Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Nianyao lay quietly in the small hall, while Luo An sat beside her, scanning her back and forth: from the top of her head to her chin, from her chin to her feet; from her feet to her chin, from her chin to the top of her head...

"If he's dressed as a woman, young master, you saw him on your wedding day. Do you think the gang leader is ugly?" "Do you think the gang leader is beautiful?"

On their wedding day, tigers and leopards stood guard outside the room, while two matchmakers stood on either side of Nianyao inside, waiting for him to return and lift his veil. Everyone worked together seamlessly to make the performance as perfect as possible.

When Luo An lifted the veil and saw the face beneath the phoenix crown, it was a face full of reluctance and grievance that could not be concealed: it was not the kind of extreme beauty of a lady from a noble family, but the vibrant and dazzling life of spring under the blazing sun, a beauty that was captivating and mesmerizing.

Seeing him in a daze, the matchmaker said happily, "Young master, you are truly blessed. In all my years as a matchmaker, this is the first time I've seen such a beautiful bride. You and your wife are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven..."

Qin Jiu was being modest by saying it was above average; honestly, he would have easily been rated as top-tier.

Nianyao opened her eyes and met Luo An's gaze; both of them were somewhat surprised.

—You woke up so quickly?

What are you doing here?

Luo An was the first to look away, and Nian Yao sat up and looked around: "How did I get here?"

Nanfei stood in the shadow of the sail, deep in thought. Hearing the voice, he walked over and said, "Chief Xue, your old flame has smashed through the bottom of the ship. It's about to sink."

After a slight pause, Nianyao immediately stood up and rushed down the stairs, where she met Xu Lai and his brothers coming up.

Xu Lai said, "Chief, prepare to abandon ship."

Nianyao said, "This was specially made for me by my father..."

Xu Lai, Qin Jiu, and their brothers were soaking wet. Nan Fei clung desperately to the door, while Luo An braced himself against it. Everyone stared at her.

Nianyao moved with ease on the swaying boat. She walked around the boat once and reached out to touch the water.

Nianyao shouted, "Release..."

Something's wrong with her voice, there's a tremor. Nianyao took a deep breath, sniffed, and raised her voice: "Launching the bamboo raft..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bamboo rafts that had been prepared were pushed out at the same time.

Nianyao shouted again, "Abandon ship, find the captain, and get on your team's bamboo raft."

Nianyao pushed Nanfei towards Qin Jiuyi: "Take him with you and get on Huzi's bamboo raft."

Nanfei lost his footing, so Qin Jiu dragged him towards the side of the boat, using the gunwale to leap onto the bamboo raft that Hu Zi was pulling. The brothers followed suit and boarded their respective rafts.

Nanfei said, "Young Master..."

Nianyao replied, "He's with me. Uncle Xu, let's go..."

Nianyao pulled Luo Anfei onto the giant bear's bamboo raft. The raft tilted slightly, and Luo Anfei leaned forward. Nianyao pulled him up with one hand and put her other arm around his shoulder to press him down: "A bamboo raft isn't as stable as a big boat, so sit tight."

Their clothes rubbed together and their breaths mingled. Luo An's heart skipped a beat, and his breathing paused slightly.

Each bamboo raft was poled by three people. Nianyao took a pole from one of her brothers, took two steps, and gently paddled, immediately stabilizing the raft.

Nanfei said, "Young Master..."

Nianyao pushed the bamboo raft closer to Huzi and said angrily, "He's still alive and well, are you trying to call back his soul?"

So rude? Nan Fei was about to speak when Qin Jiu put his hand on his shoulder and gestured behind him. Nan Fei saw the Jingwei slowly sink into the water.

As the mast disappeared below the water's surface, Nianyao raised her hand to wipe her eyes and gazed ahead.

Was she crying? Nan Fei instinctively wanted to offer some words of comfort, but then he saw Luo An tilting his head slightly and staring at Nian Yao, and his gaze... something seemed off...

Nianyao suddenly turned to Nanfei: "You're right."

Nanfei was completely bewildered: "What?"

Nianyao said, "Naive. I am indeed naive."

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost." Nan Fei paused, then changed his words to, "Chief Ji, you're great."

Nianyao smiled, a slight upturn to her lips.

Nanfei said sincerely, "Chief Ji, I may have looked down on you before, but I'll change my mind from today onwards. You're really great, and your father's choice of you as chief was a wise one."

Nianyao sighed: "Forget about those nice words. Comforting words are the most useless thing in the world."

Seeing that she was really down, Nanfei chatted with her casually: "I know why you separated me from the young master?"

Nianyao said, "Let's break up this loving couple."

The brothers on the bamboo raft burst into laughter, instantly enlivening the dull atmosphere.

Nan Fei paused for a moment, then laughed: "Chief Xue, you really are... quite interesting..."

Luo An's gaze instantly shifted to Nan Fei. Had he said something wrong? Nan Fei looked at Luo An questioningly, while Luo An slightly raised his head to look at the horizon.

Nianyao said, "You two are the worst swimmers among us. If the bamboo raft capsizes, we'll have to save both of you at the same time."

Nanfei said gratefully, "Chief Xue is so thoughtful and polite."

Nianyao said, "Of course, one is the son of the former emperor of Nanyue, and the other is the husband of the commander of the Zhenbei Army. It would be impolite of me not to treat you both with great respect."

Nanfei: ...

Nianyao added, "Uncle Jiu is a master painter on Chongming Island. I'll have him paint two portraits for you two and put them next to the River God."

The brothers laughed continuously. Nanfei realized he was overthinking things; why would someone like Nianyao need comforting?

They chatted and laughed, laughing and talking. Before they knew it, Nanquan Island was right in front of them. Nanquan Island is divided into two islands, east and west, about a hundred meters apart.

Xu Lai said, "Chief, the report says that Yan Zeyu, the ship owner of Xizhou, did not agree to Ji Kongming's invitation. Let's dock at Xizhou."

Yan Zeyu and his brothers stood ready at the dock. Nan Fei looked at the dense crowd and touched the soft sword at his waist: "Young master, follow me when we get ashore."

Qin Jiu asked, "Nanfei, in terms of martial arts, who is stronger, you or the young master?"

Nanfei said, "With me here, there's no need for you to lift a finger, young master."

Qin Jiu gave a half-smile, while Nian Yao scoffed dismissively.

Nanfei added, "Young master saves lives and heals the wounded, but does not kill."

Yan Zeyu came forward and personally tied up Nianyao's bamboo raft: "Welcome, Chief."

Nianyao stood in front, glancing behind Yan Zeyu: "President Yan, did you know we were coming?"

Yan Zeyu said, "To be honest, even if the leader hadn't come, we would have gone to pick him up. Nanquan Xizhou didn't accept Ji Kongming's invitation, and now he must have become a thorn in Ji Kongming's side. I'm afraid he'll become the second Yuezhou Xizhou."

Nianyao said, "Nanquanzhou and Yuezhou are more than a hundred miles apart, and the Yan ships are quite courageous."

Yan Zeyu said, "Without the old gang leader, we brothers wouldn't have such a prosperous life. The old gang leader has been kind to us, and his kindness to Ji Kongming is even greater. A true man should repay a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude."

Ji Kongming colluded with bandits to kill the boat captain's brothers, repaying kindness with enmity and committing all sorts of evil deeds. Everyone dared not speak out against him. I, Yan, am not a chivalrous person, but I disdain associating with such petty people. We will do our utmost to escort our leader back to Chongming Island, and we also hope that our leader can lead us out of Xiangshui.”

Nianyao clasped her hands in a gesture of respect: "Thank you for your trouble, Captain Yan. We will set off immediately."

Yan Zeyu was stunned: "It's already past noon, let's eat first. The food should be ready."

Nianyao said, "Then bring them onto the ship. Pack your things quickly, take all your weapons, and we'll wait for you at the dock. Brothers who don't want to leave can stay here by handing over their tokens."