There is a boat in the river, floating on the water.
It is about four meters long and less than two meters wide. It is made of black bamboo strips and is small and light.
At the stern of the boat, there is a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl holding an oar under her left arm, plowing the water as a rudder. She leans on a vertical wooden board with her back, lightly steps on the oar with both feet, and repeatedly bends and stretches her legs.
Due to the use of both hands and feet, the boat moved very quickly, and within two or three minutes, it appeared safely in front of us.
The girl sitting at the stern of the boat was holding the boat in place with oars, slightly out of breath.
She was wearing a blue-gray loose robe, and her oval face was rosy and dark. Her eyes were fixed on Pei Chuan, and then on me and Ji Qinghe.
Finally, she looked at Lingxi.
She was shocked and at the same time, a hint of shame rose in her eyes.
After receiving Lingxi's signal, Pei Chuan stepped forward and bowed and asked, "May I ask if Senior Fan Yang is here?"
The girl said in a clear voice: "I don't know you."
After saying that, she picked up the small ceramic plate on the edge of the boat, grabbed the cooked fennel beans and ate them with relish.
Pei Chuan said shamelessly: "We have to cross the river, can we borrow your boat to go there?"
"I won't borrow it." The girl immediately refused.
Pei Chuan said happily: "The boat fare you should pay is a lot of yours, why are you so stingy?"
The girl's cheeks paused slightly while she was chewing, and she pretended to be tempted and asked: "How much can you give me?"
Pei Chuan raised his right index finger: "How about one hundred yuan per person?"
Seeing that the girl was silent, Pei Chuan stepped forward and said, "It's quite a lot. Four hundred yuan can buy a hundred pounds of fennel beans."
"If you eat one plate a day, you won't be able to finish it until the Chinese New Year."
"People must know how to be content."
"Being greedy at a young age is really not a good thing." Pei Chuan said sincerely.
The girl bargained and said: "A little more, ten thousand, ten thousand per person, I can consider it."
"Damn it, your heart is as black as your boat." Pei Chuan swore: "We are all pilgrims who come to Luohan Temple to offer incense. The Buddha is on top. If you rip off customers like this, be careful of being struck by lightning."
Facing Pei Chuan's "curse", the girl showed no anger. She held the fennel beans and tossed them, saying, "Buddha is very busy and has no time to care about ordinary mortals like us."
"Besides, does your love for me have anything to do with Buddha?"
"I earned the boat money to buy sesame oil for Buddha, but it was too late for him to be happy."
The girl wrinkled her nose cutely, threw the fennel beans she was playing with into her mouth, and said impatiently: "If you don't want to pay, don't disturb my cleanliness. I'm very busy and don't have time to argue with you."
Pei Chuan still wanted to speak, but Lingxi stopped him with his eyes.
She stared at the girl and said casually: "I don't have any money for the ship, but I can have a hand in your fate."
The girl in robe holding the small ceramic plate waved her arm, and fennel beans were sprinkled all over the board of the boat.
"As expected of the youngest Heavenly Spirit Master, and worthy of being a disciple of Ji Xuanqing." An old and feeble voice came out from inside the cabin, and the next moment, a silver-haired old man emerged from the tent.
He stood on the bow of the boat, with a thin body. He was wearing a bright yellow gown and six-hole Arhat shoes.
His eyes are soft and his smile is kind.
Holding a string of maroon beads in his hand, he flicked them from time to time. Facing Lingxi, he said with emotion: "When I first saw you, you were eight years old and had just been in Kunlun for three years."
"Ji Xuanqing said that you are better than others, and you will be a unique genius that is rare to see in Kunlun for a hundred years."
"I laughed it off and didn't take it seriously. I just thought Ji Xuanqing was showing off his power in front of me."
"Who would have thought that what he said back then would come true one by one, but he is old and ignorant."
The silver-haired old man recalled the past, his long robe swaying in the wind and said: "A week ago, I used Xiao Yu'er's face to sense that someone was coming to find me."
