After passing through a turbulent water, the water in front becomes relatively gentle. Since we are going downstream, we don't have to row hard. We only need to stabilize the direction and prevent the boat from spinning.
After being temporarily out of danger, Changsheng began to consider what to do next. First, he had to determine where Miss Zhao and others were going. The official ship that everyone was on was bound for Ganzhou. Miss Zhao and others were undoubtedly going to Ganzhou, but He didn't know where exactly he was going.
"Third sister-in-law, where are you going?" Changsheng asked.
Such a title made Miss Zhao feel embarrassed, but she was unable to correct her. She could only whisper, "My father is the governor of Ganzhou, and we live in the government office of Ganzhou."
Changsheng was very surprised when he heard this. He knew that Miss Zhao was from an official family, but he did not expect that her life experience was so prominent. The governor was already a very big official, second only to the Jiedushi.
This is the second time that Changsheng called Miss Zhao third sister-in-law. It was not convenient for Miss Zhao to correct herself. The maid on the side said bravely, "Young hero, this is a major matter of marriage, the parents' orders, the matchmaker's words, your title..."
Changsheng still understands basic etiquette. He deliberately called Miss Zhao "third sister-in-law" in order to help Chen Liqiu. Now that the purpose has been achieved, he pretended to be enlightened and said, "Oh, yes, yes, I shouted early. some."
"Miss Zhao, where is the Governor's Mansion and how far is it from here?" Changsheng asked.
"It is located in Ganzhou City, about four to five hundred miles away." Miss Zhao was not sure.
"Oh," Changsheng nodded, "I'm not very familiar with this area. I'm afraid I won't be able to send you back in person. Besides, the evil thieves from the Beggar Clan will definitely not give up. They will definitely try to track and intercept them. Do you think this can work? , let’s go downstream along the river, and when we find a suitable place, we’ll land ashore, and I’ll take you to the county government office, and they will send officers and soldiers to take you back.”
Miss Zhao did not express her position immediately, but turned to look at Mother Zhao. After Mother Zhao nodded, she nodded in agreement, "Okay, where are you going?"
Changsheng did not answer immediately. The reason why he revealed his identity to Miss Zhao was because Chen Liqiu mentioned him in a letter to Miss Zhao. As for his specific whereabouts, he did not want to mention it to anyone.
Seeing Changsheng frowning and hesitating, Miss Zhao just assumed that he had nowhere to go and said, "If you have nowhere to go, you might as well come back to the government office with us and make a living as a servant."
"Thank you, Miss Zhao." Chang Sheng thanked him, then shook his head and said, "Senior Brother Third must have mentioned to you the situation we are in. I have to move around and cannot stay in one place for too long."
Hearing what Changsheng said, Miss Zhao did not force her to stay, but said with concern, "Our luggage has been left on the ship, and we don't have any money with us right now. If you don't have enough money..."
Before Miss Zhao could finish her words, Changsheng shook his head and interrupted her, "No, no, I have enough money."
In addition to the small piece of gold, he also had some silver, which was given to him by the Taiping Escort Bureau before. He divided some of it among the officers and soldiers who gave it to him, and there was still some left. As for the money and dry food sent to him by Mr. Liu, the governor of Yuzhou, they were also left on the official ship like Miss Zhao and others.
Changsheng knew nothing about the situation downstream and could only observe along the way to find a suitable landing place.
Previously, in order to protect other people on the ship, he did not use poison, which resulted in the Beggar Clan thieves being still alive. After they escaped, the Beggar Clan members would definitely chase and intercept them in order to block the news. For the safety of Miss Zhao and others, It would be best to let them disembark early, while he continues to take the boat downstream. Firstly, he can rush to Gezao Mountain as soon as possible, and secondly, he can also lure away the pursuers.
Miss Zhao and others were almost killed, so they naturally wanted to ask about the origins of those evil thieves. Chang Sheng told the truth, only that they were all disciples of the Beggar Clan. They hijacked the official ship to steal rice and grain before seeking refuge with Zhu Quanzhong.
Hearing Chang Sheng's words, Mother Zhao and Miss Zhao didn't say anything. Only the maid was furious and said, "These beggars are so bold, we must not let them off lightly."
After the maid finished speaking, Chang Sheng remembered something, "Have they ever asked you about your origins before?"
"That's not true," the maid shook her head and said, "They just took our jewelry and didn't ask who we were."
"That's good," Changsheng nodded and said, "The Beggar Gang is a Jianghu gang. They are not as afraid of the government as the common people. If they know your origins, I am afraid they will come to you."
"A bunch of beggars dare to rebel." The maid disagreed.
"You have to understand something," Changsheng hurriedly corrected her misunderstanding. "Beggars' gang disciples are all members of the Jianghu community. They are different from displaced disaster victims and beggars begging on the street. You must not vent your anger on innocent people."
"Yeah." The maid nodded.
Changsheng then asked about Chen Liqiu's situation. Miss Zhao only said that Chen Liqiu had joined the army, but did not tell him where Chen Liqiu was now.
Changsheng also understood Miss Zhao's concealment. He was worried that Miss Zhao and others would reveal his whereabouts, and Miss Zhao also had to consider Chen Liqiu's safety.
Changsheng had always been worried about Li Zhongyong and Takeda Mayumi, so he asked Miss Zhao whether Chen Liqiu mentioned them in the letter to her. Miss Zhao shook her head and said, "I didn't mention it, but the letter only contained the joy of surviving the disaster." , there is no sadness like losing relatives and friends.”
"That's good, that's good." Changsheng felt a little relieved.
Worried that the Beggar Clan would catch up, Chang Sheng did not dare to drift with the tide. After recovering some strength, he began to paddle faster. Miss Zhao and others came from official families and had little strength and could not help. They could only hold on to the side of the boat and sit quietly. Do not move.
Two hours went by without incident. In the evening, a pier appeared in front of us. It was a large pier. There were cargo ships docking and unloading goods, and ferries were also unloading passengers.
Miss Zhao's grandmother is in Yuzhou, and they have walked through this waterway more than once. This place is already in Ganzhou. This wharf is a government wharf, and the county government is only fifty miles away from the wharf.
Listening to what Zhao's mother said, she undoubtedly wanted to disembark from here, but Changsheng was a little hesitant. There were too many people waiting at this pier. If Miss Zhao and others disembarked from here, if the Beggar Clan traced it here and inquired, they might track them down. Get on them.
But it was not safe to continue taking them downstream. The sampan was very small and it was very dangerous to sail in the river at night. Besides, there was also the possibility of being overtaken by the Beggar Clan.
After hesitation, the boat quickly sailed downstream and missed the opportunity to dock.
Just when Changsheng began to feel worried, he suddenly saw an area ahead with gentle terrain where he could land ashore, so he hurriedly rowed a boat close to let the three people disembark.
When Miss Zhao and others got off the boat, Chang Sheng did not leave. Instead, he led the three of them through a forest and grass, walked four or five miles forward, and hid in the grass.
After waiting for a while, a carriage came from the north, with a young couple and a three or four-year-old child sitting in the carriage.
Upon seeing this, Changsheng hurriedly stepped forward to stop the carriage, took out some silver and asked them to take Miss Zhao and others back to the county town.
The carriage was about to return to the county town, and the owner readily agreed.
The three girls, Zhao and others, boarded the car and headed south. Changsheng watched them leave, then crossed Caokuang and returned to the riverside.
It was so easy to see Miss Zhao and others away. When they passed by the pier, everyone on the pier saw a sampan carrying four people downstream. No one noticed that they were not far downstream from the pier. After reaching the shore, even if the Beggar Clan disciples came here to inquire about the situation, they would not know that Miss Zhao and others had already disembarked from here.
At this time, night had fallen. Changsheng did not have spiritual energy cultivation and could not see at night. However, he knew that martial arts practitioners with spiritual energy cultivation could see clearly even at night. Traveling in the dark would be harmful to him but not beneficial.
After pondering, he decided to find a suitable place to spend the night. He drove five or six miles downstream and found a fork from the shore. The fork was not big, but he could clearly see it from the river. He could see the pursuers. Naturally, we can also see that if it is not safe, we can only look elsewhere.
After drifting downstream for a few more miles, I finally found a suitable hiding place. There are many banyan trees in the south. The banyan trees near the water will produce many long roots. A large number of roots hang down into the water, forming a thick curtain.
Changsheng docked the sampan and hid under the tree. There were snakes near the water in the south, and there were also snakes in the trees.
Changsheng didn't dare to climb a tree, so he could only hide on the sampan. He had been bitten by a poisonous snake before, and he didn't know whether it was because the poison was still lingering or something else, but the mosquitoes didn't bite him. This made him suffer a lot less. Physically and mentally exhausted, and with Gezao Mountain right in front of me, I slept peacefully.
He slept so deeply that he didn't wake up until midnight the next day. After waking up, he was not in a hurry to hit the road. At this time, everyone in the Beggar Clan had already started tracking and intercepting him. It was the most dangerous time to hit the road at this time, and it was very likely that will bump into them.
Feeling hungry, he went ashore to look for food in the forest. Qianjinyi Fangli recorded the shapes and details of a large number of medicinal herbs in detail. He remembered them all in his heart. He could clearly identify even plants that he had never seen before. Qianjinyi Fangli Fang is not only the Qihuang Divine Book that cures diseases and saves lives, he can also save lives on a daily basis. He dares to eat things that others dare not eat, and does not need to eat hair or drink blood.
After hiding in the woods on the shore for a day, mosquitoes began to attract him at night. This did not bother him, so he found some repellent herbs and made a bed in the grass. Snakes, insects, rats, and ants all seek good luck and avoid evil. Instinctively, they will not eat poisonous things, and they will avoid poisonous places.
The next day, Changsheng still didn't go on the road. At this time, he was very close to Gezao Mountain. The road was bumpy and dangerous, and he finally got here. He had to be more careful in the last part of the journey, and he must not be careless and miss the mark.
After patiently hiding from the shore for seven days, Changsheng set off again. For seven days, anyone would have thought that he had gone downstream. It was actually the safest time to set off at this time.
Previously, Li Zhongyong and Chen Liqiu had roughly discussed the route to Gezao Mountain. They walked carefully along the riverside for two days, entered the tributary, and then walked dozens of miles before abandoning the boat and landing. This place was less than three miles away from Gezao Mountain. Ten miles away, standing on the shore, you can even see the majestic Taoist temple on Gezao Mountain...
