The left gorge of Hundred Flowers Stream was utterly devoid of human presence. Cliffs rose steeply on both sides, the riverbed was uneven, hidden reefs densely packed—it was the most difficult passage in Ghost Gate. Of all the rotten luck, Mo Zi’s “fortunate” hand had drawn it.

Min Song looked at the masted sailing boat not far away that had stopped moving as soon as it entered the gorge, wondering what that Brother Mo was planning now. He had discovered that just like sealing the room to build ship models to hide their abilities, or leaving one person on shore to split fire and open a path for underwater companions, that person did nothing without reason.

“Young Master Song, you just need to hold tight to the gunwale and don’t panic, that’s all.” Seeing him distracted, Chang Ji thought he was nervous.

Everyone knew this young master’s boat-piloting skills ranked dead last in the shipyard—first or second from the bottom. He even got seasick on large ships, let alone this kind of small boat. However, what surprised him was that this time Min Song didn’t insist on leading himself but handed this authority to him. He didn’t decline. Though the other three master craftsmen had higher seniority, when it came to piloting boats, he had trained for three years with fishing boats on the southern seas. For this trial, he truly deserved to be the boat captain.

“I’m not panicking.” Min Song drew back his gaze. “I’m just watching why Hongyu’s side isn’t moving.”

The one among the five who had wielded the boat paddle causing paddle damage while avoiding injury himself, having learned nothing from reflection and still looking down on others, sneered mockingly, “Without tools for rowing, using sails in this chaotic wind gorge—they can only spin in place.”

No one paid him any attention.

If they couldn’t change people mid-trial, Min Song would have wanted to tell him to get lost long ago. Normally when everyone drew ship diagrams together, it wasn’t obvious, but at the critical moment, this person was completely pampered and quite self-important—even worse than himself.

“Young Master Song, let’s not meddle in others’ business. They say for over a hundred years no boat has emerged from this Hundred Flowers Valley, but I believe that caution ensures a ten-thousand-year voyage. As long as we’re fully focused, we’ll definitely break through and not disgrace Risheng’s name.” Chang Ji had ability, courage, and experience.

Min Song had long since put aside his young master airs, determined not to lose face for his ancestors in this final trial. Though he couldn’t pilot boats, he absolutely wouldn’t drag everyone down. Right now, he gathered his spirits, gripped both sides of the gunwale with both hands, and nodded heavily to Chang Ji.

With Chang Ji’s shout to depart, four paddles struck in unison, and the small boat quickly disappeared around the river bend.

Seeing this, Chou Yu grew anxious and shouted, “Brother Mo, Risheng’s people have already left. Shouldn’t we hurry up and depart?”

At the gorge entrance, the terrain was flat. Though the wind came from all directions, spinning the small boat around, except for Zan Jin who sat somewhat unaccustomed, Mo Zi and the three brothers Xia, She, and Yu stood steadily.

“This trial has no time limit. Even if we exit the gorge tomorrow, we’ll still have passed Ghost Gate.” Mo Zi knew what she was doing. She came to attempt the three trials, not to compete in winning or losing. “I made modifications to the masts and sails. Though I explained it to you yesterday, you need practical operation to apply it proficiently. We all came through Startled Fish Rapids—this Hundred Flowers Stream may have a nicer name, but we shouldn’t fear it. However, the Yongfu is very different from this boat. We know the Yongfu inside and out—Shui She could steer it with his eyes closed. But this boat must be maneuvered with agility and the five people’s coordination. If anyone is slow or makes a mistake, the entire army could be wiped out. So, let’s use this chaotic wind to practice first. When I point somewhere and the boat can go there, then we’ll depart.”

Mo Zi took out three small flags—red, yellow, and blue. “These represent the masts and sail colors. According to yesterday’s assignments, you three brothers each control one sail. Whichever color flag I wave, pull that color sail. At the same time, watch my left hand. One finger represents one notch. If I hold up three fingers, adjust the sail to mark three on the mast.”

Finished speaking, she pointed to Zan Jin.

Zan Jin quickly stood up, but the boat turned and he fell back down. Chou Yu laughed at him heartily. He had no time to laugh back, standing his ears up waiting for Mo Zi to speak.

“Zan Jin, I need to command from the front, so the stern is entrusted to you. When I tell you left, whether you use your sword to push off reefs or channel your energy to strike the water, you must adjust the stern left. Once to the left means use force once; twice to the left means use force twice. How much force to use each time—we’ll practice and see in a bit. In any case, remember this force level—it must be consistent each time.” She needed an emergency stern rudder. If they encountered hidden or visible reefs, they could avoid them. Though Zan Jin knew nothing about boats, he had strength, martial arts, and was quite clever, so she had confidence in him.

Thus, this boat was seen in the whirlwind formed by winds from all directions, suddenly left, suddenly right, suddenly forward, suddenly back, with water splashes of varying sizes bursting from behind. Until the three-colored flags no longer flew, and after leisurely resting for quite a while, the large blue triangular sail took the lead in opening, supplemented by half-opened yellow and red triangular sails, actually shooting forward like an arrow.

At this moment, it seemed even the chaotic winds that had run rampant for hundreds of years obediently blew in one direction—the direction Mo Zi pointed.

The five-li gorge was actually quite short, but in Hundred Flowers Stream, there was almost one bend every hundred meters, and the water flow, wind direction, and terrain before and after each bend could be completely different. It was as if this gorge had originally been a whole mountain, but split open a crack, jagged and uneven, creating all kinds of hardships and obstacles here just to make the hundred flowers bloom.

Hundred Flowers Stream—after entering, they found it lived up to its name. Wherever water flowed and there was soil, there were definitely flowers, and many varieties. Most enchanting were the large swaths of late-blooming wild peonies, either pure white or pure red, refusing to mix even a hint of other colors.

Having traveled nearly four li of waterway, seventeen or eighteen bends, rapids, reverse currents, wild winds, hidden reefs—experiencing everything once, even the three brothers who had run boats since childhood showed some strain. Zan Jin had expended even more energy, facing outward in a prone position. As for Mo Zi herself, needless to say, her wound hurt again, but she gritted her teeth and couldn’t make a sound.

Chou Yu cursed in his mouth, “Damn it, who thought of making people sail through here? Must have been stuffed too full with nothing to do, looking for trouble, and that bastard definitely never went through himself, thinking any place with water can pass boats. When we get out, if I’m still alive, I’ll tie him up and make him go through it himself.”

Fei Xia rarely agreed with his younger brother, “This person probably had a grudge with someone and deliberately sent the enemy to their death.”

Chou Yu slapped his thigh, and the mast holding the red triangular sail rolled around, the crossbar nearly hitting the blue sail controlled by Shui She.

Shui She shouted sternly, “Focus! Anyone can die, but the people on this boat cannot die!”

Shui She’s boat-piloting skills were the best among the three brothers because his concentration and adaptability were very strong. According to Chou Yu, when they ran their own operations before, Shui She piloted the boat while he and Fei Xia listened to him. In Mo Zi’s observation, ever since she taught them about degrees, as long as she told Shui She to turn the boat fifteen degrees, he would never turn it sixteen or fourteen degrees. His precision with angles was extremely keen. So naturally, the task of controlling the main triangular sail fell to him.

“That’s right, one boat, one life—we all need to break through safely.” The rocky cliffs gradually receded, and the water current ahead appeared. Mo Zi was startled and couldn’t help raising her voice, “Whirlpool current! Zan Jin, hold tight!”

In the moment the three brothers were stunned, the boat was already pulled over by a tremendous force.

Hearing Mo Zi shout to hold tight, Zan Jin immediately gripped firmly. At the same time, looking back, he saw in his field of vision a dark, gleaming cliff wall pressing toward him. Suddenly he felt he would be smashed to pieces. His mind went blank, yet he could still hear Mo Zi’s urgent shout—right, continuous strikes. Continuous strikes meant using rapid frequency to strike continuously until Mo Zi’s next command. He aimed at the mountain wall pressing down so he could barely breathe and, bang bang bang, delivered the fastest punches he’d ever made…

Min Song shook his head and struggled to climb up from the muddy ground. All the bones in his body felt dislocated—he could even hear cracking sounds. Their boat was reduced to some broken boards stuck in the mud and sand. Not far away, three masters lay in the wetland, seemingly still breathing. Where was Chang Ji?

He quickly changed direction and saw Chang Ji, covered in mud, standing three zhang away from him, facing the water current, seemingly dazed. He couldn’t help following his gaze, and his own spirit left his body too.

Hongyu’s boat was also experiencing the strange current that had dismembered their boat. Brother Mo at the bow held three colored flags in his right hand, changing them like a windmill, shouting loudly, and then the three people operating the masts moved like lightning—pulling, retracting, striking, turning, not the slightest hesitation. Those oddly-shaped three sails opened and closed, and could even change direction. Finally, the big guy at the stern was banging against the cliff wall. Everything seemed chaotic, but that small boat turned danger into safety every time, almost hugging the cliff wall, from one end to the other, from far to near, sailing toward their side.

That’s right, sailing, not being swept by water. Though it looked precarious, within the precariousness was a posture that gave people a sense of stability, following the激waves 冲刷这块小岸 to stop before Min Song. A flat-bottomed boat came ashore flat too.

That Brother Mo jumped down and asked with concern whether they needed help. He said with great pride that they didn’t need it. Brother Mo just smiled and said in a place like this, pride was all beaten to ash—staying alive was most important. He suddenly thought that made sense.

So, after resting for one hour, Min Song’s team was on Hongyu’s boat. Three were seriously injured, and Mo Zi had the big guy put them to sleep with pressure point strikes. Chang Ji stared intently at the three masts, making the three sail controllers somewhat vigilant as they deliberately used their bodies to block. Min Song believed that if Brother Mo hadn’t said earlier that the secret techniques couldn’t be transmitted outside and had specially built them in a sealed large room, he too would be like Chang Ji, making no effort to hide his interest in these masts and sails.

“Why did the water surface suddenly calm down?” After resting, Zan Jin was even more spirited, having already gotten used to the boat’s rocking.

“You kid still complain about calm? Just now we nearly split into pieces like Risheng’s boat. Isn’t calm good? We can rest.” Chou Yu was single-handedly managing the sail.

Chang Ji muttered to himself, just loud enough for Min Song to hear, “Going against the current, yet so relaxed.”

The red flag in Mo Zi’s hand suddenly retracted, and Chou Yu’s red sail also retracted toward the mast, almost simultaneously. The boat at the bend slowly moved forward. After going against the current, the water finally became truly calm.

Min Song finally understood the purpose of the colored flags and couldn’t help silently praising it as wonderful.

Mo Zi turned around, her jacket rustling, smiling to reveal small white teeth. “This is the last bend.”

Chou Yu said gloomily, “Brother Mo, do you know your smile looks really ugly—holy crap!”

The word “ugly” was scared right back.