Chapter Six

  A thick fog enveloped everything, visibility was only seven or eight steps away. The pirate ship ahead was sailing with its sails up, not slowing down even in the thick fog.

  Both sides of the flower windows were nailed from the outside with wooden wedges to prevent the meat tickets from opening the window and jumping into the water to escape; in the thick fog, Lin Mou felt his way forward and vaguely saw four pirates lying horizontally and vertically under the awning at the front of the ship. There were only two people snoring, and it was impossible to distinguish whether the other two pirates were sleeping soundly or not. The heavy fog obscured the view of the situation on the stern deck of the pirate ship, but several pirates could be heard there boasting about their dealings with women.

  Just as Lin was about to retreat, he saw a pirate lying under the awning suddenly sit up: "Whos there?"

  Lin Ling was startled and didnt know how she had exposed her whereabouts. She held her breath, waiting for the pirates to search over and kill the two before jumping into the water to escape. Just then, she heard a creaking sound from the front cabin door, followed by Su Meis maid, Xiao Man, saying: "My mistress has a trunk of books in the rear cabin, and she instructed me to fetch two books and some other items."

  "Dont move inside, Ill go take a look..." said the pirate.

  "Let her go get it herself, are you afraid shell jump overboard and escape? We just need to keep an eye on the mistress...” Another pirate, who was lying down comfortably, stretched out his foot to kick open the cabin door, letting Su Meis maid go to the rear cabin to fetch the book.

  "Its good that the little girls dare to escape, catch them back and let the brothers have fun, then kill them with one knife - the master on the other side cant blame us for not keeping our promise." A coarse voice came from the cabin on the right.

  "Damn it, with one slash of the knife on your thigh, why didnt you cut off your balls? Letting you have thoughts about women makes me extremely displeased..." A burst of laughter followed.

  Lin Binden thought that there were still a few injured pirates recovering from their injuries in the cabin.

  There were several cabins in the rear cabin. Lin Xie first retreated to the cargo hold where he had put his book box, listening to the light footsteps, waiting for Xiao Man to push open the door and come in. Suddenly, he covered her mouth and nose from behind, not letting her make a sound, and whispered in her ear: "Its me! Dont make a sound." Only when she saw clearly that it was him did he let go of his hand.

  Xiao Mans eyes widened in shock and uncertainty as she stared at Lin Xie. She never expected him to be hiding on the boat. The fright and grievance of the past night seemed to have found an outlet, and she bit back her tears, tightly grasping the collar of Lin Xies shirt, preventing her soft body from falling into his arms. In a low, pleading voice, she said: "Lin Gongzi, please save me and Miss..." Completely forgetting that just last night, this man was still useless in her eyes.

  Lin Xuan thought that this girl was at most a junior high school loli, her soft body tightly attached to his chest, her thin clothes making him feel the two small peaches on her chest, which were not yet fully developed but had a certain charm. Seeing her long eyelashes and beautiful eyes welling up with tears, her delicate face looked pitiful, her eyelids red and swollen, he didnt know how long she had cried yesterday. Looking at her made Lin Xuan feel sympathetic and moved, reminding him of the girl who sat in front of him in junior high school.

  Lin tied his finger and pointed to the foot, saying to Xiao Man: "Fu Ye is below..." Telling her that Fu Qinghe was in the lower cabin, letting her heart have more hope, so as not to become a complete burden.

  Lin tied his fingers and knocked three times on the cabin wall. Fu Qinghe came in with that short spear after a while.

  Looking at Fu Qinghe, Xiaoman was surprised again, and tears finally couldnt help but fall down, sobbing: "I heard the bandits outside say that Fu Bo is dead, Miss almost fainted, thinking that all hope was lost..." At this time, it seemed that Lin Xuan suddenly remembered that he was just a useless scholar, and blushed as he struggled to get up from his arms, putting all his hopes on Fu Qinghe. "Fu Bo, you quickly go and kill those bandits..."

  Lin Yinan cursed in a low voice: You little girls are really realistic!

  "Master Lin saved me," Fu Qinghe said, "There were not many thieves on the boat. I and Master Lin will wait for an opportunity to strike..."

  Xiao Man looked at Lin Xie with a bewildered gaze, the doubt in her eyes was too obvious: how could it be him who saved Fu Bo?

  Lin Fu wasnt clear about Su Meis impression of his previous self, but in his memory, Su Mei still treated him with courtesy. However, this little girl wouldnt hide her thoughts, and her eyes revealed what was on her mind. Lin Fu felt anxious, grabbed her hand, and said: "This isnt the time for idle chatter, hurry up and take your things back, dont let those thieves become suspicious, and also put Sus heart at ease..."

  She hesitated for a moment, her small hand not pulling back, and let Lin Xie hold it, unexpectedly feeling that the useless bookworm she had always looked down on could also make her feel at ease. After a night of panic and near despair, whoever appeared would make her involuntarily dependent. The little girl didnt know the difference in her heart, thinking to herself that she was actually willing to let him hold her hand, and when she thought about the embarrassing scene of being stuck to his body earlier, she felt some shyness and embarrassment, not daring to lift her head to look at him. She followed him out of the cabin, looking down as he picked up a few books and some old wooden hairpins.

  Lin tied up and whispered some things to Xiao Mans ear, then let her go back to the bow of the ship. She crouched in a hidden place and watched as Xiao Man entered the forward cabin. Who knows what Xiao Man had dropped that caught the eye of the pirate on guard? All she could hear was someone loudly complaining: "Damn it! This isnt work for humans, the deck is all pierced through! I dont know what Old Zhao is thinking, what benefits can be gained from that side, and whether those two little girls are more enjoyable than this?"

  "Shut up and cut out your tongue!" another voice scolded the person in front.

  Lin tied up quietly for a moment, and then retreated back, telling Fu Qinghe in detail what he had seen.

  Fu Qinghe furrowed his brow in thought and said, "They used wooden wedges from the outside to jam the windows shut, guarding against people inside. They didnt think there would be others on the boat..." He wanted to take advantage of the thick fog to sneak over, open the window and rescue the two first, then find an opportunity to go ashore.

  Fu Qinghes plan wasnt very feasible, and Lin Xie didnt directly deny it, but instead quietly reminded him: "Miss Su Mei is locked up in the front...". There were several pirates guarding the bow of the ship, and a few injured pirates were in the cabin next to Su Meis, so if they tried to remove the wooden wedges from outside to open the window and rescue her, it would be difficult not to make some noise. Moreover, even if they managed to quietly rescue her, they would need to immediately jump into the water to avoid being discovered by the pirates. Although the thick fog on the river made it easier to hide their tracks, it was also possible to judge the direction of the shore from the flow of the water. However, at this point, the ship had already exited the White Water River and entered the Yangzi River. This section of the Yangzi River was downstream, with vast waters, and since the autumn tide had not yet receded, the river surface was almost 20-30 miles wide. Even if the pirates didnt give chase, Lin Xie didnt think he could guarantee that they would be able to swim ashore safely. Seeing Fu Qinghes impatience, he comforted him, "There are still dozens of captives on the ship, and these pirates will definitely not set sail for Jinan until they receive the ransom...".

  The mouth of the White Water River is less than three hundred miles from the estuary of the Yangtze River. If the pirates dont dawdle along the way and sail downstream, they can reach the sea before dusk. Once theyre out at sea, itll be even harder to rescue anyone; however, this group of pirates has left dozens of hostages on the boat, presumably intending to complete their transaction before releasing them, so theres plenty of time for that. Lin Xie doesnt want Fu Qinghe to rush.

  Fu Qinghe nodded, knowing that he was worried and confused, but also wondered why Lin Xie could think calmly, thinking that he was so infatuated with the young lady, perhaps being completely confused would be more reasonable.

  Lin Bing didnt care what Fu Qinghe was thinking, and continued to analyze: "The pirates want to use the Meat Ticket Boy as a bargaining chip to exchange for ransom money, so its very likely that the two ships will split up and go their separate ways. As long as there are fewer than ten pirates on the painted boat, even if were discovered at the time, well still have a chance to make a move."

  "What you said is not wrong." Fu Qinghe acknowledged that Lin Xies analysis was reasonable, and he felt like a poisonous snake lurking in the grass, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow. It was strange how he had misjudged such a person before.

  Lin Tie and Fu Qinghe hid in the stern cabin, waiting for an opportunity. Occasionally, two or three pirates came to the aft deck, but no one came down to check on them. After resting in the stern cabin for half a day, Fu Qinghe recovered most of his strength. The injuries on his body were a nuisance, but he could still bear it. Hearing that there was no one at the stern, Lin Tie and Fu Qinghe sneaked out, only to find that the thick fog on the river had dissipated, and the sun was shining brightly overhead, with lush grass and trees on both banks.

  The pirate ship sailed with the wind, making an S-shaped path along the rivers main course. Lin Xie saw a large sand island floating in the distance on the rivers surface. Given the time difference of over a thousand years from his past life, it was possible for rivers to change course and sand to accumulate into islands. He thought that many coastal cities he was familiar with might not have formed yet. Calculating the ships speed and time, this large island had not left the borders of Yu Yang Prefecture, so it shouldnt be Chongming Island from his memories. On the other hand, Lin Xie wondered if Chongming Island had even formed at this point in time.

  Looking at the distant sandy island in front of him, Fu Qinghe said: "The pirates may be resting on the Xi Sha Island!"

  By the standards of later generations, Lin Xie can be considered a standard otaku. He doesnt care about anything outside his window and only focuses on reading books by sages. Although he is a bookworm, he has some knowledge, but lacks flexibility.

  The Xisha Islands in front of us were still a large sandy island that gradually formed after the founding of the current dynasty, with a large area but unstable. In the past century, it has been constantly changing its shape due to the rise and fall of the tide of rivers and seas.

  The terrain of the sandy island is low and flat, with more than half of the islands being shallow beaches, with extremely weak resistance to river floods and sea tides. The land fertility is poor, and in recent years, pirates have been rampant along the rivers and seas, so no one wants to go to Xisha Island for farming, and it is still an uninhabited island until now. When autumn comes, the shallow beaches of Xisha Island are filled with white flowers of reeds, which has also become a ideal landing point and hiding place for pirates invading along the river in the East China Sea at this time.

  There were still dozens of meat tickets on the boat that needed to be exchanged for ransom silver, and the pirates needed to find a place to temporarily rest. As Fu Qinghe had expected, the pirate sailboat towed the painting barge straight towards Xi Sha Island.

  Reeds are also known as bulrushes, which is the same as the cattails described in the Book of Songs. Looking at the vast expanse of reeds that seemed to blend into the horizon, Lin Xie thought to himself that if he could surprise the two women and whisk them away to hide in the reed marsh, their chances of escape would be greater...

  Listen carefully to the movement of the bow, Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe discussed in a low voice the details of rescuing people.

  The pirates would definitely send someone to negotiate a ransom with the meat tickets families and then send the meat tickets ashore - Lin Xie had been eavesdropping outside the flower hall where the meat tickets were being held for a while in the early morning, inside there were more than thirty young people, it was unknown where these pirates had kidnapped so many meat tickets from, and it could be confirmed that these meat tickets did have oil to be extracted - this would be their perfect opportunity to rescue them.

  The boat entered the reeds from the mouth of the river, and the birds hidden in the reeds shot towards the sky like a rain of arrows. The scene was extraordinarily magnificent. Lin Xie looked at the thick layer of bird droppings accumulated in the reeds and thought that this desolate island was actually a paradise for birds. I wonder if the people on both banks would think its strange to see such a large flock of birds under the sky - the water camp of Ninghai Military Town is right on the south bank of the river!

  It wasnt until they entered the reeds that they realized it wouldnt be easy to hide with two women in the depths of the reeds. In autumn, the river water was abundant, and the shallow waters near Xi Sha Island were submerged, with only the flower heads of the large areas of reeds on both sides of the river exposed above the water surface. Its feared that people going down wouldnt be able to get their heads out of the water. Moreover, the water was full of aquatic plants, making it easy for people to get entangled, and taking two women who couldnt swim into the depths of the reeds was not easier than cruising on the Yangtze River. Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe discussed and decided to wait until the pirates split up, as long as there were fewer than ten pirates guarding the painted barge, they could even kill them and steal the boat. Afterwards, even if the pirates came chasing after them in the water, Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe would be able to counterattack with ease - a more likely possibility was that the pirates wouldnt have many people either, and they would have to split up to guard the boats, unaware of their true abilities, and not daring to attack lightly.

  The boat had just entered the depths of the reeds when a clamor arose from ahead: "Damn it, Ninghai Towns naval ships, two fast sculling boats are going to encircle and attack, damn it, everyone draw your knives and get ready to fight..."

  The crows nest on the main mast of the pirate ship had a lookout, who could see the enemy from afar and hear the commotion ahead. Fu Qings face revealed surprise and delight as he realized that government troops were coming to their rescue, which was much better than being killed or having their ship seized by the pirates. The pirate ship had already entered the deeper part of the reed marsh, and since they were on a short waterway, the fast oar boat would be faster than the pirate sailboat. This group of pirates could not escape without a fierce battle, and it was impossible for them to get away unscathed.

  Fu Qinghe had seen the fast sculling ships of Ninghai Town, and thought that even if the government soldiers were incompetent, two fast sculling ships with at least eighty or ninety soldiers should be more than enough to defeat thirty pirates.

  His tightly furrowed eyebrows didnt relax, he had an almost instinctive revulsion to the so-called government soldiers, his mouth still seeming to have the pain of being shot by bullets, he and Fu Qinghe first hid in the stern cabin, afraid that the pirates would adjust the ships defense and bump into them.

  They didnt go down to the lower hold, but instead stayed at the rear cabin door on the first floor, paying attention to the development of the situation outside.

  The pirate ship towed the painting barge into a narrow bay, where the pirate ships defenses were strong and its weapons were all ready. To engage in a fierce battle, it was necessary to adjust the positions of the two ships, allowing the painting barge to move inside while the pirate ship blocked the entrance - all the pirates rushed to the front to defend against the enemy, but there were only two heavily injured pirates left on the painting barge who could no longer fight.

  "Its a good time!" Lin Mou whispered, picking up the short knife and heading towards the bow of the boat with Fu Qinghe. The painting boat was sealed in the inner side of the river fork, and all the pirates were waiting on the front sailboat, while the fast boat from Ninghai Town had already approached and started shooting arrows. Naturally, the pirates at the front would not notice this side, and the two heavily injured pirates who stayed on the painting boat stood at the bow, fully focused on the battle in front.

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  PS: The new book "Xiao Chen" has just been uploaded, its still a bit thin, but I believe it will get plumper soon, please brothers collect and vote for support!