Chapter 180 - 111: Taking Action, Dual Capture
A hundred and ten miles downstream of Baisha River, Xu Qing and his two companions carried the corpse of Shi Quan and searched along the case for ferrymen and signs of habitation, intending to return to Linhe.
At Baisha Ferry, Xue, the Government Official who had fled during the battle, led a band of deserters and rowed through the night, arriving at Linhe Pier in no time.
Cai, the steward who had been hiding in the cabin the entire time, was weak in the legs and exhausted, clearly frightened out of his wits.
The government officials, supporting and aiding him, brought the steward all the way to the Patrol Office.
County Captain Dong Heng and Master Tang Zhou, upon hearing the dire news, rushed to the Government Office, disregarding all other matters.
Upon learning that Chief Zhao and others had been harmed by the Daoists of Celestial Wu Temple and were dragged underwater by Water Ghosts with their fate unknown, everyone was profoundly shaken.
They had been colleagues for many years; to be separated by life and death in just one night was something no one could easily accept.
Even the most unfeeling individuals would shed a few tears in such a moment.
Xue, the Government Official, was clearly one of the notable mourners among them, weeping the most passionately as if he had lost his own brother.
"When Chief Zhao fell into the water, he left the steering to me, entrusting me with the lives of everyone on the boat. If I couldn’t bring the brothers back alive, how could I face Chief Zhao’s trust?"