The Lost Tomb : The Southern Archives Mysteries

Chapter 53: A Man On A Lone Boat

Zhang Haiqi and Zhang Haiyan had landed in the South Lake of Yueyang. They headed towards the lights in the distance, walking along the river bank until they saw Yueyang City. But it was still far away, so they boarded one of the many fishing boats that were in the area. The fisherman took them all the way to Yueyang Tower, and once they disembarked, they realized they were in the downtown area.

Lights were hanging from Yueyang Tower, but they didn't know what festival it was for. Since the two of them were soaked, they found a tailor shop on the street and bought some ready-made clothes. Once they changed, they finally got to walk around in Changsha-style clothes.

Zhang Haiyan's mind was full of thoughts, but he didn't voice them. He wasn't sure if Zhang Haiqi was really quick-witted, or if she had made a back-up plan with Zhang Qishan a long time ago. If it was the latter, didn't that mean she had already expected him to mess things up?

But Mo Yungao was much more difficult to deal with compared to whatever was happening in Malacca. Zhang Haiyan somewhat suspected that Zhang Haiqi had sent him to Malacca because she knew there was no way he could survive in China with his intelligence.

It was only a day's journey from Yueyang to Changsha, but the two of them had suffered injuries from the previous fight. Zhang Haiqi began to cough after she got on the boat and Zhang Haiyan's hands were very swollen, so they went to find a doctor. The doctor set Zhang Haiyan's bones, but couldn't find anything wrong with Zhang Haiqi. He hesitated and looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself for some reason.

Zhang Haiyan was a little worried, but Zhang Haiqi shook her head. That kind of poison gas would definitely have an effect on her, but the doctor didn't have a cure for foreign nerve gas. It must not have been particularly terrifying if Mo Yungao dared to stay in the room with it, so they could only wait until after they saw Zhang Qishan tomorrow to ask the military doctor.

The doctor gave Zhang Haiqi some licorice to put under her tongue, and then she and Zhang Haiyan went to find a restaurant. They ordered some side dishes and started eating.

Zhang Haiyan asked for an extra pair of chopsticks and set them aside. He was a little annoyed because he didn't get to avenge Zhang Haixia this time.

Zhang Haiqi put the extra pair of chopsticks back and said, "Don't always make yourself so obvious. It might feel good when you're doing something special, but you don't know what trouble it might cause in the end."

"Did all this happen because I said my name on Flower Reef?" Zhang Haiyan asked. This was the question that had always been on his mind.

"While I was spending some quality time with Mo Yungao, I had the feeling that he had lost his mind." Zhang Haiqi shook her head. "You had every right to give out your name. Even if you hadn't done that, Mo Yungao still would've fought against us. We know his conspiracy, after all."

"But—"

"Let's drop this topic. I was patient enough to comfort you once, so shut up and eat," Zhang Haiqi said.

Zhang Haiyan sighed. He had no choice but to swallow the next ten thousand sentences.

He looked at Zhang Haiqi and suddenly felt that her state wasn't quite right. Was she also unsatisfied with the result?

The two of them ate silently. The Yangtze River and Yueyang Tower were outside, while countless people were coming and going. Zhang Haiyan felt a little distant from them all. They didn't even know what had happened just now.

After dinner, the two of them took a walk and asked some people for ways to get to Changsha. They boarded a night boat that would take them from the Yangtze River to Dongting Lake. After that, they transferred to the Xiangjiang River at Laogang and took the waterway the rest of the way to Changsha.