My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 208 Don’t take the usual path

The deck is brightly lit with candles tonight.

Not only were there more candles lit than before, but there were also many more people patrolling.

"Ugh, I'm so sleepy."

Someone leaned against the ship's railing, yawned, and looked at his companions who were still diligently patrolling not far away. He muttered unhappily, "The boss is really something. There are only a few people. He could have just tied them all up and been done with it. Why make such a big fuss?"

"I'm getting more and more confused as I get older."

"Shh!"

His companion quickly stopped his complaining, "Keep your voice down. If the boss hears you, you'll end up like that kid before, thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

Upon hearing this, the man scoffed, "How can I be compared to that unlucky brat? Don't you even know how many years I've been following the boss?"

"We are from the previous dynasty—"

Shh! Shut up! You talk too much! Be careful, the walls might be overhearing!

Before the man could finish speaking, his companion swiftly covered his mouth, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings warily.

"Alright, aren't they all our people? What are you afraid of!"

The man nonchalantly slapped the hand away from his mouth, spat out some phlegm while pulling up his belt, and walked back, saying, "You stay here and watch, I can't hold it in anymore, I need to take a piss."

However, the two people who were secretly watching didn't notice at all that while they were chatting for a while, a dark figure flashed out from the room they were staring at.

The figure moved with astonishing speed; even the candlelight hanging on the wall could not illuminate its shadow.

Tonight, Xie Yan was dressed in black, a rare occurrence for her.

Although this black outfit was taken from Chu Ling, it was even ostentatiously embroidered with large, gaudy dark patterns in gold thread.

During the movement, the dark patterns would shimmer faintly in the darkness.

However, compared to his pile of white clothes that were particularly conspicuous in the dark, it was still quite well concealed.

It just came at a price, not too light, but not too heavy, when they took off his clothes.

Xie Yan wiped her mouth, and each step she took as she moved forward was perfectly concealed in the shadows where the candlelight could not reach, her movements were both strange and swift.

He had a clear goal and kept moving towards the lone boatman who was staring at their room.

In the blink of an eye, he was already close behind the boatman, who was completely unaware.

A sea breeze blew in, making the sails rustle, and Xie Yan reached out her hand from the shadows.

In the blink of an eye, just as she was about to touch the boatman, Xie Yan suddenly and swiftly withdrew her hand.

At the same time, two boatmen walked over from the deck.

"The boss said we can't be alone, so where did that guy Lao Wu go again?"

Despite not being cold, the lone boatman shivered violently for some reason, rubbed his hands together, and replied, "Going to pee."

The boatman who arrived scoffed mercilessly, "Going again? He must have gone to pee countless times this day. No wonder his wife remarried. Who can stand a guy who's all show and no substance? Hahaha!"

But his companion didn't join in the mockery. Instead, he rubbed his eyes suspiciously. "Strange? Am I seeing things? Did you see something flash past behind Takako just now?"

"what?!"

The boatman named Guizi was startled and immediately turned around to look, but there was nothing behind him except the empty floor and his own shadow.

He turned back, still shaken, and cursed angrily, "Damn it, there's nothing there? You little brat, trying to scare me with your ghostly act, huh?!"

The companion looked around for a while, unwilling to give up, but finally gave up when he couldn't see anything.

"Never mind, I guess I'm just seeing things."

Hidden in the shadows, Xie Yan sighed silently. He glanced at the three people still chatting, frowned slightly, and then his figure floated away like a gust of wind.

The sound of the wind and the ceaseless roar of the waves echoed on the ship.

No one noticed that someone had appeared beside them for that brief moment.

Xie Yan didn't linger outside for long before tiptoeing back to her room.

The room was pitch black, the only light coming from a small candlestick lit beside the tatami mat.

"Ok?"

Chu Ling, leaning against the couch, looked over and raised an eyebrow at Xie Yan's empty hands. "What?"

“None of those boatmen were alone, making it difficult to make a move,” Xie Yan shook her head.

He originally wanted to catch someone and observe them closely before impersonating them and blending in with the boatmen.

However, to his surprise, the boatmen were very vigilant and maintained a collective approach, giving him no chance to make a move.

"Oh?"

Chu Ling was somewhat surprised to hear this. In the dim candlelight, although the corners of his mouth were still turned up, his face looked much more somber.

"It seems that this group is more well-trained than we thought."

The wind at sea was so strong that even with the window half-open, clothes were billowing and hair was constantly swaying.

Looking out the window, the outline of the town could already be faintly seen in the distance.

They will reach the shore in about half an hour.

The group sat down again in Xie Chu's room, pondering their next move.

He Shan stroked his chin, glanced at the teacup in front of Chu Ling, and said in a serious tone, "Why don't we fight our way out as soon as we reach the shore?"

“That’s not advisable,” Xuanfeng retorted from the side. “We are traveling in secrecy this time. If we rashly cause any disturbance, we might alert the enemy.”

Their mission was to locate the Church of Saint Sun based on the location of the treasure.

In order to avoid being discovered by the Holy Sun Church, they even arranged for stand-ins for the prince and his companions elsewhere.

"That's true." He Shan spread his hands and said, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Everyone fell into deep thought again.

Half an hour passed quickly, and the boat gradually approached the shore.

Xie Yan stood by the window by the door and looked out onto the deck. She saw the lecherous, fat merchant from before, with a group of servants and several boxes of goods, waiting at the ship's side to disembark.

Yu Bai, who was in the same direction as him, also looked in that direction.

As he looked around, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Why does this person travel with so many maids?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan immediately exchanged a glance with Chu Ling.

The latter nodded before finally speaking, "Then let's split into two groups and send people to mobilize manpower and find out who that person outside is."

Heshan asked doubtfully, "But aren't we unable to disembark?"

"Who says we have to walk this path openly and honestly?"

Xie Yan smiled, turned her head, and lightly tapped a window at the other end of the room with her chin.