The Lost Tomb : The Southern Archives Mysteries

Chapter 20: Changing Ships

He Jianxi was patted awake by Zhang Haiyan. It was already dark out and he was in a cabin in the ship's hold. Instead of the previous compartment, he found that he was in a large cabin. 　

He and Zhang Haiyan looked at each other. There were medical herbs on his nose, which smelled very pungent. He Jianxi wanted to peel them off.

As soon as he sat up, he saw that all the crew members and sailors were on the other side of the cabin. They were squeezed into a corner and watching the two of them.

"What...what's going on?" He Jianxi asked. Zhan Haiyan looked at the crowd that was watching them from a distance and said, "You've been in a coma for a day. Isn't this the treatment that the plague god should have?"

"Are you really the plague god of the sea?" He Jianxi asked. He touched his nose and hissed in pain.

"Your nose is precious, so protect it if you can. You could even smell the subtle scent of turmeric that those scammers worked really hard on." As Zhang Haiyan spoke, he threw He Jianxi a package. He Jianxi found out that it was his own luggage.

"Check your things. I've already packed everything for you except the bedding. Is there anything missing?"

He Jianxi flipped through his luggage. His things were very simple. Except for the necessities, there wasn't anything extraneous, so he could see everything clearly at a glance. "Why did you pack my luggage?"

"Because we're leaving." Zhang Haiyan looked at the distant crowd. "Do you think we can still stay on this boat?"

"What do you mean, 'we'?" He Jianxi was confused and thought to himself, if someone has to leave, shouldn't you be the only one who can't stay on this boat any longer?

"I'm the plague god of the sea, and you're the plague god's cousin. Do you know how many people will come after you? You'll be arrested when you reach shore. They'll dig out your little friend and force you to tell them where I am," Zhang Haiyan said.

"But I'm not your cousin."

"Do you think others will believe it?" Zhang Haiyan sat down and looked at the dark sea outside.

"You're a hero who protects ordinary passengers. Why are they hiding from you? Why are they afraid of you?" He Jianxi was a little surprised.

Zhang Haiyan turned around and looked at the people on the opposite side indifferently. "A hero? I'm not a hero. I kill those who feel guilty. It's inevitable that ordinary people will feel guilty." Zhang Haiyan looked at He Jianxi with interest. "Are you not afraid of me? Do you have a clear conscience?"

"My conscience is clear." He Jianxi felt as if his wound was hurting more and more, but he still tried to endure it.

"Those who have a clear conscience are either extremely kind, extremely evil, or extremely stupid. Which one are you?"

"None of those." He Jianxi said. "Is it so difficult not to do bad things?"

Zhang Haiyan pointed to the people on the opposite side, who all flinched back. "You ask them."

He Jianxi certainly wasn't stupid enough to go and ask them, but he didn't understand why Zhang Haiyan said that they were leaving. This was the place where the outer sea met the coastal waters. The blue sea was endless, and there wasn't even a reef. Where could they possibly go?

Zhang Haiyan got closer to He Jianxi and said, "Let me ask you a question. Have you been so upright since you were young? How have you lived until now?"

"I'm an accountant," He Jianxi said. "An accountant should always be persistent. My job requires me to be honest. If you encounter something that needs to be negotiated, there will naturally be other people to take care of it. I think I can survive because accounting jobs have been around since ancient times."