Chapter 379: Academy First Master, Demon Master, High Monk, Heavenly Master, gather

The water surface gradually calmed down!

The waves that had just "overturned the river and the sea" had already gone far away.

The thick-set man's face was still a bit pale, lingering fear, just now he thought the behemoth in the river would open its bloody mouth.

Revealing a head bigger than a waterwheel, and swallow them all in one bite.

Who would have thought!

This... water monster was like a "frightened bird," disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Instead, it didn't look like they were frightened.

But this water monster was panicked, rushing without choosing a path.

The simple and honest man turned his head to support his wife for the first time.

The woman had just been distracted, so she didn't notice the waves in the lake, but almost stumbled, and was reached out and supported by the boatman, otherwise she would have almost fallen.

This middle-aged boatman, who looked forty or fifty years old, was sturdy, with bulging arm muscles.

Although the weather was cold, the boatman only wore a short shirt, his chest half-open, revealing solid muscles.

However, the flaw was that the boatman's left leg was a bit lame.

There was a gray-black scar on the leg, winding like a snake, exceptionally eye-catching.

The calf muscles were obviously atrophied, a circle thinner than the normal leg, appearing withered and weak.

The boatman had a flat head, correct features, and a hearty smile, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, appearing very talkative.

"Madam, be careful."

The boatman said while firmly supporting the woman with his big hands.

The woman felt the firm muscles she was holding, looked up, and a blush couldn't help but appear on her face.

Her own five-foot husband didn't have such strength.

She hurriedly lowered her head, appearing a bit awkward.

On the side, the simple and honest man saw this, and quickly pulled his wife's hand out of the boatman's arms, holding it tightly in his own.

His eyes carried a hint of vigilance, sizing up the boatman in front of him—this person was a head taller than him, similar in age, but much sturdier in physique.

The man secretly guarded in his heart: these boatmen running on the Xifeng Tower are the most unrestrained on weekdays. As long as they have some silver in their pockets, they go straight to the brothels and taverns after getting off the boat, either getting drunk or seeking pleasure, truly not decent people.

He tightened his wife's hand, "Wife, stand firm, don't fall."

The woman didn't care, just looking at both sides of the water control.

Looking at the route, it was sending them to the opposite bank of the water control.

The boatman smiled, "This old gentleman, is going to cross the river."

Several people noticed the old man who had been holding the boat side tightly.

It turned out he was going to Xifeng Tower.

The Flower Banquet must pass through the arch bridge on the bridge, and going to Xifeng Tower only needs to cross the river.

The boatman looked at the old man who was wearing Confucian robes, smiled and said, "Old gentleman, you don't seem to be from Above Bianjing? Are you a stranger?"

The old man's Above Bianjing official dialect was slightly stiff, mixed with a heavy local accent, seemingly not Great Qi, a bit like the heavy nasal sound of the west.

The old man heard this, nodded and shook his head, saying: "Consider it, half a stranger."

"I once lived in Above Bianjing, then traveled far away, my footprints all over the world."

"I am old, but I still can't stay idle, I like to travel everywhere, watching the beauty of mountains and rivers."

The simple and honest man couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, looking at the old man's appearance, he was already over sixty, he should be enjoying his old age at home, but he loved running around.

As for the footprints all over the world, I fear it's bragging.

How big is the world, not to mention the boundless grasslands in the north, the unfathomable bays in the south, and the hundred thousand mountains in the west.

How can a person walk it all in a lifetime?

As for the old man's shabby clothes and timid expression, I fear he is also a bitter person who has experienced ups and downs.

The old man continued, "I, alone, without worries, wherever I go, I am self-sufficient, one person eats, the whole family is not hungry."

As the old man spoke, his originally thick foreign accent gradually turned into a pure Above Bianjing local accent, his tone fluent and natural, as if he were a native Above Bianjing person.

The woman was stunned, a look of surprise appearing on her face. Changing accents is not easy, especially the pronunciation habits developed since childhood and accumulated over time, which are even harder to change easily.

She secretly thought, this old gentleman is absolutely not simple, he is absolutely an old Jianghu who has traveled north and south.

The boatman also teased, "Old man, you have to be careful, at this age."

"I know, I know."

"Since you, old man, have walked so many places, which place do you think has the best scenery, and where are the most beautiful girls? Is it our Above Bianjing?."

"Naturally, naturally, Above Bianjing is the first place of kindness in the world, it lives up to its name."

"Is the Academy of Great Qi the best in the world?"

"That goes without saying."

"Is the army of Great Qi invincible in the world?"

"Should be."

"Is the strongest country in the world Great Qi?"

"Powerful, powerful."

The boatman didn't tease this easy-to-talk-to old gentleman anymore.

The old man didn't have much temper, nodding at everything.

The boatman saw the old gentleman's temper and felt good, smiling and reminding: "Old gentleman, you travel north and south, you can't always be so easy to talk to. You have to have some temper, otherwise others will easily look down on you. Especially some young people, unlike our generation, who pay attention to respecting the old and loving the young."

"They, they don't talk about martial virtue the most."

The old man nodded with a smile, "I know, I know."

The thick-set man on the side couldn't help but be curious, asking: "Old gentleman, what are you doing coming to the Flower Banquet at this time?"

He joked half-jokingly, "Could it be that you are also here to see the flower queen?"

The old man hurriedly waved his hands, smiling: "I wouldn't dare, I am here to find a friend. I have a few friends in Above Bianjing who have encountered some trouble. I, in Above Bianjing, still have some face, I should be able to help."

The boatman heard this, deliberately showing a "surprised" look, raising his voice: "Old gentleman, you must have been a famous figure back then, famous outside?"

The old man couldn't help but straighten his back, his face carrying a hint of complacency.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Back then in Above Bianjing, I was also under one person."

"I just had a few incompetent junior brothers."

The thick-set man couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this.

The old gentleman's words had a hint of bragging.

What "under one person, had a few incompetent junior brothers"?

These words sounded unreliable and couldn't be taken seriously!

He understood in his heart that the old man liked to talk about the past, telling stories of his youth.

As for how much is true and how much is false, it depends on how much he drank and how high his interest was.

The woman looked at the old gentleman carefully at this time, seeing his words and actions, he really didn't look like someone who would take advantage, and she couldn't help but feel a bit apologetic.

She excused: "I misunderstood the old man just now"

Seeing the woman's change in attitude, the old man felt embarrassed instead, hurriedly waving his hands and smiling: "No matter, no matter, it's just a small matter."

At this time, the boatman was getting closer and closer to the shore.

He propped the pole steadily, and the small boat moved forward steadily in the wind and waves, showing skilled techniques.

This section of the water surface was turbulent because of the large boat passing by, but the boatman controlled it freely, definitely not a person who was famous for nothing.

Going against the wind, the smoke and waves on the river were vast, but it was also steady.

Seeing the small boat was about to dock.

The old man took out a small package carefully wrapped in a handkerchief from his arms to pay the ferry fee.

He opened it carefully, inside were some shredded silver and polished copper coins, of different sizes, obviously the money he had saved for a long time.

A trace of reluctance appeared on the old man's face, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and counted out thirty taels of silver, slowly handing it to the boatman.

When handing the silver, the old man turned his face to one side, seemingly extremely pained, not even daring to look at the silver more.

Seeing this, the boatman laughed, picked out only one piece from the silver the old man handed over, weighed it in his hand, and said refreshingly:

"Today there was a disturbance in the river, so I'll just take five taels of silver, you keep the rest, old man."

The old man suppressed the smile on his face and coughed. "This... this won't do!"

But his hands were nimble, quickly wrapping the handkerchief back up and stuffing it back into his arms, as if afraid the boatman would go back on his word.

The boatman didn't point it out, just smiling and reminding: "Old man, when you get on Xifeng Tower, you have to be careful. It's best not to say you are a stranger, the locals are the most 'killing acquaintances,' staying in inns is all about looking at people and serving dishes, you have to be extra careful, do everything with an eye, and don't say you are alone, just say you are here to find relatives."

"And some taverns, those who accompany drinking, recommend drinking, all refuse, otherwise the bill will be a sky-high price."

He finished speaking, his eyes sincere, obviously sincerely thinking for the old man.

Although the old man traveled north and south and had broad knowledge, he was old after all, and had no children, alone, so the boatman wanted to make it convenient and collect less silver.

The boat docked slowly, and seeing this, the woman also opened her mouth: "Boatman brother, send us to the shore too."

The thick-set man on the side heard this and hurriedly asked: "Is our price also five taels?"

The boatman said refreshingly: "Done, the price is the same."

The thick-set man was overjoyed.

Today can be considered a big profit, this trip saved a lot of silver, it was truly an unexpected joy.

The boat had docked, stopping slowly on the wooden board by the shore.

The woman and the thick-set man had already walked off the boat.

The old man stood up, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder.

The boatman was startled, when did the old man place it on his shoulder "without knowing it."

The old man wearing Confucian robes said with a smile: "A master of the second rank of martial arts, why be trapped in this river and spend your days rowing a boat? This lame leg of yours should have been stabbed by a disciple of the Academy, right?"

"A sword intent remains in the wound, not retreating for a long time, leading to poor blood circulation, if this continues for a long time, this leg will not be saved."

"Fortunately, this sword only learned a little of my junior brother's fur, otherwise you would have died here long ago."

"You lived in this river to treat this injury, wanting to use the power of the torrent to disperse this sword intent. Pity, this method treats the symptoms but not the root cause. If you drag it on, in less than two years, this sword intent will erupt, and by then, I fear you will only have a dead end."

Upon hearing this, the boatman's face turned pale instantly, his whole body stiffened, unable to move at all, even raising his hand became extremely difficult.

The old man smiled and continued, "I don't like owing others favors, you waived my ferry silver, I'll help you get rid of this sword intent, consider it even."

After speaking!

The boatman only felt a vast stream of Qi flowing in from his shoulder, rushing down along the meridians, instantly penetrating the withered blood vessels on his calf.

That scorching sword intent that had occupied him for many years seemed to be forced out of his body by an invisible force.

"Puff!"

A white sword Qi shot out from the boatman's soles, directly shattering his boots, the sword Qi hacking onto the cabin like an axe, leaving a deep scratch.

The boatman felt his whole body relax, as if he had unloaded a thousand-pound burden, a mouthful of black stagnant blood spat out from his mouth, and the whole person felt much easier.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but found his body still stiff, as if suppressed by an invisible force, unable to say a single word, only able to stare wide-eyed, watching the old man walk off the boat slowly, his back gradually going far away.

Until the old man went ashore, the boatman regained his ability to act.

He hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times heavily toward the direction the old man left, his face full of gratitude, his voice extremely respectful.

"Respectfully send off the First Master!"

This sword wound was caused by a disciple of the Academy using the Second Master's sword technique when he challenged him nine years ago.

That sword intent was like a bone-attached maggot, torturing him for nine full years, never able to be resolved.

Even if someone among the nine great surnames could solve it, they didn't dare to intervene because they feared the Second Master.

But today!

This old man not only saw through his injury at a glance, but also dispelled the sword intent lightly.

What was even more shocking was that he actually called the Second Master "Junior Brother" directly, calling himself a "person traveling the world."

The boatman already understood in his heart—this old man, I fear, is that legendary First Master of the Academy!

That First Master of the Academy who likes "mountains and rivers."

He knelt on the ground for a long time without getting up, his heart also filled with emotion.

"Wife, I just looked back at that boatman, he seemed to be kneeling and worshiping toward our side, did I see it wrong?"

The simple and honest man scratched his head, his tone carrying a hint of doubt, "That old gentleman also followed up."

Upon hearing this, the woman looked back and saw that the old man wearing Confucian robes was indeed walking ashore.

She was about to speak, but suddenly noticed three people standing on the deck by the shore, seemingly waiting for something.

On the left was an old monk in cloth clothes, with a kind face, closing his eyes and chanting silently.

In the middle was a Taoist woman wearing a bamboo hat, her figure covered by a wide Taoist robe, and her face hidden under the hat.

On the right was a mature middle-aged man standing with his hands behind his back, his temples slightly gray, his temperament elegant, his gaze deep.

The woman's eyes froze; wasn't the man on the right the elegant middle-aged man who ate mutton soup at her stall at the Nai Bridge head before?

Her heart was overjoyed, never expecting that after all the hard work to come to the Flower Banquet, she would actually see him!

These three were Lu Hua, Demon Master Xu Xu Jiangxian, and Master Master Lianchi.

Lu Hua was persuaded by Xu Xu Jiangxian and decided to go to the Academy to find out.

However, at today's Flower Banquet, there was still an important person who had agreed to come but had not yet arrived.

This person was Lu Hua's reliance for daring to enter Above Bianjing alone.

The original First Master of the Academy, now the National Master of Great Sui.

Since the three had decided to join forces and were in the same camp, Lu Hua no longer hid it, and took Xu Xu Jiangxian and Master Master Lianchi to wait at the agreed place.

The three saw the old man walking slowly, hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, passing the couple, and walked to his front.

Master Master Lianchi put his hands together and said softly: "Donor Xu."

The First Master was named Xu Li Xian, and nodded slightly upon hearing this.

The Demon Master also revealed a respectful look on his face, saying: "I have met the First Master."

Lu Hua also bowed: "I pay my respects to the National Master."

The First Master Xu Li Xian nodded lightly to Lu Hua, then smiled and looked at the couple Xu Xu Jiangxian, saying: "I didn't expect to meet two young friends here again."

Given his age, Xu Xu Jiangxian and the others were his juniors.

On the side, the simple and honest man also recognized Xu Xu Jiangxian.

The couple was slightly surprised, never expecting that the old gentleman they met on the road was actually an acquaintance of this middle-aged man, seemingly waiting specifically for this.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 380 =====