The boatman had only been sailing on this route for three years or so, but he was familiar with some folk tales about making a living on the water. The noise he had just seen of the boat stirring up the water on the river looked very much like the rumor that a drowned person had turned into a water god due to his resentment.
After all, the boatman was skilled in martial arts, so he quickly calmed himself down and went around the mast into the cabin in just a few steps.
Over there, Hu Yun had finished a bowl of rice at a very fast speed. He could not stop eating the delicious steamed fish with sauce. He only regretted that the boatman did not go to relieve himself. Now that he saw the boatman coming back, he could only hide under the stool. There were still a few thin fish bones stuck in his mouth between his teeth, and he was trying to dig them out with his claws.
Ji Yuan had already heard the noise in the water outside the boat and knew what was in the water. Seeing the man hurried back with a bad look on his face, he asked casually.
"What happened to the boatman?"
The man reached out to the table and picked up the wine jug containing Qian Richun. He shook it and felt that there was still some wine in it, so he said to Ji Yuan.
"Mr. Ji, and this young man, there may be some unclean things under the river, but don't be afraid, we boatmen also have our own local methods. I have the audacity to ask you for another glass of wine."
Rumor has it that the better the alcohol, the better the effect, and that's where Qian Richun comes in.
Yin Qing subconsciously looked at Ji Yuan with a look of curiosity on his face.
"What is it? A water ghost?"
"Hush! Master Yin, you are risking your life. It is taboo to say this..."
The boatmen's faces changed, they all knew it was a water ghost, but who would dare to shout like that on the river? They all called it "Water Lord" in awe, otherwise what would they do if they angered that thing and it came pestering them
Although the man is a warrior, this is the first time he has encountered such a situation and he is still a little scared of weird things.
Yin Qing was not panicked at all. Mr. Ji was standing beside him calmly. He was very smart. Although he had never seen Mr. Ji's true ability, he had seen Mr. Ji meeting and chatting with the City God when he was a child. He had also seen an old man, a friend of Mr. Ji, eat dates from half a tree with his mouth open.
Can a water ghost in the stories of the older generation, who simply likes to drag people into the water and drown them, influence Mr. Ji
Of course, he called him "water ghost" because Yin Qing didn't know the name "water master", otherwise he would at least respect the boatman's feelings. He just didn't expect that this man, who was more or less skilled in martial arts, was so timid. Seeing that the boatman cared so much, he apologized repeatedly.
There was no way the boatman would bother with Yin Qing, a boy not even twenty years old, so he picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of wine, then apologized to Ji Yuan and walked towards the side of the boat.
Holding the mast with his left hand and holding a wine glass with his right hand, the boatman whispered to the water.
"If you don't offend me, I won't offend you. Let me show my respect with a glass of wine. Lord Shui, Lord Shui, please leave immediately!"
After saying this, the man threw the wine glass outwards, and the wine was splashed at least three feet away. It was obvious that he was also using his shaking strength. The old saying on the boat is that the farther the wine is splashed, the better, so that the sailors will run far away to drink.
Ji Yuan had also heard rumors about this, mainly from the boatman father and son back then, but now he was thinking about it with some evil taste.
"It's a pity, boatman, that you don't realize that the fish below is a big, greedy herring. The better the wine you give it, the more likely it will refuse to leave!"
However, after the man poured the wine, he could vaguely hear the sound of water waves in the distance, but it was dark and he couldn't see it clearly. He felt a little relieved.
"It really works!"
After calming himself down again, the boatman gave Ji Yuan an instruction.
"Mr. Ji, you'd better move your stove to the cabin, the bow is a bit narrow. Let's all rest peacefully tonight. I see that the sky is clear tonight. It is said that the water god may only go ashore when it rains heavily. It will be fine if you rest well on the boat."
"Okay, thank you for the reminder, boatman."
Seeing that the man seemed to want to go back to the rear cabin to rest, Ji Yuan hurriedly called him again.
"By the way, boatman, would you like to drink some of the fish soup I made for dinner? With your physical condition, drinking half a bowl should be fine."
The boatman was a little confused by this. What did he mean by drinking half a bowl of soup would be fine given his physical condition? Could it be that the fish soup was poisonous, or was it as nutritious as Sanwang ginseng
I was about to refuse, but suddenly I thought of the fragrance I just smelled, and the words changed their tone when they reached my throat.
"Well, a drink would be nice!"
Ji Yuan smiled and nodded, took a few clean small ceramic bowls and spoons from the cabin, walked to the bow, and the moment he lifted the lid of the casserole, the rich aroma wafted out again.
"Yes, it really has melted into the soup."
This casserole is usually used to stew fish soup and rice porridge. The fish soup made from the two silver spoons takes up about half a pot, which is not a small amount.
Ji Yuan used a spoon to scoop less than half a bowl of fish soup for the boatman, and then handed it back to him.
"Here, boatman, that fish is not an ordinary fish, but a medicinal fish. It has been fed with precious medicines for many years and is a tonic. After stewing, the meat is so tender that it melts into the water, and the medicinal power is all in it. Drinking it is very good for the body, but you should not drink too much. You are a warrior, so it's okay to drink more, but the ingredients of this soup are really precious, so I can only give you a taste of it."
After listening to Ji Yuan's explanation, the boatman understood a little and looked as if it was justified.
"Thank you very much."
The boatman took the bowl, sniffed the aroma of the fish soup, licked a little soup on the edge of the bowl with his tongue and tasted it in his mouth. A mellow aroma like wine lingered in the air. Although he seemed to be testing the taste, he was actually identifying the poison. After all, he was not a pure boatman or fisherman, so he had to be on guard against others.
Now he felt that there was no problem, so the man drank it all in one gulp.
"It's delicious! Thank you, Mr. Ji..."
Halfway through saying this, the mellow fragrance lingered in his mouth, and it felt like there was a stream of clear water in his stomach that moistened his five internal organs. At the same time, a flow of energy rose in his body, and he seemed a little tipsy as if he had drunk alcohol. However, his body instinctively knew that this was not poisoning, but rather had great benefits.
Seeing that he was staggering, Ji Yuan quickly took the bowl from his hand to prevent him from dropping it.
"Boatman, please go back to the cabin and take a nap, or practice meditation in the cabin. Don't fall into the water if you stand here!"
Ji Yuan's words reminded the boatman. He said "OK" and returned to the cabin in a slightly drunk state and closed the hatch.
In the boatman's current state, whenever he falls asleep or meditates, he will seem a little confused about external affairs before dawn. It can be said that his fate has been calculated long ago.
"Mr. Ji, what happened to him?"
In response to Yin Qing's curious question, Ji Yuan looked at Hu Yun, who was standing at the table over there eating heartily with the momentum of a "tiger descending from the mountain", and smiled.
"It's very nutritious. Okay, okay, let's just drink this fish soup!"
"Okay, this soup smells so good, I can't help it. Uh... Mr. Ji, you said four?"
Yin Qing looked at Ji Yuan and Hu Yun, and instinctively felt that this boatman was obviously not the fourth one mentioned by Mr. Ji.
Ji Yuan didn't say much. He sat at the bow of the boat, filled a bowl with fish soup, and waved at Yin Qing.
"Come, try the fish soup made by Mr. Ji."
Yin Qing walked over, picked up the bowl and said with a smile.
"Mr. Ji, didn't you tell the boatman that he could only drink half a bowl? How could I drink so much?"
"Hahaha, you are different from him, it's okay."
Yin Qing did not refuse. Mr. Ji would not harm him anyway. He chuckled and took a small sip. Immediately, the delicious and mellow taste filled his throat and tongue.
"It's delicious. Mr. Ji is a great cook, even better than my mom!"
Hu Yun couldn't help it now, and quickly jumped out of the cabin. The unfinished fish and meat dishes over there were obviously not as attractive as the fish soup.
“Clatter… clatter…”
There was a constant sound of water near the bow, which startled Yin Qing and Hu Yun. The latter suddenly jumped behind Yin Qing, which scared the former even more. He felt the familiar paw pads and a slight tremor, then he realized it was Hu Yun.
"I say you have some potential, right? You are a vixen after all. I am afraid that you will be afraid too?"
Hu Yun was not to be outdone.
"How can you be any better than me? I almost spilled the fish soup! Mr. Ji, there is a monster in the water, catch it quickly!"
The first half of the sentence was an argument with Yin Qing, and the second half was Hu Yun calling for help.
"Tsk... What kind of monster is this? The thing in the water is a big blue fish with spiritual intelligence. If we really talk about Taoism, you, Master Fox Fairy Hu Yun, are much stronger than it!"
Lord Fox Fairy Hu Yun was a self-praising title that Hu Yun often mentioned when he and Yin Qing were bickering. Of course, Ji Yuan had also heard it. However, when Hu Yun heard Mr. Ji's ridicule, he did not feel ashamed. Instead, he acted arrogantly behind Yin Qing's back.
Ji Yuan ignored this funny guy for the time being, filled another bowl of fish soup, stood at the bow of the boat with it, and bowed slightly towards the river.
"I haven't seen you for many years. You big black fish are still active in this section of the river. Are you still doing good deeds?"
The green fish in the water seemed to still remember Ji Yuan. It stopped stirring underwater and floated directly to the surface, blowing bubbles and looking at Ji Yuan.
"Wow... what a big fish..." "Yeah..."
A man and a fox were staring at the water blankly, but they didn't feel scared at all.
I saw that this big black carp was more than one meter long, and its body was thicker than the waist of an ordinary strong man. Its scales glowed with a faint green light under the moonlight and starlight.
"Pop... Pop... Pop..."
Bubbles came out of the big black carp's mouth, and it looked like it was drooling at the fish soup.
Ji Yuanfa opened his eyes wider and took a closer look at the big blue fish. Its body was still the same as before, without any hostility, but more spiritual, and faintly revealed a very faint light of wish power. It was far from the light of the gods, but it could help stabilize its spirituality to a certain extent. It seemed that the family had kept their promise.
"Please also try the silver soup that Ji made."
As he spoke, Ji Yuan extended the bowl out of the boat and poured it downwards. Immediately, the big black carp in the water took in big gulps of the water from the river and sucked all the fish soup that had just been poured into its stomach.
This water essence is naturally a real tonic for aquatic creatures. In addition, the silver fish soup is extremely delicious. The big black carp was so excited that its front pair of fins flapped rapidly in the water.