I really don't have money for the ship girls.

Essex stepped in and said, "Stop joking around."

"I'm not making a fuss." Her sister's words had no effect, and Kariyong didn't know why, but she just wanted to talk more.

“I didn’t cause any trouble.” Ying Tian glanced at Kariyong, who was beautiful, enthusiastic, and had a curvy figure. Judging from her appearance, she should be the mature older sister type. He thought for a moment and said, “If you really hate someone, you won’t want to talk to them at all. The more you like someone, the more you want to get their attention in various ways. Kariyong, it seems you like me, right?”

Kariyong blushed instantly and quickly explained, "Narcissist, just because everyone likes you doesn't mean I have to like you."

Fearless chimed in, "You've always liked the Commander."

"Who said that? I... I'm completely innocent."

Kariyong was momentarily flustered and began to mutter like a broken record, then realized she was making a fool of herself and simply stopped talking.

Ying Tian, ​​who had been speaking in a somewhat joking tone, now realized that he seemed to have committed another sin.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Yi Xian's Insights

This resort is a traditional Chinese courtyard house. Since we've already booked it, everyone can choose any room they like. We can put our few pieces of luggage down first, so we won't have any extra stuff to carry when we go out to play.

"The rockery and fishpond should not be positioned like this. There is no corridor in the middle to allow for changing views as you move around. Although the pavilion is hexagonal, the eaves on the roof are somewhat incongruous. A house is made up of spring water, but this is stagnant water, which is not good."

After lunch, Yingtian, Yixian, and Zhenhai took a walk in the courtyard. Yingtian asked Zhenhai to assess the layout of the courtyard, and she started talking and couldn't stop. In her opinion, the feng shui structure of the courtyard was full of flaws.

"Actually, Yixian knows more about this kind of thing."

Yi Xian said softly, "Strictly speaking, there are definitely many places that violate feng shui, but there's no need to be so strict. As long as there are mountains and water, it's fine as long as it looks beautiful."

Ying Tian nodded in agreement, saying, "Thinking about it, that makes sense. This place is designed to look high-end so that it can charge high prices. How could they possibly hire a landscape master to design it? The idea is probably just to give it a basic look."

Zhenhai looked around and saw Dafeng watching the three of them from the artificial hill nearby. So she said, "I understand the reasoning, but I'm still a little concerned. I'll go take a look over there at the artificial hill to clear out any potential problems for the design of the Second Garrison."

As he spoke, Zhenhai walked towards the artificial hill, blocking Dafeng's view in the process.

Both of them understood Zhenhai's intentions, but neither of them pointed them out.

Despite having experience with so many women, Ying Tian still felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness. It was as if his childhood sweetheart, with whom he had promised to spend his life, suddenly appeared, only to find him surrounded by beauties. She was gentle and quiet, saying nothing, and the more she kept quiet, the more nervous he became.

Ying Tian had no choice but to start with work: "Yi Xian, you don't need to ask me for instructions on the daily work of the garrison. In fact, my level is not as good as yours and the secretariat. Just send me the records every few days. My main focus is on understanding and learning."

"Okay." Yi Xian didn't emphasize anything, but said softly, "The commander is too modest. That's not good. People from Donghuang are sometimes too modest."

“I’m not being modest. What can an ordinary college student know about military management? Even if someone is exceptionally talented as a commander, they still need to learn. Especially in the military, the worst thing is for an outsider to command an expert.” Ying Tian suddenly thought of something and said with a smile, “I can’t be like some people and focus my energy on military matters.”

Yi Xian immediately understood and said, "With the Commander being so insightful, the advantage is definitely in our hands."

"Indeed, Yixian's insight is brilliant."

Yi Xian narrowed her eyes and said with a smile, "I don't know any pig tactics."

"Of course Yixian isn't a pig. Yixian is so beautiful and capable, how could General Pig possibly try to frame you?"

Ying Tian had prepared some explanations in his mind, such as why he chose her as his wedding ship in the first place, and why he made her his secretary ship now. He had thought of many suitable words, but now he knew that he didn't need them at all. Everything was understood without words. This was Yi Xian. Although she had no wings to fly with him, their hearts were connected by a single thread of understanding.

In the afternoon, Ying Tian, ​​wearing a yellow hat and holding a red flag in one hand, walked in front of everyone and said through a small megaphone clipped to his collar: "Employees of Zhengang Trading Co., Ltd., look here. This afternoon's journey will take us over a mountain, past a lakeside boardwalk, and our destination is a Buddhist temple built 1,500 years ago. There is also a spring in the temple that is the eighth best in the world. The journey will be long, so please remember to bring your drinking water. If there are no problems, we will set off."

“No problem, I’ve brought water for you, Master.” Belfast was wearing a light blue casual jacket today, and her long silver hair was tied in a high ponytail. Recently, thanks to the nourishment of Yingtian, the perfectly elegant head maid has become even more radiant. She can hardly fit into her old clothes anymore. However, she did not get too close to the commander today. Maintaining proper boundaries is an essential lesson for a head maid.

"Pfft—" Wuwei couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"It really does look like that." Zuikaku looked him up and down. "He looks like one of those tour guide guys in the video."

Ying Tian said somewhat helplessly, "Since you won't let me hire a tour guide, I can only do my homework and go by myself."

Ying Tian thought to himself that being surrounded by so many beautiful girls, even if he wasn't dressed like this, he would look more like a tour guide than a boss.

St. Louis took off his sunglasses and pinned them to his chest: "Do you want an outsider to infiltrate our ranks?"

"……In no mood."

The outside temperature is still quite high, but nestled among the green trees in a mountainous area with abundant moisture, it is relatively cool compared to the city.

"The mountain we stand on was originally called Zijin Mountain. Legend has it that Master Huiwu, the sixth abbot of Jingshan Temple, buried his purple-gold alms bowl in the mountain, hence the name Zijin Mountain. Later, when Emperor Qianlong toured the south, he felt that the mountain's name contradicted the Forbidden City, so he wrote a poem and changed the name to Yingjia Mountain. The mountain's terrain is undulating and steep, like a giant dragon lying across the earth; it is definitely a place of auspicious feng shui."

Ying Tian walked among everyone, earnestly introducing the scenery on the mountain to all of them.

Bumblebee, swinging her golden twin tails, said, "You even know that? Commander, you're that amazing?"

"Just kidding, I did my homework for several days."

Bumblebee pointed to a rock on the side of the mountain path and said, "What's this?"

Ying Tian patiently explained, "Monkey Watching the Sea, doesn't it look like two monkeys looking into the distance?"

"It doesn't seem like it... but now that you mention it, it does seem a bit like it."

"And this?" It was Kariyong who spoke, now that she had calmed down, eager to redeem herself for her performance that morning.

Ying Tian searched his memory and said, "This is the stone."

“Wrong, this is clearly called a puppy,” Carlyon said with a grin. “You don’t even know that? You’re not doing your homework well either.”

Ying Tian glared at her and said, "Who said it's called a puppy? It's clearly a fierce-looking but insincere cat."

"Who are you calling a cat?" Kariyong suddenly became desperate.

"Anyway, they didn't mention you." Ying Tian was even more puzzled. How come Kaliyong's level dropped so suddenly? She broke through his defenses a little too quickly.

Kariyong realized her mistake and immediately puffed out her cheeks and stopped talking.

In fact, ship girls are naturally drawn to the sea, but they can get tired of looking at the sea every day. The scenery on the mountain is beautiful and lush, and everyone is surprisingly enjoying it. Saratoga runs around curiously, and Princeton follows behind her, sometimes taking pictures of the scenery for her, sometimes picking her up to smell the flowers on the trees. He is such a loyal little sister.

Chiyoda, holding her older sister Chitose's arm, pointed here and there: "If only the naval base had a mountain like this, we could build a shrine on it."

Feilong said from the side, "What are you thinking? This mountain is almost bigger than the garrison headquarters."

“There are little squirrels.” Ron lay down by the roadside, watching the creatures moving through the woods. “That’s nice, they’re so small and fragile.”

Independent said somewhat warily, "Ron, you don't intend to harm them, do you?"

"How could that be? My hobby is releasing animals back into the wild."

Ron squinted as he watched Ying Tian and Yi Xian walk side by side. What to do? He felt pressured again.

Chapter 73 If you can't calculate marriage, you don't have to.

Yingtian did not deliberately favor Yixian, and Yixian did not deliberately flaunt her status as a marriage ship or secretary ship, nor did she cling to the commander just because she had just arrived.

Ke Yixian's existence still put pressure on many people.

"Employees of Zhengang Trading Co., Ltd., look over here. Looking down, you can see Yunbo Lake, formerly known as Yingjiashan Reservoir. It has over four hundred islands scattered across its surface, with crystal-clear, emerald-green water. Surrounded by mountains and water, it's a national first-class water source," Ying Tian explained, holding up a small red flag. "There's also a legend here. In a small village that was submerged during the reservoir's construction, there was an ancestral hall. It's said that when Emperor Qianlong traveled south, he took a liking to a local woman..."

"Why is it this Emperor Qianlong again?" Ruihe couldn't help but complain. "Isn't he the emperor? How come he's so idle all day long?"

Kaliyon seized another opportunity to say, "The emperor isn't necessarily very busy. The commander is the local tyrant of the port, and he's not exactly idle either."

Ying Tian didn't refute, just smiled and remained silent. He said he was really free, with not much important work to do all day long. But he was also really not free, not even having time to play mobile games. Luckily, there was no summer homework in college.

St. Louis winked at Tian and retorted, "The Commander is really never idle; he has a lot to do all day long."

Yi Xian also explained, "Actually, it may not necessarily be Emperor Qianlong. Because he made six trips to the south of the Yangtze River in history, people often use his name to make connections. Regardless of other factors, he was indeed a very famous emperor, so using him for publicity seems like a pretentious attempt to appear cultured."

“The main reason is that Emperor Qianlong not only had a great reputation, but also a grand entourage, and he often got involved in some strange and quirky gossip.” Ying Tian added with great interest, “His grandfather, Emperor Kangxi, also made six southern tours, but his entourage was much smaller than his, so few people used him for publicity.”

Yi Xian smiled and squinted her eyes, reaching out to push aside the branches on the road in front of Ying Tian: "After all, there are too many folk tales about Emperor Qianlong, and later there were so many novels and TV series, so many people know him by name."

“Folk legends have their origins; they’re not baseless,” Ying Tian said. “This man was somewhat accomplished in both civil and military affairs, but he also did a lot of unreliable things. He was a stamp-stamping maniac and a poetry emperor who wrote over 40,000 poems, but not a single one is memorable.”

There's one song you definitely remember.

Ying Tian thought for a moment: "One piece after another, two pieces, three pieces, four or five pieces?"

“Yes,” Yixian said with a smile, “Six, seven, eight, or nine petals, they fly into the reeds and disappear.”

"To be honest, I actually think this poem is not bad; it's quite vivid and descriptive."

"It's actually quite good, because this poem was actually written by Zheng Banqiao, and the folk legend just made some changes."

"I knew it! It has to be Zheng Banqiao."

Then Yingtian and Yixian talked about Emperor Qianlong, then about poetry, then about Li Bai and Du Fu, and then about the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions and the Guiyi Army in the Western Regions... The topics they discussed were so engaging that no one else could join in. Of course, Zhenhai could, but she certainly wouldn't spoil the atmosphere.

Akagi and Kaga exchanged a glance, a strong sense of crisis rising within them. The first marriage ship, the secretary ship, and having so many common topics with the commander, and being an Eastern Empire ship girl with only a so-so relationship with Sakura Empire, she was definitely a formidable enemy. Perhaps they should go back and read the Twenty-Four Histories and the Complete Tang Poems.

Yingtian and Yixian chatted happily, but Yingtian did not forget his duty as a tour guide. After wandering around the lake for a while, he stopped Qiansui from walking directly onto the lake. After all, there were other tourists around, and it would be too terrifying for him to walk onto the lake without saying a word.

The journey ended at Jingshan Temple, surrounded by mountains. As a famous ancient temple that was not destroyed in the war, the entire building is very magnificent and solemn. However, perhaps because it was the wrong time of year and season, there were not many other tourists in the temple besides our group.

"Attention everyone, you must not step on the threshold when entering the temple, otherwise it is disrespectful to the Bodhisattva."

Little Jiajia, with her short legs, almost stepped on it. She pouted and said, "Superstition, Commander, you still believe in this stuff?"

Ying Tian said, "Since we're already here, we should follow local customs and learn some etiquette."

Originally, Ying Tian was a staunch materialist, but now he was a bit confused. Logically speaking, ship girls are a kind of idealistic life form, but these ship girls were talking to him about science, time travel, and energy conversion, instead of just chanting spells and making hand gestures to travel through time and space. He was now unsure whether he should be an idealist or a materialist.

Chitose, who had been somewhat confused, suddenly became solemn and reverent: "This is a very sacred place, just like our Sakura Empire's shrine. Chiyoda, be serious and have reverence for the gods."

“Yes, sister.” The clingy sister-obsessed Chiyoda released her sister’s arm, her expression turning serious.

When Yingtian saw the two sisters with wine-red hair and their solemn and beautiful appearance, he couldn't help but think of Kikyo, whom he had seen on the TV when he was a child, as well as Miyamizu Mitsuha and Reimu Hakurei, whom he had met later... Well, the two sisters were much richer than Reimu, but he was really looking forward to seeing them wearing their armpit-revealing shrine maiden outfits.

Seeing Yingtian's reaction, Shoukaku said from the side, "As I mentioned before, Chitose and Chiyoda are shrine maidens who dance Kagura in the shrines of the naval base. By the way, they and Fusō also make kuchikamizake (chewed sake). You can try it sometime."

"Mouth-chewed liquor, could it be the legendary kind of liquor that you chew in your mouth?"

"It's that kind of kuchikami sake," Shoukaku explained, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. After all, it was part of Sakura Empire's traditional culture, and kuchikami sake made by shrine maidens was a rare delicacy that could only be enjoyed during festivals.

Ying Tian thought about it and felt a little unable to accept it, even though Qian Sui and the others were all great beauties.

But then I thought about it again, and it didn't seem like a problem. Ship girls don't have bad breath or body odor, and their bodily fluids are clean and fresh. Even if they walk around in stockings all morning, their feet won't smell... Don't ask him how he knows, he just knows.

Before heading to the teahouse to taste the tea brewed from the Eighth Spring Under Heaven, everyone first toured the temple grounds. Yingtian only had a vague understanding of the temple's history, but thankfully Yixian was there to supplement it.

Since you've come to the temple, you should of course burn incense and worship Buddha. Light incense in the outdoor incense burner, scan the code to pay your donation, and then you can put your hands together and make a wish in front of the magnificent Buddha in the main hall.

Mercury Memorial asked curiously, "St. Louis, what did you wish for?"

St. Louis smiled and looked at Ying Tian, ​​saying, "I pray to Buddha that the commander is full of energy and vigor."

Ying Tian tried her best to remain serious with a straight face. "Auntie Sheng, you'd better be described as truly vigorous and powerful, driving in front of Buddha. You're too brave."

Others might not understand, but Mercury Memorial certainly did. However, it wasn't appropriate to say anything in front of the monks. I wonder if the master who was striking the wooden fish understood. The merit is gone.

"Commander, what did you wish for?"

"I won't tell you, because if I do, it won't work."

He didn't actually have any wishes. He just hoped that everyone in the naval base would be safe and sound. Although he often heard that the current sorties were going smoothly, war is war after all, and making a wish might not be of any use. Anyway, he just wanted to get some good luck.

As I walked out of the main hall, I saw that on the other side, in front of the Guanyin Hall, Da Feng seemed to be arguing with the nun selling fortune slips.

"What did you say? What do you mean by 'my ideal partner will pursue me within six months'? If you don't know how to calculate marriage, you don't have to. Give me my money back."

Da Feng slammed her fist on the table in anger. She had spent money to buy a marriage fortune slip, and this nun actually said that she would have a marriage partner within six months. She was already the Commander's woman, and this kind of swindler still had the nerve to take her money.

Upon seeing Yingtian approach, Dafeng threw herself into his arms with a mixture of enthusiasm and grievance, and said to the nun, "See? This is my destined other half. Do you even know how to calculate marriage? Is this Bodhisattva really effective?"

Ying Tian cleared his throat and said, "Master, my female friend...girlfriend meant no offense, please don't take it to heart."

“Not your girlfriend, but your wife,” Da Feng said affectionately.

Bumblebee chuckled from the side, "What wife? Do you have a vow ring?"

"It will happen, won't it? Won't it?"

Ying Tian could only say, "Yes, but only after you have received your punishment."

"It's just a little punishment for you."

They were talking, and the nun was already a little disoriented.

Chapter 74 I Just Know

When faced with a benefactor seeking a marriage partner, the temple naturally has professional explanations.

First, I certainly won't say anything bad. Second, it depends on the person. If it's a man and a woman together, I wish them a long and happy marriage. If it's a man alone, I say as long as he's sincere, his marriage will come naturally. Women are more particular. If she comes in looking gloomy, she's probably just broken up with her boyfriend, so I should guide her to look forward. A stunningly beautiful woman with black hair like the one in front of me, and with her colleagues, is probably half-jokingly asking for a fortune stick. So, I just need to say some nice things, like that a wonderful marriage is just around the corner, and encourage her to buy some lucky fortune sticks and small trinkets.

The nun never expected that she would run into trouble in such a way.

Although all beings are equal before Buddha, and only one's original destiny matters, the nun could never connect Da Feng with Ying Tian, ​​who was wearing a tour guide hat. The problem is that it seems that Da Feng was the one who actively sought him out.

However, a practitioner is a practitioner, and the nun was not just a figurehead. She quickly adjusted her words: "My benefactor, I think you have misunderstood. You have not understood what I mean. I said that you will definitely have a marriage within six months. What constitutes a marriage? It is the union of man and woman, the harmony of yin and yang. I see that you and this male benefactor are a perfect match, a match made in heaven. Within six months, you will surely reunite and become husband and wife. If you do not believe me, you can buy a fortune stick from this fortune stick box. With the guidance of the Bodhisattva, the result will be clear."

After several rounds of explanation, Da Feng immediately turned her anger into joy, happily bowed three times to Guanyin, drew a fortune stick, and saw that it was indeed a very auspicious one, favorable for marriage.

"Look, look, even the Bodhisattva thinks so!"

Da Feng happily showed the auspicious fortune slip to Ying Tian, ​​then looked at the few small trinkets the nun was selling and bought a whole bunch of them.