Old Wu saw that Lin Ke had the air of a scholar, and with the Water Dragon Turtle speaking human language as well, he hesitated.
"Young master, to tell you the truth, my eldest son went to Jiangning Prefecture some days ago too. We haven't heard a word from him since."
Old Wu sighed. "He and several lads from our village have always practiced martial arts. They wanted to go help, but none of them have returned."
"Seeing how young you are, we're afraid all that hot blood of yours will only leave you dying far from home."
Old Wu shook his head, though there was little sorrow on his face. "I have plenty of sons to carry on the family line. My eldest wanted to act in the name of righteousness, so I didn't stop him... I can see you're a loyal and righteous man too, young master, so I won't stand in your way either."
He looked toward another fishing boat nearby. "Zheng Shiliu, don't you have several maps stored away? Hurry and get one for Young Master Chen."
The thin, middle-aged man on the nearby boat froze, then instinctively scratched his head. "I don't. Why would I have any maps...?"
"Enough." Old Wu unexpectedly shot him an irritated glare. "You gave my eldest his map, didn't you? You think I don't know?"
Zheng Shiliu chuckled sheepishly, then said, "Your Wu Da was so full of loyalty and courage that I really couldn't bear to refuse..."
"All right, all right. Hurry and take Young Master Chen to get a map." Old Wu waved a hand. "My eldest is this."
He raised his thumb.
It was clear that Old Wu took great pride in his eldest son.
And so Lin Ke went ashore with everyone, then put away the