The Yue Family Hall’s boat soon sailed right in front of Feng Jiu’er and the others. Behind the large boat came five smaller ones, trailing along. The six boats moved boldly ahead, taking the lead.
Feng Jiu’er waited until the two fishing boats passed before having Shan Zhengyang speed up and fall in behind the fleet.
Sure enough, before half an hour had passed, the boats ahead gradually slowed, and finally came to a stop. The two fishing boats ahead continued on, and Feng Jiu’er’s group’s boat showed no sign of stopping either. The Yue Family Hall’s six boats alone were enough to keep the search fleet busy—they didn’t even spare a glance for the small fishing boats drifting past.
Just like that, they made it through the first inspection.
Once they’d left the Yue Family Hall’s fleet behind, their fishing boat slowed down again, speeding up only once the Yue Family Hall’s boats came into view once more. The first, second, and third times all passed smoothly, and by midday, everyone gathered together to eat.
Long Shiyi, who had been keeping watch outside, lifted the curtain and came in. “The fleet’s slowing down again—must have run into another patrol. Everyone, be prepared.”
Zhao Yusheng wiped his mouth and stood. “There’s a checkpoint just ahead—this one won’t be easy to get through. I’ll go take a look first.”
Feng Jiu’er looked up at the others, who were exchanging glances, and said quietly, “Finish eating first. Zhao Yusheng can go alone.”
No one said anything, and everyone continued eating. Everyone could feel the fishing boat’s speed decreasing. Feng Jiang and Qiaomu left the cabin after Zhao Yusheng.
After some time, the fishing boat came to a complete stop. Feng Jiu’er stepped out onto the deck and went over to Zhao Yusheng, who was drawing water.
“All the boats have stopped,” Zhao Yusheng said quietly, continuing his work. “I asked around—every boat has to be searched.”
“Is that Yongshan City across the water?” Feng Jiu’er looked up at the land barely visible in the distance.
“Yes,” Zhao Yusheng nodded. “The critical thing now is that the search line stretches across the entire river. Only if we get through safely here will we avoid a clash with the search party. If it really comes down to it, their numbers aren’t that large—we could still coordinate with our allies on the other side, front and back, and force our way through.”
“Alright.” Feng Jiu’er nodded slightly, her gaze returning to the tallest, largest boat ahead. “We’ll see how it goes. Sister Hua brought plenty of people with her today too. Avoid conflict if we can—if we can’t, then we fight!”
Feng Jiu’er didn’t want Feng Qiongcang to learn that they’d already crossed the Songjiang River. If he found out, he would surely throw everything he had at attacking the area south of the river. Right now, with his men spread across every city searching for their trail, it worked in their favor for the plans ahead. So, avoiding a clash was the priority whenever possible.
At a glance, there were at least several dozen boats of various sizes visible. And the Yue Family Hall’s large boat wasn’t far from them at all.
Feng Jiu’er watched for a moment, then turned and went back into the cabin, soon reappearing on the deck. She walked to the bow, and without stopping, leapt lightly, landing steadily on the stern of another boat. Using several boats as stepping stones, she slipped past everyone’s notice and appeared aboard the Yue Family Hall’s large vessel.
“Search, search, search—if they want to search, are we just supposed to let them?” Inside the largest cabin on the big boat, Tang Xiaohua’s expression was far from pleased. “How many times have they searched already, and what have they found? Tell them to let us through! Don’t make me get unpleasant about it!”
The man standing before Tang Xiaohua and Yue Jianfei looked somewhat troubled as he glanced up at Yue Jianfei.
“What my wife means is what I mean too—go tell them how things stand first,” Yue Jianfei said, waving a hand.
“Yes,” the man said, cupping his hands and turning to leave.
“You two go on out as well,” Tang Xiaohua said to the two maidservants.
“Yes,” the two maids nodded in unison, turning to leave and closing the door behind them.
Tang Xiaohua picked up her teacup, gave it a light squeeze, and said flatly, “You can come out now. It’s safe here.”
Feng Jiu’er, holding a short blade, dropped down from above, landing steadily in the middle of the cabin. “Not a bad place you’ve got here!” She glanced around before walking toward Tang Xiaohua.
Tang Xiaohua looked up and tossed the cup in her hand toward her. Feng Jiu’er stopped and caught the teacup bare-handed. She took a light sip, then raised the cup and downed the rest of the tea in one go.
“Not bad!” Feng Jiu’er’s mouth curled up slightly as she took a few more steps forward and sat down beside Tang Xiaohua. “Brother Yue and Sister Hua really do live an enviable life.” She picked up a pair of chopsticks and picked up a piece of pastry, popping it into her mouth. “Mm,” she said after taking a bite, nodding. “Tastes good.”
“Your skill’s improved again,” Tang Xiaohua said, studying the person beside her closely. “If you’d let me catch you off guard on purpose, wouldn’t I have already killed you before you even realized it?”
“How could I bring myself to kill you?” Feng Jiu’er finished off the pastry in one go. She glanced up at Tang Xiaohua, then lowered her head again and picked up another piece. “Is there any way to get us across? There are a dozen or so of us in total. Once we’re past this checkpoint, we can meet up with our allies on the other side.”
Feng Jiu’er kept eating pastries, her gaze fixed on Tang Xiaohua, waiting for her answer.
“There’s a way. Eat your fill and head back,” Tang Xiaohua said, waving a hand. “But you’d better tell me where you’re headed next—I want to go see my youngest daughter.”
“Thank you, Sister Hua!” Feng Jiu’er stood and bowed deeply and respectfully. In the blink of an eye, she was back in her chair, hugging the plate, eating away. “Your family’s pastries are just too good! I haven’t eaten anything this delicious in ages.”
Tang Xiaohua watched the woman sitting in the chair, legs swinging, and couldn’t help but clear her throat. Was this really the same person who, just moments ago, neither she nor her husband had even noticed sneaking in?
Once Feng Jiu’er had finished eating, she returned to her own fishing boat.
“Jiu’er, you’re finally back?” Xiao Yingtao turned to look at her. “Look, the boats ahead haven’t moved at all—has Sister Hua figured something out?”
“She said she has a way. Let’s just wait a bit longer,” Feng Jiu’er said, pulling her along. “Don’t wander around for no reason. Come on, I brought some pastries back for you all.”
With Tang Xiaohua’s promise secured, Feng Jiu’er brought a few of the girls into the cabin to enjoy the pastries in peace.
A quarter of an hour later, Xing Zizhou came in. “The boats are moving. I heard the Yue Family Hall clashed with the search fleet—some boat up ahead went through without anyone knowing, and now everyone’s following. Jiu’er, we’ll be able to go soon too—should we move forward?”
“Let’s go.” Feng Jiu’er looked up and nodded. “Just follow the boat ahead. Once we’re past the checkpoint, keep heading toward Yongshan City.”
“Alright.” Xing Zizhou nodded and turned to leave.
The boat’s speed gradually picked up, and the rest of the journey went smoothly, without a hitch. When night fell and the boat came to a stop again, they had already reached the shore.
Everyone looked toward the shore—even though it was nothing but wasteland as far as the eye could see, everyone’s spirits were high. Especially Feng Jiu’er—she had finally found her father and brought him safely home.