FID – Chapter 725

Chapter 725: Are Those People Crazy?

“Master, after Duan Yuan’s death, the Beicang Emperor flew into a rage and began a thorough investigation of the entire royal family, causing panic within both the imperial family and the court. In order to save their own lives, it won’t be long before some of the princes start a rebellion. Beicang is about to descend into chaos. What’s our next move?”

The man replied calmly, “It’s time to visit Dongyue.”

“Understood. I will immediately send word to the Dongyue estate to prepare for your arrival.”

The man neither affirmed nor denied it. Whether they were welcomed or not, it made no difference to him.

“Additionally, you instructed us to closely monitor the movements of the Liu family in Nanling. Something serious has happened… Liu Zhixia has been thrown into the imperial prison by Prime Minister Zuo, and the Liu family has been sentenced to exile. They’re currently on the run…”

“When did this happen?” The man’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and he fixed a cold stare on his subordinate.

The informant’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly answered, “We just received the report, and it happened ten days ago. The imperial court has dispatched soldiers to pursue them, and they’re heading toward the waters of Dongyue!”

The subordinate dared not conceal anything.

His Master had been paying close attention to the Liu family, and there was something subtly different about it.

It didn’t seem like surveillance. It felt more like protection.

“Immediately give orders to prepare a ship. We’ll search for them in the waters of Dongyue!”

“Yes, Master!”

At this moment, on the Grand Canal, Qian Wanjin and the others were already exhausted from their desperate flight.

Shortly after leaving the dock that day, they encountered a government patrol boat, which demanded that they stop for inspection.

It could have been a peaceful encounter, but his face ruined everything.

He had been too high-profile in the past, and too many people recognized him—even a disguise couldn’t hide his identity.

If it hadn’t been for Wei Lan and Liu Zhiqiu, they would have been finished right then and there.

Hence, a relentless chase commenced on the canal. They fled while the imperial forces blocked all routes, forcing the group to break through in panic. In the chaos, they had no idea where they had ended up.

They were lost.

Meanwhile, more boats kept closing in from all directions.

“Don’t these people need to eat, drink, or even take breaks? How long are they going to keep chasing us?!” Qian Wanjin lay sprawled on the deck, utterly drained.

After being relentlessly pursued for over half a month on the canal, they would have starved to death if they hadn’t had some food stored on the boat. And to make things worse, their group included a baby who wasn’t even a year old yet—Xiao Maodou.

Wei Lan crouched near the entrance of the cabin, warily scanning the surrounding waters. The moment he spotted even a shadow of a government boat, he immediately steered the vessel in the opposite direction to avoid it.

“The court has issued a kill order. They won’t stop until they capture us. We’re already approaching Dongyue’s waters, but we don’t have the travel documents needed to pass through their borders, and they won’t let us in without them. If we can’t come up with a solution, we might end up drifting at sea indefinitely.”

And that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was that they were on the verge of running out of both ammunition and food. With the relentless pursuit from their enemies, they hadn’t had any chance to dock and resupply.

Inside the cabin, the elderly couple, Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin looked utterly exhausted, their spirits depleted.

Days of fleeing by boat had been especially grueling for the two older family members. With poor food and restless sleep, their complexions had deteriorated severely.

But the one who suffered the most was Xiao Maodou.

The baby, not yet a year old, had been dragged along on this harrowing journey, unable to even get enough to eat. In just over ten days, his little face had visibly thinned. The once plump, chubby folds of baby fat had almost entirely disappeared, and just looking at him filled everyone with heartache.

Fu Yuzheng held the sleeping baby in her arms a little tighter. Looking at his quiet, well-behaved little face, she felt a pang of sadness rise in her chest.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Once we’ve escaped, I’ll buy lots of food that Xiao Maodou can eat and make sure he’s fed back to being chubby and rosy again. He’s such a good baby. Just look—he’s been on the run with us for so long and has barely cried at all. It’s like he knows we’re all trying to escape,” Liu Muqiu said softly, trying to comfort her.

Xiao Maodou really was a well-behaved child. Except for the occasional soft whimper when he was extremely hungry, he hardly ever fussed or cried.

It was as if he understood the situation and was trying not to make things harder for the adults.

“When we finally get to shore, we’ll find a place to have a big feast and stock up the boat with tons of supplies. Let those bastards keep chasing us—I’d like to see if they can hold out for a year or two! Worst case, I’ll just live on the boat for good!” Liu Zhiqiu growled through gritted teeth, angrily cursing.

Liu Erlin gave him a weary glare. “Who do you think you are, huh? Are you looking for a beating? If we manage to dock, why on earth would we come back to live on the boat?”

What was the use of staying on the boat when they were short on food and water?

The government ships took turns chasing them, alternating between pursuit and docking along the shore to restock their supplies before continuing the chase.

But on their side, there was no one to step in and give them a break—they could only keep running. At this rate, they’d either starve to death or die from exhaustion.

They might as well go ashore.

At least on land, if they wanted to eat something, they could just take some money and buy it. At the very least, they’d be able to fill their stomachs.

Feeling awkward after being shut down, Liu Zhiqiu rubbed his nose and muttered, “I was just saying… Why are you taking it so seriously, Dad?”

“If you’re going to talk, at least say something useful. Stop charging around like you’ve got a head full of hot blood, always acting like you’re ready to fight someone. With your clumsy, half-baked skills, do you really think you’re some kind of hero?” Du Juan, who couldn’t stand her son’s reckless attitude, snapped back without hesitation.

After being scolded in a duet by his parents, Liu Zhiqiu wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Brother Zhiqiu has had it pretty rough too. Look at all those injuries on him—they must hurt a lot,” Liu Muqiu said, frowning with concern as she looked at the cuts and bruises on the man’s hands and face, left from previous fights.

Thankfully, they had brought some emergency medicine when they left, and it worked well. 

Otherwise, Brother Zhiqiu and Uncle Lan would have suffered even more.

“You’re the only one who feels sorry for him,” Du Juan replied. “When he chose to learn martial arts, he should’ve known a day like this would come. Now he’s trying to act pitiful in front of us! That rascal’s had thick skin and tough bones since he was a kid—he’s fine, nothing to worry about.”

Liu Zhiqiu sighed. Yep, that was definitely his mother.

“Old man, turn the boat to the left—there’s a ship coming from that direction too!” Wei Lan’s tense voice came from the cabin door.

“We can’t go left either—there’s a ship there as well!” replied the old man known as Elder Jiu.

The boat suddenly made a sharp turn, and the force nearly threw everyone inside the cabin off balance.

“There’s no way out. We have no choice but to keep heading toward Dongyue. If we steer anywhere else, it’s as good as walking straight to our deaths.”

Everyone’s expressions darkened.

Even heading toward Dongyue felt like a dead end.

They didn’t have the necessary travel documents.

Without those, the moment they crossed into Dongyue’s waters, they’d immediately be arrested as spies.

Liu Zhiqiu noticed what his family was thinking and spoke quietly, “Right now, we just have to take things one step at a time. Let’s break through first. Even if we get caught and taken in as spies, it’s still better than being captured and killed right away.”

Grandpa Liu closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. “Let’s push through, then. It’s just… we’ve dragged Xiao Jinzi into this. He had nothing to do with it, and now, because he’s been with us, he can’t escape either.”

“Grandpa, what are you saying? Isn’t the whole point of family to stick together through thick and thin? Besides, do you think I am someone who’s afraid of dying? We haven’t hit a dead end yet—there’s got to be a way out!” Qian Wanjin said, trying to lift everyone’s spirits as he got up and peered out the window.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock.

“Holy crap! Are those people insane?!”