The fog on the river finally dissipated.
A flat boat was crossing the river.
The clear water ripples, and occasionally fish emerge from the water; white clouds cover the sky, and sometimes birds fly above the clouds.
"Today is such a nice day."
Xia Zhichan lay on her back on the boat, looking at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, drawing countless shapes on the blue sky.
"I haven't seen the sun in three hundred years, and green moss is about to grow on my body..."
At the end of the boat stood a fisherman dressed in black, holding a green bamboo penny in his hand. He looked up at the day in the sky with some sigh:
"Yan Chixia once told me that someone would break the seal for me after three hundred years. I didn't believe it at first. I have met many spiritual officials in the past three hundred years, and they were all able to survive. It's a matter of life and death, but I just can't solve the riddle on the inscription."
The barrier of life and death refers to the terrifying monster that Xia Zhichan faced before. If you can resist the temptation of desire inspired by illusions and fight against invincible monsters without fear of death, you will be qualified to decipher the inscription.
"The monster is actually your body."
Xia Zhichan put it bluntly.
"Of course, but because the soul is suppressed, I can't use any magical powers. I can only rely on my rough skin and thick flesh to resist your attacks."
The fisherman who was actually a big demon sighed. The black tentacle that Xia Zhichan thought was extremely difficult to deal with was actually his tail. Unfortunately, his tail was chopped off by Yan Chixia with a sword back then, and it took him three hundred years to finally grow a new tail.
"You are the lowest among the spiritual officials I have seen over the years..."
When Xia Zhichan heard this, she could only roll her eyes. Until now, he is just an ordinary person who has not yet started. Although he is a five-color spiritual official in name, he has not practiced the inner breath immortal method.
"But with your uninitiated strength, you can survive the life-and-death crisis and unlock the inscriptions. I really can't explain the timing of this."
The fisherman in black waved the bamboo pole in his hand, and the boat floated towards the other side of the river at his feet.
"Opportunity? My chance is that I almost lost my life, and then I got this piece of paper."
Xia Zhichan took out a yellow talisman from the cuff of his right hand and looked at the patterns on it repeatedly under the bright sun.
The yellow talisman is just a piece of commonly seen yellow paper. Whether it is the orthodox Taoist priests in Longhu Mountain or the liar Taoist priests in the rural Taoist temples, they all use this kind of yellow paper.
However, complex patterns were outlined with cinnabar, and in the middle it was written in vigorous and powerful strokes, "Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunderous Universal Transformation Tianzun's Order". There were faint silvery white lines on these words, and then they disappeared. , then reappear, then sink again, over and over again.
"Broken paper? This thing has suppressed my soul for three hundred years. Your ancestor Yan Chixia took a thunder from the sky and mixed it with his own blood to write it down."
When the fisherman saw Xia Zhichan taking out the cinnabar-yellow talisman obtained from the black obelisk, he subconsciously moved his body back, with a very fearful look on his face.
"Let me tell you, not to mention the demons and evil spirits gathered by the resentment of your people who died in vain. Even great demons like us who have been cultivating for many years are afraid of them."
As I said before, 90% of the demons Xia Zhichan encountered were those who were unwilling to enter reincarnation for various reasons after death, and they became demons due to some coincidences.
As for the fisherman, he actually started practicing from an ordinary animal, forged inner elixirs, transformed into human form, and then practiced magical powers and magic. It took thousands of years to become a great demon.
"By the way, who are you?"
Xia Zhichan tilted his head and looked up and down at the black-clothed fisherman standing at the stern of the boat. Even if he secretly opened his psychic eyes, he couldn't tell what kind of thing it was.
However, from the previous conversation with it, we can deduce that it should have been cultivated into a spirit by an animal in the water. But I can't guess the specifics.
"this……"
The fisherman suddenly became a little nervous. He shook his head and hesitated for a long time before saying:
"I am an old turtle with a cultivation level of 1,300 years old. When I was 500 years old, I was hunted by the Dragon Clan of the East China Sea for stealing dragon beads, so I had to flee here for refuge."
"Motor?"
Xia Zhichan turned over and sat up. He looked up and down at the fisherman in black again, and continued with some uncertainty:
"It's just a bastard, a turtle, something like that..."
"It's okay if you insist on saying that..."
The fisherman thought for a moment, and realized that his clan was closely related to those tortoises and turtles. From this perspective, what Xia Zhichan said was not bad:
"But our clan has the blood of His Highness Bigui from ancient times, so we can be considered half-dragon. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to steal the dragon beads."
Bixi, in ancient times, the dragon gave birth to nine sons, one of whom was Bixi. Legend has it that it can carry three mountains and five mountains on its back and is extremely powerful, but its character does not like fighting. Nowadays, the image of dragon head and turtle body carved under most stone monuments and pillars is Bixi.
"Oh I got it."
Xia Zhichan nodded and put the cinnabar yellow talisman back into the cuff of his right hand. He subconsciously wanted to take out the red wine gourd from his sleeve and take a sip of wine. But his left hand was empty, and then he remembered that the wine gourd had turned into a boat to send Nan Er across the river.
At this time, the river bank was already in sight. The fisherman in black then moved the small boat under his feet and approached the river bank.
Xia Zhichan jumped off the boat, turned around and bowed to the fisherman in black:
"Thank you."
The fisherman, who was actually a great demon, also returned the salute, then stood at the stern of the boat and said:
"I will repay you for the kindness of saving me today. I will say goodbye to you and we will see each other again in three years."
"Three years? Then where are you going now?"
Xia Zhichan frowned at the precise time, but now he was more concerned about the whereabouts of this thousand-year-old demon.
"Either return to the East China Sea, or go to Nanyang. Anyway, we are leaving the territory of Daqi."
The fisherman gently touched the water with his pennies, and the small boat swayed down the river.
"See you next year, take care of yourself."
In just a blink of an eye, the leaf boat completely disappeared in front of Xia Zhichan's eyes and disappeared without a trace.
"Three years..."
Xia Zhichan muttered silently, and secretly pinched the spirit pattern in her sleeve with her right hand. He wanted to figure out what kind of things he would encounter in three years, and he would actually need the help of a thousand-year-old demon.
After a while, Xia Zhichan stopped and rubbed her forehead with her right hand several times.
Three years later, it was the time when his fate was about to come.
…
A roadside tavern.
The high-hanging wine canopy was swaying around in the cold autumn wind.
Today's autumn wind is a bit colder. Pedestrians on the road have quickened their pace, thinking of the bowl of hot tea served by their wives at home.
People who are drifting away and unable to return home are attracted by the rich aroma of wine when they walk to the front of this tavern. They can't help but walk in and buy a pot of hot wine.
The door curtain opened and a young swordsman came in. He was wearing a smart outfit, holding a long black sheath knife in his hands, and a red wine gourd hanging on his waist.
"Bring a pot of wine and cut two pounds of sauced meat."
The young swordsman sat down and placed the long knife in his hand on the corner of the table. He didn't realize or didn't care that when he sat down, many people in the tavern turned their eyes.
Some people stared at the knife in his hand, while others looked at the wine gourd at his waist.
"Here you go, sir, your wine and meat."
The waiter came over with a pot of freshly heated wine and a plate of sauced meat. While placing it on the table in front of the swordsman, he quietly looked at the long black knife.
The swordsman didn't pay attention. He poured a glass of wine and watched the steaming liquid fall into the white porcelain wine glass. With a deep look in his eyes, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Cough cough cough cough cough..."
He doesn't drink, but he wanted to drink today.
The bitterness mixed with the burning sensation hit his throat, making him cough uncontrollably. His embarrassment made everyone in the tavern who thought he was a powerful person burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, little guy, you're trying to imitate drinking before your hair even grows."
"Go home quickly and stop pretending to be an adult here."
There were mostly jeers around, but some people didn't speak, staring straight at the knife on the table. As a man who has been accustomed to seeing the light and shadow of swords for a long time, he can feel the unusual chill from the knife placed by the young swordsman on the table.
It's hard to explain this feeling clearly, but after years of hard work, he relied on this vague feeling to escape many fatal situations and survived until now.
So he didn't speak, and even motioned to several companions beside him not to speak.
The young swordsman didn't say anything. After the bitterness and burning sensation in his throat dissipated, he picked up a piece of sauce meat, put it in his mouth and chewed it.
At this time, a ruffian came over. This man's name was Liu Erhunzi, a well-known rogue in the area. As soon as the swordsman came in, he stared at the red gourd on the swordsman's waist. The workmanship is fine and the appearance is peculiar. It looks like a valuable rarity.
Bastard Liu Er has always been used to being arrogant. Originally, he would not easily provoke those knights with swords. But seeing the embarrassment of the swordsman forcing himself to drink even though he didn't know how to drink, he felt in his heart that he was a young boy who was just starting out and thought he was great.
He reached out to pick the red wine gourd and said:
"Oh, isn't this the wine gourd I just lost? Why did you, a kid, pick it up?"
Just open your mouth and say you lost it. This is a common tactic used by street gangsters to extort money from people. As long as you accidentally take it away from him, don't even think about getting it back easily.
When his hand was close to the wine gourd, a white porcelain wine glass flew over and hit Liu Erhunzi's wrist. Even though the wine glass is small, the power it carries is very powerful.
"Ouch..."
Liu Erhunzi felt a burning pain in his right wrist. When he pulled open his sleeve, he saw that there was already a large purple-black bruise.
"I'm beating someone, I'm beating someone. Pay me the money for the soup and medicine, or we'll meet at the yamen gate! My brother-in-law is the head of the third class and sixth room. I'll give you a hundred slaps first..."
The swordsman didn't pay any attention to that bastard Liu Er. He raised his hand towards Xiao Er who was watching the show in the distance and said:
"Wine glass."
The waiter looked surprised. After he came to his senses, he quickly agreed while taking a new white porcelain wine glass and sent it to the swordsman's table.
"You bastard, did you hear that? Labor and management, Tama, told you, did you hear Tama!"
That bastard Liu Er was still jumping around and cursing. Seeing that the other party was still indifferent, he pulled out a small knife from his arms with a sharp look, shouted and stabbed the swordsman in the back.
The swordsman's right hand holding the wine glass didn't even move. He lifted and retracted his left hand to swing the long black sheath knife on the table.
The scabbard flew out from the swordsman's left shoulder and hit Liu Erhunzi's neck. With a click, there was a crisp sound from Liu Erhunzi's neck, and he fainted on the ground.
"Master!"
There are knowledgeable charlatans in the tavern, and they know at a glance that the swordsman's control of speed and strength has reached the extreme.
You must know that the human neck is very fragile. The swordsman's attack just now could accurately knock down the opponent but it would not hurt his life.
Snapped! The swordsman put the knife in his hand back on the table, making a muffled sound.
At this moment, several fearful people in the tavern quickly stood up, paid for their drinks and left in a hurry. The remaining people are not ordinary people, they are all dressed like charlatans.
"Little brother, you have such handsome skills. Come on, let me toast you."
There was a generous Jianghu guest who couldn't help but want to make friends. He quickly raised his wine glass and said to the young swordsman:
"Do it first as a courtesy."
Instead, the swordsman put down the wine glass in his hand. He looked at his reflection in the wine glass and said with a little sadness in his voice:
"I only drink with friends."
Jiang Hu Ke, who was obviously disgraced, looked a little displeased. He smashed his wine glass on the table, making a dull sound.
"Little brother, you can't say that. When you walk on the rivers and lakes, you will have friends from all over the world..."
"well said."
"good."
A very experienced charlatan stood up and smoothed things over with a smile. He held a wine glass and saluted all the charlatans present, and everyone quickly returned the salute. He held up his wine glass and said with a smile:
"Come, let's have a drink together."
Everyone agreed and stood up with wine glasses in hand.
Almost everyone's eyes were turned to the only swordsman who was still sitting.
The other party was indifferent.
The old Jianghu guest also showed a bit of dissatisfaction, but after all, he had been in the Jianghu for a long time, so he couldn't shout and kill him just because of a trivial matter. He smiled, raised his glass and drank it in one gulp.
Everyone saw this and drank the wine in their glasses.
"Boy! Don't be shameless. Do you know what our master Ma's status is in the world? The world's nickname is 'Feitian Biao'. He is a master who stomps his feet here and the ground trembles!"
Feitian Biao, Ma Sanhu.
Biao is an animal. Legend has it that three tigers give birth to a tiger tiger, which means that if a tiger gives birth to three tiger cubs, one of them will be a tiger tiger tiger. Biao is born ferocious and strange. It will bite its two brothers to death when it is born, and then it will even prey on its own race when it grows up. He is extremely cruel by nature and has always been a loner.
As you can tell from this nickname, this seemingly kind-hearted Mr. Ma is actually a master who is not easy to mess with. He himself said no more, but several of his men accused the swordsman in a bad tone.
The swordsman drank another drink, probably because he was used to the feeling brought by the wine. This time he did not cough, but just exhaled a breath of white air.
"Boy, you are so bold!"
Finally, someone couldn't help but drew his sword and stabbed the swordsman who was sitting upright.
It was Mr. Ma's men who took action. He narrowed his eyes and said nothing. If he didn't stop it, he acquiesced. How could someone who has been in the world for a long time really be just a kind old man?
boom! Bang bang!
The swordsman put down the wine glass, turned around and held the long knife on the table in his hand. He did not draw the sword, but directly used the scabbard to catch the sword thrust by the opponent.
In one fell swoop, he knocked down the opponent's sword.
In two clicks, there was one more person lying on the ground.
ah!
After a few shouts, several more Jianghu people holding swords ran towards the swordsman holding an unsheathed long sword.
Seeing this, the swordsman made a strange posture. He held the knife in both hands, and the murderous intention in his body spread out like a tide, filling the entire tavern in an instant.
Buzz.
All the white porcelain wine glasses and bottles were shaken by the murderous aura and made trembling screams.
What a strong murderous aura!
All the Jianghu people were shocked. Only then did they realize that they had underestimated this lonely young swordsman from beginning to end. To be able to possess such condensed murderous intent, it is absolutely impossible for him to be an ordinary young boy who is just starting out.
The wind blows, and a stream of light flashes past.
The swordsman pushed the sword into its sheath. He looked at the sword and weapon that fell on the floor and said lightly:
"You are not worthy of dying by my sword."
