Unconsciously, winter has turned to spring, and the climate along the southeastern coast has been warmer. Early on, the ground has been covered with greenery and flowers are in bud, showing a vitality of revival of all things.
On the first day of February, on the Qili River thirty miles outside Guangzhou, a bamboo raft floated down the crystal clear stream.
A long-handled sunshade umbrella the size of a wheel was inserted on the bamboo raft. A young woman with picturesque features in a bright red dress stood under the umbrella. She held a jade piccolo with ten slender white fingers, brought it to her bright red lips and played it whimperingly. The sound of the flute is as melodious as an oriole's chirping, and as gentle as a daughter's whisper.
In the lower reaches of Qingxi River, there are three bamboo rafts going upstream.
There were fifteen men on the bamboo raft, all wearing kimonos, clogs, and long and short Japanese swords on their waists. They looked like samurai from Japan.
There is a very simple thatched-roof pavilion built on the top of a small hill near the stream bank. A handsome middle-aged scholar and a young Taoist priest with a light body are sitting opposite each other in the pavilion. The Taoist is beside him. There was a slender and delicate woman dressed in white as snow, and next to the middle-aged scholar was an ordinary-looking man in his forties.
On the table between them was a chessboard with nineteen vertical and horizontal lines, densely covered with black and white chess pieces, and the game seemed to be coming to an end.
Chen Jialuo dropped a white stone in his fingers on the chessboard. He first lifted up the dozens of black stones that were finally trapped to death, then shook his head and sighed: "I heard that Sun Shiyi was one of the most respected ministers of Qianlong, how could he act like this? Are you so careless that you only sent a little girl like this to hand over such important things?"
Hu Long, who was on the opposite side, casually pressed a black stone to slightly ease the dilemma on the chessboard, and then said with a smile: "That's not entirely true. Such secretive things are meant to be hidden from others. Besides, this little girl should not be underestimated. Her name is Sun An'er is the most favored among Sun Shiyi's many children. He has practiced swordsmanship and ninjutsu with a master from Japan in his family since he was a child, and now his martial arts has reached a first-class level."
Cheng Lingsu asked with some worry: "Brother, even if Sun An'er's martial arts is not weak, and those Japanese warriors seem to be mediocre, they will definitely not be able to stop the chief protector of Zhenhai Yu. Are the people you arranged sure to pull out the tiger's teeth? "
Hu Long said leisurely: "Don't worry, Sister Su, Shiyu's talent is definitely not inferior to that of brother Hu Fei. In the past few months, he has learned Senior Li's 'Qiankun Acupuncture Technique', and his martial arts has made further progress, faintly The earth has touched the threshold of the ultimate realm, and it is more than enough to deal with Yu Zhenhai, who has exhausted his potential and is destined to be unable to break through in this life."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man next to Chen Jialuo said with a look of dissatisfaction: "Little Niuzi, you still have the nerve to be a good boy here! I, Li Guobang, and you have no enmity in the past life and no enmity in this life. Why are you going to do this?" Are you going to expose me? I have to teach that brat Shi Yu all day long, and I don’t even have time to ask my fiancée for a meal!"
It turns out that this person is Li Guobang, Miao Cuihua's senior brother. He studied under the famous Southern Shaolin master Miao Xian, and his skill in tapping and resolving acupoints is unparalleled in the world.
He was naturally timid, always talking about "safety first" and never had a formal fight with anyone in his life.
Even Chen Jialuo didn't know that this veteran who had been among the lower-level gang members of the "Red Flower Club" for many years was actually a master of superior martial arts.
After Hu Long took Fang Shiyu under his command, thinking that there was still room for great improvement in his martial arts, he unceremoniously revealed the news that Li Guobang was hiding in the "Red Flower Club" to Miao Cuihua, who was eager to have her son become a success.
Miao Cuihua had always been resolute when it came to her son's affairs. At that time, she rode a fast horse to the "Honghua Club" without any delay. She did not know what means she used to force Li Guobang to return to the "Qilin Hall" together, hand in hand. He taught Fang Shiyu all the skills of pressing the bottom of the box.
Hearing Li Guobang complaining to him at this moment, Hu Long smiled slightly: "So in Senior Li's heart, dating his fiancée is far more important than teaching his nephew? Such a poor man has to explain it carefully to Aunt Cuihua..."
Li Guobang's two small round eyes stared at Hu Long fiercely for a moment, and his full breath suddenly leaked out like a broken rubber ball. He only said "You're cruel" and then retreated to Chen Jialuo.
Seeing two guys with the same temperament bickering, Cheng Lingsu was amused and chuckled, while Chen Jialuo landed another white stone and said with a smile: "Process!"
Hu Long looked at Heizi who was completely helpless and had no choice but to abandon him and sigh: "Mr. Chen, the helmsman is so good at protecting his weak points. I just took advantage of your subordinates verbally, and you immediately regained the position on the chessboard!"
Chen Jialuo laughed and said: "Playing chess is a small way, and playing chess with people is the main way. Even if Chen can get some advantages on the chessboard, how can he compare with the way the Taoist master uses the world as a game and strategizes and manipulates the world!"
At this point, he pointed down the hill with his hand and sighed: "Look, everyone, the man who has become a chess piece of the Taoist master and is being played around without realizing it is about to take action!"
The other three people looked around and saw that the bamboo rafts running opposite each other in the clear stream had already met. They vaguely saw Sun An'er chatting with a warrior holding a square package, and the warrior handed the package into Sun An'er's hands.
"Do it!"
A thunderous roar came from the stream, and then square wooden boards with turf on them were blown away. Dozens of white-clothed men holding weapons jumped out from the hiding holes under the wooden boards, shouting in unison. Shouting, he rushed towards several bamboo rafts on the stream.
The only one who rushed to the front with bare hands was Yu Zhenhai, the chief protector of the "Red Flower Society". His figure flew several feet in the air, like a fierce white eagle hunting prey. The fingers of his hands were bent like ten steel hooks, and he grabbed Sun An'er's head and face without any mercy.
Although the mission this time was to snatch the brocade box, Yu Zhenhai thought that as long as he killed the person, the brocade box would naturally not slip away.
Sun An'er's reaction was very quick. He grasped the package containing the brocade box with his left hand, and pulled out a shakuhachi short sword known as "Wakizashi" in Japan from his left sleeve with his right hand. The blade was as bright as snow at the beginning of his hand. , carrying the biting cold, the ten fingers came towards the roof.
Yu Zhenhai didn't expect this pretty little woman to be able to perform such powerful sword skills. He hurriedly retracted his hands and raised his arms, driving his body to somersault in the air, flipping over the opponent's head and landing on the bamboo raft.
As soon as his feet were firmly planted, his body immediately drove his right arm to rotate half a circle, and his right fist used his best Tai Chi style to "punch away". It was really like an indestructible war hammer of a warrior on the battlefield, carrying the sound of wind and thunder and hitting Sun An'er's back heart.
Sun An'er's body danced like a butterfly with the sword. While turning gracefully to avoid the attack from behind, the short sword stabbed the opponent's lower abdomen diagonally upwards. It was fast and ruthless, and the eccentric movements were indescribably beautiful.
"What a cruel little bitch!"
Yu Zhenhai cursed angrily, retreated and advanced quickly, and then used a fierce and unparalleled Tai Chi beating technique on this bamboo raft with limited space, fighting with Sun An'er, who was quick and ruthless in sword skills. .
At this moment, dozens of his confidants who he had brought to carry out the mission also rushed forward. When they were about to step forward to help their leader, they were blocked by the Japanese samurai who showed their long swords and started fighting in a group.
To say that these warriors had no choice but to take action, they handed the brocade box to Sun An'er, but they had not received the final payment as agreed in advance. No matter whether there was something wrong with the person or the goods, the other party would definitely not admit it, and they and others could not do anything. Go back and report to the master's house.
