After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 143 Crossing the River
Hearing Li Musheng's question, Hu Ruian put away the map, a very complicated look appeared on his face, and he shook his head and said:

"To be honest, Your Highness, I have some past grievances with Shen Liancheng, the owner of Zhanlu Villa, so I am a little worried about my upcoming trip through Zhanlu Villa."

Having said that, Hu Ruian stopped talking, and it was obvious that he had no intention of continuing to talk in depth.

Li Musheng raised his eyebrows slightly. Judging from the other party's expression, this so-called entanglement should not be simple, and there may be an unknown past involved.

However, he had no interest in exploring this, so he was too lazy to ask more questions.

Not long after, Wu Shang returned, looking somewhat unhappy, and reported:

"The bridge across the Julu River ahead has broken down for some reason, and everyone on the shore has been stopped. Now all the vehicles and people on the road can't pass."

Hearing this, Hu Ruian frowned, looked up and glanced ahead, and said thoughtfully:
"There's only one road from here to Shengzhou. If we take a detour, it will take at least one to two days longer."

As he spoke, he looked at Wu Shang and asked:

"Are you sure the bridge over the river is completely broken and there's no chance of the carriage passing through?"

Wu Shang nodded gently and said:

"I've personally checked. The stone and wooden bridge built on the river has been completely washed away. The river is about a hundred feet wide, and the water is deep and fast. It seems impossible for a carriage or horse to wade across the river."

Hu Ruian thought for a moment, then turned to look at Li Musheng, obviously wanting to ask for his opinion.

However, at this moment, there was a sudden cry of surprise from the front, and someone shouted loudly:
"What a stunning Qinggong! This guy actually crossed the river alone!"

When these words were heard, the expressions of several people including Hu Ruian and Cao Gaoshan changed.

"I almost forgot. We have another important mission on this trip. The carriage and horses are not important things, so it's okay to abandon them."

Hu Ruian stroked his beard slowly and spoke. Captain Shang Wu, Cheng Zhong and others all nodded, eager to try.
"Although our Qinggong isn't top-notch, crossing a river of a hundred feet shouldn't be a problem."

As they spoke, everyone looked at each other, then turned to look at Li Musheng.

Hu Ruian was about to speak when Li Musheng waved his hand and said:
"It's not a big deal, just keep moving forward."

Hearing this, Hu Ruian nodded slightly and instructed Wu Shang:
"You guys lead the way and go to the riverbank first."

Wu Shang quickly agreed, and as he rode forward, he shouted with his martial arts energy:

"Everyone, please make way!"

His voice was like thunder, making the ears of the people around him ring.

For a time, whether it was ordinary merchants or people with martial arts skills, they all realized that Wu Shang was a man of great martial arts skills and not someone to be trifled with.

Everyone immediately gave way, and soon a small path was opened among the crowd of people, horses and donkeys, which was enough for the carriage to pass.

Seeing this, Cao Gaoshan drove forward and followed Wu Shang and the other man. The people around them looked at them and whispered timidly.

Some people speculated where they came from, while others thought that the road ahead was blocked, and they still had to squeeze forward. These people would definitely return the same way they came in shame.

At the same time, inside the carriage, Hu Ruian took out a human skin mask and was putting it on his face, trying to change his appearance in a hurry.

Seeing Li Musheng glance at him, Hu Ruian explained calmly:
"Wu Shang is making too much noise. To avoid attracting the attention of Zhanlu Villa and causing unnecessary trouble, I think it's better to be cautious." Upon hearing this, Murong Xiaoya glanced at him suspiciously, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, while Li Musheng smiled and squinted his eyes.

"As long as Lord Hu is happy."

At this time, with Wu Shang leading the way, the carriage came to an open space on the river bank and stopped.

Many martial artists armed with swords gathered on the shore, while ordinary merchants and travelers were sent back.

However, at this moment, the eyes of these people in the martial arts world were almost all looking towards a stone pillar in front of them.

The stone pier was what remained after the previous river bridge was destroyed. Now standing on it was a man wearing a conical hat, a green robe and carrying a sword.

The man was about thirty years old. He looked at the turbulent river in front of him, took a deep breath, then lowered his body slightly, as if ready to leap.

There were people from the underworld around pointing and talking.

"Another person has tried to cross the river. Aside from the old man from the Zhu family in Chongzhou who succeeded, the other two were swept away by the current and haven't been seen since."

"This person is different. He seems to be from the 'Golden Eagle Mansion'. Their school's light swordsmanship is well-known in the martial arts world. I think crossing the river should be no problem."

While everyone was talking, the man in green had already leaped up.

After he flew several feet, true energy began to flow under his feet. He stepped on the surging water and then jumped up again several feet like a dragonfly skimming the water. He continued to move towards the opposite bank of the river.

"The Golden Eagle Technique is indeed quite good. The current in this section of the river is extremely fast, yet this person is still able to use his martial arts qi to stabilize his body and move forward. This shows that he has mastered this technique to a very high level."

Hu Ruian, with a changed look, looked through the lifted curtain at the figure on the river ahead and commented.

However, at this moment, something strange happened suddenly.

When everyone saw that the other party was about to reach the other side, they vaguely saw a long black whip suddenly come out from somewhere on the opposite shore and hit the man in green in the air.

Fortunately, the man in green reacted quickly and had great skills. He used the turbulent water to turn around suddenly and narrowly avoided the attack.

At the same time, a burst of cold laughter was heard, and a man in black appeared on the opposite shore and said in a deep voice:
"Any man under the age of thirty or unmarried is not allowed to cross the river. If anyone violates this rule, this will be the consequence."

His voice was spread out by the martial arts true energy and clearly reached everyone's ears.

As soon as he finished speaking, a row of soldiers holding iron bows and powerful crossbows suddenly stepped out from behind the man in black, and they quickly bent their bows and drew arrows.

The next moment, with the sound of sharp arrows breaking through the air, arrows shot towards the man in green.

Seeing this, the man in blue's face changed drastically.

It was not easy to perform lightness skills in such a rapid current, and now he was attacked again, which made it difficult for him to cope with it. He had to do his best to dodge and immediately turned around to walk back on the water.

When he struggled to get back to the shore, he fell to the ground.

At this moment, two arrows were stuck in his back, deep into his flesh and bones, and his body was soaked in blood.

(End of this chapter)