Golden Branch

"Search! See if there's anyone else on board! Remember, leave no one alive!"

There were several figures wearing black Hu clothing and black scarves covering their faces.

The leader stabbed the fisherman in the chest with a knife, watched him fall down, and then stabbed him in the neck with the knife.

puff!

Blood spurted out, mixing with the blood on the chest, and spreading all over the deck.

He took the knife, wiped it on the coarse linen clothes of the corpse, wiped off the blood stains, and gave orders in a cold voice.

At the stern, in the shadows, there was a small figure, covering his mouth tightly.

Her slightly thin body was shaking violently, and her eyes were filled with fear and grief.

Tears had already covered her cheeks, wetting the hand that was covering her mouth.

“…”Yeah yeah! Ah yeah!

Her Ye Ye, an honest and hardworking fisherman, had never done anything harmful in his life. He was just fishing normally, but suddenly met with a disaster.

She heard clearly that those people wanted to wipe out the entire clan.

escape!

Must escape quickly!

Although Zhao Jinniang was frightened, her mind was extremely clear.

She knew that now was not the time to be afraid or sad, she had to escape quickly.

Only if she is left with a life can she go to the police to report and avenge her father.

Water bandits!

This must be a pirate.

Having made a living on the Yi River since childhood, Zhao Jinniang not only developed a good swimming skill, but also understood the dangers of the river.

There have always been river bandits on the vast Yi River.

"...But those pirates mostly rob passing cargo ships. We are just ordinary fishermen. Apart from the fish we caught, we don't have anything valuable."

The pirates are just cruel, not stupid.

Whenever they go out, they must grab enough wealth and goods.

To put it bluntly, this broken boat and some fish and shrimps are not worth the pirates' effort!

Zhao Jinniang didn't understand why such a devastating disaster had befallen her family.

She bit her lips hard to prevent herself from making any sound.

While the pirates were searching the cabin, she spotted the right spot and jumped into the river.

"what sound?"

"Someone fell into the water?"

"Damn it! There's a survivor! Quick, quick, find him and kill him!"

The splashing sound of falling into the water still attracted the attention of the pirates.

They followed the sound and ran to the stern, holding torches in one hand and clinging to the side of the boat with the other, trying their best to search the water.

Zhao Jinniang is very good at swimming. She has been fishing with her parents for many years and has also mastered the skill of holding her breath underwater.

She held her breath, dived underwater, and carefully moved to the bottom of her own boat.

It is dark under the light, and there are also blind spots under the fishing boats.

"no one!"

"Yeah! There's no movement!"

If someone escapes and jumps off the boat, he will definitely swim hard to the shore.

Neither people nor the sound of paddling can escape their search.

However, at this moment, there was no one swimming around the fishing boat, and on the water surface, there was not even a bubble, let alone a splash.

"Maybe something was dropped!"

"Let's go! Keep searching!"

The leader, seeing that nothing was found on the river, deliberately shouted.

The others followed the order, some returned to the cabin, and some ran to the bow.

As the footsteps faded away, there seemed to be no one at the stern of the ship.

Zhao Jinniang was hiding under the fishing boat. When she heard the movement on the boat, she thought to herself: Gone? Then -

No!

This involves her life and Aye's revenge, so she cannot act rashly.

She continued to hold her breath, and even though her chest began to lack oxygen and her face began to twist in pain, she did not come up to the surface of the water.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Jinniang felt that she had survived a lifetime and her mind began to blur.

Suddenly, she faintly heard a sentence "Sure enough, there is no one here!"

Then, there was another sound of subtle footsteps.

She made the right bet!

The pirate was indeed cunning. He just drove away the others and stayed at the stern of the boat.

If I had been impatient and secretly stuck my head out just now, I might have been caught by him.

Water bandits are not only good at using knives, they are also very good at swimming.

Once they discovered her whereabouts, even in the water, Zhao Jinniang had no confidence that she could escape.

She was still a child, and the other party was a vicious and brutal bandit.

As the footsteps faded away, Zhao Jinniang continued to hold her breath desperately.

thump!

Something fell into the water again.

Zhao Jinniang hid under the surface of the river. The surface of the river was rippling, and her vision became shaking, blurred, and distorted.

She opened her eyes wide, trying to see what fell into the water.

Then, tears rolled out of her eyes again: ...Yeah yeah! It's Aye!

They, they killed Aye and threw Aye's body into the river!

The body sank to the bottom of the river, and the slightly dried bloodstains were spread out again.

Zhao Jinniang's eyes were bloodshot, but she could only watch.

She couldn't even swim over, reach out and grab the falling Aye!

"Whoa! Whoa!"

Zhao Jinniang was grief-stricken and desperate, whimpering silently like a little animal.

"...Get ready and change your clothes, quick! Damn it, what are you taking so long for? Hurry up!"

A low scolding sounded again on the boat.

Then there was the clang of weapons being thrown onto the deck and the rustling of clothes being changed.

Zhao Jinniang seized the opportunity and cautiously stuck her head out.

call!

She was finally able to breathe normally through her nose and mouth, and the fresh, warm air instantly made her feel alive.

However, she still didn't dare to make any sound. She opened her mouth and breathed as slowly as possible.

Then the boat started moving.

Zhao Jinniang did not dare to delay. She was like a nimble fish, clinging to the bottom of the boat and swimming along with it.

"Huh? They're approaching that pleasure boat!"

Zhao Jinniang discovered that her fishing boat, under the control of the pirates, was getting closer and closer to the huge and luxurious houseboat.

While fishing during the day, Zhao Jinniang saw the pleasure boat.

The length of the pleasure boat is three times that of his own fishing boat.

It is three stories high and has a tall mast.

The ship's hull is decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and is tied with brightly colored silk and hung with exquisite lanterns.

It looks very spectacular and luxurious even in the daytime.

In the evening, when the lights came on, the pleasure boat instantly became the most dazzling existence on the Yi River.

Add to that the sounds of drums, music, and laughter that could be heard from time to time... Zhao Jinniang felt that if there really was a fairy palace in heaven, it would probably look like this!

"...That's a nobleman's boat. I just ran into a waiter from the tavern delivering wine, and he said the boat is full of young men and women from the wealthy families of Hedong and even Yizhou!"

"I heard they want to swim in the river and admire the moon. I wonder what's the difference between the moon on the river and on land!"

At that time, Zhao Jinniang was sitting at the stern of the boat, holding her chin, staring at the pleasure boat in a daze with her eyes blurred.

Ye Ye, who was rowing the boat, saw her curious and envious look and said with a smile.

...This scene happened just half an hour ago. Ye Ye was so kind and never disliked her just because she was his daughter.

He taught her how to swim and took her fishing. Grandpa also said that when he saved enough money, he would send her to study at Deyin Hall.

The scholars in the town all said that Dongshan Academy has a girls' school. It doesn't matter your background or whether you can read. As long as you have a skill, you can be selected!

Being able to hold one's breath underwater for as long as a cup of tea should also be considered a "special skill".

"Yeah yeah!"

Looking at the pleasure boat getting closer and closer, Zhao Jinniang's eyes turned red again as her father's voice and smile appeared in her mind.

She, no longer has Yeah Yeah!

She can't study, work hard, and become the little girl that Ye Ye is proud of!

……

The fishing boat was getting closer and closer to the pleasure boat.

"Who is it? Stop! There is an important person here, don't offend him!"

On the pleasure boat, in addition to the young noble, there were also the young noble's servants and guards.

They stood on the deck, with one person every three or five steps, either paying attention to the movements in the cabin or keeping watch over the river.

There are pirates on the Yi River, and people in Yizhou all know this.

Although everyone thinks that according to common sense, those pirates would not offend the nobleman's pleasure boat if they have any brains, but, what if?

If there really was an idiot, or someone was confused for a moment and suddenly ran over to rush in, the guards would be prepared in advance so that the nobles would not be really frightened.

Taking precautions before things happen is the loyalty and ability that a noble servant of a noble family should have.

One of the guards saw a dilapidated fishing boat quietly approaching in the deepening night.

This boat looks like it belongs to fishermen who make a living on the river bank.

However, we cannot take it lightly.

What if they are pirates in disguise?

There were too many young nobles on the pleasure boat, and young girls and young men from the prominent families in Hedong, Yizhou and other places were present.

If it were really robbed by pirates, the whole Yizhou would be in chaos!

"Stop! Do you hear me? If you don't stop, I'll use my bows and arrows!"

The guard started to scold, but the boat continued to move.

Without saying a word, he drew the sword from his waist.

If the other party does not obey, he will really give the order and shoot.

This involves more than a dozen minor nobles, so it's worth it even if it means killing someone.

The head of the family has his own way to handle it properly.

Swish!

Several guards heard the noise and gathered around.

Some of them held knives, some held bows, and all of them were in combat mode.

"My dear! Don't misunderstand! Don't, don't misunderstand!"

"The smaller ones are from the fishermen on the shore. They just caught a few croakers, which are really rare."

"Looking at this pleasure boat, I know there's a distinguished person here. A valuable item like the croaker should be presented to a distinguished person."

The one who spoke was the leader of the pirates.

He changed into a set of brown coarse cloth clothes, rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs, and went barefoot, looking just like an ordinary fisherman.

He was in his thirties, with slightly dark skin and bare arms that were strong and powerful.

The guards of the pleasure boat looked down at him from a high position and saw that he was well-built and strong, but they did not doubt him.

Fishermen, farmers, etc. all need to do hard labor, so it is normal for them to have thick arms.

"Breakfish?"

"Yes! It's extremely rare. I've been fishing in the river for over ten years, and this is only the second time I've come across one. The last time was a few years ago, when I sold it to a nobleman. He said that croaker is the most delicious when made into sashimi!"

The bandit leader nodded and bowed, with a humble look on his face like a commoner. He seemed to be afraid of the noble, but also wanted to please him.

The guards had seen many such untouchables, and they increasingly felt that this might be a fisherman who had finally caught a rare river fish and wanted to use it to curry favor with a noble.

It shouldn’t be a pirate!

The guard's tense nerves relaxed a little. "Are they really croaker? How many are there?"

"So that you may know, it is indeed a croaker. There are six of them."

"...Just wait, I'll go ask!"

Although he was called a "noble man" by these lowly people, the real noble man was in the pleasure boat.

The guard did not dare to act on his own. He shouted at the bandit leader and turned to go into the pleasure boat.

"Break? Oh! Perfect! We can have some sashimi!"

"Right, right! Haha, today is indeed an auspicious day, with a bright moon in the sky and delicious fish sashimi!"

A group of little nobles in their teens were having a great time, and they were all in high spirits.

I heard that there is also the extremely rare croaker, and someone suddenly mentioned "fish sashimi", which made everyone's mouth water.

Just try it. It’s the first time that so many friends of the same age get together to eat, drink, sing, dance, play and make noises... They just want to have more fun and be happier.

"By the way, besides this fisherman, are there any other fishing boats around? Have they caught any unusual fish or shrimp?"

Even with the fish sashimi, the nobles were still not satisfied.

Lu Jialan mentioned it casually.

The others found this interesting and all agreed: "Haha, Galan is right!"

"I'm tired of eating the food at home. It's fun to try the coarse food from the market every now and then!"

"Yes! Call them all!"

A group of little nobles drank some fermented glutinous rice wine and became a little drunk.

They may not even know what they are saying, they just want to shout along.

The guards were a little hesitant. Should they call them all?

What if those fishing boats...

Of course, some people hold opposing views: it is a new dynasty with a new atmosphere, and there has long been no chaos in Yizhou, so there are not so many "what ifs".

Besides, this is the master's order, and the guards can only obey.

The guards came to the side of the ship, first let the bandit leader get on board and deliver the fish, and then greeted several fishing boats around.

Soon, seven or eight fishing boats of various sizes were parked around the huge pleasure boat.

The fishing boats were filled with young men in their twenties and thirties.

Some of the guards noticed something was wrong.

He hurriedly reminded his companions and prepared to go to the pleasure boat to report to his master.

Yes, these guards are not from the same family.

But it was for the nobles from various families who participated in the river cruise banquet.

More than a dozen families and more than a dozen waves of guards.

Some people are "dereliction of duty" while others are vigilant.

For example, the seven or eight people brought by Wang Heng had solemn expressions. The team leader in charge was Ah Hu, whom Wang Heng was accustomed to using. He did not hesitate and went straight into the pleasure boat.

"Jiu Niang, something's not right! Those fishermen—"

Before Ah Hu could finish his words, he heard a scream.

Then came the shouts of the pirates who had succeeded in their plan:

"Brothers, come on!"

"Haha! The Chief of Yizhou, the Magistrate of Hedong County... these sons of bitch officials are all on the boat. No matter which one we catch, we'll win!"

The young nobles in the pleasure boat were all stunned by this huge change.

Wang Mian, having lived two lives as a human, possessed the mind of an adult and reacted the fastest. She grabbed Wang Heng and said, "Jiu Niang, run away!"

She heard clearly that the first person the pirate mentioned was "Chief Clerk of Yizhou", Wang Heng's biological father!

Therefore, Jiu Niang will also be the primary target of these thieves!