Chapter 240: Evened the Score

Rowing against the current was always slower than going with the flow, and without knowing it, the boat sailed until dusk.

When they came, it was a rainy and foggy day, and the scenery on the Wei Shui was gray and light like ink, but today was a sunny day. After the sunset, the river was a deep blue sky near black and dreamlike sky light, and the mountains on both banks turned into silhouettes, reflecting in the water together with the sky light.

Lin Jue and the other stopped the boat, letting it drift on the water, only lighting a night-watch lamp, and sat cross-legged on the boat, admiring the sky light and water scenery at this time.

"Shixiong." Xiao Shimei looked at the spiritual gold and spiritual wood in his bag, "Just these, enough to make twenty or thirty bean soldiers, right?"

"About that."

"That's catching up to Third Shixiong!"

Xiao Shimei frowned, feeling that things were not simple.

"Third Shixiong's bean soldiers have been refined for more than ten years, and his cultivation is also higher than mine. Even if I make them all, I can't compare to him." Lin Jue said, "It's Shimei, who is becoming more and more capable."

"Still much worse than Shixiong..."

"You learn five-element spells; if you can find five-element spiritual methods, in the Dao of fighting, you will one day be able to surpass me." Lin Jue said, "However, cultivating the Dao is not just about fighting. Even if a chaotic world is coming, don't put all your heart and strength into this."

"Got it!"

Xiao Shimei nodded solemnly.

"The scenery here is excellent, the water vapor and spiritual rhyme are abundant, and it is neither cold nor hot. Sit and meditate well, don't think about this and that anymore."

"Good!"

Xiao Shimei was always obedient.

At this time, there were no other boats on the water, only two water birds playing in the distance, sometimes diving into the water, sometimes surfacing, sometimes running on the water. Under the sky light that was gradually darkening and becoming more dreamlike, ripples were stirred up on the mirror-like river surface.

The boat, together with the two people sitting cross-legged at the bow and the fox lying beside them, became silhouettes in this sky light, decorating the scenery in the river.

One sat and meditated to gain insight, one quietly watched the scenery.

Both were cultivation.

For a time, no one on the boat made a sound.

Without knowing it, the sky light became darker and darker, and the two lamp lights on and off the boat became brighter.

Lin Jue, however, sighed in his heart.

Although the harvest was rich, there were a few regrettable things.

One was that after this battle, the twelve bean soldier armored soldiers were all more or less injured, and some were quite seriously damaged; after returning, they needed to be repaired.

Two was that in this spell battle, the Long Wang, General Rhino, and the Chicken Ji Xianren were all poisoned. Although the spell battle time was not short, they didn't use many spells or supernatural powers. Only when the Long Wang exhaled the thrall ghosts did Lin Jue feel a bit of palpitation; it should be that a "Yaoguai Thrall" was added to the book.

But this spell was too sinister and vicious, and it was not something that a righteous Daoist could cultivate.

It was okay to take a look.

A shallow look could reveal its mysteries and weaknesses, which could increase knowledge and experience.

Delving deep allows one to understand the principles of its magic; perhaps in the future, one can draw inferences from it and thereby understand the Dao it aligns with. Seeing the big through the small, one can supplement the path of realizing the Dao through techniques.

It was just that before the spell battle, while refining pills, Lin Jue took the time to touch the Chicken Ji Xianren's solar spiritual fire.

Besides that, there were no other spells.

There was also the mouse yaoguai that ran away.

These three were a bit better.

The most regrettable thing was that in the battle with the Long Wang, he used the flying swords several times, and they were lashed away by the Long Wang's tail to who knew where. Some were summoned back on the spot, some were found back afterward, but there were also two flying swords that didn't know where they went, and until the time of leaving, they were not found back.

Most likely they fell into the river.

He estimated they could only be forged again.

Fortunately, now that he had obtained golden essence, these flying swords were meant to be melted down and forged again anyway.

It was just that there was some nostalgia for old things, similar to how they had followed him for so long, helping him diligently, and he was used to using them; losing them like this made him feel both reluctant and sorry for them.

Just then, the night-watch lamp suddenly shone brightly.

"Bang!"

There was a violent explosion, and the river surface was illuminated.

Lin Jue and the fox turned their heads suddenly, looking in two directions, and Xiao Shimei, who was meditating and cultivating, also opened her eyes instantly, her left hand touching her long sword.

However, it was just a large carp that suddenly jumped from the river surface and jumped onto the boat that the two people and one fox were riding.

*Slap slap slap! *

The carp slapped on the boat.

Just like that night.

"Is it that Wei Woman?" Xiao Shimei was very alert, looking left and right, seeing nothing, only then getting up to pick up the carp, but she was surprised to find that two beans were hidden in the fish's belly.

"Shixiong!"

Xiao Shimei showed it to Lin Jue.

It was exactly the two flying swords Lin Jue had dropped.

The two looked at each other; only then were they truly certain that this carp was indeed sent by that Wei Woman.

Lin Jue immediately got up and performed a salute to the water:

"Many thanks, foot-guest."

The water surface remained calm, with no lamp light or ripples.

Yet a woman's voice came from who knew where:

"What thanks! The three of you exterminated that yaoguai king for all the yaoguai and gods in the Wei Shui, which is also returning peace to the little woman; even if thanks were needed, it should be me thanking you."

"Why doesn't the foot-guest appear to meet?"

"..."

After a few breaths, a bright yellow lamp light turned from dark to bright in the water and gradually left the water surface.

It was a wooden staff with a plain lantern, held by a slender, fair hand. The owner of the hand was a classical woman wearing a red and green chest-high *ruqun*. She was like a water god, walking out from under the water silently, as if there were invisible steps under the water, and she walked out of the water surface without bringing up any splashes.

"To speak without appearing is indeed a bit rude."

The woman stepped barefoot on the water surface. In this evening hour, she stood opposite the two people at the bow of the boat, bowed gracefully, and said again:

"Many thanks to the three of you."

"Don't be polite." Lin Jue returned the salute, "At the Long Wang's birthday banquet, the foot-guest spoke for us, and we must also thank you."

"That was the reward for the three of you buying me shoes."

"Speaking of shoes..."

Lin Jue looked at the woman and paused for a moment: "The money for the foot-guest's shoes has not been paid yet. Luo Gong, who is traveling with us, said that five *liang* and two *qian* of silver are still missing."

"None."

"The foot-guest is in the Wei Shui. For thousands of years, there have been countless sunken ships in the river, and the ornaments on the foot-guest are mostly gold and silver; how could there be no money?"

Xiao Shimei carefully examined this woman, seeing that she indeed had many gold and silver ornaments, and thought she might say something like "these ornaments were on my body when I died," but she saw her smiling and saying:

"The little woman is not short of money, nor do I have any intention of swindling money from the three of you. It's just that the three of you deceived the little woman once, and the little woman also deceived the three of you once, so it evens the score."

Lin Jue laughed when he heard this.

This woman was quite interesting.

That day on the water, they gave her some snacks and wine, so she pointed the way and reminded them; they went to buy shoes for her, so she indeed spoke for them and rounded out the lie at the Long Wang's banquet; they exterminated the Long Wang, so she returned the two sword pellets for him. And pointing the way was only thanking them for the wine and snacks, speaking for them and rounding out the lie was only thanking them for buying shoes, and returning the two sword pellets was only thanking them for exterminating the Long Wang; it was a bit like one thing for one thing.

And this was indeed as he expected—

This Wei Woman had guessed that they were coming to find trouble with the Long Wang when they arrived here.

"There is a folk legend, I don't know if the Daoist has heard of it?"

"What legend?"

"A thousand-year-old fox turns into a beauty; a thousand-year-old snake breaks and continues; a hundred-year-old mouse can divine." The woman said to them, "The Long also has a similar legend here."

"Might as well say it."

"A Long with horns must either have the horns on its head cut off, or ensure that its corpse cannot touch water for three years, otherwise it may be resurrected." The woman said, "Did the two Daoists notice that there is an inconspicuous small bump on the head of that Long?"

Lin Jue sighed:

"No wonder..."

"Eh?"

"The foot-guest can rest assured; the Long Wang's head has already been cut off, the skin has been peeled, and the body has been burned. As for the horns on his head..."

Lin Jue took out an object from the sack beside him; it was an earth-gray small sharp horn about the length of a palm, like a small bamboo shoot. Compared to the Long Wang's giant body, it was indeed very inconspicuous:

"A *jianghu* hero happened to be here and had heard of this kind of legend, so he specially dug out this horn and handed it to me when he left."

Lin Jue was not worried at all.

Not to mention whether this kind of rumor was true or false, even if that Long Wang could be resurrected, it would be many years later. He was not a real yaoguai king anyway; by then, why would he still be afraid of him?

"It was my over-worrying."

"Many thanks for the reminder."

"The little woman originally wanted to board the boat to talk a few more words with the two Daoists, but someone is coming on the water at this time." The woman in the water bowed to them again, "The little woman will give one more reminder: although that Long Wang here does not have heaven-shaking backing, he does have some background. Originally, he was cultivating here, and he only needed to survive a chaotic world to have the opportunity to attain the Dao, either becoming an immortal or a real yaoguai king, but he was interrupted by the two Daoists. Two Daoists, please be careful in your actions."

"Is there a more detailed reminder?"

"If you don't do anything wrong during the day, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door at midnight. As long as the order of the Nine Heavens has not collapsed, there are still rules. If the Daoist walks straight and sits upright, even if you face the righteous gods of the Nine Heavens, there is nothing to fear."

"Many thanks."

Lin Jue also had a clear conscience.

Actually, compared to the reminder behind, he was more concerned about this season; it was so late, who else would come from the water?

It was just a clear breeze on the river; the woman and the lantern in her hand disappeared into the night, leaving only faint sky light and a sky full of stars, and the small boat swayed creakily on the water.

Not long after, a lamp light suddenly appeared in the distance.

After getting closer, the lamp light became a patch of lamp light, and only after getting closer could it be seen that it was a dragon boat slowly drifting from the water.

The boat and the bow were covered with lanterns, reflecting a large flag with the three characters "Gathering Ji Xianren Mansion," and a middle-aged man with a long beard wearing a Daoist robe stood at the bow, looking like an immortal, but with a face full of worry.

"You can dock here!"

Someone on the boat shouted loudly.

The dragon boat stopped slowly. Only then did someone discover that on the wide river surface, there was actually a lamp light, a boat. ===== CHAPTER 241 =====

After drawing closer, a single light became a expanse of lights, and only upon getting even closer could one see that it was a dragon boat slowly drifting in from the water.

The boat and its prow were covered in lanterns, illuminating a large banner inscribed with the three characters 'Ju Xian Fu'. A middle-aged man with a long beard stood at the prow wearing Daoist robes; he had the bearing of an immortal, yet his face was full of sorrow.

"You can dock here!"

Someone on the boat shouted loudly.

The dragon boat slowly came to a stop, and only then did someone notice that on the wide river surface, there was actually a single light—a small covered boat.