Chapter 148 Who's in Whose Trap? Unlike the shores of Fuxian Lake…

Unlike the brightly lit shores of Fuxian Lake, the water near the dock was only illuminated by a few fishing lights.

Qi Zhi walked step by step on the wooden plank road at the dock. The creaking of the old planks under her feet inexplicably stirred up a sense of unease within her. What should have been a carefree path now felt like walking on eggshells. Qi Zhi frowned, not wanting to delve into her feelings. When she finally reached the ship, she looked up and was taken aback. This ship was reserved for priests. Its hull was made of rare wood, light and sturdy. It had a mechanism underneath; once operated by a disciple and infused with spiritual energy, the ship would move as swiftly as an arrow across the water, even beyond the reach of a sword. Apart from its excessive consumption of spiritual energy, it had no other weaknesses. No wonder Wu Chen had brought so many disciples here.

She never imagined she would one day be on this ship. What is it about this Lu Qing that makes him so important?

Disturbed and annoyed, Qi Zhi frowned and jumped onto the deck.

"Who?" A disciple of the Divine Palace immediately noticed and asked on the deck.

“It’s me,” Qi Zhi answered loudly.

The disciple from the Divine Palace shone his lantern over, and when he saw Qi Zhi's face clearly, he was somewhat taken aback, "Senior Sister Qi Zhi?!"

Qi Zhi nodded, adopting the demeanor of the former senior sister of Nukun Peak, "This junior brother looks unfamiliar; I don't think I've seen him before."

The shrine disciple seemed unaware of her recent situation, and simply smiled and bowed to her, "Senior Sister Qizhi, I was recently transferred to serve the High Priest. It's not surprising that you haven't seen me before."

Qi Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her hand, which was holding a hidden weapon in her sleeve, loosened slightly. If a former disciple of Nukun Peak were here, she wouldn't have gotten through so easily. "I've come to report to you, sir. May I inform you?"

"The master has taken his wife to a nighttime flower festival and they probably won't be back for a while. Senior sister, is there something urgent? I'll send someone with you to look for them."

"Is there anyone else on the ship? Will they come with me? What if no one is guarding this place?"

The disciple seemed not to understand her meaning and replied directly, "Senior Sister is so thoughtful. Most of the brothers have gone out to play. Only a few of us are left on the boat. It is indeed a bit inconvenient. If Senior Sister is not in a hurry, please wait a while."

Qi Zhi pretended to hesitate for a moment, then said, "Alright."

The disciple ushered Qi Zhi into the living room, asking, "Where did you come from, Senior Sister? Have you had dinner yet?"

Qi Zhi replied casually, "I rushed here and haven't used it yet."

The disciple hurriedly said, "Then how about I go to the kitchen and cook something for my senior sister? They've all gone out to eat, so the kitchen hasn't prepared anything for tonight."

Qi Zhi smiled slightly, "Otherwise, Junior Brother, just tell me where the kitchen is, and I'll do it myself. No need to trouble you."

"Why are you being so polite, Senior Sister?" The disciple picked up the lantern again. "Senior Sister, please have a cup of tea first. I'll go and make it for you and bring it over." With that, he turned and went to the stern of the boat.

After the person left, Qi Zhi immediately stood up and followed them out. The disciple went into the kitchen, lit a lamp, and seemed to be genuinely preparing food for her; some rather ordinary, homely sounds came from inside. Qi Zhi immediately slipped away quietly and found the entrance to the area below the deck.

Below deck, people were whispering and laughing, completely unaware of the impending danger. Qi Zhi stopped and listened, but there were no familiar voices. So, there shouldn't be any disciples from Nukun Peak here. But this was a prison cell; they were no match for the disciples upstairs. She wanted a quick victory, so she slowly pulled out a bottle of sleeping potion, preparing to act, when a few soft thumps came from somewhere. The disciples inside immediately stopped talking and listened intently.

Qi Zhi's hand paused.

The disciple listened intently for a while, and seeing nothing amiss, said, "I'll go upstairs and fetch some tea. I'm quite thirsty after eating so many melon seeds."

The other said, "Wait for me to come along; I need to go to the restroom."

"Oh, does that mean there's no one guarding this place?"

"What's there to be afraid of? This is a ship from the Divine Palace. Who would dare to trespass? Besides, it's only a short while. What could possibly happen?"

The two of them came over together, laughing and joking.

Qi Zhi hid in the shadows at the corner of the stairs, and the two disciples went up without noticing.

After they left, Qi Zhi quickly slipped inside. The lower-level cells were relatively clean; aside from a slight odor in the air, there were no bloody scenes of torture. Several people were imprisoned in the cells. Only one cell held a single man, all of whom were unconscious.

Qi Zhi reached out and saw that although the man was in a sorry state, he was still quite handsome. Qi Zhi cleaved the chain on the door with a single sword stroke, went inside, and shoved him, "Fang Shiliu, wake up..."

...

Luo Heyi and his men waited on the shore, their eyes fixed intently on the movements on the boat. At first, everything was calm, and Luo Heyi even admired Qi Zhi for managing to sneak in so easily. But soon, shouts and commotion arose from the boat.

Luo Heyi remembered her agreement with Qi Zhi. If Fang Shiliu wasn't on the ship, she would leave quietly; if he was, she would bring him ashore. Such a commotion meant Qi Zhi was fighting with the disciples of the Divine Palace. There shouldn't be many people on the ship, but there must be at least a few. Judging from the noise, they could probably handle it if they intervened.

Luo Heyi hurriedly said, "Quick, quick. We must get Fang Shiliu back."

Zhan Yantai's men quickly leaped onto the bow and rushed towards the entrance at the bottom of the ship. Luo Heyi always ordered others to do the work for her while she waited on the deck. However, after her men rushed in, there was indeed a commotion below the cabin, but no one came up for a long time. Luo Heyi finally couldn't resist and jumped in herself.

The cabin at the bottom of the ship was somewhat winding and dimly lit. Luo Heyi had only taken a few steps with her sword when she felt that the smell below was a bit strange. Then she wrinkled her nose, and then everything went black before her eyes, and she knew nothing more.

Wu Chen stood on the top floor of Fuxian Tower, gazing out the window at the ships of the Divine Palace. He saw lanterns on the ships swaying up and down a few times. He smiled silently and shook his head slightly.

Lu Qing stood behind him, looking out curiously. "What are you looking at?"

Wu Chen said, "It's nothing, a few petty thieves just slipped onto the boat."

"ah?"

"It's alright. It's already been cleaned up. The main dishes are here, but don't try them."

Lu Qing turned around with delight, "Oh dear, I almost missed our important business. Come, come, come and have a taste!" The food was the most important thing; who had time to care about those petty thieves!

Lu Qing ate until her belly was round and full before Wu Chen dragged her back to the boat. "Oh dear, I'm so full. Let's take a walk for a while longer, or I won't be able to sleep tonight," Lu Qing complained.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep?" Wu Chen looked down at her.

Looking at Wu Chen's alluring face under the night sky, Lu Qing let out a burp and rubbed her stomach with a slightly troubled expression. "I did eat a bit too much, I need to digest it." Otherwise, it would be such a mood killer if she suddenly burped with the smell of fish soup during their intimate moments later!

Wu Chen glanced at her lower abdomen with amusement, then pulled her toward the cell at the bottom of the ship. Lao Hei and A Fan quickly followed.

The stench from the cell had dissipated. The disciple who had said he would make noodles for Qi Zhi, along with the two disciples who had been chatting and laughing at the bottom of the boat, stood solemnly guarding the key spot in the cell. Upon seeing Wu Chen, they quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Wu Chen asked, "Where is he?"

"They're all inside, locked up separately, without the antidote, and still unconscious." The disciple's answer was concise and clear.

Wu Chen nodded, "You've worked hard." With that, he led Lu Qing inside.

Luo Heyi, Qi Zhi, and all the people from the Blazing Flame Platform were unconscious. However, all their belongings, including headwear, clothing, and swords, had been removed. The ransacking was quite thorough, even more professional than what Lu Qing did in the Western Wilderness.

Lu Qing recognized Qi Zhi at a glance. "What's she doing here? What does the Fang family's business have to do with her? Why does she always meddle in everything?"

Old Hei asked curiously, "Who is this person?"

Lu Qing rolled her eyes. "Wu Shen's former disciple was named Qi Zhi. I thought she was a love-struck fool, but who knew she was a spy from the very beginning. She used the guise of being a devoted lover to disgust people everywhere. It's really enough."

Old Hei provocatively drew out an "oh," adding, "So it's unrequited love, hence the jealousy."

Wu Chen calmly said, "To slander one's elders to their face is punishable by copying the 'Book of Rites' three times."