The large boat had already docked at its usual berthing spot. Following behind a few other boarding customers, the two quickly got on deck.

"Young Master Song, you look even more radiant than a few days ago," the boat madam greeted them with a smile. "Yun'er is still dressing up. Why not take a seat first and listen to some tunes to pass the time? We have a few new songstresses who are very skilled."

Song Zhenguo's expression was solemn without a hint of smile.

"I'd like to ask, regarding the friend I brought along late night the day before last, Young Master Wang Ziquan, I heard he returned to the flower boat afterwards. Please call out the young lady who accompanied him that night. I have some matters to inquire about." He casually handed over a few silver pieces to the boat madam.

With a casual hand, that was already equivalent to tossing out thousands. No one less than filthy rich would dare spend so liberally.

"You mean Die'er right. Alright, I'll go get Die'er immediately. Young master can take a seat in the side cabin to rest and wait," the boat madam dared not delay seeing Song Zhenguo and Lusheng's solemn expressions. Customers as generous as Young Master Song were rare among the young masters and officials' sons. Although the latter had powerful backgrounds, they did not spend as liberally as Song Zhenguo.

Lusheng and Song Zhenguo were led to a cabin to rest while waiting. Very quickly, Die'er was summoned inside.

Die'er looked delicate, well-behaved and pitiful. She wore a light green narrow-waisted long skirt, still clutching a long flute in her hands, seemingly about to perform for customers. Being called over now, her face also held puzzlement.

"Young Master Song, may I ask why you've summoned Die'er?" She asked softly.

"I'm asking you, do you know where Young Master Wang Ziquan, who you accompanied the night before last, is currently at?" Song Zhenguo asked heavily.

Die'er was bewildered.

"Young Master Wang Ziquan? Oh... I remember. Didn't he leave with Young Master Song and the rest? Die'er was very tired then. After you masters left, I got off the boat and went home to rest."

"Went home to rest?" Song Zhenguo froze.

"Mm. Die'er had served three customers consecutively by then. My body was completely exhausted so I told the boat madam immediately after ending my last appointment. I was one of the first few to disembark," Die'er replied softly. "What's the matter? Could something have happened to Young Master Ziquan?" She asked anxiously.

Lusheng stared fixedly at her, gaze fierce, but could not discern any hints of lying at all.

"Let me ask you, after we left, was the boat closed for business?" Lusheng asked persistently.

Die'er hurriedly nodded, somewhat unnerved by Lusheng's stare.

"Yes, yes. After the three young masters left, the boat madam closed up for the night."

"Then let me ask you again. Would red lanterns usually be hung up on the boat after closing?" Lusheng continued asking.

"Red lanterns?" Die'er was perplexed. "What red lanterns? The boat heads straight into the nearby dockyards for maintenance every night after closing. No lighting is allowed on board during repairs. Only the repairmen can use lanterns."

"Into the dockyards? Not berthed here?" A tremor went through Lusheng.

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"No, we only sail over temporarily to do business. There are occasional huge waves here. Wouldn't remaining berthed here allow the winds to easily blow us away?" Die'er looked oddly at Lusheng for a moment.

Lusheng felt somewhat uneasy now. Wang Ziquan was likely also aboard that flower boat full of red lanterns like him.

"Brother Lu..." At the side, the more Song Zhenguo listened, the stranger it got. He did not understand the significance behind Lusheng's line of questioning. To him, the boat with red lanterns was likely the wrong one Lusheng boarded. But he endured and kept listening for now.

"Could it be there really isn't a large flower boat that hangs full of red lanterns at night with not a soul on board that looks exactly the same as yours here?" Still unwilling to give up, Lusheng asked again.

Die'er blinked her eyes.

"Dear Young Master, where did you hear about a large boat filled with red lanterns? Do you know under what circumstances we would hang big red lanterns here?

We'd only hang them at a room's entrance and inside when one of the boat's maidens dies.

One at the entrance to guide the way, and two inside the room to memorialize and lay her to rest."

Upon hearing this, Lusheng's entire body shook.

He recalled that weird flower boat where red lanterns were hung all over. At the entrance to every single cabin, a red lantern would be hung, with two more inside!

And it was precisely as Die'er described, one at the entrance and two within!

"Oh dearie me, how frightening. Young Master isn't trying to scare Die'er with some ghost tale right?" Now Die'er was also somewhat afraid as goosebumps broke out over her body.

"Yuesheng.... could you really have been dreaming?" Song Zhenguo also looked worriedly at Lusheng. Since Lusheng's given name portion produced Sheng, he called him Yuesheng.

Back in Jiuliu City, Lusheng rarely used that name. Everyone there called him Young Master Sheng, Brother Sheng. But out here studying, address by one's given name represented closeness and was more formal.

"It's nothing.... I just..." Lusheng hesitated for a bit before deciding not to bring up the matter of being locked inside the strange red boat. Even if he spoke of it, Song Zhenguo might not believe. Even if he did believe, there was no use anyway.

"But if Ziquan didn't come to this flower boat, where else might he have gone?" Song Zhenguo said worriedly. "The exams are imminent. If the academy's rules get violated, and he can't register, then his prospects really will be destroyed!"

Lusheng sank into contemplation.

After asking several more questions which Die'er answered one by one identically to what was previously said, the two were still without a clue and could only dejectedly disembark.

"Looks like we'll have to report this officially for now," Song Zhenguo sighed.

Lusheng shook his head. "What I fear is reporting it will be useless..."

Song Zhenguo shot a glance at Lusheng, not understanding his meaning.

"Brother Song, head back first. We'll stop here today since it's late. Don't forget we still have the mock exams tomorrow," Lusheng reminded.

"Alright. I'll go back first. Yuesheng, if you discover any clues, you must notify me," Song Zhenguo sighed once more before parting ways with Lusheng.

Watching Song Zhenguo's carriage gradually leave, Lusheng carefully reviewed the reactions of Die'er and Yun'er during their questioning. There were absolutely no flaws.

"Looks like they weren't lying. But if that red boat wasn't the one we were on previously, how did my money pouch end up there?" Lusheng wondered to himself.

He vaguely sensed that he might have gotten tangled up in some new trouble.

................

Inside the carriage, Song Zhenguo sighed repeatedly in distress.

He greatly valued relationships and integrity. Since something happened to Wang Ziquan when he was out together, and there was still no news till now... No matter what, he had to provide an explanation to the Wang family.

Moreover, Ziquan was also his sworn brother and friend. For such a big man to inexplicably vanish by the Songbai River...

"Could he have..." A possibility suddenly occurred to him. "Could he have fallen into the river accidentally!" A chill went down his spine at the thought.

"Impossible! The living must be seen, and the dead must have a corpse! Ziquan left with me so if anything really happened, it would be my, Song Zhenguo's, responsibility!" Song Zhenguo's heart trembled as he made his resolution. "If Ziquan has truly encountered misfortune, then I'll report this officially!"

His heart had already decided.

"But if so, what of Yun'er?" On second thought, he recalled Yun'er who he was deeply infatuated with. He spent upwards of thousands of silver bills each month just to completely reserve Yun'er without allowing other customers to book her. This matter had already led his elderly father to argue fiercely with him over a dozen times.

With this thought, Song Zhenguo's head started hurting again.

Rushing back home, he alighted the carriage, paid, and entered the courtyard. He hurried straight towards his own quarters, not wanting to face anyone from the household at all.

Seeing him, several maids and servants were about to greet and address him but in an instant, his figure had vanished from sight.