"Come with me." John Foster knew that rescuing someone couldn't be rushed, and he also understood the intentions of these bandits. For now, he wasn't worried that the young lady would be harmed on the boat. He was familiar with the pleasure boat and led Edward Sullivan toward the aft cabin.

The lower aft cabins, where the boatmen and oarsmen usually slept and rested, had already been thoroughly searched by the pirates. The place was a mess, with a large sticky patch of blood, clearly another scene of slaughter. Naturally, nothing valuable could be found, but old clothes were scattered everywhere, and a few pieces of flatbread that the pirates had scorned lay in the corners. Edward Sullivan didn't care that the flatbread was stained with blood; he picked one up and took a bite. The taste of blood was strong in his mouth. He handed two pieces to John Foster, telling him to eat and fill his stomach, while he changed into dry clothes. There was no room for fussiness at this moment. Still, Edward Sullivan found a few small packets of salt, dissolved them in a basin of water, and cleaned John Foster's wounds, then picked out a clean cloth to bandage him up.

In the corner of the aft cabin, there was also a broken spear shaft, about four feet long. Edward Sullivan picked it up and tested its strength; the shaft was very sturdy. He used the broken knife to sharpen the tip, and in no time, he had fashioned a sharp short spear, which he handed to John Foster for self-defense.

Although the short spear wasn't enough to pierce armor, for someone trained in martial arts, such a weapon was more than enough to kill.

While hiding under the boat, John Foster had already begun to see Edward Sullivan in a new light. He weighed the short spear in his hand and saw Edward Sullivan sitting there, still pressing his ear to the cabin wall to listen for movement outside. He thought to himself that he had truly misjudged him before, and that he himself couldn't have handled things more skillfully.

"They want to head out to sea. Once we leave the river mouth, we'll be on the Yangtze. There will be other boats on the river. If we run into a big ship or a convoy along the way, our chances of making a move successfully will be much higher..." Edward Sullivan whispered to John Foster.

Last night, in the midst of danger, there was simply no chance for him to try to save Grace Bennett; his first thought was to escape and get to shore himself. Now, the situation was different from last night. John Foster was also capable of fighting, and with careful planning, there was at least some chance of success.

To have a chance to help others out of trouble but choose to cower instead was not Edward Sullivan's way. Besides, even if there was no romantic feeling between him and Grace Bennett, she had still shown generosity and helped him in his time of need.

"We do need to plan carefully!" John Foster nodded. He thought it was best that Edward Sullivan was willing to stay and help him rescue her. Judging by his earlier performance, he was probably even more capable than John Foster himself, who was now injured. From his words, it was clear that Edward Sullivan wasn't going to act recklessly, and since he was asking for help, he couldn't force the other to risk his life.

Edward Sullivan picked up the broken knife and said to John Foster, "Master Fu, you rest here for a bit. I'll sneak up to the front and take a look. When I come back, I'll knock three times lightly on the deck." He stood up and added, "If anything happens, Master Fu, your own escape is most important. There will still be a chance to rescue her once we reach Jin'an..."

John Foster knew that Edward Sullivan meant that this group of Eastern Sea bandits would deliver Grace Bennett to the so-called Second Young Master of Jin'an. But he was thinking that this Second Young Master of Jin'an was probably an important member of the She family, and once Grace Bennett was sent to Jin'an, how could they possibly rescue her?

John Foster still straightened up on his knees, pressed his hands to the deck, and was about to bow to Edward Sullivan, saying, "Young Master Lin, even if you leave now, it is already a great favor to both Su and the young lady..."

Although he knew that John Foster's gesture was mostly meant to spur him on, Edward Sullivan was still a little moved. After all, John Foster could have just left and ignored Grace Bennett's fate. Edward Sullivan knelt down and helped John Foster up, reproaching him, "Master Fu, what do you take me for? I'll go out and take a look first..."

Volume One: Pirates of the Mountains and Seas

Chapter Six: The Boat Sails on the River

A thick fog blanketed everything, and one could only see seven or eight steps ahead. The pirate ship in front was sailing with its sails raised, not slowing down even in the heavy mist.

The decorative windows on both sides had been wedged shut from the outside with wooden pegs to prevent the hostages from opening the windows and jumping into the water to escape. In the dense fog, Edward Sullivan made his way to the front and vaguely saw, under the awning at the bow, four pirates lying about in disarray. From the sounds, only two of them were snoring; it was impossible to tell if the other two were really asleep. The thick fog made it impossible to see what was happening on the stern deck of the pirate ship ahead, but he could hear several pirates there bragging about their exploits with women.

Just as Edward Sullivan was about to retreat, one of the pirates lying under the awning suddenly sat up. "Who's there?"

Edward Sullivan was startled. He didn't know how his presence had been discovered. He held his breath, ready to kill the two pirates if they came to search, then jump into the water to escape. He heard the front cabin door creak open, and then Grace Bennett's maid Little Grace spoke from inside: "My lady has a box of books in the aft cabin. She told me to fetch two books and some other things."

"Don't move in there. I'll go check for you..." the pirate said.

"Let her go get them herself. Are you afraid she'll jump into the water and escape? As long as we keep an eye on the main one..." Another pirate, lying comfortably, curled up and kicked the cabin door open, letting Grace Bennett's maid go to the aft cabin to fetch the books herself.

"If the little lady dares to run, that's even better. We'll catch her and let the brothers have some fun, then kill her with one stroke—no one can blame us for breaking our word." A coarse voice came from the right-hand cabin.

"You bastard, I cut your thigh with one stroke—how come I didn't cut your balls off? Always thinking about women, it really pisses me off..." A burst of raucous laughter followed.

Edward Sullivan thought to himself that there were still a few wounded pirates recuperating in the cabin.