“Eat it raw, and it will burrow into your stomach, then keep tunneling through your flesh, all the way to your brain, where it will settle down and live off your brain matter. It can grow up to half a foot long!”

　　William Young said in a deliberately spooky tone.

　　“Are those people who get headaches, even to the point of going crazy, the ones who’ve been bitten?”

　　Helen Howard said with a serious expression.

　　“Pretty much!”

　　William Young replied.

　　Of course, he was just scaremongering—this was a red threadworm, not a sparganum.

　　“But once it’s cooked, there’s nothing to worry about. When it’s cooked, it’s just a piece of meat. Come on, beauty, make me some braised carp!”

　　He continued.

　　“In your dreams! Eat it if you want!”

　　Helen Howard retorted bluntly.

　　“Vicious woman!”

　　William Young said discontentedly.

　　“You know medicine too?”

　　Helen Howard asked curiously.

　　“That’s just common sense. There’s more than one kind of parasite in this fish, and these are just the ones we can see. In reality, there are many more we can’t see at all. It’s not just fish—even the water is full of invisible little bugs. If you drink this kind of raw water, those bugs will enter your body and lay even more bugs inside you, generation after generation, until they completely take over your body. Ever heard of water gu? Water gu is made up of these little bugs.”

　　William Young continued explaining to her.

　　Helen Howard held the red threadworm in her hand, poking at it curiously, completely unaware that the guy next to her had turned his head, propped it up with his hand, and was happily admiring the curves of her upper body. By now, the sun was already half set, the evening glow reddening the sky, and also casting a red hue on Helen Howard’s back. The clothes clinging to her body seemed to be wrapped in a layer of red light.

　　A large boat quietly stopped on the river not far from them...

Chapter 005: The 47th Year of Wanli

　　“What’s your name, brother?”

　　The boat master Charles Howard reached out to pull William Young onto the deck and asked warmly.

　　“William Young!”

　　William Young answered calmly.

　　Charles Howard gave him a meaningful look...

　　“You’re a real man!”

　　He patted William Young on the shoulder with admiration.

　　He probably thought this was a fake name made up on the spot, but that wasn’t his concern. He was just pleased to have another fugitive under his command. From the way things looked, there wasn’t a single law-abiding person on this boat. The sailors busy securing the small sampan to the side of the ship all welcomed William Young in their own way, each with a fierce and menacing look in their eyes. Especially after Helen Howard gave William Young a nudge to remind him not to forget to tell stories, at least half the sailors looked even more intimidating.

　　Charles Howard didn’t say much more to him.

　　A work contract...

　　Uh, would a fugitive who’s been beheaded twice and hanged once really need that?

　　Helen Howard came out right after, tossed William Young a hard, dense flatbread, and took one for herself to gnaw on. William Young stood beside her, looking at the boat.

　　A standard flat-bottomed riverboat.

　　Or maybe it should be called a shallow-draft boat.

　　It was less than twenty meters long. Except for about four meters of open space at the bow, the rest was covered by semi-circular bamboo canopies coated with tung oil. But above the stern’s rudder cabin, there was an extra low, large wooden box, and through the open window, you could see a dudou hanging inside...

　　Helen Howard followed his gaze, blushed, and stomped on his foot.

　　That was her boudoir.

　　The mast on the boat had already been lowered; it was an A-frame mast. The boat was still being pushed by the tide, but there were long oars on both sides, clearly for when manpower was needed. What puzzled William Young was the sampan they brought along. Normally, this kind of riverboat wouldn’t carry one. Even though the little sampan was only three or four meters long, for a shallow-draft boat like this, it was still a big burden. Of course, he wasn’t going to ask about it—whatever they were up to, he’d find out eventually.

　　By now, the sun had completely set, night was falling, and the shallow-draft boat, pushed by the tide, glided silently across the wide river.

　　Soon, lights flickered on the west bank.

　　Then a sizable market town and a wide river mouth appeared.

　　“So where does this lead to?”

　　William Young asked.

　　“To my home!”

　　Helen Howard shot him a look and replied.

　　“This goes to the Triangle Marsh. Once we pass Dingzigu, we’ll enter the Triangle Marsh, then out of the marsh into the Huitong River, keep going and you’ll reach Yuanjiakou, head north to Bazhou, west to Qingyuan.”

　　Charles Howard said with a smile.

　　“So where are we going?”

　　William Young asked.

　　“Tonight we’ll stop at Yin’er Bay. If nothing major happens on the way, we should reach Zhangjiawan in seven or eight days. By then, Brother Young can visit the capital and soak up some imperial luck.”

　　Charles Howard said.

　　“Ha, I don’t even know what the emperor’s name is!”

　　William Young said with no respect at all.

　　“Though His Majesty has reigned for forty-seven years, few people actually know his taboo name.”

　　Charles Howard laughed.

　　The 47th year of Wanli!

　　William Young finally knew what year it was!