Chapter 137: Chapter 137 Anorexia

“Good morning.”

Jiang Ke came across Qi Jiu while serving breakfast in the kitchen.

Thinking of his identity, he uttered indifferently, “Good morning.”

Then, after serving breakfast, he left.

Although he had once intensely desired to kill He Ying and had considered joining forces with Qi Jiu to do so, it was just a thought; betraying his country was something he could not bring himself to do.

He considered his father was the Marquis Zhongyi, a title of glory bestowed during the time of the ancestral emperor.

Taking Sang Yan away had already shamed and troubled his family; he could absolutely not commit such a wrong.

Qi Jiu sensed his distancing or rather his rejection keenly as he watched his departing figure.

Yet, he was not discouraged.

If Jiang Ke had pledged his allegiance too readily, it would have only drawn his contempt.

“Mr. Jiu, tomorrow is the Sea God Festival.”

Han Chen came over and reminded him.

The Sea God Festival was an essential festival for those who went out to sea.

The sea was full of storms.

Offering sacrifices to the Sea God, it was said, could win his protection.

Qi Jiu had participated many times and was unenthusiastic: “Oh. Yes. It’s the Sea God Festival again.”

Han Chen continued, “The shipmaster has already ordered that sailing will cease tomorrow, and all adult men will celebrate the Sea God Festival together.”

Worshipping the Sea God required fasting, silence, and kneeling to pray for three two-hours.

It was a very physically exhausting activity.

“Go and send him a set of kneepads.”

Qi Jiu commanded.

Who was ‘he’ in his words?

Han Chen understood: “Yes.”

Jiang Ke was coaxing Sang Yan to eat: “Have a few more bites. Nourish your body. Tomorrow is the Sea God Festival, it’ll be lively in the evening, and I’ll take you out.”

Sang Yan had long lost interest in play.

Nothing could tempt her now.

Nor could fear make her submit.

The scene became deadlocked.

Jiang Ke frowned, wanting to lose his temper but struggling to restrain himself.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

He went to open it and saw Han Mo, his expression cold: “What is it?”

Han Mo tossed over a package before speaking: “Mr. Jiu asked me to give this to you. Tomorrow is the Sea God Festival, and all adult men have to worship the Sea God and kneel for three two-hours. Use these kneepads if you want, or throw them away.”

After finishing his piece, he didn’t wait for Jiang Ke to respond and turned to leave.

Jiang Ke was unfamiliar with the Sea God Festival and uninterested in it.

Right now, all he wanted was to coax Sang Yan to eat: “Ah Yan, be good, eat a bit more. You heard, tomorrow is the Sea God Festival; it’ll be fun.”

Sang Yan still said nothing, just gazing at him with a pair of deep, hollow eyes.

She had grown too thin, her cheeks hollow, making her eyes appear unusually large.

Whenever Jiang Ke saw her like this, he felt helpless.

He touched her gaunt back, feeling the bones chafing.

It was a bit like how she had been half a year ago.

Then, she had been emaciated, her spirit dead.

He had faintly heard people saying her parents had started preparing her coffin.

But six months later, she glowed with health, reborn, her smile bright and radiant.

He liked her that way.

“Ah Yan, you can hit me, scold me, really. Just don’t leave me, and I won’t restrain you anymore, okay?”

Actually, he had already released her mute acupoint.

But she had never spoken again.

He coaxed her to eat, and she did eat.

Only whatever she ate, she vomited, which worried him even more.

Sang Yan felt she had developed anorexia.

She had no appetite for anything; initially, the food was just unpalatable, but later she wanted to eat nothing at all.

She didn’t feel hungry, her senses dulled.

She felt she was dying.

Jiang Ke, feeling helpless, unblocked her acupoint and lifted her from bed: “You should walk around.”

Perhaps moving about and using some energy would bring her appetite.

Finally, Sang Yan’s feet stood on the deck.

She found her legs weak and her head dizzy after not exercising for many days; it was very uncomfortable.

Jiang Ke saw her frowning and asked, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

There was a physician on the ship.

He had inquired about him.

But that physician’s medical skills were not great.

The day before yesterday, while treating someone, he almost killed the person, which led to a severe beating from the patient’s family.

He was truly unreliable.

Not to seek him out would be for the better.

Sang Yan did not respond to his words.

For one, she did not want to, and for another, she still did not want to.

Jiang Ke did not insist. He assisted her out of the room to the bow of the boat for some fresh air.

People gathered in small groups at the bow, drinking, chatting, and gambling.

Qi Jiu was also at the bow, playing chess with Han Mo.

He lost again.

And lost miserably.

Jiang Ke glanced over from a distance but did not approach.

Yet Qi Jiu’s gaze reached out, “Young master, it’s been a long time.”

He saw Sang Yan dressed as a man and thus changed his address.

Sang Yan had already seen that foreign merchant.

She did not expect to see him here.

But after a brief moment of surprise, it was still indifferent, calm, and deadly still.

Qi Jiu saw her mood was somber and ordered Han Chen, who was by his side, “Go get my zither.”

Han Chen agreed and hurried off.

Soon, he brought the zither over.

The body of the zither was black, faintly emitting a green hue, as if green vines were twining around ancient wood.

It was a fine zither.

Sang Yan took another look.

Seeing she knew her stuff, Qi Jiu smiled and said, “It’s rare to meet a connoisseur, let me play a piece for the young master.”

In truth, he saw Sang Yan’s melancholy disposition and thought of playing a piece to cheer her up a bit.

Sang Yan said nothing, her gaze fixed on the vast ocean.

The sea was a deep blue, boundless.

The wind blew in.

With a slightly fishy smell.

This was the scent of the ocean.

The ocean was free.

Sadly, people were not.

The sound of the zither suddenly started.

The first note was clear and pure.

It seemed like music from beyond the heavens, gradually becoming distant and ethereal.

Listening to the music, Sang Yan thought of the time she listened to Sang Ruoshui play the zither in the Imperial Palace, when He Ying had praised him, and she felt jealous for the first time.

It seemed she fell for him then.

Now, what was he doing?

Eight days had passed since Jiang Ke had taken her to escape to the sea, or maybe nine, no, that’s not right, the days were too long, she was so confused she no longer knew how much time had passed.

“Wow, big fish!”

“Look! Look! There’s a big fish in the sea!”

“It’s swimming towards us!”

“Heavens, it won’t attack us, will it?”

…

People at the bow suddenly became frantic.

Some, who were timid, ran toward the cabins.

Others, who were brave, did not run but also stepped back.

Sang Yan was carried back by Jiang Ke.

She too saw the big fish, strictly speaking, it was a whale.

The whale was as large as a boat.

This was her first time seeing a whale, briefly inciting her curiosity; after a fleeting panic, she kept watching.

The whale came closer and closer to the ship.

Naturally, the ship was much larger than the whale, but if the whale injured people, it would still be terrible.

“Stay calm!”

“The big fish doesn’t hurt people!”

“Everyone, don’t panic!”

The captain, upon hearing the news, rushed out to calm everyone.

He was a man in his forties, probably spending years at sea, his skin tanned and cracked.

He had a very weatherworn look.

“Wow, it’s raining!”

“The big fish appears, and rain descends from heaven, captain, you’re experienced and knowledgeable, do you think this is a good omen?”

“Fool, you can tell it’s your first time at sea. Such big fish create waves like thunder, its spray like rain!”

“So this is the big fish’s saliva?”

…

The crowd discussed and wondered.

The big fish reached the side of the ship, indeed not harming anyone, but was also not just passing by; it kept swimming around the ship.

After watching for a while, people gradually formed a bold guess, “This, this big fish… could it be drawn here by the sound of the zither?”

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