Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 62: Horror on Water

“Are you two in need of a ferry? We just caught some fresh fish...” A pretty boatwoman paddled her ship to the shore, smiling.

When she saw the two people on the shore, however, she let out an “eh?” and her smile stiffened. It was clear from her face that they weren’t the kind of customers she was looking for.

Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang looked at each other. Both of their clothes were dirty and worn-out, and their faces were covered in dirt. Cui Yuanyang’s rabbit fur coat, originally snow-white, was now gray and tattered, fur and cotton jutting out of her clothes in disarray. Together with the filth on her skin, no matter how one looked at it, she appeared no different from a beggar.

This was the result of crossing mountains and forests for three or four days straight while braving the rain.

Both of them stood there expressionless, not realizing the sheer stench that wafted to the boats from their bodies.

Cui Yuanyang said in a low voice to Zhao Changhe, “She’s shooing us away. Could she be an ordinary boatwoman?”

Zhao Changhe was relieved that the idiot beside him was actually pondering this rather than crying about people pushing them away. She’s really becoming less and less like an idiot. Has she also lost some of her cuteness?

Zhao Changhe sized up the ship. The boatwoman hesitated as she slowly approached the shore. There was a man at the helm, and he also had a sour expression on his face and did not seem very willing to ferry the two of them.

Whether they were ordinary boatmen, no one could tell. However, their behavior seemed normal; if anything, Zhao Changhe would have been worried if they acted too cordially.

In any case, his experience was limited and he could not see any problems as things stood. He replied, “As long as we need to cross the river, we have to pick a ship.”

He thought for a moment and suddenly laughed. “To be honest, with the way you look right now, not even your father would be able to recognise you...”

Cui Yuanyang harrumphed loudly and shouted, “Hey! You over there, boatwoman, how are we supposed to go up and enjoy the fresh fish if you don’t come over to us?”

The boatwoman hesitated before responding, “Fresh fish is expensive...”

Cui Yuanyang put her hands on her hips, fished out a silver piece from her pocket, and raised it high for all to see. “I have money!”

How imposing. We couldn’t really use this rich loli’s money until now. I’ve been waiting for this moment!

The boatwoman’s eyes brightened and she rowed over with a beaming smile. “We caught a huge carp today. We just knew that honored passengers would be coming!”

Cui Yuanyang giggled. “You really know how to talk.”

The two boarded the ship and entered the cabin. The inside of the cabin was like that of a small house. There were beds and tables—it was perfectly suited for a family that wanted to amuse themselves by seeing a bit of a fisherman’s life.

Even this world had such attractions. From just this scene alone, one could not tell that troubled times were coming.

However, whether this was because this area was close to the Cui Clan’s sphere of influence, and so was more orderly and peaceful—Zhao Changhe had no clue.

“Does this ship head to the opposite shore?” Zhao Changhe asked the boatwoman.

“That depends on the passenger. We can sail to the opposite shore. We can also sail with the current. However far is no issue, as long as you have the money!” The boatwoman laughed heartily.

Cui Yuanyang passed over the silver. “Then is this enough for you to follow the current and take us to Wei County?”

The boatwoman answered happily, “It’s enough. I’ll go and braise the fish for you two.”

As they watched the boatwoman leave the cabin and close the curtains to its entrance, the two of them heaved a sigh.

Once they reached Wei County, they would be within the Cui Clan’s territory. Cui Yuanyang could approach anyone there and immediately receive three layers of protection on the outside and three layers on the inside. There would not be any more problems.

Furthermore, the closer they got to the Cui Clan’s territory, the safer they were. It was normal for the Cui Clan to be unaware of the current situation at the start. However, three to four days had passed while Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang sped along through the mountains. More and more bounty hunters would have caught their scent in the meantime. It was impossible for the Cui Clan to not hear about this.

As long as the people of the Cui Clan were not complete idiots, they would definitely send elite troops everywhere to each and every road to clear them of any barriers and usher their princess back. They would have also started investigating spies in the family.

Of course, their sphere of influence was utterly massive. Even though they were a big family, they would not necessarily be able to accurately pinpoint where to send their troops, nor did they have the time to set up their forces outside their territory. With that said, the closer the two of them got to the Cui Clan, the safer it would be. This was certain.

This current leg was the most dangerous part of their journey. As long as they could ferry over without any issue, everything would be settled.

Cui Yuanyang felt that there should be no problems. She tilted her head toward the window and looked at the scenery outside while waiting for the fish to arrive. On the other hand, Zhao Changhe was getting more and more strung up by the minute.

It was in moments like this that one could not let their guard down.

The sky gradually got darker. The light from the setting sun shone on the river; its waters, clear and crystalline, glimmered—the entire scene was breathtaking. Cui Yuanyang looked at the carp in the river jump out and fall back into the water. She clapped her hands in delight. The fragrance of braised fish then wafted in from outside the cabin; the boatwoman sang leisurely; there were horse riders passing by the shore; the clopping of horse hooves could be heard; the winds caressed the willow trees; the waters burbled gently; and behind them, there were other ships unhurriedly riding the stream.

The sounds and images of the surroundings passed by in frames.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

Zhao Changhe grasped the hilt of his saber.

The boatwoman lifted the curtains and entered. She put on the iconic salesperson smile and said, “Dear passengers, your fish soup is here!”

She served the fish soup on the table, and it swayed along with the ship. Cui Yuanyang stuck her head closer and took a whiff. “How fresh!”

The boatwoman laughed, “There’s still red braised fish. I’ll serve it right away. Enjoy your soup.”

The boatwoman once again lifted the curtains and exited the cabin. Cui Yuanyang really did not think anything was amiss and excitedly scooped up the soup with a spoon. She was about to have a taste.

However, Zhao Changhe reached out lightning-fast and grabbed her wrist.

Cui Yuanyang looked at him, confused at what he was doing. Zhao Changhe only shook his head slightly and did not say a word.

Cui Yuanyang did not understand, frowned and put down her spoon without a noise.

This fish soup is so fresh... Once it gets cold, it won’t be nice to eat anymore...

While Cui Yuanyang was drooling, holding back from eating, the boatwoman finally returned to serve the red braised fish. When she saw that they had not touched the soup, she was rather shocked. “Why haven’t you two touched your soup? It’s going to get cold.”

“There’s no problem. We enjoy eating things cold.” Zhao Changhe smiled. “Put the red braised fish over there to cool down.”

The boatwoman looked at Zhao Changhe with a perplexed expression and muttered, “How weird.”

She did not urge them to eat and placed the red braised fish down with a bewildered expression before leaving.

No matter how she looked at it, Cui Yuanyang could not tell what was wrong. She thought to herself that Zhao Changhe was overly suspicious. As she was about to say something, the glare of a saber flashed before her eyes. Zhao Changhe, to her surprise, inexplicably drew his saber and charged toward the boatwoman’s delicate neck.

Cui Yuanyang was dumbstruck, and her eyes went wide.

Then, what she saw next almost made them pop out of their sockets.

The boatwoman made a graceful pirouette. Her steps were light, as if she was stepping on blooming lotuses, and she nimbly evaded Zhao Changhe’s attack from behind. When she turned around, there was already a dagger in her hand heading for Cui Yuanyang’s heart.

Clang!

Zhao Changhe blocked with his saber and pulled Cui Yuanyang away. At the same time, he kicked the table away and the fish soup spilled outside. As if on cue, as the fish soup spilled out, the wind lifted the curtains and Zhao Changhe saw that the helmsman’s bamboo pole had been adorned with a spear tip at some point. It glittered like snow and frost as it pierced inside the cabin.

That scene of fishermen singing through the night, of boats leisurely streaming down the river, had suddenly changed into a scene from a tiger’s den. Every step they took was filled with peril.

Cui Yuanyong had no time to adjust to the sudden change in their characters. She unsheathed her sword and unleashed Green Waters Faraway, a technique from the Cui Clan’s sword art, thrusting her sword toward the boatwoman’s face.

The boatwoman chuckled. “Lord Zhao is clever and Young Lady Cui’s sword art isn’t bad at all.”

Zhao Changhe’s saber struck the tip of the helmsman’s spear, which made a crisp metallic sound as it was hit. The speartip, which was forked like a snake’s tongue, went straight for Zhao Changhe’s throat!

Zhao Changhe took a small step to the side and dodged the spear, grabbing it afterward and locking it under his armpit. Then, he furiously swung his sword once more toward the boatwoman’s head.

The boatwoman: “?”

As she was about to open her mouth and ridicule him, she felt a sharp aura coming from behind. She was being pincered by Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang!

The boatwoman could not understand what Zhao Changhe was thinking. Catching your opponent’s spear like that and then striking to the side with your saber is one of the typical ways to leave yourself open. Once your opponent kicks your dantian, you’ll be half dead. You want to take me down with you like this? Or is it that Cui Yuanyang’s safety is more important to you than your life?

Just as she thought that, the helmsman kicked Zhao Changhe in the stomach. As for the boatswoman, with no way of avoiding attacks to her face from both directions, she dangerously dodged to the side, broke the window, and jumped into the water.

In spite of her quick judgement and movement, she still sustained a long and deep cut on her back from Zhao Changhe’s saber. A trail of blood stained the gurgling waters of the river. Zhao Changhe did not know if she was dead or not.

Zhao Changhe did not feel like he was injured from the helmsman’s kick. After driving the boatwoman into the river, his saber did not stop, and swung toward the helmsman’s neck.

When the helmsman saw the boatwoman flee, he decisively let go of his spear and backflipped out of the cabin, disappearing into the water the same way the boatwoman had.

It was only now that Zhao Changhe had to kneel down and support himself with his saber. He covered his stomach with his hand and began gasping for air. Of course that kick would have injured him.

Cui Yuanyang urgently went to support him. “Big Brother Zhao!”

Just a few days back, she would have puked at the thought, but now she didn’t feel anything weird calling him that. She was extremely panicked. “What’s wrong? I–I have medicine for internal injuries.”

“Yeah. I chose this course of action because I knew you had good medicines.”

“Why did you need to let yourself be injured? I—I could also hold her off for some time...”

Zhao Changhe swallowed the medicine, shook his head, and looked outside the window at the river water. “Do you know why I suspected that there was something wrong with them?”

Cui Yuanyang shook her head in ignorance. They didn’t reveal anything suspicious at all.

“Because I realized our ship was moving slower than the rest... While they were cooking the fish, more and more ships appeared behind us. I needed to use the quickest way possible to deal with the two of them. If we’re heavily surrounded in the middle of the river, we’ll die for sure. I couldn’t afford to worry about getting injured.”

Zhao Changhe adjusted his breathing while he spoke and noticed that the medicinal effects of the Cui Clan’s medicines were indeed superb. After just a few short moments, only a little bit of pain remained. He supported himself with his saber and stood up. “Do you know how to row a boat?”

“There’s a river near my home. I know a bit.”

“Good. You row the boat toward the shore. I have to go underwater. If not, with those two sharks under the ship, once they drill a hole in the hull, we’ll be swimming with the fishes.”