Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

Several days later.

The Han River meanders along its banks, with reeds growing in abundance, swaying in the wind and rustling softly.

The sun was scorching, baking the pebbles on the riverbank without any shade, and the heat distorted the air.

"How much longer do we have to walk?"

Huang Rong plopped down on the scorching hot stone, not caring about the heat, and haphazardly ripped off her tattered straw hat, using it as a fan to fan herself frantically.

Her face, which had been covered in black smears, was now streaked with sweat, revealing her fair skin underneath. Her neck was covered in large, red, swollen welts from mosquito bites, which looked incredibly itchy.

"I think you're just lying to me."

Huang Rong scratched her neck and rolled her eyes at Chen Yanzhou, "What paradise, what peerless swordsmanship? I think you just want to trick me into coming to this desolate wilderness to feed mosquitoes."

Chen Yanzhou stood on the riverbank, hands on his hips, gazing into the distance.

This was the fifth day that he had been searching along the Han River with Huang Rong.

These past few days they've deliberately chosen to traverse treacherous terrain, wearing down the soles of their shoes to a thin layer, but they haven't seen a single eagle, let alone a divine eagle.

"That shouldn't be the case..."

Chen Yanzhou frowned and muttered to himself.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

A pebble flew by with a whoosh and landed at Chen Yanzhou's feet, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Chen Yanzhou snapped out of his daze, turned around and looked at Huang Rong, who was sprawled on the ground looking completely disheveled, and sighed helplessly.

"What's the rush? Haste makes waste, and good food is worth the wait."

He walked over and nudged Huang Rong's shin with his toe. "Get up. There's a backwater ahead. The terrain looks good. Let's go take a look over there."

"I'm not going!"

Huang Rong turned her head to the side and started to act spoiled, "I'm not going anywhere, even if you beat me to death. These past few days have been nothing but reeds and rocks, not a soul in sight. Look at my legs, they're practically broken!"

She stretched out her feet, which were clad in straw sandals; both feet were extremely black, each with a distinct shape.

Chen Yanzhou looked disgusted, sighed, and felt somewhat exhausted.

He himself was fine after these past few days of hardship, but the pampered young lady really suffered.

He looked around and saw that the sun was already setting, so it was indeed not advisable to continue his journey.

"Let's stay here tonight."

Chen Yanzhou pointed to a flat riverbank not far away, "Go and gather some firewood, I'll have Wangcai get some food."

Upon hearing about food, Huang Rong's stomach growled in agreement.

But then, her face fell, and she looked at Chen Yanzhou with despair: "Don't tell me we're having fish again tonight."

These past few days, I've been eating grilled fish, boiled fish, and beggar's fish for every meal.

She felt that her breath smelled fishy and that she was growing scales all over her body.

"It's good enough to have fish to eat."

Chen Yanzhou found a large rock to sit on and began to untie his leg bindings. "In this desolate wilderness, there are nothing but fish and rats. Which one do you want to eat?"

Huang Rong gagged and glared at him fiercely.

"Wangcai!"

Chen Yanzhou ignored her and shouted at the black dog that was frolicking in the reeds.

"Woof!"

Upon hearing the call, Wangcai darted out of the reeds, carrying a wild rabbit it had caught from somewhere in its mouth. Unfortunately, the rabbit had been chewed to pieces and was inedible.

"Go, go into the water, and bring up a few big ones."

Chen Yanzhou pointed to the shimmering surface of the river.

Wangcai, being extremely perceptive, dropped the rotten rabbit and plunged headfirst into the Han River.

A short while later, a violent splash of water rose from the surface of the water.

Wangcai's head emerged from the water, its mouth tightly gripping a large bluefish weighing four or five pounds, as it struggled to swim towards the shore.

After getting ashore, it tossed the fish towards Chen Yanzhou's feet, shook off the water, and then turned and jumped back in.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, three plump fish were neatly arranged on the shore, still jumping and splashing around.

"That's enough, that's enough."

Chen Yanzhou called Wangcai back, took out a short dagger from his waist, and skillfully gutted the fish, scraped off its scales and gills.

After processing the fish, he handed the bloody fish body to Huang Rong.

"Well, it's up to you now."

Looking at the fish, Huang Rong felt a churning in her stomach.

But hunger eventually overcame disgust.

She resignedly took the fish and took out several bottles and jars from her bag—these were seasonings that Chen Yanzhou had specifically asked her to buy.

Set up a fire and skewer the meat.

Although I was a hundred times unwilling, once I started cooking, the professionalism of a top chef came through.

The heat was perfectly controlled; the fish oil dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma instantly filled the air.

She sprinkled on some cumin, then spread a layer of chili powder, and finally drizzled on some soy sauce to enhance the flavor.

What was originally an ordinary grilled fish was transformed in her hands into a golden-brown dish with a fragrant aroma.

"alright."

Huang Rong handed a grilled fish to Chen Yanzhou in a huff, then picked up another one for herself and tore it apart and ate it in small bites, as if venting her dissatisfaction.

Chen Yanzhou took the fish, not afraid of being burned, and took a big bite.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fresh and spicy flavor.

It has to be said that this girl's talent in cooking is simply divinely bestowed upon her.

With the same ingredients and seasonings, if I were to bake it myself, it would at best be edible, nothing like the delicious taste it is now.

"Hmm, not bad."

As Chen Yanzhou ate, he nodded in approval, "The cooking was just right, and the fish wasn't dry. It's just that the salt... was a little too much. I'll pay attention to that next time. River fish naturally has a slightly muddy taste, and too much salt can easily mask the freshness."

"Snapped!"

The fish bone in Huang Rong's hand was snapped in two by her own force.

She took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the urge to shove the whole fish up Chen Yanzhou's nostrils.

As the daughter of the dignified Peach Blossom Island Master, it's one thing for her to be his free cook, but this bastard actually dares to be picky?

"Shut up if there's food to eat!"

Huang Rong gritted her teeth, "If you say another word, you'll have to cook your own next meal!"

"Don't be angry, honest advice is hard to swallow."

Chen Yanzhou devoured the large fish in a few bites, then casually tossed the fish bones to Wangcai, who was eagerly waiting nearby.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, the fatigue from the long journey began to set in.

Chen Yanzhou leaned back, lay on the warm pebbles, and sighed contentedly as he watched the sky gradually darken above him.

"Life is so comfortable here."

Huang Rong didn't eat much; she was full after eating half a fish.

She wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, stood up, and dusted off her bottom.

"I'm going to use the restroom."

After saying that, she didn't wait for Chen Yanzhou's response and turned to walk upstream.

Chen Yanzhou didn't pay any attention, and just waved his hand: "Don't go too far, or you'll get carried away by wolves."

"Mind your own business!"

Huang Rong's voice drifted from afar.

After watching her figure disappear into the reeds, Chen Yanzhou turned over, feeling a dryness in his mouth.

That fish was definitely a bit too salty, and there was a lot of chili in it, so my throat is burning right now.

He reached for the water pouch at his waist, shook it, and found it empty.

"Tsk."

Chen Yanzhou sat up and looked at the Han River, which was just a few steps away.

The river water is still unpolluted and crystal clear. Although it's not as sweet as mountain spring water, it's perfectly adequate for quenching thirst.

Too lazy to look for a water source, he walked directly to the riverbank and squatted down.

The river water was cool and refreshing, with a faint scent of aquatic plants.

Chen Yanzhou cupped a handful of water in his hands, about to put it in his mouth, but suddenly paused.

By the light of daylight, he noticed that the water in his hand seemed a little strange.

The once clear water was now mixed with wisps of dark gray turbidity, like mud or some kind of... filth.

Before he could even take a closer look, the dryness in his throat urged him on.

"Who cares? A little dirt won't hurt."

Chen Yanzhou tilted his head back and poured the water in his hand into his mouth.

"Glug."

The strange sensation became even more pronounced as soon as the water entered my mouth.

Besides the earthy smell, it also seemed to have an indescribable...sour smell?

And why does the color of this water seem to get darker the more you look at it?

Chen Yanzhou frowned and picked up another handful.

This time he saw it clearly.

The water flowing down from upstream had an eerie grayish-black hue, as if someone had washed coal briquettes on it.

"What's going on?"

Chen Yanzhou's heart skipped a beat.

Could someone upstream be poisoning the plants?

He suddenly stood up and looked upstream warily.

In a sparse reed bed, a familiar figure sat on a large blue stone by the river.

Huang Rong rolled up her trouser legs, revealing a section of her calves that looked like lotus roots, and her two little feet were soaking in the water, splashing around happily.

She hummed an unknown tune while vigorously rubbing the soles of her feet.

With her movements, the thick layer of mud and dead skin, mixed with the dust from the past few days of travel, turned into plumes of black smoke, which flowed merrily downstream with the water.

Chen Yanzhou was standing right below her.

"vomit--"

Chen Yanzhou felt a churning in his stomach. The water he had just drunk was actually foot bath water!

"You son of a bitch—!"

Chen Yanzhou clutched his neck and let out a grief-stricken roar.

Upon hearing the noise, Huang Rong, who was sitting on the large blue stone upstream, revealed an extremely bright and innocent smile.

"Hey, bro, what's wrong?"

Huang Rong blinked her big eyes, her voice clear and melodious, echoing across the empty riverbank.

"You seemed to be enjoying your drink just now. How was it? Was the water... flavorful enough?"

She lifted one foot, creating a string of crystal-clear water droplets, and even mischievously splashed the water downwards with her toes.

"This is a specially made broth for you; I wouldn't let anyone else drink it!"

Chen Yanzhou straightened up and looked at the girl's smug expression, as if she had gotten her revenge, and he was so angry that his teeth itched.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Yeah, how is it? Is it good?"

Huang Rong readily admitted it, smiling like a little fox who had stolen a chicken.