Chapter 16: A Battle Against Destiny

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Xu Qi had dreamed countless times of seeing her dear friend again. Sometimes they embraced joyfully, tears of happiness streaming down their faces; other times, they clung to each other, weeping bitterly after enduring hardships. Sometimes, she opened a door to find Zhou Zhiwei quietly embroidering at her frame as usual, as if no terrible event had ever occurred... And sometimes, Xu Qi lifted a tattered straw mat to witness Zhou Zhiwei’s horrifyingly decayed corpse.

Her dreams were always accompanied by tears, and upon waking—just like now—her eyes remained moist.

But dreams, after all, are only dreams. Once she opened her eyes, they dissolved like bubbles, intangible and unseen. Yet now, Zhiwei was very close to her, and it still felt like a dream—

They had finally caught up with the boat bearing the night navigation light.

A red lantern hung at the bow, flickering faintly like a distant beacon guiding souls across the River of Forgetfulness, just within reach.

Tan Jiuding stood at the bow, shouting orders with the authority of an inspector, commanding the vessel to stop and dock.

The two sides drew near; Tan Jiuding stepped aboard in one stride, followed closely by Xu Qi, who wished she had ten more eyes to scrutinize every corner of the boat and trace the whereabouts of the large red trunk.

The people on board gathered and knelt before Tan Jiuding. The leader, a slender official, reverently held a list adorned with two official seals and said, “I am Wang Cheng, a hundred-householder of the Suzhou Guard’s Zhenhai command, entrusted by Right Vice Censor Li of the Canal Transport Censorate to escort the autumn grain shipment of the Fifth Brigade. Here are the official documents issued by the Ministry of Revenue for verification, complete with lanterns and identification placards. I beg you, honorable sir, to inspect accordingly.”

Tan Jiuding sized him up—the man was kneeling but still not as tall as his legs.

“You are a hundred-householder?”

“Your honor is wise and discerning,” the man smiled apologetically. “This position has been inherited through ancestral privilege; if it were by genuine ability, I doubt I would even be as competent as a camp cook. Compared to you, honorable sir... I am but a mouse in the granary, how could I aspire to be a rare phoenix?”

“You know me?”

“I once served at the frontier in Liaodong; your illustrious reputation has long preceded you.”

Tan Jiuding narrowed his eyes, surveying the man, but the dim light made it difficult to discern details. By size alone, this person was nothing like the one who shot Zhao Qing from the eaves that day. Not only him, but none of the sailors or guards aboard matched that figure either.

Could they have chased the wrong boat?

“Tan Jiuding...” Xu Qi whispered urgently beside him, already eager.

Tan Jiuding took the list from the householder and said in official tone, “Check it thoroughly. Not a single bushel can be missing.”

“Yes, sir.” Xu Qi echoed the order, her mind already racing towards the ship’s hold.

“Uh, sir,” Wang Cheng looked up at Xu Qi with doubt, “May I ask who this lady is...” He had never heard of a woman leading an inspection party.

Tan Jiuding raised his sword-like brow, his demeanor daunting. “She’s with me. Need I explain further?”

Wang Cheng startled and quickly bowed his head. “Of course not, sir. The Canal Transport Censorate’s order states I must ‘proceed day and night without delay.’ I dare not disobey lest I implicate my superiors... Uh, if the honorable sir insists on inspection, may I request to submit a written explanation to the Canal Transport Office?”

“Hmph, rest assured, I have no intention to delay. If the department questions us, I will report and explain myself.” With that, he nodded to Xu Qi. “Go ahead.”

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Xu Qi, accompanied by several villagers who had boarded with them, fully asserted their authority and headed straight for the hold. Each knew exactly what the large red trunk looked like—just one glance would be enough...

“Sir, Householder, there’s a decoy boat approaching us—”

Voices arose on the deck, but Xu Qi paid no heed, focusing intently on the lantern’s light as she searched. The hold was cramped and stifling, the air thick and almost suffocating.

“What decoy boat? Don’t be blind. Look carefully, there’s no red lacquered eye on the bow.”

Where was it? Where was Zhiwei hidden?

“But there seems to be a cannon on that boat?”

Suddenly, a flash of vermilion caught her peripheral vision. Xu Qi spun around sharply, eyes fixed intently on that spot. “Found it! Quick! Move the grain sacks on top!”

She called out loudly for the villagers’ help. In the confined space, several of them worked together to shift the heavy sacks, already drenched in sweat from the effort.

Xu Qi flung open the trunk’s lid, nearly overwhelmed with tears—“Zhiwei! Zhiwei?”

Inside the large red trunk lay a slender, delicate beauty marked by a tear mole, eyes tightly shut and curled uncomfortably within. Her breathing was faint but still alive!

She had found her! All the nightmares over these days were worth it... “Zhiwei.”

“Boom!”

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A deafening explosion rocked the boat violently. The neatly stacked grain barrels in the hold toppled and crashed with a clatter! People were knocked down, others staggered. Screams erupted one after another!

What was happening!?

The trunk lid fell, smashing Xu Qi’s hand, but she clung fiercely to the trunk. It felt as if the world was collapsing, everything rolling and tumbling forward! Before she could make sense of what was happening outside, Tan Jiuding burst into the hold like a gale, shouting “Down!” and lunged toward her!

Almost simultaneously, another tremendous explosion echoed, shaking the heavens, ringing in her ears. Her body was dragged mercilessly, losing all sense of weight, thrown into the air and slammed heavily back down.

As icy coldness wrapped around her and swallowed her whole, she realized she had sunk beneath the water!

The muffled roar shook the river; the Dragon King raged and flipped. Flames flickered like a ghostly illusion, separated from her by an unreachable watery barrier. The red trunk was still there.

Xu Qi struggled free from the arms around her waist, kicked the water with all her might, reaching out. Almost there... almost...

“Zhiwei, wait for me to save you!”

Suddenly, two dark shapes darted forward, clutching the red trunk and pushing it far beyond reach! Was she to miss it again?

Xu Qi prepared to exert herself, but at that moment, the hand that had once protected her never surfaced.

She looked up at the trunk, then glared down into the depths—the man’s body sank stiff and unfeeling, about to plunge into the abyss beyond the reach of the firelight.

Which side should she choose?

Underwater was deathly silent, as if all the world’s sound had been drained away, leaving only the pounding of her heart reverberating in her mind, lost and confused.

Heaven seemed to be playing tricks on her again... making her want to fight against fate itself!

Finally, glancing once more at the red trunk, Xu Qi gritted her teeth, turned, and dove toward the abyss!

On the river surface, the fiery dragon soared upward, the scattered wreckage sinking gradually beneath the waves. The chaos of the explosion had frozen all surrounding boats, but stirred the restless minds of many—gongs and horns sounded, cries and shouts erupted, setting the autumn grain route ablaze with turmoil.