Chapter 53: The Female Psychopath, Ambush on the River

"The young master is not here. If the boat capsizes, by the time the young master arrives, little Golden Chrysanthemum would have already been eaten by a big fish," Qingzhu teased deliberately.

"Humph, it's only three or four miles. The young master can get here in no time at all. Besides, my Chrysanthemum is no pushover!" Golden Chrysanthemum said fiercely, then couldn't help peering out into the river. Finding no sign of any large fish, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

They were not the only ferry navigating the river.

A truce had been in place between Wu and Chu for seven or eight years. Though minor frictions persisted, men die for wealth as birds die for food, and merchants traveling between Wu and Chu had never stopped.

Lu Wu was not on the same boat with them, having taken a separate ferry instead.

Although Lu Wu did not believe the state of Chu would openly hunt him down just because he had ruined Young Master Jiu's plans, Tong Zhi's words had planted a seed of caution in him. He decided to board a different vessel from Qiutong and the others.

The ferry Lu Wu was currently riding was named the "Peace". Fifteen zhang long and six zhang wide, it was considered exceptionally spacious among river vessels. Not only did it carry a large number of passengers, but it also transported several carriages and horses.

"This brother possesses an extraordinary bearing. May I ask your esteemed surname and name?" Lu Wu was standing by the gunwale, gazing at the river, when a voice came from behind him.

Lu Wu looked back to see a young man dressed in white robes trimmed with gold edging greeting him.

The man's eyebrows were straight as swords, his eyes long and narrow, his height approaching eight chi, and a long sword hung at his waist.

He walked up to Lu Wu, resting his hand on the railing. The river breeze stirred his white robes, making him appear exceptionally dashing and elegant.

"I am Lu Wu. And you are—?"

"I am Wei Ming, styled Zhaoting. Pleased to meet you, Brother Lu—are you traveling entirely alone?" The man, who called himself Wei Zhaoting, was remarkably sociable.

"Indeed. I wonder what advice Brother Wei might have?" Lu Wu asked.

"I wouldn't dare presume. It's just that seeing Brother Lu's extraordinary demeanor, I specifically came over to converse," Wei Ming smiled. "I have traded between Wu and Chu for several years and traveled the Lan River many times, but this is the first time I have ever laid eyes on someone like Brother Lu."

"Brother Wei flatters me." Lu Wu gave perfunctory replies while keeping his eyes fixed on the distant shore.

If the state of Chu was planning to ambush him, the riverbank might well be hiding traps.

"Is Brother Lu a scion of a military family?" Wei Ming asked.

"I have practiced some military martial arts, but I can hardly be considered a scion of a military family—Brother Wei is actually a woman, aren't you?" Lu Wu glanced at Wei Ming and said.

For Lu Wu, everything within a radius of twenty zhang fell under his spiritual perception; even the sound of a heartbeat could not be hidden from him. Wei Ming was standing less than three chi away from him, and due to physiological differences, the breathing patterns of men and women differed slightly.

"Brother Lu truly has sharp eyes! I have traveled between Wu and Chu for years, and Brother Lu is the first to see through my disguise as a woman in such a short time." Far from feeling embarrassed at being exposed, Wei Ming praised him instead.

"A woman like Brother Wei is certainly a rare sight."

"Hahaha, it is merely out of sheer necessity. My parents are elderly, and since there are only my younger sister and me at home, someone has to step out to manage the business.

"Seeing Brother Lu traveling alone from Wu to Chu, I imagine you must have your own difficulties. My family's merchant caravan happens to lack a resident protector and martial escort. I wonder if Brother Lu would condescend to join us?" Wei Ming said eagerly.

There is no such thing as unreasoned affection in this world; Wei Ming had approached him with her own agenda.

The Wei family had two daughters and no sons. Her elderly father had suffered an injury some years prior and could now only recuperate at home, forcing Wei Ming to step forward and manage the enterprise.

The hardship was of little consequence; the true trouble for the Wei family was the lack of a male heir to stand as the head of the household.

While her aging father was still alive, things were manageable. But once he passed, property-grabbing relatives were not phenomena found exclusively in rural villages.

Therefore, taking in a son-in-law to marry into the family was imperative.

Yet finding a good matrilocal husband was no easy task. What son of a respectable family would ever willingly become a resident son-in-law in another's household?

Only those who could not support themselves and pinned all their hopes on being maintained by a wife would stoop to becoming a son-in-law—and such individuals were usually beneath the Wei family's notice.

Seeing that Lu Wu was handsome, tall, and traveling alone from Wu to Chu on a ferry, he bore a strong resemblance to a military scion who had fled the turmoil of the Songjing rebellion.

Such a person would have no support network in Chu, produce no livelihood, and yet possess a fine education—was he not the absolute prime candidate for a son-in-law?

"Thank you, but I have no particular difficulties to speak of," Lu Wu shook his head, refusing.

This woman was completely incomprehensible; Lu Wu felt as though he had encountered a female lunatic.

"Why must Brother Lu keep people at such a distance? With a talent like yours, I wonder if you are already betrothed?"

Lu Wu stepped away a couple of paces, feeling it necessary to put some distance between himself and this woman.

Unfazed, Wei Ming followed right after him.

Accustomed to conducting business outside, Wei Ming's skin had long since grown thick; a minor setback like this did not even register in her eyes.

In this day and age, was it easy to find an independent intellectual with no attachments?

Just as Wei Ming was about to press her advantage further, she suddenly caught sight of a warship in the distant upstream unfurling its full sails and heading directly toward them.

Warships were different from merchant vessels. Warships were equipped with rams, had relatively high gunwales, and featured striking poles on both sides to smash smaller boats, along with giant crossbows to shoot down enemy vessels. They also carried a larger complement of bows and crossbows, and their soldiers included armored infantry.

Sensing something ominous, Wei Ming reached out to pull Lu Wu into the cabin for cover, just as a spear-like crossbow bolt spanned a hundred paces and shot straight toward them.

Lu Wu slightly sidestepped. The massive bolt grazed past him, striking the deck at an extremely narrow angle before ricocheting upward. It pierced clean through an unsuspecting passenger and swept him over the side into the river.