Bai Yu’s sword suddenly stopped upon hearing that voice.

Clearly feeling a swift wind brush past her neck, Mo Zi gritted her teeth. Don’t move, can’t move. No matter how she looked at it, if her combat techniques really went up against real blades and weapons, she’d die an ugly death.

On the flat roof of the cabin, Yuan Cheng, who had originally been on Feixia’s back, now stood straight with his support, hands gripping the wooden railing. The cloth covering his face draped over his shoulders, its empty sleeves flying behind him in the wind. His disheveled hair like waterweeds rose and fell, revealing a vaguely discernible bruised and swollen face, bloodshot eyes with cracked vessels, and ghastly pale lips like a ghost.

So this person’s face had also suffered greatly—so miserable he didn’t look human.

“We met hastily in the past, and it’s been three years now. The night before last we had no time for reminiscing. Lord Yuan, I trust you’ve been well.” Bai Yu turned around, his sword already sheathed, clasping his hands together. “This Xiao offers his respects.”

“Now Yuan no longer holds official position, General Xiao need not be so courteous.” Yuan Cheng curved his mouth in a smile like a lotus blooming in a pool of blood. “If three years ago Yuan had witnessed the General’s swordsmanship, I would have gone with the General that night. Too many people want my life—I feared implicating the General, so I had no choice but to flee and hide alone.”

“Lord Yuan, such words create distance between us. If we feared Lord Yuan would implicate us, why would we specially make this trip? Since Lord Yuan suddenly disappeared, this Xiao has been anxious as fire, fearing Lord Yuan had met with misfortune. Today I originally wanted to ask the boat owner to stay several more days so we could return to search for Lord Yuan. Who would have thought it such a coincidence that Lord Yuan and this Xiao boarded the same boat? This is wonderful—this Xiao can bring Lord Yuan back safely, living up to the trust placed in me from above.” Bai Yu stepped onto the wooden stairs, slowly walking toward the cabin roof.

Young Master Xiao? General Xiao?

Though Mo Zi had guessed Bai Yu had deep connections with Prince Jing’s mansion, she never imagined he was actually Prince Jing’s mansion’s second young master. Once Qiu Sanniang married in, wouldn’t she become his younger sister-in-law? She absolutely must be careful not to expose her face, otherwise how could she get along in Prince Jing’s mansion in the future? Forget getting along—his third brother would probably divorce his wife for the third time.

Bai Yu? She’d known all along it was a fake name—it didn’t match this person’s character at all.

“Brother Mo, it seems we misunderstood.” Cen Er approached Mo Zi’s side and said quietly, “These two have quite a good relationship.”

“As if.” Mo Zi pursed her lips. “Listen carefully—these two are putting on fake courtesy, so hypocritical it gives me goosebumps.”

One “Lord Yuan,” one “General Xiao,” talking about reuniting after three years, about being anxious as fire, but Yuan Cheng’s smile wasn’t genuine, and Young Master Xiao’s footsteps were cautious, like the relationship between a fox and a wolf.

“I heard Master Yuan call him General Xiao. Could he really be a general? If he’s from the imperial court, he could just cross the border directly. Why would he need to take our boat?” Cen Er probably thought “General” was a nickname from the martial world.

“He is a real general, but most likely he’s carrying out secret orders and can’t openly enter Nande. If he doesn’t find a private boat, how can he cross the river?” Going to someone else’s territory to kidnap someone else’s imperial prisoner—of course he couldn’t do it brazenly.

Cen Er instinctively broke into a cold sweat. Heavens, after they returned, would they all be wiped out in one sweep?

“Brother Mo?” Water Snake blocked Young Master Xiao’s path. Feixia asked Mo Zi for her meaning.

Young Master Xiao turned his head sideways, with one cold glance. “Brother Mo, you’d better call your people up from the water. Lord Yuan has already shown himself—there’s no need for everyone to perish together.”

Though Mo Zi now had more concerns about him in her heart, relying on her dark face that wouldn’t be recognized in the future, she still spoke with an edge. “Bai Yu or General Xiao—someone who won’t tell his real name had better not point fingers at others.”

Too lazy to care that Young Master Xiao suddenly frowned, she made a bow to Yuan Cheng. “Master Yuan, if you’re unwilling to share a boat with them, just say one word and I’ll naturally handle it.”

“Handle it? How would you dare?” Shi Lei saw everyone speaking openly now and said with full vigor, “You little smuggler, we could execute you on the spot. You’re going to ‘handle’ us?”

“Execute on the spot?” Mo Zi, relying on the water, wasn’t afraid at all. “I’m a smuggler, and you’re an illegal border-crosser. So what if you’re imperial officials? You kidnapped the Prime Minister in Nande—if this matter gets out, the two nations will take up arms. If you dare touch us, I dare risk my life to send the message out. Let’s see who wins in the end.” In terms of martial arts, those six were formidable. In terms of swimming ability, five out of six on her side were masters among masters—she could count herself as one. As a boat builder, she particularly loved swimming and was as comfortable in water as a fish.

“You—” Time and again Shi Lei couldn’t out-argue Mo Zi, fuming from all seven orifices.

“Brother Mo.” Yuan Cheng called her.

“Master Yuan.” She didn’t know how corrupt or wicked the number one corrupt official had been before. But she knew he’d saved her, at the moment when Young Master Xiao’s sword was about to pierce through her throat. Therefore, she respected this person.

“Things have come to this—there’s no need to implicate you all further. If fate decrees Yuan should be Great Zhou’s prisoner, Yuan accepts it. Please call that elderly man back onto the boat and leave Nande as soon as possible.” Yuan Cheng’s words were sincere.

Water Snake moved aside. Feixia moved aside.

Young Master Xiao placed one hand on Yuan Cheng’s shoulder and shouted to his attendants below for chains.

Immediately, a pitch-black iron chain flew straight into Young Master Xiao’s hand. He picked it up to bind Yuan Cheng’s arms behind his back.

“Wait a moment!” Mo Zi ran up tap-tap-tap.

Shi Lei was about to follow, but Zhong An was faster, stepping on the railing and leaping over Mo Zi’s head, blocking her on the cabin roof. “Brother Mo, since Lord Yuan has already accepted his fate, why must you pester so?”

Mo Zi stopped, separated from Zhong An, and said to Young Master Xiao, “I once said that on my boat, you must follow my rules. Otherwise don’t blame me for turning hostile.”

“What do you want?” Young Master Xiao truly didn’t know where this person got such courage—knowing who he was but still insisting on bringing up their own rules.

“If Master Yuan is willing to go with you, I have nothing to say. However, since he’s currently my boat passenger and just saved me, I can’t watch him suffer indignity on my boat. Both his arms are dislocated, having been reset less than half a day ago, and his whole body is covered with injuries that haven’t received treatment. You’ve also witnessed how dangerous Frightened Fish Rapids is. With strong winds and swift waves, even normal people have difficulty sitting steady, let alone with his hands and feet bound. If he falls into the river, it’s certain death. Therefore, on my boat he cannot be bound. Once off the boat, do as you please.” Mo Zi really couldn’t stand watching this.

“Your boat this, your rules that. Fine, I ask you: if someone escapes on your boat, will you bear his crime of treason?” What Young Master Xiao actually wanted to ask more was: exactly how much benefit had this smuggler received from Yuan Cheng? Yuan Cheng saved him? His sword looked fierce, but he’d only wanted to hold it to his neck to frighten him—there was no way he’d lose his life.

“Crime of treason?” Mo Zi snorted with a laugh. “When Master Yuan left Great Zhou he was just a child. What nation did he betray? However, I promise you: if he escapes on the boat, you can charge me with the same crime.”

“What about being a child? The Yuan clan rebelled, their entire family executed, nine generations implicated—this was the late Emperor’s decree. Even babies in swaddling clothes are criminals.” Shi Lei glared from below.

Mo Zi really wanted to ask this person surnamed Shi: when he was wrongly accused of rebellion and his whole family was about to be exterminated, would he still speak so lightly? She also wanted to ask: when one person commits a crime and implicates innocent people, does that make the emperor an incompetent ruler or not? But she knew that being unable to endure and speaking angrily to these people was one thing, while cursing the former emperor in front of pedantic, blindly loyal imperial officials was quite another matter.

“Fine, I won’t bind him.” Young Master Xiao rarely compromised with anyone, but he compromised now.

He had eyes and could see that what Mo Zi said about Yuan Cheng’s physical condition was fact. As long as the boat traveled on water, there was almost no chance of escape. Moreover, not binding him meant he could watch him. What was urgent now was returning to Great Zhou as quickly as possible. Being completely inflexible at this point and offending the boat’s master was truly unwise.

Mo Zi didn’t thank Young Master Xiao. After this scene, she still felt very displeased in her heart.

“Cen Er, Feixia, help Master Yuan to the cabin to rest.” She called Cen Er up, not wanting to go through Young Master Xiao and his people’s hands.

“Many thanks, Brother Mo.” Yuan Cheng coughed several times as the two helped him down into the cabin.

After they went in, Young Master Xiao glanced coldly at Mo Zi, walked to her side. “Do you know what kind of person Yuan Cheng is? Without asking the facts, randomly extending sympathy—be careful you don’t get bitten back.”

“No need for General Xiao to worry. What kind of person he is on shore, I don’t care. I only know that he and General Xiao are both guests on my boat. How I treat you all, I naturally also treat him the same way. If it weren’t for you first breaking my boat’s rules, attacking and bullying a passenger, I wouldn’t have told you to get lost and jump off the boat. This rule applies to Master Yuan the same way. If he bullies you several people on the boat, please definitely let me know. I absolutely won’t take his side.” Having finished speaking, Mo Zi looked back at him coldly and descended the stairs before him.

“General Xiao, this person is unusual.” Zhong An, seeing the dangerous situation had been resolved, relaxed.

“Where is he unusual? Just a petty person greedy for money.” Young Master Xiao also walked away with great strides.

Zhong An looked at Mo Zi’s retreating figure walking toward the bow. “A smuggler? A loyal servant? A petty person? A clever person? Truly a difficult character to understand.”

“Brother Mo, what’s this all about?” Chouyu came over to ask.

Water Snake stood nearby with ears perked.

Mo Zi briefly explained about the number one corrupt official.

“Goodness gracious.” Chouyu stuck out his tongue. “Our boat is now carrying a Prime Minister and a General. The cabin roof won’t fly up to heaven, will it? Can you handle this?”

“Let them handle each other.” Mo Zi laughed. “You three brothers are also capable people—I didn’t know anything about it.”

“What capable people? We’ve long forgotten about the past. Now we’re just boat people, earning money with our strength to buy wine and drink, living freely.” Chouyu nudged his second brother. “Right, Second Brother?”

Water Snake nodded.

“I really need to learn to be as open-minded as you.” She hadn’t given up on her past, yet she also feared it. Between advancing and retreating, she hesitated about which path to take, dithering back and forth, and as a result remained in the same place.

“Sounds like Brother Mo also has a story.” Chouyu said it, then didn’t take it seriously. “Don’t think too much. In this life, as long as you yourself feel it’s passable, that’s enough.”

“Well said.” Mo Zi had no intention of probing into Chouyu and the others’ past. In any case, right now everyone on the same boat working together in unity was what mattered. “Get in the water—we need to dismantle the olive-shaped boat.”

“Really dismantle it?” Chouyu had heard Mo Zi mention before that this time they weren’t hiding the boat underwater but dismantling it into wooden planks.

“Dismantle it beyond recognition, so no one can tell it was a boat.” Not smuggling goods anymore, the boat naturally couldn’t continue to exist. Sunk underwater for a year or two, it might not be discovered. But two or three years? Even if this boat could be made public, she had to personally select and decide—otherwise she’d rather destroy the boat and burn the blueprints.

Mo Zi leaped down. Countless bubbles in the water cushioned her floating limbs—she didn’t feel cold at all.

In her previous life, she must have been a fish.