Chapter 21: Strange Fog

It would be too foolish to agree rashly at this moment, and it would also make Xu Su suspicious. Yang Xiao did not answer directly; a sense of keeping one's distance helps in maintaining the initiative in the next round of maneuvering, and he could also obtain more clues regarding the Script's rules from Xu Su's mouth.

When the time comes to cross-reference this with what Kuang Hongyi said, it will be much more secure.

"Let's leave here first." Yang Xiao led Xu Su away from the busy wharf.

Xu Su turned their head to look at the bustling wharf and asked in confusion, "Aren't we here to ask about those people from the Bai Family Troupe?"

"There are many taboos in the shipping trade. These boat captains all worship the Water Dragon King, and they are most averse to mentioning things like sinking or capsizing. If we ask about the Shipwreck Case from 10 years ago here, there are too many eyes and ears; once the people in charge find out, it will cause trouble." Yang Xiao explained as he walked.

"You really know a lot." Xu Su followed obediently by Yang Xiao's side.

The two arrived at a shady spot not far from the wharf. It was a bit dirty and messy here, with a wooden sign stuck in the ground, and some shirtless people were resting scattered nearby.

Judging by their attire, they were all wharf laborers, but these people were a bit older, and their bodies were not that robust. Seeing Yang Xiao and Xu Su walk over, they swarmed up, "Masters, masters, are you looking to move cargo? Which family's boat?"

"Master, don't look at me as thin; my frame is sturdy. Unlike those youngsters, who look like they have a lot of strength but are actually just slacking off!"

After a few sentences, Xu Su also understood; these were all old wharf laborers who hadn't been chosen for work. This trade lived off nothing but raw strength.

Hearing Yang Xiao say there was no cargo, these people dispersed. Yang Xiao walked straight toward a laborer with an aged appearance. This person was squatting on the ground, their eyes somewhat cloudy.

"Asking about something."

Seeing the scattered silver Yang Xiao fished out, the old laborer's cloudy eyes instantly cleared. They reached out to grab it, but Yang Xiao dodged.

The old laborer immediately scrambled up, pulled a smile they considered kind toward Yang Xiao and Xu Su, revealing a mouth of yellow teeth with several missing, and fawned, "Two masters, feel free to ask whatever you want. I've been knocking about on this wharf for nearly 20 years; there isn't anything I don't know."

"10 years ago, a boat sank here at the Laoniu Bay Ferry. There was a group of people from the Bai Family Gatehouse of the pear garden trade on board. Do you know about this?"

Hearing this, the old laborer's fawning expression changed instantly, even becoming somewhat terrified, "You... why are you asking about this?"

Seeing the old laborer's reaction, Yang Xiao knew he had found the right person, "It's none of your business, this young master is just curious. If you can tell me the ins and outs of this matter, then this silver is yours!"

The old laborer stared fixedly at the piece of silver, then looked at Yang Xiao's face. After repeating this several times, they finally hardened their heart, "Fine, I'll tell you, but we can't talk here, otherwise..."

Yang Xiao knew the old laborer's concerns and nodded. Then the group left this place, moved to a secluded spot, and sat down.

"Sigh, if you asked someone else about this, they might not necessarily know. That's all old history. But at the time, this matter caused a huge stir. A whole boat of people, and hardly anyone escaped!" The old laborer sighed first.

"Let me think... the date that day was... the late third decade of the ninth month of the Gengyin year. No, it was the sixth day of the ninth month! Yes, yes, it was the sixth day of the ninth month. I remember it very clearly. That noon, I had even unloaded a batch of cargo for the Nian Family Cloth Shop in the east of the city."

"It was evening when the incident happened. I had just finished collecting my wages, and that group from the Bai Family Gatehouse arrived, carrying large and small bundles, rushing to board the boat."

Speaking of this, Xu Su couldn't help but interrupt, "Are you sure it was those people from the Bai Family Gatehouse? You saw them with your own eyes?"

The old laborer's eyes widened, "Of course, could this be fake? Don't look at me as down-and-out now; back in the day, I was someone on this wharf. When I had money in my pocket, I often went to Yingke Lou to listen to operas. I recognize all the managers of that Bai Family Gatehouse."

"Then you should also recognize Xi Yao. Did you see her?" Yang Xiao pressed.

"That, I didn't." The old laborer shook their head.

Xu Su glanced at Yang Xiao. The meaning was obvious: since they saw the living people from the Bai Family Gatehouse before boarding the boat, it meant these people were not silenced at the Feng residence.

"Besides the people from the Bai Family Gatehouse troupe, was there anyone else traveling with them?" Yang Xiao guessed whether it was inconvenient to act inside the residence, so the Feng family sent people to follow them onto the boat. After all, it was Feng Laotaiye's seventh day after death; it was inauspicious to have blood in the residence.

The old laborer gave a bitter smile, "Oh, how could I possibly remember that? It was already getting dark at the time, and I can't just make up lies to trick you, can I?"

"Hmm, you continue." Seeing that this old laborer was fairly honest, Yang Xiao handed over half a piece of silver. The old laborer immediately snatched it, carefully stuffed it into their mouth to bite it. The next second, their whole face was as happy as a blooming chrysanthemum, full of wrinkles.

"Hey, hey, hey, let me think. Then I left and went back to sleep. It wasn't until I came to the wharf the next day that I saw many people gathered around. The bailiffs from the yamen had all come. Later, I asked around and found out that a boat had sunk last night, and quite a few people had died."

"Besides the Bai Family Gatehouse troupe, there were also a few managers from the nearby military camp. It is said their official ranks were not small. At the time, this matter caused a huge stir, and the people from the yamen came to the wharf to investigate for a long time."

"During that period, many people's livelihoods were halted. The captains of several boats spent a lot of silver trying to pull strings to let their own boats go out to run business, but the people in the yamen wouldn't budge."

Speaking of this, the old laborer suddenly looked left and right, then lowered their voice, their expression mysterious, "But at the time, it was rumored privately outside that something wasn't right about this; there was something evil about it!"

"You might not know if you don't run the waterways, but the water at Laoniuwan Wharf has always been calm, and there are no large rocks at the bottom of the water that could snag the hull, so almost no accidents ever happened. Moreover, the weather was very good on the day of the incident, with no rain or fog. But as soon as that boat left the wharf and sailed to the deep water, the weather suddenly changed."

"Not only did it start pouring with rain, but a large patch of fog suddenly surged out. I wasn't there at the time, but I heard from other laborers who were on the wharf then that they had lived half their lives and had never seen such strange fog. The fog was tinged with the gray of dead men, and even the Lanterns hung on the boat couldn't be seen."

Hearing this, Yang Xiao and Xu Su's expressions changed instantly. After all, they had experienced such fog once last night, along with that sudden rain.

Seeing the two's expressions change, the old laborer thought their story had scared them and became even more mysterious, "That's not the most chilling part. It is said that the boat stopped suddenly in the middle of the big river, as if it had been grabbed by something in the river, and then it sank. The sinking speed was extremely fast. There were quite a few good swimmers on the boat, but in the end, only one person escaped."