As the small boat rocked away, when Min Song could see clearly the water surface conditions behind Mo Zi, only then did he understand why Chou Yu cried out “holy crap.”
A steeply sloping, rushing waterway, densely packed hidden reefs making the water color turn black, terrifying visible reefs standing like a stone forest—at first glance, there was simply no navigable path.
“Brother Mo, I want to curse.” Shui She coldly glanced at his younger brother who was already pulling at his hair.
“Shui She, let me curse first.” That’s why she smiled so ugly—people, ah! “What sick bastard set this trial question? Grandma’s, never passed it themselves yet make others come to this ghost place to die. Never mind lacking ancestral virtue, they’ve got character problems too. Aren’t they afraid too many vengeful ghosts will come knocking at their door one by one? I run a shipyard, I’m not here to set Guinness records. Your grandfather here has endured humiliation and borne heavy burdens to survive until now—if I survive this disaster, whether it’s Risheng or Sunset, I’ll open my shipyard all the same, hire my workers all the same. I don’t believe—” The earlier parts were manageable—after all, they’d originally fought through great winds and waves at Startled Fish Rapids. But this last bend—tell it to a blind person, even they wouldn’t dare try it. To this day, had it been easy for her? Casually doing anything, someone would come to strike her down. The days before losing her memory were so unlucky they couldn’t even be described.
Pointing her finger at the azure sky, after finishing her tirade of curses, her heart felt comfortable, but she saw everyone’s mouths half-open, looking petrified. She immediately let out a cheerful laugh.
Everyone felt cold wind hitting their faces and shuddered all over.
“Shui She, your turn.” After Mo Zi finished laughing, her refined features were all pink and bright in the rippling light, radiantly brilliant.
Min Song thought to himself, how could one person have such extremely opposite expressions? Just now she was overflowing with murderous energy, then suddenly the scenery before his eyes became bright and beautiful. Also, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens to survive until today? He thought she lived better than anyone—facing her, he was the one feeling burdened.
Under everyone’s gaze, Shui She shook his head and said it wasn’t necessary. She had cursed so fiercely—grandfathers, grandmothers, ancestors, vengeful ghosts all together—quite sufficient and quite accurate, expressing his feelings for him.
Fei Xia requested to go underwater to explore the hidden reef distribution. So with a rope tied around him, who knew that as soon as he entered the water, the rushing current nearly dragged the boat down with him. Everyone hurriedly pulled Fei Xia back up. Fei Xia said in that rushed glimpse, he only saw hidden reefs spread in thick layers—the water was quite shallow. He gestured—less than half a meter.
“Our boat is flat-bottomed, we should be able to avoid them. Brother Mo, let’s risk it and try—we’ve come this far.” After pulling out more than ten hairs, Chou Yu felt they could give it a shot.
Mo Zi quickly bent down to compare the boat’s draft—it had already exceeded half a meter. She shook her head saying it wouldn’t work.
Min Song pondered briefly and spoke up, “Brother Mo, how about putting down us five from Risheng, and you Hongyu people go yourselves.” Without them aboard, crossing such shallow water wouldn’t be impossible.
Mo Zi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Chou Yu spat, “Our Brother Mo has a rule on the boat—one boat, one life. Having rescued you all, of course we won’t just abandon you. Don’t you dare think we’re heartless and unjust.”
Fei Xia slapped Chou Yu and gave him a thumbs up.
Shui She asked Mo Zi what to do.
Mo Zi cursed as she cursed, but her eyes and mind never stopped working. “Young Master Song is right. This boat carrying ten people, the draft is too deep—this is no longer a problem boat skills can solve.”
Chou Yu glared, thinking Mo Zi really would abandon Risheng’s people.
“So I say put us down.” One boat, one life? He’d never heard of such a rule.
“If you all were lively and vigorous, able to run and jump, I would definitely put you back. After all, your boat is already destroyed—even if five people exit the gorge, this Ghost Gate still cannot be passed. At worst, after we get out, we’ll find people to rescue you.” She would consider the priorities herself. However, her autumn-water eyes were clear and limpid. “You several have all become wounded soldiers, three among you urgently need treatment. As Chou Yu said, don’t think we’re heartless and unjust.”
Then she turned to reassign tasks to her own people, “Zan Jin, unseal the pressure points of the three men and wake them up. Chou Yu, Shui She, dismantle the red and yellow sails and masts for me. The water ahead flows straight down—there shouldn’t be chaotic winds. You use three settings to control the blue sail, and you can slow the boat speed. At the gorge mouth’s low waterfall, don’t worry about the boat, just worry about lives. Fei Xia, Zan Jin, you two follow me.”
The four had no objections and responded crisply with successive “heys.”
“Chang Ji, Min Song.” When Mo Zi spoke seriously, it naturally made people feel a sense of respect impossible to refuse.
Chang Ji immediately responded with a “hey,” puffing out his chest as if receiving some glorious mission.
Min Song gazed intently at her, unwilling to admit his blood was flowing rapidly, an unprecedented kind of excitement in his emotions.
“You two are not seriously injured—do you dare take a risk with me?” Mo Zi also looked at Min Song with unmistakable sincerity. “Though I don’t have absolute certainty, this is the only feasible method. To be honest, you Risheng already cannot pass this trial, but we Hongyu still cannot give up. Of course, I can also put you two in a safe place, but your boat is gone—if people can all exit the gorge, it’s not without a kind of victory. Is that right or not?”
Each word rang resoundingly.
Min Song thought, of course that’s right—in this kind of ghost place, being able to get out alive was already incredibly fortunate.
Huh? How was he also following someone’s cursing style?
However, he didn’t need to say anything more—Chang Ji loudly answered yes.
“Though this is a temporary team, I volunteer myself to be the leader.” Once her stubborn streak came up, ten whales couldn’t pull her away. “Please, you two must do as I say, otherwise, if you lose your lives, don’t blame me.”
Min Song was now only curious about what exactly she was going to do.
Thus, dismantling sails where sails needed dismantling, lowering masts where masts needed lowering, and removing all the remaining wooden boards from the boat, they got to work on a small patch of calm water.
Now, on the Ya River surface, five or six large ships blocked the entrance to Hundred Flowers Stream’s left gorge, attracting passing vessels. Those who knew the trade, hearing someone was attempting Ghost Gate, quickly stopped. Those with loud voices spread the word, and nearby boats immediately rushed over. For a time, they were surrounded three layers deep inside and out.
At first, everyone waited with great interest, eyes unwilling to blink even once, afraid of missing any exciting parts. After waiting one hour, there were those eating, drinking wine, pulling up chairs to chat. After two hours, having eaten and drunk their fill, having chatted about all sorts of family matters, with the sun also slanting westward, they began to let their thoughts wander.
One told ten, ten told a hundred. By the time it reached Old Master Min’s ears, nearly half the people believed both teams had become water ghosts. He suddenly stood up, walked forward two steps, then retreated to sit back down, his face dark as water.
In fact, those sitting on the main ship, though not quite so pessimistic, were definitely not optimistic either.
Wang Cheng asked the old master in front of everyone, “After so long without coming out, they may have encountered an accident. Should we send a boat in to look?”
Zeng Hai laughed, “Master Wang, you really know how to joke. If even Risheng’s boat encountered an accident, which family’s boat could we send in?”
Fang Ming cupped his hands, “Old Master, my Yacheng is willing to form a team to go.”
Zeng Hai shot him a sideways glance, secretly cursing Fang Ming as a bootlicker. He snorted, though unwilling, but also not wanting to offend Risheng, so he half-heartedly said, “Old Master, if really necessary, our Hongtu can also contribute effort.”
How could Min Yu not see who was sincere and who was false? But he politely declined all, “Let’s wait a bit more. Both teams have already signed death waivers. If something truly happened, it can only be fate.”
Wang Cheng was just about to say he could request the imperial fleet to intervene when he heard someone shout loudly—
“They’re out!”
Then many people shouted—
“Out, out, out!”
Just like it was arranged beforehand, in perfect unison.
Wang Cheng quickly looked. Behold, in that steaming mist, a boat shadow appeared at the top of the two-zhang-high waterfall, surprisingly steady even on such rapid water flow. Blinking again, the boat heavily plummeted down, smashing into the river surface with huge splashes. However, the boat didn’t sink. Swept over by the current, appearing to sway precariously, one could see a tall mast and drooping sailcloth.
“Old Master—” After Hongyu’s two impressive passes, he was no longer surprised to see Hongyu’s boat first.
Min Yu naturally also knew this boat wasn’t Risheng’s. He strode to the bow and saw several people floating on the water. He immediately had fast boats on both sides go rescue them. He thought they should be Hongyu’s people, but unexpectedly when rescued, three were from Risheng, two from Hongyu. The talkative short one, seemingly called Chou Yu, told him to quickly call a physician to treat the three from Risheng—otherwise there’d be no saving them and Brother Mo’s efforts would be wasted.
Min Yu again mistakenly thought all five were injured and wanted to have the ship’s doctor also examine Chou Yu and Shui She, but turning around, he saw the two already standing perfectly fine, drenched all over but looking quite relaxed.
“You two, where are the others?” Wang Cheng asked.
Chou Yu raised his arm and pointed toward where they’d just emerged. “Coming soon.”
Truly, as soon as he said “coming soon,” they immediately came. But this time, no one shouted. As if arranged beforehand, there wasn’t a single sound.
Because in countless pairs of eyes, what they saw was an indescribable scene—appearing at the top of the waterfall, two-colored sails bulging full of wind, like a great bird, flew down. Upon touching the water, it cut out a snow-white sheet of waves, then slowly came to a stable stop.
The sails—everyone hadn’t yet had time to look before they were already furled. And what flew so beautifully wasn’t even a boat, just a ship bottom board with thick round logs bound on all four sides. Sitting around the edge were five people, each with rope tied around their waist, feet soaking in the river.
On this river surface, who had ever seen a boat run out from the left side of Hundred Flowers Stream? And who had ever seen living people run out?
Instantly, thunderous cheers erupted. So many fists struck toward the sky again and again, shouting with the most passionate fervor, as if those who had broken through Ghost Gate were themselves.
Mo Zi loosened the rope from her body and raised her head to search for her companions. In the earth-shaking sound, she saw Chou Yu and Shui She safe and sound on the main ship, and her smile became radiant.
Then she met Old Master Min’s gaze. With both hands cupped in salute, she performed the junior’s courtesy.
Min Yu stood at the high bow and spread his hands flat. The shipyard workers on several large Risheng ships suddenly fell silent, and other boats watching the excitement also quieted accordingly.
“Master Wang, please announce the result.” Min Yu’s voice was loud.
Wang Cheng stepped forward, his voice equally resounding, “Hongyu passes—Ghost—Gate!”
People exchanged glances and whispered.
Min Song grabbed Mo Zi’s hand and raised it high above their heads. “Hongyu!”
Chang Ji raised his fist and also shouted loudly, “Hongyu!”
Zan Jin called out powerfully, “Hongyu!”
Chou Yu pulled Shui She along, shouting from the main ship, “Hongyu!”
Very quickly, a hundred voices of Hongyu, a thousand voices of Hongyu, extended out along with the river current.