Chapter 415

As a result, after circling the ship several times, they found nothing at all.

Before and after the journey, there was no sign of any reinforcement official boat.

Zhu Di felt extremely curious inside; he had been holding it in all morning.

Now he finally asked.

Su Qiao shook his head without explaining, simply saying, "They will appear when we need them!"

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and guessed Su Qiao's intentions.

"Are you planning to fish personally? Aren't you afraid your bait will be lost?"

"No fear. If the bait isn't tempting, how will it make the fish bite?!" Su Qiao said with a calm gaze.

Zhu Di opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing to dissuade him, only adding, "Be careful."

Zhu Di's guess was correct; Su Qiao was indeed planning to fish, and the fish he was targeting was Xu Chunming's White Lotus Sect.

Counting this time, it should be Su Qiao's second time fishing.

The last time was at Tianjin Wei; this time, it is to Fuzhou.

Su Qiao had no intention of concealing his itinerary.

It seemed as if he was inviting them to take the bait.

Earlier, the ambush by the water bandits seemed to have almost succeeded.

Su Qiao now did not believe they would not strike again.

Until the afternoon, when the sun tilted westward and was about to fall into the Xishan Tanggu, no abnormalities were found.

Zhu Di, imitating Su Qiao's posture, lay on a recliner, leisurely drinking tea.

He asked Su Qiao, "You placed people so far away. They say a gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. What if an accident occurs?"

"Is Your Majesty afraid?"

"Stop using your clumsy goading method on me. I am merely reminding you not to capsize in a gutter!"

After speaking, he paid no attention to Su Qiao's reaction, turned over, and lay down.

……

Fuzhou City!

In a secluded courtyard, a middle-aged man with a serious face and a cold expression asked a subordinate who had just run over quickly, "How is it?"

"Master, as you requested, everything has been arranged properly. The official boat carrying Su Qiao is estimated to reach the ambush location very soon. Tomorrow at noon, they will pass that small dock. As long as they are attracted and stop there, our people will act..."

This subordinate was an old man over fifty, yet his legs were no worse than a young man's; in fact, he walked even faster.

The only difference was that his face lacked the kindness of an elder; instead, his triangular eyes were squeezed together, looking ominously sinister!

His voice was also gloomy and hoarse, and his body habitually hid in the shadows.

It seemed just like his master; both could not bear the light!

Upon hearing this, the cold-faced middle-aged man forced a faint smile onto his face. "Good. I trust you with this. However, after the matter is done, those people cannot be left alive; otherwise, they will expose our faction. Do you understand?"

When the middle-aged man spoke the final words, his tone was wavering and chilling, and cold light flashed in his eyes; the meaning was self-evident.

Even though the subordinate had followed him for several decades, he still felt his whole body turn ice-cold and immediately nodded vigorously like a pestle pounding rice.

"Master, rest assured. By then, none of them will escape. Su Qiao, this Imperial Envoy, will go missing; the other Embroidered Uniform Guards and the bandits will perish together! Everything will be burned to ashes."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man was very satisfied. He reached out and patted the old man's shoulder, causing the old man's body to instantly freeze in place.

"Good, good. As long as this mission is completed smoothly, the Dharma Protector said the reward will be plentiful!"

"Yes, this subordinate understands!" Upon hearing the word "reward," excitement gleamed in the old man's eyes.

It seemed this reward was indeed very attractive.

Even an old man over fifty was attracted.

268, an elderly couple!

The old man had originally planned to leave cautiously, but just as he turned, he seemed to remember something. He paused his steps and quickly asked, "Master, what about the Wang family? Should we cooperate with them?"

"The Wang family? Hmph! A bunch of short-sighted, gluttonous fools! They are creatures that will not release the eagle until they see the rabbit. They will not act unless they see benefits. Moreover, they have other hidden thoughts. Whether to cooperate or not, we will see then. By the way, you had better handle the tail personally!"

After pondering for a moment, the cold and suspicious middle-aged man said.

"Yes, Master, rest assured. This old slave will do it personally!"

Having followed his master for several decades, he understood the master's unpredictable moods and extreme caution.

He naturally had prepared long ago and made arrangements in advance.

Over these many years, he had handled many such dark matters and killed hundreds of people!

He had long become extremely calm.

"Hmm, go!"

……

The entire night passed peacefully and without waves.

Su Qiao, who got up in the morning, washed his face while looking at the gloomy sky outside, wondering what he was thinking.

After eating, Zhu Di approached Su Qiao with a half-smile. "Nothing happened all night. Are you disappointed?"

693 "It is still early. We will arrive in Fuzhou at the latest tonight. They still have a whole day."

Su Qiao seemed not at all anxious; his face remained calm.

Zhu Di curiously pressed further, "Are you so certain they will definitely come? Remember, they have failed twice already."

"Because of greed. As long as they have greed, then my bait will eventually be useful!"

After breakfast, the official boat increased its speed.

It passed through a vast expanse of reed marshes again, turned a corner, and the river channel widened.

They even saw cargo ships transporting goods.

However, upon seeing the official boat carrying Su Qiao and his party, all these vessels quickly kept their distance, daring not to approach or block the way.

By noon, a small dock appeared ahead.

Several boats were moored near the dock.

Though the dock was not large, it was quite lively.

There were numerous sailors and laborers lingering about, as well as shopkeepers and guards escorting cargo.

Along the roadside, there were even tea stalls with makeshift awnings, food stalls selling wontons and rice porridge, porridge shops, and the like.

It was bustling and full of life; even Zhu Di could not help but stretch his neck and take a few extra glances.

"I didn't expect there to be such an inconspicuous dock here."

"Shall we go up and take a look?"

Su Qiao suddenly spoke up with the suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di was momentarily stunned and looked at Su Qiao with some suspicion, as if trying to read something from his face.

"Very well. We have been on the boat for several days now, swaying back and forth until we are nearly vomiting; it is just right to go ashore and rest."

Zhu Di raised no objection.

Thus, Su Qiao, accompanied by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, went ashore with Zhu Di.

The small dock was not large; it could not compare to the docks of Jianning Prefecture and could only accommodate some small and medium-sized boats.

As for the large boat Su Qiao and his party were riding, it could barely manage to dock just one vessel.

Therefore, as soon as the official boat appeared, the dock immediately felt a sense of chaos and panic.

It was not that everyone was frightened into running away, but those present certainly became much more restrained.

Especially after Su Qiao and Zhu Di disembarked with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Seeing the Flying Fish Robes and Embroidered Spring Blades of the Embroidered Uniform Guard...

The dock, which had been very lively just moments before, immediately became quiet and low-key.

Su Qiao and Zhu Di understood the reason but did not mind.

After all, they were merely passing through and did not have much time to linger here.

This small dock had only small vendors; there were no restaurants.

Su Qiao was not picky; after asking Zhu Di's opinion, he chose a wonton stall and sat down.

"Bring us a few bowls of wontons!"

The wonton stall was run by an elderly couple; upon hearing Su Qiao's words, they quickly agreed.

"Ah, honored guests, please wait a moment; this humble one will cook them for you right away!"

The voice was cautious, as if afraid of offending them.