Chapter Forty-Three: The Unexpected

Wang Pu was truly tempted to lift the black veils from their faces and take a look. If their looks matched their figures, then they really would be peerless among women.

“What are you staring at with those thieving eyes?” whispered the taller, more voluptuous assassin on his left. “Be careful, or I’ll gouge your eyeballs out.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Wang Pu quickly averted his gaze, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, adopting the look of a meditating monk.

The assassin nudged Wang Pu’s chin up with her cold sword tip, her voice low and menacing. “I’ll ask you questions now. You will answer truthfully. If you dare lie, I’ll cut your tongue out.”

“I will, I will!” Wang Pu replied hastily. “I’ll answer everything honestly.”

A wise man knows when to yield. For now, he’d pretend to be a cook and play along with these two dangerously attractive assassins. In the end, who would outwit whom?

The assassin questioned, “Tell me, is the Datuan Commander Wang Pu on this ship?”

“Wang Pu?” His heart skipped a beat. He quickly nodded. “Yes, he’s on this ship.”

“Which deck is he on?”

“The lowest deck.”

“Liar!” The assassin pressed the sword forward, the cold blade already touching Wang Pu’s throat. “The lower deck is dark and damp. Why would Wang Pu live there?”

“Oh, you don’t know, Heroine,” Wang Pu replied, tilting his head back, the lie flowing easily. “Although Wang Pu is a commander, he’s terribly afraid of death. He hides in the lower deck to avoid assassins. I’ve brought him supper twice, so I know.”

“He’s really on the lower deck?”

“Really.” Wang Pu wanted to nod but dared not move, so he pointed at the sword instead. “Please, be careful with your sword, Heroine. I’m just a cook. Killing me would only sully your blade.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a burly man, short and stocky, with a big beard. Ugly and dark-skinned.”

“Madam Li, why waste so much time on him?” the other assassin suddenly interrupted. “Now that we know which deck Wang Pu is on, let’s kill this man and get on with our business!”

“He’s just a cook, not a soldier,” said the first assassin, withdrawing her sword. “Grievances should be avenged on the right person. We’re here for Wang Pu, not to hurt the innocent.”

No sooner had she finished than she reversed her sword hilt and struck Wang Pu heavily on the back of the head. With a muffled grunt, Wang Pu collapsed. In a flash, the two assassins vanished from the kitchen like shadows.

Not long after they left, Wang Pu shook his head, groaning as he climbed to his feet. The assassin’s blow had been fierce, but Wang Pu had instinctively shifted his head at the last moment, sparing himself the worst. It was a life-saving trick he’d mastered in countless brawls.

Still, it hurt. Rubbing his aching head, Wang Pu swore to himself that when he caught those two assassins, he’d make sure to punish them thoroughly—strip them bare and leave his mark, just as vengeance.

But for now, he had to act fast. He couldn’t let these two assassins escape. With people like that after his life, how could he ever sleep soundly again?

Meanwhile, the Red Lady and the White Lotus Mistress crept quietly into the lowest deck. They searched every corner but found no sign of a man, let alone a stocky, bearded, ugly Wang Pu. What they did find were two young women tied up in a corner. The Red Lady, seeing their beauty, grew furious. “These must be respectable women kidnapped by that scoundrel Wang Pu.”

“We were tricked,” the Red Lady said angrily. “Wang Pu isn’t on the lower deck at all!”

The White Lotus Mistress nodded. “Clearly, he wasn’t a cook after all!”

“Haha, you’re absolutely right. I am no cook,” came a clear male voice from outside the cabin. Suddenly, dozens of government soldiers burst in, torches blazing, illuminating the hold as bright as day. Black-barreled muskets were leveled at the Red Lady and the White Lotus Mistress.

When the two women saw the man surrounded by soldiers, they gasped in unison, “It’s you?”

Wang Pu smiled slightly. “Surprised? I am indeed the Datuan Commander Wang Pu, the one you came to kill.”

The Red Lady drew her sword and lunged at Wang Pu. “I can still kill you, scoundrel!”

“Throwing darts!” barked a scar-faced man, who stepped forward and flicked two darts at the Red Lady’s throat and chest. She twisted back and blocked with her sword—two metallic clangs rang out as she deflected the darts. But the force numbed her hands, and she realized this thug’s skills rivaled her own.

“Ladies, I advise you to think carefully,” Wang Pu said with a light laugh. “The muskets in my men’s hands are not for show. If you surrender quietly, I promise you’ll come to no harm. But if you resist, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Even a fool could tell Wang Pu’s words held ill intent. If they were captured, they’d surely suffer the same fate as the two women found earlier—humiliation and abuse.

“Never!” the Red Lady shouted, her eyes blazing. “Even as a ghost, I won’t let you off, you dog!”

“No need for that,” Wang Pu said, his tone mocking. “You two are young and beautiful—what a shame to die like this. You know, I’ve just married, and haven’t taken any concubines yet. Why not become my concubines? I promise you’ll be well cared for.”

The men behind Wang Pu roared with laughter.

Red Lady, mortified and enraged, yelled, “You vile official! Keep spouting nonsense and I’ll fight you to the death!”

Just then, loud voices came from the stairs. Li Zushu and a dozen men barged in, and in the confusion, Xiao Qi accidentally knocked a torch to the floor. A servant rushed to pick it up, stammering, “Careful… there’s gunpowder here… if it catches, it’ll explode…”

Wang Pu’s heart leapt in alarm. He glanced around and saw a neat row of gunpowder barrels lining the hold, stretching from his side over to the Red Lady—dozens of them.

At almost the same moment, the Red Lady and the White Lotus Mistress saw the barrels too.

In a flash, the Red Lady darted to the barrels, slashing open a hole with her sword. Gunpowder spilled onto the floor as she quickly struck a tinder and held its flame to the powder, threatening, “One move and we all die together!”

“Wait, don’t!” Wang Pu’s face drained of color, and he hurriedly gestured to stop her. “Let’s talk, let’s talk.”

Xiao Qi, furious, smacked the servant on the head. “You blockhead! Couldn’t you keep quiet?”

The servant, Amu, scratched his head, protesting, “What did I do?”