Although Yin Qing and Hu Yun did not understand what Mr. Ji was up to, they knew that he must have his reasons for doing things, so when they saw Mr. Ji urging them, they hurriedly followed him.
It felt like the journey back was faster than the journey coming in. When we got back to the cargo road of Laohua Mountain, we could already see teams driving ox carts, donkey carts, and horse carts, carrying goods, luggage, or guests. Of course, there were also many people walking like Ji Yuan and Yin Qing.
While walking on the road, Hu Yun frequently looked at the lotus leaf bag in Ji Yuan's hand. He remembered that he had asked for these dried lotus leaves from the store when he bought cakes in Jiudaokou County. He didn't expect that they were used to hold fish. The red fox instinctively felt that the fish was not simple.
In addition to occasionally looking at the fish in Ji Yuan's hand, Yin Qing also frequently looked behind Ji Yuan. After walking for a while and seeing that there were no pedestrians or vehicles nearby, he couldn't help but ask Ji Yuan in a low voice.
"Mr. Ji, where is the sword that just appeared in your hand? Why is it gone now?"
Yin Qing glanced at the cloth bag that Ji Yuan was carrying. It was obvious that such a small bag could not fit a long sword, and the shape was also wrong.
"You mean the Qingteng Sword? This sword is not willing and can not be shown to anyone easily. It is hidden in a place where no one can see it."
"oh…"
Mr. Ji's ambiguous answer meant that he didn't want to elaborate, so Yin Qing gave up.
"But that sword is really beautiful. It looks so green and lively. As soon as you see it, you know it is definitely a divine weapon, right, Mr. Ji?"
Ji Yuan smiled but didn't have time to speak.
"Buzz..."
The sound of swords rang out faintly, and a faint tinnitus rose in the ears of Yin Qing and Hu Yun. They looked around but could not find the source of the strange feeling. Only Ji Yuan chuckled twice and said nothing more.
The cargo road at Laohua Mountain was dug along the flat terrain on the side of the mountain, and it does not take much effort to get to the ferry at the other end.
Even though Ji Yuan and Yin Qing were walking at a normal speed, they reached the ferry crossing at Xiaoshun River outside the mountain before noon.
Yin Qing's bookcase still contained cakes and snacks bought in Jiudaokou County, so they had no plans to eat in the shops or taverns at the ferry, but went directly to find the ferry.
When Ji Yuan came to the ferry, it was still early. But now it is a busy time for the ferry, with boatmen loading and unloading cargo and boatmen soliciting passengers.
The atmosphere in a place like the dock made Hu Yun, who was lying on the book box, a little nervous, especially the muscular boatmen who were carrying wooden boxes and large frames up and down with bare chests and leather pads. The fox had an inexplicable sense of oppression and always felt that the boxes would hit him. It was also Yin Qing's fault for always telling stories about the villagers fighting monsters together.
Ji Yuan took Yin Qing to walk around the ferry, and Yin Qing felt that Mr. Ji was looking for something.
"Mr. Ji, are you looking for something?"
Ji Yuan walked around but couldn't find the small passenger boat from that year. He didn't know whether the boatman and his son no longer did this business or they had already sailed away and he just didn't see them. The latter was probably the most likely scenario.
Facing Yin Qing's question, Ji Yuan smiled.
"Nothing, just looking around. Do you two want to take a big boat or a small boat?"
"Big ship!" "Small ship!"
Two voices sounded one after the other. Yin Qing and Hu Yun had different opinions, which was rare. Yin Qing wanted to take a big boat, while Hu Yun wanted to take a small boat.
Yin Qing turned his head and happened to meet a slightly nervous fox face. He was stunned for a moment and then changed his words to Ji Yuan.
"Mr. Ji, let's take a small boat. It's quieter with fewer people."
"Okay, let's take a boat!"
Leading Yin Qing to a small passenger boat that was similar in style to the one owned by the boatman and his son back then, Ji Yuan greeted the man who was napping on the deck with a straw hat covering his face.
"Boatman, does this boat go to Chunhui Mansion? Boatman..."
After calling twice, the boatman took off his straw hat and stood up to look at Ji Yuan and Yin Qing standing on the dock. They looked like two scholars.
"Boatman, do you want to go to Chunhui Mansion?"
Ji Yuan asked again.
The boatman scratched his face and head, and answered in a somewhat casual tone.
"It costs two taels to rent a boat. You can also wait for passengers and pay for it. It can only seat eight people."
Look at this man's hidden energy and blood in his body. He should be a martial artist with good martial arts skills. But this premium is a bit too much. Ji Yuan waved his hand.
"Two taels? Jizhou is safe and sound, and has plenty of supplies. The boat fare shouldn't have increased that much, right? How about renting the boat for 200 guan and the meals on board?"
The boatman leaned out of the river, scooped up a handful of water to wash his face, and looked carefully at the shore.
"Oh, you are an expert. How about this? If you want to charter a boat right away, it will cost 200 guan. If you are willing to wait and buy more passengers, the total fare will be 400 guan. How do you think?"
Ji Yuan nodded.
"Okay, let's just start the boat, we'll charter a boat!"
"Okay, sir, you are a straightforward person. Hey, wait a minute, young man, be careful, I will build a springboard for you!"
Hearing that Ji Yuan was ready to charter a boat, the man's attitude became much more enthusiastic. He was busy setting up the wooden boards on the boat to make it convenient for Yin Qing to step on the gangway to get on board.
When Yin Qing was carrying the book box onto the boat, the boatman offered to help him. However, just as Yin Qing stepped onto the boat, Hu Yun jumped from the book box onto the boat.
Although the red fox was extremely light, when it landed on the deck, the boatman still frowned, looked around subconsciously, and then called Ji Yuan to get on board.
"Boatman, are you the only one working on this boat?"
Ji Yuan looked around the boat and saw that there was no one else in the inner warehouse, so that meant there was no one to take over.
"Hehe, the next one is right here. Don't worry, sir. If others take three days, I'll take three days too. If others take five days, I'll still take three days. I won't be slow!"
As he was talking, the boatman had already untied the ropes at the dock and was using a bamboo pole to push the boat gradually away from the dock.
"Hold on tight, hold on tight, the boat is about to start! Hey~~~~yo~~~~"
The boatman's blood and energy surged, and his muscles were clearly visible as he rowed the boat. The whole boat swayed violently from side to side as it left the dock and sailed outward.
Yin Qing's balance on the boat was unstable, so he quickly sat down on a stool in the cabin to steady himself. Even the red fox, who was riding a boat for the first time, lay on the stool with its front and back paws holding onto the surface.
Only Ji Yuan stood steadily in front of the warehouse and looked at the surface of the Xiaoshun River. His body did not even sway, which caused the boatman behind him to squint his eyes and take a closer look, wondering if he had made a mistake.
This man rowed the boat with greater force than the old boatman did back then, and by the afternoon they had already reached the confluence of Xiaoshun River and Chunmu River.
However, just like the boatman back then, the boat also stopped here. The man walked from the back to the front and took out a long-handled harpoon from the cabin. There was a long rope attached to the handle of the harpoon.
"Please wait a moment, my dear guests. There are many big fish at the river mouth. This is where our dinner tonight depends on!"
Yin Qing and Hu Yun couldn't hide their curiosity, so they walked outside to watch the man spearing the fish. Ji Yuan also stood by the mast with a smile on his face.
In the past, some small boats and large ships passed by, and some small boats stopped here to cast nets or cast fishing rods.
The boatman stared intently at the water surface, exploring the subtle changes underwater through the rippling waves. If a novice, he might not be able to judge where the fish are at deep or shallow depths due to the refraction of light, but for this boatman, it was obviously not a problem.
"Mr. Ji, why is he standing still?"
"Shh...just watch!"
As soon as Ji Yuan finished speaking, the boatman moved suddenly. His muscles seemed to bulge in an instant, and he threw out the harpoon with fierce momentum.
Whoosh~ "Bang..."
Water splashed, and the harpoon flew out ten feet and shot diagonally into the water. Only a palm-sized portion of the handle of the ten-foot-long harpoon was exposed above the water.
“Hahaha… I got it!”
The man laughed and quickly pulled the rope back. A moment later, a big silver carp that was still shaking was pulled up.
“Good skills!”
When Ji Yuan praised him, Yin Qing also exclaimed "awesome".
There were sporadic applause coming from a little further away. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a large ship passing by. The passengers on it also saw this scene and were applauding and cheering from afar.
"Hehehe, thank you for the compliment. We make a living on the water!"
The boatman did not stop, thinking that one silver carp was not enough to eat, he took the silver carp off the fork and placed it in a wooden basin beside him, then raised the fork again and concentrated.
This scene made Ji Yuan inexplicably think of Runtu and the civet cat. Their postures were exactly the same as in the illustrations in the textbook in his previous life.
The man's catch was a big silver carp weighing four or five pounds and a grass carp of similar size. He then went back to row the boat happily, and sailed the boat out of the river estuary towards Chunhui Prefecture.
There was little wind on the river today, and the sails were of little use, but the boatman's rowing energy did not diminish from beginning to end, as if he was ready to row until dark. However, when they reached a certain position on the Chunmu River, Ji Yuan called for a stop.
"Boatman, stop the boat!"
"Ah? If you have to pee urgently, just go to the bow of the boat and face the river. Facing the shore, there are only forests and wilderness over there, and no one will see you!"
Ji Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Boatman, I don't want to relieve myself. Let's rest here tonight and leave tomorrow!"
"ah?"
The boatman looked at the sky and felt a little puzzled. With the speed he was rowing, he could definitely sail for a long distance before dropping anchor.
Ji Yuan bowed and explained.
"Some interesting things happened when we passed this section of the river. Now I am reminded of the past. I would like to stay here for one night like I did then. Please help me, boatman."
The boatman scratched his head and returned the greeting.
"Okay, okay, okay, you are the sponsor, you can do whatever you want! Hey, scholars are troublesome..."
The first half of the answer was loud and clear, and the second half was a soft muttered complaint, and Ji Yuan heard every word of it.
Since Ji Yuan insisted, the boatman dropped anchor here, started to prepare the two fish in advance, and then took out the stove to prepare the meal.
Before sunset, the boatman had already prepared the meal. Both fish dishes were steamed fish with ginger slices and some sauces prepared by the boatman. However, after the meal was served, Ji Yuan borrowed a stove and a casserole from the boatman, saying that he would take them to the bow to make soup.
The boatman took a look out of curiosity and found two palm-sized silver fish in a large pot of water. He had no idea where they came from, maybe there was a small tank in the bookcase. The fish seemed to be still alive. Although they turned upside down when entering the water, their gills and fins would occasionally move.
"Uh, sir, do you want me to help you deal with these two fish, such as the gills and internal organs..."
"No, no, this is fine!"
Ji Yuan smiled and rejected the boatman's kindness, which made the boatman laugh and cry. He thought to himself, "These nerds are really nerds!"
The sky gradually darkened. In the cabin, Ji Yuan, Yin Qing and the boatman were eating with their bowls in their hands. Hu Yun lay at the table, staring with greed in his eyes. Occasionally, Yin Qing "accidentally" dropped a piece of fish, but it was completely unable to satisfy the red fox's appetite.
There was one thing that made the boatman very happy. The Mr. Ji actually took out a pot of Qianrichun during the meal. This famous wine was not cheap. The boatman felt embarrassed to drink it, after all, the wine was more expensive than the boat fare.
When they had almost finished eating, the boatman went to the bow to relieve himself. Yin Qing then quickly filled a bowl of rice, poured the sauce and fish broth on it, put a spoon on it and placed it on a stool at the side.
Hu Yun grabbed the spoon with his claws at lightning speed and shoveled the rice into his mouth without swallowing it. The rice tasted so delicious. The feeling of having his appetite whetted for such a long time and then secretly eating was much more delicious than having a full meal in Ning'an County.
After relieving himself, the boatman went to the other side to scoop some river water to wash his hands, then walked to the bow to add some charcoal to the stove.
"It tastes quite fragrant... I guess Mr. Ji didn't add any seasoning..."
The man's nose twitched, and he couldn't help but wrap his hands with his sleeves to prevent burns, and lifted the lid of the casserole to look inside.
Suddenly, a rich fragrance overflowed from it, and the smell made me feel numb all over. When I looked inside again, the two fish were nowhere to be seen, and only a pot of silvery and transparent soup was left.
"Hua La La..."
Suddenly, there was a sound of water on the river surface. The boatman was awakened and immediately closed the lid with a guilty conscience. He looked at the river surface a few feet away and saw that the ripples were slowly dissipating.
"Hua La La..."
This time the sound was in front of the bow. The boatman suddenly moved a few feet further and looked in the direction of the water ripples. He faintly saw a flash of green light, and the water ripples were stirred quite loudly, which was definitely not like an ordinary fish.
Even though he had martial arts skills, the boatman still felt uneasy. Could it be that there really was a water god