Yan Liqiang didn't sleep all night. On this first night after his rebirth, he lay in bed, his mind full of things from the past.
Especially after midnight, the skin on his body that was injured by Hong Tao's Iron Sand Palm felt burning with pain, as if it was being roasted by fire, which made it even more difficult for him to fall asleep. He tossed and turned. At the same time, he was also glad that Hong Tao had not yet practiced the Iron Sand Palm to a higher level. It was said that after the Iron Sand Palm was practiced to a high level, a single hit on a person's body could instantly burn and shatter their internal organs, and could easily take a person's life. Moreover, the power of the Iron Sand Palm is most harmful to the lungs. Even if some people who were hit by the Iron Sand Palm did not die, they would suffer permanent injuries to their lungs, which would be very difficult to heal.
Just like that, with his body feeling uncomfortable and his mind busy with something, Yan Liqiang unknowingly heard the first rooster crow. The sky outside was still dark. Usually, this was the time when Yan Liqiang would get up and start practicing martial arts.
Yan Liqiang got up quickly, washed, changed his clothes, and after eating the breakfast made by Wu Ma with Yan Dechang, he and Yan Dechang carried the packed luggage and led the rhino horse out of the stable, put on the saddle, Yan Dechang sat in front of the rhino horse, Yan Liqiang sat behind the rhino horse and hugged Yan Dechang's waist, and the two rode the rhino horse out.
The rhino horse has a rhino-like horn on its forehead, its skin is hard, and there is a faint layer of scales on its body. The back of an ordinary rhino horse is basically two meters high, and its limbs are slender and powerful. It looks half the size of an ordinary horse. Putting an ordinary horse in front of a rhino horse is like putting an Alto in front of an Audi. There is no comparison at all. This rhino horse is also the most expensive piece of furniture in Yan Liqiang's home.
Although the rhino horse bought by Yan Liqiang's family is not the best one, it is still acceptable. For a rhino horse, it is not difficult at all to run while carrying two people.
Even if ordinary people need to buy horses to learn horse riding or practice martial arts, most of them will buy ordinary horses. In addition to being ridden, ordinary horses can do many other things and are easy to raise. But Yan Dechang bought an expensive rhino horse. The price of one rhino horse can buy almost five ordinary horses. Yan Liqiang once asked Yan Dechang why he bought a rhino horse. Yan Dechang told Yan Liqiang that the cavalry on the battlefield all rode rhino horses, and those who wanted to practice spearmanship would definitely ride rhino horses in the future. Yan Liqiang had nothing to say.
Yan Dechang spared no effort in investing in Yan Liqiang.
When the two of them went out, it was already light outside. There were already many people on the streets of Liuhe Town - those practicing martial arts, doing small businesses, and selling vegetables. They had all gotten up.
When the people on the road saw Yan Liqiang and his son riding out on their rhinoceros horses, they all had strange looks in their eyes.
Even if those people didn't say anything, just by looking at them, Yan Liqiang knew that the news of his disastrous defeat in the ring yesterday had probably spread throughout Liuhe Town.
"Have you heard that the son of the Yan blacksmith was seriously injured by the young master of the Hong family in the county martial arts preliminary test yesterday..."
"I heard that he was vomiting blood and unconscious, and several bones were broken. He won't be able to move for several months!"
"People used to say that the son of Yan the Blacksmith was very capable, but I think the young master of the Hong family is even more capable!"
Listening to the gossip of those bored people on the roadside, Yan Dechang's face didn't look good at all. He could only put on a cold face, shook the reins, and made the rhino horse speed up a little.
As soon as the two men walked out of the village, they met Liu the butcher and his son driving an ox cart, who also came out from the other side of the village road. The two pairs of father and son met at the entrance of the village.
"Haha, isn't this Blacksmith Yan? He's going out with his son so early, rushing to the clinic?" When Liu the Butcher saw Yan Dechang and Yan Liqiang, he burst into laughter. His son, who was as fat as him, looked at Yan Liqiang with glee.
Butcher Liu's son was beaten several times by Yan Liqiang when he was a child. The Yan family and the Liu family also had some minor frictions because of the child, and the relationship between the two families was somewhat unharmonious.
"My son is fine, he doesn't need to go to the hospital!"
"Hahaha, I know everything about Li Qiang. The Hong family is going to have a big banquet. Last night, the steward of the Hong family came to me to order a few pigs. I rushed to the village outside to collect the pigs early in the morning..." Liu the butcher said with a serious and proud look on his face, "I have said before that not everyone can practice martial arts. For us ordinary people, practicing martial arts is just to strengthen our bodies. Don't think too much. It's not easy to become a warrior. In the whole Liuhe Town, there is only one Old Man Hong who is a warrior. The others should do what they should do, just like my son. Those who should learn from me to kill pigs can kill pigs, and those who should learn to forge iron can forge iron. Isn't that good!"
Liu the Butcher's son complained bitterly whenever he had to squat in a horse stance, but was delighted when talking about food. He was not cut out for martial arts. Gradually, he learned how to slaughter pigs from his father and became a butcher. Apart from the conflicts caused by the two children, Liu the Butcher would always say, whenever he had the chance, that Yan Liqiang was not cut out for martial arts and that in the future he would definitely be like his son, learning ironwork from Yan Dechang and becoming a blacksmith.
Sometimes human hearts are so ugly. They are not good themselves, and they cannot stand others being good. They do not have the ability to jump out of the class they belong to, but at the same time, they cannot stand seeing people around them who can jump out of this class. Once they find that someone around them has this tendency, they will be filled with jealousy, and all kinds of attacks and rumors will come. Seeing the failure of people around them is the most comforting thing for them.
Yan Liqiang could see through the true nature of people like Liu the Butcher and his son at a glance. At this time, he was too lazy to even talk to them. He just looked at Liu the Butcher and his son indifferently. The only way to deal with such people is to use achievements and strength to make them despair, and finally look up to you, or even crawl on the ground, and never dare to speak loudly in front of you again. Apart from this, everything else is useless.
"Don't worry!" Yan Dechang replied with a cold face. He shook the reins, and the rhino horse started running. In the blink of an eye, Liu the butcher's father and son were left behind.
"Heh... Bah..." Watching the Yan family father and son leave, Liu the butcher spat fiercely on the ground and sneered, "I wonder how long your Yan family can be so powerful, and how powerful your son can be in the future..."
The road was the old road to the county town. Yan Liqiang's body had not yet recovered and could not withstand too much bumps. Yan Dechang rode a rhino horse. Even if he controlled the speed, it was much faster than the ox cart. In less than twenty minutes, the two arrived at the Liuhe Wharf not far from the county town and got off the horse.
"When you get off the boat at Matou, Huanglong County, someone will pick you up at the dock. The person who picks you up is about the same age as me, and he only has four fingers on his right hand. You can just call him Uncle Qian, and he will make arrangements for you. You can stay in Huanglong County and recover from your injuries. Don't worry about your family, and don't write to them or bring any news. If anything happens, I will come to find you, and the people over there will notify me..."
Yan Dechang gave Yan Liqiang a serious explanation at the dock. After he finished speaking, he took out a heavy brocade bag from his pocket and stuffed it into Yan Liqiang's arms. "This is the money I prepared for you. Go buy anything you need. Don't think about saving money when you go out. I've put the medicinal wine in your bag. Remember to wipe it off!"
"Okay, I'll remember that!"
"I believe my son will be able to bring honor to me and will be able to advance to a warrior in the future!" Yan Dechang put his hand on Yan Liqiang's shoulder and patted him heavily.
Yan Liqiang just nodded heavily.
After explaining everything to Yan Liqiang, Yan Dechang sent Yan Liqiang onto a cargo ship that was still unloading logs of wood at the dock.
"Boss Wang, this is my son. Thank you for your help..."
"Hahaha, what's the big deal? It's just something that happens on the way..."
"Here are two bottles of old wine for the guys on the boat to try, to keep warm at night..."
“Hahaha, Master Yan, you’re welcome, you’re welcome…” Boss Wang smiled brightly and took the wine anyway.
More than ten minutes later, the cargo ship started moving, a sail was raised, and several men on the ship used poles to support the shore of the dock. The cargo ship left the dock and headed towards the distance.
Yan Dechang had not left yet. Instead, he was standing on the shore of the pier, leading the rhino horse, and watched the boat that Yan Liqiang was on leave.
Even when the boat sailed far away on the water and the dock gradually disappeared from Yan Liqiang's sight, Yan Liqiang could still see the figure standing blankly at the dock.
Yan Liqiang's heart was filled with an indescribable emotion and an inexplicable sense of excitement.
…
This was the first time that Yan Liqiang had traveled far away from Qinghe County since he was a child. In the fourteen years before this, Yan Liqiang had hardly ever set foot outside of Qinghe County.
After a brief period of separation, Yan Liqiang declined the cabin on the boat that Boss Wang had arranged for him, and sat on a pile of wood on the boat, looking at the scenery on the river with great interest.
For a person who was reborn into this world from the Earth in the 21st century, the sky in this world is full of Shangri-La, the scenery along the river is comparable to Xixi Wetland, and even the water in the river reminds people of Xu Zhimo's "A Farewell to Cambridge".
The cargo ship was not going fast, and it was drifting downstream. Several men on the boat threw a few fishing lines down the river. After a while, a bell on a fishing line rang. They pulled up the fishing line and caught a big black carp that was more than a foot long and shook its head and tail. Several men laughed out loud...
After Yan Liqiang and a few men finished eating fish and drinking the delicious fish soup on the boat, after sailing for several hours, the boat stopped at a pier.
Huanglong County, here we are!
(End of this chapter)