"What does Master Chen think?"
Master Long turned to look at Chen Mo by the railing, his tone carrying a touch more gravity than when he had questioned the first mate.
In his eyes, Chen Mo was now the strongest person aboard the ship.
Chen Mo leaned against the railing, the shore lights reflected in his pupils, yet no emotion could be read from them.
His gaze swept one by one over the brightly decorated tents along the shore before finally settling on the outline of the residence hidden deep within the streets.
That sense that something was wrong had been there from the moment the ship docked.
A wedding celebration steeped in deathly stillness was obviously abnormal.
"Leave. Now."
Tie Kun froze for a moment, the cigarette between his fingers forgotten. "Leave? Master Chen, it's pitch-black already. There's neither village ahead nor inn behind..."
Master Long frowned. "Master Chen, is there something to this?"
Chen Mo offered no explanation. He merely said, "Better one less trouble than one more. This wedding is clearly off. Best stay far away from it."
The first mate, listening nearby, went a little pale.
"Master Long, how about..." he began hesitantly. "Once we've stocked up on coal, we head another twenty li downstream. I remember there's a wild ferry crossing there. It's a bit rough, but at least..."
Before he could finish, a burst of footsteps sounded from shore.
Several men in short jackets came down the pier. At their head was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a satin long robe. One look told them he was the steward.
"Which one of you is in charge of this ship?"
The middle-aged man stopped at the head of the gangplank and clasped his hands in greeting, smiling with perfect amiability. "I am