Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"Jiang Manzi, a family member, devoutly worshipped and offered incense, flowers, lamps, and fruit to the Three Jewels, and prayed for the salvation of Qu Sanjiu."

"Qu Sanjiu, who cultivated good deeds and was compassionate in his lifetime, has now been reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. May he ascend to a higher lotus rank and reach the other shore soon."

"With a sincere heart, Jiang Manzi, a member of the family, respectfully requests the compassionate blessings of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions, wishing that Qu Sanjiu may soon be freed from the sea of ​​suffering, be reborn in the Pure Land, and enjoy boundless light and happiness."

"Jiang Manzi, a family member, prayed sincerely that Qu Sanjiu would be liberated under the Buddha's light, be reborn in the Pure Land, and never regress."

“Amitabha Buddha, respectfully presented by Jiang Manzi, family member, on the winter of January 26, 1093, Emperor Gengshi.”

Jiang Manzi held a eulogy and read it aloud to the crowd. Behind him, five crew members stood solemnly in two rows, holding fishing knives. After Jiang Manzi finished reading the eulogy, they took two steps forward, knelt before Captain Qu's body, bowed their heads, and pressed their foreheads together, saying calmly, "Uncle, may you be freed from suffering forever and never fall into this turbid world again."

After saying this, Jiang Manzi reached out and drew a fishing knife from the buckle at his waist. He personally cut off Captain Qu's head. Then, the five crew members each stepped forward and took fishing knives to dismember Captain Qu's body. They held the severed limbs and solemnly walked to the side of the boat and sank Captain Qu's severed limbs and body into the river.

The brutal scene caused Jin Wei's pupils to contract sharply; he was utterly bewildered and found it hard to accept.

Zhou Qingfeng reached out and pressed down on Jin Wei's arm, shaking his head slightly to indicate that he should not say anything more.

After Captain Qu was buried, Jiang Manzi instructed the crew to clean the deck. Then he nodded to Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei, beckoned them to follow him to the captain's cabin for a detailed discussion.

Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei exchanged a glance and silently followed Jiang Manzi back to the captain's cabin.

Jiang Manzi rummaged through something and said calmly, "There are burial rules on land and on water. When sailing on the Guanjiang River, there is a rule that everyone follows: those who die on the boat must be dismembered and buried in the water on the same day. The body cannot be left on the boat overnight."

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "I don't understand, but I respect your condolences. Please accept my condolences."

Behind every outrageous rule, there must have been something even more outrageous that happened.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't intend to pry into the details, nor did he have such intense curiosity, because there was something more important he needed to figure out.

Jiang Manzi glanced back at Zhou Qingfeng, nodded and said, "Thank you. I thought you arrogant city people would condemn us as barbaric, backward and cruel. I didn't expect you to respect our customs. I was prejudiced. Your name is Tian Xingyi, right? I'm starting to like you a little."

Zhou Qingfeng remained calm and composed, saying, "Respecting other people's customs isn't difficult, as long as it doesn't affect me. Alright, enough chit-chat, Jiang Manzi, I have something to ask you now: have you noticed that someone on the ship is missing?"

Jiang Manzi frowned as he gazed at the eerie mist ahead and said, "You mean Ma Guai? He's an old sailor who usually takes advantage of his seniority. He likes to slack off and drink while working on the ship with my uncle. He's probably passed out somewhere on the ship. Don't worry about him."

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Are you sure?"

Jiang Manzi turned his head to look at Zhou Qingfeng, his eyes narrowing slightly: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head slightly: "It doesn't mean anything, I just wanted to confirm it."

Jiang Manzi rubbed his messy stubble, his face showing irritation and anxiety: "Do you have to make things worse at this time? The demonic fog is thick now, and our boat has been drifting on the river all night. We just checked and found that the anchor is broken. It's probably broken by the Dragon King of Guanjiang when he passed by. That means we've strayed far from our original course. I need to find a way to reposition ourselves and devise a new route. I need some alone time and peace and quiet right now, okay?"

Zhou Qingfeng insisted, "I understand. Then please tell me where Ma Guai is, and I'll go check."

Jiang Manzi turned and walked to the space under the captain's bunk, bent down and pulled out a box. He took out a map of the Guanjiang River route and a compass from the box, and said without turning his head, "I don't know. I don't have the time or energy to care where a dead drunkard is. I'll kick this dead drunkard off the ship sooner or later. If you want to find him, please do as you please."

Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei exchanged a glance, then turned and left the captain's cabin.

Jin Wei said in a low voice, "Young Master, let's split up and meet on the deck later."

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Do you know what the usual outcome is when you split up to act when you know something is wrong?"

Jin Wei looked puzzled: "I don't know, please enlighten me, young master."

Zhou Qingfeng: "When the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, we are usually ambushed and defeated one by one, and then we all die. This is called the law of certain death when we split up."

Jin Wei: "..."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Do we still need to split up now?"

Jin Wei shook his head repeatedly.

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled: "Let's ask the crew first, and look around. The ship isn't big, so let's just make sure we don't get separated."

People who have never boarded a fishing boat may not know what a large fishing boat looks like.

However, for those familiar with fishing boats, the internal facilities are actually quite similar.

A large fishing boat is divided into two levels: the upper level is the deck level, and the lower level is the cargo hold level.

The upper deck consists of three parts: the forecourt, the main deck, and the stern deck.

The forecourt is the captain's command room, the main deck is the main area for crew activities, including storage of fishing gear, equipment, food and water, as well as a small platform for drying catches, and the stern deck is located at the stern and is the living area for the captain and senior crew members, as well as the kitchen and dining area.

The lower cargo hold level is mainly used to store the fish caught, as well as fresh water, food and other supplies. In addition, there are crew quarters for ordinary crew members to rest in, but the conditions are simple and the space is cramped.

Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei asked around, but no one knew where Ma Guai was. Basically, no one took Ma Guai seriously or cared where he went. They just assumed that Ma Guai was drunk and slacking off again. This shows that Ma Guai's character was indeed very bad.

Fortunately, Li Hongji, that young man, was quite enthusiastic. Knowing that Zhou Qingfeng was looking for Ma Guai, he didn't ask any questions and took Zhou Qingfeng to find Ma Guai. As they walked, he turned back and said, "Uncle Ma Guai is a lazy man. He always hides in a corner drinking. Once he starts drinking, he forgets the time. When you want to find him, you often can't find him."

"But Uncle Ma Guai is really capable. He's been on the boat with Captain Qu his whole life, sailing from the upper reaches of the Guanjiang River to its mouth without incident. He's encountered more strange events than I've eaten meat in my entire life. The most amazing thing is that he can move freely in the Guanjiang River and can discern the course with his naked eyes. He's really quite wicked."

Zhou Qingfeng paused, "What did you say? He's so capable, and your Captain Qu is dead, yet Jiang the Barbarian didn't think to look for him right away?"

Li Hongji turned around and walked backwards, chuckled, and spread his hands, saying, "Uncle Maguai and Jiang Manzi don't get along. Jiang Manzi doesn't like Uncle Maguai. When problems arise, Jiang Manzi would rather solve them himself than go to Uncle Maguai. Don't worry, brother. Jiang Manzi has been sailing with Captain Qu for twenty years. His navigating skills are no less than Uncle Maguai's. The mere demonic fog on the river can't trap us. As long as we give Jiang Manzi some time, he can lead us out of the demonic fog."

"Watch where you're going!" Zhou Qingfeng reminded Li Hongji, who was showing off.

Upon hearing this, Li Hongji nimbly turned and jumped over the obstacle: "Brother, we sailors all have eyes in the back of our heads, hehe."

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled and shook his head, then followed Li Hongji to the stern. Li Hongji pushed open the cabin door for the senior crew members and said, "Brother, this is Uncle Ma Guai's cabin. I don't know where he is, so this is all I can do for you."

"That's enough, go back to your work." Zhou Qingfeng patted Li Hongji on the shoulder with a smile, stepped into the cabin where the senior crew lived, and after a quick look around, he realized that the living conditions were indeed much better than those on the lower cargo hold. Seeing this, Li Hongji quickly ran back to work.

The cabin was spacious and bright, with a square tea table and chairs right next to the entrance.

There was also an overturned wine bottle and two wine glasses on the table, with the bottle opening facing outwards, and obvious wine stains on the wooden floor.

Zhou Qingfeng squatted down, reached out and touched the wooden floor, smelled it, and said with regret: "The 1088 Pink Dream wine has a beautiful meaning: to meet and accompany each other for life without regret. It was made by Gu Lun, a master brewer from the Six Realms. A bottle of 88 Pink Dream wine costs five thousand magic coins. It's just been spilled on the ground and wasted."

Jin Wei: "If the young master likes this wine, I will order a batch later."

“Copeland Brewing is of such low quality. They only pursue the strength of the liquor and ignore the taste and flavor. I don’t like their liquor.” Zhou Qingfeng stood up and casually wiped his hand on Jin Wei’s clothes. “It’s just strange that someone who is considered a dead drunkard by everyone would waste liquor like this.”

Jin Wei looked thoughtful and noticed something amiss. He squatted down solemnly to examine the direction the bottle opening was facing and the wooden board with the remaining wine: "It looks like it was accidentally knocked over. There seems to have been an argument here."

"I'm afraid it wasn't just an argument, it even escalated into a physical fight." Zhou Qingfeng walked forward slowly, glancing at the bed. It was neat and clean, without a single wrinkle, indicating that no one had slept there all night. On the wooden wall opposite the bed, there were traces of a picture frame hanging there. A painting had fallen to the ground. He walked over, picked it up, and turned it over to take a look.

The portrait depicts two young men: one is Captain Qu, holding a pipe, and the other is the missing Ma Guai.

The two laughed heartily, arms around each other, looking handsome and sunny. They sat at the bow of the boat, riding the waves, their relationship clearly extraordinary.

Continuing inside, Zhou Qingfeng saw that the wardrobe was open and empty. A handle was missing from the wardrobe door, so he looked around and found a wooden handle in the corner. Zhou Qingfeng walked over, picked it up, squinted, and said, "Jin Wei, did you figure something out?"

As Jin Wei approached, he said, "There were at least two people here last night, because there were two wine glasses on the table. We don't know who brought the wine, but the two of them were probably going to drink. We don't know what they were arguing about, but the argument got more and more heated, and they even started pushing and shoving each other. Ma Guai got angry and wanted to pack his things to leave, or maybe the other person packed his things and told Ma Guai to get lost. One of them wouldn't let him leave or refused to leave. In the struggle, the doorknob broke and was thrown aside."

Zhou Qingfeng turned around and gave Jin Wei an appreciative look: "As expected of someone from the Night Patrol Division, you can deduce so much information from the scene. So, who do you think was arguing with Ma Guai?"

Jin Wei, holding his sword, clasped his hands in a salute: "Young Master, I believe that the person here last night was Captain Qu. Captain Qu and Ma Guai were drinking here last night. For some reason, they argued and fought, and parted on bad terms. Captain Qu went back to his cabin to rest, but his anger caused his old injuries to flare up, and he unexpectedly died in bed."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Where is Ma Guai? Where did he go?"

Jin Wei reached out and made a splashing motion: "Perhaps he jumped into the water after the argument last night. Li Hongji just said that this person can move freely in the river. The demonic fog can trap us, but it may be difficult to trap this experienced navigator."

Zhou Qingfeng held the wooden handle in one hand and the portrait in the other, feeling that things weren't so simple, that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

His intuition told him it wasn't that simple, and he trusted his intuition, because intuition is essentially a sixth sense. He himself wasn't aware of any problem, but his consciousness had already gathered information from the outside world and given an answer called 'intuition'.

He always felt that something was lurking in the shadows, trying to hunt him down.

It's a strange feeling, like being watched by a hunter.

Zhou Qingfeng dared not ignore this illusion, because taking it seriously might lead to a mistake, while ignoring it might lead to death. After a moment's thought, he turned and strode towards the door: "Let's go and see if Jiang Manzi can lead us away. If we can't break through the demonic fog, I'm afraid more people will die tonight."

Jin Wei looked puzzled as he followed behind Zhou Qingfeng, pondering the deeper meaning behind his young master's words.

Upon reaching the bow, Jiang Manzi was already in the command room. The rudder beside him was held in place by a rope, while he bent over his desk, looking at the compass in his palm and referring to the Guanjiang route map. Relying on his rich navigation experience, he repositioned and identified the direction.

"Jiang Manzi, have you found the way out?" Zhou Qingfeng asked as he entered the command room.

Jiang Manzi looked up and said, "We've pretty much figured out our location. We're completely off course now, but thankfully we have a compass and a route map. It's only been one night, so I can correct it. I should be able to get you out of this fog before nightfall."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Okay, that's good. When we get to Qiantang City, you'll get the 50,000 yuan balance in full, and I'll give you an extra 50,000 yuan."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Manzi smiled and said, "Do you know what I like most about you city people? It's that you're generous and rich."

"Take this as a compliment," Zhou Qingfeng chuckled.

"Of course I'm praising you! You're really something else. You're my sugar daddy, how could I possibly curse you? Alright, hold on tight, I'm setting sail." Jiang Manzi reached out and yanked off the rope securing the course, gripped the rudder with both hands, and shouted, "All crew, listen up! Raise the sails immediately! Strong winds from the northeast!"

Upon hearing the order, the five crew members quickly ran to hoist the sails and each performed their duties.

"Wind, come!" A sailor formed a hand seal, conjuring a gust of wind in his palms. He then swung the wind through the sails with precision, causing the boat to accelerate rapidly. The turbulent river and the fog did nothing to hinder the fishing boat's progress.