Xing Muzheng’s eyes sharpened. In one swift motion, he stepped forward and pulled Qian Jiaoniang into his arms. “Let’s go!” He quickly led her out of the cabin. Qingya and the others followed close behind. Li Qingquan and Ah Da came rushing up, pointing ahead. “Commander, it seems to be celebratory fireworks.”
Qian Jiaoniang followed their gaze and saw wisps of colored smoke drifting in the air, slowly fading away.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” One cannon after another resounded, and more colored smoke gathered in the sky. Xing Pingchun ran out, and Qian Jiaoniang pulled him to her side.
“Father, are they fighting up ahead?” Xing Pingchun clung to her arm.
Xing Muzheng stared solemnly into the distance for a moment. “No,” he said, and his brow suddenly relaxed. “Keep going forward.”
“Commander, careful—it could be a trick,” Li Qingquan dutifully warned.
“No matter. Give the order. Speed up.”
Cannons continued to boom, and smoke filled the air. Qian Jiaoniang looked up at Xing Muzheng. He stood firm like a mountain, eyes fixed on the calm river, completely unbothered. But then, he had been just as calm during last night’s arrow attack. She knew better than to judge the danger by his expression.
The louchuan obeyed the order and sped up, and at some point, they entered a dense fog. The wide river was blanketed in white mist—so much that even the banks were no longer visible. Xing Muzheng ordered a halt to the ship. For a while, the river felt heavy and oppressive, like the moment before a storm.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from an unknown direction—like war drums pounding all at once, deafening. The white mist cleared, revealing hundreds of warships lining both riverbanks, arranged in five battle formations. Everyone was stunned. Qian Jiaoniang felt the ship lurch beneath her. She whipped her head around and saw a white ribbon-like wave cutting through the river, rushing toward them. A fishy wind blew over. The ship rocked violently, and Qian Jiaoniang stumbled. Fortunately, Xing Muzheng caught her by the waist, preventing her from falling. Qingya and Dr. Bai supported each other, though the medicine bowl in Dr. Bai’s hand spilled completely.
No one cared about the medicine anymore. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on that white surge—it roared forward, gradually rising until it became a towering wall of water across the river.
“That’s the one-line tide,” Xing Muzheng murmured to Qian Jiaoniang.
“The one-line tide…” Qian Jiaoniang couldn’t look away from the awe-inspiring scene.
“A white ribbon across the river, a white rainbow rising from the flat sands,” Qingya exclaimed with delight. “It’s the famous one-line tide!”
As they spoke, the hundreds of warships up ahead suddenly fired their cannons. Bare-chested men holding colorful flags and parasols leapt into the river as the tide approached. They rode the waves, leaping and diving among the crashing water, twirling flags, dancing with spears, walking on the waves—an absolutely magnificent sight. The riverbanks, packed with spectators, erupted in cheers and excitement.
“The tide-riders!” Qingya cried. Qian Jiaoniang grabbed her and Xing Pingchun and ran to the bow of the ship for a better view. Qingya remained restrained, but mother and son screamed and applauded excitedly at every spectacular move.
Even the guards like Ah Da were drawn in. Li Qingquan suddenly came to his senses and said to Xing Muzheng with a grin, “Commander, it must be that guy!”
Xing Muzheng stood with hands behind his back, watching with a smile, and turned toward Qian Jiaoniang. “Mm.”
As the tide faded, the tide-riders retreated swiftly, their flags and parasols not even wet. Yet under the surface, hidden currents churned—it seemed something else might be coming.
Xing Muzheng did not order the fleet to move.
“Mother, are there more big waves coming?” Xing Pingchun sensed something was off.
“I… I don’t know…”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Three heavy drumbeats suddenly rang out.
“BOOM—”
A deafening cannon blast shook the air. One of the warships on the opposite side was suddenly engulfed in smoke. Looking closely, they saw a huge hole blasted into the ship’s hull—it was a real cannon!
“Commander, that cannonball reached so far and did so much damage!” Ah Da and the others were all stunned.
Xing Muzheng’s lips curled slightly. “Mm.”
“Commander, that guy’s always bragging about Minghu’s naval strength. He’s showing off to us now!” Wang Yong laughed heartily.
That guy? Qian Jiaoniang raised an eyebrow slightly. Could this mean there were also some of Xing Muzheng’s old subordinates among them?
“Boom—Boom—Boom!” Three cannons fired from the warship, and the target ship was instantly blasted to pieces, sinking into the river.
“Amazing!” Ah Da slapped the ship’s railing in excitement.
As the target ship sank, three drumbeats followed, and from the hundreds of warships and both riverbanks came a thunderous and unified shout that shook the skies:
“Welcome Lord Dingxi Marquis —Welcome Lord Dingxi Marquis—”
“Hahaha, that guy—nicely done!”
Xing Muzheng ordered the louchuan to sail forward. The voices welcoming him rang out endlessly, growing louder and louder. As the louchuan passed through the warship formation, all the sailors and those who had earlier performed the tide-riding knelt down in unison:
“Welcome Lord Dingxi Marquis!” Their voices brimmed with reverence and shook the heavens. Even the civilians lining the riverbanks knelt like waves, one after another.
Xing Pingchun jumped up and down in excitement—his father was truly awe-inspiring!
Xing Muzheng stood at the bow with his hands behind his back. Qian Jiaoniang turned her head and saw that, amidst the deafening cheers of ten thousand people, his expression remained calm and unshaken, without a hint of pride in his eyes. This unsettled her even more. The heights of power and status that so many longed for—he seemed long accustomed to them.
Xing Muzheng suddenly turned to look at her, a faint smile in his dark eyes. Qian Jiaoniang quickly looked away.
The massive louchuan slowly docked. At the pier, a silver-armored officer and a man in civilian clothing stepped forward to greet them, leading their troops. “We, subordinate Liu Hongwen and Zhen Hao, pay our respects to Lord Marquis Xing!”
“Rise,” Xing Muzheng said as he stepped off the louchuan, lifting his hand to signal them up.
The silver-armored officer and the civilian rose. Liu Hongwen, the officer, looked to be in his forties, with dark skin, but even now one could see the flush on his cheeks—he seemed extremely excited. The man in civilian clothes, Zhen Hao, looked to be around Xing Muzheng’s age, with a charming, flirtatious face, a green jade hairpin in his hair, and a rich green brocade robe embroidered with large peonies.
“I am Liu Hongwen, local commander of the Minghu navy. I greet Marquis Xing,” Liu Hongwen bowed again, so deep he nearly touched the ground.
“No need for so much formality,” Xing Muzheng replied.
Only then did Liu Hongwen straighten up, cheeks now redder than ever. Zhen Hao grinned and said, “Commander, our Local Commander Liu has long admired your name. When he heard you might pass through the Minghu River, he was so excited he could hardly eat for days.”
With that explanation, Liu Hongwen looked so awkward he didn’t know where to place his hands or feet. Xing Muzheng gave a light nod. “The honor is mine.”
So this man in the green robe was one of Xing Muzheng’s former subordinates. Qian Jiaoniang had never seen a man dressed so… floridly before—but strangely, the look suited him quite well.
Qian Jiaoniang and Qingya lifted their skirts to descend the prepared gangplank, when suddenly a large, steady palm took hold of her arm. She looked up to see that Xing Muzheng had returned—he had come to help her off the ship.
What man would, under the gaze of countless eyes, come forward to help a woman off a boat? What was he thinking? Her wrist felt like it was on fire. Qian Jiaoniang stared fixedly at the steps beneath her feet.
Qingya looked up and, sure enough, everyone nearby wore stunned expressions.
Zhen Hao, being one of Xing Muzheng’s old subordinates, was especially shocked—his peach blossom eyes were wide. Their Commander, being this attentive to a woman? That was practically a ghost story!
Once Qian Jiaoniang had stepped down from the gangplank, Xing Muzheng let go of her.
Zhen Hao came back to his senses and quickly stepped forward, smiling and bowing. “Madam must be the renowned talented lady the Commander recently married. I’ve heard so much about you—please accept my respects!”
