Chapter 271

Lu Shunfeng's death did not cause much of a stir.

Early the next morning, the boat captain counted the number of people and discovered that one person was missing.

After inquiring and asking around, he soon remembered.

The black, sturdy man with the injured leg who was limping was missing.

It seemed his name was something like Shunfeng.

The reason he had an impression was that the man had a very "jianghu" style; as soon as he got on the boat yesterday, he paid his respects to the pier and introduced himself, saying, "I am Lu Shunfeng, from the Shunfeng Escort Agency in Wutou Xian. Today I am in trouble, and thanks to everyone's life-saving efforts, I will definitely repay it twofold in the future."

Whether he would repay it or not, the boat captain didn't take it too seriously.

But he had a good impression of this person.

Who knew that after only one night, the person would inexplicably disappear.

The boat was only this big; where could he go?

The boat captain hurriedly had his men search in separate groups, carefully searching every corner, including the kitchen, the rudder cabin, and the cabin where the water bandits were held, not even sparing the latrine at the stern of the boat.

Unfortunately, they still gained nothing.

"It seems the person is gone..." The boat captain shook his head and sighed.

Like them, who had been on the water for years, they were already accustomed to this situation. Needless to say, he must have slipped and fallen into the river while getting up at night and fed the fish.

Didn't that kitchen maid lose her life in the same way before?

Especially since Lu Shunfeng had a broken leg and was already inconvenient to walk, this possibility was even greater.

Sigh, it's really a pity.

The name was quite good, *Shunfeng* (smooth wind), *Shunfeng*, smooth sailing all the way, but he ended up stepping into pits all the way...

After all, he was just a stranger they met by chance; the boat captain sighed a few times and soon threw the matter to the back of his mind.

The boat continued toward Fengyang Prefecture.

The wind gradually lessened, and the waves gradually disappeared.

The river surface was sparkling, calm and peaceful, as if those unspeakable sins had never happened.

In the cabin, Du Ruo habitually slept until she woke up naturally.

But suddenly, her brain jolted, feeling as if she had forgotten something.

What was it?

Du Ruo sat up from the bed, holding her forehead and trying hard to recall.

Hmm, yesterday was an extraordinary day; first, she fought the water bandits who blocked the way, then she saved those abducted hostages, and later, she even made some food for them...

Right, she remembered.

—She had to go to the kitchen to help, otherwise those hostages would go hungry this morning!

No choice, who let Deaf Granny, a perfectly good kitchen maid, suddenly transform into the big boss of the water bandits?

Du Ruo hurriedly rolled out of bed.

Just as she was about to wash up, she almost stepped on something.

Looking down.

Isn't that the little sparrow with a big chest and no brain?

To prevent Jin Que from going crazy in the middle of the night and doing something extreme to her, Du Ruo had directly drugged her last night and hadn't paid attention to her afterward.

It looked like Jin Que had been lying on the floor for the entire night.

Serves you right, you bad-hearted thing!

Du Ruo couldn't be bothered to wake Jin Que up, stepped over her with peace of mind, opened the cabin door, and went to wash up on her own.

After washing her face, she reapplied the tanning powder.

She looked at herself in the small bronze mirror.

Hmm, perfect.

After tidying up her own affairs, Du Ruo walked straight toward the kitchen.

Passing through the dining hall, she scanned the hostages roughly, observing their physical and mental state.

Overall, they were all quite good; there were no unconscious ones, nor any raving mad ones.

Except for those two women with their faces covered.

They sat quietly in the corner, silent and motionless, like two human puppets.

Could it be that they were too traumatized and became depressed?

Seeming to notice Du Ruo's curious gaze, one of the women suddenly raised her eyes, her line of sight crashing straight into Du Ruo's pupils.

What kind of look was that.

Cold, angry, and filled with hidden resentment.

Du Ruo frowned.

She hadn't offended her, right? They were complete strangers; why did this person seem to have hostility toward her?

Even if she wanted to hate, she should hate those water bandits.

Really, saving people only to have it turn into a ghost story.

Du Ruo originally intended to go over and ask clearly, but thought better of it; perhaps it was because they had suffered some inhuman treatment at the Mo Yu Village, and seeing others doing well, they developed jealousy and distortion psychologically.

Some people are just so unreasonable.

Du Ruo withdrew her gaze and turned into the kitchen next door.

Behind her, Jiang Shi watched her back disappear completely into the dining hall before she tightly gripped her daughter's hand and warned in a low voice, "Zhu'er, don't alert the enemy, this is not good for us."

"I know, but I just can't help it!"

Du Mingzhu raised her hand to touch her face; even through several layers of fabric, she could still clearly feel the shocking bumps. "Mother, haven't you noticed? That base spawn deliberately applied black powder on her face just to hide her beauty; and I..."

Her lips trembled slightly, squeezing out a bitter, cold smile. "I have to cover my head, but it's to hide my ugliness."

"Why? A base spawn born to a village woman, why is she more beautiful than me? Why is she living better than me?"

"A base woman like her should live in hell, living the most miserable and painful life!"

Du Mingzhu's voice became sharper and sharper, and her chest heaved unevenly.

Jiang Shi hurriedly patted her daughter's back to help her smooth her breath.

She understood her daughter.

Actually, why wouldn't she want Du Ruo to live in misery, wishing she were dead?

But there were many people and eyes here, and it wasn't the place to vent. "Alright, Zhu'er, Mother knows you are sad and can't stand that ***. But as the saying goes, one must endure what others cannot endure to achieve what others cannot achieve. Let's stabilize first, and after we solve this predicament and recover our strength, it won't be too late to settle the score with her slowly."

She smiled and comforted her. "Before coming, Mother had already written to the shopkeeper here in Fengyang Prefecture, asking him to prepare a courtyard and buy a few servants to keep there."

"At that time, if you are in a bad mood, just take it out on them; cutting off hands or chopping off feet, as long as you are happy, it's all up to you."

Killing Du Ruo would require paying with one's life.

But those servants who signed the deed of sale, weren't they at their disposal, to do whatever they wanted?

Du Mingzhu closed her eyes and slowly calmed down.

Mother is right, there will be plenty of time in the future; that base spawn Du Ruo will eventually get her retribution...

The mother and daughter's whispering did not attract the attention of others.

Hearing that they would arrive in Fengyang Prefecture before noon, the hostages were very excited, gathering in groups and chatting about their plans.

Some said the outside world was full of traps, and they still wanted to return to the village, farm, raise chickens, and live a plain little life.

Others said that surviving a great disaster meant there would be great fortune, and they wanted to go to the prefecture city to try their luck.

Still others said that one doesn't know what will happen tomorrow, and who knows when they might lose their lives, so it's better to enjoy life while they are alive, so as not to have come to this world in vain...

It all seemed to make sense.

Just as they were talking enthusiastically, a young girl suddenly entered the doorway and ran toward the kitchen in a flash.

So fast that they didn't even see her face clearly.

The crowd paused for a moment, then soon became noisy again.

As soon as Jin Que entered the kitchen, she saw Du Ruo busy without a moment's rest, and she was instantly furious. "Hey, why are you still here?"

Du Ruo glanced at her.

Sure enough, she had caught a cold from sleeping, and her voice was hoarse, as if her throat had a hole in it.

It sounded terrible.

And the bloodstains on her face were still there, the swelling hadn't gone down, and it was bruised and purple, looking a bit ridiculous; where was there any of her previous beauty?

Du Ruo was very satisfied.

Not bad, not bad, it was all her own masterpiece.

"If I'm not here, where should I be?" Du Ruo said with a smile that wasn't a smile.