Three large ships anchored and docked one after another, and the crowds of foreigners disembarked one after another.
With all the efforts of all the boatmen and officials, the ferry finally got far enough away from them.
Pei Liang carried the young master in white, who was as light as a chicken, to the bow of the boat.
Pei Liang had a problem with how to let her go.
"If you ask me, I'll throw him into the water. If he survives, he will be lucky. If he dies, it has nothing to do with us."
Yaoniang never takes it too seriously when watching the excitement, and Pei Liang shook his head with just one sentence.
"This man is the apple of a foreign official's eye. How can they let it go if he really drowns?"
"Is this a woman?" Yaoniang was surprised. She always thought it was a man.
Seeing Yaoniang walking over curiously and looking at him up and down, the young master in white looked disgusted and glared angrily.
"Is she a woman?" Even though Yaoniang had the answer in her mind, she still pretended not to believe it and touched the person's chest.
"Ah" the young master in white screamed, her voice completely restored to her daughter's voice, and she bit Yaoniang's wanton hand.
"You are a dog!"
Yaoniang grabbed her hair with one hand, shot her left and right, and slapped her twice loudly.
"You alien beasts are slaughtering my people in the Central Plains. Even if you are scratched alive, it will be hard to erase the hatred in my heart!"
Yaoniang got angry and felt that it was not enough and she wanted to kick her again. Pei Liang quickly pulled the person aside and said, "That's almost enough."
"You still speak for her." Yaoniang stamped her feet.
"This guy isn't too bad."
Pei Liang smiled and suddenly saw a large piece of driftwood floating about ten feet away from the right side of the bow. He immediately had an idea. He came to the side of the boat, lifted up the young alien master and threw him out.
This force was just right, and the panicked foreign young master landed on the driftwood without hesitation, and immediately hugged him tightly.
Pei Liang waved to her, turned around and was about to leave, when he suddenly saw the man's head sinking into the water, his hands slapping the water in panic.
Pei Liang jumped up and stood on the driftwood. As soon as he picked up the woman from the water, a palm slapped him in front of him.
Pei Liang easily grabbed his wrist and said with a smile, "Just be careful of your move."
The foreign woman couldn't help but was anxious and angry, so she yelled at Pei Liang: "You bastard, you bully a woman, I will let my father chop you to death!"
Pei Liang was stunned for a moment, but the words sounded correct.
"Why are you pretending that you can speak Chinese dialect?"
"All of you, please wait for me. I, the princess, will not spare you!" The foreign woman only focused on her harsh words and did not answer Pei Liang's question.
"Hey! The little black girl is still a princess!" Pei Liang smiled evilly and suddenly saw a nice jade bead chain on her wrist, so he pulled it over immediately.
"You... stole my things, you beast!" The alien princess reacted and was about to grab the man's clothes. Pei Liang stepped aside, laughed, and flew to the ferry in the distance.
When the princess in the water saw this, she patted the wooden stake on her chest angrily.
Yaoniang waited for Pei Liang to return to the boat, then said gently: "You don't have to risk your life to save her."
Pei Liang retracted his right hand behind his back and said with a smile, "It's not like he was risking his life."
Yaoniang glanced at the man lightly, turned around and said, "You should mind your own business from now on, I will be worried."
Pei Liang quickly agreed.
———
At noon, the ferry finally docked successfully. Yuan Qianqiu ordered the boatman and the official to go back to their respective lives without going together.
He quickly caught up with Pei Liang and his entourage in a carriage. Lu Qingyan got out of the carriage herself, took off her veil, and bowed to Pei Liang: "Young Master's kindness in saving my life, I will never forget it. I don't know if my benefactor is gone." Wherever you live in Chengdu, I will visit you one day to pay my respects."
Pei Liang smiled slightly and immediately clasped his fists: "Since we are destined to meet each other, it's just a matter of effort. Madam, don't worry about it."
"How can I not care about such a great favor and ask my benefactor to tell me where to stay, so that I can feel at ease, otherwise I will live in guilt for the rest of my life."
Seeing that Lu Qingyan spoke so sincerely, Pei Liang didn't know what to say. Just as he was about to dismount, Yaoniang suddenly took over the words: "Madam, you are sincere and I understand it! It's just that we have never settled in a fixed place. We are destined to meet each other one day, madam, have a good journey."
Pei Liang clasped his fists at the three of them again and said loudly: "Everyone, take care of yourself! The mountains are high and the rivers are long. See you soon."
Xiao Wan bowed curtly, while Yuan Qianqiu solemnly clasped his fists and said "I'll see you later."
Lu Qingyan, who was silent for a moment, raised her head, smiled, and gave Pei Liang a final blessing: "Thank you for your kindness."
Pei Liang nodded in return and rode away from Juechen.
Lu Qingyan stopped and took a look, then got on the carriage without looking back.
Just as Xiao Wan was about to follow, Yuan Qianqiu winked at her. Xiao Wan understood instantly, took Yuan Qianqiu's arm and said, "Master Yuan promised to teach me how to drive before. You can't go back on your word this time."
Yuan Qianqiu laughed, jumped on the carriage seat, and patted the empty seat next to him.
Not long after the carriage had gone, Lu Qingyan's somewhat dull voice came out: "Xiao Wan, don't delay Brother Yuan's driving. Come back quickly."
The maid Xiao Wan secretly stuck out her tongue at Yuan Qianqiu.
After Pei Liang's horse galloped for several miles in the countryside, Yao Niang finally spoke leisurely: "I rejected such a great beauty for you. Do you hate me in your heart?"
Pei Liang leaned close to her ear: "I hate you so much!"
Yaoniang giggled, with a proud look on her face: "I don't care if you feel uncomfortable or not, as long as I feel comfortable."
"We met by chance. I'm not a passionate person, so why should I feel uncomfortable?" Pei Liang said calmly.
"The more you say you don't care, the more you care in your heart!" Yaoniang said with her hands on her shoulders.
Pei Liang stopped talking, not because he was speechless, but because he was too lazy to speak.
"Humph, I was right. Such a dignified and beautiful lady blinks her big watery eyes and keeps saying that she wants to repay Mr. Pei for saving his life. I don't believe you are not tempted?"
As soon as Yaoniang finished speaking, she seemed to have thought of something again, and twisted Pei Liang's arm hard: "The surname is Pei! I just found out! Are you specifically choosing young and beautiful women to rescue? What are you thinking about? ?”
Pei Liang smiled slightly, but before he could answer, he was met by a team rushing towards them, raising smoke and dust several meters high along the way.
Yaoniang quickly covered her mouth and nose, and Pei Liang took the initiative to ride his horse out of the way. A young man in blue who was leading the team inadvertently glanced at the man and woman on the horse, and his eyes suddenly opened wide and round.
At the same time, Pei Liang also clearly felt Yaoniang's body trembling.
The cavalry passed by in a hurry, and Pei Liang turned around to take a look. These people were dressed like dignitaries from Chengdu. Some of them had knives on their backs, and they were obviously guards.
"They are probably going to pick up the carriage." Pei Liang expressed his judgment.
Yaoniang hummed a little distractedly and said nothing more.
Chengdu is the most fertile and majestic city in Sichuan, and it is also the most heavily guarded city.
There were many soldiers and officials responsible for interrogation at the city gate, and people who came in and out had to check the yellow documents.
Pei Liang and Yaoniang didn't have this thing, so they had no choice but to give it a try.
Because the two of them were too conspicuous, they were stopped by soldiers as soon as they stepped forward.
A man dressed as an officer saw that the man and woman looked really extraordinary and did not dare to offend them easily, so he politely asked them aside.
Pei Liang secretly took out a gold ingot and tried to put it into the officer's hand. Unexpectedly, the man shook his head:
"It's not that our brothers don't want to help. Chengdu is currently facing internal and external troubles. The newly arrived imperial envoy Mr. Liu has issued a strict order not to allow anyone without documents to enter or leave the city. This is a fool's errand."
After hearing what others said, Pei Liang knew that there was no hope of getting in. He could only ask: "I dare to ask, Brother Sergeant, how to obtain this customs clearance document?"
"This is distributed by the government of the city where you live, and it is stamped with the official seal. Without this thing, it will be difficult to move around in the city. I wonder where you two come from?"
“We are from Linjiang Prefecture”
"Hey, no wonder, many people from Lin'an can't enter the city these days, and the prefect has disappeared. It's difficult."
"What should I do?"
"There is a way. If you two know someone who is an official in the city, just say hello and you can come in."
Just as Pei Liang was about to answer, Yaoniang pulled him aside and whispered, "We won't go in because of this trouble."
Pei Liang said: "Only Chengdu has a direct boat to Yujing. The ferry is in Chengdu city and there is no way around it."
Yaoniang rolled her eyes and whispered: "You are so powerful in martial arts, let's fly in!"
Pei Liang smiled, nodded and said, "Fei can fly in, but without documents, it's useless to stay in a hotel or take a boat."
Yaoniang rolled her eyes at Pei Liang and said, "Have you made up your mind to follow the woman named Lu in?"
"This is the only way." Pei Liang scratched his head.
Yaoniang pinched him again: "I knew you would never forget your old sweetheart!"
"Don't ruin other people's reputations."
Just as Pei Liang sighed, he saw Yao Niang glaring angrily.
———
Inside the inn, Pei Liang ordered a table of wine and food, and Yaoniang finished her bath, wrapped herself in a bathrobe and walked out.
Pei Liang drank a little wine and bit into a piece of crispy yellow fried fish, which was crunchy in his mouth.
Yaoniang shook her wet hair and came closer: "Pei, do you think it smells like fish or me?"
Pei Liang smelled Yaoniang's body fragrance mixed with the fragrance of acacia, and still stared at the plate of fried yellow croaker, which was burnt on the outside and tender on the inside:
"You don't know, if any house in our village can fry a fish during the Chinese New Year, the children in the whole street will lie on the wall of his house and smell it for a long time. The aroma can take people away!"
"You must be the greediest one." Yaoniang nodded Pei Liang's head.
"I am also the one who drools the most." Pei Liang continued.
"Will the fish fry shop give you a fish head or tail?" Yaoniang asked curiously.
"What are you thinking about?"
Pei Liang smiled and shook his head: "Then you want to chew up the fish bone and swallow it. Can I give it to you? If you encounter someone who is not a toy, you won't even smell it, and you will come out with a broom to chase them away."
"Now that you have martial arts, you can get anything you want. God treats you well."
Yaoniang grabbed a piece of fried fish and started chewing it.
Hearing this, Pei Liang was silent for a moment, then raised his head and drank the wine in his glass.
"Can we not go to the banquet tonight?" Yaoniang suddenly looked at Pei Liang.
“It would be inappropriate not to go”
"What's inappropriate?"
"Their family is very kind, but it would be rude to refuse them repeatedly."
"If you want to go, go by yourself!" Yaoniang suddenly became playful.
"I can't rest assured if I leave you alone here. The city of Chengdu is not safe either. The generals guarding the city have all been assassinated!"
Pei Liang then said: "I have safely sent you to Yujing. Even if my mission is completed, the customs clearance documents are still in Mr. Liu's hands, so I should go there."
Yaoniang lowered her head for a moment and suddenly said in a harsh voice: "Do you really want to get rid of me as a burden as soon as possible..."
Pei Liang shook his head instinctively and said nothing.
"Pei Liang, I want to have a child with you, now!"
When Yaoniang raised her head and said this, her expression was very serious, without any charming expression. Then the bath towel on her body fell off, and the sunlight came in through the window and sprinkled on Yaoniang's cloud-like hair, exuding a dreamy fragrance. There was a delicate fragrance, and the wet hair was still dripping with water drops, sliding down the smooth neck to the chest.
There was an unprecedented look of panic in Pei Liang's eyes.
Yaoniang slowly moved her lips towards him.
Pei Liang moved very quickly, and before she could react, he was already standing at the door.
"I'll accompany you to buy some clothes. I'll wait for you downstairs." After saying that, he closed the door and left.
Pei Liang waited and waited for Yaoniang to come down. When he was bored, the door of the inn suddenly became crowded, and there were shouts and curses.
When I went out, I saw two men, one fat and one thin, in the crowd, tearing at each other.
"If you don't pay your fucking gambling debts, believe it or not, I'll cut off your arm?" The fat man had an eight-cornered beard and a sinister face. He looked fierce at first glance and was not easy to mess with.
The thin man was not a coward. He looked like a scoundrel, tilted his head and sneered: "You have a crook in every stall in Jingui Fong, why should I pay back the money?"
The fat man became furious, waved his fist and cursed: "You bitch, you want to deny it after losing money?"
The thin man didn't panic at all, and didn't care about other people's pointing. He sighed: "You are more powerful than others. It doesn't matter if you kill me. Anyway, my parents are dead and my wife has run away. I am all alone. Do I need any money?" It’s just a shameful life.”
"Then I'll beat you until you beg for mercy!"
The fat man smiled sinisterly, showing his yellow teeth, and punched the thin man on the bridge of his nose. He immediately fell over and blood poured out like a fountain. The thin man obviously gave up the resistance and was hit by the fists that came one after another.
The adults and women with children in the crowd couldn't bear to look at them and left one after another, leaving only a few idlers who liked to watch the fun.
The fat man kicked the thin man to the ground with another kick, then sat on his chest, raised his bloody fist, and was about to hit him hard.
Pei Liang couldn't see it, so he took a step forward and put his foot on the fat man's chest.
"How much does he owe you?"
When the fat man heard the voice, he raised his head angrily. When he saw the man standing with his hands behind his back like a practicing martial artist, the ferocious expression on his face faded away.
"He owes me two hundred taels of silver, plus fifty taels of interest. This is not a small sum."
The fat man said angrily.
Pei Liang didn't waste any time. He took out an ingot of gold ingot, which weighed twenty taels, and threw it to the ground.
"Come back to the inn counter at this time tomorrow to get fifty taels."
Seeing that Pei Liang said it so easily, the fat man saw that he was a wealthy man who was not short of money. He hurriedly agreed, then grabbed the gold ingot and weighed it briefly, and knew that it was a genuine item.
After the fat man disappeared, the thin man with his face covered in blood got up. Under the surprised and envious eyes of everyone, the thin man hugged Pei Liang and left without even saying a word of thanks.
Those watching the excitement shook their heads and sighed, looking at Pei Liang as if he were a fool.
Pei Liang didn't take it seriously. He stretched lazily and turned around to see Yaoniang appearing behind him.
"You are rich, but you never leave your name behind when you do good deeds." Yaoniang complained with a look on her face.
"As the saying goes, no thank you is enough for a favor."
"Do you really think that this kind of person is a gentleman? How much money do you have to let you do this?"
"I am also short of money"
"Are you people in the world so heroic? You never worry about money?"
"Let's see if the man named Liu can give me a sum tonight."
"If he doesn't give it, do you still ask for it?"
"Why not"
Yaoniang's face showed surprise. In her eyes, Pei Liang had always been a free and easy person who never expected anything in return.
"If you have no money, I still have it with me." Yaoniang nodded, speaking softly.
"Go shopping for clothes." Pei Liang smiled and took Yaoniang's hand.
