"My goodness, I was so scared that I didn't dare to breathe. The two boats were so close that I could count the old man's nose hair. It was really thrilling!" The stinky fish waited until the boat went far away, then crawled up with a thud.

  "There were at least twenty or thirty people on the boat. Among them, two stood out to chat, with prominent temples and piercing eyes, their bodies as steady as a mountain despite the rocking of the boat - they must be top-notch experts. It seems that Shi Lei has already gotten used to the idea of 'one boat, one life', and he spoke freely in front of everyone without any reserve."

  The rarely speaking water snake suddenly spoke up, "What about the best of the best? In Surging Fish Shoal, only those who can control the boat can survive."

  "Well said." Zhong An stood up, dusting himself off. "Their skills are high, but they can only retreat in defeat."

  "And they won't even have water, let alone anything else." The river surface no longer had the startling lights, and the dark purple began to push aside the hiding vines.

  "They won't drown?" Old Guan was surprised, "Mo Ge, how did you know?"

  Huh? Didn't Shan Yanghu say that? Mozi's words reached the tip of her tongue, but suddenly stopped. Those two were so close to Yongfu at the time, and she had heard every word clearly, so why did Lao Guan ask as if he hadn't heard a thing? He was right next to her!

  "What dialect are those people speaking? They're mumbling and it sounds like bird language, I didn't understand a single word." Fat Shrimp's words dispelled Mozi's confusion.

  Loosen one end and tighten another.

  "They're right." Bai Yu hugged her arms around her, looking thoughtfully in the direction where the boat had disappeared.

  What's wrong with her? Why didn't she notice anything at all?

  "What's Dasehua?" Old Guan has been to many places at his age, thought for a moment, "I've been to the border town of Dase, they speak the same language as us."

  "The Dahua people originally did not have their own script, and it wasn't until a hundred years ago when the country was founded that they began to use the Zhōu script. Nowadays, the spoken language and written characters are unified, and many of them are similar to what we speak. However, the imperial family members and high-ranking officials of Dahua still learn the language passed down orally from their ancestors, and on the basis of Chinese characters, they have developed a rare script called 'Eagle Script', which is only used when displaying noble status or as a secret language. Because the structure of Eagle Script is extremely complex, books recorded in Eagle Script are all stored within the imperial palace, and there are almost no people in the other three countries who can understand this script. If you find an elderly local from Dahua, they might be able to understand it. However, those who can read the script number only about a thousand." Zhōng ān gave everyone a lesson.

  "That's to say, they might be the nobles of Daqiu?" Stinky Fish stuck out his tongue, "Daqiu has just occupied Yuling, yet there are nobles running to our territory, could it be that they also want to go to war with Dazhou?"

  As long as he is a man, he cares about national affairs.

  "It must be a spy." Old Guan also added his thoughts.

  "Dà Qiú is now attacking Yù Líng, but there are still Dà Qiú merchants traveling in Dà Zhōu and Nán Dé. Those few people just spoke the Dà Qiú language, but we didn't see them write the eagle character, maybe they're just ordinary traders." Zhòng ān said this, which somewhat calmed everyone's nerves.

  "What are we if ordinary merchants can cross the treacherous waters?" The stinky fish has a big belly, the boat's hull is strong, and it will not lose to anyone.

  It seems that these boatmen are not ordinary people.

  They are indeed not ordinary merchants, but also royal clans who have come under the king's orders. Young Master Hou. The king's brother. The people on that boat are extraordinary figures.

  However, Mozi didn't reveal a single word of what she had heard, because she couldn't speak. If she spoke, how could she explain that she understood the conversation? Her household registration under Qiu San Niang was written as a refugee from Yuling. Although she had lost her memory, she remembered feeling very natural when she told Qiu San Niang that she was from Yuling. Moreover, whenever she came into contact with books related to Yuling, her instincts would stir, such as the "Yuling Night Boat Log". Daqiu? She hadn't had any impression of him before, until tonight. The young master and Ye'er's conversation had stirred up waves in her heart lake, but they were not intimate or nostalgic, only a displacement of her soul and panic.

  Those people wouldn't be her countrymen. The only possibility she could think of was that, due to the fall of their nation and family, they had subconsciously developed anger and fear towards the imperial clan. This should make sense.

  She is just a young woman, and national affairs have nothing to do with her. Even if she doesn't say it out loud, she has no guilt in her heart.

  "Whether they are spies or merchants, let's not bother with them. Let's hurry up and continue on our way." With her order, the Yongfeng set sail from under the dark cliff and headed towards Jingyutai.

  Hakuga and Chōan returned to their quarters.

  Shi Ke looked around and saw that they were all their own people, so he said, "Old boatman was right, if not a big thief, what kind of person is it? Zhong An younger brother, you also misjudged, it's impossible to be an ordinary merchant."

  White Feather hooked the corner of her mouth, "Do you think he really doesn't know?"

  Zhang An put away his playful smile and said seriously, "I just didn't want to arouse the suspicion of those private guests on the boat. That girl's hairpin has a phoenix stone, which is a precious gem produced in Beihua, and it shines purple under light. Even in the palace of Beihua, it's considered top-grade. How could it be something an ordinary person would have? I'm not worried about spies, but I am worried that they're after the same person we are."

  "Can't be, right? If anything, that person has brought them a lot of trouble and misfortune. Now that something's happened, they're still gloating?"

  "That man is in big trouble, could he be any better to me, Da Zhou? We're still under orders to bring him back." Zhong An's hand somehow had a fan in it, waving gently in the breeze.

  "How does that compare? He was originally a citizen of our Great Zhou. A traitor to the country, of course we will punish him according to the law." As soon as he thought of this, Shi Lei clenched his teeth tightly, "If it weren't for the peace and stability of Southern De in Great Zhou, we should have investigated him long ago."

  "This man is quite capable, clearly a corrupt official, yet he managed to climb up to the position of Prime Minister, second only to one person and above all others, making Emperor Nan De reuse him for all these years." Zhong An closed his fan and patted it against his palm.

  "Many injustices will ultimately destroy themselves." Bai Yu said only one sentence.

  "Yes. Now that the new prince of Nanxu has ascended to the throne, he immediately confiscated his family's property and exiled him thousands of miles away. This is called 'asking for trouble'." Shi Lei seemed to have eaten his bitter fruit, his words were fierce and stirring.

  However, considering the extent of his bribery, he should have been put to death, but instead was only exiled. I say that this new emperor of Southern Chu is probably incompetent, and doesn't even have the decisiveness to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys." Zhong An played with his fan.

  "The weaker the monarchs of other countries, the stronger Da Zhou will be." Bai Yu's eyes were cold and stern. "Nan De is located in a warm and humid place, and has never been ambitious, indulging in comfort and luxury. Moreover, they have always emphasized literature over martial arts, and valued extravagance while despising poverty and hardship. They cannot be compared to my emperor. Exiling him was the biggest mistake of Nan De's monarch. That person is extremely greedy, but he is indeed a talent that surpasses the world. If you can't use him, then you should kill him. As I expected, the ship from Da Xiu is here to rescue him, not to kill him."

  "Isn't it just like us?" Shi Lei's eyes widened, "What's going on after all?"

  "Awesome." Zhong An lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then raised his head with a sudden realization, "It seems we've both become pawns, being used by others, haven't we?"

  "Yet we still have to be led by the nose." Bai Yu furrowed his brow, feeling quite displeased.

  At this moment, the boat heaved violently.

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  Today's first update, and there will be another one around 7 pm tonight.