A few days after the snow stopped, and the snow on the streets melted, I finally took my sister all the way west to Wudang in the middle of the night.
The auspicious snow heralds a good year, but the late winter snow has also wiped away the dry and cold weather that belongs to the seasonal change. The old saying that snow does not turn cold but snow is cold is also very different from the current mild climate.
After traveling like this for another two or three days, the sister and brother passed directly through Xiangfan and arrived at Xiapei City, not far from Wudang Mountain.
At my sister's strong request, I had no choice but to abandon my horse and take a boat in the middle of the night to experience what my sister called the comfort of "getting up and watching the haze on the lips of the boat, and relaxing at the head of the boat to listen to the water splash".
The reason why Xiapei City is so called is because the city's colorful clouds are most beautiful at two o'clock in the morning and evening. On the north side of Xiapei City are mountains, separated by the Danxia River, a tributary of the river. The haze falls on the city behind the mountains. As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it slowly hides behind the mountains, seeming to cover the city with a brocade quilt. generally. Coupled with the gurgling water on the vast river, especially the few fishermen's households on the shore, you can experience the graceful scenery of the shining waves and cascading colors.
It was past noon when the siblings arrived at the ferry. They had a quick bite to eat, then abandoned their horses and took a boat to Wudang.
The boatman is a man in his forties and very talkative. He pulled about ten people, held up bamboo poles, and said loudly: "It's cold now, and I don't want to take a boat. I can only blame those people for being stupid. Our Danxia River has the most beautiful winter scenery, especially after the snow. You guys are really nice." Blessing.”
The people in the boat ignored him, but he was not unhappy at all. He continued to talk to himself: "It is more than 200 miles from Xiapei City to Wudang, and it takes two days on horseback. It is a mountainous road with inevitable bumps. Taking a boat It’s very powerful, the stroke is short, and it’s stable and tight, don’t you think so, little brother?”
Midnight and Ye Xie were seated closest to the boatman, and it was he who the boatman turned to ask. After all, in this kind of business, the boatman can get acquainted with everyone.
Ye San didn't want to pay attention to him anymore and kept silent. He just looked at the mountains on the shore. In this early spring, some old trees had already bloomed new buds in advance. From a distance, the spots were attractive.
However, Ye Xiayou answered: "What you said is reasonable, but as far as I know, the land route is safer than the water route. The water route of more than 200 miles alone has to pass through three dangerous places: Plum Blossom Village, Phoenix Mountain, and Lotus Pond. Some water thieves They have been entrenched here all year round to cut the trails and plunder them. If it weren’t for the short time, I’m afraid not many people would take the waterway.”
The boatman turned his head, took another look at Ye Xieyou, and said: "From what I heard from the girl, she is from out of town. How many years have passed, Xin Ruhai, the owner of Fenghuang Villa on Fenghuang Mountain, united with the owners of more than a dozen families around Danjiang and drove them away in one go Those water thieves, this waterway is safe now."
"Is the good family on the watershed still there?" Ye Xiayou asked.
The boatman was speechless for a moment.
It seemed that he had made a few drafts in his stomach first. After a while, the boatman said: "The Liang family is different from other people. As long as we give them some passing money every year, they will not go down the mountain to look for trouble. This is why we started Phoenix Villa made an agreement with them. Look at the sign on the bow of my boat, it was given to me by a good family."
Of course Ye Xiayou couldn't see it, so he asked again: "In the past few years, I heard that Liang Zhongting, the last head of the Liang family, left seclusion and entered the house with his own cultivation. I don't know if it is true."
"The little girl knows a lot." The boatman smacked his lips, not knowing whether it was appreciation or something else, "We are people like us, although we don't know what is going on with those who practice martial arts, what are the things like break-ins, celestial phenomena, etc. Damn it, but I happened to be sending someone to Wudang Mountain that day. When I passed the watershed, it was a sunny day, and as soon as I sneezed, dark clouds came up. I was still thinking about how the Dragon King said it would rain when it rained. At that time There was a traveler on the boat who said that it wasn’t going to rain, but that someone had broken into the house. I didn’t know what break-in was. Anyway, it was thundering, windy and raining at that time. This kind of weather is the most taboo for sailing, and it was possible to I was so frightened that I didn’t expect it. After a while, the sky became sunny again. Later, I heard them say that the ancestors of the good family on the watershed had become semi-immortals.”
"In the journey of martial arts, entering the sky is a bottleneck, and then entering the hall is another bottleneck. If you break into the house, you will probably die before you survive. How can you break into the house so easily? It is probably just a deception." Ye Xie curled her lips, as if she didn't believe what the boatman said. if.
"Little girl, don't believe it. It was raining and sunny at that time." The boatman glared and emphasized what was almost weird in his life, "Everyone on my boat saw it. "
Ye Xiayou gently touched Ye Xiayou in the middle of the night, signaling her to stop talking. Ye Xiayou stopped talking and fell asleep holding the wooden box pillow on Ye Xiayou's shoulder.
The boatman also seemed to lack the ability to talk. Perhaps he didn't want to pay attention to this little girl who didn't believe him. He coughed lightly and started singing.
"Sister, please turn around quickly.
Brother, I want to punt and go.
Earn some money and put it in your pocket,
I dare to marry you and go home to warm my bed.
Brother, please walk slower.
Sister, I'm waiting at home,
I can't say those words,
It is enough for the brother to have a sister in his heart. "
The boat sailed to the evening and docked at a small mountain village called Caojiagou.
In the middle of the night, I helped my sister find a tavern near the pier. Although it was simple, the store still made four dishes and one soup, plus a pot of plum wine brewed by the store.
Ye Xiayou took a small bite of her meal and suddenly said, "Why don't you let me inquire about the good family again during the day?"
Although both siblings had the habit of saying nothing when eating, she had no choice but to break these complicated rules because she couldn't hide anything.
In the middle of the night, he swallowed the food in his mouth, washed it down with wine, and said, "Why are you asking?"
"Don't you know?" my sister asked back.
"I know, but I think there's no point in asking. After all..."
"How could a good family let you go after the trouble we caused in the capital three years ago?" The elder sister cut off her younger brother's words and turned towards him.
"But they don't know we're here." Midnight also interrupted my sister and put a piece of local chicken raised by the store in her bowl. "Besides, there's no telling whether Liang Zhongting broke into the house or not. Then What does the boatman know, and you just believe what he says?"
Ye Xiayou stopped talking and picked at the chicken nuggets in the bowl with the chopsticks in his hand, thoughtfully.
"Eat quickly, don't think nonsense. Even if Liang Zhongting really breaks into the house, if he wants to find me, I will take you away." Ye Sangen made a joke that didn't seem like a joke.
"If Liang Zhongting really breaks into the house, he can reach Wudang from Shuishui in a matter of seconds." Ye Xiayou was still worried, "If you say it yourself, I still believe that you can escape unscathed, how could you possibly run away with me?" .”
"I have been stagnant in the Celestial Realm for the past three years. The battle in Dan City in the first few days feels like there are some traces. If I really want to encounter Liang Zhongting, it is not impossible to have a head-on confrontation." After a pause, Ye San Geng added, "Besides, we still have the Ye family's golden sign on our heads. What can a good family do to us?"
Regarding his brother's words that were almost self-consoling, Ye Xiayou was very worried and thoughtful.
How confident are you that you can give face to such a monster who invades your house? Back then, the midnight watch cut off a good family's incense.
The night was uneventful, and early the next morning, the two siblings continued their journey westward by boat in the middle of the night.
The boat sailed for another hour or so, and the boatman docked the boat again. Looking up at midnight, he saw a large boat approaching in front of him. A man in green clothes stood on the bow, and a young woman in fur next to him accompanied him. I was sitting, thinking it was because the river breeze was too cold, making me shiver.
"You go back to the boat first. If you get cold, your family will talk to you again." The man in Tsing Yi advised. Even though his voice was not loud, with the cold wind, the people on the awning boat not far away could understand clearly.
"I won't." Even though her voice was slightly chilled by the cold, the woman in fur still spoke decisively, "If you don't agree, I will stay here freezing."
The man in green was very helpless. He thought he was a well-known figure in the Danjiang area, but he seemed to be unable to do anything about this woman.
"Hongyao, let's not talk about our age. Just because your father and I are of the same generation, this is also a taboo." The man in green turned his back to the woman, his tone revealing a stern tone.
"I don't care." The woman who was called Hongyao crossed her arms with her hands on her chest, her expression showing a determination that could not be refuted by others.
"Brother Liang will definitely blame you if you sneak out this time. When the ship docks, I will send someone to take you back." The man in green clothes did not take the woman in fur and said to himself.
The woman in fur naturally refused. She hugged the man's arm coquettishly and shook her back and forth. "Just promise me this time. I will go to the villa to stay for a few days. I will come back as soon as my father sends someone to pick me up."
"This matter is non-negotiable." The man in green shook his arm and sounded more decisive than the woman.
The woman in fur didn't expect that the other party would throw her away, so she stepped back with her center of gravity unsteady. It seemed that there was heavy dew in the early morning and the boat was slippery. The woman in fur staggered and fell straight into the water.
Naturally, in the middle of the night, I overheard bits and pieces of the conversation between the two people on the boat. I was just curious as to why the two people were standing on the bow of the boat talking about such a topic that was against human ethics. I tightened my arms around my sister in embarrassment, hoping that she would be better than myself. I care that Tsunasa's sister doesn't hear this, otherwise it will be another annoying lecture.
It’s still the kind of preaching that doesn’t differentiate between occasions and status.
Just as I was thinking wildly, I saw the young woman in fur getting off the boat from the corner of my eye.
Without thinking, Ye Sanzhang stood up, reached out and grabbed the bamboo pole in the boatman's hand, and flew out diagonally. At the moment when the woman in fur screamed, and even before the man in green could react, he held it on the woman in fur. With a flick of his wrist under his arm and a few tremors of the bamboo pole, he flicked the woman in fur back to the boat, causing people around her to exclaim again.
The incident happened in a flash of lightning. No one on the big boat or the small boat could react yet. Ye Xiayou was so frightened that she stretched out her hand to grab the skirt of Ye San's clothes. She shivered and stood up, asking quickly: " What's wrong?"
In the middle of the night, he returned the bamboo pole in his hand to the boatman. Regardless of the surprised looks of others, he sat back next to his sister and said: "A big boat came across the other side, and a girl almost fell off, so I helped her."
"Your posture suddenly startled me." Ye Xiayou was shocked and patted his chest, "I thought someone from the Liang family was here."
Ye Sangeng smiled helplessly, "What are you thinking about?"
"Thank you very much, sir, for the rescue." The man in Tsing Yi ordered to stop the boat, and said from the bow of the boat, clasping his fists in the distance.
In the middle of the night, he just acted in good faith and didn't want to have too many interactions. At this time, he had to stand up and return the salute, clasping his fists and saying: "It takes a little effort."
The man in green looked at Ye Sange carefully and said: "Young Master has tight eyes, isn't he from Danjiang?"
Although the Danxia River passes through several cities, people everywhere along the river are accustomed to calling themselves Danjiang people. It is said that the soil and water support the people.
In the middle of the night, he said: "My sister and I went to Wudang Mountain to fulfill our vows."
Seeing that it was late at night, the man in green didn't seem to want to talk much. He stopped talking and clasped his fists again and said: "Zhao Yun is coming out of Xiaxia City. If there is anything on the Danjiang River, just let me know."
He nodded in the middle of the night and stopped talking.
The man in green who called himself Zhao Yunchu called his servants to help the frightened woman in fur away. He said "Sail" and the ship slowly sailed away.
Before walking into the boat, the woman in fur took a thoughtful glance at the man who saved her life and the woman holding the box who had not spoken a word next to her. This made Ye Sangeng, who had just sat down, frown.
Who is this girl?
Feeling his sister tugging on his sleeve, Ye Xiaer turned his head to look at his sister. Before he could speak, Ye Xie had already said: "The Zhao family from Zhao Yun has always been on good terms with the Liang family in Fenshuiling. I vaguely heard him just now." The two were having a conversation on the boat. Judging from the river travel, the girl must be from a good family."
"Brother's heroic act of saving the beauty just now was really impressive." Before the third watch of the night, the boatman rowed the boat with a bamboo pole and admired from the bottom of his heart, "The Zhao family is a big family in Danjiang. Brother, you are in this waterway." You are really lucky to be here."
In the middle of the night, Ye Yayou patted Ye Xieyou's hand to reassure her sister not to worry. She stopped talking and closed her eyes like an old monk sitting in meditation.
The boatman was bored, minding his own business, and started singing folk songs.
"Sister misses brother
If my sister wants to come, my brother will know it too
Spider webs in Ojiangkou
The constant flow of water is sincere
Brother misses sister
If my brother wants to come, my sister will know it.
Picking tender lotus roots under the lotuses in the lake
The knife cuts endlessly.
My brother knows it, and my sister knows it too.
Flowers bloom with heart and stems
Birds fly with heart and mind
If anyone knows
Match the couple, match the couple”
The voice is hoarse but clear, and it sounds pretty good.
