Song of Adolescence

Chapter 222 Golden Cross Ship’s Log

"Beili Year 21, 11th month, 12th day. Day 1 of the Qingzhou Mu Office Golden Cross sailing for Three Snake Islands. Windward, clear skies, speed sixty miles. Before we set sail, we encountered the Eunuch of Sword of the Heavenly Revelations Five Grand Eunuchs, Jin Wei Gonggong, who tried to stop us. However, Captain Mu Chunfeng as well as fellow travellers Tang Lian, Xiao Se, Lei Wujie and Sikong Qianluo fought together and forced Jin Wei Gonggong to retreat. The Golden Cross was finally able to set sail. Everything else on board was normal. Logged by Qingzhou Mu Office, Manager of Words, Tian Mozhi." The man who looked like an accountant sat on the deck and wrote in the log book. Then, he put the book into a golden box that he’d brought with him and carefully closed the box.

Lei Wujie was standing next to him and feeling the excitement. Out of curiosity, he asked, "Is there a need to write such things when we’re at sea?"

The manager named Tian Mozhi glanced at Lei Wujie and said, "Of course. Every ship has someone in charge of keeping this record. It’s written once a day, called the Ship’s Log."

"What\'s the use of this thing? Is it to bring back and show to the big boss?" Lei Wujie still didn\'t understand.

"Do you know this box? It\'s called an all-mechanical box. It\'s waterproof and impervious to swords. If we run into an accident at sea, we will be buried in this boundless sea. Then, one day, when somebody salvages this box, they will open the box and find out what happened to us. Hence, even if we die, others will remember what happened to us," Tian Mozhi explained. "This all-mechanical box was made by our Mu Office. It only has two keys, one at the Mu Office and one with me."

"Oh, this box has such a use. But, this is a Qingzhou Mu Office cedar longboat. Why would it encounter any accident at sea?" Lei Wujie wondered.

"When faced with nature, all men are equal. Whether it’s the richest family of Qingzhou or the Heavenly Revelations Xiao family. On the sea, we’re all insignificant beings. The world is vast, and we are mere ants," Tian Mozhi said with his head raised.

"What Mister just said is a bit profound," Lei Wujie said with emotion.

"But when we’re at sea, rather than natural disasters, people\'s hearts are more terrifying," Tian Mozhi said suddenly.

"People’s hearts?" Lei Wujie was puzzled.

Tian Mozhi nodded. "People’s hearts. You said that we are the Qingzhou Mu Office, but if you’re faced with life and death, who cares about your identity? If the situation suddenly changes when you’re out at sea, your ship is destroyed and your people are dead, and the only lifeboat left can only take one person. But there are two people left, and one of them is from the Qingzhou Mu Office. Do you think the second person will kill the man from the Mu Office with a single sword or gallantly give up his spot just because the other man is rich?"

Lei Wujie thought about it. "They’d definitely face off with swords and knives."

"Yes, so you must be careful when you are on a ship." Tian Mozhi put away the all-mechanical box and walked into the cabin.

After he walked away, Xiao Se, who was keeping to himself to one side, finally spoke up, "So, he’s Tian Mozhi, the Manager of Words from the Mu Office. The Mu Office must really treasure this third son to have sent him along."

"Manager of Words? Is he very powerful?" Lei Wujie shrugged. "He gives me the impression of an old teacher giving a lecture."

"The Qingzhou Mu Office has many businesses, and there are hundreds of managers under their umbrella. The most outstanding ones, the ones who manage the largest businesses are given a manager position with a title. There are only seven such people in the Mu Office. These seven people are called the Seven Managers of the Mu Office. Any one of them by himself can be considered a magnate," Xiao Se said.

"So powerful?" Lei Wujie was stunned. Initially, he thought the man was just an ordinary accountant, but he didn\'t expect him to have such an impressive background.

"And among the Seven Managers, he’s also considered the most special," Xiao Se continued.

Lei Wujie was a little exasperated. "Xiao Se, can you finish talking in one go?"

Xiao Se rolled his eyes and continued, "Ten years ago, the Manager of Words Tian Mozhi was not as famous as he is now, and he went on a trip on board a merchant ship. That ship set off from the southernmost Liyang Harbour and was headed for the northernmost Tianhai Harbour to do business with the Northern Barbarians. The trip should have taken one month, but after one month, the ship did not return. It wasn’t until three months later that the ship reappeared. However, the hundreds of people who should have been on board were gone. Only one person was left, and there were not even bones of the rest on board. Rumours at the time said that Tian Mozhi appeared skinny and shriveled, and he was only a sliver away from death."

"Why?" Lei Wujie was shocked.

"Tian Mozhi said that there was a mutiny on the boat, and the fishermen in the lower decks wanted to hijack the boat, so several fires broke out on board. Many people died, and the remaining people also died because their wounds got infected. And Tian Mozhi managed to escape because he hid himself before everything happened. But all of this was only his side of the story. The Tianhai Maritime Affairs Office suspected that he killed those people," Xiao Se said.

"Why?" Lei Wujie was shocked again.

"Don\'t keep asking why, you sound like an idiot." Xiao Se glanced at him coldly.

"Then you finish saying everything in one go," Lei Wujie retorted angrily.

Xiao Se ignored him and continued, "Because none of the bones of the people on board were left, and all the food and water on the boat were long gone. The people in the Tianhai Maritime Affairs Office suspected that he killed the people on the boat and used them as food."

Lei Wujie\'s eyes widened. "How’s that possible? There are so many fish in the sea. Would you really starve to death?"

"The main point is not food, but water. If everyday out at sea is clear and sunny without rain, then without fresh water, a human will soon die of thirst. So, what happens if there’s no water? There’s one thing which can replace water, and that is… blood." Xiao Se lowered his voice unconsciously.

Lei Wujie was stunned. He frowned slightly, as if he still didn\'t understand what Xiao Se meant.

"Later, the Mu Office sent their own people to the Tianhai Maritime Office and they opened the all-mechanical box with their key. Inside the box was the ship’s log recorded by the last person to die of illness, and he recorded the mutiny on the ship in clear detail. Besides Tian Mozhi, who had hidden himself before the mutiny, everyone else was either dead or seriously injured. Furthermore, the doctor on board the boat was also dead, and no one could save them," Xiao Se said. "So, as I said, Tian Mozhi is very special. After experiencing such a horrifying event, he knows better than anyone what happens on a ship, and even more, what people hide in their hearts when on board."

"But?" Lei Wujie frowned slightly. "I think there’s still a question that wasn’t answered."

"What question?" This time, it was Xiao Se who asked back.

Lei Wujie hesitated before he said, "He didn\'t have water, so how did he survive in the end?"

Xiao Se was helpless. "You think about it again." Lei Wujie suddenly felt a twinge of shock in his heart, and nausea bloomed in his chest. The two of them were silent for a long time, and finally, Xiao Se exhaled with a sigh. "Some things are better left alone."

Lei Wujie recalled the way Tian Mozhi was writing every stroke and line in the ship’s log earlier, and he couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily.