Chen Renzhong smiled faintly. The magnate of the waterways lowered his gaze and sighed softly. "Lie at ease and set sail, never seeing the rocky shoals; trust too much in heaven's favor, and walk into a pit in broad daylight. I've talked with the dock master so many times-those of us who make our living on the water only have eyes enough to see what happens on the water."
Xie Chuantang narrowed her eyes. "What task did the Fengshui Dock master give you?"
Chen Renzhong smiled and shook his head. "The first time I sailed with the dock master was aboard the Southern Golden Wind. Back then, we pooled every coin we had to put together a great ship that could travel north and south. Every one of us had empty pockets, but we had quite a reputation throughout the Feng River."
Then he gave a soft, long sigh and rested his hand on the saber hilt beside him.
It was then that Xie Chuantang clearly recognized his resolve to die. She seized her saber hilt, but the man's face had already regained its customary cold hardness. He gripped his heavy saber and let out one last sigh. "This ship has been with me for fifteen years."
Xie Chuantang sprang up, but the man merely stamped one leg. The entire deck burst apart with a crash, and he dropped straight down.
Pei Ye froze briefly. At that moment, he saw them too: bulging cloth bundles tied to the sturdy braces connecting the cabin to the hull. A glance farther in revealed four or five already.
He wanted to raise a finger and flick out a strand of True Qi, but in that instant, the smell had already pierced the reek of water and blood and drifted faintly into his nostrils.