Chapter Sixteen: The Girl from Chang'an

Chapter Sixteen

“Who?!” Old Chicken abruptly flung open the door, but the entire corridor was empty—there was not a soul in sight. He was careful, and noticed a little spilled millet porridge on the floor.

“Did you see anyone?”

“No one. Whoever it was has already left.” Old Chicken kept quiet about the porridge.

“These matters mustn’t become known to others, or trouble may follow,” Lord Nuo reminded him.

“I doubt we can conceal it for long. Besides, even if they hear about these things, without the skill, they won’t find anything. Look, we’ve searched for years and still found nothing.”

“Old Chicken, there are two things for you to do. First, investigate Long’s family background—find out if he’s one of the Zhangs. Second, prepare to go to the ancient city of Chang’an to look for clues about the bronze chest. In the vision, I saw illusions of Chang’an surrounding the chest; it might be there now.”

“There’s a third matter as well, which I was about to mention: look for the mole. Someone on this ship has always been up to something.” Old Chicken was about to elaborate, but Lord Nuo waved him off, indicating he need say no more.

“I’ve long suspected as much. They’ve kept quiet, so I let it be—but now, it seems they’re on the move. This is our chance to lure the snake from its hole and find out who the mastermind is. Old Chicken, come here.”

He beckoned Old Chicken over and whispered instructions; Old Chicken nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

Later, Old Chicken found Long and Egg, telling them to entertain the crew with tales of their adventure on the island. In truth, even without Old Chicken’s prompting, Long might have held himself back, but Egg could never resist boasting about his heroic deeds. Afterward, Old Chicken made it a point to ask Egg if he’d seen the bronze chest.

A small chest cast of bronze—Old Chicken turned as he left, muttering under his breath, “If I could get it, I’d gain endless wealth.” His voice wasn’t loud, but Egg heard him clearly.

As expected, Egg couldn’t hold it in. When gathered with the others, he launched into tales of his glorious exploits. Eventually, everyone had heard enough and wanted no more, but when Old Chicken’s question about the chest came to mind, Egg wove it into his stories. Bragging is a skill, and Egg spun the bronze chest into something magical.

Old Chicken watched from the sidelines, and sure enough, after dinner, he noticed Pan Xiaoyu sneaking into Egg’s cabin. After a while, Pan slipped back out, glancing furtively around, his face full of confusion.

All this was observed by Old Chicken. The ship’s cameras lacked audio, but tracking everyone’s movements was easy enough. Soon, Pan entered Lang Guojun’s cabin, exchanged a few words, then returned to his own room. Old Chicken tapped his pipe, a secretive smile on his lips—some had already fallen into the plan.

“It’s not time yet. The true power behind all this—I'm afraid it’s beyond the strength of just a few of us!” Lord Nuo warned Old Chicken.

---

“When, then, will it be time?”

“No rush. Let’s go to Chang’an first—perhaps we’ll discover something.”

Old Chicken said nothing more, but felt that if they didn’t deal with these two pests soon, disaster would come eventually.

Lang Guojun was deeply troubled now. It was too soon to act; they hadn’t found the goods yet. If anything happened to Lord Nuo now, chaos would erupt aboard. Best to wait until they reached shore and see how things developed. Besides, these matters had to be reported to Xiaoze Sunye. His work was done; there was no need to handle the next step for others. He’d soon collect his payment, and what happened afterward was no longer his concern.

Everyone was calculating their next move, and soon they returned to port. Fortunately, the tuna had been flash-frozen, suffering little loss. With careful arrangement, the tuna was unloaded onto refrigerated trucks and delivered to the buyers. There was a brief incident—a customs inspection turned up contraband, but the ship’s owner settled it with money in the end.

Next came a three-month rest period. Old Chicken, acting as intermediary, called Long over and prepared to head to Chang’an—officially for vacation, but with another purpose in mind. Egg, with nothing better to do, insisted on coming along, and in the end, they had to bring him. Unexpectedly, Egg proved to be a great help.

Travel was just a cover. Long and Egg, unaware of the real reason, arrived in the historic city of Chang’an. They sampled all manner of meat buns and visited every tourist spot. Egg, having resisted his manly urges for far too long, dragged Long out to the red-light district at midnight.

They’d barely entered when they rushed out in panic, pursued by a mob.

“Wow! That was fast—you didn’t even get your pants off!” Long shouted from afar.

“Stop talking—run!” Egg, short of breath, tugged Long along.

Seeing they were together, the group chased after them. Unfamiliar with Chang’an, the pair ducked through streets at random, finally diving under someone’s bed in a small alley.

“Hey, miss, have you seen two guys run by? Wearing big shorts—not locals!” the group yelled.

“Lots of people—how would I know which ones?” the local girl replied, unimpressed.

Her tone was sharp, but locals were used to it. If you’re too polite, they’ll walk all over you. It’s a regional quirk, perhaps.

“Let’s go—try that way!” a young man with yellow hair shouted. A few minutes later, the girl called out, “Come out, they’re gone!”

---

Hearing her, the two crawled out, glancing about, afraid the pursuers might return.

“Stop looking—they won’t come back. You’d best get moving,” she said.

“Thank you, miss!” Long said politely.

“Ha! You look all proper, but you’re up to no good!” she muttered, washing clothes.

“Hey, miss, what’s that supposed to mean? Who’s not proper, who’s not a good person? Tell me what you mean!” Egg was furious, forgetting she’d just saved them.

“Don’t be ungrateful! If you didn’t want to do that sort of thing, nobody would force you. With that sharp face, you’re clearly up to no good—being fleeced serves you right. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have helped. If it were the handsome guy next to you, maybe I’d have let him suffer!” she snapped.

“Sorry! Sorry! My friend’s just like that—don’t mind him. Thanks again! If fate brings us together again, I’ll be sure to thank you properly!”

“That’s better! See, whatever your character is, you’re at least polite. Unlike some, rotten inside and out.”

“You—!” Egg was about to retort, but Long held him back.

“First time in Chang’an, never thought we’d fall for a honey trap. Thank you, miss, for the rescue,” Long said, restraining himself.

“Get out! And don’t do this again!”

“Don’t stop me—today I’ll teach this shrew a lesson,” Egg said, pushing Long aside and rolling up his sleeves.