Chapter Thirty-One: Myriad Water Ghosts

After night fell, the yacht set out, but that had nothing to do with us. We ate, we slept as we pleased. Lying on the bed in the guest room, I found it very comfortable, not at all unsteady. Yet, I simply couldn’t fall asleep. I hadn’t done much during the day, so I wasn’t the least bit tired.

So I got out of bed and went up to the deck, intending to enjoy the sea breeze and take in the night view over the water.

Stepping outside, I found someone was already standing there—a young man named Wei.

He had glanced at us during the day, then retreated to the master bedroom, likely sleeping enough during the day to be wide awake now.

A sense of animosity lingered in my heart; I couldn’t bring myself to feel any goodwill toward him. But given the circumstances, I thought it best to at least greet him, though he clearly disdained speaking to me.

“Well, what a coincidence. Can’t sleep either, Second... Master?” I said as I walked over. It was awkward, calling someone about my age—or perhaps even younger—"Master.” I couldn’t bring myself to say it naturally; how easily Zhuang Xingrui, a man in his forties, could say it outright.

I expected him to ignore me, but to my surprise, he turned and looked at me, nodding slightly. I was taken aback.

He wasn’t wearing sunglasses, and with his delicate features, he seemed less distant, though his cold, silent face still gave off a “keep away” vibe.

I’d thought he’d ignore me, so I could just enjoy the sea breeze and head back to bed. Now, I wasn’t sure if I should keep the conversation going. Reluctantly, I remarked, “The sea breeze is really refreshing tonight.”

I’d never been on a boat in my life—at best, I’d paddled a bamboo raft at a scenic spot. I hadn’t expected my first real experience to be on a private yacht.

The sea was very dark, but tonight the sky was clear; the bright moon hung high, and the stars sparkled. In the vast expanse of ocean, the sky seemed especially wide, as if I were adrift among the stars.

The sea breeze was cool, carrying the scent and moisture of the ocean.

It was a pity Xiao Qingwan hadn’t come up; she would have loved this scene—especially with this Wei fellow here.

I almost suspected the reason for our night departure was simply because he wanted to see the stars at sea.

“A ghost ship…”

A voice spoke. I was startled, turning to look at Wei in disbelief—was it really him who spoke just now?

“Do you believe in the legend of the ghost ship?” he continued.

Good heavens! It really was him! So, he wasn’t mute after all! He hadn’t uttered a word all day, but now he was speaking to me of his own accord!

His voice was a bit thin, either because his vocal cords weren’t fully developed or perhaps he really was quite young, not yet grown into his adult voice.

“Well, I’d rather believe it exists than dismiss it outright.” I’d heard several ghost ship legends—usually stories of ships that had met with disaster appearing suddenly at sea, told with great conviction, even tales of people seeing the Titanic!

That he brought it up now—did this mean our night departure was linked to the ghost ship legend? But it didn’t make sense; even if ghost ships existed, encountering one was a matter of luck, odds worse than winning the lottery. Even setting out at night, there was a 99.99% chance we wouldn’t see anything.

Besides, tonight’s weather was perfect—no storms, no fog—not at all the kind of night for a ghost ship to appear.

Wei said nothing more. I didn’t much feel like talking to him anyway, so I enjoyed the stars in silence.

The longer I stood in the sea breeze, the more awake I felt. I silently counted the days: it was already the thirteenth day, almost halfway through my remaining time. Who knew how long Wei’s troubles would delay us, but Old Ma didn’t seem the least bit anxious. He seemed confident about my condition—though whether that confidence came from genuine skill or blind faith, I couldn’t say.

Living by counting down the days was a wretched feeling. I grew restless.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

Faint singing drifted on the wind, ethereal and indistinct. I looked around in surprise, seeing only the endless, dim sea.

Could the sound be coming from the yacht? It seemed far away—certainly not nearby.

I joked to myself—could it be a mermaid singing?

A luxury yacht, moonlit night, mermaid’s song—what a dreamlike experience.

I listened more intently; the song came and went, sometimes near, sometimes far, woven into the sound of the wind, lingering without end.

At first, I could enjoy it as a mermaid’s serenade, but after the dreamlike charm faded, reality crept back—where on the vast sea could singing really come from?

I turned to ask Wei, but his face remained calm and cold, unchanged. Was he not surprised by the singing? Or was he so knowledgeable that he knew exactly what it was and found it unremarkable?

“Second Master, did you hear a song just now?” I asked.

He looked at me, a trace of confusion in his eyes. “A song?”

He didn’t hear it? The singing had been going on for a while; it couldn’t have been my imagination.

“You really heard singing? Which direction did it come from?” he asked.

His concern surprised me. “It was faint—I couldn’t tell the direction. You really didn’t hear it?”

He didn’t reply, just scrutinized me, then turned to the sea, watching intently as if searching for something.

I was baffled—was he really looking for mermaids?

The singing persisted. Far out on the water, a small red light appeared, immediately drawing my attention.

I glanced at Wei; his gaze was locked on the red light as well. He saw it too—so it wasn’t just my imagination.

The red glow slowly approached, growing larger. A strange, sharp scent mingled with the sea breeze—not the usual salty tang of the ocean. I sniffed, wondering about the odd smell.

As the red light drew nearer, I could just make out the shape of a boat—something was off about it, though I couldn’t say exactly what.

As it came closer, I suddenly realized—the glow seemed to emanate from the boat itself! There was no sign of any external light source.

Looking more closely, the boat didn’t look modern—it seemed almost… wooden!

No way! Could Wei’s unlucky words have come true? Was this really a legendary ghost ship? Could my luck be that extraordinary?

But fate is rarely so coincidental. The strange boat didn’t continue toward us; instead, it quietly turned and headed into the darkness.

I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Wei suddenly took off running. An ominous feeling surged in my chest.

I hurried after him, calling out, “Second Master! What are you doing?”