When Chu Liuxiang boarded the ship that had suddenly appeared from the storm, he keenly sensed that the atmosphere on board was a bit strange.
Although the sailors greeted the six men with friendly smiles, they also appeared quite surprised.
The melodious sound of a zither drifted across the boat, its beauty reminding Chu Liuxiang of Wuhua, who had escaped from his grasp.
The person playing the zither was a young man in white. He stopped playing as they walked toward the room and headed toward the door.
Hu Tiehua sensed that they were about to have a rather formal, scholarly conversation and grew impatient. Being straightforward and understanding of Chu Liuxiang, he decided not to participate in their conversation and instead looked into the room.
Two young men were sitting inside. One of them surprised and delighted Hu Tiehua, who exclaimed, "Yan Liang? What are you doing here?"
Chu Liuxiang was startled when he heard Hu Tiehua's shout and looked up into the room.
The gray-clad youth was none other than Yan Liang, whom he hadn't seen since their parting in the desert. He looked pale and weak.
Yan Liang smiled at the two people who were looking over.
Sitting beside him was an ordinary-looking young man in black robes, who frowned slightly upon seeing Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiehua.
Chu Liuxiang thought to himself that this young man didn't seem to welcome them very much.
Hu Tiehua didn't care about any of that; he was overjoyed and plopped down next to Yan Liang.
Yan Liang, ever the helpful one, handed him a wine cup and poured him some wine, asking him warmly, "Have you eaten?"
Hu Tiehua was pleased that he had taken the initiative. Staring at the golden liquid flowing from the wine jar, he replied, "I didn't eat it. Old Stinkbug and I were floating in the sea for half a day."
The young man in black turned his face away, seemingly unhappy.
Chu Liuxiang saw it clearly; he noticed that Yan Liang was very casual on the ship, indicating that he had been there for quite some time.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Yuan Suiyun's smile remained unchanged. He invited Bai Lie, Ying Wanli, Zhang San, and Jin Lingzhi into the room one by one, and everyone took their seats.
They arrived at just the right time; the kitchen was preparing food, and with six more people suddenly appearing, Yuan Suiyun immediately ordered them to prepare even more.
Nine people were talking around a round table. During the conversation, Yuan Suiyun revealed the identities of Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiehua.
After everyone exchanged names, they learned that Yuan Suiyun was the young master of Wuzheng Manor and realized that he was blind. Silence fell for a moment, but Yuan Suiyun calmly indicated that he did not care about these things.
Everyone admired his magnanimity, and Chu Liuxiang also felt a sense of admiration. Only the young man in black had a strange expression, a half-smile that seemed to suggest he had other opinions.
Chu Liuxiang was puzzled, but then he heard Yuan Suiyun say to him and Hu Tiehua, "Brother Yan often tells me about your heroic deeds in the desert. I am overjoyed to meet you today."
Yan Liang and the black-clad youth beside him smiled simultaneously: Yan Liang smiled as he drank a cup of wine, his face flushing slightly; the black-clad youth also smiled, but his smile was strange.
Hu Tiehua wasn't a heavy drinker, but he loved alcohol. He drank several cups in no time after sitting down. Hearing Yuan Suiyun's words, he patted Yan Liang's shoulder forcefully: "You actually admire me that much? Praising me like this in front of Young Master Yuan, hahaha!"
He even let out a burp at the end of his story. Chu Liuxiang touched his nose and smiled helplessly.
Yan Liang had only drunk one cup, yet he already showed signs of intoxication, his face as red as a monkey's bottom. When Hu Tiehua patted him, he was drinking his second cup. The force of the pat caught Yan Liang off guard, causing him to choke and bend over, coughing violently.
The black-clad youth named Tian Shi coldly moved aside, showing no intention of offering the handkerchief.
The unexpected incident caused some commotion at the table. Yuan Suiyun looked worried, but Tian Shi glanced at him and comforted him, "He choked, he'll be fine after coughing for a while."
Chu Liuxiang looked at the three of them and felt that something was amiss.
Yan Liang quickly stopped coughing and calmly wiped his mouth. Hu Tiehua looked at Yan Liang with guilt, admitting his mistake so quickly, which was precisely what made him endearing.
"Are you alright? I'm so sorry..."
"It's alright." Yan Liang remained calm, reassuring Hu Tiehua instead, and poured him another glass of wine, saying heartily, "Little Hu! Drink up! We won't leave until we're drunk!"
His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over; he was clearly quite drunk.
Hu Tiehua and he drank a toast together, and the two of them had a good time.
The food was laid out on the table, and the rest of the people began to eat and drink. They had been adrift at sea in their coffins for a long time without a drop of water and were starving. For a moment, the only sound on the table was the clinking of bowls and plates.
Yan Liang had a very low alcohol tolerance. He became dizzy after drinking just one cup, and after drinking three more cups, he finally succumbed to the alcohol and collapsed under Hu Tiehua's cup.
Upon hearing a loud thud on the table, Yuan Suiyun exclaimed, "Could it be that Brother Yan is drunk again? Tian Shi, why don't you help Brother Yan back to his room?"
Tian Shi responded and, half-supporting Yan Liang, took his leave.
Yan Liang leaned against Tian Shi, muttering something indistinctly, and staggered away after Tian Shi, passing by Chu Liuxiang.
Chu Liuxiang overheard Yan Liang muttering something: "The weather is very nice today."
He watched the two figures leave, then turned back and sighed, "When I first saw him, he wasn't like this."
Previously, Yan Liang had bright eyes and was full of energy; but the Yan Liang we met again on this ship seemed a bit dejected, and had even started drinking.
Just as Yuan Suiyun was about to reply, Hu Tiehua said, "He must have tasted it once and never forgotten the flavor. The wine is so good, who wouldn't like it?"
Chu Liuxiang said helplessly, "Don't just keep drinking... eat some food."
Yuan Suiyun continued, "Brother Yan has been in a bad mood these past few days, drowning his sorrows in alcohol." He sighed, "But drowning his sorrows in alcohol only makes him more sorrowful. I don't know what's on his mind... It seems to be related to the monk Wuhua."
The room fell silent. Everyone knew that Wuhua had been captured by Chu Liuxiang, but had also escaped from him.
Chu Liuxiang smiled wryly, "So it's because of Wuhua... He probably still hasn't figured it out."
Ying Wanli had been concerned about Wuhua's case. He hadn't found an opportunity to ask about it on the ship, but now that the topic had been brought up, he asked directly, "Why did Wuhua escape from Xiang Shuai's hands? With Xiang Shuai's strength, he wouldn't have made such a mistake."
Of the six people who boarded the ship from the coffin, only Ying Wanli concealed his identity as a constable and instead gave the false name "Gongsun Jieyu".
Chu Liuxiang knew his identity and understood his eagerness to know the truth, so he explained frankly: "Back then, Xiao Hu and I originally intended to bring Wuhua to justice and hand him over to the authorities. However, we encountered Li Yuhan and his wife on the way and got involved in the Shenshui Palace incident. We were caught up in the chaos and were unable to pay attention, so he escaped... Wuhua did not escape alone; someone helped him escape."
Ying Wanli asked, "Does Master Xiang have any clue who helped Wuhua escape?"
Chu Liuxiang said, "I have no clue."
At first, Chu Liuxiang thought it was the Black-Robed Man who organized the assassin organization, but later he learned that the Black-Robed Man was Xue Yiren, though Xue Yiren denied it. Now he really has no clue.
Ying Wanli fell silent.
He is indeed a very dedicated and respectable constable. Even while tracking down a major criminal, he doesn't forget about another criminal.
The conversation made the atmosphere at the table a little tense, but fortunately, the atmosphere became lively again amidst the clinking of glasses. Hu Tiehua was completely oblivious to the change in atmosphere, and after drinking his fill, he began to eat without any hesitation. Chu Liuxiang was even a little envious of his good appetite.
After the meal, everyone looked tired. Yuan Suiyun asked someone to arrange rooms for the six people and took them there separately.
Chu Liuxiang originally wanted to go see Yan Liang, but Yuan Suiyun said that Yan Liang should be fast asleep at the moment, so Chu Liuxiang gave up the idea.
He and Yuan Suiyun stood by the boat. The downpour had stopped, but the sea was still like an unfathomable black abyss. Chu Liuxiang glanced at it and then looked away.
"I wonder how Young Master Yuan came to meet Yan Liang?" Chu Liuxiang asked.
"I met Brother Yan not long after he returned to secular life and left the mountain. We got along very well in just one day. However, he later had to find Mr. Li's grandson, so I parted ways with Brother Yan." Yuan Suiyun's words were half true and half false, which made it the most difficult to tell the truth. "Later, he escorted Mr. Li back to his hometown. I ran into him again because of my family's business. He didn't seem very happy. Since he had nowhere to go, he said he would go on a sea trip with me."
Chu Liuxiang recalled the smile Yan Liang had given him before they parted, and the strange feeling in his heart grew even more peculiar.
"It seems I need to talk to him tomorrow..." Chu Liuxiang seemed to be just making a meaningless sigh.
Yuan Suiyun smiled slightly but did not offer any opinion.
Chu Liuxiang thanked him, saying, "If it weren't for Young Master Yuan's rescue, we would probably have been adrift at sea for much longer. Thank you."
Yuan Suiyun smiled and said, "It was nothing, no need to thank me."
After only a short conversation, Chu Liuxiang developed a liking for Yuan Suiyun. The other party was well-mannered and courteous, truly a handsome young man.
After talking for a while, Chu Liuxiang went to the room that Yuan Suiyun had arranged for him. The room was simply decorated, but all the items were clearly of high quality.
Hu Tiehua's room should have been next to his, but this man usurped it and sat on the stool in Chu Liuxiang's room.
"I still don't understand what you scholars can possibly talk about," Hu Tiehua sighed upon seeing him.
Chu Liuxiang said, "I don't understand why you drank a whole jar of wine at the banquet, and you're still drinking from another jar now." He sat down opposite Hu Tiehua. "Drinking leads to trouble. Don't you understand that?"
Hu Tiehua said, "I don't understand, and I don't want to understand. Drinking is just drinking; nothing else should be considered."
Chu Liuxiang sighed, "You're right."
Yan Liang seemed to have considered things very carefully.
After parting ways with Yuan Suiyun, he encountered sailors on the road who were looking at them in surprise as they boarded the ship. The sailors said that Yan Liang was a brilliant strategist who had predicted that there would be a storm today and that six more people would be boarding the ship.
The sailors were astonished because the divination had come true.
Chu Liuxiang recalled the words Yan Liang had muttered as he walked past him, seemingly drunk, and was momentarily unsure whether Yan Liang was truly drunk or feigning it.
Is it implying something... or is it just ordinary drunken talk?
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