A little earlier, ManQi had been assigned by Prince Li to investigate the ship.
After leaving the main hall, he began walking around the vessel, carefully observing his surroundings. He counted the guards stationed in different areas, paying particular attention to the entrance leading to the lower deck.
He tried not to draw attention to himself, but his instincts suddenly warned him that someone was following him.
Without hesitation, he spun around and launched an attack.
To his surprise, the person behind him managed to defend herself.
"Don't attack! It's me!"
ManQi froze.
For a moment, he hadn't recognized the person standing before him, especially since she was dressed in men's clothing. But the familiar voice quickly gave her away.
"Miss QingQing?! What are you doing here?!"
He kept his voice low, although his surprise was obvious.
"That's the same question I should be asking you, Mister. Now I see... this is your secret duty tonight, isn't it?"
Unlike ManQi, QingQing seemed perfectly calm.
ManQi stared at her suspiciously.
"...Did you come here alone?"
QingQing smirked.
"Not alone. I came with my young master."
"A young master?"
ManQi narrowed his eyes.
Somehow, he had a feeling he could guess who this so-called young master was.
Before he could ask anything further, they heard commotion coming from the entrance to the lower deck.
"Shhh!"
QingQing immediately signaled him to stay quiet.
Both of them quickly hid nearby.
"Move! Quickly!"
A guard shouted fiercely as he pushed several captive women out of the lower deck.
"Hey! Be gentle with them. They mustn't get injured, or we'll be in trouble," another guard reminded him.
ManQi and QingQing watched carefully.
Judging from their clothing and appearance, the women seemed to be Han captives taken during the recent war. Although their clothes were clean and tidy, their faces were filled with fear.
"Too bad I'm not rich. Otherwise, I'd buy one or two for myself! Hahaha!"
The fiercer guard laughed mockingly, reaching out as if he wanted to touch one of the women.
"Hey, stop playing around! Come on, we need to deliver them quickly. The guests are waiting."
Some of the women began begging in weak voices, pleading to be released.
But their pleas only seemed to amuse the guards.
"There's no point begging us, sweetheart. Besides, don't worry. Your buyer might spoil you later! Hahaha!"
The fierce guard grabbed one woman's chin and leered at her, licking his lips like a disgusting predator.
QingQing could no longer stand watching.
Before ManQi could stop her, she pulled a small stone from her pocket and flicked it toward the guard.
The stone struck his hand with a painful thud.
"Argh!"
The guard immediately turned around, alerted by the unexpected attack.
Their hiding place had been exposed.
ManQi shot QingQing an angry look. Her impulsive action had ruined their attempt to remain unnoticed.
But QingQing didn't seem to care.
She stepped out boldly and glared at the guards.
"Keep your filthy hands to yourself, you scumbag!"
"YOU!"
The fierce guard was instantly enraged.
Without wasting another moment, he and his companion charged toward QingQing and ManQi.
Seeing that there were only two guards, ManQi initially believed he could handle them without much trouble.
At first, he and QingQing managed to deal with their opponents quite easily. Unfortunately, the noise of the fight attracted more guards from nearby areas.
ManQi glanced at the growing number of enemies.
"Oh, great... This is going to take longer than I thought."
Meanwhile, back in the main hall, Prince Li, who was wearing a mask, kept glancing at TanTan.
TanTan had noticed his attention for some time. The man sitting beside her gave her a strange, familiar feeling, but his persistent stares were beginning to make her uncomfortable.
Finally, she decided to break the silence.
"Ehem... Brother, aren't you going to participate in the bidding? Isn't there anything here that interests you?"
Prince Li smirked.
"Not really. Nothing has caught my attention so far."
He paused, then leaned slightly toward her.
"Besides, you're much more attractive than anything here."
TanTan was taken aback.
What does this man want from me?!
She had already concluded that most of the guests aboard this ship were abnormal. Perhaps this man was no exception.
Wait... Is he attracted to men?!
A chill ran down her spine.
Suddenly, she felt rather uncomfortable about her disguise as a young man.
She could only force a smile in response.
Prince Li smiled beneath his mask. He didn't know why he felt so entertained by teasing her, but before he could continue, the presenter's announcement caught his attention.
The main auction was about to begin.
The guests immediately became excited, their attention shifting toward the circular stage.
"Gentlemen, now let me present the most valuable items of tonight's auction!"
But before the presenter could continue, one of the guards approached and whispered something into his ear.
The presenter's expression changed momentarily, but he quickly composed himself.
At the same time, inside a private cabin, the masked Crown Prince noticed that something was wrong. Another guard hurried inside to report.
"Two guests have interrupted the delivery of the goods!"
The masked Crown Prince's expression darkened.
"So... some rats have dared to interfere with my event!"
He slammed his hand against the armrest.
"Send men to deal with them immediately! Bring them to me!"
"Y-Yes, My Lord... But... what about the auction?"
The guard trembled as he asked.
A masked man standing in the shadows spoke calmly.
"Don't you still have her?"
The Crown Prince's expression changed.
"Damn it! I actually wanted to present her last, but never mind. Tell the presenter to bring that one out first!"
The guard immediately bowed and hurried away to deliver the order.
Following the Crown Prince's command, one of the captive Han women was brought onto the stage.
The moment she appeared, several guests began staring at her with undisguised lust.
The presenter smiled as he introduced her.
"She is approximately fifteen years old, young and beautiful, with a pure and untouched appearance. Such a rare item! Let us begin the bidding at ten gold!"
TanTan was horrified.
They're selling girls?! This is human trafficking!
She looked at the frightened girl on the stage. The girl's appearance was indeed striking, and several guests immediately began competing to buy her.
"Fifty gold!"
"One hundred gold!"
TanTan and Prince Li were both displeased by the scene.
But when TanTan noticed the bruises on the girl's face, her anger grew even stronger.
"One hundred and fifty!"
"Two hundred!"
The bidding continued to rise.
"Five hundred gold!"
The sudden bid silenced the hall.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
It came from a fat masked man dressed entirely in gold. His long, eel-like moustache made his already unpleasant appearance even more repulsive. Beside him stood an attendant who had announced the bid on his behalf.
The fat man himself seemed more interested in molesting one of the dancers beside him than in watching the auction.
TanTan felt disgusted just looking at him.
She also felt deeply sorry for the girl on the stage, especially when she began hearing whispers spreading among the guests.
"It's him..."
"What a pity. She'll be in his hands..."
The whispers eventually reached TanTan and Prince Li.
It seemed the fat man was notorious for his cruel and perverted habits. The women he purchased rarely, if ever, returned.
And with such a high bid, no one else seemed willing to compete against him.
The presenter looked around enthusiastically.
"What a generous guest! Does anyone wish to offer more? Five hundred gold, once... five hundred gold, twice..."
"Five hundred and one!"
TanTan suddenly raised her voice.
The entire hall turned toward her.
Who was this young man daring to challenge such a wealthy and influential guest?
The fat masked man glared at her before giving a mocking laugh.
"Do you really think you can beat me, little brother? Hahaha! Six hundred gold!"
Before TanTan could respond, Prince Li grabbed her hand and whispered sharply.
"What are you doing? You can't bid!"
"Yes, I can! I'm not going to let that poor girl fall into the hands of a pervert like him!"
TanTan pulled her hand away and raised her bid.
"Six hundred and one!"
The fat man wasn't willing to lose either. He gestured to his attendant to continue.
"Seven hundred!"
"Seven hundred and one!"
"Eight hundred!"
"Eight hundred and one!"
The bidding became increasingly intense.
Prince Li eventually decided not to stop TanTan. Instead, he began considering how he might turn this unexpected situation to their advantage.
TanTan continued adding just one gold to every bid made by the fat man.
The presenter barely had time to announce each new price before another bid came.
The fat man was becoming furious.
Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and shouted himself.
"How dare you, you little brat! What kind of ridiculous bidding is this?! Are you deliberately trying to provoke me? WHO ARE YOU?!"
The other guests watched the confrontation with growing interest.
Above them, the masked Crown Prince was also observing the commotion. The Silver Mask, who was standing nearby in the shadows, watched as well.
TanTan felt a little intimidated by the attention, but before she could respond, the man beside her moved forward, positioning himself protectively in front of her.
He glared at the fat man.
However, TanTan quickly thought of a way to turn the situation around.
"How dare you demand that we reveal our identities?!" she challenged. "Doesn't this place guarantee everyone's privacy and the right to bid freely?"
"Hah! Who do you think you are?! Take off your mask! I want to see your face!"
The fat man ordered his men to seize TanTan.
But before they could reach her, Prince Li stepped forward and swiftly defeated them.
TanTan took the opportunity to address the presenter.
"Sir, shouldn't you remove guests who refuse to follow the rules? Demanding that another guest reveal their identity is clearly against the rules of this ship, isn't it?"
She turned toward the surrounding audience.
"Otherwise, what's the point of wearing masks here? If someone's identity can be exposed just because another guest doesn't like their bid, then none of us are safe! Isn't that right?"
A wave of murmuring spread throughout the hall.
Many guests seemed to agree with her.
After all, this was an illegal auction. None of them wanted their identities exposed.
The presenter was caught in a difficult position.
"Everyone, please calm down..."
He glanced nervously toward the upper balcony.
The fat masked man was a regular guest and an important customer. Offending him would certainly cause trouble.
But the other guests were becoming increasingly concerned about their own safety.
The presenter needed instructions.
Prince Li noticed the direction of his gaze and quietly followed it toward the balcony.
The masked Crown Prince, who had been watching the commotion from above, finally stepped forward.
He wanted to see for himself which two mysterious guests had dared to disrupt his event.
"Two mysterious guests have come to make trouble at my event... It seems they need to be taught a hard lesson."
He was about to signal his men when the Silver Mask beside him stopped him.
"Wait."
The Silver Mask continued observing the two troublemakers below.
"They won't be able to leave this ship easily. Why don't we watch a little longer and see what they're really after?"
The Crown Prince hesitated but eventually held back.
Seeing the two masked figures on the balcony, Prince Li decided to speak again. His words were directed toward the presenter, but they were clearly meant for the owner of the ship as well.
"Your little brother is right. This place certainly seems to have some problems. But perhaps we should give the owner a chance to demonstrate how he intends to take responsibility for what happens here."
He paused briefly.
"I believe the owner wouldn't simply stand by and do nothing, would he?"
TanTan hadn't expected the man beside her to support her argument.
To be honest, she didn't really care about the reputation of this place or its owner. Her only concern was rescuing the poor girl on the stage.
Without waiting for the presenter to respond, TanTan suddenly rushed toward the stage.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
The presenter tried to stop her, but TanTan ignored him.
She reached the captive girl and began removing the chains around her wrists and ankles.
The girl immediately recoiled in fear.
TanTan lowered her voice and tried to comfort her.
"Don't be afraid. You're safe with me..."
The presenter quickly ordered the guards to remove TanTan from the stage.
But before they could reach her, Prince Li moved.
With a swift leap, he landed beside TanTan.
At almost the same moment, a dagger flew down from the balcony and struck a guard who was about to attack her.
TanTan instinctively looked toward the direction from which the dagger had come.
For a brief moment, she caught sight of a shadowy figure trying to conceal himself.
But she recognized the weapon immediately.
It was the same kind of dagger used by the Silver Mask!
Her heart skipped a beat.
Silver Mask! Is he here?!
Unfortunately, before she could get a better look, another angry voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey! That girl is supposed to be mine!"
The fat masked man was furious.
TanTan turned toward him and glared.
"Didn't I make the highest bid? Then she's mine, isn't she?!"
She immediately turned toward the presenter and demanded,
"Announce the result! Right now!"