Chapter Sixty-three: Buying a Boat and Going to Sea
The misty rain in the south is really too gentle. Although it is the cold winter season, it does not feel cold at all. Xiao Ruo looked at Zhang Ji on the horse and smiled, then put on a red dress on the horse, and the rain flowed along her Her hair flowed to both sides.
Zhang Ji was stunned when he saw it on the horse: the four words "wind servant girl and misty temples" were so exciting that he felt that this journey south for thousands of miles was the only intoxicating experience in his life.
Xiaoruo smiled at him and asked, "Does it look good?" Zhang Ji's usually serious face broke into laughter, and then he burst into laughter.
Xiao Ruo was so proud that he laughed softly for a while and then asked: "We have all chased you here, is there anything wrong?" Zhang Jizai immediately replied: "The Kongtong sect's iron hand Taoist masters don't know the stunts. He lied, he said that Eighth Brother and his party were going to go outside Lingnan, so he was determined not to make a mistake."
Xiao Ruo said: "Ha... I can't believe what this kind of person says! Tie Shou Taoists are so narrow-minded that they collude with outsiders to embarrass fellow disciples for their own sake. How can they be considered heroes!" Zhang Jishen took a deep breath and said: "If we had arrived earlier, Taoist Iron Hand, Lu Long Xiaofeng and others might not have been seriously injured..."
Xiao Ruo comforted him and said, "How can we compare to someone else's lackeys with hands and eyes all over the place? After asking around all the way, we will naturally lag behind others."
Zhang Ji sighed after a long while: "There are more than 30 famous masters in Zhao's group, but they were easily killed by the White Lotus Sect. Looking at the rivers and lakes, even Shaolin and Wudang don't have such strength." . Think about it, this kind of snobbishness would be nothing more than just opening up a sect in the world, but it happened to rebel, and the weapons were used, causing the lives of Sichuan and Sichuan to be devastated. If they are not eradicated as soon as possible, this group of people will be allowed to cause trouble again. Once it comes out, I really don’t know if the world can still be peaceful!”
Xiao Ruo approached Zhang Ji on horseback and said, "I don't understand. Why did the imperial guards really stand still? Why did Jin Dao and Mu Jian allow Shang Jiutian to cause trouble in the world, but then returned to the capital and ignored them?" "
Zhang Ji was stopped by his question and pondered for a long time. He just shook his head and replied: "After all, I am in Jianghu, and I don't know much about the temples from my fourth and fifth brothers. This time, the eighth brother missed it first." Appearing in the White Lotus Sect Futon Cave for no apparent reason, and then Yu'er breaking into the prison without permission. In addition, Brother Lu and I made a big fuss about the Jinyiwei Subduing the Dragon and Subduing the Tiger Formation, and accidentally left the White Lotus Sect Shang Jiutian. Just these few lawsuits, It’s enough for the fourth and fifth brothers. I didn’t designate Jin Yiwei as an imperial prisoner. Half of it comes from Xianyun Village, and the other half is probably from the manipulation of the fourth and fifth brothers.”
He paused for a moment and then said: "Now you and I can just go after him alone. Firstly, we need to eradicate the demons, and secondly, we really need to persuade the eighth brother well and prevent him from going astray."
Xiaoruo laughed after hearing this and said: "Look at your words and tone, you are all like a master. If you want to recruit a few more disciples tomorrow, why don't you just start a sect and let me be your master's wife?" Zhang Ji laughed loudly after hearing this. After laughing, he said seriously: "Of course I have to pass on my skills to Xuan'er. As for whether I want to establish a sect in the future, I have to ask my master."
Xiao Ruo said: "Didn't you say that your master has wandered away? If the master doesn't come back to you for a day, how can you ask for instructions?" Zhang Jidao: "The martial arts I learned came from the authentic Wudang sect, although I have not officially entered the Wudang Mountain Sect. , but if you want to start a new sect, you really have to ask the master."
Seeing that he was getting serious, Xiao Ruo stopped teasing and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, I will listen to you!"
The drizzle stopped at some point, but the hazy fog has not dissipated.
The sound of horse hooves sounded in an orderly manner after the rain. This road is not an official road, so it is particularly quiet. Xiaoruo feels that the mist and rain in the West Lake have never been so beautiful.
The mountain road gradually narrowed, and the two horses were walking one behind the other. Zhang Ji from behind said again: "I really don't know which master from the White Lotus Sect is here this time?"
Xiao Ruo said: "The four great hall masters and the five great protectors in the White Lotus Sect are all top masters. It is said that it is you. Even though I grew up in the White Lotus Sect and reached the position of deputy altar master, I never knew that it was you. . Zong Baiyuan and I have known each other for a long time, and we both studied martial arts under Zuo Zhenxiong. I only knew that he was a senior, but I didn’t know that he was actually the direct disciple of the leader, one of the four major hall masters..." She Although he finished speaking in one breath, he could not help but feel his heart beat faster. He even suspected that his voice was shaking when he spoke, and he gripped the horse's reins tighter.
Suddenly, Zhang Ji jumped over to the horse she was riding, stretched out his hand from her waist, and caught the horse's reins.
Xiaoruo's heart felt hot and she couldn't help but lean closer to him.
Both horses were good horses, enough to carry them both. Xiao Ruo stopped talking and instead squeezed Zhang Ji's hand tighter.
There were shrubs on both sides, and the green ones were really a little less lively. The path was narrow, and the two horses naturally slowed down and walked forward, one behind the other.
Suddenly Zhang Ji raised his left hand and waved it in front of her. Xiao Ruo didn't pay attention. Then he raised his right hand and waved it in front of her. Xiao Ruo took a closer look and saw that there were several steel needles in her husband's hand.
An expert is hiding nearby and plotting against you!
Xiao Ruo's heart beat violently. She had also traveled through the world and learned advanced hidden weapon techniques, but even her master Zuo Zhenxiong, who taught her hidden weapon skills, could not use such silent hidden weapons.
She subconsciously touched the dart bag at her waist, but was even more shocked: after following Zhang Ji, she no longer carried the dart bag with her!
Zhang Ji smiled softly in her ear: "Don't panic, I'm here!"
Then Zhang Ji raised his hand next to her left ear and caught a few more silver needles. Xiaoruo's heart was beating fast. She couldn't even imagine that there were such superb hidden weapon skills in the world!
But based on this silence, we can see how dangerous this moment is.
The person who sent the hidden weapon was nearby. She seemed to think that the horse should have sensed the coming person and stopped. She wanted to lightly kick the horse's belly to stop the horse, but neither horse seemed to have sensed the danger. Pat pat pat patter moving forward, neither slow nor fast.
The hidden weapon was getting faster and faster, and Zhang Ji caught it thirteen times with both hands. Xiao Ruo huddled in Zhang Ji's arms and dared not move, for fear of affecting him. If he was not careful, such silent hidden weapons would hit his eyes or key points all over his body.
Zhang Ji once again raised his hand and took a silver needle from her face. She clearly felt that her husband was breathing heavier. She thought that her husband was not careful and was hit by the silver needle. She was about to ask if he was injured.
Suddenly Zhang Ji raised his hands, and two steel needles were thrown out. A large piece of leaves on the right side of the tree were swept away. A person in front said "Ouch" and walked out of the fog, patting the messy leaves on his chest.
I saw a fair-skinned young man stopping in front of the horse, clasping his fists and bowing: "Thank you, Master Zhang, for showing mercy!"
Xiaoruo got angry and cursed: "Where did you get the talent to dare to use such dirty tricks to plot against us?"
The man's face turned red, and he clasped his fists again and said, "I am Tang Shaojie of the Tang Sect. By order of the leader of the martial arts alliance, I have come... specially to find Zhang Daxia and his wife."
Zhang Jiye suppressed his anger and said: "The Tang Clan family has the best in concealed weapons and light skills, and it is indeed well-deserved!" Xiao Ruo said: "Humph, since you are a bitch named Zhao, just tell us clearly, what do you want from us? "
Tang Shaojie replied: "I have been shown mercy by Daxia Zhang, so naturally I tell you the truth: Leader Zhao ordered me to assassinate Zhang Daxia and his wife. He said that if I succeed, I will get rid of a powerful enemy who dominates the martial arts world. If I fail, I will only be defeated." I need to use the excuse of admitting the wrong person, so I can tell Zhang Daxia the whereabouts of Shang Jiutian and his party, and everything will be fine."
Xiaoruo sighed and cursed: "The person named Zhao is really not a thing! Neither the left nor the right will suffer."
Tang Shaojie clasped his fists and shook his head: "Now that my fathers have passed away, they are old and old. If the Tang Sect wants to gain a foothold in the martial arts world, it will have to curry favor with the leader of the martial arts alliance..."
Zhang Jizong dismounted and said: "That's it! Let me ask you: Where did Shang Jiutian and his party go?"
Tang Shaojie replied: "Turn forward, we chased all the way to the foot of Wuling Mountain with more than 30 people including Kongtong Iron Hand Taoist, Penglai Lulong Xiaofeng, Diancang Lu Cangsong, etc. We didn't want to be beaten by Shang who had recovered his skills and teamed up with his masters." It was a complete fall, a complete defeat..."
Zhang Ji hurriedly asked: "Is my sworn brother Chu Jianghan with the same surname as Shang? Has he ever taken action?"
Tang Shaojie replied: "Master Zhang, please listen to me slowly: That day, because my family's Qinggong was good, everyone pushed me to go find out the news. I chased them all the way to the foot of Wuling Mountain before I dared to go up to them. I didn't dare to do it alone. He started to follow him secretly, not far or near. At that time, Chu Shaoxia and Miss Shen from Xianyunzhuang were all with Shang. Chu Shaoxia seemed to have a big beef with the subordinate named Shang, and that night he almost started to stir up trouble. Come on. I took the opportunity to summon everyone. They all swarmed up, but Chu Shaoxia stood aside and watched the excitement. Even so, the man surnamed Shang had already recovered his martial arts, and his subordinates were also extremely skilled in martial arts. The three of them were More than ten people are no match for the two of them."
Xiao Ruo said: "Then how did you find us?"
Tang Shaojie said: "I saw the opportunity and ran for my life, but I was not injured. A few days later, everyone gathered at Yueyang Tower again, and heard from the Iron Hand Taoist of Kongtong Sect that they met Zhang Daxia and his wife. That's why Alliance Leader Zhao ordered me to come!"
Zhang Jidao: "That's right! I once met the Taoist Tieshou and Mr. Lu Long and Xiaofeng in Hunan. The Taoist Tieshou just told me to chase outside Lingnan and left in a hurry. Where did Shang Jiutian and his party go?"
Tang Shaojie said: "I followed Shang's group for many days. Thanks to my family's light skills, I was lucky enough not to be discovered, but I heard it clearly. They were going to the "Bliss", a lonely island hanging offshore in the southeast of the end of the Yue River. Island' up."
"Bliss Island?"
Tang Shaojie said: "It is Paradise Island! I heard it clearly, there is no reason for deception." After saying this, he took out a bag of things from his arms, handed it to Zhang Ji's hand, and said: "It's not far from here to the south. There are many rivers and water, and most of them can be connected directly to the Yue River and merge into the sea. There is a map in the package. Zhang Daxia can follow this map to go south. There is also a hundred taels of gold for Zhang Daxia to buy a boat. "
Xiao Ruo said: "Huh! Leader Zhao is so thoughtful! Why don't you come in person to buy a boat and travel south?"
Zhang Ji sneered, took it and handed it to Xiaoruo, got on his horse and said to Tang Shaojie: "Go back and reply to Zhao A, saying that Zhang has collected the map gold and went south to find the island."
After saying that, he rode off, leaving Tang Shaojie alone. After a long while, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and turned around to leave.
The two of them rode south and approached Xunjiang in a few days.
When the sun moved to the west, Zhang Ji saw this and said: "I fought against Japanese pirates in the past. Although I have experienced several encounters on the sea, this time we are going to sea to find islands, and we must find an experienced boatman." Xiao Ruo He said: "It's the New Year now, who is willing to go with us?" Zhang Jidao: "Let's sell these two horses and collect more money to see."
The ground is upstream, the water is gentle, and there are fish lights twinkling on the river bank. The two of them were walking along the river and picked up a slightly larger boat. Zhang Ji shouted loudly: "Shipmate, is there anyone there?"
Several children cried, and then a man walked to the bow of the boat carrying a fishing lantern.
Zhang Ji and the other two dismounted, and Xiao Ruo said, "Brother, the boatman, we would like to stay overnight, and I hope it will be convenient for you." The boatman looked at him with a lantern, but before he could reply, Zhang Ji clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, boatman, there will be Sichuan capital to support you." superior."
A graceful voice from inside the cabin said: "Brother, what's going on?" The boatman responded: "There are two guests who want to stay overnight..." A woman came out of the cabin and greeted: "It's just a convenience for us. Please come in quickly..." The boatman said "Hey" and went in to welcome him.
The two men tied their horses to the shore and boarded the cabin. But seeing that the interior was clean and very comfortable, Zhang and Ji took their seats. The boatman immediately brought out a plate of fresh fish and a few side dishes. Zhang and Ji thanked them and served them hastily.
When the boatman saw Zhang Ji, Wu Da and San Chu, and Xiao Ruo, who was beautiful and generous, he had doubts in his heart and hesitated to speak.
When Xiao Ruo saw this, he said, "Don't worry, brother boatman, we are good people." The fisherman smiled and said, "Guests, don't be offended. My brother didn't mean any harm at all. He only took care of himself because he had been fooled by evil people before." Some."
At this time, the swaddled baby started crying again, and after a few times, he fainted.
The fisherman's face changed, and he lowered his head and said nothing. The fisherwoman just cried and lamented on the spot. Xiaoruo saw this and hurriedly comforted her.
After a while, the fisherwoman's cries gradually stopped. Zhang Ji cupped his fists and asked the fisherman, "What kind of incurable disease does this child have?"
The fisherman just sighed when he heard this, and the fisherwoman started to cry again.
Seeing this, Xiao Ruo said: "Everyone has difficulties. To be honest, my husband and I ran out secretly..." The fisherman stopped crying when she heard this and listened to Xiao Ruo's words: "I My father used to be an official. He thought my husband-in-law was poor and refused to let me marry him. Later, he went to join the army and fought in the north and south... He narrowly escaped death and made military exploits, but my father still refused to let me marry him. We... … We just ran out.”
After hearing this, the fisherwoman comforted her and said, "I don't think my sister is also a miserable person. It doesn't matter. In a few days, when you have children and return home, your parents will naturally calm down."
After saying this, he cried again: "Hey... I just feel sorry for my poor child..." Zhang Ji couldn't hold it anymore and asked again: "What's wrong with your child?"
The fisherman sighed again and again and said: "The villain and his wife originally made a living by fishing on the Xunjiang River. They were always kind to others and never offended others. Unexpectedly, a guest came from the past years ago, and the villain invited him to the boat. I was serving food and wine, and I didn't want to be seen by him... He took a fancy to my sister's beauty, so he became malicious. During the fight between the two of me, the infant child fell to the ground, which caused the root cause of the disease. I can't stop coughing..." The fisherman was so sad that he could no longer speak.
After Zhang Ji heard this, he became angry. Xiao Ruo advised, "Sister-in-law, don't be anxious. My husband-in-law once learned some skills from a monk who was a monk. Why don't you show him." After hearing this, the two men immediately fell to the ground and kowtowed. Crush the garlic and feel grateful in your mouth.
Zhang Ji took the baby and looked at it carefully. He and Xiaoruo checked the pulse carefully. After confirming that the heart pulse was damaged, he gently untied the swaddling clothes. Based on what he had learned, he boldly pushed the uterus to pass the blood. It was not until midnight that he finally Done.
When they got up the next morning, the fisherman and his wife had dinner and wine early. After Zhang and Ji had freshened up, they ate together, and the baby no longer coughed.
Xiaoruo smiled and said, "I would like to say congratulations to you two. After my husband-in-law has seen your child, the root cause of the disease has been eliminated."
After hearing this, the two fishermen were overjoyed and kowtowed to express their gratitude. The fisherwoman said: "In order to treat this child, my husband and I spent a lot of money. My brother even sold the ancestral house and only left this boat to make a living." The fisherman also said: "I'll tell you the truth. , If it weren’t for the purpose of earning some money to see a doctor for my child, I wouldn’t have stayed with you two last night.”
The four of them chatted for a while, and then asked where Zhang Ji and the two wanted to go. Xiao Ruo said: "I heard that my husband's master is at the end of the Guangdong River, on the Paradise Island overseas. The two of us are afraid that our father is in the government. The forces in the country are planning to hire a ship to go overseas to find his old man."
The fisherman's face changed greatly when he heard this. When Xiao Ruo saw this, he said: "Brother boatman, don't be afraid, we will not force you to take the risk and rent your boat to go to sea." The fisherman was surprised: "What did your benefactor say? You saved my child's life, and you are my husband's great benefactor. There is nothing wrong with sending you two out to sea in a boat. Besides, no one else can go out to sea except me within a radius of dozens of miles. .Just...just..."
Zhang Jidao: "If the boatman has something to say, you might as well say it directly!" The fisherman said: "Japanese pirates often come and go here. It doesn't matter if I risk my life. I'm just worried about the comfort of my benefactor and his wife!"
Zhang Ji's expression changed when he heard this, and he asked in a panic: "Are there any Japanese pirates here?"
The fisherman said: "Exactly! The evil thieves who harmed my children and insulted my sister are actually Japanese pirates!" After hearing this, Zhang Ji became angry, but Xiao Ruo asked softly: "By the way, brother, what harm did you do to me?" What happened to the Japanese pirates in your family?"
The fisherman said: "My child fell to the ground that day. I was about to step forward and fight for my life, but the Japanese bandit pulled out a long knife and wanted to kill both of us..." Xiao Ruo asked hurriedly: "What happened next?" The fisherman smiled. He smiled and said, "Thanks to the arrival of the White Tiger Army, we got rid of the Japanese pirates and saved my family's lives."
Zhang Ji was a little happy when he heard this, and thought to himself: I think this White Tiger Army, like the brothers in Yu Shuai's army, is also dedicated to fighting against Japanese pirates. He hurriedly said to the fisherman: "I have been a soldier for several years, but I have never heard that the imperial court has a White Tiger Army. It must have been formed recently, right?"
The fisherman said: "It is true that the White Tiger Army only existed in recent years. It specializes in dealing with Japanese pirates and is deeply loved by the local elders. To be honest with my benefactor, I almost joined the White Tiger Army a few months ago because I hate Japanese pirates. I gave up because I couldn't pay the five taels of silver as the entry fee."
Xiao Ruo said: "This is really strange. I have only heard that soldiers have to pay military salary, but I have never heard of soldiers having to pay money." Zhang Ji shook his head and said: "The anti-Japanese military expenses in the southeast are tight. It's no wonder. ”
Zhang Jidao: "Yujia, if that's the case, the two of us are going to say goodbye." After saying that, he took out a piece of gold from his arms and said, "I will keep these two horses again. I ask the fishermen to keep them no matter what." You need to find a skilled boat operator to ferry us out to sea. Don't worry, fisherman, there will be reward for you."
Seeing this, the fisherwoman said: "My benefactor saved my child's life, how dare I ask for any reward? Since my benefactor asked for it, I will just ferry my benefactor out to sea." After hearing this, the fisherman said: "Forget it, I will take you two out to sea. That’s it.”
Zhang and Ji were overjoyed after hearing this. They delayed for another day and sold two horses. On the third day, they sailed down the river and headed straight for the Yue River.
