Chapter 97

It was already late autumn, and the chill in the mountains was becoming more apparent.

Many people on Mingzhou Mountain were heading down.

"Lord Shao, let us part here."

"Let us part here!"

Lin Jue and Xiao Xiao Shimei both bid farewell to the burly man in hemp clothes.

"See you in the jianghu!"

The burly man in hemp clothes also cupped his hands.

"See you in the jianghu," Lin Jue said sincerely, then turned to bow to the Second Uncle on the other side. "Uncle, we will be heading back first."

"Go, go," Second Uncle waved his hand casually. "Calculated, we can still meet one more time. You two must not slacken in your cultivation; I will come to test you then."

"Okay."

Lin Jue knew what that one time he spoke of meant.

Without thinking too much, he turned and headed down the mountain.

Suddenly, he felt someone watching from behind.

Lin Jue turned back to check, but it was not Second Uncle or the burly man in hemp clothes, nor was it the fellow Daoists from Qiyun Mountain, but a group of strange Daoists standing on high ground looking at them.

"Who are those people? Are they your friends, Third Third Third Shixiong?"

"Who?"

Third Third Third Shixiong turned back to look carefully.

"Oh, no, they are Daoists from Yushan outside the capital."

"Are they also our old acquaintances?"

"You could say that," Third Third Third Shixiong grinned. "Forgot to tell you, although our Fuqiu Temple has a wide network of contacts, when the network is wide, not all are formed through good connections."

"Hmm? Are there also grudges?"

"These Daoists from Yushan are. I don't know which senior who went out formed the grudge, but it led to all the fellow Daoists from Mount Yishan not getting along with the Daoists from Yushan when they meet," Third Third Third Shixiong said with a smile. "At last year's Qiyun Mountain Great Offering, there was a dueling platform, and we even went up to fight."

"There is such a thing?"

"This is so normal! Daoists all value spontaneity. With so many seniors from our Fuqiu Temple going out, you tell me, like Second Uncle, who is still so annoying even in his old age, how many enemies must he have made?" Third Third Third Shixiong could not help but shake his head and say. "It makes me afraid to say I'm from Fuqiu Temple after I go down the mountain in the future."

"..."

Lin Jue looked at him: "It's best not to say it."

"Right? Eh? What do you mean?"

"Nothing..."

"Don't look! They are all proper Daoists, with open and honest grudges. We should spar when we should spar, fight when we should fight, and argue when we should argue. It's impossible for them to come and intercept us halfway!"

Third Third Third Shixiong laughed and walked down the mountain.

Lin Jue had no choice but to follow him, looking back frequently.

The foot of the mountain was even livelier than the top. After all, most people lived at the foot of the mountain, and many high-ranking officials and nobles had come. Where there are people, there are business opportunities, so every household in the village became a temporary thatched shop. Merchants simply occupied the roadside to set up stalls, selling everything, looking like a unique temple fair.

Lin Jue bought a pair of bamboo baskets. After walking far away, he chose a deserted place, summoned the paper donkey, put the bamboo baskets on it, put all his things into the bamboo baskets, and carried an empty book box on his back.

His footsteps became much lighter.

While eating the steaming buns bought at the market, they talked and laughed as they walked, discussing their gains from the Great Offering, such as the medicinal pills and spiritual plants Third Third Third Shixiong had exchanged for, and the spells the two of them had sincerely exchanged for. Unknowingly, they had already walked through dozens of miles of farmland and green mountains.

Sure enough, as Third Third Third Shixiong said, the journey was smooth, and they arrived at the pier.

The boatman here was darker than the one at Bird-Rat Mountain. The return trip was clearly downstream, but the price was even higher, and Donkey Third Third Shixiong demanded an even higher price. Fortunately, Lin Jue had put away the paper donkey in advance.

It was also a covered boat, about the same size as the one they came on, but there were only the three of them.

Of course, there was also a fox and a donkey.

The light boat went with the water, riding the wind downstream.

"Junior Third Shixiong really loves this book box of yours deeply. If it were me, I would have thrown it away long ago."

"This was a gift from someone else."

"It wouldn't be a childhood sweetheart engagement from the village, would it?"

"It was an elder from a neighboring village."

"So that's how it is..."

Third Third Third Shixiong nodded, lying in the cabin, seemingly expressing approval of his behavior.

Lin Jue was blowing in the wind on the deck, looking at both sides.

The great river rolled on, with thousands of sails breaking the waves. Beside them, many boats were sailing side by side. On some boat bows sat lazy jianghu people, while others were scholars standing with their hands behind their backs, as if they were about to recite a poem at any moment. From the pleasure boats nearby, the sounds of music and dance constantly drifted over, also having a bit of the jianghu flavor from the poems.

The boatman looked like someone who admired the Dao. While steering the sail, he asked them with a smile: "Where are the three Daoist masters from?"

"Mount Yishan," Third Third Third Shixiong replied.

"Mount Yishan?" The boatman was clearly puzzled.

"Fuqiu Temple on Mount Yishan."

"And where is Mount Yishan?"

"A remote place, not worth mentioning."

"Then it seems the three of you must be famous masters and true Daoists living in seclusion? You must have some cultivation, right?"

"Haha! You boatman, you know quite a lot."

"Running boats on the river often, from jianghu wonders to secret news in the imperial court, I've heard a bit of everything," the boatman said with a smile.

"That's interesting then," Third Third Third Shixiong said. "But we can't be considered famous masters or true Daoists, and we don't have any cultivation. We are just ordinary Daoists, just here to join in the fun at the Great Offering."

"I've been running boats for many years and have seen all kinds of people, but I can tell that the three Daoist masters are definitely experts!"

"How can you tell?"

"Just from the conversation I heard from the three Daoist masters earlier, I know that the three Daoist masters have extraordinary character! They all say that cultivating the Dao is cultivating one's character. Those with good character must have high cultivation!" the boatman said with a smile. "Besides, traveling thousands of miles from Huizhou to Yuanzhou, if you didn't have some skills, how could you have come so far?"

"Our Huizhou is much more peaceful, and besides, the whole way is by water, which is easier to travel than by land," Third Third Third Shixiong was very polite, waving his hand. "Boatman, don't flatter us. The sun is about to set, so you'd better find a place to moor the boat and cook dinner early."

"Alright!"

The daylight dimmed, and the water misted over.

Several boats drifted not far or near in the still water. Some boatmen stood at the bow of the boat casting nets, and with a casual throw, a perfect circle fell into the water.

Many boatmen often shouted a few words loudly and talked to each other about how many guests they had picked up and how business had been recently. Some were lucky and caught more fish than they could eat, while others were unlucky and didn't encounter schools of fish, casting several nets that came up empty. They would shout on the water, share with each other, and say a word of thanks.

Even if fish weren't worth much on the water, this action was quite carefree.

Soon, cooking smoke rose from all the boats.

The fish caught were simply boiled with rice, with a little ginger to remove the fishy smell and salt to enhance the flavor, and that was dinner.

The boatman served it to them.

"There's nothing else on the boat, and rice gets damp easily if left in the cabin for too long. I'm not very good at cooking. If the taste isn't right and there's some fishy or strange smell, please bear with it."

"Not at all."

"Eat while it's hot."

"Many thanks, boatman."

The three of them were not picky and started eating with a smile.

But as soon as Lin Jue took the first bite, he frowned.

Something is wrong! This porridge is a bit wrong!

It was indeed a bit fishy, but it was more than that.

The method of ingestion had some reaction.

He looked up at the front. Third Third Third Shixiong was scraping the bottom of the bowl, drinking the porridge against the edge of the bowl, one mouthful after another, with a look of enjoyment.

"Junior Third Shixiong, why are you looking at me..."

It was only after the first mouthful of porridge entered his stomach and changed the yin-yang balance in his body after digestion that he realized something was wrong and frowned as well.

So the two of them turned their heads at the same time to look at Xiao Xiao Shimei.

Although Xiao Xiao Shimei didn't help Junior Third Third Shixiong carry the book box today, she had carried dry grass for a stretch of the road and was already hungry, eating happily. However, seeing her two senior brothers staring at her, a flash of confusion crossed her face. She didn't know why, but she stopped immediately.

Seeing this, the little fox also stopped.

Lin Jue and Third Third Third Shixiong reached for their swords.

Xiao Xiao Shimei's expression turned stern, and she also reached for her sword.

"Boatman!"

"Alright! What is it, Daoist master?" the boatman said as he walked in, also eating a bowl of fish porridge. "Are you not satisfied with the meal? Conditions on the boat are simple, and this is all there is..."

But he saw Third Third Third Shixiong smiling.

"As the saying goes, wealth is sought in danger, but also lost in danger. One in ten is sought, nine in ten are lost," Third Third Third Shixiong paused, still smiling. "Besides, for Daoists returning from the Great Offering, boatman, this wealth you seek is too dangerous."

"Hmm?" The boatman was stunned. "What do you mean, Daoist master? Why don't I understand?"

"The poison in this porridge is colorless and odorless. Even my junior sister, who practices yin-yang spiritual methods, didn't taste it. If it weren't for the fact that I have some cultivation and my junior brother has studied the method of ingestion, I'm afraid we would have really fallen for it. Even if ordinary Daoists who practice heaven and earth spiritual methods don't have low cultivation, if they don't have other skills, they would capsize here, right?"

"Pfft!"

Lin Jue had already drawn his iron sword.

"What do you mean, Daoist master? What poison?" The boatman was terrified, his face extremely flustered. "I've been running boats on the water for half my life, how could I poison people?"

"..."

Lin Jue and Third Third Third Shixiong looked at each other.

Lin Jue then remembered that the boatman on his boat hadn't caught any fish, and the fish had been begged from the covered boat next to them.

Just then, the boatman also said:

"Could it be... could it be that the fish begged from the boat next to us just now is the problem?"

Third Third Third Shixiong was still smiling:

"Boatman, what a performance! What a trick! Just call out everyone from the boat next to us, otherwise, boatman, you alone definitely won't be able to leave today!"

"Daoist master, this is..."

The boatman was still terrified and puzzled, explaining clumsily. While speaking, his expression didn't change, but he threw the bowl in his hand at them, and the scalding porridge instantly scattered into a sky full of stars.

The boatman turned and ran toward the deck.

Lin Jue hurriedly waved his sleeve.

"Whoosh!"

A sudden gale rose in the boat. The wind was so urgent, rising instantly out of thin air, and so strong that it actually blew the fish porridge back.

At the same time, Third Third Third Shixiong exerted force under his feet, his body rushed forward instantly, and following this momentum, he drew his long sword, chasing after the boatman as if flying. It was a proper "Jade Maiden Shuttle." With the cultivation of a practitioner and this Daoist robe, plus the foundation of sword dancing, it was probably more elegant than many jianghu experts when used.

Seeing that the sword tip was about to catch up to the boatman's back, in an instant, the boatman turned around, and he didn't know when a short knife had appeared in his hand.

A cold light in the twilight cabin.

With a clang!

The long sword was actually split open!

As soon as Third Third Third Shixiong saw that this boatman had some martial arts, regardless of whether it was high or low, he had no intention of close-quarters combat with him at all. He stepped on the deck and flew back.

When he returned, his hand had already reached into his bosom.

But before he could scatter the bean soldiers, he heard a whistling sound of fire on the left, and a pillar of fire like a dragon had already rushed forward.

On the right, there were several sounds of breaking through the air.

The further the pillar of fire went, the more it dispersed, with rolling heat waves. How much space was there on the covered boat? The boatman who was about to chase Third Third Third Shixiong had no time to jump into the water and had to hurriedly raise his sleeves to cover his face.

"Boom!"

This fire was truly hot!

Just as the boatman was enduring the severe pain, he suddenly felt something wrong. Based on years of experience, he instinctively dodged to the side—

He saw an iron sword spinning and breaking through the flames, slashing down just in front of the tip of his nose.

But then he felt a pain in his body.

"Pfft! Snap!"

One after another, two sounds, two feelings.

Looking down, they were two throwing darts.

The style of the darts had no cloth strips tied to them. Being thrown from such a short distance, they must have been spinning as they flew. Using the light of the flames and the sound of the long sword being thrown as cover, one pierced his waist, and the other actually hit him too, but it hit him with the tail of the dart.

Fortunately, the force of the darts was not very great, and they were not stuck deep.

"Good calculation!"

The boatman pulled them out casually, looked up, and saw the young Daoist flicking his fingers, as if flicking a bean at him.

What kind of hidden weapon is this?

The boatman instinctively wanted to dodge, but just as he tilted his head, his eyes still fixed on the bean, he saw it grow rapidly as soon as it left his hand, as if it grew in the wind. By the time it reached him, it had become an armored soldier.

It was truly like an immortal's ability.

The armored soldier held a round shield in his left hand and a long knife in his right, raising the long knife high and slashing diagonally at him.

The boatman gasped and hurriedly raised his knife too.

"Clang!"

But he didn't know where this armored soldier's strength came from. The two knives collided, slashing him to the side, and he hit the tail of the boat's cover solidly.

Thump, thump!

The heavy footsteps made the covered boat sway.

The boatman didn't even dare to blink, aiming at the gap and stabbing with his knife, but he saw the armored soldier's footsteps not stopping, just raising his shield to block it. Instead, the force of the shield bash was so great that it knocked him out of the cabin and against the gunwale.

"Hiss!"

Severe pain came from the boatman's waist, but he didn't dare to stop at all, and hurriedly rolled along the edge of the boat.

With a clang!

A steel knife slashed right onto the gunwale!

It was exactly where he had been just now.

The boatman just had the idea of getting up, but before he could exert force, he hurriedly lay down again.

"Swish!"

A steel knife slashed horizontally, almost brushing his face.

The blade wind was biting, making one feel cold.

The boatman kicked with both legs, wanting to kick the armored soldier back, but unexpectedly, it was like kicking a wall or a giant rock.

The opponent didn't move at all!

Such a strong sense of oppression!

The boatman gritted his teeth, but the force on his legs didn't let up. Instead, he continued to exert force, kicking himself to slide outward, rolling backward, and standing firm at the stern of the boat in a perilous situation.

The covered boat trembled endlessly, and the footsteps sounded like war drums.

Just as he steadied his body, the armored soldier was in front of him again.

"What kind of spell is this?"

The boatman thought so, hurriedly raising his knife.

In the blink of an eye, they had already clashed several times.

The boatman wanted to trade moves with him, but the opponent was more like a military battle tactic, just raising his knife to slash at him. That strength didn't look like something a person could possess at all, and he didn't care whether he was injured or not.

The good news is that he slashed the armored soldier once.

The bad news is that it hit the armor.

The worse news is that he was also slashed by the armored soldier.

One slash, from the left shoulder to the right chest.

It seems I won't survive...

Not far from this covered boat, there was another covered boat parked. On it were originally a few idle jianghu people, all of whom were drawing their bows and arrows at this time.

The commotion on this boat lasted for a very short time, but it was discovered by those on the other boat who were observing this side at all times. They were originally rowing the boat closer, but seeing that the boatman was already dead, several arrows were shot over immediately.

They were aiming at the armored soldier at the bow.

Because the distance was not far, the arrows were shot very accurately and with considerable force, but the armored soldier didn't care at all, just silently turning and walking into the cabin.

The footsteps made the deck thump.

Then there were several thuds—

Three arrows shot into the armor, and two shot into his head, but the armored soldier didn't seem afraid of pain at all, just bending down and reaching his hand into the cabin, seemingly picking up something, then walking out and throwing it into the distance.

The jianghu people on the neighboring covered boat could only see that this armored soldier was moving freely despite being hit by arrows, which was already somewhat surprising, but then they saw him make a throwing motion toward this side.

"What is that?"

It was hard to see clearly in the twilight.

Just as they were wondering, these things grew rapidly in the air. As soon as they approached, they became several armored soldiers, flying toward this side.

The jianghu person holding the bow had just nocked the second arrow, and the jianghu person drawing the knife had just pulled out his long knife. Suddenly, they opened their eyes wide, seeing several tall and sturdy armored soldiers wearing fine steel armor and bright red oil paint on their faces descending from the sky, holding shields in one hand and knives in the other, having already set up a posture to slash in the air, twisting their waists and bodies, using the momentum of the long knives to slash down.

Such a slash was truly enough to split mountains and rocks.

It was just a one-sided massacre.

In the blink of an eye, the river was quiet again.

Only the boats in the distance didn't know why. The people on the boats held fishing lights, standing at the bow looking toward this side, but they only saw the still water of the great river reflecting the daylight, and the two covered boats swaying slightly, making water ripples and creaking sounds.