That night, Xia Zhaoyun tossed and turned, unable to sleep. On one hand, he was trapped in a perilous situation, unable to escape. On the other, a stranger lay beside him, leaving him both anxious and curious. After dozing off briefly, he was abruptly awakened by the delicate fragrance emanating from the person beside him. From that moment on, sleep completely eluded him, and he lay there with his eyes open until dawn.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the cabin. Xia Zhaoyun knew it was Qin Sanniang, so he pretended to be asleep, closing his eyes tightly. Qin Sanniang lifted the curtain, saw the two still resting, and remarked, "To sleep so soundly at a time like this, they must not fear death."
After Qin Sanniang left, Xia Zhaoyun opened his eyes. Instinctively, he nudged the young man beside him, hoping to wake him. Yet, the other slept deeply, unmoving. Xia Zhaoyun glanced over at him and was momentarily stunned. The young man's skin was pale, his long lashes framed a delicate face that resembled that of a woman. For a second, Xia Zhaoyun was transfixed, but then quickly reminded himself, "If it weren't for this person's nonsense, I wouldn't be stuck here." Despite this thought, he couldn't help but steal a few more glances—he had never seen anyone look so charming, even in slumber.
The young man, having just been fast asleep, suddenly woke. He opened his eyes to find Xia Zhaoyun staring at him, and hastily shifted away, exclaiming, "Why are you so close to me? I'll have you know, I'm a man! Don't get any strange ideas about me!"
Xia Zhaoyun, perplexed by the comment, asked curiously, "What do you mean by 'strange ideas'?"
The young man blinked, his face turning bright red. "It means... wanting to get close to me without permission. You know, like... like being intimate."
Xia Zhaoyun simply said, "Oh," and turned his face away, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling of the cabin.
The young man sighed in relief and, once he had calmed down a bit, added, "Sorry, brother."
Xia Zhaoyun responded coldly, "You should be. Let me ask you, why did you lie about knowing me last night?"
The young man chuckled. "I wanted to tell the truth, but you followed me all this way just to find your sword and not to rescue me. That made me upset, so I said whatever came to mind."
"Sir, I don't even know you. I have no obligation to save you."
"That's where you're wrong. That sword of yours isn't ordinary, so you must be a disciple of some martial sect. As a person of the martial world, isn't it your duty to stand up for justice?"
Xia Zhaoyun was momentarily speechless, unsure how to refute this. He could only sulk in silence.
About an hour passed when a sudden uproar erupted outside the cabin. A voice called out, "Qin Sanniang, release my daughter!"
The word "daughter" sent a shock through Xia Zhaoyun. "So this young man isn't a man at all, but a woman!" he thought to himself. Still, he wasn't entirely certain and continued to listen intently to the conversation outside.
Qin Sanniang responded, "Shangguan Feiyu, you've finally shown yourself. Now prepare to die!"
Shangguan Feiyu replied, "Hand over my daughter first, or don't blame me for forgetting our past!"
The sound of clashing weapons soon followed outside the cabin.
Curious, Xia Zhaoyun turned to the young woman. "So, you're actually a woman? Why did you pretend to be a man?"
The woman pouted and replied, "None of your business! I do as I please."
Xia Zhaoyun didn't know how to respond, so he returned his attention to the noise outside. His silence only piqued the young woman's curiosity, and she asked, "Why don't you ask who I am, what my name is, or why my family has a feud with Qin Sanniang?"
Xia Zhaoyun glanced at her and, following her lead, asked, "Miss, what is the enmity between your father and Qin Sanniang?"
The young woman replied, "Is that all you care about?"
Xia Zhaoyun, not understanding the meaning behind her words, asked, "What else should I care about?"
The young woman sighed deeply, muttering, "What a blockhead."
The battle outside continued in a deadlock, and Xia Zhaoyun grew anxious. His primary concern was finding a way to escape, but with his pressure points sealed, he couldn't move. Thoughts of the task Chang Jingyun had entrusted him with only added to his frustration, and he sighed once more.
The young woman noticed his furrowed brow and asked, "What are you sighing about? Is it over that sword of yours?"
Xia Zhaoyun replied, "In part. I have important matters to attend to, and if I'm delayed, my master will punish me."
The young woman added, "When the boat reaches the pier, it'll naturally straighten out. There's no use worrying now. Instead of fretting, why not hope my father defeats Qin Sanniang? Then we'll both be safe."
Though her words seemed reasonable at first, they didn't hold up to scrutiny. "Is your father's martial skill really that high? Can he actually defeat Qin Sanniang?"
"I have no idea. Our Shangguan family isn't one that practices martial arts, nor do we have a tradition of such. As for Qin Sanniang, I know even less about her. She is my father's enemy, but I've never heard him mention her, so I have no idea about her skills."
Xia Zhaoyun grew even more anxious and hurriedly said, "If your father can't defeat Qin Sanniang, we won't make it out of here alive today."
The young woman replied, "Are you that afraid of death? They say life and death are determined by fate, and wealth lies in the hands of heaven. If we're destined to die today, your worrying won't change a thing. So, stop overthinking it. Since we're here, let's accept it as it is."
At that moment, the fighting outside the cabin ceased. They heard Shangguan Feiyu's voice ring out, "Sanniang, it was my fault all those years ago. But this has nothing to do with my daughter. Please, let her go."
Qin Sanniang responded, "If you want me to release your daughter, you must take your life in front of me as atonement."
Shangguan Feiyu replied, "Why are you still holding onto this grudge? It's been over ten years, and you still can't let it go?"
Upon hearing this, the young woman suddenly understood and shouted, "So, Senior Qin, you were once romantically involved with my father? You went through all this trouble to lure him here just to see him again, not to kill him, right?"
These words enraged Qin Sanniang. She stormed into the cabin, furious, and shouted, "You insolent girl! Who are you calling an old flame?"
The young woman grinned smugly, "If that's not the case, why haven't you killed my father?"
Shangguan Feiyu overheard this and his thunderous voice scolded, "You insolent girl! How dare you tell someone to kill your father?"
The young woman retorted, "Don't worry, Father. Senior Qin has feelings for you. She won't kill you."
At this moment, Qin Sanniang was filled with shame. Her deepest feelings had been laid bare for everyone to hear. In her humiliation and rage, she shouted, "I'll kill everyone outside first, then I'll come back and finish you two off." With that, she stormed out of the cabin.
Soon after, the sounds of fighting resumed outside, but after the span of a single incense stick, all went quiet again.
Xia Zhaoyun strained to listen but heard nothing. He thought to himself, "Could Senior Qin really have killed everyone outside?"
But things were not as he expected. He felt the boat begin to move and faintly heard the sound of paddling. After half an hour, Qin Sanniang returned to the cabin, furious. "Insolent girl, your father is dead, and now it's your turn. But I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare you for now and kill you tomorrow. Tonight, rest well. Tomorrow, I'll go to the market, buy some fine delicacies, and send you both off properly. I wouldn't want you to starve to death on an empty stomach." She let out a few wild laughs before leaving the cabin.
The young woman suddenly burst into tears, cursing, "You vile witch! If you have the guts, kill me now! Or else, I'll haunt you even in death."
Xia Zhaoyun, sensing that the girl had lost her composure, nudged her to quiet down. But she ignored him and continued cursing, calling Qin Sanniang all sorts of names. Instead of getting angry, Qin Sanniang stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth and sneered, "Let's see how you curse now."
At first, the girl resisted, but soon, she fell silent, though her tears continued to flow uncontrollably. After Qin Sanniang left the cabin, the boat resumed moving. Xia Zhaoyun guessed that Qin Sanniang was the one paddling and took the opportunity to quietly comfort the young woman, "Don't be too upset. I understand your grief over your father's death, but right now, the most important thing is to find a way to escape. There's a saying: a wise man knows when to retreat. If we stay alive, there's still a chance for revenge. All that cursing just now won't help you avenge your father; it will only get you killed."
The young woman finally stopped crying and looked at Xia Zhaoyun. From her gaze, he knew she had understood his words. He continued, "That cloth in your mouth must be uncomfortable. I'll bite on one end and help you pull it out."
She nodded. Once the cloth was removed, she remained silent, not speaking again until nightfall. Xia Zhaoyun began to feel hunger gnawing at him. After all, he'd been on the boat for an entire day and night without food or water, and the young woman was in the same state.
Just then, the aroma of food wafted into the cabin. Xia Zhaoyun's stomach growled, and he swallowed hard. Qin Sanniang entered the cabin, holding a roasted fish. "Eat," she said.
Xia Zhaoyun replied, "You've sealed our pressure points. How do you expect us to eat?"
Qin Sanniang hesitated for a moment, then unsealed their pressure points and handed them the roasted fish. "Now you can eat, can't you?"
Both Xia Zhaoyun and the young woman were taken aback. It was surprising how easily Qin Sanniang had freed them. Could it be that she wasn't worried about them escaping?
Unable to fathom her intentions, Xia Zhaoyun took the fish from Qin Sanniang and handed it to the young woman. "There's only one fish. You eat first," he said.
The young woman didn't refuse, eating in large bites. When she had finished half, she handed the remainder to Xia Zhaoyun, saying, "Brother, you can have the rest."
Xia Zhaoyun took the remaining fish and devoured it. Outside, all was quiet, which made him even more curious. He whispered, "I'm going to check outside. You wait here."
As soon as he stood, the young woman grabbed his sleeve and asked, "You won't leave me here alone, will you?"
"Don't worry. We're in this together now. How could I abandon you?" Xia Zhaoyun replied before heading out of the cabin. But as soon as he stepped out, he was stunned by what he saw. The boat was shrouded in thick fog, making everything invisible—the water, the shore, and even Qin Sanniang had vanished.
Baffled, Xia Zhaoyun called out three times, "Senior Qin!" but received no answer. It was as though she had disappeared into thin air. Returning to the cabin, he told the young woman, "Qin Sanniang is gone. Let's take this chance to escape."
The young woman nodded, crawling out from the bedroll and handing Xia Zhaoyun his sword, saying, "Here's your sword."
Looking at the gleaming blade, Xia Zhaoyun felt a surge of relief. "So, you've been keeping it safe for me all along."
The young woman replied, "Is this sword some kind of family heirloom? You're so protective of it."
"It's more precious than any family heirloom. But enough talking, we need to leave now."