Chapter 5: There are ears beneath the ship

Although Lin Ba was aware that Fu Qinghe's actions were more of a provocation, he still felt somewhat moved. After all, Fu Qinghe could have chosen to abandon Su Mei without a second thought. Lin Ba knelt down to support Fu Qinghe and reproached him, saying, "What does Master Fu take me for? I will go out and take a look first..."

Seeing the reinforcements on the shore block the way ahead, gradually moving further away, and not a single boat in sight pursuing them on the water, Lin Baqing knew that relying solely on the strength of himself and Fu Qinghe, it would be impossible to save Su Mei. Moreover, Fu Qinghe's injury was not light either. He said to Fu Qinghe: "Your injury needs to be treated on shore"

Miss Su Mei has a fiery temperament, and it is likely that she will not easily yield. It is acceptable if she listens to persuasion, but if she does not and learns the truth of the matter, it would ruin the Second Young Master's plans. It is better for me to remain out of sight. Not only should I stay hidden, but also those around the Second Young Master should not show themselves; they can stay on shore with me for the time being, to avoid any awkward encounters later. Two individuals have caught the Second Young Master's eye, and it would also be troublesome for Old Zhao to take them out to sea and provide careful attention. The Second Young Master will stage a dramatic rescue at sea with Old Zhao, playing the role of a hero saving a damsel in distress.

Although a short spear is insufficient to pierce armor, for a martial artist, such an object in hand is sufficient to kill

"This woman’s life is in our hands. If Master Du goes in to persuade her, and she behaves obediently, we will respectfully escort her to Jin'an..." The voice was low and hoarse, making one think that his throat had been cut, causing a slight wheezing sound.

"If I were Old Zhao, I wouldn't be so particular. Just pull down the pants and get in there to please her, and she'll definitely be obedient in the future! I've never seen a man who couldn't tame a woman... Hahaha..." He laughed recklessly. This was a crude and boisterous voice. Lin Fu speculated that he was probably the Old Zhao mentioned by Du Rong, the leader of this gang of thugs, but still had to take orders from Du Rong and the Second Young Master of Jin'an.

"I don't know how, but suddenly I could..." Lin Fu casually explained. He remembered when he was a child learning to swim; after a long time of struggling without being able to float, his father had heartlessly thrown him into the water. He floundered around, swallowing several mouthfuls of water, until his feet finally touched the riverbed, and suddenly he could swim. This was Tan Zong's memory, completely unrelated to the previous Lin Fu. Presumably, others would have similar experiences. He used this to deflect Fu Qinghe's question, not fearing that he would see through it.

They are going to set sail; once they pass the river mouth, they will reach the Yangtze River. There will be vessels on the river, and if we happen to encounter large ships or a fleet along the way, our chances of success will be greater if we seize the opportunity..." Lin Fu whispered to Fu Qinghe.

It is essential to plan carefully! Fu Qinghe nodded, thinking that it would be excellent if Lin Fu could stay to help him save others. Judging by his earlier performance, he might even be stronger than his injured self. Reflecting further on his words, he understood that Lin Fu was not willing to act recklessly, and it was certainly unreasonable to force someone to take life-threatening risks for assistance.

"Follow me," Fu Qinghe said, understanding that rescuing the person could not be rushed. He was also aware of the intentions of this group of thieves and was temporarily unconcerned about the young lady's safety on the boat. Familiar with the pleasure boat, he led Lin Ba towards the stern cabin.

Du Rong's fast paddle boat did not rush to leave, but traveled alongside the painted boat and the pirate ship for a while. Even if Lin Ba wanted to leave and go ashore, he could not find a good opportunity.

Lin Bu is not a blindly heroic person, but when given the opportunity to lend a helping hand, he will not act like a timid turtle

Can the second young master be like us rough men? Speaking of which, I still think that the more a woman struggles, the more enjoyable it is. At this moment, someone on the deck above interrupted to speak, "Old Zhao, are we going to lock that group of meat tickets up here as well?"

Having the opportunity to help others in distress yet choosing to retreat like a turtle is not in Lin Fu's character. Moreover, even if Su Mei does not have any romantic feelings for him, she still embodies the virtue of helping those in need.

Fu Qinghe shook his head and said, "Young Master Lin, you should go ashore by yourself. If you survive, you can repay Young Master Lin's great kindness later!" Observing the speed of travel, they would reach the mouth of the Bai Shui River and enter the Yangtze River before dawn. At this moment, they did not even know which faction these water bandits belonged to. Leaving the ship to go ashore now would also mean abandoning Su Mei.

Last night, in a critical situation, he simply could not afford to intervene to save Su Mei; his first thought was to escape and reach the shore. Now, the circumstances are different from last night, and Fu Qinghe also possesses the strength to fight. With careful planning, there is certainly a chance to succeed.

Lin Fu bit down on the broken knife, climbing up to the stern of the ship along the tail rudder. The fog on the river grew thicker, concealing most of the ship's body, making it impossible to see the bow. Only the sound of several pirates cursing could be heard in the front, interspersed with the sound of snoring. It was difficult to distinguish where Su Mei and her maid were, but in the front cabin, likely in the flower hall area, some people were quietly sobbing, presumably those who were being held captive. It was unclear how many there were.

"Do not rush to save anyone; find something to eat first, and then change into some dry clothes..." Lin Fu whispered to Fu Qinghe, suppressing his voice.

Fu Qinghe still knelt upright, his hands pressed against the ship's board, preparing to bow down to Lin Ba. He said: "Young Master Lin, if you leave at this moment, it would already be a great kindness to Su and to the young lady..."

The person in front has already called out "Master Du"; this familiar voice immediately made Lin Fu realize that the speaker was Du Rong, the wealthy merchant from Jiangning. Many previous doubts were suddenly clarified: it turned out that Du Rong was the one scheming behind the scenes! However, Lin Fu was unaware of who this Second Young Master of Jin'an was. He thought to himself that if this Second Young Master of Jin'an was merely trying to abduct someone, then he must be truly infatuated with Su Mei, going to such great lengths and exerting so much effort to carry out the abduction, even arranging a heroic rescue of the damsel in distress!

After a moment, the fast paddle boat approaching directly alongside the houseboat behind it. Hearing the footsteps, five or six people jumped onto the boat, and in the distance, there were murmurs mixed with the sound of waves, which Lin Ba could not clearly hear. Then he heard this group of people walking towards the stern of the boat

In the corner of the tail cabin, there was a broken spear shaft, approximately four feet long. Lin Ba picked it up to test its strength; the shaft was very sturdy. He then used a broken knife to sharpen the head, and in no time, it was fashioned into a sharp short spear, which he handed to Fu Qinghe for self-defense.

"What a great favor this is, merely escaping together; let me first tend to your wounds, Master Fu, as being soaked in water can lead to festering..." Lin Fu did not mention whether he would go ashore or not, allowing Fu Qinghe to turn around and lie on the oars, so he could bandage his wounds. Even if he were to go ashore himself, he wanted Fu Qinghe to have the strength to fight. After all, Su Mei had shown him generosity, yet he found it strange, thinking that Fu Qinghe was merely a hired guard from the pleasure boat. At this moment, going ashore would already be considered a great kindness, and no one would blame him. It was no wonder he believed he could rescue someone from under the noses of seventy or eighty water bandits.

In September, the autumn air is cool. After being soaked in the water for half the night, I remain tense without feeling much. Once on the boat, the river wind blows, causing me to shiver, cold and hungry. Fu Qinghe's injury is also troublesome and requires rebandaging. Even if everything is prepared, and even if Fu Qinghe were uninjured, rescuing two defenseless girls from the boat under the watchful eyes of nearly thirty Eastern Sea bandits would still be a very difficult task that requires careful planning. It needs to be rebandaged— even if everything is prepared, and even if Fu Qinghe were uninjured, rescuing two defenseless girls from the boat under the watchful eyes of nearly thirty Eastern Sea bandits would still be a very difficult task that requires careful planning.

***

Lin Fu connected two belts together, allowing Fu Qinghe to tie them around his waist, using the belt to help him climb onto the boat as well

Lin Fu did not expect that this group of pirates from Donghai had already kidnapped the hostages elsewhere, intending to extort money from their families. He patiently continued to hide with Fu Qinghe under the tail of the boat, listening to the sounds of the pirates on board driving the hostages onto the rear pleasure boat. The air was filled with cries, shouts, and wails of pain, all from young boys and adolescents. Then he heard some people borrowing from the pleasure boat to board the fast paddle boat that Du Rong was on.

Fu Qinghe was about to speak to persuade Lin Fu to stay and wait for an opportunity to rescue the young lady when he felt the ship's body lurch slightly, as if it were slowing down

"They are all tender-skinned and tender-meat young ones. If one accidentally gets killed, it would cost at least a thousand or eight hundred taels of ransom... The principle of paying for the release must still be upheld; otherwise, how can we expect the families of the kidnapped to obediently hand over the money after we have taken their loved ones?" said Zhao Laoda.

The quarters where the boatmen and oarsmen usually slept and rested had been thoroughly searched by the pirates, leaving them in disarray, with a large patch of sticky bloodstains visible, indicating that this was also a slaughterhouse. Naturally, no valuables could be found, but old clothes were scattered all over the place, along with a few pieces of hardtack that the pirates had deemed unworthy, lying in the corners. Lin Fu did not mind the bloodstains on the hardtack; he picked it up, took a bite, and found it to be quite bloody in taste. He handed two pieces to Fu Qinghe, urging him to eat to fill his stomach, while he changed into dry clothes. At this moment, there was no room for fussiness. Lin Fu also found a few small packets of salt, dissolved them in a basin of water, and washed Fu Qinghe's wounds, then selected clean cloth to bandage him up.

The pursuers on the shore followed closely for nearly half an hour, only to be blocked by a river inlet that turned into the Baishui River.

Fu Qinghe opened his mouth opposite Lin Fu, gesturing with his lips: "Eastern Sea Bandit"

Fu Qinghe understood that Lin Fu was saying this group of pirates from Donghai would deliver Su Mei to the so-called Second Young Master of Jin'an. However, he was pondering that this Second Young Master of Jin'an might be some important figure from the She family. Once Su Mei was sent to Jin'an, how difficult would it be to rescue her?

Both corpses floating in the water belonged to the boatmen of the painted boat. Even if he considered this point, Fu Qinghe thought that he would likely hesitate to use these two floating corpses to escape. However, Lin Fu was quick to seize the opportunity and made a decisive choice. Fu Qinghe had little interaction with Lin Fu and had previously thought that he was just a useless scholar, infatuated with the young lady. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, he displayed such alertness and composure, which was truly impressive.

In addition to the two living individuals, Lin Fu had just tied two floating corpses and a short paddle to the stern oar. If it were someone else, they might not be able to guess Lin Fu's intentions. However, Fu Qinghe, with his extensive experience, quickly understood: the two floating corpses could not only increase buoyancy in the water during their escape, conserving physical strength, but at a critical moment, they could also serve as decoys to attract the attention of water bandits, allowing them to shift their position underwater. If the water bandits shot arrows in a frenzy, the floating corpses would also serve as a good shield.

At this moment, Lin Fu felt puzzled about the need to slow down. He allowed Fu Qinghe to rest against the stern oar, trying to minimize the contact of his injured arm and shoulder with the water. As he swam a little further away, he noticed a dark shape on the water's surface ahead—a fast paddle boat was coming upstream. Someone at the bow was waving a red lantern, seemingly signaling something. Lin Fu did not recognize the lantern signal, so he swam back to the stern oar and said to Fu Qinghe, "There is a fast paddle boat ahead; it seems to be here to pick us up..."

Fu Qinghe still believed that Lin Fu had saved him from the water purely by chance, and he did not hold much hope for him. Seeing him half-submerged in the water, conveniently tending to his wounds, he felt somewhat puzzled.

The fog arrived just at the right moment; last night, nearly seventy people hijacked a ship. However, the subordinates of the so-called Young Masters of Jin'an had already left with Du Rong on a fast paddle boat, leaving fewer than thirty pirates on the pirate ship and the pleasure boat. Most of them were on the three-masted ship ahead, with the pleasure boat tied to the back of the ship being towed along, requiring no manpower to row. Listening to the conversation from the front, only a few people remained on the pleasure boat to keep watch, all gathered at the bow.

It is to be blamed that Lin Fu, previously a bookworm who shut himself away from the world, could not connect the three parties: Du Rong, the Eastern Sea Bandit, and the second son of the Jin'an family. The thieves moved right above their heads, and Fu Qinghe was momentarily unable to explain to Lin Fu the rumors of collusion between Du Rong, the Eastern Sea Bandit, and the Jin'an family in private.

Lin Fu picked up the broken sword and said to Fu Qinghe, "Master Fu, you rest here for a moment. I will sneak ahead to take a look. When I return, I will lightly knock three times on the deck." He stood up and added, "If anything happens, Master Fu, it is crucial for you to escape. There will still be opportunities to save people once we reach Jin'an..."

Jin'an? Lin Ba pressed down his surprise and glanced at Fu Qinghe. Although the previous Lin Ba was a bookish recluse, he was aware that Jin'an Prefecture was the old camp of the rebellious She family in Southeast China, roughly corresponding to the location of Fuzhou in the memory world of Tan Zong. Lin Ba wondered to himself, could this group have come from Jin'an?

At dawn, I beheld the mouth of the Baishui River, with the Yangtze River ahead. The fast paddle boat that Du Rong was aboard had just deviated from the central navigation channel, heading towards an eastern river inlet. At that moment, a thick fog arose from the river mouth ahead, swiftly creeping across the water's surface, obscuring the distant trees and grass along the shore in the morning light. In the blink of an eye, everything was shrouded in a white mist, and looking up, the red glow of the lantern hanging from the stern mast appeared somewhat blurred.

While hiding beneath the ship, Fu Qinghe had begun to regard Lin Bu with newfound respect. He weighed the short spear in his hand and observed Lin sitting there, still attentive with his ear pressed against the cabin wall, listening to the sounds outside. Fu thought to himself that he had truly misjudged him, believing that he could not be more seasoned than Lin.

Fu Qinghe endured the pain and allowed Lin Fu to take down the broken sword. To distract himself, he asked Lin Fu: "A few days ago, I saw Young Master Lin almost drown in the water?"