Chapter 295: Chapter 295 - 295 Minister under the Skirt (17)

Chuzheng had stayed in her room for several days.

Yao Ye seemed to have made new friends and had no time to pester her.

On the morning of the seventh day, there was a commotion outside.

Chuzheng pushed open the window, from where she could see the situation on the deck. Many people were standing there, looking out at the distant sea.

The distant sea was dark, as if there were some large creature beneath it.

“Miss.”

Yao Ye’s face popped out from the neighboring window, greeting her in a friendly manner.

Chuzheng: “…”

After greeting her, Yao Ye looked towards the sea, “This is my first time encountering such a large sea dwelling Xuan beast. Have you seen one before, Miss?”

Chuzheng looked towards the sea. Was that a Xuan beast below?

The ship had already stopped.

Because the Xuan beast over there was so large, Hei Liu didn’t dare to steer the ship closer and seemed too cautious to move it at all, planning to wait until it left before continuing their journey.

This one stop turned into many days, as the Xuan beast showed no signs of leaving whatever it was doing over there.

Chuzheng didn’t mind, but Yao Ye, the chatterbox, couldn’t sit still and was going crazy all day long.

Night fell.

There was revelry on deck, and Chuzheng leaned on the window for some air.

“Young Master Yao Ye, are you free? Could you please have a look, someone just accidentally broke their hand.”

The knocking outside was loud; Chuzheng could hear it clearly from the next room.

Chuzheng: “…” How careless does one have to be to break their hand.

Can this chatterbox even treat injuries?

Indeed, looks can be deceiving.

“Right away,” Yao Ye called out.

There followed a mess of sounds from his side: the sound of a door opening, closing, voices talking…

Before long, Chuzheng heard some commotion below, as if something had run off.

The revelers on deck were disturbed, and in less than half an hour, Chuzheng saw that several people had been dragged up onto the deck.

The way they were treated didn’t seem like a good sign.

Time to sleep.

[Miss, please get ready to rescue your Good Person Card.] King’s Account reminded her.

If it didn’t remind her, she would have gone to sleep.

By the time she woke up, the Good Person Card would have been long gone!

She wouldn’t even make it to collect the bodies.

It was deeply concerned for Miss.

–

On the deck.

Several people were tied up, both men and women.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The crowd surrounding them discussed the captives, most with distinctly hostile looks. The women felt as if they were no different from being naked under those stares.

Hei Liu bit on a small wooden stick, sauntering over, his thick eyebrows raised as he stared at one of the captives: “Did you plan this?”

It was a man.

Unlike the others who were caught, he had his chin up, and even in a somewhat disheveled state, he couldn’t hide his striking appearance or his pride.

“So what if I did,” the man said with a touch of disdain, “Do you have the guts to kill me?”

Hei Liu spat out the small stick: “You’re smart.”

“I can’t kill you, but them…”

Hei Liu drew his knife and slashed the head of the person next to the man.

Blood splattered, landing on the man’s cheek, still warm.

“They all die because of you,” Hei Liu finished his sentence.

The man’s complexion turned pale for a moment, but then he smiled, “What do their lives and deaths have to do with me? I never intended to bring them along. They came out of their own volition. If not for them, I wouldn’t have been caught so easily.”

Hei Liu’s eyes narrowed. He waved his hand, signaling for two women to be taken away.

The man nonchalantly looked away, listening to the women’s screams and the men’s laughter, his hands bound behind his back clenching slightly.

Just as he said, he didn’t intend to take these people with him.

He wasn’t even sure if he could escape himself; there was no need to risk someone else’s life.

It was they who chose to follow; if he tried to stop them, it would be more like he was endangering their lives. What could he do?

Holding a bloodied knife, Hei Liu lifted the man’s chin with a smile that carried a hint of lasciviousness, “Do you feel safe? Women are easy to notice when tampered with, but men…”

Ding——

The knife in Hei Liu’s hand flew out.

“Who’s there!”

Hei Liu bellowed angrily.

The crowd parted to reveal a woman of stunning beauty emerging from within.

Her expression was devoid of any emotion, her eyes cold as ice; her black cloak lifted slightly as she moved.

Her presence conveyed a chilling austerity, and her demeanor radiated nobility, prompting involuntary deference from others.

“Miss, I believe I’ve told you not to leave your room for no good reason.”

Hei Liu’s expression was somewhat gloomy at the moment, trying to intimidate Chuzheng into going back.

Chuzheng took off her cloak and draped it over the man.

Xie Shu had a strong premonition when things took an unexpected turn.

However, when the warm cloak fell upon him and he glanced at the person beside him, he couldn’t help but be stunned.

The face he once loathed to the point of wanting to flay was now before him, causing an inexplicable leap of joy in his heart.

A soft handkerchief with a hint of fragrance wiped over his chin, then gently touched his cheek.

Chuzheng carefully cleaned the blood off his cheek before turning her attention to Hei Liu.

“I’ll take this man,” she said.

Hei Liu merely chuckled in response, “Miss, do you have any idea how much the people by your side could be sold for?”

This person was generous, and Hei Liu wasn’t foolish enough to offend her.

The bag whistled through the air and Hei Liu caught it deftly.

“Agreed, since the lady likes him, I would sell to anyone, but I’ll give him to you,” Hei Liu said, evidently pleased, “Do you need me to clean him up before I send him over?”

“No need.”

Chuzheng wrapped her arm around Xie Shu’s waist and started walking back with him.

“Boss, are we really just going to…”

Hei Liu weighed the bag in his hand, “Selling to anyone is still selling.”

“What about Young Master Murong, how do we explain to him?”

“The journey’s still long. As long as the person is in our hands when we disembark, that will suffice. Young Master Murong need not know about this trifle.”

The one who asked seemed to understand and chuckled hehe in response.

–

Chuzheng brought Xie Shu back to the room, where the Tianjin Mouse and Wu Di were placed on a rack at one side of the room, each occupying a level.

Upon Chuzheng’s return, the two small creatures rustled about.

The Tianjin Mouse, seeing Xie Shu, immediately showed a look of sympathy.

This handsome little man got caught by her again.

Xie Shu was somewhat unsteady as he walked, and at first, Chuzheng thought he had been hit, but once they were in the room, she realized his leg was bleeding.

Chuzheng set him down on the bed, took off his shoes, and lifted the hem of his trousers.

“Who did this?”

With lowered lashes, Xie Shu asked, “If I say who did it, would you seek revenge for me?”

His voice was low, and there seemed to be a touch of mockery at the end.

“Of course.”

Xie Shu’s eyebrows knitted together and only then did he look up at her.

Even though she looked exactly like Chu Yingyu, at that moment, Xie Shu could tell who the person before him really was.

Xie Shu’s lips slowly curved into a smile, “Miss Jun, we have no real connection, why would you do anything for me?”

Chuzheng’s tone was icy as she reminded him, “I spent money to buy you; you belong to me.”

“…”

Xie Shu’s smile stiffened, his complexion changed subtly, and it seemed as if all color drained from his face.