Chapter 19: Escape to Freedom

Listening to the commotion above and beneath their feet, Wu Xie grabbed Zhang Wuxun’s arm and hauled himself upright. “Move! Water’s already started leaking through the cracks. Once this place collapses, none of us will get out.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a long, mournful sound came from above, as though something enormous were splitting apart.

Then, with a thunderous boom, the granite slab covering the entrance to the robbers’ tunnel was flung away by the surging current. The entire patch of ground heaved upward like a volcano erupting, churning violently with unstoppable force.

“Damn it—the sea hag was swept out too!” Zhang Wuxun watched as a huge mass of something was hurled through the water, slammed into the tomb’s domed crown, and fell onto the stone platform.

The water rose at a terrifying speed. Within minutes, they were splashing through water that had already reached the crown.

The Fat Man suddenly swam toward the side, and Zhang Wuxun followed.

Wu Xie was frantic. “What the hell are you two doing? At a time like this, you’re still thinking about treasure? Do you want to die?”

The Fat Man had pried loose two pearls, yet he was still eyeing a third.

By then, seawater had completely closed over their heads. Zhang Wuxun patted the Fat Man and gestured for him to go up first. He would take care of it.

The Fat Man flashed him an okay sign, shoved the pearls into the pocket of his underwear, and turned to swim toward the blasted-open tunnel.

Little Brother and Wu Xie had already made it outside.

Using his dagger, Zhang Wuxun pried loose two more pearls and stored them away. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a huge mass of black hair coming toward him. He did not dare waste another second. He hurriedly stored the Illusion as well, then kicked through the water and swam out of the tunnel, finally breaking the surface.

The Fat Man thrashed through the water, gulping down great breaths of fresh air. “Fat Grandpa has finally returned to the world of the living! Ha-ha-ha!”

Hearing his laughter, all of them felt the relief and joy of having survived a catastrophe.

Wu Xie suddenly remembered something. “Where’s A-Ning?”

The Fat Man had not the slightest bit of goodwill toward the woman. “Why bother with her? She’s got a powerful life force. She won’t die.”

Wu Xie frowned, still unable to bring himself to leave her behind. Whatever else she was, she was still a human life.

Zhang Wuxun sighed. “You two get on the boat with Little Brother. I’ll go back and look. She was probably caught by the sea hag.”

The moment Wu Xie heard that, he shook his head. “Forget it. Don’t go. It’s too dangerous.”

In his heart, ten A-Nings could not compare to Muyu.

“It’s fine.” Zhang Wuxun waved a hand. “She can make it up to me with her commission.”

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After saying that, he took a deep breath and plunged back into the sea.

Sure enough, he found A-Ning at the tunnel entrance, more than half her body entangled in hair.

When she saw Zhang Wuxun’s silhouette, A-Ning waved frantically for help, a string of bubbles escaping her lips as pain twisted her features.

Zhang Wuxun swam over and made a gesture for counting money.

A-Ning was already at the limits of her endurance. The whites of her eyes had begun to roll upward.

Zhang Wuxun took that as agreement, drew his dagger, and cut through the hair wrapped around her. Grabbing her by the back of her collar with one hand, he turned and swam toward the surface.

Wu Xie and the Fat Man quickly hauled them both aboard.

After tossing A-Ning onto the deck, Zhang Wuxun turned around and went into the cabin to change.

When he came back out, he was holding a slip of paper covered in writing. He crouched beside the unconscious A-Ning, pricked the tip of her thumb, and waited for a bead of blood to form before smearing it across the paper and pressing her thumb onto it.

There. A promissory note, completed.

The Fat Man gave Zhang Wuxun a thumbs-up. “Brilliant.”

Zhang Wuxun shook the paper to dry the fingerprint, then tucked it safely against his body. “Naturally. A debt for saving someone’s life isn’t something you can owe me lightly.”

The boat was utterly deserted. Aside from the fish being kept in the water, there was not a single person in sight. No one knew where the others had gone.

They puzzled over it for a long while, but could not come up with any explanation.

After everything they had endured, all of them were exhausted. One by one, they found places to sleep.

When Zhang Wuxun opened his eyes again, he was awakened by the savory smell of fish.

Carrying his toiletries, he stepped outside and nearly collided with the Fat Man, who was coming in.

“Well, look who’s up,” the Fat Man said. “I was just about to wake you.”

“Go wake Little Innocent.” Zhang Wuxun spoke around the toothbrush in his mouth. “I’ll keep an eye on the pot for you.”

He had barely finished brushing his teeth and splashed water over his face when a burst of ghostly wailing erupted from inside the cabin. A moment later, Wu Xie came charging out barefoot, hair sticking up like a bird’s nest, one shoe in his hand as he furiously chased the Fat Man.

Wearing a shameless grin, the Fat Man ran toward Zhang Wuxun. “Muyu, save me!”

Zhang Wuxun wiped his face with a disposable towel and said helplessly, “What did you do to him this time?”

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The Fat Man hid behind him and laughed nonstop. “How could it have been me? Little Innocent was clearly having a spring dream, and I merely happened to catch him in the act. That’s why he’s embarrassed and taking it out on me…”

“Bullshit!” Wu Xie’s face flushed with anger. “That damn Fatso scared me awake in my sleep with the sea hag! And you’ve still got the nerve to accuse me first!”

“Muyu, help me beat him up!” Little Wu Dog planted his hands on his hips and appealed to Zhang Wuxun, his face filled with indignation and wounded grievance.

The Fat Man let out a strange cry, shot out from behind Zhang Wuxun, and sprinted away, leaving only one sentence behind:

“Muyu, if you dare help him, you’re not getting any of the Fat Grandpa’s spicy boiled fish!”

Zhang Wuxun shrugged, unfolded a fresh towel, and draped it over Wu Xie’s face.

“Come on, don’t be angry. Later, we’ll take all his fish and leave him to drink the northwest wind.”

Wu Xie gave a vicious little “hmph” and raised his pinky at the Fat Man’s retreating back.

Suppressing his laughter, Zhang Wuxun prepared bowls and chopsticks for everyone.

After setting the course, he let the boat drift on its own. Little Brother also came over and sat down at the table.

Zhang Wuxun propped up his chin and watched the Fat Man expertly slice scallions and add garlic to the pot. The rich fragrance of fish filled the air.

Wu Xie mixed dipping sauce in a small bowl. “I had no idea you could do so much, Fatty.”

Zhang Wuxun sniffed deeply as well. “Brother Fat, have you really never considered opening a large restaurant? I’ll invest in you.”

“Ha-ha!” The Fat Man grinned proudly. “It’s only fish soup. That’s nothing. Back when I was sent to the countryside, I had to do everything myself. Hunting, catching fish, raiding beehives—I was good at all of it. As for opening a restaurant, that’s not where my ambition lies.”

“You’ll all discover eventually that Fat Grandpa has more virtues than you can count.”

Zhang Wuxun gave him a thumbs-up. “I wholeheartedly agree with that.”

After eating their fill, the Fat Man curled up in the wheelhouse, steering the boat and humming a little tune as he rolled the pearls around in his hand, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Zhang Wuxun took out the two pearls he had pried loose and examined them carefully. Then he looked at the Fat Man with an expression of deep reluctance.

“Brother Fat, I need to tell you something. You’d better prepare yourself.”

The Fat Man clearly had no idea how serious the matter was. “What? Have you finally decided to acknowledge Fat Grandpa as your father? Are those pearls a filial offering?”

“Oh, get lost. What kind of nonsense are you talking?” Zhang Wuxun rolled his eyes and weighed the pearls in his hand. “These things are fish-eye stones. They aren’t luminous pearls at all.”

The smile froze on the Fat Man’s lips. Suspicion spread across his face.

“Little Muyu, that’s not a joke you can make lightly.”

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