Chapter 00161: A False Alarm
# A False Alarm
Chapter 161
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 161 A False Alarm
Dayong Calendar
Year 1154, late in the seventh month.
After sailing on the Jiao River for nearly half a month, the Tang family's ship finally reached the border of the Yue Prefecture Kingdom.
This was also the most critical moment.
If Zheng Yinping's identity were discovered, escape would not be so easy.
Miss Tang Lianyu of the Tang family had long since realized that there was something questionable about the three's origins.
However, since they had done her a favor, she was considerate enough not to expose them and also pretended not to see the three of them hiding in the ship's cabin as they approached the mountain pass.
The Tangfeng Merchant House was very famous in the region.
When a ship bearing the Tang Character Lantern approached, the smaller boats on the river all moved aside to make way.
Occasionally, people would even cup their hands and bow towards the ship.
Not only was the Tang family's business large, but their reputation was also excellent.
They were not the type to be wealthy yet malevolent.
Both great and small merchants, as well as the common folk, treated them with courtesy.
Tang Lianyu stood on the deck, returning each salute, watching as the large ship approached the sluice gate of the pass.
Upon seeing that it was the Tang family's ship, the soldiers in charge of the sluice gate merely glanced at the official document Tang Lianyu presented and did not bother to inspect the cabin at all.
They immediately ordered their men to open the gate and let them pass.
So far, things were going more or less as Zheng Yinping had imagined.
By leveraging the Tang family's privilege of being exempt from inspections, they could pass through the checkpoint with ease.
Once they left the Yue Prefecture Kingdom, it would be much safer.
But just as the sluice gate was being raised, an accident occurred.
A group of people rode swiftly on horseback towards the gate, exchanged a few words with the soldiers in charge, and then stepped onto the ship via a wooden plank.
"Officer, why have you stopped this humble girl's ship?"
"Miss Tang, do not be alarmed. I am Sun Wei. I am merely here to ask a few questions."
The three hiding in the cabin peeked through the cracks between the wooden planks.
When they got a clear look at the person who had stopped the ship, their hearts leaped in shock.
It was actually Sun Wei, the Plum Blossom Guard Qianhu who had once intercepted them.
Traveling on the Tang family's ship meant their itinerary was not up to them, and they often stopped in towns.
If they had stuck to their original plan of traveling downstream through the night on a black-canopied boat, Sun Wei, on horseback, would have had little chance of catching up.
But doing so would have made passing the checkpoint much more troublesome, a risk that had to be taken.
Now, the anticipated risk had arrived.
The three in the cabin dared not even breathe, their ears pricked up, listening for any sound.
If Miss Tang were to sell them out, they needed to be ready to flee at a moment's notice.
"What would you like to know, Officer?"
Sun Wei deliberately swept his gaze across the deck, saying with a hidden meaning:
"Did you encounter anyone on your journey here, Miss?"
"We only ran into some water bandits along the way. Thanks to the efforts of our retainers and boatmen, we were able to repel them."
Zheng Yinping and Li Yingluo's identities were a bit problematic, and they were being secretive as if hiding something.
Combined with the arrival of the Plum Blossom Guard, Tang Lianyu knew at once that Sun Wei must be looking for Yang Yiyi and the other two.
However, Tang Lianyu did not reveal anything about the three.
The reputation of the Plum Blossom Guard had long since hit rock bottom.
One could even say that the very fact the Plum Blossom Guard was looking for Yang Yiyi and her companions was proof enough that they were good people.
"Is that so? Have you seen three young ladies about your age? They should have taken the same route as your ship."
Tang Lianyu was about to say she had not, but she immediately realized this was a leading question.
When asked in such a way, an uninformed person's first reaction would be to ask Sun Wei to describe the three people he was looking for.
A direct denial would instead reveal a flaw.
Born into a merchant family, Tang Lianyu's skill at keeping a straight face was already perfected.
She cursed this Sun Wei for his cunning in her heart, but her face showed no trace of it.
"What were the three young ladies you're looking for dressed like, Officer? To be honest, we've met many people along the way, including quite a few groups of three young ladies of similar age."
Her answer was perfectly appropriate, sounding as if she were cooperating eagerly.
Sun Wei stared at Tang Lianyu, as if trying to discern whether she was lying.
This action was very impolite, but with the uniform of a Plum Blossom Guard Qianhu on his back, no one dared to criticize him.
"The three young ladies are all from the martial world. One carries a sword, one wields a staff, and the last carries a long spear."
This description also bewildered Tang Lianyu.
It did not seem to match Yang Yiyi's group.
Had she guessed wrong?
Li Yingluo used a sword, and Zheng Yinping used a spear; those two matched.
But Yang Yiyi, who used a staff, did not.
Of course, she did not know that Yang Yiyi's Compliant Golden-Hooped Staff had been taken into the Sumeru Realm by the Jade Tablet.
Hearing Sun Wei's description, she began to doubt her own judgment.
And this extremely subtle hint of doubt was caught by Sun Wei.
He said:
"If you haven't seen them, then so be it. Miss need not trouble yourself."
This sentence sounded as if he believed Tang Lianyu's words.
The three hiding in the cabin, listening to the commotion, all breathed a sigh of relief.
But then they heard Sun Wei say:
"If Miss should encounter those three, please help me pass on a message. The matter of the water bandits on the Jiao River colluding with the government is a failure of our Plum Blossom Guard's supervision. I have already received orders to formally deal with them. I express my deepest apologies for the threat posed to passing ships. I personally wish to thank the three righteous heroes for their assistance, but I have orders to follow. I have offended them before. If we meet again, I, Wei, will certainly host a banquet to atone for my actions."
Zheng Yinping's idea to do the Tang family a favor and use their ship to pass through the checkpoint safely was not wrong, but she had overlooked one problem.
The water bandits.
Those fellows had seen the three of them with their own eyes, and dozens of them had fled as soon as the situation turned against them.
It was impossible to chase them all down to silence them.
This left eyewitnesses.
As it happened, while tracking them, Sun Wei had discovered the presence of water bandits on the Jiao River.
With a little investigation, he found that these fellows were actually in collusion with the government.
He immediately sent someone to notify the Plum Blossom Guard Headquarters and obtained an Investigation Warrant.
Before catching up to the Tang family's large ship, Sun Wei had first led his men to wipe out the water bandits and arrest the officials colluding with them.
After a brief interrogation, they confessed everything that had happened recently.
Naturally, Sun Wei had also figured out that Zheng Yinping would take the opportunity to leave the country on the Tang family's large ship.
Hearing Sun Wei say this, the three hiding in the cabin had already tensed their muscles, ready to act.
Tang Lianyu, face to face with Sun Wei, was also extremely nervous.
But after saying all this, Sun Wei cupped his fist towards Tang Lianyu:
"I have delayed Miss's journey. I still have official business to attend to, so I shall not disturb you further."
With that, he very decisively led his men off the ship, showing no intention of piercing through this thin veil of pretense.
Tang Lianyu, standing on the deck, was baffled by this series of actions.
What was this Plum Blossom Guard here for?
She was not afraid of being arrested by the Plum Blossom Guard on charges of 'harboring a criminal'.
After all, the Tang family had some connections, and all she had to do was insist that she did not know them and was unaware of the situation.
But for Sun Wei to pretend not to know the three were on the ship, even though he clearly did, was a confusing move.
Not only was Tang Lianyu confused, but the three hiding in the cabin were also bewildered.
He's just… not going to pursue them anymore?
"No need to doubt. He really doesn't plan to pursue you."
Li Chengxi's voice made the three of them look at the Jade Tablet in Yang Yiyi's hand.
"The higher-ups in the Plum Blossom Guard have issued an order. They said the Liu Prefecture Kingdom is putting pressure on the Yue Prefecture Kingdom. If any mishap were to befall Zheng Yinping within the Yue Prefecture Kingdom, it would inevitably lead to the disaster of war."
Zheng Yinping said in surprise:
"Brother Li, how do you know that?"
"I can calculate things, you know."
In reality, Li Chengxi had inspected Sun Wei's personal belongings and seen a document hidden in his clothes, which stated the content Li Chengxi had just mentioned.
The Yue Prefecture Kingdom and the Liu Prefecture Kingdom were merely hostile towards each other; they had no real intention of going to war.
Even if they were to fight, they would need time to prepare.
Originally, the Yue Prefecture Kingdom had captured Zheng Yinping just to have a bargaining chip.
But if they truly enraged the Liu Prefecture Kingdom, once war was officially declared, the underprepared Yue Prefecture Kingdom would be in a very passive position.
Therefore, the Imperial Court weighed the pros and cons and issued a new order to the Plum Blossom Guard, demanding they let Zheng Yinping go.
But speaking of which, Li Chengxi's impression of Sun Wei was actually not bad.
He had led his men to capture Zheng Yinping because he had orders and had no choice.
He praised them for fighting the water bandits because he felt genuine admiration from the bottom of his heart.
A man who could separate public and private matters so clearly, Li Chengxi did not think he was a bad person.
Naturally, his impression was not poor.