Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 822 - 820_1

Chapter 822: Chapter 820_1

Xiao’er, gripping two people, jumped off the boat and skimmed lightly over the surface of the water towards the shore, executing her Qinggong skill.

The moon was especially bright this night; its light reflected off the river, creating an array of twinkling stars.

Just then, the woman who’d been bowing her head suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve and swiftly stabbed towards Xiao’er.

Xiao’er sensed her movement and turned her head towards the woman. Her eyes met the woman’s venomous gaze, and shock sprang into her heart: It’s her!

The cold glint of the dagger flashed at this moment.

Reacting, Xiao’er tried to throw the woman off, but it was too late, the dagger stabbed into her abdomen.

All three tumbled into the water.

Xiao’er’s blood colored the surrounding river water red in an instant.

The silvery reflections of the moonlight wavered on the black river surface, occasionally streaked with crimson.

Overwhelmed by the chaotic situation, Xiao’er hurriedly flung an old man to the riverbank and yelled, "Yang Liu, catch!"

In the water, Mrs. Li struggled vigorously, clearly not a swimmer.

Xiao’er started to feel dizzy, undoubtedly the dagger was poisoned. The river current was swift, no time left to settle scores with Mrs. Li. Before passing out, she needed to get to shore lest she be swept away by the river, making the situation even more troublesome.

Shangguan Xuanyi, having just reached the shore and set down two people, heard Xiao’er’s call. He turned his head swiftly, just in time to see the three fall into the water.

With sharp eyes, he spotted the red stain on Xiao’er’s light yellow dress under the flickering firelight on the boat.

"The young lady!" Shangguan’s face turned pale, and he dived into the river, swimming towards them like a flying arrow.

Yang Liu quickly caught the old man Xiao’er had thrown towards her.

The old man tightly closed his eyes, he felt as if his aged bones would shatter at any moment.

Yang Liu stepped forward a few steps, she had caught the old man.

"Young mistress!" Yang Mei cried out as she dashed into the water. At the same time, a weapon flew from her hand, piercing the chest of Mrs. Li who was struggling in the water.

"The old lady will be okay now," Yang Liu said with a soothing voice. She carefully lay the terrified old lady down and anxiously surveyed the river.

The old lady, although terrified and disoriented, did not answer.

At this point, Shangguan Xuanyi was already swimming back to shore with Xiao’er in his arms.

Yang Mei remained in the water, trying to catch Mrs. Li who’d been swept far downstream. She must not be let off!

At this point, more than half of their boat had already sunk. The remaining part was also on fire.

Xiao’er and the others rescued the lives of so many people. Yet, now she had been stabbed for her heroic efforts. The people on the shore who had observed all this began to discuss:

"The young lady had such a kind heart, why did that woman have to stab her?"

"Wait, she was stabbed? I thought the young lady had just lost her strength, which is why all three of them fell into the water."

"It was a stabbing, even though it was dark, I am certain I saw the glittering of a blade!"

"Oh my! Why would that woman do such a thing? The young lady was trying to save her - stabbing someone during her rescue attempt is like seeking death!"

"I recognize that woman. When we boarded, I sat next to her. She was always bowing her head but she gave me a creepy look when I sat down. I was scared away by the look she gave, I couldn’t sit next to her."

"I’ve seen the way she stares at people too - it’s as if she sees enemies who killed her father in everyone! However, normally she’d just keep her head down and not make eye contact."

"Could that woman be insane?"

"It’s very possible."

"Who would merely kill another without any reason? If she were enemies with the young lady, the young lady wouldn’t have tried to save her. She must be insane!"

"Good point!"

"How could a lunatic afford silver to pay for the boat ride?"

Shangguan Xuanyi, holding Xiao’er in his arms, came ashore when that question was asked. His face darkened even more.

"Who knows? She could just be trying to blend in, or snuck onto the boat without anyone noticing."

"Good heavens, why are the young lady’s lips turning black!"

At this point, Xiao’er’s eyes were firmly shut, her normally rosy lips now the color of black currants.

Blood was still continuously oozing from her wound.

The are they found themselves was a sandy beach beside the river, nearby was a bamboo forest.

"Yang Liu, you stay here and help the captain get these civilians settled! I’ll take the young lady to see a doctor," Shangguan Xuanyi quickly fled into the bamboo forest with these parting words.

Gong Qinghua saw Shangguan Xuanyi rush away and lifted his foot to follow.

Yang Liu promptly blocked him: "Young master Gong, please do not interfere with the task of my masters."

"But I am trying to help!"

"Thank you for your benevolence, young master Gong, but we don’t need it. If my master needed help, she would’ve ordered us - her servants."

Gong Qinghua squinted towards the forest, the figure of Shangguan Xuanyi now out of sight.

After the panic had subsided, everybody reacted at once. Their boat had sunk — where would they go now? They clustered around the captain for answers.

On this late of a night, with hundreds of people standing on the beach, some completely soaked through. Luckily, it was early summer and the weather was hot. Nobody felt cold. Otherwise, the commotion would’ve been much worse.

People were absolutely seething, but no severe outbursts yet.

"Captain, I had a business meeting planned with a merchant in county ×× the day after tomorrow. If the meeting goes well, I would’ve made a thousand taels of silver. Now that I won’t be able to reach on time, who is going to compensate my loss?"

"Yes! I was going to meet with an influential figure in ××, we had agreed to meet tomorrow. Such personages are very busy, I had to book half a year in advance for this meeting. Now I won’t be able to keep the appointment, what will you compensate me with?"

...

"My father is gravely ill, I was bribing my way back to save his life with silver. Now what should I do if I’m delayed here?"

Everyone chimed in, each complaining about similar issues, demanding compensation for their loss.

Yang Liu and the captain were discussing how to deal with the passengers.

When Xiao’er had presented her token earlier, the captain instantly knew that she was one of their employers. Therefore, when Yang Liu communicated with him about the solution, he didn’t dare to slacken.

Local inns weren’t known to be close by so everyone had no choice but to spend the night on the beach. Arrangements would be made the next day.

A boat was scheduled to pass by here tomorrow. They can board that boat then.

The captain explained this plan to everyone. A discord arose among the people.

The captain raised his hand for silence: "No one wanted such a thing to happen! But where will we find another boat this late? Other than waiting here, what other choices do we have? I’d like to help everyone board the boat as soon as possible. If I had wings, I’d fly back, find a boat and bring it here to pick everyone up!"

His words emphasized the predicament. The passengers quietened.

Yang Liu took a look at the crowd: "The boat caught fire because of someone’s deliberate actions. Not only that, but a large amount of peanut oil was also spilled on the boat on purpose. I want to know if anyone saw who did it. If I find out who did it...". Yang Liu did not complete her sentence, but by making a slash across her neck motion, everybody understood.

It was crucial for Yang Liu to investigate both the fire on the boat and the princess’s injury and not let even a suspect get away.

Upon hearing these words, everyone fell silent, looking side to side, asserting they were innocent.