Wu Zhong and Wu You, upon stepping onto the merchant ship and confirming their immediate surroundings were safe, eagerly grabbed a handful of khat and began to inhale.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie, bound on the deck, watched as the two men moved like specters, their eyes glazed and expressions rapturous.
After some time, Wu You, like a satiated diner, shook his head to clear his senses and rose, walking towards Zhong Li.
Lu Wuxie watched him warily, subtly shifting his body to shield Zhong Li behind him.
"Scram!" Wu You frowned, showing his impatience, and kicked out at Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie evaded the kick without a trace, his gaze fixed on Wu You, full of warning.
Wu You let out a cold snort and said, "On the brink of death, and you still think of protecting your paramour?"
Lu Wuxie ignored him, his eyes scanning the horizon.
Wu You, still immersed in the wondrous sensations of the khat, failed to notice the subtle shift in the expression of the man opposite him, and said slowly, "You're the Prince, aren't you?"
Lu Wuxie still didn't respond.
Wu You didn't seem to mind and continued, "I never thought I'd kill a royal relative in my life, you know?"
Hearing his words, Zhong Li's gaze fell upon him.
Seeing Zhong Li looking at him, Wu You grinned slyly and said, "Since it's done, I'm not afraid to tell you. They want your lives. Once my brother and I safely leave this stretch of sea, you'll be truly useless. All we need to do is deliver your heads to the noble in Jincheng, and we'll get our silver, ensuring the rest of our lives are worry-free."
"Noble?" Lu Wuxie, listening to Wu You's words, fixed his gaze on him and asked, "It's the Empress, isn't it?"
Wu You's roguish expression faltered. After a long moment, he reacted, "Right! You've already investigated this far. It's clear that they've ordered your deaths."
"But with just the two of you and a servant, the merchant ship will only go as far as the sea border and won't proceed further. Do you know how dangerous this sea is?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Wu You laughed heartily, pointing a finger through the air at Lu Wuxie, "Prince, you're clever as ever but foolish at this crucial moment... Do you really think all the people from the Wu family bank have been caught by you?"
Lu Wuxie put on an expression of disbelief.
Wu You's laughter grew increasingly wild.
He said, "Though my mind isn't the sharpest, my brother's is. He received word from Jincheng long ago and, before the Wu family bank was sealed, he took some silver and his trusted men and hid in this vicinity.
They're waiting to rendezvous with us to leave using the official seal. Don't worry, with the seal and the lives of two court officials as leverage, the navy will let us pass."
"Heh! Quite a calculation," Zhong Li remarked.
Wu You smiled at Zhong Li and replied, "Of course. One must plan when acting."
Zhong Li did not respond further.
Seeing Zhong Li's profile so beautiful, Wu You's already buoyant heart grew more brazen.
He reached over Lu Wuxie, intending to touch her chin.
However, before his fingertips could even brush against Zhong Li, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, and he fell sprawling onto the ground.
This fall completely dissipated the effects of the khat, and Wu You became much more lucid. He sat up and looked at the culprit who had caused his disgrace, saying, "Lu Wuxie! Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. I'm telling you, if we could cripple Ren Wenshu's hand, we're not afraid of whether you, a dying man, will remain whole.
You'd best get out of my way, or else..."
As he spoke, he drew the dagger from his waist, gestured with it, and added, "I'll disfigure that face of yours that deceives women, just like Tian Lianxue!"
Hearing Tian Lianxue's name, Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, realizing she had accurately deduced another matter.
Lu Wuxie looked at Wu You as if he were an idiot and said, "You want to disfigure my face? Since when did you become so confident in your abilities?"
"What do you mean?" Wu You narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Lu Wuxie, "Do you think I wouldn't dare? Fine, then try me!"
With that, he raised the dagger and lunged towards Lu Wuxie's face.
"Stop messing around!" a voice cut in. Wu You's dagger, about to strike Lu Wuxie, halted.
All three turned towards the source of the voice.
Wu Zhong, having also finished his revelry, walked over to Wu You with a look of anger. He glanced at the dagger in his hand and Lu Wuxie protectively standing before Zhong Li, and roughly understood the situation. "Wu You, at this critical juncture, you're still fooling around with women? I told you to keep an eye on our rear, and that's why there's been no movement for so long!
What if something goes wrong and Ren Zhong's people catch up, who will be responsible?"
Wu You remained silent, but he stood up and sheathed his dagger, not forgetting to glare venomously at Lu Wuxie.
Wu Zhong pulled Wu You aside, and the two began to whisper.
Lu Wuxie understood lip-reading and watched them converse.
"What are they saying?" Zhong Li asked in a low voice.
Lu Wuxie watched for a moment and then said concisely, "Wu Zhong says they've arrived."
"They?" Zhong Li frowned and thought for a moment, "Are they those confidantes of Wu Zhong that Wu You mentioned?"
"Likely..." Lu Wuxie nodded.
Zhong Li said, "Since the bait is about to be hooked, it's time we dealt with Mo Cang as well."
"Alright!" Lu Wuxie nodded, and from the depths of Zhong Li's collar, he retrieved the hidden dissection knife and began to untie them.
In the blink of an eye, the two were free. Zhong Li glanced at the helmsman at the bow of the ship. Under her direction, she and Lu Wuxie retreated to a concealed spot.
Wu Zhong and Wu You finally finished their conversation.
Wu You, having been lectured by Wu Zhong, looked displeased. Neither of them spoke as they walked towards Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie.
When they saw that the area was empty, with only two cut ropes lying on the ground, Wu Zhong realized, "This is bad."
Wu You, a step behind, saw Wu Zhong running towards the ship's railing and asked, still somewhat bewildered, "Why is he running there... not to look for them..."
He swallowed the rest of his words mid-sentence.
He saw that several ships belonging to their confidantes, approaching from all directions, were being boarded, and some had even caught fire.
"How can this be?" Wu You was stunned and could only ask blankly.
Wu Zhong grabbed him and pulled him towards the ship's cabin, saying, "We've been trapped. We're surrounded! Quickly! Quickly! There's a rescue dinghy at the bottom of the merchant ship. We need to grab some essentials and escape from there."
"Trapped? What trap?"
"Ah!"
Wu You still hadn't grasped the situation. As he prepared to ask again, a scream came from behind him.
He turned back to see that one of the confidantes they had left on the merchant ship had been pierced through the body by an arrow and had fallen straight onto the deck.
Wu Zhong also heard the sound and turned back. He gritted his teeth in anger, cursed, and continued to rush into the ship's cabin.
Fortunately, their ship was not yet ambushed, and their path to find the small boat was unobstructed.
Seeing the small boat, Wu Zhong murmured a prayer of thanks to Buddha before preparing to detach the boat to escape into the water.
Unexpectedly, a voice called out from behind them, "Wu Zhong, Wu You, where do you think you're going?"