Chapter 300: First Encounter at Xiangjiang Ferry

Chapter 300: First Encounter at Xiangjiang Ferry

Chapter 300: First Encounter at Xiangjiang Ferry

The bald-headed turtle stuck out its pointed head, with overlapping wrinkles and ravines, like the face of an old man who had been weathered by the wind and frost. Its soybean-sized eyeballs shed two tears. It crawled to the side of the shoes of the little nun in white, as if asking for help.

"Sir..."

"Young Master is wrong. The people on the river rely on their own strength to fish and support their families. They are not the ones who talk nonsense and seek to take advantage of others."

The old fisherman sat on a big wooden tub, smoking his pipe and staring at his turtle.

The little nun in white was blocked before she could even open her mouth. She was not good at speaking. Her master and her two uncles were all hot-tempered people. They would rather fight than argue. If they occasionally argued, it was only for the purpose of having a legitimate reason to fight next.

"Old man, there is no greater merit in the world than releasing animals. As long as ordinary people do not kill animals indiscriminately in order to maintain their health, the karma they have accumulated can still be resolved. This giant turtle is quite spiritual. If you harm it, your karma will be great. It is better to release it..."

"Master is wrong again."

The old fisherman interrupted her.

"I...I was wrong again?"

The old fisherman smiled and said, "I never thought of harming it. I just wanted to sell it. After I sell it, whether it lives or dies, it has nothing to do with me. Little Master, you have money, so you can buy it yourself and get the merit alone. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

"Then...how much silver does the old man want?"

"Even if it's hard to sell in Hengyang, I can ask someone to send it to Changsha Prefecture, and it can at least be sold for fifty or sixty taels. Since Master is doing a good deed, thirty taels will be enough. Just consider it as my congratulations."

"Thirty taels? How can a monk have so much silver?"

The little nun turned her sleeves upside down again, but still found only the seven copper coins. She looked embarrassed, as she already owed money for divination, so how could she have the money to buy the giant turtle? Even if her senior sisters and others had money on them, they would probably only have about ten taels in total.

Seeing this, the fortune teller in hemp clothes laughed and said, "It's almost done. Why make things difficult for a monk?"

The old fisherman glanced at the fortune teller and shook his head, saying, "Young Master has no money, this is not my fault. It is getting dark, let's go home and stop hanging around outside. If we run into a bad guy, it will be troublesome."

The little nun searched her pockets again, and found nothing on her body except for the string of sandalwood beads in her hand. These beads were given to her by her master when she was ordained as a nun at the age of twelve, and they were always regarded as her most precious thing.

She looked at the old turtle crawling at her feet, hesitated for a moment, took off her rosary and handed it over.

"Uncle, this is the only rosary I have."

"Master, have you ever seen how high thirty taels of silver are when piled together? Can these strings of wood be worth the silver? I am a rough man, and my black eyes only recognize silver. If you don't have money, then forget it!"

The old fisherman shook his head and turned to pack up his fishing nets, wooden basin and iron fork and load them onto the boat. He suddenly stopped and looked towards the river. In the hazy night, a dark shadow was approaching on the river.

"Crash!"

The bright moon is rising over the Xiangjiang River.

"The guests have arrived."

The young man standing at the stern and rowing the boat inserted the long pole into the bottom of the river, and the black boat slowly approached the dock.

He thought to himself, "It's really weird. I rented a boat and floated on the river just to sleep for several hours."

The man rubbed his sore arm again and looked at the waterline on the side of the boat, feeling surprised. He had been seeing guests off for many years and was very familiar with this boat. Normally, the waterline would be so deep only when it was fully loaded with four or five passengers. He suspected several times that there was a leak at the bottom of his boat.

"Here's the boat fare. Thank you for your hard work!"

For some reason, the man in the black robe was in a very good mood. He threw a small silver coin over, and it landed in the cabin with a "thump". He turned around and jumped onto the dock.

"so much?"

"Thank you, guest! Thank you, guest!"

The young boatman picked up the silver, which was more than several days' boat fare. Even though it included the half-day charter fee, it was still a good profit. He was immediately ecstatic and kept thanking the man.

This scene was seen by the three people at the dock who were unaware of the situation.

The fortune teller in hemp clothes looked at the little nun, smiled gently, and whispered: "Now that a wealthy donor has come, whether you can save the old turtle from the clutches of the devil and return its spirit to nature, little master, it all depends on your intention."

The old fisherman held out some hope that the turtle might be able to afford his good goods since he was so generous. He quietly removed the wooden basin covering the turtle's body and was about to speak when a white figure blocked his way in the middle of the dock.

"Please stay, benefactor. Please stay, benefactor."

Under the moonlight, the snow-white monk's robe seemed to emit an inexplicable glow.

"Please help me, benefactor."

Zhang Yu was slightly stunned and looked at the little nun who stopped him. She had a beautiful appearance, a refined temperament, and pure eyes as if they had never been polluted by the world. She was like a clear spring hidden in the mountains, without any impurities.

"Young Master, why do you need my help?"

"I want to... beg for alms from the donor."

The little nun raised her head, glanced at the man, was stunned for a moment, and suddenly lowered her head again.

Zhang Yu smiled and asked, "What kind of fate is this?"

She whispered, "It's the fate of saving lives and accumulating blessings."

Zhang Yu looked in the direction of the finger and was a little surprised. What a huge turtle it was. This guy was half-retracted in his shell. When his head was slightly poked out, it looked very much like a man's penis. His eyes were small and focused, which looked very human.

"How much silver do you want?"

"Thirty taels."

The old fisherman added: "For thirty taels of silver, you can take it home. Whether you keep it in your yard as a decoration or kill it and remove its armor and flesh, you won't lose anything."

When the little nun heard that she had to take off her armor, she was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.

Zhang Yu took out two silver ingots from his arms. They were the money for wine and meat returned by the owner of Linjianglou, exactly thirty taels. He glanced at the old turtle whose neck had been completely stretched out, and thought to himself, could it be God's will?
He handed over two silver ingots with both hands and said with a chuckle, "Little Master, since you want to do this good deed, why should I be stingy with these worldly possessions?"

The old fisherman was stunned.

The little nun took the silver, but she didn't expect it to be so simple. She had been thinking about it for a long time, but when she saw this person, for some reason, she couldn't say anything. She could only wipe away her tears and utter a few words dryly.

"Thank you very much, thank you very much, benefactor!"

"Little Master, you are making donations for good deeds, and I am distributing money for accumulating merits. It's a good deal for both of us, so no need to thank me."

The little nun looked in the direction where the man was going away, wondering what she was thinking.

The old fisherman came over and asked softly, "Little Master, are you still going to do this good deed?"

The little nun handed over the silver which was not even warm yet. The old fisherman took the silver, smiled happily, gave the turtle to him, untied the rope himself, jumped onto the small fishing boat, and sailed away on the river.

The fortune teller in hemp clothes pinched his beard and snorted, "He has a face that can make a girl cry. It's obvious that he is not a good guy. He dares not to believe in fate. Sooner or later, let him come to me for a fortune-telling."

The little nun squatted down and untied the straw rope wrapped around the turtle.

"Old turtle, go back to the river. Be careful next time and don't get caught again." The black-shelled bald-headed turtle seemed to understand and was silent for a moment. It crawled on the ground with all four limbs, but when it reached the edge of the dock, it stopped. It looked back at the little nun, and suddenly its throat surged and it spit out a golden pearl, which rolled to her feet and sparkled in the moonlight.

"Boom!"

The old turtle fell into the water.

The fortune teller in hemp clothes widened his eyes and was stunned for a long time. How could such a strange thing happen in the world?
"The turtle spits out pearls, and the blessing is profound. This little bald guy is incredible!"

The little nun picked up the beads at her feet and thought to herself, this turtle was released by that man with money, and good deeds will be rewarded, so the beads should belong to him, but... he just forgot to ask his name.

………………

The next day, early in the morning.

"Brother~Brother~"

To the north of Hengyang City, there is a forest of dozens of miles, which the locals call Guniuling. At the foot of the mountain is the official road leading to Hengshan County.

"Brother~Brother~"

"It's done!"

The cuckoo's shrill and mournful cry could be heard in the woods.

"It's finally done!"

Zhang Yu sat under the lush pine trees, his face filled with joy. He opened his palms and revealed the object.

Only the size of a fingernail, the blue ice flakes are as thin as paper and are emitting chilling air, which is several times colder than ordinary ice. Meanwhile, there are traces of masculine energy flowing in the ice, forming a delicate balance.

Bei Ming Divine Art is the unique skill of Xiaoyao Sect. The secret book of Bei Ming Divine Art in the Xuanyue Temple built by Zhao Xu was probably originally compiled by the descendants of Xiaoyao Sect. It includes the method of refining the Life and Death Talisman, including the method of removing it, which is extremely detailed.

After Zhang Yu obtained the magical power and made some progress, he was eager to practice this skill, but he encountered setbacks again and again. Who would have thought that a drunken state at Linjiang Tower yesterday inadvertently prompted him to practice the Life and Death Talisman.

"I've tried sea water, river water, rain water, tea water, cold water, hot water, but it just won't condense."

“When you are surrounded by mountains and rivers, you may think there is no way out, but when you look up, you will find another village.”

He looked at the yellow wine gourd hanging on the tree. 'Years Wrong' was an extremely strong wine. After sleeping for several hours, he was still drunk. Zhang Yu used his internal energy to expel the remaining wine from the Shaoshang acupoint. During this process, he tried to condense the Life and Death Talisman for some reason. It really worked, and he got closer to success each time.

It was not until dawn that I finally got this small piece of blue ice.

Zhang Yu raised his hand and threw the thin ice onto the tree. With a "pop" sound, it was like ice water extinguishing a burning charcoal. Looking closely, he saw a circle of water stains on the originally smooth pine bark, and in the middle was a black circular mark, as if it had been burned by fire.

"The way of yin and yang is indeed extremely mysterious."

He slowly stood up and looked at the official road leading to the north at the bottom of the slope, but he thought of Lan Hao.

"I haven't seen you for half a year. I wonder how Brother Lan's Yin-Yang Heart Sutra is going."

Just as Zhang Yu was about to return to Hengyang City to meet up with Du Xiaochai, he saw two horsemen and horses galloping from the north on the official road in the distance. They stopped at the foot of the hillside and the two men got off their horses. They had white scarves on their heads, green robes on their feet, and straw sandals on their bare feet. They were standing by the roadside looking around, as if they were waiting for someone.

"Someone from Qingcheng Sect?"

Zhang Yu looked around, pushed off the ground with his left foot, leaped up to a height of five or six feet, hid in the crown of a pine tree, and quietly observed the situation along the official road.

"Who are they waiting for? Yu Canghai?"

Sure enough, not long after, a black carriage came from the south, covered tightly, surrounded by seven or eight Sichuan men dressed in the same manner, and leading the way was the Qingcheng Sect's chief disciple, Hou Renying.

"Big Brother, you are finally here."

"Junior Brother Pi, where is Master?"

Hou Renying got off the horse and saw only the fat man with a bulging belly and the ordinary disciple behind him.

"When Master was leaving the inn, he happened to meet Mr. Yue, and he talked to him for a while. Master couldn't refuse, but he was also worried that Senior Brother would not know what was going on, and would lead his men into Hengshan City without knowing what was going on, and reveal their whereabouts to all the heroes in the world. That would be troublesome, so he asked me to stop you halfway, and he will come right after he deals with Mr. Yue."

Hou Renying frowned slightly: "Yue Buqun?"

Pi Renqiu smiled and said, "Yes, it's Yue Buqun. Huashan Sect is interesting. The disciple Linghu Chong is arrogant and nosy, but the master is a humble gentleman. Not only is he very polite to the master, but he is also very polite when he meets us. He is indeed a well-known gentleman sword in the martial arts world."

Hou Renying shook his head and said, "It's not that simple."

"Big Brother, who are you saying is not simple? Sect Master Yue?"

"Humph, since leaving Fuzhou Prefecture, I've always felt like someone was following me."

"Have you found out who it is?"

"It's almost certain! When we were leaving Fuzhou, Jiangxi, I deliberately let the carriage go forward and hid in the dark. Sure enough, two people followed behind, a white-haired old man and an ugly woman in green. I tried to capture them, but they were both good at swordsmanship. The white-haired old man was impeccable, and the ugly woman in green was graceful and agile, with both offensive and defensive skills. I only fought them to a draw, but when we fought, I recognized the swordsmanship they used."

Pi Renqiu asked, "Is it the Huashan sword technique?"

Hou Renying nodded and said, "Some of the moves are indeed very similar to Huashan swordsmanship."

Pi Renqiu frowned and asked, "Big Brother, how do you know it's Huashan Sword Technique?"

"Humph, you forgot about that little bastard Linghu Chong just when I mentioned him? At the end of last year in Hanzhong, I had a... fight with him, and I was quite impressed by his Huashan swordsmanship."

Hou Renying was a little embarrassed to say it. It was called a fight, but in fact it was just the Four Beauties of Qingcheng fighting against one. In the end, they were defeated by Linghu Chong and all of them were seriously injured. In the end, Yu Canghai was alarmed. In order to save face, he personally wrote a letter to Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect, praising Linghu Chong's "good swordsmanship".

"I see!"

Pi Renqiu nodded slightly, then gritted his teeth and said, "There is something that Senior Brother doesn't know yet. The kid who escaped from the Lin family showed up in Nanchang. I spent a lot of effort to catch him, but he was rescued by someone. That person also killed Junior Brother Ji Renxiang. Now that I think about it, it should be someone from the Huashan Sect who is behind this. What a gentleman, Mr. Jianyue!"

Hou Renying nodded and said, "Yue Buqun is insidious and treacherous. The Huashan sect has some plans, but Master doesn't know about this yet. You said he is pestering Master, I'm afraid it's not a good thing. If Master is not prepared and says something, it will be bad."

Pi Renqiu asked hurriedly: "What should we do then?"

Hou Renying was silent for a moment, then said, "I will immediately rush to Hengshan City to see Master. Junior Brother Pi, I'll trouble you to stay here and watch over Lin Zhennan and his wife. Remember not to let the news leak out."

"Big Brother, just go ahead and rest assured."

Dust rose up on the official road as he rode alone towards Hengshan City.

Pi Renqiu withdrew his gaze and looked at the black carriage, then called on his disciples to drive the carriage from the side of the road into the woods.

Although he was not the eldest senior disciple nor one of the four best disciples, he was Yu Canghai's direct disciple with the generation name "Ren". His status was much higher than that of the ordinary disciples present, and everyone had to obey his orders.

"You went to so much trouble to catch two ginseng dolls? I'd like to see them."

Pi Renqiu lifted the thick car curtain, and what came into his sight was a beautiful woman with a haggard face. His eyes were fixed on her for an instant, and he looked around. The forest was quiet, and the disciples of Qingcheng Sect were scattered in all directions to watch for the wind. He swallowed secretly, and couldn't help but remember a storytelling in his mind.

The Three Kingdoms is a popular story in Shu. There is a story about Cao Cao who won a battle and abducted Aunt Zhang Xiu. He said to her in her tent: "Madam, will you sleep with me?"

(End of this chapter)