Because it was just dawn, the fog on the river was heavy. Although Zhao Chuan had night vision, he looked around for a long time and saw nothing on the river.
Just when he was about to return to the cabin, the hull shook violently, and then again. This time the shaking was so strong that not only the sailors at the observation deck shouted again, but also woke up a few boat passengers and ran out.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
"Did it hit the boat?"
"Where?"
The people who came out asked Zhao Chuan while looking around the river.
Zhao Chuan’s answer was unclear and he had just come out.
Zhao Chuan was very curious and walked around the bottom deck, but still found nothing.
An old man who claimed to be the owner of the boat shouted at the guests not to run around, and hurriedly came out of the boat's operating room with two boatmen. They checked around the boat, but failed to climb up to the third floor to continue patrolling the river.
The sky was getting brighter, the river fog had completely dissipated, and there was nothing strange about the ship or the river surface. The crowd of spectators gradually dispersed, and Zhao Chuan also returned to his cabin.
Huang Jin was still sleeping, but his eyes were open. He just heard the noise outside and was too lazy to get up.
"The people who drive the boat are all experienced helmsmen. They can't hit the rocks. There is no danger for such a big river boat even if it is sailing in the sea. It may just hit some floating objects in the water." I asked about the situation outside. Later, Huang Jin disagreed.
It was still early to start dinner in the morning, and Zhao Chuan didn't want to take a stroll this morning, because he had just advanced to the first level of the water layer at night. He wanted to consolidate it further, and by the way, take a closer look inside to see what the differences were in his body after the upgrade.
Zhao Chuan was meditating cross-legged on the bed, but as soon as he practiced, he found that his posture was not good because his lower limbs would involuntarily separate at any moment, and he could not sit in double lotus, single lotus, or loose lotus.
Zhao Chuan allowed the inner Qi to guide his body posture, and found that the water layer practice was in a standing posture, and the inner Qi circulation route still traveled around the body, then went out from the sole of the left foot, and then returned from the sole of the right foot. In the body, it seems that it is also brought with it the cold moisture of the river.
Zhao Chuan shivered in shock, what's going on? Could it be that after the energy went out, it circled back in the river below?
After practicing for a few rounds, there was a puddle of water under his feet. Zhao Chuan was a little puzzled and secretly asked what kind of five-element magic skill the great grandfather created. Can he still endure this if he practices in winter?
As the sense of Qi increased, the hull suddenly shook violently, shaking to a large extent, and then was hit again and again. Zhao Chuan was a little unsteady and stopped practicing.
"I saw it! I saw it! Someone is coming! Someone is coming quickly!..." A series of shouts suddenly came from the observation deck on the third floor.
Many people hurriedly ran out of the cabin when they heard the shouting. Zhao Chuan saw the red-faced captain running up to the observation deck with a few jumps, and then he started cursing.
"Ouch! Snake! Snake! What a big water snake!" Someone exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, pointing to the water not far behind the passenger ship.
But no, it was really a big snake, but this snake was probably too big. It was five or six feet long and as thick as a wooden barrel.
"How can a water snake be so big? It's clearly a big anaconda!" someone shouted.
"How can an anaconda be black? It's a dragon!" Someone immediately objected.
"Don't talk nonsense. The dragon has horns on its head. This one is just a snake head!"
"No, no! Is this a foreign thing? I have been doing business on this river for generations, and I have never heard of such a big water snake here!" A fat, wealthy businessman said plausibly.
"You haven't heard of it, and you can't say you haven't! There are many strange things in the world..."
With the surprise, almost all the passengers on the boat came to the deck, talking about how lively it was.
The big black snake followed the passenger ship ten feet away. Its body was half submerged in the water, but it was swimming with its tail and head above the water.
Because the distance was a bit far, the guests probably felt that there was no danger, so many people crowded at the rear of each floor of the passenger ship, pointing and arguing.
But the boat passengers seemed to feel something was wrong. After following the big snake for a while, it suddenly sank into the water. Then the boat shook violently. Several people on the side of the boat were unsteady and accidentally fell into the river.
Only then did the guests realize that the vibration of the passenger ship was caused by the impact of the big snake.
Fortunately, the guests who fell into the water were all from the south and were good at water. But when they saw the big snake emerging from the water and swimming toward them, they were so frightened that they screamed for help and struggled on the water.
But the big snake didn't eat them. It just swam around them twice and disappeared into the river.
The captain quickly stopped the big boat and put down the small boat to rescue the people.
But just as the passenger ship stopped sailing, the big snake surfaced again and followed it, still following a few feet away.
Those on the boat who were frightened just now, especially those who fell into the water, were so angry that they jumped and cursed, and some even took out objects and threw them at the snake.
The big snake was enraged and rushed to hit the passenger ship again. The captain ordered the ship to speed up in an attempt to get rid of it, but the big snake swam faster and the two impellers mounted on the stern of the ship were rotating at full speed and could not get rid of the big snake.
The big snake does not eat people, nor does it knock over the ship. From time to time, it shoots water at the guests on the deck, covering them with water. It is a completely teasing gesture.
As time passed, the guests got used to it and were no longer afraid. They began to talk about why this strange snake was chasing the passenger ship.
"There must be someone on this boat that the big snake wants. Just find this person and throw him away!" The fat rich businessman just now seemed to have seen a lot.
As soon as this statement came out, some people immediately laughed and suggested that they try throwing the businessman down first. The wealthy businessman was so frightened that he stopped talking.
The captain of the ship didn't know whose suggestion he took, so he started to burn incense on the bow of the ship as a memorial, and also threw down a lot of chickens, ducks, fish and other sacrifices. But it was no use. The strange snake still followed the passenger ship not far or near.
Zhao Chuan hated snakes very much, because he helped Qinglian suck snake venom on the mountain one day before the Zhao family was wiped out, so he didn't have a good impression of snakes. He looked at them for a while and then returned to the cabin.
Huang Jin didn't like to join in the fun and didn't come out to watch the fun. He just asked Zhao Chuan about the big snake. Zhao Chuan estimated that he didn't want to come out and meet Jiang Yong.
Although Zhao Chuan didn't like snakes, he was still interested in the strange phenomena of this big snake. He asked Huang Jin what was going on.
Huang Jin said that the wealthy businessman might be right, that is to say, there must be something on the boat that the snake is interested in.
If we put it this way, what was it about this passenger ship that aroused the big snake’s interest? Zhao Chuan was thinking.
When Zhao Chuan went to the tavern to eat, he saw that the people in the tavern were still talking about the big snake.
There is a big table in the center of the tavern. At the table, a bearded man is shouting: "I also think this snake is not local. In the early years, my boss and I traveled across the ocean and saw this kind of snake in Nanyang. This snake It’s called a king snake, it doesn’t eat humans!”
Seeing that everyone was listening carefully, the bearded man was very proud.
"The reason why we say king snake means that it can be king. Of course, it must be better than other snakes: it is not poisonous but mainly feeds on other snakes, especially venomous snakes. Its venom to snakes is almost They are immune. As long as you raise a king snake, you will be sure that there will be no snakes or rats within a few kilometers!"
Everyone sighed and asked why they were here. The bearded man shook his head and said he didn't know, but then he said with a mysterious expression that the whole body of this snake is filled with extremely precious medicinal materials. It is said that inner elixirs can be formed in such a big snake. Those who practice Taoism and seek immortality can hardly find it even if they spend thousands of gold...
Some people asked how it is true that eating the snake's inner elixir can lead to enlightenment and immortality?
The bearded man laughed and said no, no, eating the snake's inner elixir was just an introduction, and at the same time, he had to spend a lot of money to buy other elixirs to help him practice...
Others say you are talking nonsense. Even if you don’t want to become an immortal, ordinary cultivators who want to reach a high level have to spend a lot of money to buy panaceas. If they can afford it...
The bearded man laughed loudly and said that even if you can afford it, you must have the corresponding innate physical conditions. Otherwise, will the royal family be short of money throughout the ages? How many people can achieve enlightenment and become immortals? …
Shortly after breakfast, it started to rain, and the rain became heavier and heavier. Some people saw the big snake diving into the water and disappearing again.
At noon, the rain had subsided, and the passenger ship was about to arrive at the next dock. This dock is a small town in Annan County under the jurisdiction of Jiangzhou County. This town is still a day and night away from the Jiangzhou City dock.
Jiangzhou County governs 36 counties. The south of Annan County is Jiangzhou City, the county seat of Jiangzhou County. The current governor of Jiangzhou County is Prince Zhou Tong, which is a hereditary fiefdom of the Zhou family.
In the VIP cabin on the third floor, Miss Han Yu'er of the Han family had just woken up because she played games with Zhao Chuan too late last night. She was sitting blankly at the cabin window looking at the increasingly approaching pier in the rain.
The hotel waiter came here several times in the morning to deliver meals. Every time he saw someone not getting up, he didn't dare to call him. It was almost noon before he saw the two of them getting up.
The waiter said you guys can really sleep. It's almost noon. The cook asked me, are you having breakfast or lunch now?
Qin'er glared and said that the money is too much for you, do you care if we have breakfast or lunch?
The waiter hurriedly apologized and said that was not what he meant. It was because you didn’t get up in the morning and missed the beautiful and rare scenery on the river. It is estimated that many people will never see it in their lifetime...
Qin'er said there was nothing strange about it. It was just a broken river, and she had walked back and forth many times.
Yu'er said to wash up and get ready to eat, and asked Zhao Chuan to come up to eat with her and tell us what happened.
The passenger ship sailed slowly and approached the town pier. Yu'er from the cabin window noticed that a fire suddenly lit up on the pier in the rain, thick smoke billowed, and then there were people running around.
The waiter who had just brought the food in heard that he came over to take a look. He only took one look and ran out with an ouch. He ran down and yelled that it was bad.
Zhao Chuan didn't want to come up to eat at first, but he had already received money from him and was his accompanying doctor, so he had to take care of his daily health, so he had no choice but to come up and take a look.
Zhao Chuan stood on the third floor, looking out from a high position. He could see things clearly and his heart sank.
There was also a riot at this dock. It is only 200 miles away from the county seat of Jiangzhou City. It seems that it is hard to say what the situation in Jiangzhou City is.
Han Yu'er probably also thought about this problem. The food that was delivered was not touched at all, so how could she still think about eating it.
The people on the passenger ship were also a little panicked. More than half of them were going to Jiangzhou City. The passenger ship originally wanted to replenish some living supplies at this pier. Seeing this situation, the owner of the ship ordered the helmsmen to pass quickly and leave this troubled place as soon as possible.
This wharf is built at the three forks of a tributary river and the main river. Due to the heavy rain just now, the water from the tributaries impacts the main river. The passenger ship itself is relatively large. When it reaches this place, it is pushed up by the water of the tributaries and moves very slowly. It's impossible to travel quickly through this area.
"Look, there's another murder on the pier!" someone exclaimed loudly.
A large group of people rushed out of the pier, and behind the crowd were chasing another group of people, stabbing them with swords, and shooting them with bows and arrows.
Those who ran ahead and jumped for their lives obviously saw the luxurious river boat approaching. Some people jumped off the small boat on the pier and paddled desperately towards the big boat.
However, several rowing boats could not move faster than the arrows of the pursuers behind them, and the people fleeing for their lives in the boats were shot and fell into the river.
The pursuers were standing on the pier looking at the luxury river boat. Suddenly someone shouted, and many people jumped off several small boats moored on the pier, shouting and rowing towards the luxury river boat.
"Dang, dong, dong, dong…!" The emergency bell rang from the observation deck. The passenger ship suddenly accelerated, and the guests hurried into the cabin to escape. However, those with slower legs were immediately hit by arrows shot from the boat. Screaming and falling on the deck howling in pain.
