After determining the new ideas and search direction, Qin Ze and the others hastily set off in two ways after lunch.

Seven days have passed since the ship went missing, and they will have to race against time if they want to recover it.

Otherwise, once the materials on the baggage ship are scattered and transported, it will be even more difficult to trace them.

Both Fu Pingyuan and Lu Xianling deeply realized the importance of this, and they responded extremely quickly to Qin Ze's orders.

Fu Pingyuan was injured in the leg, but he insisted on refusing to stay in Feng'an County, and followed the team in a carriage.

Qin Ze's team totaled more than 20 people, and most of them were the personal guards he brought.

Fuping left in a hurry, and only brought two accompanying servants.

This way along the Xijiang River to the west, Anshun and Yinbao ahead of the team to inquire for news.

After about half a day's journey, in the evening, the party camped in a village.

There were a lot of entourage, and at first glance it was the official, and the village chief nervously vacated his courtyard for Qin Ze and others to settle down, and found women from several families in the village to come over and cook food.

Qin Ze asked Anshun to pay the village chief enough silver taels for food and accommodation, and let the team live in the compound of the village chief's house.

"My lord," Yinbao ran in briskly from outside the courtyard gate and ran to Qin Ze to report, "The little one went to ask the villagers in the village just now, and two of them said that they saw the kind of big ship we described passing by four or five days ago. ”

Qin Ze perked up and said busily: "Where are the people?" ”

Silvertreasure responded, "Just behind the door!" ”

"Come in, please!"

The two villagers brought in by Yinbao were both young men in their teens, and they said that they had been fishing by the river four or five days ago, and that they had seen the kind of big boat that Yinbao described passing by.

Because they had never seen a ship like this, the two also discussed.

"It's just that there is no Daqing flag on that boat," one of them scratched his head, "I don't know if it's the boat that the official is looking for." ”

Qin Ze nodded, and ordered to give a reward to the two before letting people return.

"Father-in-law, it seems very likely that someone deliberately hijacked the ship," he muttered, "and removed the Daqing flag and headed west." ”

Fu Pingyuan's face was heavy: "Now it seems that we need to speed up the tracking trip, so as not to carry the supplies away after the baggage boat docks." ”

With this consensus, Qin Ze instructed Yinbao to let the villagers make a few more days of dry food, and the team set off before dawn the next morning to continue moving forward.

Before leaving, Fu Pingyuan took the initiative to ask to leave the team.

"Aze, although my father-in-law's legs and feet are fine," Fu Pingyuan actually wanted to chase the heavy boat in person, but now the injury was not serious, but it still dragged down the team, and after thinking about it for a night, he finally said, "But he can't hurry." Now chasing the baggage boat is a race against time, and my father-in-law can't delay the team. ”

After some discussion, Qin Ze left three or four entourages to accompany Fu Pingyuan in a carriage to follow, and the rest continued to move forward with him.

Chasing all the way forward, the guards who inquired about the news on the second day asked several people who had seen similar baggage boats, and the group strengthened their confidence and rushed forward non-stop.

On the first night, I found a village to rest in, and after some discussion, I began to hurry on the second day, and at night I used dry food and set up a tent in the field to rest.

The men rode in pursuit, and finally on the evening of the third day they reached a valley.

"My lord," Yinbao said in a loud voice, although she hadn't slept well for two or three days, she was in excellent spirits, and she walked up to Qin Ze with a mountain man, "This man said that he just saw a big ship sail into the valley in the afternoon. ”

When the mountain people saw Qin Ze's awe-inspiring momentum, they became nervous: "Small, small, I have seen and seen officials, officials and masters." ”

Qin Ze evoked pleasantly and asked carefully about the situation of the mountain people.

"The small, small one is hunting in this mountain on weekdays," Seeing Qin Ze speak kindly, the nervous mood of the mountain people stabilized, "I went up the mountain to collect firewood at noon today, and I saw the boat that this little brother said." ”

The mountaineer pointed in the direction of the valley: "Go there." ”

Qin Ze looked over.

The West River is near the valley, and the main main stream continues westward, but a small branch leads into the valley.

If they hadn't met the mountain people, their party would have continued westward along the main river.

"Do you know what's going on in that valley?"

The valley guided by the mountain people is densely forested, and the vegetation on both sides of the river's branches is luxuriant, and the river water flows into the valley and is almost hidden in the mountain forest.

From their point of view, there is no ship at all.

"I don't know," the mountain people waved their hands hurriedly, "it's tightly guarded, and we don't dare to look at it a few more times." ”

"Tightly?"

Yinbao frowned, "Hey, this big brother, who do you say is strictly guarded there?" ”

"I don't know what the little one is," the mountain man shook his head, "sometimes when the little one hunts closer, someone can come out and drive the little one away, and the little one really doesn't know what is going on inside." ”

"Whose land is in that valley?"

Anshun frowned at Yinbao and clasped his hands to his chest.

The mountain people smiled honestly and scratched their heads: "I heard that the small one is a big family, and it is amazing." It is said that a big village was built in the valley, and many people lived. Passing by on weekdays, I still hear humming and humming from time to time, which is very lively. ”

"Can you take us there?"

Yinbao saw Qin Ze's gesture and stepped forward to ask the mountain people.

The mountain people hesitated for a while: "The people there are very tight, the last time the little one chased a rabbit and chased it in, he almost didn't lose half his life by them......"

Yinbao silently stuffed a silver ingot into his hand, and the mountain people put the silver ingot in their mouths and bit it, and immediately smiled, "The little ones know a way to go by, and they can see the valley, and they can't find us yet." It's just that the road is not easy to walk......"

"It's okay," Qin Ze raised his hand, "Please lead the way." ”

So, the group followed the mountain people into the mountain forest.

I crawled up in the mountains and forests, walked for about half an hour, and came to a mountain wall.

"Look," the mountain people took Qin Ze and Yinbao into a hole in the mountain wall, "Looking down from here, you can just see the valley. ”

Qin Ze raised his eyes and looked.

This location is right for a bird's-eye view of the entire valley and offers a panoramic view.

In the center of the valley there were a long stretch of houses, and there were several very large fields near the houses, and it was not clear what they were for.

Not far from the site, a river meanders.

Along the river, just listening to a boat.

There were many people coming and going around the ship, carrying supplies on board.

Yinbao couldn't help but exclaim: "That must be the baggage ship we are looking for!" ”