She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Chapter 404 Basong Disappears

"Yes, I can finally go home! Man'er, will you come back to the capital with me?"

Chu Zhiyi picked up the conversation, but there was no trace of joy on his face as he prepared to return home.

For him, going home is not a happy thing.

Firstly, it meant he would have to separate from Shen Man; secondly, there were still a lot of troublesome things to deal with in the capital, and he wondered how his unreliable father was doing now.

Upon hearing this, Shen Man's eyes dimmed slightly; she was well aware of Chu Zhiyi's worries.

For Chu Zhiyi, the capital was the center of a power struggle, a battlefield where countless open and covert attacks intertwined.

But if he wants to sit in that supreme position, he must forge his own path through bloodshed; this is something no one else can do for him.

As the lord of the border city, the livelihood and safety of all the people in the border city depended on her, and they could not do without her either.

“Your Highness, I have been away for so long, my mother must be very worried about me, and there are still many things in the border city government that I need to go back to deal with. I’m afraid… I cannot accompany you to the capital.”

Shen Man's voice carried a hint of helplessness and guilt. She gently held Chu Zhiyi's hand, her eyes full of affection, "If you encounter any difficulties, you can have someone send me a message, and I will fully support you."

Chu Zhiyi gripped her hand tightly, as if trying to imprint her warmth deep in his heart. "I understand, Man'er. Biancheng is your responsibility, so how could I force you? But the thought of parting from you makes my heart ache as if it's being pricked by a thousand needles." He tilted his head back slightly, trying not to let the tears well up in his eyes.

"If love between two people is destined to last, why should they be together every day? Your Highness, rest assured, no matter where I am, you are the only one in my heart!"

"Man'er, me too!" Chu Zhiyi pulled Shen Man into his arms with a little force.

However, before the two could enjoy their rare sweet moment, it was interrupted by a soldier rushing over.

"Your Highness, Lord of the City, the ship carrying the Third Prince of Siam has disappeared!"

"What? Basong has disappeared? When did this happen?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Man immediately broke free from Chu Zhiyi's embrace and hurriedly asked the soldier.

Since the day she settled Basong on a separate small boat, she and Chu Zhiyi had focused all their attention on attacking Daben State and rescuing the Chiyan miners, so much so that they hadn't noticed Basong's movements.

"I don't know, we just found it when we were counting the ships..." the soldier replied quietly.

Upon hearing that Basong was missing, Chu Zhiyi frowned instantly, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face: "We did save Basong's life, after all. I never expected him to act so absurdly, leaving without saying goodbye. It's extremely rude. Now we're stranded at sea, how are we supposed to find him?"

Shen Man frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes: "Your Highness, I have a feeling something is amiss. Although Basong is somewhat erratic, I had previously agreed with him that we would send someone back to Siam after we returned to Rongzhou. Logically, he shouldn't have disappeared without a trace. Could something have happened to him?"

Chu Zhiyi sighed and gently patted Shen Man's hand: "Man'er, I understand your worries, but our priority right now is to safely bring the gold and valuables back to Chiyan, and we also need to guard against the possible counterattack of the Japanese. We really can't spare any manpower to search for him."

Shen Man knew that Chu Zhiyi's words made sense, so she could only nod.

She knew in her heart that the fleet had been closely guarded while it was anchored at the dock.

Under normal circumstances, Basong should be perfectly safe on the ship.

But now, he has disappeared without warning, which can only mean that he found a way to leave on his own.

Perhaps everything he said before was just an excuse, and he probably has other ulterior motives for coming to Ohon State this time.

The fleet continued heading towards Chi Yan, but Shen Man couldn't stop thinking about Basong's disappearance. She urged everyone to sail carefully and report any unusual activity immediately.

For the next two days, the ship sailed smoothly without encountering any abnormal situations.

However, early on the third day, just as the fleet was about to enter a narrow strait, the sea suddenly became lively. A large group of sea turtles swam out of the strait in all directions, and their appearance seemed very abrupt.

Seeing this scene from the bow, Shen Man immediately became alert and shouted to the ships ahead, "Stop! The sudden appearance of so many sea turtles must mean something is wrong up ahead!"

Her voice pierced the sea breeze and carried far across the ocean.

Upon hearing the order, the fleet sprang into action, with the ships adjusting their course and lining up neatly on the vast sea like soldiers ready for battle.

Shen Man was extremely anxious. She rushed to the ship's side and shouted at the sea turtles that were frantically fleeing on the surface of the sea, "Sea turtles, why are you in such a panic? Is there anything unusual ahead?"

She shouted and waved her arms, trying to get the turtles' attention.

The sea turtle closest to Shen Man, which had been frantically swimming at high speed, slowed down as if it had been frozen in place after hearing Shen Man's words.

It paddled its broad flippers, cautiously approaching the steamship. Its beady eyes stared at Shen Man, and it slowly said, "There are many ships over there at the gorge, and they are full of people. We are afraid of danger, so we plan to get away from here."

Upon hearing the sea turtle's words, Shen Man's expression instantly turned serious. She immediately went into the cabin and told Chu Zhiyi about the matter.

“Your Highness, a sea turtle just told me that there are a lot of ships at the mouth of the strait ahead. They are worried about the danger, so they plan to swim to another place.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhiyi's eyes sharpened, and he quickly issued the order: "All personnel, be on high alert, closely monitor the situation at the front, and be prepared to respond to any emergencies."

The soldiers immediately sprang into action, taking their positions, and the atmosphere on the ship instantly became extremely tense.

As the fleet drew closer, Chu Zhiyi and Shen Man finally got a clear look at the ships.

The fleet's flag bore an unfamiliar emblem, resembling a gyrfalcon spreading its wings as if about to take flight.

The ships were also very unique in their design, with long, narrow hulls and shallow drafts, making them appear extremely fast. Moreover, each ship was equipped with a number of weapons, exuding a sinister aura.

"Who exactly is this force? Why are they here?" Shen Man murmured to herself.

Chu Zhiyi's face was ashen, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly: "No matter what force they are, they are not here with good intentions. Man'er, you take some soldiers to protect the gold and valuables, and I will lead a group to investigate."

Shen Man was about to object, but seeing Chu Zhiyi's firm gaze, she knew that persuasion was useless at this moment, and could only urge him, "Your Highness, please be careful."

Chu Zhiyi led several fast boats toward the mysterious fleet. When the two sides were several dozen feet apart, Chu Zhiyi shouted, "Who goes there? Why are you blocking the way of my Crimson Flame fleet?"