She was dressed in bright goose yellow, holding a small round fan in her hand. On her slightly childish, pretty face, her eyes were filled with surprise as she gazed at the surging waves rolling in. To be fair, such a grand spectacle of river and sea colliding is indeed attractive to someone who has never seen it before. But when she found herself amidst the might of nature, it turned into a complete disaster. The moment she stepped out of the cabin, the raging waves swept over, crashing into the passenger ship all at once. The entire vessel was suddenly tossed upward, and the young girl walking gracefully let out a scream, her small fan flying from her hand as she herself was sent soaring into the air...

　　"Miss!"

　　Old Butler cried out in alarm.

　　He tried to rush over to help, but had barely taken half a step before he too was thrown to the deck by the surging waves.

　　Then the two of them rolled off the deck into the river at the same time.

　　"Quick, save them!"

　　William Young shouted.

　　With that, he leapt into the river.

　　The sailors were thrown into chaos, scrambling for the gourds hanging by the side of the ship, but the surging waves instantly swept the two people under...

Chapter 003: Let Me Do It!

　　A hero...

　　Well, actually, a beggar.

　　The process of a beggar saving a beauty was not particularly thrilling or exciting.

　　These sailors had been working on ships for years and were experienced in such matters. As soon as William Young jumped into the water, a gourd was thrown down. He caught it and quickly swam over, tossing the gourd to Old Butler, who could swim a little and, holding onto the gourd, was basically safe. As the sailors on the ship reached out with a long pole to hook him and drag him back, William Young dove underwater, heading straight for the patch of floating goose yellow ahead, then grabbed the girl's hair and pulled her head above the water.

　　She was already unconscious.

　　It must be said, the consequence of having little flesh on her body was that she had almost no buoyancy after falling into the water.

　　"Over here!"

　　A shout came from another boat ahead.

　　William Young dragged the girl, and with the help of the next wave that crashed in, quickly swam toward the long pole extended from there. Soon, he grabbed the pole and was pulled to the side of the boat. The sailors above hurriedly dragged the unconscious girl up, while William Young nimbly grabbed the gunwale and, with a burst of strength, flipped himself aboard.

　　The sailors laid the unconscious girl flat on the deck...

　　"Move aside, let me do it!"

　　William Young immediately said energetically.

　　With everyone staring in astonishment, he bent down and grabbed the girl's feet with both hands...

　　"Put her down!"

　　A crisp, angry shout rang out.

　　A willow branch immediately lashed his hand.

　　William Young cried out in pain, turning with a grimace to see a healthy-looking young woman glaring at him. Laughter erupted all around. The young woman glared at William Young, who gave an awkward smile and handed over the girl's feet. She glared at him again as she took them. At this moment, another older man lifted the girl's head, and the two of them quickly carried her into the cabin, laying her face down on a long bench. The older man then came out and closed the cabin door.

　　"Miss!"

　　On the shore, Old Butler's panicked shout rang out.

　　William Young turned his head and saw him leading a group of armed servants, running over in confusion. But with wave after wave still crashing in, they couldn't board the boat, which was a bit away from the shore.

　　"There's no need to worry, Steward Du. Your young lady has likely just swallowed some water and lost consciousness. My daughter is skilled in medicine and has saved many from drowning. For those who haven't been under long, there is no danger!"

　　The older man said with a cupped-fist salute.

　　"Thank you, Elder!"

　　Old Butler returned the salute, still looking worried.

　　Then he turned his gaze to William Young. At this moment, William Young's appearance was actually much improved: first, the ragged burlap sack covering his upper body had been washed away, and second, much of the grime on him had been rinsed off. However, with his bare legs and upper body, a final piece of burlap wrapped around his waist, and those scars all over him, he still looked like a primitive man, standing there glaring at him with a crude expression. Still, this was his benefactor, so Old Butler cupped his hands in thanks...

　　"This brother..."

　　He began.

　　"Over there! Don't let that thief get away! I'm going to skin him alive today!"

　　A roar suddenly erupted from the dock.

　　William Young looked up to see an officer charging over menacingly in the distance, his face twisted as he pointed a saber at him, eyes blazing with fury. Behind him were over a hundred fully armed soldiers, even carrying a massive matchlock gun on a tripod, setting it up like a giant sniper rifle before even reaching the shore...

　　"What on earth did you do to make Samuel Kent so angry that he brought out the Great Gale Gun?"

　　The older man exclaimed in astonishment.

　　"Just borrowing a gourd!"

　　William Young replied with an embarrassed smile.

　　With that, he suddenly turned, unhesitatingly grabbed the gourd hanging from the gunwale, and leapt into the river.

　　On the shore, Samuel Kent snatched the matchlock from his subordinate and fired at William Young in the water, but the shot landed four or five meters away. He tossed the gun back to his men...

　　"Open fire!"

　　He roared viciously.

　　"Stop! Don't frighten my young lady!"

　　Old Butler, who had been standing there all along, suddenly shouted.

　　"Old man, are you trying to shield a murderer on the run?"

　　Samuel Kent shouted.