Chapter 28 Qi Xin, please take me with you!

"Jiang Muyun, don't go..." Lou Shitou said, his feet treading the waves.

“Your elder brother…” Ji Fang said urgently, pointing at Lou Shitou, “Cang Yu, go and bring him back quickly.”

"He's having another episode." Lou Cangyu felt embarrassed and annoyed. "That's just how he is, don't worry about him."

"Jiang Muyun, don't go..." In the blink of an eye, the seawater had reached Lou Shitou's knees, but he was unaware of the danger and waded deeper and deeper.

"It's getting dark, and it looks like the water is about to rise." Feng Shisan observed the sky. "If we don't pull them back soon, they'll be swept away and won't survive."

The sea was deep and vast. In a daze, crimson waves surged on the azure surface, spreading into the depths of the sea and engulfing Lou Shitou, whose steps were becoming increasingly difficult, making his tall figure appear and disappear intermittently.

Hearing Lou Shitou's repeated calls, tears welled up in Guan Ye's eyes. She took a deep breath, looked up, and ran towards Lou Shitou, who was about to be swept away by the waves.

"Another one has gone mad." Feng Shisan stamped his foot. Before he could unload his sword and chase after him, Ajiu had already rushed out in one stride. He swept past Guan Ye like a gust of wind, plunged into the waves, and grabbed Lou Shitou's clothes to pull him back to shore.

"She's gone." Lou Shitou spat out the salty seawater, turned his head and pointed in the direction where the treasure ship disappeared, "Chase her, chase her!"

"We can't catch up." With a roar of waves, Ajiu growled so that Lou Shitou could hear him clearly, "The boat is going too fast, we can't catch up."

"Her things." Lou Shitou held the handkerchief high and pulled his arm away from Ajiu's grasp. "I haven't returned them to her yet."

"She gave you this because she wanted you to keep it safe." Ajiu struggled to squeeze her feet, but Lou Shitou, being tall and strong, dragged her deeper and deeper into the water. Suddenly, Ajiu stepped on something and stumbled, falling into the water. From a distance, only her hair ornament could be seen shimmering.

"This is terrible!" Feng Shisan threw down his sword and ran wildly into the sea. "If one dies, two will die too."

Xiao Ma kicked off his boots, ripped off his headband and threw it to the ground, cursing under his breath before wading into the sea. After running a few steps, he turned around and shouted, "Ji Fang, don't go into the water! If we all die, go and tell the shopkeeper that the Meteor Sword is yours!"

"Ah Jiu, Xiao Ma, don't go, don't go!"

Guan Ye glanced sideways and saw Ji Fang calling out anxiously. He raised his foot several times, but the sole of his boot got wet and he quickly pulled it back. His face turned red, but he was at a loss. The half-grown boy was like a child who couldn't get candy. It seemed that Ji Fang was not only afraid of blood, but also afraid of death.

Seeing that Guan Ye was looking at him strangely, Ji Fang lowered his eyebrows, clenched his fists as if he had made a tough decision, suddenly leaped up, let out a howl, closed his eyes and chased after the little horse.

Just as Lou Shitou was about to drag Ajiu into the deep sea, Feng Shisan swam closer, pried Lou Shitou's rough hand away, and yelled at them to turn back immediately.

"—Jiang Muyun." Lou Shitou spat out seawater, slapped Feng Shisan's hand away, and shouted his dying cry towards the blurred sail, "Jiang Muyun..."

"Idiot." Feng Shisan pulled Ajiu aside and almost roared in his ear, "He's acting stupid, do you want to die with him?"

"Lou Shitou." Ajiu turned his face towards her. "Jiang Muyun is dead. She's dead. Are you so stupid that you don't know what death is?"

Lou Shitou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly screamed, turned around and grabbed Ajiu by the neck, slamming his forehead against hers, "You're lying, you're lying! She's not dead, she's not dead! You die, you die!"

Ah Jiu never expected that the usually docile Lou Shitou could be so crazy. Before he could dodge, Lou Shitou hit him on the head, making him see stars. The wound on his brow bone, which had not yet healed, was throbbing with pain. He swayed and was about to fall into the water when Xiao Ma was behind him. He straightened his back and supported him, and together with Feng Shisan, they held down Lou Shitou, who was swinging his fists.

"She's not dead!" Lou Shitou roared like a mad beast, his face turning as red as a pig's liver. He flailed his fists wildly in the air, his mouth agape as he let out a series of roars, "She's not dead!"

"If we don't leave now, we won't survive." Xiao Ma tossed his wet hair. "Even Lou Cangyu doesn't care about his older brother, why would he drag the three of us down with him? I, Xiao Ma, have important things to do, and I don't want to die yet."

Lou Shitou raised his iron fist, and someone groaned as if they had been hit. Ajiu rubbed his eyes and looked, and saw that Ji Fang had also come along at some point. Two lines of blood were flowing from his nostrils. Ji Fang reached out and touched it blankly. When he saw his hand covered in blood, he burst into tears.

Guan Ye chased after them for a few steps. As darkness fell, she could vaguely see several heads bobbing up and down. They looked like A Jiu, or perhaps Ji Fang. She also saw Lou Shitou push the group into the water, then leap out halfway up, shouting and yelling. In the distance, the waves were rolling. Could these people really die today?

Lou Cangyu closed his eyes tightly, as if trying to avoid the chaos before him. His pale face was full of dejection. Suddenly, something triggered him, and he roared as he dropped his cherished sword. He broke free of his restraints and rushed towards the people in the sea like an arrow. "Lou Shitou, you Lou Shitou, you can't stand to see me doing well, you want to harm me, Lou Shitou!"

"Lou Shitou, are you trying to get me killed?!" Lou Cangyu punched his older brother's cheek, making it crooked. "Go back! Go back now!"

Lou Shitou recognized the person in front of him, his clenched fist froze in mid-air, and his eyes instantly turned into a childlike helplessness, "Little Shitou, she's not dead..."

The word "Little Stone" softened Lou Cangyu's heart. "No one should die, not us." Lou Cangyu shook his head. "The road to success is right under your brother's feet. Do you want everyone to die with you?"

Ah Jiu steadied her swaying body, placed a heavy hand on Lou Shitou's shoulder, and said hoarsely, "She's not dead. One day you will wait for her. Don't you want to return what she left you to her with your own hands?"

Lou Shitou froze, his raised fist slowly lowering as he met Ajiu's clear, bright eyes. "Wait for her to come back? Will she... still come back?"

Feng Shisan and Xiao Ma quietly circled around to both sides of Lou Shitou, exchanging glances. Seeing that Lou Shitou had suddenly calmed down, they spread their arms to form a pincer movement, waiting for the best opportunity to capture him.

Ji Fang pinched his nose with one hand and wiped away tears with the other. The seawater was almost up to his neck. If there was no explanation, and they were really going to die on the same day, month, and year, he wouldn't have the great things Xiao Ma had talked about to do, but he still wanted to live. Ji Fang got up to run back to shore, but when he turned around and saw Guan Ye frowning and staring at everyone, he was so frightened that he withdrew his feet from the water.

"I'll keep it for her?" Lou Shitou asked blankly. "But... will she really come back?"

Ah Jiu gently comforted her, "Why don't you wait and see? Go back first. Canglang Island is so wonderful, no one would not want to come back here."

Lou Shitou seemed to understand, nodded fiercely at Ajiu, shook off the shoulder that he was holding, and rammed his chest through the encirclement of Feng Shisan and Xiao Ma. When he saw his younger brother glaring at him, he actually smiled shyly, pulled his younger brother over and strode towards the shore, leaving Ajiu and the others bewildered in the rising and falling waves.

"That's... all done?" Feng Shisan asked, bewildered. "We both came up with a plan, and he... he just finished by himself?"

"Thirteenth Young Master," Ji Fang said, his voice trembling with tears, "please help me up."

"Why would I pull you?" Feng Shisan plunged headfirst into the water and kicked himself far away.

"Wait for me, wait for me!" Not to be outdone, Xiao Ma also plunged in, chasing after Feng Shisan.

"Thirteenth Young Master, Thirteenth Young Master!" Ji Fang cried out, "I'm bleeding, my legs... my legs are weak, please help me... please help me..."

Ajiu turned around and saw that Ji Fang's face was covered in blood and tears, making it impossible to tell whether it was more blood or more tears. Ajiu chuckled and put Ji Fang's hand on her shoulder. "Next time, don't come along."

"That was terrifying." Ji Fang trembled, still shaken. "If there's a next time, you can fend for yourselves. If you follow me again, I'll be your grandson."

"A-Jiu!" Guan Ye called out his name, "The water is rising, what are you all dawdling about, hurry up!"

"Hey!" Feng Shisan popped his head out of the water, pointed at Guan Ye, and said, "You're biased, why don't you care about us?"

Guan Ye didn't even look at him. She tiptoed to find Ajiu at the very end. Feng Shisan picked up Xiao Ma and spat out a few mouthfuls of choking seawater. "See? All she cares about is Ajiu. Does she care whether we live or die?"

Guan Ye pulled the Lou brothers over and reached out her hand to Ajiu in the sea. Ajiu offered his wet wrist, a slight smile playing on his lips. Guan Ye held his hand, their footprints overlapping on the beach, just like the day they first arrived on the island. They walked side by side across the soft, wet sand, heading towards the smoke-filled island. The road ahead was unknown, but neither of them was alone anymore.

"A-Jiu," Ji Fang pointed at his eyebrows, "how come you're bleeding too?"

Guan Ye turned her head and saw that A Jiu's brow bone wound had split open, with tiny beads of blood seeping out, but the man still looked completely unconcerned. "Rubbing salt into the wound, doesn't it hurt?"

"It hurts? So what?" A-Jiu flicked away a drop of blood from her fingertip. "If you can't even handle this little bit of pain, how can you be a swordsman?"

Ji Fang blushed, released his hand from pinching his nose, twitched a few times to make sure the nosebleed had stopped, looked at the disheveled group, and said with a conflicted expression, "Looking like this, we'll definitely get a beating when we go back to the neighborhood. My home is just down the back mountain, why don't we go and rest for a bit, dry our clothes and go back later?"

"You dare to talk back to me?" Feng Shisan was furious. "I, Young Master Shisan, was only trying to save people. Anyone who dares to talk back should have a serious talk with me..."

"Stop it." Xiao Ma took off his black robe and wrung out the dripping water. "Ji Fang is right. We just saw the Imperial Preceptor off. If we go back like this, who knows what the brothel owner will say if word gets out. No one will come looking for us tonight. His house isn't far away, and he can still treat A-Jiu's injuries, right?"

As Xiao Ma spoke, he winked and nudged Feng Shisan with his elbow. Feng Shisan blinked, not quite understanding, but then he saw Xiao Ma's "you know what I mean" expression. If he still didn't understand, wouldn't he be a complete idiot? "Then... I'll listen to you."

Ji Fang's family were originally fishermen from Canglang Island. Their ancestors made a living by fishing. After arriving on the island from Xingguo Ward, the Pei family did a lot for the islanders. In his spare time, Ji Fang would go to Pei Chu Academy to study. One day, Pei Yuan saw him and, seeing his upright posture, gestured a few times before having Pei Bi take him to the back mountain, saying that there was a better job than fishing.

Knowing he was destined to be a swordsman, he would have preferred to follow in his father's footsteps and become a fisherman. The sight of swords and shadows was truly terrifying. One day during a duel, Feng Shisan drew his sword and swung it down at his head, causing him to cry out, "Young Master Shisan, spare my life!" Although the sword was stopped in time, he was still terrified and had nightmares for several days. What's even more ingenious is that Feng Shisan thought the title "Young Master Shisan" was extremely fitting, as it not only revealed his unique status but also showed the respect his brothers had for him. From then on, he was called Young Master Shisan.

"Ji Fang, is your sister home?" Feng Shisan's voice boomed like thunder.

"I rarely go back, how would I know?" Ji Fang mustered his courage and glared at Feng Shisan, who was still thinking about his sister.

"What are you thinking about?" Feng Shisan saw through his thoughts and raised his sword hilt to punch her. "What I'm saying is, Guan Ye's pantyhose are wet too. If your sister were here, lend her a clean set of clothes. You, Ji Fang, what kind of person do you take me for?"

Ji Fang nimbly jumped to Guan Ye's side. He had long seen that Feng Shisan, who was fearless, was somewhat wary of Guan Ye. "Guan Ye, my sister is younger than you. From now on, she is also your sister. If anyone bullies her, I will not let them off easily."

"With me here, I will not let you off easily," Guan Ye shouted deliberately.

Feng Shisan dared not speak out in anger. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be afraid of a woman, but why didn't he dare to talk back? Looking at Ajiu beside Guan Ye with a half-smile, Feng Shisan lowered his sword hilt and tucked it behind his back.

Lou Cangyu glanced at his elder brother's troubled expression and hesitated before saying, "Mother will get anxious if she can't wait for my brother. I have to take him back."

Ajiu gently patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Something big happened on the island today. Just say it was Talang who caused trouble. Don't let your mother worry."

Lou Cangyu responded sullenly, tugged at his elder brother's sleeve and took a few steps, then couldn't help but turn back to look at the others again.

"Does he also want to see Ji Fang?" Guan Ye teased.

"Him?" Feng Shisan scoffed. "Lou Cangyu has great ambitions; how could we possibly fathom them?"

Down the hillside, candlelight flickered in the old house. A slender young woman was skillfully spreading out a fishing net. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head curiously. When she saw the person's face, a cheerful smile appeared on her oval face.