The three civilian ships following the official ship were not big, they were the most common style of civilian ships.

It was just that the boatman who was in charge of rowing the boat was exceptionally sturdy and robust, and the “passengers” sitting in the cabin were also middle-aged men. And everyone had strange-shaped packages on hand.

The long package contained spears, and the shorter one contained a long knife. There were also weapons such as soft whips and iron rods.

As long as no one boards the ship and entered the cabin to check, it didn’t matter if you look at them from a distance.

The three civilian ships were not parallel, and there was a waterway of about two miles between each of them. The boats coming and going on the river were not eye-catching at all.

The first boat had the most people. There were about twenty strong men. The lame beggar, the man with a face covered with scars, and the leading man, a hunchback and a pair of triangular eyes, was the Second leader of this gang of water bandits.

“Second Master, do we really want to take this risk?” Scarface asked with some anxiety: “There are quite a lot of guards on this official ship. Just in case…” 

The lame beggar sneered. He hurriedly said: “There’s no chance! Scar, your courage is getting smaller and smaller. There are at most twenty guards on the official ship, and the boatman will not exceed forty. There are a total of seventy people around. Besides, we don’t intend to board the ship and kill people. We just need to draw out our knives to restrain them, and then we’ll leave after we have kidnapped the people. We’ve been used to this kind of operation for a long time!” 

There was of course a risk. However, what they were doing was robbing and selling people by licking blood with knives, how can it be a big deal if they are timid!

The second leader gave the lame beggar an approving look: “The cripple is right. If you want to make a fortune, there is no way you don’t take risks. The first leader has had people come to remind you a few times, saying that he is short of good ‘goods’. There is a noble chief over there from the barbarians, and he has offered a high price of 200 war horses for a stunning beauty.”

The eyes of the gangsters in the cabin all lit up.

Two hundred war horses!

Transport it to the customs and sell it, at least 70,000 to 80,000 taels! According to the usual practice, the boss and the second head get one-third, and the rest was shared equally by everyone, which was nearly a thousand taels.

After completing this raid, it was enough to spend a year or two just eating, drinking, and having fun!

Just the thought made them all emotional, and they said in a hurry: “Scar, if you don’t dare to do it, you coward, then stay and watch the boat.” 

“Exactly. We will follow the Second Master to do this. “

“If you want to eat meat, drink and be happy, how can you do it without taking some risks…”

Scarface was ridiculed by everyone, and he shrank his neck and remained silent.

Seeing that his subordinates were eager to fight, the second leader was quite satisfied. Thinking of the glimpse at the pier during the day, his heart was really moved.

There were not too many beautiful girls who have been kidnapped. But someone as beautiful and enchanting as the girl today had never been seen before. Such a stunning beauty, not to mention two hundred war horses, even if the asking price seemed high, there was no need to worry about not being able to sell her.

It was a pity that in order to sell it for a high price, the girl must be a virgin that has not been touched by anyone.

Even if he kidnaps people, he can only watch…

After thinking about it again, he will get a large sum of money if he does this job right. What kind of beautiful woman can’t you get then?

“Everyone, be quiet first.” The second leader restrained his mind and said in a deep voice: “What we are doing, if caught will result in decapitation. If we are not careful, the lives of the big guys will be over. So, before I do it, I have to repeat our gang’s rules.”

“First, no one is allowed to act rashly without my order. Second, don’t kill people, don’t covet the gold and silver on board, move quickly, and retreat quickly if you rob people. If anyone doesn’t listen to my order…”

The second master gave a sinister grin, and a horrifying light appeared in his triangular eyes: “My sword does not recognize people.”

“Is everyone clear?”

The lame beggar relied on his own report to be meritorious. Boldly asked: “Second Master, the night is long and dreamy, why not do it tonight? Don’t follow all the way and arouse the suspicion of the guards on the official ship.” 

The second master said without hesitation: “Wait first. We are three ships. Take turn to follow. Go up and observe the movement on the ship, and wait until you find out the specific situation on the ship before doing anything.”

…

Two days later.

It was getting dark, and the boatmen were exhausted after a day of rowing. There were still dozens of miles of waterway before reaching the next dock, and there was no way they could make it to the dock in time no matter how hard they tried.

The leader among the boatmen went to report to the head of the guards, saying, “…Tonight, we can only dock by the shore and rest.”

After traveling on the water for so many days, encountering such a situation was not unheard of.

It was just that the boat went to a remote place, and there was an empty wasteland by the river. Except for one or two civilian boats passing by occasionally, there was no human habitation at all.

The leader of the guards nodded and replied, “I’ll report to Master, you let everyone have a good rest.”

After Uncle Ling knew about it, he only ordered: “Let the guards work harder at night and take turns to be on duty at night.” 

A precautionary measure. Who could dare to have the idea of attacking the official ship?

The sky soon darkened.

Everyone had their own dinner, sat and chatted for a while, and then went back to their cabins to rest.

Bai Yu lit the candlestick. Ling Jingshu held the book and read it softly to Ling Xiao. 

 “Ah Shu,” Ling Xiao frowned suddenly, and said softly, “I’ve been feeling terrified all day long, as if something was about to happen?”

Telepathy, it turned out to be true.

Ling Jingshu was restless all day long, but she didn’t expect Ling Xiao to be the same.

“Don’t think about it, this journey will be safe and sound, and nothing will happen.” Ling Jingshu pretended to be relaxed and cheerful to comfort Ling Xiao, but her eyes glanced at the bamboo tube next to the pillow.

She specially ordered Baiyu to ask the boatman for this. If there was an accident on the boat, just pull off the cover of the bamboo tube and throw it out vigorously, and the bamboo tube will burst into a sky-high flame. It can be seen even thirty miles away.

This was the distress signal for an official ship in distress. As long as you see such a flame, no matter what kind of ship you have, you must rush to the rescue in the shortest possible time.

When the official ship travels, it will inevitably prepare several such bamboo tubes.

In fact, there had been no chance of using most of them. The boss of the boatman had half a basket of such bamboo tubes. Because of this, when Bai Yu went to ask for it, she didn’t waste much time asking for it.

Ling Jingshu also hid a sharp dagger under her pillow.

However, she didn’t tell Ling Xiao about such things, lest he get more nervous.

“You have never traveled far, and you have never lived on a boat. You are probably a little nervous, which is why you think about it.” Ling Jingshu softened her voice: “It’s getting late, you should go back and wash and sleep!” 

Ling Xiao murmured in response.

After coaxing Ling Xiao away, Ling Jingshu simply washed up and fell asleep.

Probably because she was mentally strained, even the slight sound of the breeze blowing on the window felt as if echoing in her ears.

Ling Jingshu, unusually, experienced insomnia and remained in a drowsy state until after midnight before finally falling asleep.

After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Ling Jingshu suddenly awakened.

……(To be continued.) (author’s note)