NCCnovel Chapter 202 The undercurrent is surging
Chapter 202 The undercurrent is surging
"who is it?"
"Judging from the noise, it should be that little brat who led the way for us at noon."
As the footsteps outside faded into the distance until they disappeared, Xie Yan slowly withdrew her hand from the window frame.
A slightly lazy voice came from behind, "Was it sent by the ship owner?"
Xie Yan shook her head. "It shouldn't be."
Turning around, in stark contrast to his impeccably dressed appearance, Chu Ling was only wearing an undergarment, leaning against the couch with his robe open, revealing a large expanse of his firm and muscular chest.
Xie Yan: "..."
How could you take your clothes off so quickly?
Chu Ling smiled, "Why?"
Xie Yan continued without changing his expression, "His skills aren't up to par; he's probably just a petty thief."
"Too."
Chu Ling casually fiddled with the jade belt at his waist, then asked nonchalantly, "Aren't we going to catch him?"
Xie Yan paused, coldly ignoring Chu Ling's seduction, and looked up at the window behind him.
The dark sea was calm and still, and apart from the sound of rushing water, nothing could be perceived.
No one knows what kind of crisis is hidden beneath these undercurrents.
"I don't know if he has any companions. Let's wait until we get to land before we can say anything."
Xie Yan turned off the light and slowly walked to the couch. "This ship is a mixed bag, and who knows what secrets it holds. It wouldn't be good to attract too much attention, especially since we don't have the advantage in numbers."
This was not their home turf, and they had already scouted the ship earlier; there were at least a hundred crew members on board.
They were all strong and muscular, and clearly knew some martial arts skills; they were all trained fighters.
Some of the boatmen even carried an undeniable aura of ferocity; regardless of their martial arts skills, they had definitely seen blood.
If it were an era when pirates roamed freely, it could be explained that they had once resisted the pirates' attacks.
However, since Chu Wanshan ascended the throne, he not only severely punished corrupt officials, but also vigorously reorganized the navy and developed coastal defense.
After several rounds of policy implementation and years of spending countless financial and human resources, the pirates were finally wiped out, the maritime threat was completely eliminated, and the coastal people were brought to benefit.
And from then on, the world was peaceful and tranquil.
In such an era, merchant ships no longer needed to resort to violence, but the fact that there were so many menacing sailors on this ship is quite intriguing.
Moreover, the passengers traveling on those ships were ostensibly wealthy merchants, but no one knew their true identities or hidden cards, making them difficult to fathom.
After standing by the bed for a moment, Xie Yan sighed softly and exclaimed, "Xuanfeng really chose a good ship."
The next moment, he suddenly lost his balance, his arm was pulled away by a strong force, and he was thrown onto the bed.
With this movement, the bed creaked, a sound that was especially noticeable in the quiet night.
Xie Yan bumped into Chu Ling's arms, and when she reached out, she touched a warm, firm patch of skin.
Chu Ling put his arm around Xie Yan's waist and gently rested his chin on Xie Yan's shoulder. "Then let's not think about it too much for now. Xuan Feng has already inquired and it's still two days' journey to the next town."
"We can use these two days to explore further."
Chu Ling whispered in Xie Yan's ear, his warm breath brushing against Xie Yan's neck, causing him to tremble slightly.
Then Xie Yan grabbed Chu Ling's hand as it silently moved down, bent her knees, pressed them against his stomach, and rolled over to lie on her side.
He added, "Your Highness, don't forget, you can't beat me yet."
"...Tsk."
At the same moment, somewhere no one knew, a very faint splashing sound rang out.
But soon, the splashing water was submerged by the waves stirred up by the passing boat, disappearing silently into the surging water.
The next day, as dawn broke, the morning mist was still lingering.
The mornings at sea have a unique charm; the wind blows and the waves surge, carrying with them a fresh, salty scent.
Xie Yan, who had slept well all night, and Chu Ling, who didn't seem to have slept very well, pushed open the door and walked out of the cabin.
Several doors creaked open, and many people had already woken up.
Xie Yan stood by the ship, holding onto the railing. Turning her head, she could see the ship sailing across the calm sea, leaving a long trail behind it.
The merchant ship was very large, with three decks in addition to the cargo hold at the bottom. Xie Yan and the others were currently staying in the first deck.
The so-called wealthy merchants and their servants lived on the top two floors.
Although Xie Yan appeared to be admiring the scenery, she was actually listening intently to the sounds coming from above.
However, the waves and wind were so loud that even he could only barely make out some faint rustling sounds and the faint footsteps coming from above.
After listening for a while, Xie Yan could only glean one thing: the group of wealthy merchants had brought quite a few servants.
After finding nothing, he had no choice but to give up trying to find out more and looked down.
On the deck, the early risers were busy with various tasks: some were washing up, others were stretching, and still others were checking the ship. Except for one person—
"Little monkey, little monkey!"
Accompanied by several urgent calls, the boat captain was pacing back and forth on the boat with a sour face.
"This brat isn't doing any work this early in the morning, where has he been gallivanting off to?!"
Seeing this, the boatman immediately laughed and replied, "Boss, don't bother looking. That kid must have been slacking off somewhere again. It's not the first or second time."
Upon hearing this, the people around him burst into laughter, until the boat captain gave them a stern scolding before they dispersed, still laughing.
"You brat, don't let me catch you, or I'll break your legs or I'm not a Fang!"
The boat captain cursed as he exhaled a puff of smoke.
His face was obscured by the swirling smoke, but Xie Yan could keenly sense that, through the smoke, the boatman had glanced in her direction with remarkable speed.
Xie Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she frowned as she watched the boatman's retreating figure.
"That kid has disappeared?"
Chu Ling walked to Xie Yan's side and looked around the deck a few times, but he did not see the familiar figure from yesterday.
He raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "Could it be that he's afraid we'll expose him, so he's gone into hiding?"
"……maybe."