RWNEFE -Chapter 110 A Martial Contest Aboard the Ship!

What she had said really did come true.

Liu Yanhui and the others felt both delighted and conflicted.

“My lord, what about the other piece of news?” Liu Yanhui asked.

They had already left the Tianjin fiefdom. Whether it was good or bad, it shouldn’t have anything to do with them anymore, right?

“The other news is that the troops led by Liu Cheng’en have occupied several major islands in the Jiaozhou Archipelago.”

Liu Yanhui and the others looked at one another.

“What is the Liu family trying to do?”

Shen Lanxi steadied her mind and said, “What they’re doing has nothing to do with us. I called you here to have you prepare for possible ambushes once we disembark.”

There was now one more visible enemy.

Liu Yanhui said dryly, “That’s not really bad news.” Hadn’t they encountered plenty of bad things already on this journey? Would the Liu family dare to openly pursue and kill them?

Wei Dongzhu added, “At least we’re safe while we’re on the ship.”

Liu Laohu nodded. “Makes sense!”

Liu Yanhui and Wei Dongzhu both turned to look at him at the same time. Wasn’t he busy picking at the gold ring on his finger? If he didn’t have time to talk, they could understand that too.

Leaving Liu Laohu aside, Shen Lanxi fixed her burning gaze on the Wei family troops.

“Train everyone who’s capable of training.”

Wei Dongzhu accepted the order. “Yes!” He would definitely not let her down.

Previously, the convicts had secretly mocked the women of Liu-Zhao Village on the rear ship, treating their sword and spear practice as a joke.

Now, with Wei Dongzhu pressing them into training, each of them silently complained in their hearts but dared not resist.

The two who caused the most trouble were now hanging on the deck like dried salted fish, suspended for half an hour already.

Wei Dongzhu coldly surveyed the convicts. He could make even the most unruly thorns in the army behave—were these convicts’ bones really tougher than those thorns?

No matter how crooked a spine was, he could straighten it out.

“The place where we’ll disembark has refugees, bandits, and mounted raiders. With your kind of laziness, you wouldn’t even make it one li before dying at their hands!”

Catching someone slacking out of the corner of his eye, Wei Dongzhu lashed out with his staff. With a loud bang, the man curled up and dropped to his knees.

“Whether you’re men or women, old or young, at the very least you must have the ability to protect yourselves.”

“Because once you fall behind, we will leave without hesitation. No one will come back to save you!”

Old Master Shen and Old Madam Shen had never imagined that, at their advanced age, they would still be forced to practice martial arts.

“Sir Hu, we’re old now—these old arms and legs really can’t handle it!” Old Madam Shen said as she tried to sit down on the ground.

Wei Dongzhu looked at her coldly. “Men, drag her to the lower hold. Until we make landfall, she is not to come back up.”

Seeing that they were serious, Old Madam Shen immediately scanned the crowd for her granddaughter.

She was an elder—Lanxi surely wouldn’t allow people to treat her like this!

“What are you waiting for? Drag her away!”

Two soldiers of the Wei Army stepped forward, one on each side, and dragged Old Madam Shen away.

Old Master Shen panicked and shouted angrily, “Where is Young Master Lan? Call Young Master Lan out—I want to see Young Master Lan!”

Wei Dongzhu looked at him coldly. “Do you want to be treated the same as her?”

Seeing the chill in Wei Dongzhu’s eyes, Old Master Shen realized he wasn’t joking. He shrank back, then hurriedly approached him and said in a low voice, “Our family is related to Young Master Lan. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask her. My wife and I are old—we can barely walk properly. If we really practice martial arts and get hurt, Young Master Lan will surely blame whoever forced us to train!”

Aren’t you very obedient to Lanxi? he thought. I don’t believe you won’t be scared after I say this!

Wei Dongzhu didn’t even blink. “Drag him away.”

“Yes!”

Seeing that Wei Dongzhu wouldn’t give anyone face, the rest of the Shen family immediately tucked their necks in and obediently followed the training.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Shen Lanxi heard cheers and shouts coming from outside. She put down the book in her hands and pushed the door open.

“My lord, they’re holding a contest!”

Shen Lanxi had been buried in reading these past days and felt her shoulders were stiff.

“Let’s go watch the excitement.”

“Yes!”

Chunxue and Qiushuang hurried to prepare—what was watching a contest without tea, snacks, and rewards?

She had promised rewards after leaving Tianjin, and now Shen Lanxi was here to honor that promise.

“The lord is here!” Liu Yanhui and the others smiled and made way for her.

Wei Dongzhu said with a smile in his eyes, “They’ve trained with me for several days and have also fought refugees and sea bandits. Today, I’m letting them spar with bare hands to test their level.”

As soon as Shen Lanxi stood there, she gave off an overwhelming presence that could not be ignored.

“Since it’s a competition, let people from both ships compete together.”

Liu Yanhui smiled. “I’ll go inform the people on the other ship.”

Shen Lanxi spoke boldly, “Stop the ships. Bring the two vessels alongside each other!”

Liu Yanhui answered loudly, “Yes!”

Chunxue, Qiushuang, and Nanny Li’s family carried over tables and chairs, tea, snacks, and all the necessary items.

The crowd automatically made room, giving them the best spot to set everything up.

Shen Lanxi looked at Wei Dongzhu. “Since it’s a competition, it can’t be for nothing.”

Wei Dongzhu’s heart stirred. “Are we setting up prizes?”

Shen Lanxi nodded. “Everyone who participates gets two taels of silver!”

Wei Dongzhu said, “I’ll have people prepare brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to write down the prizes and rules!”

The two ships slowly drew together, wooden crates and planks laid out as makeshift bridges for people to cross over.

With the writing materials ready, Liu Yanhui was about to take the brush, but Cheng Zheng volunteered himself. Liu Yanhui wasn’t upset and smilingly yielded the position to him.

The first rule was written. Then Shen Lanxi announced the second.

“For every round you advance, add another two taels—stacking cumulatively, with no upper limit!”

While she paused, the convicts began whispering among themselves. When she spoke again, they all fell silent.

“The top five, in addition to the silver reward, may each choose one item from the treasure chest!”

Qiushuang brought over the treasure chest and opened it beside them.

The convicts’ attention immediately shifted to the glittering gold, silver, and jewels!

“Listen carefully—the first place winner, besides the silver and an item from the treasure chest, may also make one request of me!”

Everyone erupted in an uproar.

“Can the request be to take everything in the treasure chest?”

“Bah! With your bear-like looks, you’ll be lucky not to come in last!”

“Can any request be made? What if I ask for ten thousand taels of gold—will you give it?”

“I want my whole family to arrive safely in Dongchuan!”

Shen Lanxi spoke up, cutting through the chatter. “Anything is allowed—except murder, robbery, or anything that violates moral principles. Ten thousand taels of gold is also acceptable!”

The yamen runner who had just mentioned ten thousand taels immediately shouted in excitement.

The others were all tempted as well.

Wei Dongzhu, Liu Yanhui, Cheng Zheng, and the rest divided up the tasks. In less than half an hour, the first pair of competitors was drawn by lot.

The male convict Wu Kui, and Ye Lanhua, a woman from Liu-Zhao Village.

“Wu Kui is huge—his arms are thicker than Ye Lanhua’s thighs. There’s no point in her competing; she’ll just get beaten!”

“What do you know? Just standing there gets her two taels. Even if she goes up and immediately forfeits, it’s worth it!”

“Ye Lanhua is short and skinny, like a bamboo pole. A gust of wind could blow her away. One punch from Wu Kui and she’ll fall apart…”

Shen Lanxi cast a glance at Liu Yanhui.

The latter raised his voice. “Begin!”