Chapter 835: The Ship Sank (2/2, please subscribe)

Fang Yue's heart gave a sudden lurch.

"Have you tried communicating with Old Duo inside the Soul-Communing Jade Pendant?"

"I tried the method you told me, but it was useless—like a stone sinking into the sea. Old Duo didn't react at all. Also…I feel like the Soul-Communing Jade Pendant in my hand has gotten a bit heavier."

"…"

That shouldn't be the case.

A faint, ominous feeling rose in Fang Yue's heart.

Could this thing not be a Soul-Communing Jade Pendant, but some other kind of object?

What exactly had Tian Ruichi's master, Tian Jian, given him…

Just as Fang Yue was thinking, the deck beneath his feet suddenly let out a creak.

Fang Yue looked down and froze on the spot.

He saw the deck of the Han Jiang giant ship splitting apart at a speed visible to the naked eye, a huge crack opening up rapidly.

Looking up at the rest of the ship, all kinds of fine cracks were appearing at extreme speed, spreading across the entire hull!

The Han Jiang giant ship had suddenly begun to self-dismantle!

"Off the ship, everyone off the ship now!"

Left hand yanking Tian Ruichi—who was still in a daze—back to his senses, right hand bringing Lin Ling along, Fang Yue stomped on the bow of the Han Jiang giant ship, leapt up from the edge, dropped from a great height, and landed solidly with a thud, startling the surrounding waiting Qing Si guards into drawing their long swords with a series of swishes!

"Halt!"

"Don't move!"

"State your identity!"

Although the Qing Si guards knew that anyone who could come down from the Han Jiang giant ship was bound to be rich or noble, such a sudden way of disembarking still gave them a fright.

Seeing the unfamiliar faces of these people only made them more nervous.

It wasn't until another group jumped down from the bow—among them people wearing the distinctive uniforms of the Special Envoy's guards—that Hai Dongye, the White-Clad Green Guard, suddenly realized what was happening.

"It's the Special Envoy! It's the Special Envoy's entourage! Everyone, put away your weapons!"

Hai Dongye shouted excitedly, sheathing his own weapon first.

Jingcheng Wharf, as the only wharf in Jingcheng connected to Han Jiang, actually held considerable strategic importance.

But no matter what, there was only the one Han Jiang giant ship that could cross Han Jiang, so on ordinary days there was basically nothing for them to guard.

On top of that, this was already Jingcheng's territory, and generally no one would cause trouble all the way down at the wharf.

Therefore, the garrison strength at Jingcheng Wharf had been steadily dwindling.

By now, a White-Clad Green Guard of the Qing Si was already the highest-ranking official at Hanjiang Wharf.

Of course, every few years, a powerful cultivator would still come to perform an "anomaly sweep" of Han Jiang near Jingcheng Wharf.

At that time, the highest commander would naturally be that powerful cultivator who came to sweep.

But for now, Hai Dongye was the highest-ranking Green Guard on site with command authority.

As Hai Dongye's order went out, the others hesitated for a moment, then sheathed their swords one after another, saluted, and offered greetings.

"Greetings, Special Envoy!"

"Greetings, Special Envoy!"

"Greetings, Special Envoy!"

The Special Envoy's guards, who had been extremely amicable when associating with Fang Yue and the others, instantly stiffened their faces before the Green Guards, wearing an expression of utter disdain as they took their places behind Tian Ruichi.

"Mm, clear a path, prepare a carriage. We are returning to Qi Huang Fu; we enter the Imperial Palace to face His Majesty tomorrow. If the hour is delayed, you will answer for it!"

F-face His Majesty?!

Hai Dongye was so startled his heart pounded wildly and his brow twitched uncontrollably.

"Y-yes!"

In the past, the Han Jiang giant ship had carried high officials and nobles, but a Special Envoy's group like this, who upon disembarking went straight to face His Majesty—that had never happened before.

Face His Majesty… the present Son of Heaven!

Just thinking about those few words made Hai Dongye feel suffocated.

He hurriedly ordered men to go arrange carriages and the like.

At the same time, he kept glancing up at the Han Jiang giant ship, already half-dismantled with only its cross-section remaining, wanting to speak yet holding back, and finally obediently shut his mouth.

The Han Jiang giant ship had always been a symbol of Jingcheng Wharf.

Even though no one sailed it on ordinary days, this unique vessel capable of crossing Han Jiang was extremely eye-catching.

Today, no one knew what had happened—this special ship that had always served Qing Guo had suddenly dismantled itself.

The incident had come so suddenly that Hai Dongye was completely unprepared.

One had to remember that the one on duty right now was none other than himself.

The Han Jiang giant ship had met with disaster right before his eyes; if those above blamed him for it, he feared his little life would not be preserved.

But the Special Envoy's group before him was also not someone he could afford to provoke.

Caught between the two, Hai Dongye's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, not knowing what to do.

As if a ray of light in a desperate situation, a man beside the Special Envoy suddenly spoke.

"The Han Jiang giant ship's self-dismantlement is no trivial matter. I think you'd better report it upward, so as not to make things difficult for your subordinates below."

"What Brother Ye says is right. Once we return to the Seventh Prince, I will explain everything clearly to the Seventh Prince."

"Mm…"

Fang Yue deliberated for a moment, lowered his voice, leaned close to Tian Ruichi's ear, and said: "Also, the Soul-Communing Jade Pendant your master gave you clearly has a problem. I suspect what's happening to the Han Jiang giant ship means Old Duo is already dead—died inside your Soul-Communing Jade Pendant… no, it should be called a Soul-Seizing Jade Pendant."

Dead…

Tian Ruichi suddenly looked up at Fang Yue, and in his heart too a faint feeling that this possibility was very great.

Picking up the Soul-Reaping Jade Pendant, Tian Ruichi fell into thought, his mood complicated.

"Master… what on earth are you thinking…"

Rumble rumble rumble…

Behind them, the great ship on Han Jiang had completely disintegrated, turning into a pile of rotten wood that sank into the river.

The sinking of the great ship on Han Jiang caused no small commotion.

The merchants who had been hawking their wares at Hanjiang Wharf and the passersby on the street all saw this scene and stared wide-eyed, faces blank with shock.

After quite a while, they finally came back to their senses.

"The ship, the ship sank!"

"The great ship on Han Jiang, it sank!"

"Heavens, what happened?! Was it done by some evil spirit?"

"Run! Run! The great ship on Han Jiang has sunk, it's not safe here anymore!!"

Some cried out and ran far away, while others watched the situation at the wharf with great interest.

Fang Yue's brow furrowed slightly, and he lowered his voice.

"Let's leave quickly, we're a bit conspicuous here."

"I understand."

Fang Yue had come to Jingcheng for three purposes.

The first was to rescue An Shenyi's granddaughter—his own sworn sister, An Dong'er—who had been taken by the Phoenix Organization.

The second was to rescue Captain Wu, who had been taken by the Ox Seat.

The third… was to bring back You Sisi's body, or if the You Family disagreed, then to pay respects at her spirit tablet.

Fang Yue instinctively reached to touch the dirty black handkerchief in his right hand, then suddenly froze.

The handkerchief had already been snatched away by those people at Hanjiang Wharf.

Letting out a long sigh, Fang Yue felt a sudden pang of melancholy.

At the same time, none of these three purposes were suited to acting in a high-profile manner.

Perhaps many people in Jingcheng know that I am to meet the Emperor, but those who have actually seen my face are only a few.

Therefore, if it's possible to keep a low profile, it's better to do so.

The carriage was quickly prepared, and people began pointing and whispering at them, seemingly believing that those very people were the ones who had destroyed the great ship on Han Jiang.

(End of this chapter)