I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 28: The Long Journey Home, Wujiang River Race

About three o'clock in the afternoon.

The group approached the Wujiang ferry.

In front of the three-way intersection, the driver stopped the Huoyun carriage for a full quarter of an hour. The Huoyun horse even left the carriage and began to nibble on the grass comfortably.

Ning Jianshuang finished regulating her breathing and hung up a map.

"There are three routes to the Southern Dynasty capital."

"The first route is the official road, but it requires going around Jiangzhou and then going another 300 miles east to bypass the river."

"The second way is by water. We can cross the Wu River directly and reach the other side in just half a day."

"The third route is a mountain road. Thirty miles to the west, there is a mountain road that crosses the Wu River, but it is difficult to walk on, and even a carriage cannot be used."

"Which way do you think is better?"

Luoluo had no opinion and just said, "I listen to the young lady and the young master."

Obviously, the second path is the most suitable.

Although the second path takes the shortest time, it also means high risk.

Being able to move in water is far less agile than on land, and once you are attacked, there is nowhere to hide.

However, Bai Xuan did not make any analysis. He responded calmly with a nonchalant expression: "I have never left Yunzhou. You decide."

Ning Jianshuang nodded slightly: "Then..."

Just as she was about to speak, the sound of horse hooves came from the east side of the fork in the road.

A total of four riders were heading west.

The leader saw the carriage coming here and was riding his horse towards them.

As they approached, they heard the leader shout, "Jiangzhou Huaping Villa passed by and disturbed the noble in his carriage!"

A young man in blue, carrying a sword, approached from a tall horse. He bowed and said, "The four of us, brothers and sisters, are all from Jiangdong. We're in a hurry to get here, and the water bag we were carrying broke along the way. Could you please offer me a drink of water?"

The loud voice and the heroic spirit in the self-introduction are very youthful and energetic.

"Hua Ping Villa is quite famous in Jiangzhou. The old owner was once a Grandmaster on the Earth List and had a good reputation in the martial arts world. He had done business with Juyi Pavilion in the past."

Ning Jianshuang gave a brief introduction and nodded immediately.

Luoluo picked up a bag of water and walked over.

The leading young man clasped his fists and said, "Thank you very much."

He turned around and handed the water bag to the youngest girl among the four. She should be the junior sister among the four. She wore a veil to cover herself from the dust, but she looked a little fragile because of the bumpy journey.

"Thank you, senior brother."

The girl was probably very thirsty, so she took the water bag and started drinking directly from it.

Only after she had drunk her fill did she realize something was wrong. Holding the water bag in her hand, it would be wrong to hand it to someone else, and it would also be wrong not to hand it over.

The leading young man had no choice but to turn around and shamelessly asked, "Can I borrow another water bag?"

After getting help, the four people in the group quenched their thirst one after another.

"Thank you for your help, I will remember this favor."

"You're welcome. We're all from the same world. Giving each other a bowl of cold water isn't much of a favor..." Ning Jianshuang sat in the carriage. "I wonder what brings you, the disciples of Huaping Villa, here?"

The young man in the lead was young, but he had a good grasp of the ways of the world. "Let me tell you, young lady, if we continue west for thirty miles, there is a mountain called 'Sorrow Cloud Mountain'. The mountain is always shrouded in mist, so it's easy to get lost."

"However, this mountain is also a treasure land, growing many rare medicinal herbs. The Yuan family, a large clan, is in charge of the local area."

"But recently, many herbalists have disappeared in the mountains. They say there's a murderous demon in this Sorrow Cloud Mountain."

"The Yuan family's business has been greatly affected, and their medicinal materials have been out of stock for more than half a year. Many of the medicinal materials used in Huaping Villa come from the Yuan family, and we have always had a good relationship with them."

"The Yuan family has invited local Jiangzhou heroes to exorcise demons in the mountains. It's said that even masters from the Crouching Dragon Ranking have come. We're going to lend a hand."

The young man finished speaking.

The two junior brothers at the back laughed heartily: "Big Brother, why be so modest? We are here to make a name for ourselves!"

"I've been practicing Zhenwu for so many years, all for the purpose of becoming famous one day. If I really kill that monster, maybe my name will be mentioned in the Book of Repairing the Sky!"

"It's just a demon, so easy to take it down!"

Listening to those people's bold words, Ning Jianshuang thought it was normal. Young people who had never seen the dangers of the martial arts world would behave like this: "Then I won't bother you anymore. I wish you good luck in exorcising the demons. We are going east. Please come in."

"please!"

The four young heroes of the martial arts world rode away again.

Ning Jianshuang confirmed that the other party had gone far away before speaking: "Uncle Huai, let's go to the ferry."

In the end, she chose the second route and crossed the Wujiang River directly. The reason was simple: the risks of taking the other two routes were greater!
……

Also after walking away.

The junior sister from Huaping Villa chased to the front and asked, "Cousin, what are the identities of those people just now?"

"Yes." The leading young man said, "What is written in the Book of Repairing the Heaven is exactly right for the time and place."

"Then why didn't you explain it clearly, cousin?"

"What's the point of telling them? They're not something we can afford to offend. If we point it out, it will only alert them. After all, they're carrying a valuable treasure." The young man pointed out the key point: "The four of us combined are not enough for them to kill."

He glanced at the girl's hand reaching for her waist, anticipating her rebuttal, and said calmly, "Even if you reveal your identity, it won't work... There are many things that simply cannot be proven! When you go out, you must hide your identity and not show off. Otherwise, it will kill you and others."

"I see." The girl replied casually, not seeming to care much. She sat on the horse and looked at the surrounding scenery at a glance.

When I first entered the world of martial arts, my mind was full of romance, fine clothes and gallant horses.

The world of martial arts in the storybooks is so romantic and humane, with treasures all over the mountainside and talented people all over the streets. It seems that just by throwing a stone, you can hit the top of the personal list, and then there will be a tragic love story between a turtle and a mung bean.

Only when the bloody head falls to the ground will the flowers blooming on the head be plucking out completely.

However, in this process of growth, a certain number of close people around you will have to be sacrificed.

As a famous sacrifice, Tomoe Mami must have felt the same way. ...

Arrived at the Wujiang Ferry.

This place is Guandu, which is managed by the government and officials.

As soon as we arrived at the ferry, the official in charge of the ferry directly refused us: "The ferry is closed these days. It would be better for you to take a longer route."

He looks like he doesn't want to bother with anyone.

Luoluo was immediately angry and wanted to go up and argue with the clerk at the ferry.

Ning Jianshuang directly threw out the jade identity card of the Ningguo Mansion. After the latter took a look at it, his eyes immediately widened and he changed his face on the spot, knowing that he had met a noble person whom he could not afford to offend.

"Please don't blame me for my bad attitude, my dear. I have no choice. If I hadn't said that, many people would have come and made trouble, insisting on crossing the river... but I really can't!"

The clerk turned around, pointed at the Wu River, and began to complain. "I don't know what's wrong with the Prince of the Wu River lately. He's been causing so much trouble all day long. I wonder if he's hit menopause. Several large ships have capsized. I saw it with my own eyes! They even went into the water to pull a few people out. They were almost drowned in the river! It was horrible! I've reported it to the higher-ups and am awaiting the results. But I really don't dare to sail anymore!"

"Prince Jiang?"

"You are not native to Jiangzhou, so naturally you don't know that there has always been a giant black python with intelligence in the Wujiang River. It has existed since the previous dynasty, and it is rumored to be hundreds of years old. When the northern barbarians invaded, it even raised a wave and scared away the barbarians."

The clerk reported a series of things: "During the previous dynasty, there was a temple nearby. It received incense for many years and was considered a river god of some rank. Even now, I hear that some villages secretly offer incense to it and pray for good fish in the river. However, the court did not recognize its status as a legitimate deity, and the locals called it Lord Jiang."

"If it is a righteous god, why would it overturn passing ships? If it has gained intelligence, it would even dare to attack Guandu. Isn't it afraid that the cultivation of hundreds of years will be destroyed?" Ning Jianshuang frowned.

The practice of enthroning gods existed during the Qin Dynasty. The First Emperor toured the world several times, and while he absorbed the fortune of the nine provinces, he also dealt with the obscene worship of wild gods in various places.

Treat them to a meal, behead them, and treat their subordinates like dogs.

After three steps, the ground was full of Qin's running dogs.

Beasts with intelligence are allowed to eat incense and practice the righteous way, but the price is that they are bound to the fate of a country and cannot disobey the court.

In fact, the biggest difference between the so-called fairy beasts, spiritual beasts, ferocious beasts and even demons is whether they eat humans and whether they harm the people.

To date, despite the confrontation between the North and the South, the orthodoxy of the entire Kyushu is still the human race, with the backbone passed down by the ancestors. Therefore, no one thinks that the evil gods who cause chaos and the demons who occupy the land as kings are a big problem.

In fact, in the eyes of some people, these guys are walking achievements, the kind that have real-name authentication of the Book of Repairing the Sky, and the more powerful ones have received second-class merits without doing anything.

Ning Jianshuang felt that the righteous gods would not dare to attack the official ship, but the clerk thought that Prince Jiang had poor eyesight and could not tell whether it was an official ship or not.

When humans lose their temper, they don’t pay attention to whether they are smashing walnuts or mobile phones, let alone Prince Jiang who has been very angry recently.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense... If you don't dare to drive the boat, just hand it over."

"Sir! Sir, this is not acceptable. This ship belongs to the government. I can't hide it. I will be beheaded!" The petty official's legs went weak.

"I didn't ask for it for free." Ning Jianshuang said directly: "No matter how much this ship costs, I'll buy it!"

The clerk was stunned for a moment: "Really?"

"I bought it at a 30% premium over the market price." Ning Jianshuang displayed the attitude of an extremely willful and domineering CEO.

The petty official was so shocked that he said, "Your Excellency is so generous!!"

Then he suddenly raised his head and said, "But you have to arrange the boatman yourself. I can recommend a few good swimmers. If something goes wrong, they might be able to help save people."

Green Radish was speechless and said, "You are really good at talking."

"That's not true. My last name is Tian, ​​and my nickname is 'Xiao Tian'."

"Is there any connection?"

"Xiaotian has a sweet mouth. My family members say that I speak very sweetly." The clerk smiled shyly.

"..."

Bai Xuan looked at the Wujiang River in silence. Even in this other world, he couldn't escape the pun.

Everyone needed to transport the carriage to the other side of the river, and only the official ship met this standard.

The group of four made a simple registration, bought tickets, and boarded the large ship at Guandu with their carriage, preparing to cross the river overnight.

It is definitely not possible for one person to sail such a large ship, so we hired two boatmen and temporary sailors.

Originally these people also had expressions of resistance on their faces, but soon they gave in to the temptation of tacky things.

Even if you know it's dangerous, who can bear to refuse the opportunity to earn a few years' living expenses in one go?
Wujiang Grand Stage, come if you are invited.

Bai Xuan deeply felt that with Miss Ning's wealth, she could try to imitate Red Bull and set up a death squad to advertise... There must be brave men under huge sums of money, and by then all kinds of suicidal tricks would surely emerge one after another.

The Wujiang River was calm, and it didn't look like there was anything fishy going on.

It takes half a day to cross the river, and at the fastest speed it will take three or four hours.

The first half was quite smooth.

Even the boatman couldn't help but become optimistic and wanted to sing a folk song. In fact, he sang it, but was stopped because it was too unpleasant.

Bai Xuan stood on the deck.

At this time, the bright moon was above the treetops, and its silver light fell brightly on the river. The river flowed up and down like an invisible dragon, flowing endlessly; the air was filled with the aroma of fish soup, which was just caught by a sailor who got off the boat, and it was a fat silver carp weighing more than ten pounds; hundreds of lights could be vaguely seen on both sides of the river, and occasionally a small fishing boat would pass by, and in the sky it seemed that an osprey flapped its wings and flew by, its calls long and lasting.

Such a scene is very relaxing.

After a good meal and a good drink, just looking at the scenery like this is enough to immerse yourself in it.

Scenes flash by one after another.

Suddenly, there were many more spots of light in Jiang Xin's heart right in front of him.

In the moonlight, they were just some inconspicuous black dots at first, but as the fire was lit, they quickly connected into one... The scene was like shining a light on a group of crocodiles, and bright red eyes appeared on the water surface. It was beautiful at first glance, but a closer look gave people a chill. Imagine that each eye corresponds to a crocodile under the water. The more beautiful the scene, the more weird it is.

A quick count revealed that there were more than twenty small fishing boats with their lanterns lit, braving the wind and waves and sailing downstream.

Big fish eat small fish.

Small boats attack big ships.

Tonight is another long night.

The Wujiang River race started quietly without the sound of a starting gun.

(End of this chapter)