Chapter 45 The Savior
When Bai Hua woke up the next day, her first reaction was to look around and confirm that the young master was not there. The bedding beside her was also cold, and she knew that he had left her cabin early as promised.
Recalling her initiative last night, Bai Hua cupped her cheeks in her hands, feeling awkward and embarrassed.
She acted impulsively, but she doesn't regret it.
Withdrawing her hand, Bai Hua got out of bed, dressed, tidied the bed, and then went to the washroom to wash up briefly. When she returned, she passed by the young master's cabin and saw that the cabin door was open with a fairly large gap.
Chen Fu was also inside, speaking to the young master with a serious expression.
Ning Jue sat languidly, seemingly not listening attentively, and did not immediately respond after hearing the words.
Noticing the commotion at the door, Ning Jue glanced over indifferently, and after recognizing who it was, raised her hand and beckoned to her.
Bai Hua met his gaze and hesitated for a moment.
Two pairs of eyes focused on her, and Bai Hua shook her head and made an excuse: "You guys talk about business first, I'm going back to my room to change my clothes."
After saying that, without waiting for Ning Jue to speak, she hurriedly turned and left, not forgetting to close the door for them.
Chen Fu looked away and earnestly advised again, "Young master, we are traveling south incognito this time. It is not advisable to commit any killings or attract attention on the road. If that woman really comes looking for you, it might be more beneficial for us to spare her life. Why not use a stern warning to deter her and send her away?"
Last night, Chen Fu thought it over and over and still felt that it was best for him to tell the young master the truth in advance.
If the woman named Jiuqiu really came for him, then this matter is inextricably linked to him.
This arson witness was an unusual individual who secretly followed the ship, and his motives were unclear. Chen Fu was worried that the young master would become suspicious of him because of this, so he decided to tell him the truth in advance.
Upon hearing this, Ning Jue raised a hand to smooth a strand of hair in front of his ear and replied, "I am not one to kill indiscriminately, but if what you say is true, that she followed us onto the ship all the way, acting furtively and without a clear purpose, then it means that danger is lurking nearby. We cannot determine whether her true purpose is to repay a debt of gratitude, or whether the Fang family had already suspected something and secretly sent such an inconspicuous spy to infiltrate our ranks. This trip involves more than just you and me; I would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
Ning Jue calmly decided life and death, his eyes devoid of any emotion, a calmness that sent chills down one's spine.
Chen Fu lowered his eyes and pondered for a long time before falling silent.
It was indeed his oversight that led him to underestimate the situation. He shouldn't have let his guard down just because the other party was a woman who was weak and helpless, and he shouldn't have so easily believed her sweet talk.
Chen Fu immediately cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Young master, your considerations are thorough. This matter is entirely up to you to decide."
...
On the other side, Bai Hua changed her clothes and went outside. She saw that the cabin door next door was still closed, which meant that Chen Fu and the young master had not finished their discussion.
She didn't knock on the door to disturb them. After thinking for a moment, she went up to the deck to get some fresh air.
Compared to the sea route from Danzhou to Yecheng, the journey south now is obviously much more comfortable and pleasant. The temperature is warming up, and the breeze is gentle and refreshing. It doesn't feel harsh on the face at all, but rather very comfortable.
Standing in front of the railing, gazing at the distant azure sea, Bai Hua stood there for a long time, letting her thoughts drift, looking relaxed.
As she regained her composure and was about to turn back, a woman with a charming figure and outstanding features suddenly approached her.
Bai Hua didn't pay much attention, treating the other person as an ordinary passerby. She intended to just brush past him, but unexpectedly, the other person bowed to her first.
"I've met you, young lady."
Bai Hua paused in surprise, and asked blankly, "Miss, are you sure you've mistaken me for someone else? We seem to be complete strangers."
"The young lady does not recognize me, but I recognize the young lady."
Jiuqiu spoke without deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, because she knew that this was her only chance to survive.
That white-clad swordsman was even more ruthless than she had imagined. The lives and deaths of others were of no concern to him. If she wanted to stay, it would be useless to beg Chen Fu. The key was to get this beautiful young lady in front of her to agree first.
Bai Hua looked at the other person's face, and after thinking carefully, she still didn't think the person in front of her looked familiar.
If the two had met before, given the other's refined demeanor and appearance, Bai Hua shouldn't have forgotten him so easily.
Having learned her lesson from Fang Lun, Bai Hua became wary and cautious, unwilling to interact too much with strangers.
However, out of good manners and because the other person was a woman, Bai Hua did not leave immediately. Instead, she politely asked, "I apologize for forgetting. I don't know when or where we met before?"
This is a test; if the other party continues to give vague and ambiguous answers, there's no need to continue the conversation.
“I do have a connection with you, young lady.” Jiuqiu said with a smile, not intending to use gratitude to blackmail me, but simply telling the truth, “Although the situation was chaotic that day and you did not reveal your full face, I know that the person in the room at that time must have been you.”
Bai Hua was stunned for a moment, and following the other party's hint, her thoughts were quickly drawn back to the day she was kidnapped by Fang Lun.
Those who knew about this matter were either Duan Yi's subordinates or members of the Fang family.
Thinking of this, Bai Hua subconsciously mistook him for Fang Lun's faction, and her gaze suddenly changed from gentle to wary.
Jiuqiu looked up to meet Bai Hua's gaze and continued unhurriedly, "Miss must be wondering what role I play in all this, knowing the inside story, right? Please rest assured, Miss, I'm willing to tell you the truth. You probably know that Fang Lun keeps several young ladies in the side rooms of his villa, and I am one of them. I was once deeply favored by Fang Lun, and even arrogantly believed that he would change his ways for me. But in the end, vows of eternal love are easily broken, and all the sincere promises became a joke..."
He paused for a moment after saying this.
After calming herself down and letting go of all past attachments, Jiuqiu spoke with unusual composure.
"When Fang Lun took the girl to Baoxiang Garden, we naturally heard the news in the side room and assumed that Fang Lun had found a new concubine. A few of us, partly out of curiosity and partly out of boredom, went to Baoxiang Garden to watch the commotion and pretended to be jealous of each other at the door. Fang Lun was annoyed by our commotion and was angry that we ruined his plans, so he lost his temper and chased her away... However, despite the commotion in the courtyard, the people in the room did not react at all. Everyone else thought that the new concubine was just a person who didn't want to cause trouble, but I felt something was wrong and suspected that Fang Lun was acting despicably and using tricks to force a respectable girl to submit."
Bai Hua's furrowed brows slowly smoothed out. She withdrew her gaze to scrutinize her, then pressed her for an answer: "And then?"
Jiuqiu continued, "I have long since lost all affection for Fang Lun, but my conscience remains. With such suspicions in mind, I cannot stand by and watch you die. I was once a courtesan, but I was not born lowly. The shackles of chastity are too heavy for me to bear for over twenty years. Now I do not want to see other innocent girls suffer such calamities and lose their chastity. But my abilities are limited. I cannot save you from this predicament. The only thing I can do is try my best to buy you some time. If relatives or friends outside come looking for you, the time I buy will be enough to save your life."
"So that day, I deliberately pretended to be jealous and crazy, pestering Fang Lun relentlessly. In the end, I resorted to all sorts of desperate measures, even threatening to hang myself, to force Fang Lun to come forward and resolve the situation personally. In a fit of anger, he tied me up in the woodshed, and after that, the girl was rescued..."
Bai Hua looked serious as she carefully considered her words, trying to discern whether they were true or false.
Her intuition told her that the other party was not lying.
So many details match up, especially when speaking, the other person's eyes are clear and innocent, showing no sign of guilt or pretense.
Most importantly, after she was drugged and taken to Baoxiang Garden that day, in her dazed state, she actually vaguely heard a few women crying out.
But at that time, she was in a daze, and when she came to her senses, she couldn't be sure whether the voice was real or just something she imagined.
So I never investigated it further.
Bai Hua thought for a moment, then asked her, "Since you have no feelings for Fang Lun, why didn't you find a place to settle down after Fang Lun's death and your regaining of your freedom? Why are you following us south now?"
Jiuqiu spoke calmly, glancing to the side as she looked at the sea, saying, "I have nowhere else to go. My mother died early, and my father and stepmother are heartless; they sold me to a brothel and greedily made a fortune. Although Fang Lun is a beast, the only good thing he ever did was take me away from the brothel and give me my freedom. Now I'm like a piece of duckweed on the water, drifting with the current. When I run out of money, I'll just find a crooked tree on the road and hang myself. That way, it'll be easier and less stressful, and I won't have to worry about surviving anymore."
Bai Hua didn't realize that the latter half of her sentence was mostly a joke, and took it seriously. She quickly dissuaded her, saying, "How can you be so pessimistic, young lady? You are kind-hearted and pure, and good people deserve good rewards. Besides, you saved me from trouble, so you are my savior. If you ever have any difficulties, whether it's financial or other, I will definitely do my best to help you."
Jiuqiu was telling the truth, but she really didn't expect the other party to trust her so easily. She thought there would be a lot of back and forth and she would have to waste her breath.
It's no wonder that the swordsman was so cautious; the beautiful woman beside him was truly simple-minded and didn't have much of a guard up.
If it were her, she would indeed prefer to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free.
Jiuqiu smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I'm not looking to die. I'm not following you onto the ship to show off my benefactor, but rather..."
She paused here, wanting to think carefully about the right words.
Bai Hua pressed on curiously, "And what is it?"
Jiuqiu truthfully replied, "My kindness to you, young lady, is really nothing, just a small favor. The key is that the swordsman arrived in time. But to me, that handsome young man who wields a short sword is my true savior."
Bai Hua paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "You mean... Chen Fu?"
Jiuqiu: "Yes, which Fu is he?"
Bai Hua replied: "It should be the 'fu' in 'the mountains and rivers seem to have no way out'."
Chen Fu.
So that's his name.
Jiuqiu nodded affirmatively, and then recounted in detail the day Chen Fu set fire to the courtyard, and how she was tied up in the woodshed and saved from perishing in the fire by his rescue.
Bai Hua listened intently, surprised but also relieved.
She sighed, "In that case, I must thank Chen Fu. If he hadn't taken pity on you and saved you, you would have died because of me, and without my knowledge at the time. I'm afraid I would have been haunted by nightmares for the rest of my life..."
Jiuqiu smiled and replied, "Everything is fate. The fact that we can meet safely today is God's arrangement and also our own good fortune."
Bai Hua looked at Jiu Qiu, her eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.
"Miss, you may call me A Peng. But how should I address you?"
“Just call me Jiuqiu. Originally, my name was just Qiu, but because I was the ninth daughter taken in by the madam of the brothel, I got this name. So many years have passed, and I’ve gotten used to it. It doesn’t matter whether I change it or not. Anyway, it’s better than having the surname I was born with.”
It turns out that she didn't want to take her father's surname.
When she first left home years ago, she must have been heartbroken and severed ties with her family.
Bai Hua looked at her, moved, and said, "Nine Autumns sounds nice, but if you don't like the number 'nine,' why not use your mother's surname?"
Jiuqiu shook her head, her eyelids slightly lowered, and said in a feigned relaxed manner, "Let's forget about it. Someone who has had an experience like mine really shouldn't take her mother's surname and bring shame to her mother's family."
Bai Hua said, "How could that be? If your mother were alive, she would never think that way..."
Jiuqiu simply shook her head.
Bai Hua couldn't offer any further comfort, fearing that saying more would only make her more upset.
After composing himself, Jiuqiu curtsied to Baihua and earnestly requested, "Miss, I wish to repay your kindness and stay by Young Master Chen's side to do my part. Although I do not know who you are or what you intend to accomplish in Nanmin, I have roamed the brothels for many years and am adept at reading people. Taking me along may not necessarily be a burden. I hope you will grant my request. If it weren't for this, I would never have bothered you today. After all, what happened that day was a nightmare for you."
Bai Hua quickly helped the man up and replied, "I cannot make this decision alone, but I promise I will do my best to persuade you to come with me. You want to repay my kindness, so how could I refuse my benefactor's request?"
Jiuqiu looked at Baihua gratefully and thanked her again.
Bai Hua felt unworthy to accept such an honor.
...
When Bai Hua didn't appear in the cabin, Ning Jue went up to the deck to look for her.
Standing beside the mast, he glanced around and quickly locked onto the person.
Unexpectedly, Bai Hua was not alone. A slender and tall woman stood beside her. The two stood side by side by the railing, one in pink and the other in green, like figures in a painting.
It's not hard to guess that this woman is the one Chen Fu mentioned who was traveling with him.
Their purpose is unclear, and their actions are secretive. They are very likely spies secretly dispatched by the Fang family, harboring malicious intentions.
Thinking of this, Ning Jue became wary, his brow furrowed, and he reached out to grasp the hilt of his sword, striding forward.
Chen Fu followed behind, his gaze sweeping across the deck, and the first thing he noticed was the somewhat unfamiliar woman.
Seeing that Young Master Ning was aggressive and had already made a move, his heart sank, and he knew something was wrong.
Neither Bai Hua nor Jiu Qiu were skilled in martial arts. Standing by the sea, they could not discern the increasingly approaching footsteps behind them.
So when Bai Hua's wrist was grabbed from behind and pulled, causing her to fall backward, and when she saw the sword blade brush past her and pierce straight towards Jiu Qiu, she didn't even have time to say a word to stop it.
But she had an instinctive reaction; she didn't think much about it and in a moment of urgency, she even tried to catch the blade with her bare hands.
Ning Jue was alarmed at the sight and widened his eyes. He immediately shifted his strength to avoid hurting Bai Hua's palm.
Fortunately, his timely shift allowed Chen Fu to grab his short knife at the critical moment and barely manage to block the sword's edge.
In the end, he still felt a pang of compassion.
Ning Jue was displeased and swept his gaze over with a sharp look.
Chen Fu immediately stopped and explained, "I was afraid that Miss A Peng would get hurt, so I acted in a moment of panic. I hope you won't blame me, sir."
As he said this, he stood silently in front of Jiuqiu, and the answer to who he truly wanted to protect was self-evident.
Ning Jue would not stop just because he was stopped. He was about to strike again when Bai Hua broke free from his grip on her wrist and said urgently, "Young Master, you mustn't hurt her! She is my savior!"
Bai Hua's order left him no choice but to obey.
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