Fu Xinci's gaze swept across the deck again before she discovered two people bound to the mast.
Their heads were bowed, their faces obscured, but the tattered state of their clothes and the bloodstains on them revealed they had been brutally treated.
Meanwhile, Yu'er rode his horse back the way he came. Halfway there, he saw from afar his grandfather and father, each driving a donkey cart, clip-clopping towards him.
"Grandfather, Father, please stop!"
"It's Brother!" Ning'er, sitting in Fang's lap, saw her brother waving at them from a distance. All her previous gloom vanished instantly.
Despite his old age, Grandpa Meng had sharp ears. He heard his eldest grandson clearly and immediately reined in the donkey cart. He didn't forget to turn back and urge his son to stop as well.
Yu'er spurred his horse and galloped over. He then recounted to his grandfather and father what he and his sister had seen by the sea.
"Yu'er, you saw Wokou ships again?"
"Yes, two of them."
"Then hurry to the Thousand-Household Office and inform your Uncle Qi." Grandpa Meng, worried about his granddaughter being alone and in danger, urged his eldest grandson to go quickly.
"Grandfather, you don't need to worry. I'm going right away." Yu'er finished speaking, whipped his horse, and left only a trail of dust behind him.
Watching his son's retreating back, Fu Yu then looked towards the sea, his heart filled with worry for his daughter's safety. Grandpa Meng felt the same.
Fang Shi, seated on the donkey cart, felt her spirits sinking just like theirs.
"Father, my son..."
"Yu'er, you drive the donkey cart with your wife and the children home. I'll drive the donkey cart to the seaside."
"Father, let me go."
"Listen to me. I have more experience in these matters than you old folks."
"Father, experience comes from the battlefield."
"Listen to me, go back quickly." Grandpa Meng's words brooked no argument. After speaking, he no longer looked at his son's face, urging the donkey cart and hurrying towards the sea.
"Husband, let's follow Father to the sea too." Fang Shi was genuinely worried about her daughter. She had heard tales of the Wokou's cruelty before.
"Master, this servant can also help the young lady fight the Wokou."
"Master, I can too."
Han Xue and Chun Yu also picked up their water buckets, looking ready to fight to the death.
"Father, Ning'er can also help Sister fight, beat up the bad guys until they die."
Fu Yu glanced at them. He said nothing, merely driving the donkey cart towards home.
Along the way, he had already made up his mind. After he sent his wife and younger son home, he would go to the seaside to help his daughter fight the Wokou.
Yu'er rode his horse quite fast. By the time he reached the foot of the hill where the Thousand-Household Office was located, he did not bother to tie up his horse. He threw the reins to someone he knew and ran up the hill.
Qi He happened to be there looking for his father to discuss some matters. From several yards away, he saw Yu'er running over, his face covered in sweat. He quickly asked, "Yu'er, what's wrong?"
Normally, Yu'er would have immediately corrected him, "Brother Qi, I am an adult now. You should call me Fu Xinyu or Xinyu. Please don't treat me like a child anymore."
But today, Yu'er didn't retort. Upon seeing Qi He, he nodded and, while talking to him, explained about seeing Wokou ships by the sea.
"What? Wokou ships have appeared again?" When Qi He learned that only Sister Fu was by the sea now, his heart became extremely anxious.
However, no matter how anxious he was, he never forgot that he was a qualified soldier and did not act rashly. He grabbed Yu'er's arm and went to find his father.
After Qi Yuanshan heard Yu'er's account of the seaside situation, he immediately summoned his men, assembled his troops, and personally led them at a gallop to the seaside.
Fu Xinci had been waiting in the treetop. Only when she saw her grandfather arrive with the donkey cart did she climb down from the treetop.
Grandpa Meng looked up at the towering tree that reached into the clouds, feeling his old arms and legs tremble a little.
But he knew his granddaughter's capabilities and didn't utter any discouraging words.
He simply asked, "Ci'er, did you see how many Wokou were on those two ships?"
"Grandfather, it's not quite clear yet. I can only see about a dozen Wokou moving in and out on the deck. As for how many are in the ship's cabin, I can't judge. However, I noticed that the two ships are accelerating towards our direction."
"Really?" Grandpa Meng was both nervous and excited. His weathered hands, filled with the marks of time, didn't know where to rest.
The old man, trembling, leaned against a tall pine tree and gazed in the direction of the sea.
But his age was evident, and his eyesight eventually couldn't keep up with the younger generation.
Seeing her grandfather repeatedly rubbing his eyes, Fu Xinci took a telescope from her space and placed it before his eyes.
Suddenly, he saw the two Wokou ships on the sea as if they were right in front of him, even able to discern the facial expressions of the people on deck.
After a moment of shock, Grandpa Meng quickly adapted to what he was seeing.
After a long pause, he said to his granddaughter, with an expression of having found a treasure, "Ci'er, this is better than the Thousand-Mile Eye."
"Grandfather, have you used the Thousand-Mile Eye before?"
"Yes. When I was little, my father had one." Bringing up an unpleasant memory, Grandpa Meng's mood instantly soured.
Fu Xinci also noticed and quickly changed the subject, "Grandfather, are those two Wokou ships heading towards us?"
"Yes." Bringing up this matter, Grandpa Meng's spirits rose again. "The tide will recede soon. Let their two ships crash into the reefs and drown them."
Grandpa Meng said fiercely and then asked his granddaughter for his steel pipe.
"Even if they don't drown, we will make sure they never return. Hmph! Grandfather still has plenty of strength. It's no problem to smash their heads."
"I knew it. Grandfather is the best."
After Fu Xinci handed the steel pipe to her grandfather, she saw that the two ships had already sailed into the reef area.
For the sake of insurance, Grandpa Meng mumbled softly, "Just a little further, just a little further. These beasts won't be able to escape then."
"Mhm." Fu Xinci shared the same thought as her grandfather.
The grandfather and granddaughter stared at one spot, neither willing to blink.
"Puchi, haha, this way is definitely safe." Fu Xinci covered her small mouth and laughed heartily. She saw the first ship hit a protruding reef.
The first one had already crashed, so would the second one be far behind?
As expected, this dense area of reefs had never disappointed the grandfather and granddaughter.
Only before, the grandfather and granddaughter had hoped that this reef area could catch more large mackerels.
Today, of course, it was Wokou ships.