Chapter 92: Soothing Tea

With the ship still swaying and the words they had just heard still ringing in their ears, Shen Youlin and Liang Bingyan were terrified out of their wits. Shen Youlin even let out a scream.

At the last moment, Master Yao Blade showed a smug smile, and his eyes closed.

"Uncle-master!" Hei Shan cried, lunging toward Yao Blade, only to find that there was no breath left in him.

His eyes reddened. In a low, feral growl, he cursed, "None of you will come to a good end!"

Then, taking advantage of the vessel's lurching, he charged toward the two women, who were the least capable of defending themselves.

Chen Yuyi gave a cold smile and, with two fingers, made a cutting motion through the air.

At that very moment, the shaking of the ship ceased.

A thin line of blood slowly lengthened across Hei Shan's throat.

Chen Yuyi raised a hand to block the two women's line of sight. "Let's go."

Both women had gone deathly pale with fright. They were in no mood to linger, and under Chen Yuyi's protection, they stepped out of the room. Still, they heard a sound behind them that seemed like a rolling ball, though neither dared look back.

Just then, an announcement sounded over the ship's loudspeakers.

"Please do not panic, everyone. The True One has encountered a turbulent current, which caused the vessel to shake. Everything is now back to normal. Please rest assured!"

The moment the two women left, Chen Yuyi controlled the Great Luo Star Disk to circle the three corpses inside for a while. In an instant, the bodies dissolved into nothingness.

After that, he went with the two women to the ship's main hall.

By then, the hall was already crowded with people who had come out in fear after the ship's violent shaking.

Some of the passengers who had been aboard longer were explaining things to the newcomers, saying that the river was windy and the waves rough, so such things were perfectly normal and there was no need to worry too much.

Staff members also brought out so-called calming tea, specially blended by Master Zhong, said to soothe the nerves and steady the heart. It was even given the name Soothing Tea.

Many people picked up a cup and drank it in one gulp. Afterward, they all seemed visibly more at ease, as though the tea truly possessed some kind of magic.

Xu Ruizhi had already been seasick to begin with, and after the shaking she felt even more dizzy and unsteady. Just as she was about to drink the tea in her hand, Shen Youlin snatched it away and knocked it over.

Xu Ruizhi stared. "Youlin, have you lost your mind?"

Zhao Lan and the others were also there with Xu Ruizhi. Seeing Shen Youlin and Liang Bingyan emerge unharmed, they said with delight, "You're all right?"

Shen Youlin shot them a glance. "With my brother-in-law here, what could happen? Unlike some people, who ran faster than rabbits."

Zhao Lan blushed slightly and could not help glancing at Chen Yuyi. Seeing how calm and unruffled he looked, something stirred faintly in her heart. Could it be that this man was really as formidable as Old He had said, impossible to underestimate?

"Youlin, you've really lost your mind. Why are you calling him brother-in-law?" Xu Ruizhi stared at her in open-mouthed disbelief at hearing that word.

"Isn't he my brother-in-law?" Shen Youlin smiled sweetly and deliberately leaned closer to Chen Yuyi.

Xu Ruizhi pressed a hand to her forehead. She must be dizzy and seeing things.

At that moment, Pan Fang and the others began surrounding Liang Bingyan with questions. In their hearts, the people they were most grateful to were still Zhao Lan and Liang Bingyan.

Liang Bingyan only dealt with them lightly and said nothing about what had happened there.

Though everyone was curious about how they had escaped, seeing that neither of them wanted to say, no one pressed further. Fortunately, everyone was safe, and that was enough to put them at ease.

"Youlin, why did you knock over my calming tea just now?" Xu Ruizhi kept rubbing her forehead, and the dizziness only seemed to be growing worse.

Shen Youlin glanced at Chen Yuyi. After what had happened earlier, she had become wary of everything aboard the True One. She might not care about anyone else, but how could she not care about her own family? So the moment she saw her mother about to drink that so-called calming tea, she instinctively felt it could not be anything good and rushed to knock it over.

"Because there was something wrong with the tea," Chen Yuyi said calmly.

His voice was not loud, but many people heard him. All of them turned to look.

"Madam Shen, what kind of way is your family's cheap son-in-law speaking?" the cluster of ladies beside Xu Ruizhi complained at once. These wealthy women were the most superstitious of all; since others had spoken so highly of Master Zhong, they had come to revere him as well.

"He's a cheap son-in-law, all right. Narrow-minded and ignorant. How would he know Master Zhong's abilities? Do you know how many people would pay a fortune for this cup of tea if it were sold outside? And now we're being allowed to drink it for free. What incredible good fortune. Youlin is being far too childish, throwing away such excellent tea for nothing."

"Exactly. To me, the one with the problem is him. He knows nothing and still spouts nonsense!"

Faced with the chorus of complaints from the group of ladies, Shen Youlin planted her hands on her hips, ready to fire back, but when Chen Yuyi shook his head at her, she lost interest in arguing with that crowd of rich matrons.

Over on Zhao Lan's side, for reasons she did not understand, her own cup of calming tea had not yet been touched. After hearing Chen Yuyi's words, she hesitated.

"It's that kid—he's the one saying the calming tea is suspicious!" Suddenly, several of Master Zhong's devoted followers who had been aboard for several days rushed over.

Their eyes were bloodshot, as though they had not slept in days, yet their faces were flushed and they seemed strangely excited.

They gathered around Chen Yuyi, each of them looking hostile, as though he had insulted their own family.

"Why are you saying there's something wrong with this calming tea?"

"What exactly is wrong with it? Today you have to make this clear to us!"

"We drink it every day on this ship, and look how good our spirits are. You're stirring things up. If this were anywhere else, we'd beat you to death. Believe it or not?"

Seeing this, Shen Youlin felt a twinge of fear. These people gave her a very strange feeling.

The wealthy ladies on this side also stopped criticizing Chen Yuyi and instead watched the show with gleeful delight.

Pan Fang and the others were still shaken, so they kept their heads down and said little. They had never cared much for Chen Yuyi in the first place, and even though he had come out safely from Master Yao Blade's hands, they were unwilling to believe it was due to his own ability. They all assumed Liang Bingyan must have found a way to solve the problem.

Liang Bingyan frowned and wanted to speak up for Chen Yuyi, but she, too, found those people odd. After glancing at Chen Yuyi and seeing that he did not take it to heart, she let it go.

Chen Yuyi gave a faint smile and paid those people no mind at all. Turning around, he walked away.

Seeing this, Shen Youlin hurried after him.

Xu Ruizhi pressed a hand to her forehead again. What was wrong with this youngest daughter today? Not only had she called that bargain son-in-law "brother-in-law" for the first time in her life, she now seemed glued to him. Her head felt even more dizzy.

The others shot Chen Yuyi's retreating figure a resentful look before scattering.

But the wealthy ladies soon resumed their discussion of Chen Yuyi, mercilessly denouncing him in front of Xu Ruizhi.

Xu Ruizhi could only clutch her head in helpless resignation. In her heart as well, she blamed that cheap son-in-law for stirring up public anger.

Chen Yuyi stepped out onto the deck. Before he knew it, night had already fallen. Outside was thick with mist, and he noticed that the pillars on the ship, carved with runic patterns, were faintly glowing red.

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing out here?" Shen Youlin came after him onto the deck. A gust of river wind swept over her, and she immediately felt a chill run through her. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Youlin, whatever happens later, don't be afraid. Trust me. I won't let anything hurt you."

As Chen Yuyi spoke, Shen Youlin suddenly felt warmth spreading through her entire body, and the chill vanished without a trace.

He had merely infused her with a trace of his power. After the Great Luo Star Disk had devoured that thing, Chen Yuyi could now perform a few minor mystical feats. And seeing how drastically Shen Youlin's attitude toward him had changed, he had genuinely come to care for the girl.

If Shen Youlin had heard those words before, she would have surely scoffed. But now she knew this brother-in-law was no ordinary man. Not only was he rich, he was also like a superhero. Who would dislike someone like that?

Just then, Qi Yun walked over to Chen Yuyi.

Ever since she had boarded the True One, she had felt an indistinct unease. Combined with the earlier shaking of the ship, her sense of foreboding only grew stronger, and she could no longer hold back from coming to find Mr. Chen.

Shen Youlin had been to Dragon Pool Manor, so she naturally recognized this older sister. She cried out in surprise, "Sister Yun!"

Qi Yun merely nodded at her before looking at Chen Yuyi and calling softly, with worry written all over her face, "Mr. Chen."

Shen Youlin's eyes darted back and forth. A thought began to form in her mind. How did this woman know her brother-in-law? And why did she seem so respectful toward him? Wait—she had called him Mr. Chen. That Fang Kai had once said he had broken one of his legs because he had offended Mr. Chen. Her brother-in-law happened to have the surname Chen, and Fang Kai had indeed been looking for trouble with him at the time. Could it be that her brother-in-law was that very Mr. Chen?

And when she had been kidnapped by Fang Kai, had her brother-in-law also been the one who sent people to rescue her?

The more she thought about it, the more Shen Youlin covered her mouth. Could it be that her brother-in-law was really the Mr. Chen whose name had been making such a stir in River City lately?