At the mention of infectious disease, several soldiers panicked.
In ancient times, infectious diseases were dreaded; once contracted, it was almost a death sentence, and often the whole family would be infected and perish.
The soldiers quickly retreated, while the boat captain pointed at the couple and cursed, calling them unlucky and interrogating the man: "What’s wrong with your wife’s face? Tell me clearly! Otherwise, you two get off my boat right now!"
The man, timid and terrified, confessed tearfully under the captain’s scolding: "Captain, you can’t kick us off the boat—we paid! My wife... she’s contracted... contracted leprosy..."
"What? Leprosy?!" At the mention of leprosy, everyone stepped back several paces, and the soldiers cursed their bad luck as they hurried away.
Leprosy was a death sentence in ancient times. Once diagnosed, the authorities would forcibly send patients to isolated mountain sanatoriums.
Though called a sanatorium, it was really just a place where leprosy sufferers were left to die, forbidden to leave, and isolated deep in the mountains.
The woman suddenly burst into tears, her voice full of despair: "Don’t take me to the mountains! I don’t want to go there and wait to die!"
The thin, dark man hugged the woman and cried bitterly: "No, no, my dear, we’ll go somewhere deserted. I’ll take care of you!"
The couple clung to each other, sobbing, which infuriated the boat captain. He cursed them: "You selfish fools, only thinking of yourselves! Don’t you care about us? Leprosy is contagious, and you hid your illness to get on the boat—are you trying to kill everyone here? Get off now! Not another minute!"
After finishing his tirade, the boat captain rushed to the deck, calling for several sailors. Each grabbed a stick, ready to drive the couple off.
The soldiers had just left the small cargo boat, but seeing the captain’s defensive stance, one kindly advised: "You’d better make those two leprosy patients leave immediately. Whatever you do, don’t let them go to Hanford Town! If they infect the townspeople, you’ll be held responsible!"
The captain no longer cared about the soldiers, nodding repeatedly as he led the sailors down to drive the couple away.
Gregory Gu Jr. and Princess May acted timid and frightened, clutching their tattered bundles as they were driven onto the deck.
Gregory Gu Jr. protested: "We paid you! You haven’t taken us to our destination—we’re not leaving!"
The captain eyed the two as if they were plague-bringers, muttering curses under his breath. Afraid to get close, he could only wave them off, his voice tinged with resignation and frustration: "If I'd known you had leprosy, no amount of money would have gotten you on my boat! What rotten luck for me. Fine, take that small boat, untie it yourselves, and leave. You're only a day's journey from your destination. Just follow the current downstream and you'll be there by tomorrow. Consider the boat my loss—I'm practically giving it to you. Be smart, take it and go quickly!"
The couple accepted the arrangement. The captain, face twisted with regret over losing his small boat, untied it for them. Gregory Gu Jr. began rowing downstream, while Princess May kept her head down, quietly scanning Hanford Wharf for any signs of danger.
Princess May saw that the wharf was swarming with checkpoints. A chill ran down her spine—if they had tried to dock directly, they would have been discovered for sure. Relief mixed with lingering fear as she watched the bustling shore.
Just as Princess May finally let out a breath, a soldier on shore suddenly pointed at their small boat and shouted, "Look over there! There's a boat with a man and a woman—they haven't registered at the wharf, and their origins are suspicious! Hey, you two on the boat, listen up! By order of this officer, come ashore at once! If you ignore me, don't blame me for turning you into pincushions with my arrows!"