!

Chi Can curved his lips with a look of approval.

Shao Mingyuan lowered his eyes without speaking, but a slight smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

“Miss, Miss, please don’t joke around…”

“I never joke. I’m very serious and always call things as they are.” Qiao Zhao turned to look at Shao Mingyuan. “Big Brother Shao, may I borrow someone?”

“Of course.” Hearing the words “Big Brother Shao,” although he knew Qiao Zhao was doing this to avoid exposing his identity in front of outsiders, Shao Mingyuan’s heart still warmed, though his expression remained impassive.

Miss Qiao secretly gritted her teeth.

This scoundrel was putting on quite an act. She’d see how long he could keep pretending in front of her!

Her annoyance at someone made Qiao Zhao’s tone even colder: “Ye Luo, lift this person. I’m going to ask him one more question. If he lies, immediately throw him into the sea.”

“Yes.” Ye Luo unhesitatingly lifted the man with one hand.