The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

The poem "Linjiang Xian" that Jia Jue recited was very famous in the world before he transmigrated, so he naturally assumed that Yang Shen would exist.

Just as this world has Li Bai and Du Fu.

After parting ways with Miaoyu, Jia Jue returned to his room to sleep.

I woke up again, not because of the glaring sunlight, but because of the noise of people.

In a daze, he heard shouts of killing.

Jia Jue quickly got up and went out.

However, they found that the fleet was already surrounded by more than a dozen small and fast boats.

Each boat carried three or four men dressed in short clothes with long knives at their waists, resembling Japanese pirates.

"There are Japanese pirates!"

A sudden alarm bell rang in Jia Jue's mind.

He never expected to encounter Japanese pirates here.

By this time, they had sailed out of the Yangtze River and entered the Grand Canal. The canal wasn't particularly wide, but it was wide enough for small boats to catch up.

By this time, the river was already ablaze with fire. Jia Jue looked back and saw that several cargo ships behind him were already on fire.

Jia Jue knew in his heart that the goods were probably lost. He wanted to check on the situation of the people on the other ships, but after all, there was a distance between the ships, and the people on this large ship were in a panic, so Jia Jue had to give up.

Just then, Liu Xianglian came out with his sword drawn. Upon seeing Jia Jue, he quickly asked, "Brother Jue, what's going on?"

Jia Jue said with a wry smile, "My luck is terrible; we ran into Japanese pirates."

After saying this, Jia Jue turned to Liu Xianglian and said, "Brother Liu, you are highly skilled in martial arts and have excellent lightness skills. There are also veterans on these boats who fought alongside my grandfather and great-grandfather. Please go and tell them not to panic. Those who are strong should resist, and those who are weak should retreat to their cabins to hide!"

Liu Xianglian nodded, agreed, and then flew away.

The jade pendant at Jia Jue's waist had disappeared at some point, and a gleaming longsword was now in his hand.

But then he gathered his strength and shouted, "Don't panic, everyone! Quickly retreat to the barn and take shelter!"

The sound was clear and melodious, which made everyone on the boat quiet down.

Miaoyu, who was in a panic in the room, was stunned. It turned out that Jia Jue also knew the art of whistling!

Jia Jue was the highest-ranking person on the ship, and his accumulated prestige became a key to breaking the deadlock in this predicament.

Everyone followed Jia Jue's instructions and turned to flee back to their rooms.

However, his three maids kept pulling him back, wanting him to go back with them.

Xiren cried and said, "My lord, your body is so precious. What if you get hurt or bumped?"

Jia Jue laughed and said, "Now, besides me, the only other men on this big ship are the old boatmen at the stern. They're all getting old. If I'm not standing guard outside, do you think I'd expect you to be the ones standing guard for me?"

After saying that, he ignored Musk Moon and the others and pushed them into the room, then stood alone on the deck.

Jia Jue's large ship was surrounded by a group of smaller boats in the center, so the Japanese pirates had not yet boarded the ship.

But soon, Jia Jue saw a dark shadow leap and tumble onto the deck.

The long sword in the figure's hand reflected the arc of flames.

Unaware of what he was babbling about, and with no intention of listening, Jia Jue leaped forward like an arrow, his sword already piercing the Japanese pirate's body in the next instant.

Strangely enough, Jia Jue felt no discomfort whatsoever after killing someone for the first time.

Jia Jue slowly pulled the sword from his body, lifted the corpse with one hand, and threw it forcefully. The corpse disappeared into the river, its whereabouts unknown.

Before long, several dark figures sprang out from the deck. The leader, who made no attempt to conceal his face, had a menacing look on his face. Pointing a knife at the enemy, he shouted, "Rob it!"

Han Chinese!

Jia Jue made this judgment almost instantly.

But he didn't have time to think further, because the five or six people had already rushed up.

The long sword in Jia Jue's hand moved like a dragon soaring through the clouds, its light dazzling, and he moved among the Japanese pirates like a butterfly flitting among flowers.

When they looked again, they saw that the group of Japanese pirates had already fallen.

The leading man clearly hadn't expected that this fair-skinned, delicate-looking young man would possess such outstanding martial arts skills.

He was indeed a Han Chinese, so he had a good understanding of the customs and traditions of the Han people.

Although Emperor Taizu issued an order that day, intending to change the prevailing trend of valuing civil affairs over military affairs, how could a custom formed over hundreds of years be changed so easily?

If it were a chaotic world, it would be fine, but now the world is at peace. Although the royal family intends to raise the status of military generals, there are still very few people who practice martial arts.

Not to mention the sons of wealthy families, how many of them can lift a gun or draw a bow?

He had been in the underworld for many years, and the reason he was still alive for so long was because of his ability to judge situations.

Knowing he'd run into a tough opponent, he quickly pulled out a small whistle and blew it hard.

The whistle, though small, produced a sharp and powerful sound.

This means it's time to withdraw.

However, how could Jia Jueqi let him leave so easily?

Jia Jue strode forward quickly, his movements so fast they were dazzling.

Without a second thought, the man turned and ran, hoping to jump overboard and save his life.

However, how could he be as fast as Jia Jue?

Before even reaching the edge of the boat, he suddenly felt a sharp pain.

Looking down, he saw a snow-white sword blade emerging from his chest.

As soon as the blade twisted, a piercing pain shot through him.

The next moment, he lost consciousness.

-

With Jia Jue on the large ship, there were naturally no major disturbances.

The other small boats, however, suffered heavy casualties.

Although safety was a concern at the time, Jia Jue arranged for veterans to stay on each boat.

However, the space on a ship is not as spacious and stable as that on land.

These veterans had not fought on the battlefield for a long time, so when they fought the Japanese pirates, it was almost a five-to-one exchange, until Liu Xianglian arrived and things improved.

Just as everyone was fighting fiercely, they suddenly heard a sharp whistle. The group of Japanese pirates immediately retreated, leaving the group looking on with lingering fear.

When Liu Xianglian returned, he found Jia Jue standing alone on the deck.

"Jade, are you hurt?"

Liu Xianglian asked.

Jia Jue shook his head; these Japanese pirates weren't enough to injure him.

As Liu Xianglian wiped the blood off the sword with a handkerchief, he sat down next to Jia Jue.

The two remained silent for a long time until Jia Jue spoke—

"Brother Liu, this group of Japanese pirates, numbering only thirty or forty, has caused us quite a commotion!"

Liu Xianglian sighed as well, "The Japanese pirates are powerful, isn't that common knowledge? Although the imperial court has won several victories and curbed their development, those victories all came at the cost of lives!"

Jia Jue remained silent, but at that moment, his desire to join the army was stronger than ever before.

"Squeak—"

The wooden door was pushed open softly, and Jia Jue looked back to see Musk Moon timidly peeking out, her eyes red.

"Second Master, are you alright?"