Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2355: Chapter 2354: The Giant Tentacle

Bai Ruozhu was stunned, ”Master?”

The old man’s face flushed with anger, ”He’s a traitor who has betrayed his master and ancestors!”

Seeing that he was about to pass out again, Bai Ruozhu hurriedly advised, ”Elder, please calm down. He’s already been detained by us, and justice will surely be served. Your health is too poor; if you don’t make it through, things won’t be clarified.”

The old man gasped heavily, and after a while, he calmed down a bit.

”You’re right, dear girl,” the old man said wistfully after a moment.

Bai Ruozhu felt a bit embarrassed. She was already married with children, yet being called a ”dear girl” felt odd. But now was not the time to fuss over such trivial matters; she was eager to hear more from the elder.

”I used to be the helmsman of the Xuanwu,” the old man began, and Bai Ruozhu’s eyes widened. This old man was Zheng Xin’s former helmsman!

She was overjoyed; by saving someone, they had solved their own problem.

”At that time, Lord Zheng from the Shipping Department recommended him as my disciple. On one hand, I was aging; on the other, I wanted to show respect to the Shipping Department, so I agreed and taught him for three years...”

The old man spoke slowly, taking a sip of porridge after every few sentences, clearly struggling.

Bai Ruozhu didn’t have the heart to rush him and waited patiently.

”Later, the Xuanwu became too old, and when the Shipping Department built a new ship, we switched to this one. My health continued to decline, so I suggested that Zheng Xin take over as helmsman while I guided from behind, which the Shipping Department agreed to. Unexpectedly, I was soon locked in that room...”

The old man’s voice grew smaller; his body was too weak, and he soon fell asleep.

Bai Ruozhu sighed. Wasn’t there a saying that the cat is the tiger’s master, but when the tiger becomes powerful, it wants to eat the cat, forcing the cat to climb a tree?

The tiger, unable to climb, angrily asked the cat, ”Didn’t you say you taught me everything? Why did you hold something back?”

The cat was glad it forgot to teach the tiger to climb trees; otherwise, it would face certain death.

And the old man, tormented until now, must be because Zheng Xin did not learn all of his skills; otherwise, he would have been killed long ago.

Bai Ruozhu laid the old man flat and sighed, saying to Fang Luo and Qiu Zhi, ”You must protect him well; Zheng Xin won’t let this go easily.”

Fang Luo nodded, ”Don’t worry.”

Bai Ruozhu felt relieved; even though she hadn’t interacted much with Fang Luo, she found him more reliable than Qiu Zhi.

She left the room and soon found Jiang Yichun, Mo Beishan, and the others, and told them what the old man said.

”This is great news!” Mo Beishan excitedly slapped the table, splashing the tea everywhere.

”With the master here, why fear Zheng Xin? It’s true that heaven never seals off all exits!”

Jiang Yichun also smiled, ”No wonder Zheng Xin was in such a rush to rebel when the old man was rescued. Someone must protect him well.”

”I’ve already instructed Fang Luo and Qiu Zhi; foster father, you’re close to where they stay, so keep an eye out,” Bai Ruozhu said to Gao Zhou.

With Mo Beishan still around, Gao Zhou didn’t want more people to know his true identity.

”Alright, I’ll keep an eye on things,” Gao Zhou nodded in agreement.

With this good news, the group’s mood improved, but Bai Ruozhu became more worried about the mastermind behind the cookmaid’s poisoning. She vaguely felt it wasn’t the detained Zheng Xin.

”Mo Beishan, what’s the situation with Zheng Xin and them in jail?” Bai Ruozhu asked Mo Beishan.

”Last night, they were still discussing how to escape, how to get the people on the boat to rebel with them. Zheng Xin even said that our crew couldn’t sail by themselves; if they rebel, we won’t stand a chance.”

Mo Beishan sneered, ”But his few subordinates aren’t confident, and two even discussed defecting to us while he was asleep.”

”Don’t underestimate him; keep a close watch,” Jiang Yichun warned with a stern face.

”Oh, alright.” Mo Beishan touched his nose, feeling that Jiang Yichun was still displeased with him.

In the evening, the old man woke up again. After drinking a small bowl of porridge, he continued talking to Bai Ruozhu.

”Zheng Xin is inherently greedy. Not long after becoming helmsman, he started exploiting the ship workers. Since his relatives were in the Shipping Department, no one dared say anything against him and filed a complaint with me instead.”

The old man sighed, ”I thought as his master, I could advise him. But when I did, he turned hostile. He then fabricated a story of my falling overboard in a storm and imprisoned me in that dark Room.”

”Why did everyone on board say they didn’t recognize you that day? What’s going on?” Bai Ruozhu asked in confusion.

”For one thing, this isn’t the old Xuanwu; most workers are from other ships or criminals’ descendants. My health was poor, and I rarely went to the deck. Zheng Xin took the helm from the start. For those who remembered me, they would think I perished at sea. Besides, who could recognize me in this ghostly state?” the old man said, tears welling in his eyes.

”Elder, may I know your name?” Bai Ruozhu quickly poured him a cup of tea and asked softly.

”I forgot to mention, my name is Ding Yong. I’ve been helming the Xuanwu for over twenty years; you can find it in the Shipping Department’s records,” the old man said.

”Mr. Ding, you know we’re heading to the Fusang Country, right?” Bai Ruozhu asked.

The old man looked surprised, ”Going so far? I’ve mostly been unconscious and have no knowledge of outside events.”

”We’re on the emperor’s orders to trade with the Fusang Country. Initially, Zheng Xin was the helmsman, but as he oppressed the ship workers and killed many for personal gain, we couldn’t let him harm others any longer. But a boat without a helmsman won’t do; the past few days have been calm, but if we encounter danger...” Bai Ruozhu said.

The old man straightened his back, ”I’ll protect everyone on this ship with my life and never let that scoundrel harm people again!”

The old man’s voice grew louder, and he couldn’t help but cough. Bai Ruozhu shook her head quietly; in his current state, the old man couldn’t manage the deck. She could only think of solutions slowly.

”Rest well and nurse yourself back to health. I’ve organized a group of people with sailing experience from the ship to form a Zhinan Group, which can manage temporarily,” Bai Ruozhu comforted the old man.

Ding Yong nodded, ”I’ll take good care of myself, and I won’t disappoint you.”

Bai Ruozhu had a good impression of this old man. It was unfortunate that he had taken such a disciple; perhaps Zheng Xin had never sincerely apprenticed, planning from the beginning for opportunities for wealth as a helmsman, gaining staggering control over the ship within a few years.

At midnight, a violent wind suddenly blew outside, waves surging ominously. A giant tentacle slowly crawled onto the boat...