Chapter 373: A letter from home is worth a fortune, and the water beast takes office!

Chapter 373: A letter from home is worth a fortune, and the water beast takes office!

Chapter 373: A letter from home is worth a fortune, and the water beast takes office! (4k)

Flowing golden sea.

Heyuan Prefecture.

As the largest border town in the entire Northwest, it is a transportation hub, with numerous buildings and flourishing flowers, and there is no other place that can match it.

In the past, this city was a vast grassland and desert.

All businesses traveling north and south must pass through here for supplies. When the weather gets a little warmer, the sound of the caravan’s bells can be heard from early morning until midnight.

However, today, the guards on the city wall who are responsible for checking and releasing people would just walk around twice, take a quick look, and then return to the tower to warm themselves by the fire to dispel the severe cold that has penetrated into their bones.

Winter has arrived, and the snow outside the city has accumulated for days and is already above the horses' chests.

The sky was gray and the sun was not visible. The environment was so bad that no businessmen traveled out.

Even the Yubei River and the Luo River were covered with thick ice. Standing on the gate tower, one could only see the fearless herdsmen turning into black dots along with the fishermen, slowly moving across the vast white land, breaking the ice to catch fish. When the fish were so frozen that they had to be dug out together with the ice.

The guards often saw large fish that were three or four feet long and weighed dozens of kilograms frozen to death in ice nests, and the fishermen had to carry them one by one into the city through the small gate.

The big fish had clearly been dead for a long time, but its gills, exposed from its arched body, were bright red as blood.

The guard put his sword aside, sat cross-legged, put his hands into the orange light, stretched his stiff fingers, and complained about the bad weather.

"The snow is really thick this year. It can bury most of the building when it falls on it! The parapet walls on the upper floors are several feet high. We have to sweep them clean to see clearly below."

These words resonated with the surrounding soldiers.

"That's right. Since autumn began, the snowstorm has never stopped. The grass in the northern pastures has fallen in patches. There is no time to harvest the winter grass. Every day when I wake up and open the door, I have to shovel the snow in front of the door first."

"Damn it, I've been opening the gate for so long and can't even see a bird. I can't even collect a penny of toll!"

"We can't help it. Yesterday a group of horsemen came and lost all their goods in the desert. They only found their way back with the help of an old horse. There were more than 60 people, but only 32 returned. Less than half of them survived."

"It's so cold, even ordinary martial artists can't stand it, let alone ordinary people."

"In my opinion, the martial artists should be on duty. People who can endure the cold don't come. Why are we, the second and third level people, left to suffer the cold while hugging a soft, moist, warm woman in bed?"

"Stop complaining. You have the ability to be a centurion, but now you're just lying in bed hugging your woman for warmth."

The water in the iron pot on the campfire was boiling. A big hand passed through the gap between the soldiers, picked up the iron pot, filled his own kettle, screwed on the lid, and stuffed it into his arms to keep warm.

"Captain, we are complaining because we are incompetent."

The soldier did not feel angry, and took the iron pot with a smile and poured water for everyone.

Someone started to make a noise: "It's getting cold, when will the captain take us to hug the women and warm them up? He has been out of the sun for too long, and his big bird is about to get bedsores!"

"Get lost." The captain kicked the person who was making trouble and said, "I don't have that much spare money. If you want to keep warm, go find a prostitute in the dark alley."

"The water is gone!" the last soldier shouted as he emptied the pot.

The captain looked around and stared at the person who was making a fuss: "You, go get some ice to boil some water, and bring some dry firewood. Don't mess with the snow, it's full of ash and slag! It tastes like rust!"

"Okay! I'll bring a piece of cold, juicy old ice to the captain!"

Amid the laughter of the crowd, the guard took the iron pot and the chisel, walked down the corridor of the tower, and went out of the small door. Not long after walking, people caught a glimpse of a black shadow in the distance in the wind and snow, and heard the faint sound of bells in the wind.

The guard's face tightened and he shouted, "Who is coming?"

"Deliver the message!"

The voice pierced through the haze, so vast and powerful that it stopped the wind and snow.

Delivering a letter?

send!

The guard didn't bother to break the ice and hurried back: "The messenger is coming! The messenger is coming!"

"Don't shout, I can hear you upstairs."

The captain came out from a small door, followed by all the guards rushing out, eagerly waiting.

The wind and snow were strong, and the carriage seemed far away but was actually close.

The messenger, wearing thick cotton, had a ruddy complexion, and the followers behind him had extraordinary auras, all of them were powerful martial artists.

"Master Chang!"

The captain stepped forward and greeted him with a bow.

It was an important military location, and even the messengers who came and went were not ordinary people, and they rarely changed, so there was no one that the guards at the gate didn't know.

The messenger nodded slightly and waved his hand, and someone behind him delivered the official certificate.

After confirmation, three carriages full of letters drove past the guards.

The guards swallowed.

You can often find prostitutes, but it is hard to see letters from home.

The news of the arrival of the post station messenger spread quickly throughout the entire north gate tower and then spread outward, even faster than the messenger's carriage.

When the carriage arrived at the post station, the entrance was already surrounded by noisy soldiers.

One after another, scholars braved the severe cold to bring desks, held pens with their red, frozen hands, and wrote letters in the cold wind to earn a few hard-earned dollars.

In winter, the post station will reduce the number of transport trips.

The soldiers' letters could only be packed up and sent out by the post station when enough of them were collected and the messenger arrived.

It is midwinter and the New Year is approaching.

Who knows if you miss this opportunity, when the messenger will arrive next time.

If people who have a long journey to go don't take advantage of the messenger's arrival to send the letter in advance, they will miss the journey.

"Make way, make way, don't block the door!"

"Write your letter somewhere else, don't block the door!"

"Wait until the mail is sorted out before coming back. The messenger needs two days to replenish supplies. Don't worry, take your time writing!"

The clerks at the post station maintained order and finally made way for the carriage to enter.

The letters on the first two carts were packed in sacks with white snow falling all over the brown cloth. When they arrived at the post station, the clerks came forward to carry the letters, pinched the two corners of the bags, and poured out all the letters and dry snow at once, and asked the runners to be responsible for sorting and distributing them.

It was not until the third car that the officers treated them clearly differently. Apart from the large portion that was in sacks, which were poured out as usual, the remaining small portion was packed in wooden boxes.

When I opened it, I saw piles of letters neatly stacked.

The letter paper inside was obviously much better than others, white and delicate, and some of the covers even had gold-stamped patterns and were sealed with wax.

Just as the clerks were dealing with the letters, they heard conversation coming from the front hall.

"Why did Commander Yang come here in person to get the letter today? Isn't he just looking for someone to run an errand for him?"

A strong male voice sounded.

"I have been on duty at the North Gate these days, and I happened to be going to the tower to take a look. When I saw you coming, I asked if you had any letters from me."

"Lord Yang, you came at the right time. If I remember correctly, there really is a letter from you. It came from Huaiyin Prefecture. It must have been sent by Lord Yang's relatives."

"Oh? I just received it once a month ago, and now I have it again today?"

"Then I don't know."

In the backyard.

The clerk in charge of distributing the letters was startled when he heard the voice and waved his hand to urge everyone: "Quick, quick, quick, turn over, turn over, is there any letter from Lord Yang Xuyang! Lord Yang Xuyang's letter!"

"Look for me quickly!"

When the rest of the people received the order, they immediately put down their work and ran to look at the names on the wooden boxes on the third carriage. They searched one by one, and soon someone found a wooden box with Yang Xu's name on it at the bottom of the carriage.

"Found it, here, here!"

"Give it to me!"

Just at this moment, a tall and strong man with a black robe on his shoulders stepped over the threshold and walked into the backyard while chatting with the messenger.

"Does it really snow so seldom in the south?" "Seldom, in Huaiyin Prefecture, three or four light snowfalls a year are already quite a big deal, and there may be a heavy snowfall once every five or six years, but it is still far worse than Liujinhai.

The days when the entire Jianghuai Lake was frozen over were rare. I have only heard of two such times from the local county annals since I was a child, and the area was not very large.

"Master Yang, your letter."

The clerk who received the letter stepped out quickly, held it in both hands, and presented it respectfully.

"Hard!"

As Yang Xu spoke, hot air billowed out of his mouth. He took out a few taels of silver from his pocket, gave them to the clerk as a reward, and took the wooden box, which contained only a letter.

The messenger who followed took a few steps back to make room.

Yang Xu was quite surprised to receive the letter because he had just received one a month ago.

The journey of letters from Huaiyin Prefecture to Heyuan Prefecture would take at least two months, and if the weather was bad, it might take three months.

Now it's been less than a month since we last met, and I'm afraid something has happened at home, so I haven't sent you any letters yet.

So without too much hesitation, Yang Xu opened it and read it carefully on the spot.

half an hour.

"Liujin Sea, three miles east of Kumu Cliff? Half of the secret book?"

Yang Xu read it carefully and felt relieved after confirming that it was not a sudden incident.

It turned out that my junior fellow apprentice wanted to ask for something.

Yang Xu had not been home for five years and had not seen the three disciples his father had accepted in the past five years.

But I received letters from home frequently, so I had a general idea of ​​the situation.

Especially in the three letters this year, the ninth junior brother, whom he had never met, occupied a considerable amount of space.

The first letter talks about the father's joy at having a disciple who has a kind character and excels others.

One of the letters said that the ninth junior brother was born with a martial spirit, and he became a disciple of Hebo and became a galloping horse.

The latter letter said that he had made great contributions to flood control and had received an oral order from the Holy Emperor, along with three methods of cultivation.

The difference in content was so great that if the handwriting was not authentic, Yang Xu really wanted to send a reply letter full of questions.

A remarkable talent.

Yang Xu himself was far behind this level, especially the three skills that his ninth junior brother had brought him not long ago. They were extremely useful, all of them were for saving lives and recognizing the evil in people's hearts. The only drawback was that they were difficult to practice!
It's obviously just a thin booklet, but it seems to be more difficult to practice than those advanced martial arts!
There had not been many important matters in the past month, not to mention the war. Yang Xu had put down almost everything he was doing. He also used a lot of incense and precious materials to increase his understanding, and concentrated on practicing the methods in the book. He had barely grasped a few tricks of the "Eye Consciousness Method", which was not even enough to get started.

But even so, the benefits are already evident.

On the day he figured out the trick, Yang Xu stood on the city wall and used his half-baked "Eye Recognition Method" to catch eight spies and one traitor.

After verification, it was found that there was nothing wrong except that the two spies were a misunderstanding.

Especially the traitors, who were more hateful than the spies, and they gave Yang Xu a lot of credit.

When this incident happened, the entire North District was in an uproar, and many people gave Yang Xu the nickname Hawkeye.

It was also this incident that made the Grand Master Tianren who was guarding the north gate think that Yang Xu was a good candidate for catching spies. He was supposed to change his shift and rest yesterday, but he had to extend his rest day by half a month and continue to catch spies and traitors.

Thinking of this, Yang Xu turned to look at the messenger: "Brother Chang, when are you going to leave?"

"The weather is extremely cold and the roads are blocked by heavy snow. I am not afraid, but it is difficult to travel by car and horse. I have wasted a lot of time. I plan to rest in the city for two days before I continue."

"In that case, Brother Chang, why don't you stay for two more days? The city's meteorologists have calculated that the heavy snow will stop in four days, and the road will be easier to travel by then."

Yang Xu knew where Kumu Cliff was. It was not too far from Heyuan Prefecture and half a day would be enough.

However, due to the heavy snow, the roads were flooded and the location was unknown. It would take another one to two days, plus searching...

Let the courier stay for two more days, maybe he can catch up in time for delivery.

Ninth Junior Brother is about to condense his true energy, and has also sent me the precious Three Consciousnesses Method. It is a rare request, and as the eldest Junior Brother, I naturally cannot be a stand-in. It would be better if I arrive five or six days earlier.

Guessing Yang Xu's intention, the messenger thought for a moment and agreed: "Of course."

With the speed of a martial artist and his black iron horse, snow is a small problem.

The key is that the snow is so heavy that it covers the sky and it is difficult to tell the direction, which will cause delays.

Staying for two more days to wait for the snow to stop would indeed help in our journey.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Lord Yang."

After getting the promise, Yang Xu rushed to the government office to ask for leave, and then went to the camp to gather his men.

A quarter of an hour later.

The city gate opened, and the thirty-six riders turned into a gust of wind, stepped out of the city gate, and disappeared in the flying snow.

……

Huaiyin Prefecture.

Shangrao Port, Yixing Town, Pingyang County.

The night is dotted with stars.

The large ship beside the plank road rose and fell with the water flow and remained motionless.

Among them there was a lucky ship that raised its sails in the night, took advantage of the night wind, and swayed out of the harbor.

Otter got on all fours and jumped down from the roof, chirping loudly.

Liang Qu didn't understand, but Jiang Otter on the deck understood clearly and immediately ran to the mast, untied the ropes, pulled the two long ropes, and adjusted the direction of the sail.

After more than a month of training and with the patient guidance of the old giant clam, Taotao Kai believes he has mastered superb boat-driving skills. Finally, he took a solid step today and started practicing!

All six river otters joined the battle and were in a panic at first. However, after a series of adjustments and operations, the Fu ship went from being a headless fly, drifting in place, to gradually moving steadily.

The Beaver family stood on the deck, staring in amazement, each exposed front tooth showing their shock at the changes in their brothers.

above the river.

The Longping River and the Longping River poked their heads out and marveled at the river otters on the Fujian ship.

"As expected of the Dragon Lord, the river otters he has enlightened are so smart and can even steer a boat!"

"That's right." Long Pinghe nodded, "The river otters I know only know how to fight."

The river otter, which had always only known how to fight, could actually obediently steer the boat, which really broke the two dragon people's cognition.

Half an hour later.

Nothing unexpected happened.

The entire Fu ship had its sails inflated and was moving slowly forward, sailing steadily on the water.

Liang Qu stood on the deck, feeling relaxed.

Liang Qu himself didn't know whether it would be possible to let the otter serve as a crew member.

Now it seems that after Ze Ding's enlightenment, Taotaokai's strength has not changed much, but his intelligence has actually improved a lot, and he has really mastered the skills of boat driving.

The otters jumped up and down, excited that they could move such a huge creature by moving the sails and spinning the discs.

Otter stood at the bow, his hair flying, not feeling the cold at all.

So what if Scarface can fight, can he drive a boat?

When Liang Qu saw the Fu ship moving away from the pier, he had an idea and followed his body's sensation to use the power of summoning wind and rain.

In an instant, the clear night turned dark.

Dark clouds seemed to appear out of nowhere, covering the entire night sky.

The dragon man in the river was stunned.

(End of this chapter)