Nightwatcher

# 184. Barge Inspection

*Waves upon waves of blood… Everyone on that government ship is a villain...* Xu Qi’an was startled.

But he didn’t make a rash judgment, because river pirates often caused trouble on the waterways, and these officials might have just repelled some attempting to plunder them.

“What kind of ship is that, and why is it different from ours?” Xu Qi’an casually asked his colleague as he watched the approaching government ship.

There were many experienced Bronze Gongs present, knowledgeable and well-versed in such matters. After some recognition, they replied, “That’s a barge. Judging by the flag, it seems to be from Yuzhou.”

A barge, a large flat-bottomed vessel, often used for carrying goods.

Xu Qi’an gave an “oh” in response, his eyes flickering slightly as he continued to ask, “Are there river pirates near Yuzhou?”

Song Tingfeng laughed sarcastically, placing a hand on Xu Qi’an’s shoulder, “We are less than half a day’s journey from the Yuzhou checkpoint. Have you ever seen bandits robbing right at the constabulary’s doorstep?”

“Then there’s no problem,” Xu Qi’an nodded, his tone as if confirming something.

“No problem in earning some merits” he glanced at Song Tingfeng, then quickly said as the two ships were about to pass each other, “Tingfeng, go back to the cabin immediately and find Gold Gong Jiang, tell him there’s an urgent matter.”

He then scanned the seven or eight Bronze Gongs on the deck, saying sternly, “There’s something wrong with that ship. Follow my lead.”

After speaking, he shouted towards the barge on the side, “Stop the ship!”

His voice rolled across the river.

The officials on the barge completely ignored him, pretending not to hear. Some crew members even quietly adjusted the sail’s angle, making the barge veer away from the Nightwatchers’ vessel.

At this, the other Bronze Gongs also sensed something was wrong. Before they could speak, they saw Xu Qi’an prop himself against the railing, the deck beneath his feet cracking with a “crunch” as he shot out like a cannonball.

In an instant, he spanned dozens of meters, landing steadily on the barge’s deck.

“Crack…”

The sound of breaking deck continued as seven or eight Bronze Gongs leapt up one after another, using their exaggerated jumping ability and surging Qi to also leap onto the barge.

Seeing the group of Bronze Gongs “invade” the barge, the faces of several officials on the deck changed slightly, their hands quietly moving to the hilts of their blades at their waists.

“Gentlemen…” A bearded man in a constabulary officer’s uniform, wearing a tall hat and black boots, hurried out of the cabin.

He glanced around at the Bronze Gongs on the deck and cupped his fists, “What can I do for you?”

Xu Qi’an didn’t speak, carefully observing their micro-expressions and subtle movements. Zhu Guangxiao said in a deep voice:

“Which constabulary are you from?”

“We are constables from the Canal Transport Office, escorting a batch of iron ore to the capital,” the bearded man replied. Their uniforms were adorned with wave patterns, indicative of the Canal Transport Office.

Yuzhou was rich in iron ore. Salt and iron were crucial national resources — in short they were strategic materials and major fiscal contributors.

The Bronze Gongs were not surprised by this and turned to look at Xu Qi’an, puzzled by his sudden interception of the ship.

Xu Qi’an squinted his eyes, noticing a detail: despite everything, this barge was still sailing and hadn’t anchored.

“Guangxiao, make them stop the ship,” Xu Qi’an ordered sternly.

Zhu Guangxiao immediately went to the stern and kicked the massive, heavy anchor into the water. The barge slowly came to a stop.

When his silent colleague returned, Xu Qi’an questioned the constable, “Why didn't you stop the boat earlier?”

“Uh…” The bearded man looked troubled and whispered, “Please wait a moment, my lords.”

He returned to the cabin and soon came back with a few folded silver notes, discreetly handing them over with a fawning smile.

“I understand that whenever we see the Nightwatchers, we must show our respect. I was being foolish earlier, trying to get away with it. I deserve to die for my mistake. Please forgive me, milords.”

Xu Qi’an glanced at the notes; they were all in denominations of fifty, totalling about three hundred taels of silver.

So, he thinks we stopped the boat to take a bribe? The Nightwatchers present realised this, finding it both amusing and irritating.

While the Nightwatchers weren't entirely clean, they weren't corrupt to the extent of exploiting every opportunity. However, their reputation was indeed tarnished, thanks to the civil officials who continuously smeared them, portraying the Nightwatchers as Wei Yuan’s claws, committing acts of cruelty, corruption, and injustice.

What scholars excelled at most is using their pens to attack others.

“Ningyan…” Zhu Guangxiao frowned and looked at Xu Qi’an.

Like the others, he didn’t believe Xu Qi’an stopped the barge for money. This was the man who had once decapitated a Silver Gong for some unrelated woman. Whether he was liked or not was one thing, but his character was trustworthy.

Seeing no one accepting the silver notes for a long time, the bearded man’s heart sank. He didn’t think he had handled things incorrectly, but it seemed the Nightwatchers weren’t buying it.

“Take me to the cabin to have a look,” Xu Qi’an stepped forward, staring at the bearded man.

At this moment, Xu Qi’an stood in front of all the Bronze Gongs. His right hand casually moved behind his back, quickly making a subtle hand gesture.

The gesture was slight but noticeable to the Bronze Gongs behind him, who tensed up. This was a professional sign from the Nightwatchers, meaning: Prepare for action.

“Accompany me for an inspection,” Xu Qi’an demanded.

“Sure, please,” the bearded man agreed without hesitation.

*...He agreed too readily, didn’t he? Normally, he should protest that river transport affairs were none of the Nightwatchers’ business. Hmm, or maybe he's just scared...* Xu Qi’an thought, leading his colleagues to follow the bearded man into the cabin, descending the narrow stairs to the hold.

Lighting candles one by one, the bearded man led the Nightwatchers to inspect the crates filled with ores.

A Bronze Gong grabbed a handful of fine iron ore, clicking his tongue in appreciation, “This is all high-quality iron ore, well-sorted.”

The bearded man laughed a little, by way of a response.

The Bronze Gong quietly dropped the iron ore and nudged Xu Qi’an’s waist with the hilt of his knife, signalling with his eyes.

Xu Qi’an said, “Continue your inspection.”

He walked aside with the Bronze Gong and whispered, “What is it?”

The Bronze Gong lowered his voice, “The ore is too finely ground, and the quality is too good.”

Xu Qi’an didn’t understand, “It’s headed to the capital; what’s the issue?”

The Bronze Gong glanced at the others not far away, then turned back, speaking softly, “A few years ago, I investigated an embezzlement case in the Ministry of Industry, which involved iron ore. The ore’s weight is calculated, not its quality.

“Officials looking to profit for themselves would mix in gravel or inferior ore to increase the weight. As long as it wasn’t excessive, there would be no problems.”

*...So, the quality of the iron ore here is too good...* Xu Qi’an nodded.

After the inspection, they found nothing anomalous, the group returned to the cabin. Xu Qi'an made another request, "Show me your documents."

The bearded man obediently took out the documents issued by the Transport Office. After confirming there were no issues, Xu Qi'an asked, "Didn't encounter any problems on the way?"

"How could we? We've just left Yuzhou," the bearded man replied.

*Ha, then explain the green light... no, the blood light on your head?*

Xu Qi'an walked around observing the cabin. The bearded man accompanied him the entire time, answering every question with an unusually good attitude.

They reached the kitchen, where four cooks sat silently on small wooden stools, watching Xu Qi'an and his group.

The kitchen's baskets were filled with seasonal vegetables, looking quite fresh.

Xu Qi'an laughed, "Now, seeing green vegetables makes my eyes light up. We've been eating fish on the boat for days, it's both fishy and unpalatable."

He glanced at the four cooks and said, "Right?"

One of the cooks glanced at the bearded man, exchanged a look, and understood the hint. He showed a humble smile and said, "Yes, the fish in the river inevitably has a muddy taste. Sir is most certainly used to finer fares, but we who live on the water all year round are used to it."

"Oh, you don't know how to remove the fishy taste." Xu Qi'an nodded with a smile.

Hmm? The four cooks sensed something strange from Xu Qi'an's meaningful smile.

The bearded man also sensed it and tentatively said, "Sir..."

Before he could finish, his jaw was struck from below by Xu Qi'an, causing his teeth to clatter and shatter.

Immediately, Xu Qi'an, moving at incredible speed, punched his chest twice, bang bang... the force penetrated through his back, tearing his uniform.

The bearded man was sent flying, crashing into the wall, and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Xu Qi'an, who had struck suddenly, paid him no more attention. He turned around and kicked, breaking one cook's ribs, then with a combination of strength and speed, shattered the chest bones of the remaining three cooks.

The entire process took no more than five seconds.

Despite this, the fight in the kitchen still attracted the attention of those outside.

Xu Qi'an shouted, "Arrest everyone on the ship, leave them alive."

The Bronze Gongs, already alerted by hand signals, reacted swiftly and decisively, knocking down one worker after another.

For the Nightwatchers, who were all at the Refining Qi stage, subduing a group of ordinary workers was no harder than Xu Qi'an defeating Xu Lingyin.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an sensed a powerful aura landing on the deck. To prevent the bearded man from escaping by jumping into the water, he dragged him out of the cabin and onto the deck.

Jiang Lyuzhong frowned, silently watching him.

Xu Qi'an glanced towards his own ship and saw Inspector Zhang had also been alerted. He stood on the deck, watching intently, with a serious expression.

This anchored ship was also a government vessel, belonging to the Yuzhou government. Xu Qi'an's actions were akin to those of water bandits. Without a plausible reason, this matter would be difficult to handle.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Lyuzhong asked, glancing at the bearded man in Xu Qi'an's hand.

He immediately recognized the uniform of the Transport Office.

"This ship has a problem, but it's hard to say exactly what," Xu Qi'an explained.

"This is an official transport ship of the Yuzhou Transport Office, escorting iron ore?" Jiang Lyuzhong asked.

"Yes."

Jiang Lyuzhong nodded and asked seriously, "How did you discover something was wrong?"

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