He picked up his oil-paper umbrella and packed it up, then looked at the fishing rod beside him. It was inconvenient to carry it, but it would be a pity to throw it away. After hesitating for a long time, Ji Yuan just took off the fishing line and hook, and left the emerald green bamboo pole by the pond.
Looking at the clear water pond again, although it takes a year to produce a silver fish, it is still considered magical.
"Next time I will definitely make a fish of this kind to stew soup and see how it tastes!"
Muttering to himself, Ji Yuan strode away from the edge of the pond.
At this moment, the Laohua Mountain was filled with fog, and nothing could be seen beyond five meters. However, this had no effect on Ji Yuan. On the contrary, since it was basically impossible for any mountaineer to dare to move around casually at this time, Ji Yuan's pace became very quick.
From time to time, he would use the tree branches and cliffs to fly, or he would move forward freely with the most elegant and comfortable dragon-swimming skills, his body occasionally swaying as if he was slightly drunk, and in an instant he would cross a large area of rugged mountain roads.
During the journey, Ji Yuan not only compared some contents of the Qigong Exercises, but also thought about the changes and functions of the three chess pieces.
These three chess pieces come from the time when Lu Shanjun first sought the Tao; the moment when the red fox was released and kowtowed; and the morning when Master Yin read the farewell poem he gave to him.
It is naturally profound according to the understanding of the people in this world, but if we substitute the various imaginary information that Ji Yuan has seen on the Internet in his previous life, it is not difficult to find that fundamentally, these three time periods have had a huge impact on the three parties or monsters.
Among them, Lu Shanjun and the little fox are relatively easy to understand. The only slightly strange one is Master Yin. However, Yin Zhaoxian knows people very well. It is very likely that the letter aroused Yin Zhaoxian's ambition, and perhaps this ambition is great enough to change his future life.
So it seems that the creation of chess pieces should have a corresponding meaning of destiny.
People can believe in fate but not completely trust it; fate may exist but it is not necessarily unchangeable.
During this period, Ji Yuan also came into contact with many people, such as the Nine Young Heroes in the distant past and Wei Wuwei in the recent past, but none of them produced chess pieces. It might be that his level was not high enough or that he himself did not have the "talent to become a chess piece".
"Then why did Lu Shanjun's first chess piece turn black?"
Ji Yuan muttered to himself, thinking of the evil creature in the well. It was his finger that severely damaged the evil creature, causing its demise and changing the color of the chess piece.
"Is it because of the Yin and water elements that the chess pieces turned black, or is it because of the evil spirit, or something else? Does this have any effect on Lu Shanjun? It seems to have a greater impact on me..."
Thinking of this, Ji Yuan waved his left sleeve, and a large piece of white mist with a radius of ten feet gathered together, and in an instant it gathered into a round and crystal clear water ball in Ji Yuan's left palm.
'My water control skills are indeed stronger than my fire control skills!'
The biggest role of the three chess pieces for Ji Yuan before was to assist the Qi Guiding Technique in gathering spiritual energy, and the reaction of the three pieces stealing the elixir just now triggered Ji Yuan to think more deeply.
At the beginning, Ji Yuan thought that although the chess pieces could gather spiritual energy, they did not seem to really want to absorb spiritual energy. Now it seems that they are more eager for the Dan Qi produced by cultivation.
"The Dan Qi, the chess piece consumes Qi, especially this precious first ray of Dan Qi, does it have a greater impact on me, or does it also have an impact on the person who is the chess piece metaphor?"
"Hey! Brush your teeth and wash up first..."
Ji Yuan smiled self-deprecatingly, wondering how could a small character like him have such complicated thoughts? He reached out and broke off a vine branch, and started rinsing his mouth and brushing his teeth while walking with the help of a water ball in his left hand. At the end, another water ball hit his face and he rubbed his hands.
. . .
When Ji Yuan just left Laohua Mountain, the sun had already risen high. As the sunlight shone, the fog in the mountain gradually dissipated.
Ji Yuan performed the water-avoiding technique, and the wet clothes on his body suddenly seemed to evaporate into mist in the sunlight, which surrounded him. If someone happened to see it, he would look as ethereal as an immortal.
There is a village on the south side of the mountain pass, which is mostly inhabited by boatmen and fishermen. Going down the dirt road outside the mountain path, there is a medium-sized ferry pier, and the Xiaoshun River is already sparkling in the morning sun.
As it was still early, there were almost no people coming over the mountains from Jiudaokou County. Many large and small boats were moored at the berths. However, there was a large ship that should be heading to Jiudaokou and had just arrived. People were getting off the ship and boatmen were carrying things up and down. Several donkey carts and horse carriages carrying goods were parked at the dock.
It's not even busy yet but there are already signs of hustle and bustle.
Although Xiaoshun River has the word "small" in its name, it is actually not a small river. Its width ranges from twenty to thirty feet. It leads directly to Chunmu River in the southeast direction and is a key component of the water transport route in Jiudaokou County.
Ji Yuan was chewing on the leftover biscuit and walked to the ferry terminal at a normal pace. Without even looking at the big ships, he walked straight towards a small passenger boat with a sail. An old man in his fifties and a dark-skinned young man about the same age as his son were cleaning the boat.
"Boatman, do you want to take the business to Chunhui Mansion?"
Ji Yuanzhong's powerful voice was heard, attracting the two busy people on the boat to look towards the shore. A man wearing a wide-sleeved grey robe, carrying a bag and an umbrella, was standing at the pier. He looked like a scholar but his hairstyle didn't look like one. At first glance, he looked to be in his thirties or forties, but if you look younger, he could be younger. The old boatman couldn't even tell how old the man was.
The old man walked to the bow of the boat and said to Ji Yuan.
"Of course I am going. Is this gentleman going alone or with a companion? Do you want to charter a boat or wait for other passengers to come with you?"
Ji Yuan thought for a moment before asking.
"I am alone. How much does it cost to charter a boat and wait for other passengers?"
"If we charter a boat, the waterway to Chunhui Prefecture is favorable this season, and we can arrive in just three days. You will naturally pay for it yourself, sir, and the total cost is 200 coins."
Two hundred guan, which is one thousand two hundred wen, is more than one tael of silver. Ji Yuan frowned, thinking that the price was a bit expensive.
"If you are waiting for passengers, please wait here for a while. I will put up a sign to attract passengers with Chunhui Mansion written on it. You can also find people who want to go there by yourself. We can share the boat fare or you can pay a little more. As long as we can agree, please rest assured. There are still many people going to Chunhui Mansion every day. It's just that my boat is small and can only carry ten people at most. Otherwise, you will have no place to rest at night."
Ji Yuan looked at the boat. It was about three meters long and one meter wide in the middle. There was a mast in the middle and a black sail covering the back part. It was probably a place for passengers to shelter from the rain and rest.
"Well, sorry to bother you, I'll go ask for the price somewhere else later!"
"Please make yourself at your own convenience, sir. But the price of our boat is already very fair!"
After saying this, the boatman continued to clean the cabin with the young people on the boat, seeming to be very confident.
Sure enough, after wandering around for a long time, Ji Yuan finally came back here. It’s not that there are no cheaper boats, but considering the time required, cleanliness and comfort, this one is really the most suitable.
Seeing him come back, the old boatman also smiled.
"Well, sir, have you made up your mind?"
"Well, boatman, we'll wait for half a day. It would be best if there are passengers coming. If there are no passengers, then I will charter a boat."
"Okay, sir, you decide! For the three-day trip, the meals on board will be fresh fish, no extra money required!"
Now their tone became much more respectful. There were indeed people going to Chunhui Mansion every day, but they all preferred large passenger ships. Their small boat did not have much business, and Ji Yuan just didn't like the noise of large ships.
After hanging up the sign calling for customers to Chunhui Mansion, Ji Yuan did not go out to solicit customers. Instead, he sat down at the bow of the boat and read a book, as if he did not care whether customers came or not.
Moreover, Ji Yuan asked the boatman to set the fare at 120 wen, and he would bear the rest. It was not that Ji Yuan was showing off, but it was really inappropriate to share the cost equally. It would be fine for people to spend less money and squeeze into a bigger boat.
By noon, only six people had arrived, two scholars who were traveling together, an old man and a young man, a grandfather and a grandson, and the other two were unrelated, a strong man with a beard and a thin middle-aged man.
The boatman only said that the fare was 120 cents, and did not mention that Ji Yuan would cover the rest of the fare, which was also Ji Yuan's request in advance.
Seeing that the passengers on the boat basically did not say hello to each other, Ji Yuan did not move from beginning to end, but he heard the voices of all these people. In this era, there were still few women going out.
At noon, the boatman came to ask Ji Yuan's opinion. After getting his approval, he untied the ropes and started the boat, rowing the big oar at the stern along the southeast direction of Xiaoshun River.
As the old boatman rowed the boat, he sang a loud fishing song in his deep voice, following the rhythm of the oars. The ups and downs of the rhythm were particularly charming.
"Fishing boat~~~~Paddle your boat~~~~Fishermen~~~~enjoy your time~~~~"
Ji Yuan, who had been sitting at the bow reading a book, smiled knowingly when he heard the song. He turned his head and looked towards the stern. When the old man was singing, the color of his vague aura was slightly different from before.
Looking up at the sky, Ji Yuan was inspired.
"The physical appearance of the human body is like the physical appearance of the sky, ever-changing!"