On the other side, Song Xingmu spent a lot of effort handling trouble, and told Yi Chuan to go back and bring Liu Zhenqing over. 

After Song Xingmu spoke, he stepped forward with a stern expression. However, Yi Chuan did not leave, and instead stepped forward with his head lowered. The person in front of him suddenly stopped, and Yi Chuan bumped into him.

“Aiyo, what are you doing?” Song Xingmu looked back at Yi Chuan in surprise and said with a smile: “Throwing yourself into my arms?”

Yi Chuan’s bronze skin looked a little pale. He ignored Song Xingmu’s teasing and just lowered his head, saying: “I’m sorry.”

Song Xingmu’s eyes flashed slightly, and he said: “After all these years, you still care about these words?”

“I don’t care.” Yi Chuan turned around and said, “I feel like I have dragged you down and become your weakness. How about…..I stay in the shadows in the future…..”

If Song Xingmu hadn’t taken action back then, there was no telling what the outcome would be for their whole family. They would always be despicable pirates, constantly taking tortuous paths. It was Song Xingmu who brought his family back. Yi Chuan initially thought he was repaying this kindness, but didn’t intend to cause trouble for Song Xingmu everywhere after coming back.

Song Xingmu nodded and said: “You are self-aware that you have become my weakness.”

Although he had said so, Yi Chuan still became angry when Song Xingmu said it so bluntly, and glared at him.

Then he saw Song Xingmu smile evilly and say: “However, I don’t like to hear such words. Don’t say them in the future, or I will spank you.”

This sentence instantly distorted the heavy heart of the reckless Yi Chuan. He remembered that when he was younger, this person always wanted to spank him in the name of him being a younger brother. Not only did he spank, but he also wanted to clutch and pinch, simply a complete pervert.

Yi Chuan glared fiercely at Song Xingmu, then turned and left.

After a while, Liu Zhenqing was taken over. Of course, Huo Fenglie followed secretly.

“How is it going?” Liu Zhenqing asked when he saw Song Xingmu looking fine.

“Song Jing was sent back to recover from his injuries. The others are stable. Let’s interrogate the three prisoners first.”

“The content of our interrogation cannot be allowed to get out.”

“Don’t worry, we will finish the interrogation in one go. Colluding with pirates is a capital crime, so it is not their turn to snitch.”

Although the two had not seen each other for many years, they still cooperated tacitly. When they came to the water prison, they first saw the evidence collected. They were all government account books and port records, and they soon came across some strange travel records. These, they took directly to confront the military officer and Wang Qi.

But both of them were stubborn and would not answer anything. However, they knew that Wang Qi was the weakest link, so he was held alone for interrogation. Taking advantage of his suspicion and fatigue, they directly tricked him.

“They all say that you were the mastermind, and they were following your orders. Also, all the transported items have been handed over. They are privately made weapons.” Song Xingmu directly deceived him and said, “According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, this is treason, and nine generations of your family must be killed. Is there anything else you want to explain?”

Sure enough, Wang Qi’s face paled after he said this, and his psychological defenses were immediately broken.

“It’s unfair, ah. This one…..this one really doesn’t know anything. He was just greedy for money and secretly used the Liu family’s river transport to smuggle goods. The entire process was our employer’s, this one had no idea what was being transported. How could it be weapons?”

Observing from the side, Liu Zhenqing suddenly felt that Wang Qi’s demeanor was wrong when he said that last sentence.

“If not weapons, then what was it? Did you see anything?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

As expected, Wang Qi trembled all over. “I…..I don’t know, I really don’t know. But in two years, there were a total of twenty-five shipments, and each one was different. How dare I look, ah?”

Song Xingmu smiled. “You didn’t dare to look, but you knew that they were different every time?”

Wang Qi immediately collapsed. He didn’t even have time to think of what he was saying due to the fear, and suddenly revealed a large flaw.

“This one…..”

“Speak. If you don’t speak, you will be the main culprit.”

Wang Qi was so frightened by Song Xingmu that he couldn’t endure any longer, and said: “Yes…..I peeked twice. One time there were silver taels, and the other time it was…..saltpeter.

“Saltpeter?” Song Xingmu’s expression changed. “Do you know what saltpeter is used for? How did you dare help people transport it overseas?”

“This one……of course this one knows that it is used to make gunpowder, but at that time, this one was already riding on the tiger’s back. If I didn’t do it, I would be silenced. There was nothing that could be done. Begging Captain Song to spare me…..to spare this one’s life.”

“Then do you know where they were transported to?” Song Xingmu asked.

“This one really doesn’t know. He only knows that according to the time the ship left and when it returned, it should…..not have been to another country.”

This meant that there were two possibilities. One was that it traveled by sea to another coastal county, which were all close in terms of distance, and the second was that it docked at an island in the sea.

The information was incomplete, so they could only continue to interrogate others. That military officer was always firm in saying that he only collected money to open access to the sea. But they all knew that this man was lying. In the face of death, he refused to reveal any information. Even when the same trick was used and the weapons and saltpeter were mentioned, he remained indifferent. It was unknown if this was because he was loyal or because he was more afraid of the person behind the scenes.

Song Xingmu was at a loss. He looked at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing could only break forward and grab the military officer’s wrist. He said: “I won’t talk nonsense with you. I actually know that you are a rebel. You want to join them in rebellion? You didn’t hesitate to plunge people into misery and suffering, and now you are going to die. Even if the rebellion succeeds, glory and wealth will not be yours. What are you after?”

At this time, the military officer smiled strangely: “I don’t know what you are talking about? I’m not after anything. My family members are all dead anyway, and I’m not afraid of death either. No need to waste time interrogating me. Just kill me.”

Liu Zhenqing stood up and said: “It doesn’t matter. In any case, I got my answer.”

The military officer was stunned, and looked at him.

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and said: “When talking about the rebels, your pulse was particularly fast, and not without reason. At least you proved that our guess was correct. Behind these transports are traitors who intend to rebel.”

The military officer’s expression changed. He wanted to quibble, but no one was willing to listen.

They walked out of the military leader’s water prison cell and went to the cell where the pirate was imprisoned.

Liu Zhenqing said suddenly: “He just said…..his family members are all dead, and he was very agitated. He’s not after anything, and just wants to help the rebels?”

“He should be seeking revenge,” Song Xingmu said at once. 

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes swept across Yi Chuan’s face. It would be a tragedy if the situation was the same as Yi Chuan’s.

“It is the strangest thing. Like Zhao Haicheng, he was born on a small island and his family were killed by pirates. Logically speaking, he can’t bear any grudge against Great Zhou,” Song Xingmu said.

“He is one of Zhao Haicheng’s people, so there is also a problem with Zhao Haicheng,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“It’s pretty obvious by now,” Song Xingmu said. “It’s just a pity that he is a navy officer.”

The three of them came to the pirate, who seemed to be indifferent. After all, a pirate like him would definitely die if he was caught, so no matter what they said, the pirate just sneered at them.

But Song Xingmu had more methods to deal with pirates. “If you don’t speak, tomorrow we will do our best to hunt down the nearby pirates and leave some alive to go back and report that you betrayed their sailing route.”

The pirate’s face instantly paled. If this was so, his family would certainly be treated as traitors by the pirates.

In the end, the pirate gave in and answered anything that was asked. He had been bribed to not attack the Liu family ships or land on nearby islands. Everything else didn’t matter.

Liu Zhenqing and Song Xingmu had already concluded in their hearts that it was an island!

“You followed,” Liu Zhenqing said, based on the overheard conversation that time.

“That’s right, I followed. I deliberately made excuses to harass and attack it, only to find that it had become a deserted island. It seemed like things had been transferred directly in a short period of time.”

With such caution, there must be no doubt that the rebels were hiding on an island.

But this was very strange, because the residents of the islands all had household registration records. People came to the islands to check them every year, and there had never been an accident. This was to prevent more traitors and pirates from sneaking onto the island. There were not many residents, and it was not as easy to hide as on land. Was it possible that they were bribed or negligent?

However, there were more than a hundred inhabited or uninhabited islands nearby. They were also worried about alerting the enemy and the island becoming deserted like what happened with the pirate. It was truly difficult to investigate.

It would be nice if the scope could be shortened. 

Song Xingmu and Liu Zhenqing looked at each other. Even if it was difficult, they had to investigate them one by one.

As they were thinking, there was a sudden noise outside.

Someone immediately rushed in.

Song Xingmu saw Zhao Haicheng in the lead and smiled, saying: “You gave me a fright. This move makes me think that Lieutenant General Zhao intends to rebel against me?”

Zhao Haicheng’s eyes flashed, and he saluted: “Captain, why did you kill those two suspects?”

“What?” Song Xingmu was stunned.

Zhao Haicheng said shortly: “People just broke in, perhaps to save them, and were killed along with the suspects. The bodies are still lying there now.” After saying this, he looked at Yi Chuan.

He clearly thought Yi Chuan had done it. After all, only Yi Chuan could come and go at such a fast speed here.

But they all knew it should be Huo Fenglie.

Song Xingmu said directly: “Oh, Yi Chuan reported it to me, and he didn’t kill those people. Perhaps their accomplices were afraid of us interrogating them and came to kill them in order to silence them. Yi Chuan could only do his best to save them, but accidentally dealt a cruel blow. This is also excusable. He was just apologizing to me.” After speaking, he looked at Yi Chuan.

Yi Chuan knelt down to apologize.

Before Zhao Haicheng could say anything, Song Xingmu said: “Forget it, the accomplice was probably a pirate anyway. He didn’t ask anything, and just killed them. Get up.”

Yi Chuan stood up again.

The two people performed in front of Zhao Haicheng.

Zhao Haicheng could only regard them coldly, and in the end, said that his actions were inappropriate and should be punished.

Song Xingmu thought for a moment and then said: “Then how about this. Yi Chuan, you go swimming in the sea for half a shichen, no matter if you drown or not.”

Yi Chuan immediately agreed, then turned around and left.

Zhao Haicheng suddenly became short of breath, and heard a soft laugh. It was very quiet, but he still heard it. Looking up, he saw a scene that did not belong here at all.

When he saw Zhao Haicheng looking over, Liu Zhenqing looked back. Stunned, Zhao Haicheng said: “It is not appropriate to bring others to the water prison.”

“Aiya, Lieutenant General Zhao doesn’t know. This is not ‘other people,’ but my wife. It is the first time he has come here, and he is scared and very clingy, and insists on not separating from me.” Smiling, Song Xingmu took the opportunity to monopolize others. “I hope Lieutenant General Zhao will be tolerant. A weak scholar like him would be in great danger if he were alone and encountered bad people. After all, anyone dares to break into our water prison now.”

Zhao Haicheng frowned slightly and said: “My subordinates will change the patrol methods and strengthen the defenses.”

“Okay, I believe Lieutenant General Zhao. By the way, that military officer must be your fellow countryman.”

“We come from the same island. I didn’t know he had gone astray.”

“Yes, Lieutenant General Zhao knows it was the wrong path, but the other person from the island did not. People are really different,” Song Xingmu mocked.

Zhao Haicheng nodded in agreement before retreating.

Liu Zhenqing was paying special attention before they left, and found that Zhao Haicheng was really looking at him.

This made Liu Zhenqing a little uneasy.

Then he went to check the bodies with Song Xingmu.

The people who came had no obvious signs of being pirates, so if they were not pirates, they were rebels.

Huo Fenglie descended at this time.

“Why didn’t you leave one alive?” Song Xingmu complained.

“I tried. They had poison in their mouths,” Huo Fenglie said.

“Were they here to save people or kill them?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“To kill them,” Huo Fenglie replied.

This was not a place for chatting. The three of them returned to Song Xingmu’s small bamboo house. They thought things over again and again until Yi Chuan came back.

“Yo, you have good physical strength. Not out of breath this time?” Song Xingmu teased.

Yi Chuan ignored him, and Liu Zhenqing apologized: “Sorry for troubling you.” After saying this, he took the initiative to pour him tea.

Huo Fenglie, who was about to speak, was stunned for a moment as Liu Zhenqing replaced it.

Yi Chuan admired scholars and thought Liu Zhenqing was a talented one, so he had the best attitude toward him and waved his hand, saying: “I’m fine, I usually train like this.” As soon as he sat down, he gulped down the tea. As a result, he was still thirsty after drinking and moved to pour some himself. He moved too quickly and accidentally bumped Song Xingmu’s elbow, causing Song Xingmu’s teacup to spill.

Song Xingmu said speechlessly: “Slow down, no one is competing with you.” After saying that, he continued drinking.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Song Xingmu with a strange expression and said: “Your…..glove is wet. Don’t you need to take it off?”

Since when did Song Xingmu like wearing gloves so much? Just now, whether he was reading account books or torturing, his sleeves were rolled up and he never took off his glove. It made Liu Zhenqing feel strange.

Song Xingmu smiled and said: “It’s a cool look, isn’t it?”

Liu Zhenqing frowned.

“Your hand is injured?” Huo Fenglie asked. “Is it the tendons?”

Song Xingmu was taken aback, and recalled that he had used this hand to send a palm at Huo Fenglie before. A person who practiced martial arts could naturally sense it.

“En, I was injured.” 

“Let me see, you know I have medical skills,” Liu Zhenqing said at once.

Song Xingmu quickly hugged his hand. “You can’t. My muscles and veins were damaged, but if I let you take a look, I will be completely disabled. You think of yourself as Li Xingruo, ah. Don’t hurt me with your limited medical skills.”

“Let me see, I’m not unable to treat it.” Liu Zhenqing said aggrievedly, “And during this period of time, I helped Fenglie with acupuncture and other things. I did a great job. If you don’t believe me, ask him.”

“En.” Huo Fenglie could only think of the scene where he was being tortured. He begged to differ about his medical skills, but didn’t dare to say so either.

“How come Young Master Liu has the same medical skills as Prime Minister Liu?” Yi Chuan, who didn’t know Liu Zhenqing’s identity, was surprised.

“Cough, cough. We are relatives. I have learned the same things, and my medical skills are better than his,” Liu Zhenqing said deceitfully.

“Oh, then take a look at him,” Yi Chuan said forthrightly.

Song Xingmu pinched Yi Chuan’s ear and said: “If my hand is completely disabled, will you help me bathe, feed me, and undress me in the future?”

His words angered Yi Chuan, who said: “Don’t even think about it.”

The two people made a scene, and laughter filled the small courtyard. Liu Zhenqing, however, grew silent.

Huo Fenglie looked at him and then at Song Xingmu.

Song Xingmu also noticed how quiet Liu Zhenqing was and looked over with a slight frown: “Hey, let’s get down to business.”

“Show me your injury, and I will judge whether or not it is okay. If it can be treated, I will ask the miracle doctor to treat you,” Liu Zhenqing said calmly.

“Miracle doctor?! Can this be done? I heard that he doesn’t heal people easily. And nobody knows where he is living in seclusion now,” Yi Chuan was instantly excited upon hearing this.

Song Xingmu did not rejoice, and just looked at Liu Zhenqing.

“What? Is it hard to talk about?” Liu Zhenqing asked, “Isn’t it an old injury?”

Song Xingmu didn’t speak, but Yi Chuan actively cooperated: “Right, it has been a long time, almost nine years. Is it too late, ah?”

Song Xingmu turned to glance helplessly at Yi Chuan.

“Nine years?” Liu Zhenqing chewed these two words slowly.

Nine years ago. When he died.

With all this beating around the bush, he just didn’t want to let him see his injured hand. How could he not think about it?

His grace while dancing with the long and short swords was still before his eyes, but now he had given them to someone else and almost never took action.

“What did you do?” Liu Zhenqing asked as he removed Song Xingmu’s glove.

The hand that was originally slender and fair, with hidden strength, was now covered in crisscrossing raised veins from the fingers to the wrist. It looked hideous and terrifying, and the fingers would twitch and tremble from time to time.

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Chapter Eighty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Four