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The large ship had already docked at its usual weekday berth. Lu Sheng and Song Zhenguo followed a group of guests aboard and quickly stepped onto the deck.
"Mr. Song, I haven’t seen you in a few days. You’re looking much healthier," a boat girl greeted him with a bright smile. "Jun’er is still getting dressed. Why don’t you take a seat and listen to some music while you wait? We’ve brought in a few new singers—they’re all quite good."
Song Zhenguo, however, looked serious and didn’t return the smile.
"I’m looking for someone," he said flatly. "A young man named Wang Ziquan—he came here with me the night before last. I heard he returned afterward. Call out the girl who accompanied him that night. I have a few questions for her."
He casually handed the girl several taels of silver. To an ordinary person, this was the equivalent of tossing away a small fortune. Without real wealth, few would dare spend so freely.
The boat girl’s eyes lit up as she accepted the silver, but she noticed the stern expression on his face and quickly curbed her excitement.
"You mean Die’er? I’ll go fetch her right away. Please wait in the side room," she said respectfully. Among all the well-dressed young men who frequented the pleasure boats, few were as generous as Song Zhenguo. Even the sons of high-ranking officials didn’t spend so freely.
Lu Sheng and Song Zhenguo were led to a quiet side room to wait. Before long, Die’er arrived.
She looked frail and demure, dressed in a light green, slim-waisted long gown. A delicate flute was in her hands—she had likely been preparing to play for guests when summoned, and her eyes held a trace of confusion.
"Mr. Song, what would you like to ask Die’er?" she asked gently.
"I want to know," Song Zhenguo said with a grave tone, "where is the young master Wang Ziquan—the one you accompanied the night before last?"
Die’er blinked, puzzled.
"Master Wang Ziquan? Oh… I remember now. Didn’t he leave with you that night, Mr. Song? Die’er was very tired, and after you left, she went home to rest."
"You went home to rest?" Song Zhenguo repeated, slightly taken aback.
"Yes," Die’er nodded softly. "That night, I entertained three guests in a row. My body couldn’t handle any more, so as soon as everything wrapped up, I informed the boat girl and left. I was one of the first to disembark."
Her voice was meek, almost trembling. "Did something happen to Master Ziquan?" she asked, looking genuinely alarmed.
Lu Sheng narrowed his gaze, studying her closely. Her expression and demeanor appeared sincere—no signs of deceit.
"Let me ask you—did your boat close for the night after we left?"
Die'er quickly nodded, clearly uneasy under Lu Sheng’s sharp gaze.
"Yes, yes, the boat girl closed it as soon as the three masters left."
"Then let me ask you again. After closing, do you usually hang red lanterns on this boat?" Lu Sheng pressed further.
"Red lanterns?" Die'er looked puzzled. "What red lanterns? After closing, our boats go straight to the nearby dock for maintenance. No lights are allowed during maintenance. Only the repair crew can use lamps. It was the same yesterday."
"To the dock? Not parked here overnight?" Lu Sheng was surprised.
"No," Die’er shook her head. "We only dock here temporarily for business. The wind and waves in this area can be too strong. If we stayed overnight, we’d risk being swept away." She looked at Lu Sheng oddly, as if wondering why he didn’t know this.
A feeling of unease settled in Lu Sheng’s chest. Wang Ziquan… Did he, like me, board that pleasure boat glowing with red lanterns?
"Brother Lu..." Song Zhenguo finally spoke up, his brows furrowed in confusion. He didn’t understand where Lu Sheng was going with these questions, but he remained quiet and patient.
"Haven’t you seen a large pleasure boat at night, one covered in red lanterns and completely empty? The design looks just like yours," Lu Sheng asked again, unwilling to let it go.
Die’er blinked, stunned for a moment.
"Oh dear... where did you hear about a big boat covered in red lanterns? Do you know what that means?" Her voice lowered. "We only hang large red lanterns under very specific circumstances—when a girl on the boat has died."
She looked at both of them solemnly. "Three red lanterns are hung—one outside the door, and two inside the room. One at the door represents the path, and the two inside represent mourning and rest."
Lu Sheng’s heart skipped a beat.
His mind flashed back to that eerie pleasure boat—every corner draped in red lanterns, every room, every hallway aglow. And the arrangement... one at the door, two inside the room—exactly as Die’er had just described.
"Oh, that’s so scary! Sir, you must’ve heard some ghost story and came here just to frighten Die'er, right?" Die'er laughed nervously, though goosebumps had already risen on her arms.
"Lu Sheng… are you sure you weren’t just dreaming?" Song Zhenguo looked at Lu Sheng with a trace of concern.
Lu Sheng rarely used his full name back in Jiulian City—there, he was always addressed as Master Sheng or Brother Sheng. But now that they were studying away from home, Song Zhenguo calling him “Lu Sheng” felt both formal and familiar, a sign of closeness.
"It’s nothing… I just…" Lu Sheng hesitated. He thought about telling them what he saw—that locked door on the red lantern boat—but held back. Even if he said it, would Song Zhenguo believe him? And even if he did… what could they do?
"But if Ziquan didn’t come to this pleasure boat," Song Zhenguo said anxiously, "then where could he have gone? The academy’s annual exam is coming up. If he break the rules and fail to register, it’ll ruin his entire future!"
Die’er stepped back slightly, speaking softly. "If the two gentlemen are done, Die'er will return to play flute music for the guests."
"It’s alright. Thank you, Die’er. Here’s a little something for you." Song Zhenguo handed her a few silver pieces.
Her eyes lit up with joy. This was personal income, separate from what she earned for the boat. Carefully, she tucked the silver into her waist pouch and turned to leave. But halfway to the door, she paused, as if remembering something, then turned back.
"Oh, right. Young master, Die’er once heard an old ghost story passed around by the girls on the boat. It’s said that there was once a red boat called the Red House drifting on the Songbai River. One day, a terrible fire broke out, and all the girls aboard perished—none escaped. Since then, stories about the Red Boat started to spread along the Songbai. They say it glows with red lanterns… and no one who boards ever returns."
Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up with urgency. He quickly called out,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqahXYfpG6B
"Miss, please wait! Can you tell us more about this Red House pleasure boat?"
Die’er bit her lip, speaking quietly. "Um… Die’er hasn’t been working here long, so I don’t know much. But aren’t Mr. Song and Miss Jun’er in love? Sister Jun’er always talks about Mr. Song… she’s been on the boat a lot longer. If you ask her, she might know more."
"I understand," Lu Sheng nodded. "Go on, then."
Die’er left the room, and the two young men sat in silence, each lost in thought.
Before long, Jun’er arrived, gliding in gracefully, dressed in a plain white, low-cut short skirt. When her eyes fell on Song Zhenguo, her face lit up with joy.
"Mr. Song!" Jun'er’s eyes sparkled with unconcealed affection.
"Jun’er!" Song Zhenguo stepped forward and gently embraced her. "I haven’t seen you in days. Are you alright? The money I gave the boat head should be enough—no one else is allowed to call on you but me."
Jun’er nodded softly, a trace of happiness blooming on her face.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsLn9fBw0U
"Jun’er knows… you’ve always treated me well."
"I’ve been waiting," Song Zhenguo said gently, "waiting for the day you’ll agree to let me redeem you." His voice was tender, but soon shifted in tone.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UFQ2Ir46c
"Alright, we came today to ask you something. Do you remember the young master Wang Ziquan, who came with us the night before last? Did he return to the boat after we left?"
Jun’er frowned in thought.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhWIbnZiqf
"Young Master Wang Ziquan? It was very late that night. Didn’t he leave with you? Why would he have come back afterward?"
"Are you certain he didn’t return?" Lu Sheng interjected.
Jun’er nodded firmly.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPqvX94w4N
"I’m sure. That night, I lingered a bit and ended up being the last one to leave. If I count the time, I left just about one stick of incense after you did."
"Really… That’s strange…" Lu Sheng murmured, his brows tightening.
Song Zhenguo asked a few more questions, but Jun’er’s responses matched what Die’er had already told them. Nothing new surfaced. With no fresh leads, the two had no choice but to leave the boat empty-handed.
"I suppose our only option now is to report it to the authorities," Song Zhenguo sighed.
Lu Sheng shook his head.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwC07mwbQKU
"I’m afraid even that won’t help…"
Song Zhenguo gave him a puzzled look, clearly not understanding why.
"Brother Song, you should head back for now. That’s all we can do today. It’s getting late," Lu Sheng said calmly.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOCtRKCue6
"I still have a small test tomorrow."
"Alright, I’ll go first then. Lu Sheng, if you find anything—anything at all—promise you’ll let me know." With another sigh, Song Zhenguo turned and left.
Lu Sheng stood watching as his friend boarded the carriage and slowly disappeared into the distance. His mind wandered back to Die’er and Jun’er’s expressions during the questioning—flawless, without the slightest sign of deceit.
“It doesn’t seem like they lied… But if that red boat wasn’t the one we boarded, then how did my money pouch end up on it?”
A chill crept into his thoughts.
He had a vague, uneasy feeling—a premonition that he was stepping into a deeper, darker mystery.
…………
Song Zhenguo sat quietly in the carriage, letting out a long, weary sigh.
He was a man who valued loyalty and brotherhood above all. Wang Ziquan had been with him the night of the incident, and now there was still no news. No matter what, he owed the Wang family an explanation. More than that—Ziquan was his close friend, like a brother.
For someone like him to vanish without a trace, right by the bustling Songbai River… it didn’t make sense.
"Could it be…" A chilling thought struck him. "Could he have slipped and fallen into the river?"
At the very idea, his entire body shivered.
"No! I must see him—dead or alive! I was the one who brought Ziquan out that night. If anything truly happened to him… the responsibility falls on me, Song Zhenguo!"
With clenched fists, he made up his mind.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4hjINBghE
"If something really did happen to Ziquan, I’ll report it to the authorities. I won't let this go."
His thoughts were firm now, resolute—but then Jun'er’s face suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"But… what about Jun’er?"
He sighed again, this time heavier. He had poured thousands of taels of silver into keeping Jun’er safe, paying each month just to ensure no other man could order her company. That kind of devotion wasn’t just emotional—it was financial, and it had brought countless arguments with his father.
Thinking of all this made his head throb again.
When he finally arrived home, he stepped off the carriage in haste, paid the fare, and strode directly into the courtyard. He didn’t want to see or speak to anyone. Not tonight.
A few maids and servants saw him approaching and prepared to greet him, but before they could say a word, he had already vanished into his room, shutting the door behind him.
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