Chapter 476 - 408: Devising a Plot

Chapter 476: Chapter 408: Devising a Plot

Deep in the Thunder Shock Marsh, a thick mist hung in the air.

A Tower Ship was moored silently at the edge of a wide reed marsh, its hull blending into the night.

On the second floor, in a tastefully decorated cabin with a soft carpet...

"I’m dying! I’m dying!"

Bai San, deep in sleep, suddenly let out a scream. His whole body convulsed violently as he shot up in bed. His eyes, however, remained tightly shut, his forehead was slick with cold sweat, and his hands flailed wildly in the air.

The commotion was so great that it startled Gossip and Peng Anmin, who were sleeping in the adjacent beds, causing them to groggily sit up.

"Old Bai! What the hell are you screaming about?! Are you out of your mind?!"

Gossip rubbed his drowsy eyes. Seeing it was Bai San, he irritably kicked out at him.

The kick from Gossip made Bai San shudder, breaking him free from his nightmare. He opened his eyes, which were filled with confusion and terror.

He glanced around at the spacious, warm cabin, then looked down at the clean, soft, new nightclothes he was wearing, a bewildered expression on his face.

"Where... where is this? Weren’t we poisoned? Didn’t we collapse in an alley?"

Bai San scratched his head, his face a mask of disbelief.

It all came flooding back to Gossip and Peng Anmin as well, and their expressions changed drastically.

Their last memory was of chasing Hua Wuxin out into a rainy night, their bodies going numb in an alley as hallucinations plagued them before they lost consciousness.

Logically, even if they hadn’t been poisoned or frozen to death, they should have been lying in a cold, damp alley, perhaps discovered by passersby or government constables.

But here they were, lying in warm, comfortable beds, their soaked clothes even changed and set out to dry?

’What happened?’

The three men stared at each other in bewilderment.

They scrambled out of bed, not even bothering with shoes, and rushed barefoot to the window, pushing it open a crack to peer outside.

The first thing they saw was an endless reed marsh and a vast expanse of water.

A mixture of the slightly fishy smell of the water and the unique fragrance of the reeds wafted into their nostrils.

From beneath their feet, they could feel the faint rocking of a boat swaying with the waves.

"How did we end up on a boat?"

Peng Anmin was filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Is this a Tuo Long Bang boat?!"

Bai San, more familiar with this scent, was astonished.

As they were exchanging uncertain, shocked glances, a knock came from the cabin door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

The three men’s hearts tightened in unison, and they quickly exchanged another glance.

Bai San composed himself and said in a low voice, "Come in."

The cabin door opened, and a man in his early thirties, dressed in a sharp, indigo outfit, walked in.

His gaze swept quickly over the three of them, a strange glint in his eyes. He cupped his fist and said, "The three of you are awake? The Gang Leader requests your presence."

"The River Hall Master?"

Both Bai San and Gossip recognized the man. He was the Hall Master of the River Hall, one of the four halls of the Tuo Long Bang’s Rivers and Streams division.

"Was it Master Li who saved us?"

Gossip asked tentatively.

The River Hall Master smiled but didn’t answer, merely turning to the side and making a gesture of invitation.

The three men were even more surprised. They hurriedly put on their clothes, which were now half-dry, and left the cabin.

They passed through the doorway and a corridor, arriving at a more spacious and exquisitely furnished cabin higher up in the Tower Ship.

Pushing the door open, the first thing they saw was Li Sanli, the Gang Leader of the Tuo Long Bang, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides.

And in the main seat of the cabin, a large rosewood Grandmaster’s Chair, sat a figure leisurely sipping tea.

Who else could it be but Chen Li?

"Master!"

Seeing Chen Li, Bai San and Gossip were both shocked and overjoyed, and they hurried forward.

Peng Anmin also breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to pay his respects.

The one who had saved the three of them was, of course, Chen Li.

After leaving Liyang Commandery City, he had ridden posthaste straight for Thunder Shock County.

But before he even entered the city, he spotted disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect patrolling the main road.

Once inside the city, he saw the Celestial Sword Sect working with government constables, conducting inspections all over.

This put him on high alert. Worried that something had happened to Bai San and the others, he didn’t rashly head to the Fishery.

He observed secretly from within the county seat for a while and first managed to get in touch with Li Sanli.

After confirming that Bai San and the others were safe for the time being, he had originally planned to have them come and meet him.

However, the county seat was crowded with prying eyes, and he wasn’t sure if the Fishery was under surveillance. That was why he had sent a young boy to deliver a message instead.

He, meanwhile, watched from the shadows.

And because of this, he happened to witness the entire sequence of events: Hua Wuxin administering the poison, Bai San and the others giving chase, and their eventual collapse.

After Hua Wuxin left, Chen Li made his move. He carried the three unconscious men away, had Li Sanli meet them, and transferred them to this Netherworld Ship.

As for the aconite poison they had ingested, the toxicity of aconite becomes quite weak after being stewed for a long time.

The Sweet Wind Jade Dew Heaven-Repairing Creation Pill in Chen Li’s possession also had the effect of neutralizing common poisons. Giving it to them was a bit of a waste, but it was more than enough to counteract the aconite poison.

After the three took the pill, the poison naturally dissipated.

Before Chen Li could even ask, Bai San and Gossip were all talking at once, rapidly recounting how Hua Wuxin had used aconite-laced cured meat and stewed chicken to poison them.

After they finished, Bai San was still seething with indignation. He gritted his teeth and said, "Master! That Hua Wuxin is a beast in human form! We were more than fair to him, and he still poisoned us.

"Poisoning us once would have been bad enough, but he had a backup plan and did it a second time! His intentions are truly unforgivable. I bet he’s been colluding with the Celestial Sword Sect for a long time. Master, you absolutely cannot let him get away with this!"

Gossip chimed in from the side, his face a mixture of regret and lingering fear.

Chen Li listened quietly, his expression unreadable.

He already knew all of this; he didn’t need them to tell him.

He had also long been mentally prepared for Hua Wuxin’s betrayal.

Ever since Hua Wuxin had returned from the Kao Mountain Cliff Little World, his strange behavior had put Chen Li on guard.