Yang Qing sent Bu Er up the mast of the ship opposite them.
Bu Er went up, but soon came back down.
He returned to Yang Qing and said, "Young master, there's nothing up there."
Yang Qing glanced at him. "Apart from objects."
Bu Er thought carefully, then added, "There are just three cracks."
Three cracks on the mast?
Yang Qing asked, "What kind of cracks?"
Bu Er did not answer. He flew up to the mast again.
This time, he stayed up there for quite a while before returning to Yang Qing's side.
"Did you get a good look?"
Bu Er nodded. "There are indeed three cracks, but they weren't caused by erosion from the sea wind."
He looked at Yang Qing. "They look very much like cuts from a sharp weapon."
The expressions of Jiang Zhizhou and Ouyang Lin, standing beside Yang Qing, changed slightly.
How could such a tall mast bear marks left by a sharp weapon, after drifting at sea for so long?
Yang Qing said, "Lower the mast so we can take a look."
He kept feeling that there was something aboard this ship he had not thought of.
Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou stepped forward and lowered the mast, bringing the three cracks clearly into view before Yang Qing.
Yang Qing bent down and studied the cracks for a long time, then reached out to touch them.
He still discovered nothing.
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Yang Qing's fingertip twitched. His hand had caught on a splinter along a crack, driving it into his flesh.
The splinter was very long. It took Bu Er considerable effort to carefully remove it from Yang Qing's hand.
He was about to throw it onto the ground when Yang Qing told him, "Take out