Chapter 963 We'll Pretend to Drown
Zhu Piaoling and his companions lingered in Nanjing for several days.
Originally, they had planned for the Wanli Sunshine to pick them up, but the flagship was preoccupied with eradicating the Huangmei river bandits and simply had no time to come to Nanjing.
So, he had no choice but to continue his leisurely tour of Nanjing. After all, his primary objective for this excursion had been pure enjoyment, and he certainly didn't mind a few extra days in the city.
True to the saying, "A lean camel is still bigger than a horse," even though his loyal guards grumbled about dwindling funds, Zhu Piaoling himself had enough to feast lavishly and spend extravagantly wherever he went. He didn't just splurge on himself; he showered the women around him with gifts too.
One day, he'd treat a large group of women to delicious meals; the next, he'd take them shopping for cosmetics and perfumes; and the day after, he'd lead them on excursions to famous historical sites in the countryside. Money flowed from his hands like water, and he never blinked an eye.
His generous spending injected considerable wealth into Nanjing's economy, boosting the earnings of countless small vendors. Single-handedly, he managed to elevate the recent quality of life for the city's hawkers by a noticeable margin.
His leisurely spree continued for nearly a month. Once he had indulged to his heart's content, the long-awaited ship finally arrived.
It wasn't the Wanli Sunshine.
Instead, it was a new vessel, one of Cai Xinzhi's second batch of creations. It had departed from Xiaolangdi, once again navigated the Yellow River to the open sea, and then sailed from the ocean into the Yangtze River. Its name was the Black Pearl.
Just then, a head emerged over the ship's rail. It was Li Daoxuan's face.
It turned out Li Daoxuan's avatar had arrived this time as well.
Moreover, this particular avatar was the "Aquatic Combat-Specialized Heavenly Lord." It no longer used steel for its frame, but was crafted from composite materials Li Daoxuan had placed into the box from the outside. While ensuring the skeleton's rigidity, this also significantly reduced its weight.
During aquatic combat, it wouldn't sink immediately upon entering the water.
Furthermore, unlike the Steel-Boned Heavenly Lord used for land combat, the Aquatic Combat-Specialized Heavenly Lord's feet were no longer fitted with wheels, but concealed propellers within its soles. Its arms were no longer cannons, but two harpoon launchers. Utilizing spring power, these could be fired underwater, though their range wasn't particularly far.
In a word: magnificent!
This was something Li Daoxuan had only considered after his last encounter, when he'd dragged a minor enemy leader down with him into the Yellow River. From now on, he would often be dealing with aquatic environments, and a physical avatar that sank instantly upon entering water was simply too inconvenient. That's why he instructed the artisans of Gao Family Village to craft this "Aquatic Combat-Specialized Heavenly Lord."
Li Daoxuan leaned his head out from the ship's rail and smiled at Zhu Piaoling. "Come aboard," he said.
Zhu Piaoling was overjoyed. "The Heavenly Lord's avatar has arrived too!" he exclaimed.
He led the women toward the ship...
Chen Yuanyuan held Xue'er's hand, the two young women mingling in the crowd, gazing up at the colossal ship before them, their hearts filled with an indescribable mix of emotions.
Chen Yuanyuan whispered, "This time, the demon himself has come. Look at his face; it's exactly like the embroidery on the steward's chest."
Xue'er nodded gravely. "Yes," she murmured, "it's the demon in person."
Chen Yuanyuan continued, "He's using such an enormous ship to pick us up... and it's swarming with soldiers armed with flintlock rifles. Once we step aboard, I fear we'll never get another chance. We'll either become the demon's wives or his food."
Xue'er gritted her teeth. "We have to escape," she declared.
Chen Yuanyuan countered, "But if we escape, the authorities will post warrants for our arrest! Look, that official who just came to inspect the ship barely reached the gangplank before someone from the ship scared him away with a token. The demon has great influence within the imperial court as well."
Xue'er's eyes gleamed. "I have an idea," she said. "We'll pretend to drown ourselves."
Chen Yuanyuan gasped. "Huh? Will that work?"
Xue'er explained, "I don't know, but it's worth a try. Anyway, as soon as we get a chance, when the ship is sailing in the middle of the river, we'll jump into the Yangtze. If the demon pulls us out, we'll claim we didn't want to live anymore and jumped in to die. That way, they won't think we're trying to escape. If they don't bother to retrieve us, we'll swim away underwater. He'll think we've drowned and naturally won't send officials to pursue us. Then we can simply go into hiding, change our names, and live as refugees. Oh, and you can swim, right?"
Chen Yuanyuan nodded. "I can swim," she replied, "but not very well. And I don't know how far I can hold my breath."
Xue'er clenched her fists. "No matter what, we have to try. Remember, if we fail to escape and get pulled out, just say we no longer want to live and burst into tears. That should definitely get us out of trouble."
With their plan set...
They joined the surging crowd and boarded the large ship.
This time, the ship carried two hundred sailors who had come from Xiaolangdi as reinforcements, plus over a hundred courtesans. There simply wasn't enough room on the deck for everyone.
The captain of the sailors shouted loudly, "Comrades, we must demonstrate our civilized and courteous demeanor. Let's leave the deck, with its good views and fresh air, to the common folk. Everyone, please bear with a little inconvenience and head into the lower cabins."
The sailors responded with a chorus of agreement and filed into the lower cabins.
The women were quite pleased. These soldiers on board were not rude at all; in fact, they all seemed like remarkably good people.
Chen Yuanyuan and Xue'er, however, thought to themselves, "Excellent! There aren't many of the demon's subordinates left on deck, so it will be easier for us to escape when we 'drown ourselves' in the river later."
The great ship began to set sail...
It slowly departed from the dock and headed out into the river.
The vast, rolling waters of the Yangtze flowed eastward.
Just as the riverboat reached the middle of the river, Xue'er glanced left and right, then whispered, "Jump!" With that, she braced her hands against the ship's rail and was the first to leap overboard.
Chen Yuanyuan silently murmured a prayer in her heart: "Heaven, save me from this sea of suffering."
Then, she followed Xue'er and plunged into the water with a splash.
As the two girls jumped, a wave of exclamations rose from the ship.
The other women, unaware of what was truly happening, shrieked in unison: "Xue'er, Yuanyuan... Quick, save them! Xue'er and Yuanyuan fell overboard!"
"Oh no!" someone cried. "They're sinking, so fast!"
The two young women hadn't accidentally fallen; they had jumped intentionally. Once in the water, they hadn't moved their limbs, so of course, they sank quickly...
Moreover, they had made a grave mistake!
Unlike smaller vessels, a colossal ship, when in motion, creates a powerful suction that pulls anyone swimming close to its side towards its hull...
This is also why modern Yangtze River shipping lanes prohibit swimming near the navigation routes.
The two girls didn't understand this. After jumping into the water, they still intended to swim away underwater, but they were instantly dragged by the undertow beneath the ship's bottom.
In the blink of an eye, the two were no longer visible on the river's surface.
The other women cried out in alarm.
Zhu Piaoling and Li Daoxuan were standing together at that moment, admiring the scenery along both banks of the Yangtze. Hearing the cries, both rushed to that section of the ship's rail and peered down into the water... but saw nothing.
Zhu Piaoling panicked. "Oh no, what do we do?" he cried. "Stop the ship, quickly!"
"We'll go save them!" Several sailors, skilled swimmers, heard the commotion, rushed out from the lower cabins, and prepared to jump into the water.
Li Daoxuan glanced at them and thought to himself, "Rescuing people from under a colossal ship is dangerous for the sailors too."
"I'll go!" he declared.
With that, Li Daoxuan placed a hand on the ship's rail and plunged into the river with a swift movement.
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