Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

Ding Lai and the others leaned closer to Liu Dong and whispered:

"My lord, is the boat still usable? Will we still be able to leave on time?"

Liu Dong shook his head: "Let's wait until Captain Huang finishes his inspection. We don't know anything about ships, and going up there would only get in the way."

He didn't board the ship, and everyone else waited at a distance.

About half an hour later, Huang Rujiao, wiping away sweat and with a tense face, hurriedly returned.

Before Liu Dong could speak, he cupped his hands and said:

"Immortal, I've checked all five boats, not one of them was missed, I've thoroughly examined them all."

"All four are intact. At most, we'll need to polish some paint and patch up a board. They're definitely ready to go out to sea!"

"There's only one left. Half of the deck was burned through, and the steering gear is brittle from the smoke. It will take two days to repair."

"I've already ordered people to prepare materials overnight, and I'm using the '590' formation to reinforce and repair it, ensuring it's secure!"

Liu Dong sighed softly, "I'm really sorry about this whole mess."

"Please don't say that! Wait two more days, and we'll have all the food, medicine, and talismans loaded, and the ship will be repaired."

"but."

He lowered his voice, "This fire is burning in a rather strange way."

"Five boats were moored side by side, and only a few of them caught fire, while the other boats next to them didn't even get a spark."

Liu Dong had already figured out what he meant without him saying it. Huang Rujiao had also secretly tested the source of the fire long ago.

"Pah! It must be some scoundrel who's gotten greedy! He's gone mad with jealousy because we took the immortal's job and earned spirit stones!"

"Using underhanded tactics? That's a really dirty trick! Once I catch him, I'll personally throw him into the forge to be used as blacksmithing!"

He was truly furious, but the most important thing right now was to repair the boat and protect the people.

He immediately assigned eight men to take turns keeping watch, two men per shift, with knives always in hand and torches always burning.

Liu Dong and his group didn't interfere. After all, this was their territory and their own business. If outsiders interfered too much, it would only damage the harmony.

Once they confirmed there was no further activity at the beach, the group returned to the Huang family's residence.

Ding Lai took Liu Dong's arm and whispered, "Husband, tell me, who did it?"

Liu Dong smiled wryly: "I don't know anyone here. I don't even know whose wife is the tofu seller at the entrance of town."

"Besides,"

He paused, then said, "Captain Huang has traveled all over the country for so many years, what grudges has he made? Who knows?"

"The human heart is deeper than the undercurrents of the ocean."

Dragonfly pouted, "But we absolutely don't have any bad intentions!"

Vido laughed and poked her forehead: "Your mouth is so sweet it could be dipped in honey."

Zhang Yuxian thought for a moment and then spoke:

"Brother Liu, why don't we send some people to guard the bay? If something goes wrong again, we can't just sit here and wait all day, can we?"

Liu Dong thought for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, but..."

He turned his head and waved his hand: "Fei'er, summon the Floating Shadow Knot."

The Floating Shadow Knot appeared silently before everyone, its dark robe blending into the night, so silent that even its breath could not be heard.

He's quite capable, and even better at hiding his tracks. Keeping an eye on a dock? He's as reliable as a cat hiding in a mouse hole.

It was perfectly positioned to perch in the bay and keep an eye on the ships.

No one can see it, even if it stands right in front of you, it will act as if it doesn't exist.

Without a word, Fu Ying vanished in a flash, disappearing from everyone's sight and disappearing into the bay in the blink of an eye.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it and that ferocious beast Shanyu are both locked up in Ding Lai's blood-bond spirit beast space.

But they can "smell" and "feel" everything Ding Lai has stepped on or touched.

Once the matter was settled, Liu Dong and the others went back inside to catch their breath.

We were supposed to be resting, but after that ship fire incident, who could possibly sleep?

Finally, Ding Lai sat down next to Liu Dong to meditate, and the others followed suit without exception.

By the early morning of the second day, nothing else went wrong.

In the morning, Huang Rujiao's family prepared a hot and plentiful breakfast.

But no one had much of an appetite. They ate a couple of bites and then put down their chopsticks, immediately setting off for Taowan Wharf to check on the condition of those ships.

It was already broad daylight, and the sun was high in the sky.

As soon as Liu Dong and his group arrived, they saw Huang Rujiao leading his men, busily repairing the boat with a clanging and banging sound.

Upon seeing them arrive, Huang Rujiao wiped his sweat and quickly came forward to greet them.

Wang Zhonggui 02 sized him up and asked, "Captain Huang, you didn't sleep a wink last night, did you?"

"Oh dear, how could I dare to sleep!"

Huang Rujiao waved his hand, his voice booming, "The sooner the boat is repaired, the sooner you can set sail. That way, we'll feel at ease!"

"Otherwise, I'll be worried that I might be delaying your important business."

Liu Dong nodded: "That's true, but you also need to take care of your health."

"It's okay to be a day or two late, as long as we don't make any more mistakes in the next few days and stay calm."

Huang Rujiao patted his chest: "Rest assured, Immortal! This time I'll stay right here and not budge, let's see who dares to cause trouble!"

This fire really angered Huang Rujiao.

While strolling through the village yesterday, Liu Dong and his companions overheard a lot of gossip. Huang Rujiao had an impeccable reputation; the villagers all said he was kind, honest, and trustworthy.

Logically speaking, no one should have attacked him.

Huang Rujiao figured it out himself; it was most likely the work of a few boatmen from Wangfang.

They were particularly focused on the locations he had sent out to collect goods yesterday:

People in those areas witnessed him buying up large quantities of goods and must have guessed that he had taken on a big job, so the news leaked out.

Liu Dong and his group boarded the boat and took a stroll around.

Just as Huang Rujiao had said:

The remaining four ships weren't burned to their core; they can be repaired and then escaped.

That one ship was completely destroyed; even its core drive was burned to a crisp.

Finally, Liu Dong approached Huang Rujiao alone and handed him another thousand spirit stones.

Huang Rujiao looked completely bewildered: "Immortal? What... what does this mean?"

"Four ships, setting sail together. Half of the deposit is to be held here first."

Liu Dong put it bluntly, "If we stay, we might suffer another terrible fate."

"Your boat has just pioneered a new route; we can't let it all be destroyed in one fire."

"Oh, thank you, Immortal! Thank you so much, Immortal!"

Huang Rujiao was really worried! He was afraid that something might happen to the boat if it stayed there.

Liu Dong has now chartered four ships, which is a lifesaver and warms my heart.

Then, Liu Dong turned around and went back to Ding Lai's side.

Ding Lai raised her eyes and smiled: "Husband, Fu Ying told me everything about the second half of last night's surveillance."

"It did see something strange: a small raft was floating on the water in the distance, and there were people on it."

"Later, seeing that there were people guarding this place for a long time, they finally slunk away."

Vido chimed in, "Then let's just follow the trail and find that bastard!"

The men nearly set Huang Rujiao's boat on fire, almost ruining the entire sea voyage plan.

No one can swallow this insult.

In addition, everyone already trusted Huang Rujiao and wanted to help him get revenge.

Losing money is a minor issue; the key is not to let that person get away with it!

Upon hearing that there was a lead, Liu Dong immediately nodded: "Okay! Fu Ying recognizes the scent, let's quietly follow her and take a look."

"Don't alert Captain Huang and the others yet."

He made this arrangement not intentionally to keep it from Huang Rujiao.

In his view, this matter is quite complex, and it's not appropriate to draw conclusions based on mere speculation.