Carried by the momentum of his leap, Li Daoxuan plunged several meters beneath the river's surface.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw nothing. The Yangtze's water was murky, and visibility was extremely poor. One could not see even a few meters ahead.
That was not a problem.
As long as he knew the general direction, it was enough.
Li Daoxuan's body, constructed from special materials, activated its internal balance. Its built-in buoyancy prevented him from sinking further, keeping him suspended in the water.
He peeled back the silicone layer on the soles of his feet and flipped open two concealed panels. A pair of compact propellers extended outward.
"Mystical drive," Li Daoxuan muttered inwardly. "Activate."
The propellers spun instantly, whirring at high speed and propelling him straight toward the ship's hull.
Compared to this, frog kicks and crawl strokes were child's play. His posture remained perfectly straight, his body motionless, like a divine being flying through the depths.
In the blink of an eye, he reached the underside of the ship.
At last, he saw them.
Not far ahead, two young women were struggling underwater.
They were utterly bewildered.
They had intended to jump into the river and dive away using their swimming skills. Instead, the instant they entered the water, an overwhelming current seized them and dragged them downward. No matter how hard they paddled, it was useless.
If this continued, death was inevitable.
At that moment, Li Daoxuan spoke calmly.
"Do not be afraid. I am here."
An ordinary person could not speak underwater. Opening one's mouth would only invite water inside. Li Daoxuan, however, was no ordinary being. Dao Xuan Tianzun's voice did not rely on vocal cords, but on metaphysical transmission.
The sound traveled clearly through the water and reached the ears of the two women.
They shuddered violently.
Turning their heads, they saw Li Daoxuan approaching rapidly, his body unmoving, his speed unnatural.
Their hearts plunged.
These women were no innocents. Having lived among men for years, they were adept at reading situations and adapting instantly. The moment they saw him, they knew escape was impossible.
The demon had come.
Xue'er sharply elbowed Chen Yuanyuan.
Chen Yuanyuan understood at once.
Plan A had failed.
It was time for Plan B.
The two immediately stopped trying to swim and instead began flailing wildly, kicking and struggling in exaggerated motions, perfectly mimicking people on the verge of drowning.
A few seconds later, Li Daoxuan reached them.
With his left arm, he scooped up Xue'er. With his right, he wrapped Chen Yuanyuan into his embrace.
If an ordinary man tried to hold two struggling women like this, he would be dragged straight to the bottom.
Li Daoxuan was completely unaffected.
Holding both women, he shot upward.
With a loud splash, the three broke through the surface.
The instant her head emerged from the water, Xue'er screamed at the top of her lungs, "Let me go. Let me die. I do not want to live."
Chen Yuanyuan had not prepared herself for this level of commitment, but seeing Xue'er take the lead, she followed immediately. "Please let me die. Why did you save me. I do not want to live anymore."
Li Daoxuan's thoughts moved swiftly.
Suspicious.
Earlier, they were desperately fighting the current, clearly trying to survive. The moment I spoke, they switched to drowning theatrics.
Very suspicious.
No need to expose them yet. Let us see how far they intend to act.
By now, the Black Pearl had already stopped moving. Its propellers were shut down, and the turbulent currents around the hull gradually subsided.
Li Daoxuan held the two women beside the ship.
Several rope ladders were lowered. Sailors clung to them, peering down anxiously.
Two sailors instinctively reached out, then hesitated. The women were drenched. Touching them directly would be inappropriate. Worse still, they were trying to kill themselves. If physical contact provoked them further, the consequences would be unbearable.
The sailors withdrew their hands and instead fashioned rope loops, securing them carefully around the women's waists.
With a coordinated effort, the crew hauled them aboard.
Li Daoxuan did not rush.
He retracted the propellers into his feet, sealed the silicone covering, then grasped a rope ladder and climbed back onto the deck at an unhurried pace.
On deck, the two women sat wrapped in thick wool blankets from the Warm and Sleepy Textile Factory. Their hair clung to their faces. Their heads were bowed, their expressions desolate.
The other women crowded around them in alarm.
"What happened?"
"Why did you suddenly jump into the river?"
"Why are you so miserable?"
Li Daoxuan stood to the side, observing silently.
Zhu Piaoling rushed over, his face pale with anxiety. "What are you doing? Why would you try to die? Especially you, Xue'er. Didn't you say you wanted to live peacefully in the Prince's residence? I promised you that myself. Why are you still so distressed?"
Xue'er let out a soft sob.
Then she truly began to cry.
Tears streamed down her face as if a dam had burst, her grief overwhelming and utterly convincing.
"This lowly one's fate is too bitter," she cried. "Only now did I realize that once one enters a noble household, it is like falling into a sea without shore. My entire life will be locked inside a small courtyard. Peaceful, yes, but utterly without hope."
Her voice suddenly rose, as if she had made up her mind. "Since I already wish to die, I am no longer afraid of offending anyone. This lowly one dares to say it plainly. Although the Prince of Qin's heir is only an heir, is he not already forty years old? Must I force smiles and serve such an old man for the rest of my life? My heart truly aches."
Zhu Piaoling froze.
He slowly turned to look at Li Daoxuan.
Li Daoxuan shrugged. "She is not wrong."
Zhu Piaoling felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest.
Critical damage.
Chen Yuanyuan also began to cry. "This lowly one is only twelve years old. I do not want to marry a forty-year-old man. After thinking it through, I followed Sister Xue'er and jumped into the river."
Zhu Piaoling panicked. "His Highness does not look old at all. Although he is forty, he looks youthful, his mind is young, and his vitality is abundant. He is no different from someone in his twenties."
Several women spoke up at the same time.
"Lies."
Zhu Piaoling was struck dumb.
Li Daoxuan nearly laughed aloud.
Interesting. This play keeps getting better.
Zhu Piaoling looked up at the sky, his expression desolate. "So the Prince of Qin's heir is truly so unbearable in your eyes? You would rather die than become his concubines."
He sighed deeply, then turned to the others. "Do all of you feel the same?"
The women fell silent.
They did not want to die, nor did they dare offend the Prince of Qin's heir. Yet their expressions betrayed everything.
Zhu Piaoling ordered a guard to bring a wooden chest.
From it, he withdrew a thick stack of indentured servitude contracts.
"I had planned to deal with these once we reached Shaanxi," he said slowly. "Who would have thought the Prince of Qin's heir would be so detested? So detested that you would rather die. Very well. I will handle them now."
The women gasped.
They understood immediately.
He was going to tear up their contracts.
Zhu Piaoling straightened his back, assuming a righteous and benevolent posture, radiating an aura of moral grandeur.
He grasped the thick stack of contracts and pulled hard.
It was too thick.
He could not tear it.