Chapter 4, at the dock

After a wild dash, the agreed-upon dock gradually came into view. At that moment, several horses burst forth from the side paths. Seeing the familiar figures under the moonlight, Uncle Lu joyfully exclaimed, "Dalang, they have all successfully escaped."

Today is November 15, with the full moon hanging high and the night resembling frost

As soon as these words were spoken, whether it was the guards or the boatmen, their expressions changed dramatically. They knew what kind of goods were loaded in these boats, and they were even more aware of the kind of formidable individuals who owned these goods! If any loss were to occur to this batch of goods while in their hands, the consequences would be truly unimaginable

On the Bian River in Liyang, the water ripples gently, with the bright moon in the sky reflecting in the water below.

Seeing Uncle Lu grinning from ear to ear, Liu Jing pressed her lips together and said with a serious expression: "Uncle, don't be too happy just yet, we need to hurry and catch up with the cargo ship"

Yes

In this world, people are most fond of following the crowd. When a dozen or so individuals took a few steps towards the beautiful woman, another dozen or so joined in to join the excitement.

Having said that, he hurriedly stepped onto the diving board

Thus, dozens of people hoarsely shouted as they rushed towards the cargo ships. As they charged onto the bow, they saw that the few who remained on board were all dazed and sprawled haphazardly across the cabin... These individuals were preoccupied with extinguishing the fire, anxiously intent on pursuing the fleeing cargo ship, and no one noticed that on both sides of the dock, the sound of hooves was gradually fading away

Looking at the six cargo ships lined up, occupying more than half of the dock, and listening to the voices coming from the ships, Uncle Lu whispered in the forest: "Dalang, is it time?"

Hmm. The galloping horses finally slowed down a bit, and Liu Jing was able to free her sleeve to wipe away some sweat. She looked at the dozen or so knights rushing towards her and said softly, "So far, everything is going smoothly."

The two individuals, deep in thought, rode swiftly while cautiously glancing at Liu Jing under the moonlight. At this moment, Liu Jing was gritting her teeth, with cold sweat on her forehead falling like beads onto her eyelashes. The acrid sweat clearly stung her eyes, causing her to furrow her brows deeply, her face pale as she endured the pain.

Just as the two individuals were leading the beauty into the woods, suddenly, a boatman exclaimed, "How is that boat moving on its own?" Everyone turned their heads in unison and happened to see, at the very back, their own cargo ship quietly slipping away into the depths of the river under the moonlight

In that direction, a beautiful woman was approaching unsteadily. Dressed in a flowing red veil, her attire was so sheer that it faintly revealed her icy skin and jade-like complexion. It seemed she had drunk too much, as there was not even a maid by her side, and she staggered towards the dock.

A wayward son responded and quietly slipped out.

Liu Jing lay on the horse's back, feeling dizzy and disoriented from the jolting. She spoke softly, "When we reach the front, choose a quiet place; I need to change my clothes"

The captain of the guards was the first to understand, and he shouted: "Not good, these ships have also been doused with oil by the thieves!"

With the departure of those guards, there are now only about forty to fifty people left on several cargo ships, which means there are fewer than eight people assigned to each ship

In this desolate place, a stunning beauty, dressed in thin garments and adorned so flamboyantly, suddenly appeared at the dock without bringing any maidservants or guards. The group of over thirty people exchanged glances, their throats dry and their blood boiling.

The middle-aged man clearly had long wished to meet with Lord Min. Overjoyed, he immediately exclaimed, "Is this true?" Without waiting for the knights to respond, he quickly added, "Great, I will go over right away." After saying this, he summoned a few people and hurriedly made his way to the dock, departing in a carriage under the guidance of those knights

After a while, as they were about to reach the dock where they had arranged to meet the cargo ship, Uncle Lu turned back to look at the blazing Liyang dock and anxiously asked, "Dalang, do you think they might have already caught up with us?"

In the darkness, on Liu Jing's exquisite face, a pair of eyes shone brightly, reflecting the light. She fixed her gaze on the several boats, glanced at the moonlight, and softly said: "It is ready."

Everyone knows what cargo is loaded on their own ships. Upon seeing the scattered rockets flying in, one person sneered, "Is this some kind of trick?" As soon as the words left his mouth, his expression changed drastically, for those rockets shot up and five cargo ships suddenly caught fire, with thick smoke billowing and the flames growing ever stronger

Yes

Just as these rough men were laughing and babbling as they surrounded the beauty, suddenly, two individuals ran out from the opposite woods, calling out to her: "A Gu, what are you doing here?" Almost as soon as the words were spoken, they saw a group of boatmen rushing towards them, and they were immediately startled. The two hurried to the beauty's side, grabbing her hand and sprinting frantically into the woods.

Of course, it was still nearly 200 steps away, and the beauty was ultimately difficult for the boatmen and guards to see clearly. They had been transporting this cargo for two months, and the work they were doing was not exactly honorable, requiring them to be constantly on edge. Now that they had finally arrived in Liyang, allowing them to relax their minds, they found themselves unconsciously yearning to do something to relieve their feelings.

In an instant, all the boatmen understood, and a guard shouted sternly: "Not good, we have fallen for the trick of luring the tiger away from its mountain!" Before his voice had faded, the leader of the guards suddenly shouted: "Quick, quick, pursue! Hurry and catch up!"

At that moment, as the boatmen guards, who had gathered on the deck due to the two disturbances, were still speaking restlessly about something, they suddenly turned their heads one by one, looking in a certain direction.

My lord has asked you to come over immediately. He said that Lord Min from Wu County has arrived and is currently at the Drunken Red Pavilion. Lord Min will be leaving tomorrow

"Not so fast." In the darkness, Liu Jing's voice was soft yet clear, as she said in a low tone: "The fire is so bright over there that it will surely attract the attention of the authorities. Once the authorities arrive, they will see that the ship is carrying not only silk but also a significant amount of salt... Smuggling official salt has always been a serious crime; this is a major case. The owners of the cargo ships must be in a state of chaos right now, each one racking their brains to deal with the authorities, and I fear they won't have the time or energy to pursue us."

His voice was urgent and full of energy, and from among the several cargo ships, a middle-aged man emerged. Upon seeing the knights, the middle-aged man stepped forward and asked, "What brings you here, my lord?"

After a pause, she continued, "However, it must be said that at this moment, those cargo owners must hate us to the core. If we cannot escape to a safe place within two days, I fear we will never be able to escape again."

However, as the voice of the leader of the guards fell, suddenly, from the nearby dock, more than a dozen rockets shot out with a whoosh, drenched in butter, and the fiercely burning rockets struck the remaining five large ships.

Although the beauty appeared suddenly, the dozens of big men were certainly not afraid. After a moment of daze, when the beauty pulled down half of her gauze garment, revealing her snow-white shoulder, one of the men swallowed hard and could not help but say: "Is this beauty trying to throw herself into the river? No, I must persuade her to stop."

In the sky, a wisp of white cloud obscured the full moon, casting a slight gloom over the official road ahead

Someone has stolen a boat

Moreover, as she moved, she kept tugging at her clothing, causing the delicate, snow-like skin at her neckline to appear and disappear under the round moonlight and the glow of the lamps

At this moment, through the thick woods, they could see the dock ablaze with firelight and hear the countless sounds of hooves, footsteps, and shouting approaching.

Before long, the sound of hooves echoed through the streets, and in the blink of an eye, several knights broke through the darkness and charged into the dockside. At this moment, it was already late at night, and there were almost no idle people at the dock. As soon as the knights rushed over, one of them shouted loudly: "Liu Jun, Liu Jun!"

"Good." Uncle Lu realized that he was too nervous, and even his voice trembled slightly. He swallowed hard and turned to the back, whispering, "Send the signal, let them take action."

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen knights surrounded Liu Jing. Seeing Liu Jing, who was forcing herself to sit upright on the horse, they all clasped their fists and smiled, saying: "What a brilliant strategy, my lord!"

The middle-aged man had left for less than fifteen minutes when a sudden sound of galloping hooves was heard. Two knights rushed into the dock, jumped onto the ship, exchanged a few words, and then hurriedly departed with about a hundred guards from the ship. Even after they had gone quite a distance, one of the knights was still anxiously saying: "Hurry up, if you delay any longer, your lord may be killed by someone."

Upon hearing this, both Uncle Lu and the other man broke out in a cold sweat. They had followed Mother Liu since their youth, and over the years, through wind and rain, they had certainly seen their fair share of the world. However, the experiences they had encountered were all in formal settings, dealing with people of propriety. They had never even dreamed that one day they would join their sister-in-law in intercepting a shipment of smuggled salt, and not just any shipment, but such a large vessel!

At this moment, the full moon had just emerged from behind the clouds, its silvery light illuminating Liu Jing's delicate face with clarity. In such close proximity to this gentle and serene smile, more than a dozen rascals shivered, simultaneously pondering: Tonight, who knows how many strong men will suffer ruin because of this matter... This young gentleman can still smile so gracefully and elegantly...

As this man moved, dozens of people were stirred, and immediately, more than ten younger individuals followed suit. At that moment, the beautiful woman perhaps changed her mind, her body swaying as she stumbled away in the opposite direction, laughing and crying at the same time.

As he galloped on horseback, Uncle Lu quietly asked the red-clad beauty, who had been haphazardly placed in front of him, in a trembling voice: "Young Master, it seems that the plan has succeeded." He looked up at the cargo ship that was gradually drifting away and said in a hoarse voice: "They should not be able to catch up."

Upon considering this, both Uncle Lu and the other person felt uneasy and bewildered. Logically speaking, this matter could be considered as a violation of the law. However, since their own sister-in-law stated that they were merely engaging in a form of black-on-black crime, targeting those who are unjust, it does not count as wrongdoing

Liu Jing, with a pale face, after calming herself and offering a gentle smile, softly said: "It is still thanks to all of you; if you hadn't lent us these horses, we wouldn't have escaped so easily."

The boatmen usually conduct themselves with propriety, but just now they were stirred by the sight of a beautiful woman whose attire was disheveled. Now that these two have taken the beauty away, many of them have come to a halt.

"Alright." After choosing a grove, they set Liu Jing down and allowed her to disguise herself as a man again. The three of them mounted their horses once more. This time, they urged their steeds even faster, each of them burying their heads in silence, recklessly galloping forward.