Chapter 228 Joyful God Wharf

Three days later, in the evening.

The river surface was burned a dark red by the setting sun.

The Jianglong's smokestacks spewed black smoke, its bow cleaved the river, and the shadows of the mountains on both banks grew ever deeper in the twilight.

Second mate Liu Gui carried a lantern and walked down the narrow iron ladder.

The steering gear room is located at the lowest level of the stern, and the iron ladder is rusty, creaking when stepped on.

The interior space is small, only four or five square meters, crammed with servo levers and a bunch of miscellaneous spare parts.

There was only one light bulb overhead, casting a dim, yellowish light.

Liu Gui touched the hydraulic lines twice, then slowly moved his hand away, reaching into the gap between the lines and the bulkhead.

But what my fingertips touched wasn't the texture of an oilcloth bag, but rather an empty space.

He paused for a moment, then probed deeper, his fingertips idly tracing patterns in the rust and dust.

There was nothing there.

Three days ago, he personally stuffed the oilcloth bag inside and covered it tightly with scrap iron sheets. From the outside, it looked no different from a broken part.

But now, the gap is empty.

"Wait, where did it go?"

Liu Gui's face was almost pressed against the pipeline, his eyes wide open.

He trembled as he searched through the gaps between the pipes and then rummaged through the pile of scrap parts next to him.

No, still no.

Cold sweat trickled down his temples, dripping onto the pipeline with a soft sound that startled him.

He squatted there, his mind buzzing.

We've been discovered?

Impossible, this place is very secluded, and very few people usually come down here.

"Maybe...maybe it was carried away by a mouse."

He murmured, his hand trembling as he wiped the sweat from his face.

"Liu Gui".

A voice came from behind.

Liu Gui felt a chill run down his spine in an instant.

He slowly turned around.

Master Long stood at the door of the steering gear compartment, followed by Tie Kun and the first mate.

The three people completely blocked the narrow iron ladder, their expressions somewhat complicated.

"Master Long..." Liu Gui lowered his head, not daring to look them in the eye, "I'm coming down to check the servo..."

"Is the check-up complete?" Master Long asked.

Liu Gui was stunned for a moment, "...It's over."

"Let's go then." Master Long stepped aside, making half of the doorway clear. "Let's go upstairs and talk."

Liu Gui stood there, looking at the gap that Master Long had made by stepping aside, with only one thought in his mind.

Master Long already knew.

They were just waiting for themselves to slip up.

"Let's go."

Tie Kun's voice was much harsher than Long Ye's, and his gaze toward him was unfriendly.

The four people, one in front and three behind, walked up the iron ladder.

On the deck, the evening wind was strong.

The sun had already sunk behind the mountains, leaving only a dark red afterglow on the horizon.

Several sailors were reeling in the mooring lines at the bow when they saw Master Long and his men coming from the direction of the engine room. Liu Gui was walking at the front, his face as white as paper.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looked at each other, and no one dared to say a word.

The fat man, who was enjoying the breeze on the deck, nudged Chen Mo's arm and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Chen, what's going on? What did Liu Gui do wrong?"

Chen Mo leaned against the ship's railing, hands in his pockets, calmly watching Liu Gui's face. "Just watch."

Although the fat man was full of questions, since Chen Mo had already said so, he couldn't ask any more.

He could only stand aside, glancing at Liu Gui and then at Master Long.

Liu Gui was taken to the center of the deck.

Lord Long stood opposite him, with Tie Kun and the first mate blocking his way on either side, and several sailors also gathered around.

As dusk settled, a cool breeze swept across the river.

Master Long didn't beat around the bush. "Did you put that thing behind the servo bay piping?"

Liu Gui's lips trembled slightly.

He wanted to deny it, but he swallowed the words back. Since Master Long was able to block him here, he must have already obtained evidence.

His gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on the ground, where he stared at his toes.

".....yes."

The deck erupted in chaos.

Several sailors began to curse under their breath, while the fat man stared wide-eyed at Liu Gui in disbelief.

Although he wasn't very familiar with Liu Gui, they were still on the same boat. He never imagined that this usually quiet second mate would actually do something shady on the ship.

"Why?" Master Long's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

Liu Gui knelt down with a thud, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Master Long, I'm not human, I'm so sorry everyone! But I have no choice, my child and wife have been kidnapped, if I don't do as I say, they'll be dead!"

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, kowtowing repeatedly, his forehead banging against the deck with a loud "thump, thump."

The sailors looked at each other, their anger gradually turning into hesitation. If they were really forced into it, then it would be understandable.

Chen Mo stood at the ship's railing, his deep gray pupils devoid of any emotion.

Even before Liu Gui was brought aboard, his divine sense had already scanned the entire ship.

The thousand-dollar silver note hidden in the lining of Liu Gui's shoe could not escape his notice.

Whether the woman was truly kidnapped is unknown, but it's certain she received money.

This person wasn't forced into it; he was bribed.

Chen Mo did not expose him in public. He simply withdrew his divine sense without making a sound and continued to lean against the ship's side, like a mere spectator.

Unfortunately, the person who bribed him could not be found.

On the deck, Master Long remained silent for a long time, staring into his eyes for a full ten seconds.

"I don't care if you were forced into it or not, but according to the rules of the Jianglong, anyone who harms their brothers on the ship will be tied up and thrown into the river."

Whether you live or die depends on your fate.

Upon hearing these words, Liu Gui's face instantly turned from pale to ashen.

He lunged forward and grabbed Long Ye's leg, his cries almost breaking his voice: "Long Ye! Long Ye, you can't do this! I've followed you for twelve years! I was forced into this! My wife is still in their hands..."

Tie Kun and the first mate stepped forward and pulled Liu Gui off Long Ye's legs, one on each side.

Several sailors brought a thick hemp rope from the cabin and began to tie his hands and feet.

Liu Gui completely broke down, "Lord Long, spare me... I was wrong... I didn't mean to..."

The fat man stood next to Chen Mo, watching this scene, his face also turning pale.

"Uncle Chen, throw him into the river? What's the difference between that and killing him?"

Chen Mo didn't look at him, but focused his gaze on Liu Gui. "You don't understand the rules on the river."

The fat man opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

Master Long walked up to Liu Gui, looked down at his old subordinate who had followed him for twelve years, and his expression was hard to tell whether it was anger or sorrow.

"Liu Gui, it's not like I haven't given you chances. Just now I asked you why, do you even believe what you said?"

Liu Gui's crying stopped abruptly.

He raised his head, his eyes blurred with tears, and looked at Master Long. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Lord Long didn't look at him again, and waved to the first mate.

The first mate and Tie Kun exchanged a glance, then each grabbed Liu Gui's arms and dragged him toward the side of the ship.

With a "splash," water splashed high into the air, creating a ring of white waves on the river surface.

No one spoke on the deck.

The only sound was the river water lapping against the side of the boat, one splash after another.

Several sailors peered down from the ship's side and saw Liu Gui struggling in the water, his hands and feet bound, his body rising and sinking intermittently.

As the rope absorbed water, it became heavier and heavier, and his struggles became increasingly futile.

"Let's go." Master Long turned around, his voice hoarse. "Go back to your cabins. We won't be traveling tonight. We'll dock at the pier ahead and spend the night there."

The first mate responded and turned to relay the order to the cockpit.

The sailors dispersed in twos and threes, and soon only a few people remained on the deck.

The fat man peered out from the ship's railing for a few moments, shivered, and then turned and went back to his room.

Chen Mo was the only one left on the deck.

He didn't move, leaning against the gunwale, his gaze fixed on the gradually fading ripples on the river, when a thought struck him.

Beneath the boat, a barely visible dark shadow slid out without causing a ripple.

A cut appeared silently on the side of Liu Gui's neck.

Dark red blood gushed from his neck, staining the surrounding waters red, before being torn into thin threads by the undercurrent and disappearing.

The shadow puppet turned back, and as it passed by, it casually tugged at the other's left foot, bringing back the shoe containing the silver note.

......

The Jianglong continued sailing for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before slowly docking in the night.

The dock was brightly lit, with dozens of masts densely packed on the river.

Ships of all sizes were crammed together, along with several cargo ships about the size of the Jianglong. Their mooring lines were intertwined, and their masts creaked and groaned.

The shore was even more lively.

A long row of red paper lanterns hung on both sides of the pier, stretching from the shore all the way to the depths of the dock, their lights illuminating half of the river surface in red.

Several workers were pasting large red "double happiness" characters onto the pillars; the paste wasn't completely dry, and the edges were being blown off by the wind. .

The bow of the ship slowly approached the dock, the mooring lines were cast ashore, the sailors laid out the gangplank, and the Jianglong was steadily placed against the dock.

The fat man leaned over the gunwale, his eyes lighting up as he looked out: "Wow, we've finally seen some people!"

"What kind of dock is this? It's a hundred times better than that lousy place we docked at the other day."

Chen Mo stood beside him, his gaze sweeping over the towering masts and sails on the dock, his pupils slightly contracting.

The ships moored at the dock had all sorts of flags hanging on their masts—some belonged to the Green Gang, some to the Grand Canal, and a few others he couldn't recognize.

But these boats have one thing in common: their bows are all pointing in the same direction, all pointing downstream.

This is not the proper way to stop a boat. When stopping a boat, the tension of the mooring lines must be considered, and the bow of the boat should be facing the direction of the current.

But the water here is clearly flowing east, yet the bows of the boats are all facing west.

It's as if they're deliberately avoiding something.

The first mate poked his head out of the cockpit and shouted down, "Tie the cables tight! Set up the gangplank! Don't wander off tonight, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning after we've refueled!"

Master Long emerged from the cabin, glanced at the dock, and turned to ask the first mate beside him, "What kind of dock is this?"

The first mate was also staring blankly at the shore when he was asked by Master Long. He quickly pulled out a well-worn waterway book from his pocket, flipped through a couple of pages, and then looked up at the terrain on the shore.

"Master Long, according to the waterway logbook, this should be Sanhe Wharf."

His voice carried a hint of uncertainty, "But when I was here last time, there were only a few teahouses and warehouses, it was so quiet and deserted, how come it's like this now..."

Grandpa Long didn't reply, his gaze sweeping over the shore.

The layout of the dock has not changed, and its general outline is still there.

But everywhere was decorated with red cloth and the character for "happiness," even the sheds in the cargo yard were draped with red silk, as if the entire dock was being transformed into a wedding hall.

"Is it so lively tonight?"

At this moment, Tie Kun walked over from behind, holding a cigarette in his hand. He was also taken aback when he saw the scene on the shore: "Oh, whose wedding is this? Quite a grand affair."

Lord Long ignored him and turned to ask the first mate, "Who's in charge of this dock?"

The first mate flipped through the waterway logbook again, using the light of the lanterns on the shore to decipher the handwriting: "The waterway logbook records... the Wang family, the Wang family of Sanhe Town, but this waterway logbook is from the year before last, I don't know if it has been changed."

"The Wang family?" Tie Kun exhaled a puff of smoke, squinted, and thought for a moment. "Is it the Wang family that deals in timber?"

"Yes, the largest family in Sanhe Town is the Wang family. They deal in timber and grain."

The first mate closed the waterway logbook. "But I haven't been here for several years. I wonder what it's like now."

After pondering for a moment, Lord Long instructed his first mate: "Go and find out if we can stay here tonight, and also ask what kind of happy occasion this is."

The first mate responded and went ashore with two sailors.

Tie Kun didn't leave; he leaned against the railing, smoking, his gaze darting back and forth across the shore.

Beneath those lanterns, a bridal sedan chair was parked, with several musicians standing beside it; the suona and gongs were placed on the ground.

Several people squatted together, smoking and talking. Their faces were not cheerful; instead, they were all pale.

Further away, deep in the streets of the dock, the outline of a large mansion could be vaguely seen, with two huge red lanterns hanging at the entrance, illuminating the area in a bright red glow.

But that smell wafting from the house...

Chen Mo withdrew his divine sense and frowned slightly. The distance was too far, exceeding the range of his divine sense.

At this moment, the first mate returned from the shore, looking rather unwell.

"Master Long, have you found out?"

The first mate wiped the sweat from his face. "This is indeed Sanhe Wharf, and the Wang family still manages it, but now... this wharf has a new name: Xishen Wharf."

Master Long raised an eyebrow. "The God of Happiness Wharf?"

"right."

The first mate lowered his voice, as if afraid that the people on the shore would hear, "I heard from the teahouse owner that the Wang family lost a young master three years ago, before he was even married."

"Old Mrs. Wang doted on her son and insisted on arranging a ghost marriage for him, finding a girl to be his bride. But what respectable family would be willing to marry their daughter to a dead person? So the Wang family paid for it."

"Buy?" Tie Kun leaned closer. "Where to buy?"

The first mate lowered his voice even further, "The docks are full of ships, some of them run smuggling businesses, and the Wang family targets the girls from these families who can't even afford to eat."

"We started doing this three years ago, and it's been happening every year. This is the third time."

Master Long's face darkened.

Tie Kun took a drag of his cigarette and sneered twice. "Pay money to buy? That sounds nice, but isn't this just forced buying and selling?"

The first mate hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There's something even stranger. The teahouse owner said that the girls who had ghost marriages a couple of years ago all died a few days after the wedding. The Wang family said it was because the girls were unlucky and couldn't enjoy the Wang family's blessings, but the people at the docks say..."

"What are they saying?" asked Master Long.

The first mate swallowed hard. "Everyone says there's something wrong with the young master Wang's grave. The girl died because her yang energy was drained."

Read "Tianjin: The Path to Immortality from Unorthodox Methods" and enjoy your reading time.