Chapter 67: The Little Tail

Rumble—

Thunder rolled across the azure sky, winds whipped and clouds gathered, turning the heavens dark.

A rustling curtain of rain fell over the boundless surface of the river. At the edge of the horizon, several ships flickered in and out of view, and the towns along both banks of the river gradually lit up with scattered specks of lamplight.

Ye Jingtang was dressed in a black young lord’s robe made of water-cloud brocade, a saber hanging from his waist, holding an oiled-paper umbrella as he stood at the bow of the ship. On the deck behind him, the cargo hold was packed with bolts of fabric, tea leaves, porcelain, and other miscellaneous goods, covered with oiled tarps. Two disciples of the Red Flower Pavilion were busy pulling the ropes taut.

Having departed from the Jiang'an Wharf the day before yesterday, they had been sailing day and night along the Qing River for two days. By tomorrow morning, they would arrive at West King Town, located on the border of Yun Province.

There was little entertainment in this world, and running ships on the river was hard labor. Every day, aside from patrolling back and forth to prevent cargo from falling off or hitting hidden reefs, the time was spent practicing martial arts on the deck.

Although Sanniang was also on board, there were six pavilion disciples disguised as laborers on the ship. As the female master, she had to maintain the demeanor of an expert; it would be inappropriate for her to dress up all charming and seductive to idle about, so she had been staying in the cabin with Xiuhe all along.

The river route from the capital to West King Town was the main artery for the capital's trade. Traffic was dense, and patrol boats of the water guards could be seen at all times. Logically speaking, it was extremely safe.

However, after observing for two days, Ye Jingtang still felt something was amiss. He stood at the bow and looked back into the distance, where a small merchant ship could be seen trailing them at a distance of about two miles. Its name and flag were indistinguishable. He turned and asked,

"Lijian, whose ship is that behind us? Do you recognize it?"

The young man tying down the oilcloth near the pile of cargo was Li Jian, the grandson of incense master Li Sanwen. Strictly speaking by the rules of seniority, he and Ye Jingtang were fellow apprentice brothers.

Li Jian was wearing a bamboo conical hat. Hearing the question, he came over, craned his neck to take a look, but couldn't see clearly. He then ran into the cabin, brought out a bronze cylindrical object, pulled it open, and pressed it to his eye.

"Hmm... It bears a flag with the character 'Zhang'. Never seen it before. Probably just a small-time merchant dealing in general goods..."

When Ye Jingtang caught sight of the bronze telescope, he froze slightly, took it, and inspected the lenses at both ends.

"You even have this kind of thing?"

Seeing Ye Jingtang's surprised expression, Li Jian looked smug.

"Big Brother Jingtang hasn't seen one before, right? This thing is called a 'thousand-mile mirror', and it only started circulating in Northern Wei in recent years."

Ye Jingtang was certainly no stranger to telescopes, but this was indeed the first time he had laid eyes on one in this world. He picked up the telescope and looked toward the rear, only to see a small cargo ship laden with miscellaneous goods. A man in a conical hat, armed with a long spear, was busy covering the cargo with a rainproof tarpaulin on the deck.

At a distance of two miles, it was difficult to make out the facial details of the man in the conical hat. After observing for a moment, Ye Jingtang handed the telescope back to Li Jian.

"There's something wrong with that ship. Since we set sail the day before yesterday, it has been hanging onto our tail at a distance neither too close nor too far. Based on past escort experience, there's a high probability they are scouting us out and preparing to find an opportunity to rob the cargo."

"Big Brother Jingtang, don't be so paranoid. Thousands of boats travel back and forth along this waterway every day. It's completely normal to have boats going the same way. Maybe they saw our ship was large and deliberately traveled close to us to ensure a safe journey."

At this point, Li Jian put away the telescope and gestured to his fellow apprentices on the ship.

"Besides, there are at most three or five people on that small boat, while our Pavilion Master is right on board. Furthermore, in West King Town, there are two grandmasters, eleven hall masters, and over a hundred incense masters waiting for us. I truly don't believe anyone in the martial world dares to raid the headquarters of the Red Flower Pavilion."

Ye Jingtang thought about it and realized it made sense, shaking his head with a smile.

"Occupational hazard, I suppose. It seems I was overthinking. Still, caution steers a ten-thousand-year ship. We should still take turns keeping an eye on that boat in the back. The moment its movements become suspicious, sound the alarm immediately."

"Don't worry, Big Brother Jingtang, I still have that much sense."

***

After giving his instructions, Ye Jingtang switched shifts with the Red Flower Pavilion disciples and walked to the stern of the merchant ship.

As a cargo vessel, the living quarters could hardly be considered luxurious. There were only four rooms in the stern cabin, and everyone else had to stay below the deck.

Upon entering the stern, Ye Jingtang faintly heard sounds drifting from the room:

"Squeak squeak squeak~~"

"Mm-hm-hm~~"

The sound of Niaoniao going crazy mixed with a woman's humming.

The corners of Ye Jingtang's mouth curved slightly as he walked up to Sanniang's door and took a look.

Even for the 'captain's' room, the space was not very large. It was clean and pristine, furnished with a wooden bed, a table, and chairs. The window opened toward the stern, offering a view of the rear situation, and aside from that, there was nothing extraordinary.

Niaoniao had probably been driven mad by being cooped up on the boat, and was currently rolling back and forth and doing somersaults on the bed. Xiuhe sat nearby, watching with a beaming smile.

Sanniang was wearing a light summer dress that exposed half of her fair, delicate forearms, sitting before a bronze mirror and leisurely drawing her eyebrows with a makeup box in hand.

Her naturally limpid apricot eyes, under the careful strokes, now looked somewhat more heroic. Her seductive red lips, lethal to young men, had been toned down to a very pale shade.

Her features remained the same, but she looked stern and cold, somewhat fierce—hmm... rather like Prince Jing, though she suffered in terms of height and lacked the imposing aura of Dongfang Benben.

"Sanniang, why did you paint yourself like this?"

"Young Master Ye." Xiuhe hurriedly stood up, brought over a chair, and went to pour tea.

Sha Xiangjun put down the makeup box, turned back, and lifted her chin.

"Does it look good?"

Ye Jingtang sat down in the chair and carefully studied her gorgeous face.

"Sanniang looks pretty no matter how she dresses up, but this makeup... well, I think it looks a bit fierce."

"Hmph~"

Sha Xiangjun picked up the mirror to examine herself. "Clothes make the person. I am about to meet the various hall masters; if I look all soft and gentle without any presence, how can I command the situation?"

Ye Jingtang suddenly understood.

There was nothing much to do on the ship anyway. After fussing for a moment, Sha Xiangjun perhaps felt inspired, stood up, walked behind Ye Jingtang, undid his black hair tie, and let his waterfall of long hair cascade down.

"I'll dress you up too."

Xiuhe was quite interested in this sort of thing and hurried over, saying, "I'll do it, I'll do it..."

Ye Jingtang had always dressed cleanly and simply, paying little attention to such matters. Seeing that the two women were in high spirits, he didn't refuse, sitting straight-backed on the stool while letting Sanniang and Xiuhe fuss over him.

Sha Xiangjun held an eyebrow pencil, leaning in close to trace his brows.

Ye Jingtang sat upright with complete decorum. Originally free of impure thoughts, with Sanniang leaning over close to him and her red lips barely a foot away, he could distinctly feel her warm breath blowing against his cheek.

*Hoo~~~*

At first, Ye Jingtang's gaze was crystal clear, but gradually he felt something was slightly off. He wanted to lean back a bit, but directly behind him was the delicate Xiuhe; leaning back would probably result in resting his head against Xiuhe's chest. Trapped in this dilemma, he could only look straight ahead, fixing his gaze on Niaoniao, who was tilting her head and watching from the side.

Sha Xiangjun also noticed Ye Jingtang's 'bashful' reaction, a subtle smile playing at the corners of her lips. She didn't say anything, merely raising her left hand to block her voluminous bodice with her water sleeves so that Ye Jingtang wouldn't feel awkward.

After bustling about for half the morning, the two of them finally finished.

Ye Jingtang freed himself from the pincer grip of the two maidens, breathed a silent sigh of relief, and picked up the bronze mirror to inspect himself: Hair bound in a jade crown, brows sharp as knives, and lacking any casual smile, he naturally exuded a threefold demonic allure. He looked like a psychologically deranged, unhinged young lord—the kind that appealed to both men and women...

"Uh..."

Ye Jingtang was at a loss for words.

Xiuhe eagerly looked him over for a moment, then scratched her head. "The young master doesn't seem as good-looking as before, but he's still very handsome~"

Sha Xiangjun also felt she wasn't skilled at applying makeup for men, and said with a sheepish laugh, "His foundation is too good; trying to dress him up further is just painting legs on a snake. Let's forget it..."

Just as they were talking, Sha Xiangjun's gaze shifted slightly as she looked toward the window.

Outside, a heavy rain had begun to fall, and the sky had grown dark. On the pitch-black surface of the river, only a few distant dots of ship lanterns floated in the distance; apart from that, there was not the slightest movement.

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang pressed his hand against the hilt of his saber and walked to the window, scanning the river surface behind the merchant ship. However, the rain was too heavy and the river was churning with slight waves; the environment was too complex to make out anything clearly.

"What is it?"

"The sound of the water is off."

Having spent many years in the Sha family and frequently traveling by boat, Sha Xiangjun had far more navigational experience than Ye Jingtang, who merely escorted goods over land. She warned,

"Just a moment ago, more than ten zhang away from the right side of the stern, something glided across the water surface. It's either a finless porpoise, or someone from the martial underworld is approaching in secret."

With his hand on his saber hilt, Ye Jingtang intently surveyed the river.

"Should I go down and take a look?"

"Once they notice someone at the window, an expert will realize they've startled the prey and will have already fled. There are plenty of water ghosts stealing from merchant ships on the Qing River. They probably saw our ship was large and wanted to fish in troubled waters. No need to pay them any mind, just keep a closer eye tonight."

Ye Jingtang had originally intended to stay in the room and personally guard Sanniang through the night, but on second thought—Sanniang looked as gentle and delicate as Lin Daiyu, but in reality, she could pull up a weeping willow by its roots. If ruffians really boarded the ship, Sanniang would more likely be the one protecting him.

Therefore, he didn't voice his thoughts to avoid earning another roll of the eyes from Sanniang. Instead, he turned, bid farewell, and returned to the adjacent room. Lying on the bed with his saber never leaving his side, he remained alert to the movements around the merchant ship...