Deputy Officer Bai

Princess May was terrified by the soldier's words, her scalp tingling with fear.

Just now in the cabin, they had taken advantage of the darkness. The cabin was pitch black, and those soldiers were startled by Princess May's leprosy, so they didn't look closely. That's how their disguises went unnoticed.

But now, in broad daylight, with so many soldiers on shore, if they landed, they'd be exposed for sure!

"Imperial Grand Tutor, what do we do, what do we do!?" Princess May panicked.

Gregory Gu Jr. pressed his lips together, clearly troubled. He hadn't expected the inspection at Hanford Wharf to be so strict. He'd hoped to slip away on a small boat, but even those were being checked.

"Don't go over there! If we do, we're doomed!" Princess May clung to Gregory Gu Jr.'s leg. "Or maybe we pretend we didn't hear, keep rowing forward, or just abandon the boat and run?"

"No, didn't you hear? If we don't obey, they'll shoot us with arrows." Gregory Gu Jr. shook his head.

"Are we... are we really doomed to die here!?" Princess May collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Gregory Gu Jr. slowly rowed the boat, changing direction. He moved sluggishly, pretending to be exhausted, while quickly calculating an escape plan in his mind.

Just as Gregory Gu Jr. was growing desperate, he suddenly saw another group arrive on shore. Leading them was a fair, clean-cut young man of medium build, dressed in the uniform of an army adjutant—clearly someone of rank.

"Adjutant Bai!" The moment this young man appeared, all the soldiers greeted him with deep respect.

Gregory Gu Jr. froze for a moment when he heard "Adjutant Bai," something flashed through his mind, and his body stiffened.

Adjutant Bai exchanged a few pleasantries on the shore, then his sharp eyes landed on the small boat out on the river. Pointing at it, he asked, "What's going on with that boat?"

One of the soldiers quickly replied, "Reporting to Adjutant Bai, we're currently inspecting that small boat."

"Oh? No one knows who's on that boat?" Adjutant Bai raised an eyebrow. Though he was speaking to the soldiers, his eyes were fixed on the man rowing, gaze sharp as an eagle, making Gregory Gu Jr.'s heart race.

A nearby soldier seemed to recognize them. "Adjutant Bai, I know these two. We saw them earlier when inspecting a small cargo boat. They're a couple fleeing disaster—the woman has leprosy. To avoid being sent into the mountains, her husband brought her out. The boat master didn't know about her illness and let them board, but after finding out, he kicked them off. I guess this little boat was given to these two unfortunates to send them away quickly."

At the mention of leprosy, the other soldiers immediately showed signs of aversion. No one wanted to catch such a deadly and disgusting disease. Several spoke up at once: "Adjutant Bai, since they've already been checked and carry this illness, maybe we shouldn't let them ashore. If they infect Hanford Town, with so many people here, lots could die."

"Leprosy?" Adjutant Bai stared at Gregory Gu Jr. as he slowly rowed the boat, a strange smile playing on his lips—mocking, or perhaps seeing right through them.

Gregory Gu Jr. felt a chill under Adjutant Bai's gaze. He couldn't shake the feeling that this adjutant was highly suspicious, and the way he looked at him made Gregory feel as if his true identity was exposed.