Childhood Friend or Destined Encounter? - Chapter 19

The duo had officially become a trio. To find the Ghost Doctor in Lingnan, they needed to travel by water, so the group headed to the docks.

“Miss, it’s not that I don’t want to take your business, it’s just that two days ago, Master Zhang had a massive shipment of goods to send to the capital. Every single one of our boatmen has been called away. We won’t have any free hands for at least half a month. Right now, we have boats, but no one to sail them,” the dock master said with a deeply troubled expression.

“Is it impossible to pull even one person away temporarily? I can pay ten times the usual fee,” Feng Ya said, refusing to give up. The Ghost Doctor’s whereabouts were elusive, and every day they departed earlier was another day of hope.

“It’s not a matter of money. Most of the businesses in this town belong to the Zhang family. If anyone goes against Master Zhang’s wishes, how are they supposed to make a living here in the future?” The dock master’s eyes lit up briefly at the mention of ten times the silver, but he quickly shook his head in a firm refusal.

“How about this, sell us a boat, and we’ll head out ourselves,” Luosang, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. She turned to explain to the confused Ye Zi, “I’ve traveled extensively over the years and have picked up the skill of sailing.”

This minor travel hiccup was resolved thanks to Luosang’s presence. Feng Ya purchased a boat at the dock and hired someone to give it a thorough cleaning and inspection.

By then, it was getting late, so the three decided to stay at a local inn for the night and set sail early the next morning.

The town didn’t offer much in the way of entertainment, so they finished dinner and retired to their rooms early. Without the excuses of being short on cash or the inn being fully booked, they reserved three separate rooms.

The summer cicadas were noisy, and Feng Ya, unable to sleep, went down to the inn’s courtyard to enjoy the cool air. She looked up at the bright moon in the sky, her gaze inadvertently catching a flash of pink on the roof.

“Why are you up so high?” Feng Ya asked, looking up at Ye Zi sitting on the roof, her tone laced with concern.

“I may not have internal cultivation, but my lightness skills are decent. Want to come up and join me?” Ye Zi lifted a wine jug, smiling easily.

When a beauty invites you, how could you refuse? Feng Ya leaped up beside Ye Zi and sat down on the tiles. She reached out, took the wine jug from Ye Zi’s hand, and mirrored her earlier action, pouring the wine directly into her mouth. “I didn’t expect such an unremarkable inn to have such good wine.”

“Hey, couldn’t you have taken the other jug?” Ye Zi sighed helplessly as her wine was snatched away, having no choice but to grab a fresh one.

Under the moonlight, atop the roof, two figures—one in pink and one in white—clinked jugs. Their faces were flushed with a slight rouge, their soft whispers mingling with the chirping of insects. In such a setting, it felt right to say things that usually remained unspoken.

“I’ve always been curious about something,” Ye Zi said, looking at Feng Ya. Her gaze drifted to the slender fingers gripping the wine jug, the moonlight glazing her clean, rounded fingertips with a soft glow. Drunkenly, she asked, “For someone like you, with top-tier martial arts and background, where everything seems to go your way, do you ever find life… boring?”

“Actually, I’m not as incredible as you think. There are times when my strength falls short. I… I once failed to protect the person I wanted to protect most.” Looking into Ye Zi’s sparkling eyes, Feng Ya felt a sudden sense of familiarity. She thought she must truly be drunk for this question to unearth memories from so long ago.

Twelve Years Ago, The Imperial Palace

Consort Rong was reviewing Feng Ya’s lessons for the day when a blood-stained man suddenly arrived seeking an audience. Feng Ya had seen him before; he was a member of the Dunyi Clan and a confidant of her uncle.

Feng Ya didn’t listen to Consort Rong’s instructions to return to her room and rest. Instead, she hid behind the door to watch. She didn’t know what the man said to her mother, but it instantly turned Consort Rong’s expression tense. She immediately drew her long-unsheathed sword and rushed out of the room.

Consort Rong spotted Feng Ya standing by the door. She hesitated for only a second before leaving a final instruction: “Ling’er, Mother has something very important to attend to outside the palace. Be good and stay here.” She left without looking back.

Those were the last words Consort Rong ever spoke to Feng Ya. Feng Ya did as she was told, staying in the palace to study and practice her martial arts, but Consort Rong never returned.

From then on, her aunt never brought her cousin to the palace again. Emperor Zhu Yuanwu sent men to search for Consort Rong’s whereabouts, but after two months without word, he could only officially announce that she had passed away from illness.

Later, Feng Ya gathered clues through various channels to piece together what happened that night: Her uncle’s clan had been attacked by the leader of the mysterious underworld organization, the Octagram Tower, and the entire clan was wiped out. Her mother had led a rescue mission and went missing.

In that single year, the nine-year-old Feng Ya lost almost everyone: her mother, her aunt, her uncle, and her cousin A-Ci, who was always laughing and playing.

The young Feng Ya hated her own weakness and her inability to protect her loved ones. Even though she was later taught everything the Sect Leader of Cangxuan had to offer, and used her status as Princess Anguo to punish evil and protect many people, she could never erase the knot in her heart from those years ago.

Despite being a princess, she had enjoyed very little of the comforts of palace life. She spent most of these years traveling the martial world, dedicated to uprooting the evil influence of the Octagram Tower. This wasn’t just for the sake of the Imperial Family, but because of a deep obsession. Whenever she was exhausted, she would think to herself that perhaps the relatives who disappeared that night hadn’t all met with tragedy. Perhaps one of them was still alive in this world.

Feng Ya looked down at Ye Zi, who had already fallen into a drunken stupor. Ye Zi was very well-behaved when drunk; she didn’t make a fuss, she just quietly rested her head on Feng Ya’s lap.

The melancholy in Feng Ya’s heart faded slightly. She reached out to brush away a few strands of hair falling over Ye Zi’s ear, whispering, “I couldn’t protect the one I wanted to protect back then, but I certainly won’t let history repeat itself now.”

When Ye Zi woke up the next morning and saw Feng Ya lying beside her, her head throbbed with a dull pain. She clearly remembered that they were supposed to be in separate rooms.

“You’re awake?” Almost at the same time, Feng Ya opened her eyes. She smiled at the still-dazed Ye Zi and, as if reading her mind, explained, “Last night you got drunk on the roof and refused to let go of me no matter what. I had no choice but to bring you back to my room.”

Refused to let go? Is my behavior while drinking really that bad? Ye Zi, who usually drank alone, wasn’t entirely sure of her own habits.

“It’s not necessarily bad behavior, just that everyone has different habits when they’re drunk. I really didn’t expect that for someone so small, you’d have such impressive strength,” Feng Ya continued with a straight face.

“Uh, what time is it? Shouldn’t we be heading out? Where’s Luosang?” Wanting to end this awkward conversation, Ye Zi changed the subject.

Feng Ya was about to answer when they heard a knock at the door. “Feng Ya, are you in there? Have you seen my benefactor today?”

“She’s with me. We’ll be right out.” Since neither of them was fully dressed, Feng Ya spoke up quickly to stop Luosang from pushing the door open.

In less than half an hour, the two had finished washing up and appeared in the inn’s lobby. Luosang was simple-minded; she just assumed they had overslept and didn’t think twice about it, contentedly munching on a steamed bun.

After breakfast, the three boarded the boat. The cabin wasn’t very large, but it could comfortably fit about ten people. Thanks to yesterday’s cleaning, the interior was spotless and equipped with all necessary safety gear.

Luosang went to the deck to test the rudder. It performed well, no different from the ones she had operated before. Under her guidance, the boat smoothly left the dock and headed toward Lingnan.

Strictly speaking, this type of boat didn’t require someone at the helm at all times, only when changing direction or speed. However, knowing her benefactor was on board, Luosang felt a massive surge of responsibility. For the first two hours, she stood diligently at the rudder, not leaving for a single moment.

Fearing Luosang would get lonely, Ye Zi joined her on the deck to chat after putting away her luggage, while Feng Ya went to prepare lunch.

“When did you learn to steer?” Ye Zi watched Luosang skillfully operate the rudder, feeling a sense of admiration. She reflected that while she had read ten thousand books, she hadn’t traveled ten thousand miles like Luosang.

“About three years ago. These past few years I’ve been traveling everywhere looking for my clansmen, often by water. For convenience, I asked an old boatman to teach me for three months.”

“Have you found any news of your people?” Ye Zi felt a wave of sympathy, realizing Luosang was also a wanderer.

“A few times I heard rumors of people resembling the Dunyi Clan appearing somewhere, but by the time I arrived, I found nothing. I haven’t found my family, but I’ve certainly attracted the attention of the Octagram Tower.” At this, Luosang sighed helplessly.

“What are the distinguishing features of your people? Perhaps I can keep an eye out for you in the future.”

“We of the Dunyi Clan all have a mark of half a lotus on our bodies. The location varies for everyone. Mine is on my wrist, you saw it last time.” Although she didn’t expect Ye Zi to actually find anyone, Luosang answered her benefactor’s questions without reservation.

“A lotus mark? Alright, I’ll take note of that.” A half-lotus mark that could be anywhere on the body—that was a very vague feature. No wonder Luosang hadn’t found anyone after all these years.

“Let’s not talk about that anymore. Benefactor, do you want to try the rudder?” Luosang noticed Ye Zi glancing at the helm several times and extended an invitation.

“Can I?” Ye Zi asked, though her hands were already resting on the wheel.

The sea was calm, making it a perfect time for a lesson.

“Just place your hands like this. Turn to the right, slowly.”

“A bit more to the left, don’t use too much force, lean forward.”

“Yes, just like that. Benefactor, you’re so smart!”

Even though the boat would have stayed steady even without anyone at the helm, Ye Zi found great joy in this encouraging style of teaching.

Feng Ya stepped onto the deck carrying lunch, only to see this scene of harmony. She had to admit that Ye Zi’s smile was adorable, but the sight of the two of them pressed so close together was a bit of an eyesore.

Ye Zi noticed Feng Ya standing behind them. She let go of the rudder, pulled the table and chairs from the edge of the deck to the center, and reached out to take the tray from Feng Ya.

Standing by the cabin door, Feng Ya watched Ye Zi busily helping out, and her mood improved slightly.

Ye Zi set the table. Seeing Feng Ya at the cabin door and Luosang at the rudder, the two of them staring at each other from a distance, she called out, “Don’t just stand there, come and eat!”

Since they were at sea, Feng Ya had prepared a few simple, home-cooked dishes, which Ye Zi ate with great satisfaction.

“We still have several days at sea. Why don’t you teach me the basics of steering later? It’ll save you from doing all the hard work alone,” Feng Ya said out of the blue, having rarely initiated conversation with Luosang before.

Teaching you to steer for just a few days would be much harder than just doing it myself, Luosang grumbled inwardly. But under the pressure of Feng Ya’s powerful aura, she agreed, “If you want to learn, of course, no problem.”

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