In the Shanyang area from Jiangdu, heavy rains lasted for two days in a row, causing the water level to rise sharply. The reeds on the river bank turned into a swamp, and white mist appeared on the water surface. As the waves rolled, forty long oars rose and fell across the water, and three huge boats quietly passed through the curling mist all around.
Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, efforts have been made to improve the water transport in the Yellow River and the Huai River, but the river channel is still not wide. Especially after a heavy rain, the river water is turbulent and foggy. The three large five-tooth ships had to slow down and pass through this area.
The waves hit the ship, causing it to rise and fall slightly. The northern soldiers patrolling and on duty on the deck were able to adapt to the situation. Han Qinhu was older, so he took off his armor and wore only a single piece of clothing. He stood barefoot on the side of the ship, trying to balance himself with the slightly rising and falling hull, in preparation for the subsequent battle across the river to the south.
"I remember when I followed Duke Yue to destroy the Southern Chen Dynasty, hahahaha... Shi Qiansui almost got seasick and fell into the river. If I hadn't pulled him up, he would have died."
Lu Liangsheng stood on the railing of the second-floor boathouse and didn't feel anything about the swaying boat under his feet. As the old man spoke, he looked sideways to see the mist gradually rising from the river surface.
He answered casually: "So, the general is the supreme pillar of the country, and he is not." Turning to the other side, the old man laughed, feeling comfortable with the flattery, holding the fence, and replied: "This time he fought against the Turks in the north, which was a great achievement, and the supreme pillar of the country probably also had a share."
Seeing that there was no response from the Imperial Master, Han Qinhu let go of the fence and turned around. The Imperial Master on the second floor of the ship had already walked to the other side. Lu Liangsheng frowned slightly, staring at the water vapor on the river with a hint of doubt.
"The fog seems to be getting thicker?"
"National Master? Is there something wrong with the water?"
Han Qinhu was a veteran of battles and could sense anything amiss. He snatched a spear from the soldier on duty nearby, walked over, stood to one side, and leaned his upper body to look into the water. The water vapor was surging, and nothing could be seen except the falling oars and the waves being pushed away by the hull.
At the front of the huge boat, eight people including Lu Pan were lined up on the deck, sitting on small stools. Most of them were hunters and farmers from the mountains. They occasionally went to the river to take a bath. They had never been on a boat before, so their faces turned pale and they were a little seasick.
"Lu Xi, how are you? Can you hold on?"
"Me? I'm fine, uh... Ugh!"
"Don't spit, it's embarrassing!"
"Lao Pan, you sounded easy. The eight of us have never been on this boat before. It's good enough to have walked here... Hey, Lu Xi, where's your vomit?"
Among the eight people, Lu Xi smacked his lips, turned his head, saw seven people looking at him, and spoke in confusion.
"Vomit? No, I swallowed it right after it entered my mouth. That doesn't count as vomiting."
The old donkey crawling on one side also turned its head, blinked, looked at them, didn't understand what was wrong, grinned, showing its big white teeth, neighed twice, and snorted with disdain.
At this moment, the old donkey suddenly looked at the side of the boat, his two long ears trembled, and there was no sound of different waves in the water, and he went upstream.
Under the white fog, a long dorsal fin parted the water, and a long shadow meandered along the side of the ship. The soldier standing there noticed the movement, pointed downward and was about to shout, but in an instant, his companions covered his mouth and pulled him away.
"Don't shout, that's the dragon summoned by the Imperial Master."
The next moment, outside the ship, the sound of water broke out with a "splash", and the waves rose and splashed onto the deck. In the sight of all the soldiers on the deck, they saw a thick scaly body standing upright amidst countless falling water splashes, and in the misty fog, it looked at the national teacher on the ship's tower from a distance.
The smell of fish and blood rushed towards him. Han Qinhu was also frightened by the huge shadow that suddenly rose from the side of the boat. He shouted "Wow!" while leaning on his spear and stepped back a few steps.
"National...National Master..."
Lu Liangsheng turned his head and said "hush" to him, then moved towards the fence, almost a few feet away from the dragon outside the boat.
"But is there a demon causing trouble?"
"No, even if there were a few water monsters, they were all eaten up."
The old dragon's voice sounded understandable to Lu Liangsheng, but to others it sounded like a hoarse moan, giving him goose bumps all over his body.
On the other side, Lu Liangsheng nodded, bowed to see him off, and sank back into the water.
"As long as there is no monster causing trouble and obstructing the fleet, it's fine. Since it is just fog formed after the heavy rain, we can blow it away."
He stretched out his hand and made a few gestures with two fingers, his lips moved rapidly, and in the midst of words that were difficult for others to hear, Lu Liangsheng raised his arm and waved, and his wide sleeves with fire patterns were blown away.
"The wind is coming!"
When the sound of the Dharma fell, Han Qinhu tilted his head and looked around while holding his spear. He was about to say, "There is no wind..." The flags standing on the four corners of the ship suddenly moved, making a rustling sound and began to flutter.
There was a sudden sound of wind in the river. The soldiers standing on the deck closed their eyes and turned their bodies to block the sudden strong wind.
Whoosh whoosh—
In the wind, the white fog rolled wildly, and either dissipated or flew towards the river banks on both sides depending on the direction of the wind, revealing the turbulent waterway in front of the giant boat.
"Disperse!"
"The mist has dispersed. The Imperial Master is so powerful!"
The wind died down for a while, and some soldiers put down their arms, looked up, and saw the mist dissipating. They shouted excitedly. Along the way, they had only heard that the national teacher had magical powers, but he was still young, which made many people doubtful.
Now, I finally saw it.
…
More than a thousand miles south of Yuhang by water, there was still a drizzle falling from the sky.
Chen Fu watched the army march out of the village, then slowly walked to a nearby hill and jumped onto the top of a large rock. Wind mixed with raindrops hit him, and his dark brown Taoist robe rustled. On his back, there was a yin-yang pattern printed on it, and a faint light of magic could be seen flowing on it.
"Dingmao meets Yichou, Hainiu knows Jiaxu..."
Facing the mountain breeze, his white beard trembled slightly in the wind. The old man closed his eyes, muttered something, and quickly calculated the position of someone with his right fingers.
Feeling that the person was also using magic power, he was able to clearly lock onto the other person's position.
"He is in the north, riding on You wood and Kui water."
Chen Fu stopped talking, opened his eyes and looked to the north, and stopped calculating with his fingers, which were then put behind his back.
"It's fine if the people of Chen don't help Chen, but it's rare for you to have such a high level of cultivation, and you run to Sui to be the national teacher. I will make sure you start off badly and die in the water! Ding is the plate, Ji Hai Geng Zi, Xun wind blows the mountains—"
The magical power that ordinary people cannot see was blown away by the wind.
As the raging river roared in the distance to the north and the soldiers excitedly discussed how the imperial master dispelled the fog and summoned the dragon, someone felt a chill and touched his cheek. The wind, which had stopped, suddenly started blowing again.
Behind the fence on the second floor of the ship, Lu Liangsheng was talking to Han Qinhu.
"General, tell the fleet behind to speed up..."
Suddenly, as if someone was staring at him, Lu Liangsheng's eyelids twitched, and he stopped talking and looked to the south.
Han Qinhu, who was still waiting for his next words, leaned on his spear with one hand. He was a little excited because of the magic he had just witnessed. His voice was sonorous and powerful: "Master, what's next? Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
At the side, Lu Liangsheng, who was wearing a black and gold-embossed robe, raised his hand to interrupt him. From his other sleeve, the Toad Taoist poked his head out, yawned, and half-closed his eyes.
"Liangsheng, someone is casting a spell."
"Um."
Lu Liangsheng turned around and let the old man get off first, and told him that no matter what he encountered or saw on the way, he should not stop and just keep moving forward.
"Okay, since the Imperial Master has said so, I, Old Han, understand."
Han Qinhu took a look at the strange giant toad sticking out from the sleeve of the national teacher and thought it was a magic trick used by a master, perhaps for living sacrifice.
After saying this, he bowed and went to look for the messenger.
Above the long river, there were gusts of cold wind, reeds on both sides were swaying wildly, mud and stones on the ground were flying all over the sky, and there was a faint sound of evil spirits howling in the air.
The flags on the ship's deck were fluttering and the mast was even making a snapping sound. Lu Liangsheng did not dare to hesitate and called Lu Pan and eight other people to form a battle formation to protect him.
"Five Directions and Five Elements—"
The wind became stronger and the flags fluttered wildly. Lu Liangsheng spread out his hands and used his magic power. His black shirt and hair fluttered in the wind. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the south.
He suddenly raised his hands and formed a spell with his palms. The moment the magic power flew away from his palms, the last words of the spell rushed out from his lips.
"—Borrowing the power of heaven and earth!"
His hands turned into sword fingers and waved in the air to the left and right.
A strong wind arose, colliding with the cold wind from the other side.