Moreover, Gu Shi Yi had an almost animalistic intuition; she was convinced that those five newcomers on the boat were targeting her. There was no reason or evidence, but she was certain of it!
Seeing her so sure, Li Yaner started to worry too,
"What should we do? Who are those... people?"
Gu Shi Yi shook her head,
"I don't know..."
Her expression turned grave. Even if they were not from the Great Cultivation Sect, they must be experts from the Itinerant World. With her half-baked Taoist Techniques and martial arts, whether she could escape was seriously in question!
No matter what, whether they were here for her or not, she had to stir up trouble on this water today!
Wasn't she supposed to disrupt the flowerbed and rescue the Female Ghost?
Fortunately, Gu Shi Yi, having traveled the Itinerant World with the Old Taoist Priest for quite some time, was a decisive person. Her eyes spun round and round, conjuring up a plan,
"Let's go, we'll head up first!"
She shoved the Little Mud Man into her chest and, moving through the darkness, left the bottom cabin to reach the deck above...
At this time, the flower boat was bustling with ceaseless singing and dancing, the chirping and chattering created a lively scene, with numerous maids in green and Servants in coarse clothing bustling about. Some carried trays while others held wine jars – all in a frenzy of activity.
After observing for a while on the deck, Gu Shi Yi heard an uproar overhead, with a man's voice cursing angrily,
"What the hell, daring to spoil my fun..."
"Old procuress... old procuress, what's going on here? Is this how you do business, letting people barge in at will... Refund our money! Refund it! We have money; we can go anywhere else to have fun..."
"Who the hell dares to mess with your lord!"
In the private rooms on the third floor, many guests were disturbed and peeked out the doors to see what was happening. They saw five grim-faced men not uttering a word, just barging through every door they found, while Steward Geng and the old procuress stood still as posts, staring with wide eyes as the men checked each room.
More and more guests started making a fuss, and within moments, the flower boat began to get chaotic. The Servants below, who had been hurriedly moving about, heard the noise, stopped in their tracks, and gathered to whisper among themselves. Taking advantage of this commotion, Gu Shi Yi, sliding through the crowd like an eel, quietly approached the boat's kitchen.
Peering inside, she saw two busy Aunties - one chopping meat and the other tending the fire,
"Can you believe it? So many guests today and they even took Aunt Xie to the upper deck, making us even busier!"
"Exactly! So many dishes to prepare and the guests are in a hurry. When they start complaining later, it's going to be us bearing the brunt..."
The one chopping meat just pursed her lips and suddenly caught sight of Gu Shi Yi peeking around the doorway,
"You... you... yes, you... stop skiving off outside. Get in here and help out!"
Gu Shi Yi blinked and touched her own nose,
"Me... you're calling me?"
The meat-chopping Auntie waved her shiny cleaver and glared,
"Who else but you... in you come!"
Having no choice, Gu Shi Yi touched her nose and walked in. The meat-chopping Auntie waved her hand,
"Get on the fire!"
Gu Shi Yi hastily took over from the other auntie by the stove, who then stood up to wash vegetables. As they worked, both Aunties asked Gu Shi Yi,
"You look unfamiliar; are you a part-time worker they've brought in?"
Gu Shi Yi thought to herself,
"You think I look unfamiliar yet you dare to boss me around. Aren't you afraid I'll put poison in the food..."
She indeed planned to poison the food to make the guests vomit. That way, in the ensuing chaos, she could take action!
Where would the poison come from? Who wouldn't carry some kind of medicine while wandering the Itinerant World!
However, out loud, Gu Shi Yi said cheerfully,
"Of course, the two mothers wouldn't recognize me. I just came to help out this evening. They said it was busy on the boat, and I came to earn a few coins for a night's work..."
Perhaps it was a common occurrence, for the two Aunties didn't suspect a thing and nodded. One of them looked Gu Shi Yi over and asked,
"You're quite a handsome young man, what's your name? You look old enough to be married; how many kids do you have?"
Gu Shi Yi laughed,
"You... you can call me Little Gu. I'm... I'm not married yet!"
The Aunties were surprised,
"Not married yet?"
He looked tender-faced but seemed old enough to be married. If a man of his age was not married, could there be some hidden ailment?
They've worked in the kitchen of the flower boat; they'd heard of men who can't perform finding girls at least three or four times a month. Could this young man have the same problem?