Lu Wuxie pulled Zhong Li and they sprinted through the ship. Despite their initial familiarity with the vessel's structure and layout, their attackers were like ants that could squeeze through any crack. No matter which exit they fled to, there were people blocking their way.
"This way." Lu Wuxie, guided by his memory, led Zhong Li around two corners, heading towards the gap between the second and third levels where stairs were located.
As he expected, this path was also blocked by four or five crew members wearing Bei Chuan Gang attire.
Lu Wuxie quickly drew a dagger from his boot and engaged the crew members in a fight.
Fortunately, these "shrimp soldiers and crab generals" were no match for him. Within a single move, they all collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.
"They're over there." The screams attracted the attention of other crew members frantically searching for them.
Zhong Li heard approaching footsteps. Her fingertips trembled as she gripped a scalpel in her palm. With a flash of silver light, two more crew members, who were attempting to grab Lu Wuxie from behind, recoiled, clutching their severed veins.
"Let's go!" The two stood back-to-back, warily surveying their surroundings, their feet never stopping.
Just as they were nearing the next level, an unseen dart, accompanied by a whistling sound, flew towards Zhong Li's neck while she was locked in combat with the enemies.
"Careful." Lu Wuxie's martial arts were unfathomable, and his hearing was exceptional. He quickly dealt with the two attacking him, then pulled Zhong Li to his side, shielding her in his arms. Simultaneously, he threw his dagger, which collided with the dart, sending both falling to the ground.
Just as they both believed no more projectiles would be coming, their opponents, seeming to know Lu Wuxie's fighting style, sent another dart immediately after the first.
"Damn it!" Lu Wuxie roared, tightening his grip on the woman in his arms, and rolled towards another direction, carrying her.
At the same time, a lightning-fast dart grazed his arm and embedded itself in the deck.
"Are you alright... careful!" Before Zhong Li could fully stand up, she heard a muffled grunt from the man. Her words of concern were cut short as the sound of more urgent whooshing filled the air, instantly putting her on alert.
She looked towards the source of the sound, and dozens of darts, like a swarm of bees from a nest, rushed towards them.
Lu Wuxie, alerted, pulled Zhong Li even tighter into his embrace, tore off his outer robe, and threw it towards the incoming darts. He himself lunged in the opposite direction.
With a crisp sound of wood splintering, the two fell directly into the darkness.
"Oof..." Lu Wuxie, holding Zhong Li, felt something hard against his back as they landed on the ground.
Zhong Li quickly got to her feet and called out, "Young Master, Young Master!"
There was no answer.
Anxious, she fumbled in her怀 for a fire starter and used its light to search for Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie had rolled not far from her, just two steps away.
She stood up and walked to his side, looking at his handsome face, slightly beaded with cold sweat. She immediately began to check his body.
After the struggle, Zhong Li breathed a sigh of relief when she found that Lu Wuxie, apart from being scratched by two or three darts, had no other life-threatening injuries.
"Are you alright?" She took out the bandages she carried and, after bandaging his arm, couldn't help but ask with concern.
Lu Wuxie propped himself up and gently twisted his neck, saying, "I'm fine. It's just that something hard hit me, so..."
He had barely finished speaking when his gaze, following the candlelight in Zhong Li's hand, fixed straight ahead, cutting off all his words.
Zhong Li noticed his abnormality and turned to look. She saw that this small, dark room was completely piled with weapons, from small daggers to large halberds and spears.
"This... isn't this ship a cargo ship? Why are there weapons?"
Lu Wuxie stood up and walked to a pile of weapons where knives were stored. He pulled out a knife and examined it under the light.
"These are weapons forged in the Southern Yue Kingdom," he stated.
"How can you tell, Young Master?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie lightly glided his fingertip along the blade. Then, he casually plucked a strand of his own hair and tossed it into the air. As he twirled the blade in the air, the hair was cleanly severed in half.
"So sharp?" Zhong Li was astonished.
Lu Wuxie replied, "Yes, this blacksmithing technique is only found in the Southern Yue Kingdom. It's considered a secret art. The late Emperor decreed that this secret art must not be passed on. I never expected to see it on a merchant ship traveling from Jinzhou to Yingzhou."
"These are definitely made through secret smelting. Speaking of which, if they are weapons made by the Southern Yue Kingdom, then are these all being sent to the Ying Kingdom?" Zhong Li mused.
Lu Wuxie nodded. Unless there were special circumstances, no dynasty would manufacture weapons for another country.
"It seems this Bei Chuan Gang is not simple," he remarked.
Zhong Li, holding the fire starter, circled the large small storeroom. "I've roughly counted. This small storehouse is packed full, probably with over a thousand weapons."
Lu Wuxie nodded. "A thousand doesn't sound like a lot, but if the Bei Chuan Gang is transporting them like this, trip after trip, then the Ying Kingdom must already have an elite force with sharp weapons."
"The leader of the Bei Chuan Gang must be a person from the Southern Yue Kingdom. What are his intentions in assisting a neighboring country like this?" Zhong Li pondered.
Lu Wuxie shook his head. He wasn't sure of the specifics, but he knew it had to be related to that person.
As they spoke, the two moved deeper into the ship.
They had expected that after leaving this small storeroom, they would, as Lu Wuxie had analyzed, enter the main cargo hold. To their surprise, they found themselves in another, even larger storeroom. The room filled with weapons behind them was merely a small part of this grander storeroom, like... Russian nesting dolls.
"Qat?" Zhong Li, upon entering the warehouse, recognized the strong scent of qat, as she was familiar with various herbal aromas.
Lu Wuxie looked around at her words. Indeed, this warehouse was entirely filled with qat, estimated to be hundreds of dan on both sides.
"As expected, qat and the Bei Chuan Gang are inseparable," he stated.
"But if the Bei Chuan Gang is selling qat from the Ying Kingdom to the port, why have they been docked for several days without unloading?" Zhong Li said, a possibility dawning in her mind.
"They can't unload!" The two spoke in unison.
Recently, the area near the port had been under strict scrutiny, primarily due to Lu Wuxie's intervention. Following this line of reasoning, was the Bei Chuan Gang leader, Xie Kun, trying to assassinate Lu Wuxie for this very reason?
"Look there!"
"You go there!"
"The person is inside! If you can't find them, bring their heads to the boss!"
Before Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie could finish their conversation, footsteps and shouts erupted from outside the small storeroom. They knew these people had found them, and now was not the time to linger and study qat.
"This way!" Lu Wuxie, adept at observing the terrain, remembered a small hidden door he had inadvertently discovered in the weapon storeroom. He quickly pulled Zhong Li's hand and led her back the way they came.
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