"My name is Qin Sang. I work as an apprentice for a shopkeeper. On our way out to buy goods, I was captured by a gang of bandits. Yesterday, those bandits ran into their sworn enemies, so I seized the chaos to escape, but I lost my way and hurt my leg. All I could do was drift down the river on a raft. I never expected that after falling asleep, I would drift all the way into this great river. Fortunately, you benefactors stepped in to save me..."
Sitting on the deck, Qin Sang was surrounded by a circle of burly men with sabers and swords at their waists. Wrapped in an old padded coat, he felt a bit of warmth returning to his body and quietly recounted his origins.
The man who had leaped from the ship to save him stood right before him. The man appeared to be in his forties, with a gaunt face that made him look like a scholar. Dressed like the other burly men, he wore cloud boots, a set of teal martial attire, and a fine sword hanging from his waist. His posture was tall and straight, giving him a crisp and capable air.
Despite having tread across the water for so long, the man remained clean and dry from head to toe—only the soles of his boots bore a few traces of water.
The other men treated him with great deference, addressing him as Boss Bai; he was clearly their leader.
Such a figure could never be a river pirate operating on boat gangs. Judging by their tone, they seemed more like guards for an influential family, which allowed Qin Sang to relax slightly.
As he recounted his story, Qin Sang instinctively glossed over the encounter with the immortals. Having calmed down, he realized that although this Boss Bai was no ordinary mortal, he was still worlds apart from an Immortal Master who could fly on a sword.
"Meeting in the middle of the river is fated, and lending a helping hand is only what is right. There is no need to keep calling us benefactors! My surname is Bai and my given name is Jianglan. I am a few years older than you, Brother Qin, so if you don't mind, you can just call me Big Brother Bai..."
Boss Bai spoke with a touch of chivalrous flair. Crouching down, his gaze swept over the large patch of dried blood on Qin Sang's chest, and he chuckled. "When I first saw you lying motionless on the raft, we thought it was a corpse. Fortunately, you sat up on your own... Come, let me take a look at your injured leg."
With that, Bai Jianglan rested his hand on Qin Sang's calf and gently closed his eyes.
A moment later, Qin Sang felt a surge of warm energy flow from Bai Jianglan's fingers into his calf, coursing up along his blood vessels and eventually spreading throughout his entire body. Bathed in that warm current, the cold dampness lingering in him was swept away completely.
After circling through his body, the warm current converged once more at the injury on his calf. At first, an itching sensation rose from the ache, and then the pain dwindled by more than half.
Qin Sang gasped in astonishment. "Big Brother Bai, are you a legendary Immortal Master? Is my leg healed?"
The surrounding burly men burst into laughter. "Kid, you can even kill bandits, yet you don't know what true qi is? Count yourself lucky to have met Boss Bai, who was willing to expend his own true qi to treat your wound. Hurry up and thank him!"
Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he voiced his gratitude repeatedly.
Bai Jianglan withdrew his palm. After steadying his qi and blood, he opened his eyes, glanced at Qin Sang, and said, "It seems you truly know nothing of martial arts. I am merely a martial artist, not an Immortal Master, nor do I possess an Immortal Master's methods. This true qi is also called internal force. While it can help relieve your pain, curing your injury is another matter. Your leg bone isn't broken, but there are several fractures. I have already used my internal force to disperse the stagnant blood around the injury. Once we dock, you just need to find a physician and get a few medicinal brews to nourish the bone. In less than a month, you'll be as good as new..."
"Miss Chuntao is here!"
A soft cry interrupted Bai Jianglan's words.
The crowd fell silent and parted to either side. Bai Jianglan stood up as well and turned to look.
Only then could Qin Sang clearly see that they were near the ship's stern. The row of cabins ahead was unlit, save for the middle one, which had been furnished as an elegant parlor. Candlelight flickered within, seeping through the patterned window latticework. Gauze hung on both the inside and outside of the lattice, however, concealing the parlor's interior from view.
At that moment, the parlor door stood half-ajar. A slender figure carrying a lantern walked out. Only when she drew close could Qin Sang see that she was a young girl of seventeen or eighteen.
She wore a light, water-green garment of fine quality, but it was clearly not enough to fend off the late-night river wind, leaving her hands trembling slightly from the cold.
Those burly, rough-hewn men seemed quite afraid of her. As she approached, they stepped aside one after another, respectfully bowing to greet her. "Greetings, Miss Chuntao."
*Could she be their employer?* Qin Sang wondered.
"Commander Bai, the young mistress asked me to inquire why the ship was stopped here."
Chuntao looked displeased, her brows knit as she stepped forward. She was a head shorter than Bai Jianglan, so she strained to raise the lantern until it was almost shoved into his face, glaring at him with round, apricot-shaped eyes as she questioned him sourly.
Bai Jianglan cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Please report back to the young mistress that we spotted a raft in distress in the middle of the river with someone aboard, so we halted the ship to offer rescue. The person has now been brought safely onto the deck, and we are setting sail at once."
Hearing this, Chuntao glanced down at Qin Sang, lowering the lantern so abruptly that it was thrust right into his face.
Depending on others' mercy, Qin Sang dared not be disrespectful; he straightened his posture and gave an awkward, nodding smile.
Before he could speak words of thanks, Chuntao scoffed coldly. "Men, throw him overboard!"
Qin Sang was startled. He had not expected this pretty young girl to have such a ruthless heart, and he hurriedly looked toward Bai Jianglan.
Bai Jianglan's brow furrowed slightly as he waved his hand to dismiss his men. "Miss Chuntao, that must not be done..."
Chuntao's delicate brows flew up. Pointing right at Bai Jianglan's nose, she snapped in a sharp, shrill voice, "You, surnamed Bai! The Prince ordered you to escort the young mistress, and this is how you protect her? This little thief has shifty eyes and is covered in blood. One look is enough to tell he's up to no good, yet you dare bring him aboard? If he turns out to be an assassin and frightens the young mistress, how many heads do you have to pay for it?!"
"Please calm your anger, Miss Chuntao," Bai Jianglan replied, good-tempered and composed as he explained. "I have already questioned him thoroughly. Brother Qin knows no martial arts; he is merely an unfortunate soul who suffered at the hands of bandits. He narrowly escaped with his life, and the blood on him came from his desperate struggle. There is no reason not to save him. Besides, Brother Qin has an injury to his leg bone and cannot walk properly. With our brothers keeping watch over him, he certainly will not disturb the young mistress."
Seeing Bai Jianglan insist on saving him, Chuntao's eyes darted about. "Aren't there two small boats trailing behind this ship? Give him one and tell him to get lost!"
Qin Sang drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Looking across the river, he saw that the water stretched boundlessly wide and the autumn tides ran fierce, far more treacherous than the Yangtze of his past life. On both banks, layered shadows of mountains loomed without a single speck of light, occasionally echoing with strange cries and beastly roars like a realm of ghosts.
If he were cast onto the river in a tiny rowboat, he wouldn't even know how he died.
What a vicious little wench!
Bai Jianglan said, "Miss Chuntao might not be aware, but we have just entered the Jiudie Gorge of the Wuling River. Both banks are lined with steep cliffs and treacherous peaks, completely uninhabited and overrun by ferocious beasts; our only way forward is downstream. Yet this Jiudie Gorge is where the Wuling River runs fastest and most perilously. If a small boat is lowered into the water, it will surely capsize. How about this: let Brother Qin stay in the stern cabin. We shall set sail now, and by tomorrow morning we will have cleared the Jiudie Gorge. Once we reach Sanwu City, we will drop him off. I will personally stand guard on the deck tonight to ensure nothing goes amiss."
Chapter 4