The Crown Princess is busy fishing

Two pirates walked in, one of them frowning as he looked at Lin Yuge.

He muttered, "Why isn't this little wench awake yet? Did you give her too much medicine?"

Another pirate scratched his head.

"No, I measured it exactly as Brother Dao told me to."

The two talked as they approached Lin Yuge.

Lin Yuge quickly stopped what she was doing, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.

My heart was pounding like a drum in my chest.

Her hands were still tightly gripping the stone behind her back, ready to retaliate at any moment.

Fortunately, the two pirates simply stood beside her and did not make any further moves.

One of them kicked Lin Yuge, but she didn't react.

He then said to his companion, "She should be fine. Maybe the little girl is weak and woke up late."

Another pirate snorted:

"That would be for the best. If we delay Brother Dao's business, we'll both be in trouble."

After saying that, the two turned and walked towards the cave entrance.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to give instructions:

"Pockmarked guy, keep a close eye on him!"

"Don't worry! He's still not awake, is he?" the pockmarked man said nonchalantly.

Lin Yuge's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

She listened attentively.

They only started grinding the rope with stones again after the footsteps of the two men had completely disappeared.

This time she was more careful, controlling the force of each thrust to avoid making a sound.

The rope had already been worn through by more than half, but she gritted her teeth and sped up.

She was completely unaware that her palm was cut by a stone.

Finally, the rope broke, and she quickly untied the bindings on her feet.

I moved my wrists, which had become numb from being constricted.

They tiptoed deeper into the cave.

It was pitch black there, but at that moment it was her only way to escape.

Not far ahead, the faint sound of flowing water could be heard.

Lin Yuge was overjoyed; perhaps a place with water could lead to an exit.

Or they could find a hiding place and wait for the pirates to leave before looking for an opportunity to escape.

She crouched low and moved quickly along the damp cave wall.

As the distance closed, the sound of flowing water became clearer, accompanied by the dripping sound of water falling.

Suddenly, she accidentally kicked a stone.

The sound of the stones rolling down was particularly jarring in the silent cave.

Lin Yuge's heart tightened suddenly, and she immediately stopped, pressed herself against the cave wall, and held her breath.

After waiting for a while and confirming that there was nothing wrong, she continued forward.

Finally, an underground river appeared before them.

The river water shimmered in the dim light.

I wonder where this river leads.

At that moment, a roar suddenly came from behind.

"That girl ran away!"

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.

The torchlight flickered in the cave, illuminating the ferocious faces of the pirates.

The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by shouts and curses.

"She must be here, don't let her get away!"

Without thinking twice, Lin Yuge jumped into the dark river.

The icy river water instantly submerged her.

She struggled to dive to the bottom of the river, trying to use the water as cover to escape the pirates.

The current was swift, carrying her rapidly forward.

She was swept away and became disoriented in the underground river.

Their bodies kept colliding with the rocks in the river, but they could only grit their teeth and endure it.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she sensed a change in the water around her.

It became even saltier and more turbulent, and was eventually washed to the estuary.

There was a cave next to a reef at the mouth of the river, and she was swept into it by the current.

Finally, Lin Yuge struggled to climb out of the water and collapsed on the cave floor, panting heavily.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that I had finally escaped.

But there wasn't even time to catch their breath.

Suddenly I heard the sound of things being unloaded on the beach outside, and people talking.

She held her breath and quietly moved closer to the cave entrance to listen.

The voice that seemed to be called "Brother Dao" came from the person who had kidnapped him.

"This shipment is quite large. The seas have been rather turbulent lately, so it's not easy to get it safely here."

Another rough voice said:

"Yes, if we hadn't figured out the routes of those patrol boats, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"If we handle this shipment from those salt merchants properly, we'll be rich!"

Lin Yuge was shocked. It turned out that these pirates were also in cahoots with the salt merchants. No wonder they were so rampant.

As she was thinking, she heard the man mention other people.

"Thanks to the adults who made the connection for us, otherwise those salt merchants would not have trusted us and would have been willing to entrust us with such a large shipment."

However, the adults' appetites are growing, and a significant portion of the money allocated this time will end up in their pockets.

"Hmph, those officials are like insatiable wolves; we still need to be wary of them."

Lin Yuge frowned deeply; it turned out that there were officials involved behind the scenes.

No wonder pirates and salt merchants could act so brazenly.

She knew all too well that this was a huge web of interests, and that she was now at the center of it.

If discovered, they will surely die.

Just then, another sound came from outside.

"Stop talking nonsense and unload the goods quickly. Move them away tonight, or something might go wrong."

Then there was a chaotic sound of footsteps.

Lin Yuge's heart raced, and she dared not even breathe.

Lin Yuge only breathed a slight sigh of relief when the footsteps outside gradually faded away.

She thought she should leave first.

It's too dangerous to stay on this island any longer.

Those people have already realized they've escaped, and they might come looking for them at any time.

But if I want to go back, I need to find a means of transportation.

We can't exactly swim back!

She carefully observed the situation outside the cave.

By the moonlight, they could see that the beach was piled high with goods, which the pirates were busy moving.

She moved slowly along the edge of the cave, trying to use the shadows to hide herself.

Several small boats were moored on the beach; perhaps that was her hope of leaving.

But with so many pirates around, she had to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Lin Yuge observed the pirates' movements, searching for gaps in their defenses.

Finally, she discovered that when the pirates were moving cargo, they would sometimes concentrate on the side away from the small boat.

This might be her only chance.

Lin Yuge took a deep breath and quietly submerged into the water.

Swim towards the small boat.

As she approached the small boat, she slowed down and cautiously peered out of the water to observe.

After confirming that the surroundings were temporarily safe, she gently grabbed the gunwale, and with a sudden burst of strength, flipped herself onto the boat.

As soon as she boarded the ship, she quickly lay down and kept her body as low as possible to avoid being discovered by the pirates.

At this moment, Lin Yuge's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.

Reaching out to untie the rope, she discovered a worn-out oar on the boat, which she treasured.

Reach out and grip the paddle tightly, carefully place it in the water, and begin to paddle slowly.

With each stroke, she tried to control the force and amplitude to avoid making too much noise.

The seawater rippled gently beneath the oars, and with her efforts, the small boat gradually moved away from the beach.

She rowed far away until her figure gradually disappeared into the night.

The faint sounds of pirates searching could be heard from the shore.

The sounds were chaotic and angry, like the roar of a wild beast whose prey had been stolen.

Lin Yuge dared not stop for a moment. She gripped the oar tightly and rowed vigorously, stroke by stroke.

Her arms ached from the excessive exertion, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

With each stroke, the small boat moved further away from the pirates.