Soon, the shopkeeper took Fan to find a suitable boat owner.
But just like the old man before, the other party once again reiterated the danger on the river.
Although they who are ferrying people have passed through in collusion with many river bandits, this has not been the case recently.
Because a Jiang bandit leader named Ji Wuming suddenly emerged, he not only recaptured many loose Jiang bandits, but also won several head-to-head battles with officers and soldiers.
"All the officers and soldiers were defeated?"
Fan was shocked, let alone defeating the officers and soldiers, even the Jiang bandits who could get a little advantage from the officers and soldiers were very rare.
But...
"Yeah, who would have thought that Ji Wuming has such great abilities? Let me tell you...it's nothing for this guy to stay on this river and become a bandit instead of joining those princes."
The boatman was obviously quite complaining.
Fan asked worriedly:
"Then...then when we go out now, we are very likely to encounter that Ji Wuming?"
"Oh, that's not the case - this Ji Wuming is very ostentatious. He has a large ship that I heard was robbed. It is much more conspicuous than our small ships. It seems that he did it specifically to attract the attention of the officers and soldiers.
.”
"Usually, those of us who are ferrying people can just see other people's big boats going around from a distance, so... rather than saying that this Ji Wuming is a Jiang bandit, it is better to say that he is a ruthless bandit who specifically fights against that group of officers and soldiers - because of his
Because of this, the government has also relaxed its control over us. Not long ago, Ji Wuming was still active near Mianyang. If nothing else happens, he may have come to Jingling recently."
Fan was a little confused.
Do river bandits still have big boats?
This is really rare.
But...since he has the ability to defeat officers and soldiers, it's not so difficult to understand if he has a special personality, right?
all in all--
Mrs. Fan successfully rented the boat, and the boatman even kindly helped them carry the gifts onto the boat. At this price... it was indeed just as the shopkeeper said, it was a bit outrageous.
Fortunately, Mrs. Fan's daily expenses are not high, and she has saved a lot of money over time. She still has a lot of money to spend on this journey, but fortunately, she gave up most of it this time to give her peace of mind.
After getting the money, the boatman smiled happily and urged him to set off.
Fan Li was still drinking noodle soup, and he was dragged away by Fan with a confused look on his face - and eating was probably the only thing that aroused Fan Li's emotions.
Seeing Fan Li's unhappy expression before finishing the noodle soup, Fan laughed loudly and found the dry food and bacon that had been prepared for him in the bag.
The boatman who saw this scene also laughed and couldn't help but joke:
"How come you, a girl from such a young family, are traveling far away with such an old son?"
"This...this is my sister. I am sister's younger brother."
As a result, Fan Li didn't understand the boatman's joke at all, and answered so seriously.
This made Fan and the boatman laugh again and again, and it seemed that this long journey was not so stressful.
——
About two hours after the boat sailed, the boat was sailing smoothly on the river. According to the boatman, it would take about two days to go from Jingling to Xiakou, but even at this speed, it was already far faster than Fan's.
imaginary.
It was only two days, she could afford to wait, she was not in a hurry.
But...soon, they encountered their first unexpected difficulty.
...about a moment later, the boatman suddenly rushed to the bow of the ship, looked into the distance and said:
"Hey...it's not easy to handle. Why did General Huo set up a barrier in a place like this today?"
"Eh?"
Fan was confused and didn't understand what the boatman meant.
The boatman returned to the boat and explained to Fan:
"Jingling is now the place guarded by General Huo Junhuo - the previous captain seemed to feel embarrassed because he was defeated by the Jiang bandits, so he resigned from his official position... so General Huo Jun, who was guarding the pass in Jingcheng Town, came here temporarily.
Come to Jingling..."
"Tsk... I made some miscalculations. I have heard that General Huo Junhuo is a very strict man with a strict attitude towards words. I never thought that he would set up a barrier at a place like Jingling, where he is about to leave Jingling..."
"So let me ask first, are you two carrying anything that might arouse suspicion among the officers and soldiers?"
Fan was frightened by the boatman's serious expression.
She indeed didn't bring anything suspicious...but the most suspicious person around her was clearly Fan Li, a living person!
This...how do you explain this to the boatman?
While Fan was hesitating, the boatman was also quite experienced. He could tell at a glance that Fan had something to hide, and he also understood that although the other party was a woman, she left Jingnan at this time because of some unspeakable reasons.
...Therefore, he said directly to Fan:
"It seems inconvenient to say, but don't worry, I'll take the money and I won't leave you halfway. Since we're not sure whether we can pass the customs, we can only take a long detour."
"Fortunately, I know that there is a relatively hidden waterway here, and even that side is relatively close to the territory of the river bandits... You must be mentally prepared."
The boatman explained seriously.
Fan felt a little sorry, so she quickly took out some more money from the package and pushed it to the boatman:
"Brother... you keep this money. It was my fault that I kept it from you before... but we really have to leave, so -"
"Hey, little lady, I won't bother you with this kind of thing. We have been in this business for so many years and we have never seen any trouble. We only pay one penny for each word. We won't accept more than that, and we won't accept less. Now that the deal has been made, naturally
You have to take responsibility, this business relies on word of mouth - in short, sit down, we are going to change the route."
Fan sat in the cabin quite obediently. Fan Li looked over with a confused look on the other side. Seeing Fan's nervous expression, he comforted her:
"Sister, don't worry, no matter who comes, I will protect you."
Hearing Fan Li's comfort, Fan suddenly felt a sore nose...
Probably because I haven't heard such words for a long time, I felt a little sad for a moment.
But... she understood Fan Li's thoughts. She raised her hand and patted Fan Li's shoulder, and said to her with a smile:
"It's okay. My sister is much better. Thank you Fan Li - but you must not take action until you are desperate. Do you understand?"
Fan Li nodded and agreed seriously.
At the same time, the boat turned around and headed deeper into the reeds.
——
As the boatman said, this hidden waterway is quite narrow.
Not only are the reeds on both sides tall and blinding, but the stagnant water that seems to be difficult to circulate is also glowing with some green light.
This made Fan feel a little uncomfortable just by looking at it.
There was an eerie tranquility in the air.
The boatman rowed quietly, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Sudden…
There were some rather strange sounds coming from the reeds ahead.
This made the boatman suddenly stop what he was doing.
Fan also heard it, and it felt like the sound of something giant moving forward and rubbing against the reeds.
