Forty miles east of Zhenyangguan is the sea pier of Denghai County.
As the red sun rose, Senior Brother Xun brought Zhao Lin and a group of teenagers to the dock.
The destination of this trip is a place in the sea called Sanshan Island. According to Senior Brother Xun, the space array connecting Xuanyuan Continent and the world here is arranged on the island.
The sky has cleared up, and most of the fishermen have gone out to sea, with only a few ferries parked on the shore.
Senior Brother Xun asked everyone to wait on the trestle. He walked to a shuttle boat and whispered to the leading boatman: "Go to Sanshan Island."
"No, no!"
The captain of the boat waved his hands repeatedly and shook his head like a rattle.
Brother Xun didn't say much, and took out a few banknotes from his arms. The boat boss looked struggling, and finally nodded.
"Come on, get on the boat!" Senior Brother Xun waved.
Everyone walked over, and the boss of the ship directed the two boatmen to quickly tug the ship into the sea, and then pick them up one by one.
The shuttle boat is more than two feet long and about seven feet wide, just enough to accommodate eight people. However, they must be seated on both sides, otherwise the boat will not be stable when sailing.
Counting the boss of the ship, there were only three boatmen, one to control the sail and two to hold the oar. The three of them shouted in unison: "The wind is calm!"
The shuttle boat started to move, splitting the water waves, and sailed towards the sea.
The teenagers were all a little nervous when they went out to sea for the first time, especially Tong Mu, who came from the grassland. He clung to the side of the boat with both hands and his face turned red, for fear of accidentally falling into the sea.
Not long after, the shuttle boat moved away from the dock and sailed smoothly on the sea.
The sea surface is sparkling, as if a handful of broken gold has been sprinkled. Looking around, the sea surface is vast, with vast expanse of blue waves, clouds and mist in the distance, and the water and sky are the same color.
The sea breeze blew, and everyone felt refreshed and relaxed.
Zhao Lin was used to seeing the sea in his previous life, so he didn't think anything of it. However, this was the first time for the young people to experience the scenery of the sea. They all expressed their admiration, and those who were bolder simply stood up and looked into the distance.
Zhu Cong, the youngest, clapped his hands and said: "The scenery on the sea is so beautiful! The boatmen go to and fro on the sea every day and enjoy it every day. It's so carefree!"
The boss of the boat was in his forties, with a dark complexion and a strong body. Due to years of traveling at sea and exposure to wind and sun, his face and hands were covered with small cuts.
Hearing this, he curled up the corner of his mouth and laughed twice, "Hey, hey," he said, "You can tell from a glance that I come from a wealthy family and don't know the sufferings of the world. Boating is one of the three major hardships in life, how can I be free and easy?"
Zhu Cong and the other teenagers were startled and asked in unison: "What are the three major sufferings in life?"
The captain of the boat smiled slightly, but did not answer. He just pulled the sail rope and controlled the direction of the boat.
The teenagers originally wanted to ask Senior Brother Xun, but Senior Brother Xun closed his eyes and crossed his legs without saying a word after getting on the boat, so they had no choice but to look at Senior Brother Zhao Lin for help.
Zhao Lin glanced at the boatman and said slowly: "The boatman is right, there are three major hardships in life: punting, blacksmithing, and selling tofu."
"The people who punt the boat are exposed to wind and rain every day. When the boat is sailing in the wind and waves, there is always the danger of capsizing and killing people. We just sit in the boat. Of course it is comfortable. Do you think the boatman is tired from rocking the oar and manning the sail?"
"Sailboating is lonely and hard-working, and you make your home on the water all year round. Just imagine, you take charge of this business, ferrying back and forth every day, and insist on doing nothing for one day. What about one year? What about ten or twenty years?"
The teenagers all fell silent after hearing this, and their gazes towards the boatman also changed.
He Shaoqun asked: "What about blacksmithing and selling tofu?"
Zhao Lin said: "It's almost the same. You have to endure the scorching heat day and night by the furnace. Living is like going to hell. You have to strike tens of thousands of times a day. It's dirty and tiring, and your body can't stand it after years of hard work."
"There is a blacksmith in the village next to us. He never has any good clothes. He has small holes burned by sparks from forging iron and there are burn scars on his hands and face."
"Besides, selling tofu, you get up early every day, go to bed late at night, and go to bed at the middle of the night. You work like a donkey, grinding and making pulp, and you only get a small amount of money to make ends meet."
"And the process is the most cumbersome. You can't make any mistakes. The tofu will break when you touch it. You must be careful and don't be sloppy in the slightest."
The three boatmen looked at each other and sighed silently.
Lin Chaoran chuckled and said disapprovingly: "Everyone has his own destiny, and someone must do these things."
Zhao Lin frowned slightly, thinking that this was not a mistake, but when he said it now, it sounded a little ruthless.
He Shaoqun suddenly made up his mind and said, "After what Senior Brother Zhao said, I will not refine weapons even if I am beaten to death."
Senior Brother Xun, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and looked over with a warning look.
He Shaoqun realized that he had made a mistake and quickly closed his mouth.
Fortunately, none of the boatmen understood or became suspicious.
Seeing that everyone was silent, the boat boss smiled and said, "By the way, how do you get to Sanshan Island?"
Zhao Lin was afraid that his junior brothers would spill the beans, so he took the initiative to talk to him: "What, can't we go to Sanshan Island?"
"Not really, it's just some evil ways..."
The captain of the ship tied the sail rope to the mast and fanned the wind with his hands.
It turns out that Sanshan Island is located in a remote place, and people generally do not pass there when going fishing or taking a boat to other places. Because there are three hills on the island, the fishermen gave the island this name.
The island has lush forests and picturesque scenery, but strangely, it is shrouded in white mist all year round and never dissipates.
Occasionally, fishermen pass by and want to go to the island to rest, but they find that the white fog is getting thicker and thicker. As long as they walk a hundred steps into the island, they can't see anything.
There were brave fishermen who bravely walked in, but somehow lost their way and wandered around for an hour or two before returning to the shore again.
Because Sanshan Island is so weird and the fishermen and boatmen on the beach are very superstitious, they are generally reluctant to get close to it. If they have no choice, they will only stay on the shore for a while.
The teenagers looked at each other and naturally knew that the formation was deliberately arranged by the Chenghua Sect to prevent mortals from approaching, but no one said anything.
"There are also rumors that hundreds of years ago, fishermen saw immortals flying over the island and even saw flying boats."
Having said this, the ship boss laughed and said, "It's just a rumor. If you listen to it casually, I guess it's just a mirage on the sea."
Unknowingly, the boat had been sailing on the sea for two hours, and the boss of the boat suddenly raised his hand and pointed, "There is Sanshan Island ahead!"
Everyone stared and saw a small island in front of them, shrouded in thick white mist, with three hills standing side by side.
Zhao Lin originally thought that the island must be rich in "spiritual energy", but he didn't notice anything strange until the shuttle boat touched the beach.
But when I thought about it again, I understood the reason.
If the spiritual energy here is particularly strong, it is impossible that no martial artist has discovered it for so many years. I think Cheng Huazong also took this into consideration.
The shuttle boat docked and everyone got off the boat one after another. Brother Xun took out two silver notes and handed them to the boss of the boat.
"Originally, I just sent people to the island without asking the reason, but I would like to remind you that there are some weird things on this island, so be careful!"
The boss of the ship gave a warning, turned the bow of the ship, and sailed away.
Li Sancai asked: "Senior Brother Xun, you sent us away, how do you go back?"
Senior Brother Xun smiled slightly, "I have my own way."
After that, he took the lead and headed towards the island.
(End of chapter)
