Chapter 6: The Fishing Boat

Chapter 6: The Fishing Boat

Xiao Hei seemed quite confident, eagerly pulling him along.

The Qingshui River was conveniently to the south. During winter, there was no fishing, and the fleet docked at the bank, their masts casting long shadows in the darkness.

Xiao Hei circled twice on the spot before sitting down facing the direction of the fishing boats, looking up at Qin Cang.

They couldn’t get too close and took cover behind a large rock at a distance.

Qin Cang stroked Xiao Hei while keeping a vigilant eye on the fishing boats, “What to do? The riverbank is too exposed, it’s unclear if it’s guarded or where those people might be. If we approach rashly, we might spook them. Maybe we should retreat for today..."

Bai Yang suddenly interrupted, "Wait, the old crone has left her dwelling."

She held a small wooden box in her hands, from which came thumping and fluttering sounds, as if a tiny insect was trapped inside.

"A Magpie Bridge Gu?" Qin Cang was surprised; he didn’t expect Bai Yang to possess such a thing.

The insects, male and female, typically lay dormant, only awakening with heat or fire. If separated, the closer they were to each other, the louder they became, like lovers meeting, hence the name Magpie Bridge Gu, often used for long-distance signaling.

Qin Cang had seen it once in the palace and knew it to be rare.

Bai Yang explained, "Before I left, I gave the other insect to Qian Yi and told him to heat the bottom of the box with a fire-starter if the old witch stirred."

Realization dawned on Qin Cang; the increasing noise from the insect indicated the crone was indeed approaching.

Perhaps today was the day of sacrifice, it seemed their timing was impeccable.

Fearing the insects would perish in the severe cold, the two decided after a brief discussion to retreat even further back, so lighting a fire-starter wouldn’t be noticed by anyone on the fishing boats.

After half an hour, the insect inside the box was in a frenzy. Xiao Hei suddenly stood up, but Qin Cang quickly clamped the dog's mouth, beads of sweat on his forehead, "Ancestor, you must not bark now."

Bai Yang promptly extinguished the fire-starter.

Xiao Hei scratched twice with its front paws, gesturing to Qin Cang.

He saw a stooped figure in the distance, leaning on a cane, inching their way towards them.

He squinted his eyes and saw two sneaky figures farther away, trailing behind the old crone, one must be Qian Yi, and the other... Qin Cang doubted his own eyes, why would Miss Hu be there?

He suddenly turned his head to look at Bai Yang, his voice lowered, tone unfriendly: "What's going on!"

Bai Yang was also taken aback: "I was about to ask you the same!"

The unplanned involvement of someone not in their plans agitated Qin Cang, and just as he was about to speak again, he got elbowed by Bai Yang: "Shut up, watch the old crone."

He looked up to see the old crone wrapped in a black night cloak, her head thoroughly covered.

She looked around warily, prodding her way towards their hiding spot with her cane.

Qin Cang's heart skipped a beat, thinking they had been discovered.

At that moment, he saw Qian Yi gesturing frantically at him from a distance, as if telling him not to act rashly.

But the old crone seemed not to have noticed them; she appeared nervous, acting covertly, and Qin Cang felt his scalp tingle watching her movements.

The reason they were here was because this large rock provided a good hiding place—

This old hag couldn’t have set her sights on the same spot, could she!

Running now would surely expose them, so Qin Cang hugged Xiao Hei with one arm and, with the other hand on the large rock, slowly shifted along the rock wall to the side.

In a short while, the two of them finally moved to the other side.

The next moment, they heard the old crone panting and leaning against the stone: "Alright, alright, now I'm well hidden."

He and Bai Yang exchanged glances, each reading an unspoken expletive in the other's eyes.

Qian Yi and Miss Hu could not come over and had to hide even farther away; Qin Cang felt uneasy, glancing over at Miss Hu from time to time.

As he watched, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

In the distance, within the tall winter reeds, a subtle rustling moved from afar, drawing nearer, the brittle reeds gradually collapsing, as if something was threading its way through.

The sound didn’t come from one direction but seemed to slowly converge towards them from all around, centering on the riverbank.

From above, it would seem as though several massive serpents were slithering through the vast reeds, slowly making their way towards the riverbank.

The old crone's panting subsided, and Miss Hu along with Qian Yi also vanished from sight.

Qin Cang held his breath and focused intently on the end of the winter reeds.

A clear ring of a bell sounded, and a red bridal sedan emerged from the winter reeds.

Soon after, the remaining four sedans also came into view.

The bearers, dressed in black with their faces covered, walked briskly and steadily without the usual musical accompaniment of a bride’s procession, their gaze fixed forward.

With the waning moon still in the sky, the riverbank bathed in the hazy moonlight, the five bright red bridal sedans converged towards the fishing boats like venomous blooms atop black serpents.

In the ominous silence, only the sounds of footsteps and the crunching of gravel could be heard.

The black-clad figures seemed not to notice them, gradually nearing the large rock. Qin Cang’s eyes were glued to their silhouettes, his breathing almost inaudible.

Just as the figures passed by the large rock, about to move on, a sudden rustling came from the side where the old crone was.

Astonishingly, she followed behind the last person in black, seamlessly blending into the wedding procession without a sound.

Qin Cang’s face was a picture of shock; he turned to look at Bai Yang and then back at the procession.

The old crone, who claimed to be a matchmaker, didn't seem like she should be part of the procession, but had surreptitiously infiltrated it.

Guessing that they would embark on their journey tonight and not wanting to miss the opportunity, Qin Cang made a split-second decision, bit down hard, and pulled the hood of his night cloak over his head, following behind.

He wanted to sneak a peek at Miss Hu and the others for their reaction, but he felt a sensation on his back, as if someone was writing a message: Do not turn back.

Bai Yang’s back was right in front of him. Qin Cang’s scalp tingled as he stiffened his neck and waved his hand behind him, only for it to be gently caught by another hand.

That person wrote a single character "Hu" slowly in the palm of his hand.

Miss Hu!

How could she have caught up?

Was Qian Yi with her?

Despite the multitude of questions in his mind, Qin Cang, being one to heed advice, returned the squeeze of Miss Hu's hand, adopted the stoic posture of the black-clad figures, and headed towards the fishing boats without a sideward glance.

The sedan chairs came to a halt before the fishing boats, and several men in black swiftly and silently lifted the sedan doors to carry out the elaborately dressed women.

The women were attired in garments that resembled those worn for the Moon-Leap Festival, a corner of which peeked out from beneath Bai Yang’s nocturnal cloak.

Lanterns were lit aboard the two boats, and Qin Cang stole a glance, noticing bells with the same pattern as those on the sedans hanging from the boats' surrounding railings.

The bells, adorned with the image of a serpent with a human face entwined with water plants, tinkled ethereally in the wind.

The women were divided between the two boats, with Qin Cang following Bai Yang, who followed the old witch onto the second boat, which seemed to carry only two offerings.

Once the cabin was sealed, darkness enveloped them, and everyone sat cross-legged in the pitch-black interior, neither lighting lamps nor speaking.

Qin Cang could feel his heart pounding as the heavy sound of the anchor being lifted echoed outside, the boat’s frame creaked slightly, and after a while, it seemed to have set sail upon the water.

Fortunately, the few who had boarded were close enough to exchange messages by writing in the palms of their hands.

Bai Yang wrote: Wait.

Qin Cang: Where is Qian Yi?

Miss Hu: A small boat for backup.

He wanted to ask more about why Miss Hu was with Qian Yi earlier and how she managed to follow them but feared too much movement might give them away, so he simply wrote in her palm: Follow me, don’t be scared.

Miss Hu did not respond, and Qin Cang, tentatively, did not retract his hand. Miss Hu, surprisingly, did not pull away, allowing him to hold on.

After a while, the rhythmic swaying subsided, the cargo hold creaked open, a faint light filtered through the darkness from the ceiling, followed by the hatch being lifted, and Qin Cang squinted upwards from beneath his hood, as a ladder was lowered, and then came another jingle of bells.

This ringing was not as ethereal as before but somewhat piercing, snapping his mind to alertness.

Some of the black-clad figures coughed, others sneezed, beginning to stretch and flex their muscles.

A voice from the top of the ladder, heavy and commanding, called down: "Come up, prepare for the sacrifice."

Bai Yang was the first to blend into the queue climbing the ladder, with Qin Cang and Miss Hu following close behind.

She quickly moved to the prow of the boat, where the offering was only watched by one man in black, who turned around but before he could speak, was rendered unconscious by Bai Yang’s silencing blow.

The river’s heart was cloaked in a dense night mist, faces were obscured at a distance on the boat, and no one noticed the scuffle.

She swiftly stripped off the night cloak and wrapped it around Bai Liu, turning to say, "Take her and hide." With that, she lay down where Bai Liu had just been.

Qin Cang nodded, his eyes scanning for the old crone.

Their original plan was for Bai Yang to switch places with Bai Liu, with Qian Yi providing backup.

Although he was maneuvering a small boat and had to maintain a distance from the fishing boat to avoid detection, Bai Yang would need to swim a short distance after jumping into the water before meeting up with Qian Yi.

Qin Cang’s task was to hide with Bai Liu in the cabin until they returned to port.

If everything went without mishap, their plan had a chance of success, but the old witch seemed an unexpected element in the ritual; he had no idea what she was doing aboard, but instinct told Qin Cang to keep a close watch on her.

This, however, left them shorthanded.

Torn, Qin Cang, with Miss Hu in tow, made it back to the cabin without incident. Clenching his teeth, he hurriedly said, "Miss Hu, I need to go up and keep an eye on the old crone. Could you help me watch over things here?"

He took a jade bracelet from his bosom and placed it on Miss Hu's wrist: "The men in black won't come down for a while; this amulet can save your life once. If you're in danger, I will sense it."

Knowing that Miss Hu was under no obligation to help, he could only bet on her understanding. With no time for further explanation, Qin Cang gave her a meaningful look before climbing up the ladder out of the cargo hold.

A faint mist hung over the river surface, and the lantern mounted in the pilothouse was insufficient to illuminate the entire vessel.

After some time, someone shook a ship lantern, and that grating bell sound rang out again, followed by someone commanding, "Begin."

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