Ling Qingyu turned her head and saw Lu Yao standing at the pathway entrance with a darkened face.
Lu Yao draped his clothes over the man and helped him into Ling Qingyu’s room. No matter what, she was still a little girl. To be with a naked man at night, and in a remote corner of the boat, was questionable. She chose not to explain.
“I will leave this to you. I can go squeeze with Shiyi.” Ling Qingyu laughed, turned to leave and closed the room door.
Lu Yao brushed past the man. With a frown, he said, “Soul Chasing Eighteen Needles. Looks like your days are numbered. To think you can still endure. I can remove the needles, but if I make a mistake, you will die. Do you want to remove them?”
“Thank you,” whispered the man as he gripped the blanket tightly.
He is brave, praised Lu Yao to himself.
The Soul Chasing Eighteen Needles are used to block one’s vessels. No matter how skilled a person is, they will become useless. When the victim is going about their day, the needles don’t have any effect. But, the moment any strength is exerted, the person would experience unbearable pain. If inner strength is utilized, there would be pain like tendons being pulled out and bones being cut. His vessels would all break if he used his inner strength to a certain extent.
Because the needles were visible, Lu Yao could tell that the main had used inner strength. Good thing Yan San acted fast. Otherwise, even if he managed to kill those three, he would still lose his life.
Closing his eyes, Lu Yao circulated his qi. Then, his eyes fiercely opened. With flying hands, he forced out the needle in the back of the man’s head. Within a few short seconds, Lu Yao was covered in sweat. The man was also shivering, with sweat falling like rain.
“Fortunately, the needles were not inserted personally by the Soul Chaser. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to help.” Lu Yao wiped his sweat.
“Thank you!” said the man after his teeth stopped clattering. Then, he fainted.
“Peng, peng, peng.” Knocks sounded on the door. At the same time, Ling Qingyu whispered from the other side, “Lu Yao, I brought some hot water.”
Lu Yao covered the man and opened the door. Ling Qingyu stood outside, carrying a pan of water and smiling at him. He suddenly remembered. He had secretly followed Ling Qingyu and Yan San. Because Yan San was blocking his view, he couldn’t see the situation. But, he still heard enough to realize what Chen Erhu and the others were doing. Walking past Ling Qingyu, he said, “Since you have already seen him naked, you take care of the rest.”
—
“What a sin to inflict such a severe injury. I’m afraid he might not recover even with a few months of rest. This boy only circulated his qi slightly. If he really activated it, I’m afraid that his life would have already been lost.” Shi Fang sipped the tea Ling Qingyu handed to him and stretched his neck. He was dragged up by Ling Qingyu in the middle of the night to check on this man. Diagnosing and treating him was tiring work.
“Doctor Shi, you have been treating him for a few days now. Why didn’t I hear you talk about his severe injuries before?” asked Ling Qingyu as she glanced at the covered man on her bed.
“When you told Zheng Xi to bring them over, I was told to feed them better so they could row on the ship. He never said anything about examining them closely. This man didn’t make any noise and wouldn’t let anyone touch his body. Who would have known that he had so many old wounds.” Shi Fang stared at Ling Qingyu and thought, he wouldn’t let anyone touch him. Only a shameless girl like you would rip his clothes off. It’s not like you discovered anything!
“I saw the others. They didn’t have injuries as severe as his. Why only him?” Ling Qingyu was somewhat puzzled. The reason she wanted to see his wounds was because he was whipped in front of her by Zhou Zhou, so she remembered his bloody injury. Later, when she personally distributed food, she discovered that his injuries didn’t heal and paid more attention.
“I heard that they were sent from the Blackwater Gate. There were a couple hundred. But because they were overwhelmed by harsh labor, most had died, leaving a few alive. Since the boy was inflicted with the Soul Chasing Eighteen Needles, his inner strength was sealed. Using strength would cause him unbearable pain. It was fortunate that he survived for so many days as a laborer. I must say boss, those prisoners are not worth it. Do you really plan to keep them? What if another dangerous situation occurs?”
“Hmm, our ship still needs people. Besides, we don’t know who is good and who is bad. We can’t act against all of them because of Chen Erhu alone.” Ling Qingyu frowned and clapped. “There is no need to fear. We still have Yan San!”
Shi Fang smiled. She was still a little girl filled with the benevolence of women. That Yan San had his own thoughts. On this ship, everyone, including those pesky merchants, had their own agenda. Only this naive boss girl thought everything was peaceful. If things get more complicated, it may be better for him to get off at the next transit point and get out of this murky situation.
“Oh, yeah, the medicine left on the ship isn’t much anymore. This little brother is full of illnesses and will need quite a bit of medicine. When we stop at Kochi, you should buy more.” Shi Fang put down his tea cup and stood up.
“We are not stopping at Kochi. We will stop by Sanyu for some supplies, then go directly to Borneo,” responded Ling Qingyu.
“You’re traveling directly to Borneo?” Shi Fang was shocked and stopped walking. “Are you really intending to help Master Ding find the Golden Feathered King Swallow and Blood Tong Lan?”
“Master Ding’s legs were broken because of the Aeolus. Those two things are not hard to find in Borneo.” Ling Qingyu had gone to Sabah, Malaysia in her previous life. According to Shi Fang, the Golden Feathered King Swallow should be at the Gomantong cave and the Blood Tong Lan could be found on Mount Kinabalu, in an area full of orchids. Also, the Danum Valley in Borneo is rich in Dipterocarpus wood. Since the commodities they obtained were not top tier, they wouldn’t be able to earn much in a regulated port. It would be better to go directly inland and trade with the locals. There, they could find medicine and Dipterocarpus herbs.
Shi Fang’s face twitched. When Ling Qingyu looked at him with a puzzled look, he said, “Are you this kind to everyone?”
Ling Qingyu looked at him, wondering if he was praising her. If he is, then why in a questioning tone?
“I said,” Shi Fang sat down in front of Ling Qingyu and said, “You treat everyone well. Why not me?”
“How am I not treating you well?”
“I have been on the ship for so many days and have done so many tedious jobs. You haven’t even spoken about my pay. Do you intend for me to work for free?”
“What work have you done? How much of the ten barrels of top-quality liquor is left after you have drank them? I told you to cook, but all you make everyday is congee and buns with cabbage fried meat. I told you to treat illnesses, but look at you now. There was a heavily injured person who you didn’t even know about. If it weren’t for Lu Yao, you would still be unaware of the Soul Chasing Needle! What have you done that is worth being paid for? I have not even asked you for sailing fees and food costs!”
“You, you, you!” The finger Shi Fang pointed at Ling Qingyu trembled.
“But what you said is correct. On a ship, there must be a doctor.” Ling Qingyu laughed. “I had originally planned to give you a hundred silvers of principal and a share of the profits when we get back. But since you want labor compensation, there is no need for me to give you a hundred silvers. Why don’t I pay you a hundred coppers a day?”
“Tch, what kind of man am I? How can I ask for labor money?” Shi Fang stood up with a wave of his sleeve. “I, as a man, would never owe anyone favors. These matters are in return for drinking your liquor.” At the door, he continued, “After selling those one hundred silvers of commodities, I get to decide what to buy with the profits. You are just a little girl. What do you know about making money?”
Pu. Watching Shi Fang’s swinging figure, Ling Qingyu couldn’t help but to start laughing. Following that, she looked at the man on the bed with concern. She whispered, “Since you have taken this bed, where will I sleep? Well, I really shouldn’t be a good person. But, you had the heart to save me. Even though you didn’t get to. Ai.”
Looking at the sky outside that gradually brightened, Ling Qingyu thought of what Shi Fang didn’t say out loud. On this ship, other than Zheng Xi who was completely loyal to her, everyone had their own intentions. Can a ship like this really reach land? It can’t continue like this. A captain must have a captain’s prestige.
