On the vast road, several strong horses galloped past, stirring up a burst of dust and flying away into the distance.
Li Xiuyuan and his four guards, Xing Shan, Wu Fei, Ma Dong and Niu Er, quickly left Guobei County and headed towards Guobeicheng. They planned to follow Guobicheng to Jinling City and then go to the Qingshan Mountain that Hu Han mentioned.
Go and have a look.
After all, his father-in-law asked for help, so Li Xiuyuan could not shirk his request.
As soon as it got light, he set out.
"There is a big river ahead. The younger ones are looking for a ferry to cross the river." Ma Dong said.
Li Xiuyuan nodded.
From Guobei County to Guobei City, you have to cross a river. Crossing the river is the fastest way. If you take a detour, it will take at least one or two days longer. This is something he can't wait for.
However, he is a dragon and can cross the river, but his subordinates cannot.
This time I heard from Hu Han that there were hunters, scholars, and many farmers hunting on the Qingshan side. The situation was a bit complicated. Li Xiuyuan felt that even if he wanted to help, he would have to bring a few good hands with him.
As for their skills, Xing Shan and Wu Fei are considered top-notch, and Ma Dong and Niu Er are not bad either. They carry a willow stick with them all day long and specialize in beating evil spirits.
But just when Ma Dong was about to find the ferry, a passing fisherman said with a smile: "You guys, stop looking for the ferry. The last time there was a flood on the Wangchuan River, the ferry was flooded. Now there is no government
We spent money to repair it, but it is now abandoned. Now people are going upriver, where there is a ferry, but there are no boatmen here anymore to ferry here."
"There isn't even a boat?" Ma Dong asked.
The fisherman laughed and said: "There aren't any. They've all sunk into the water. Unless you go to the water to fish them out."
Li Xiuyuan's expression changed and he asked, "Isn't this river originally nameless? Why is it suddenly called Wangchuan River?"
The fisherman pointed to the riverside and said, "Isn't there a stone tablet standing there? It has the word Wangchuan written on it. Although I don't know the word, I heard what others said, so I can't be wrong."
Li Xiuyuan looked in the direction he pointed.
Sure enough, there was a stone tablet lying in the mud by the river. The writing on the stone tablet was very old, and the stone tablet was incomplete, only half a piece. I don't know where it came from.
Wu Fei took a look and exclaimed: "Hey, isn't this the stone tablet on Wangchuan Mountain? How did it come here? Young Master, this stone tablet used to be erected at the foot of Wangchuan Mountain and was covered by weeds.
My guess is that there was a flood a while ago and the stone tablet was washed over and brought here."
"That's it..."
Li Xiuyuan looked at the stone tablet with the word "Wangchuan" and couldn't help but move his eyes slightly, but he did not doubt Wu Fei's words.
Because the top of the mountain where Wu Fei is located is called Wangchuan Mountain.
Since the mountain has a name, it is natural that a stone tablet should be erected and the name of the mountain should be engraved on it.
"A river has not had a name for hundreds of years and thousands of years. Now a broken stone tablet washed down from Wangchuan Mountain has given the river a name. You two go and straighten the stone tablet. From now on, the river will be called Wangchuan River.
Yes." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Yes, young master." Niu Er and Ma Dong responded, then went to drag the half of the stone tablet up to the river bank and set it up on a higher ground.
In the future, everyone passing by will be able to see it.
Li Xiuyuan looked at the word "Wangchuan" and couldn't help but feel a little lost.
"There is no ferry here, young master, we should go around to the upper reaches and go through the ferry at the upper reaches." Ma Dong said.
Li Xiuyuan nodded and looked at the calm river surface again.
The last time we crossed the river was because the Eight Kings cast spells to help. Now the Eight Kings have become the water gods of Yangzhou and are in charge of countless waters. They have probably moved now and cannot stay in this inconspicuous river forever.
"Let's go." Li Xiuyuan didn't say much and prepared to take a detour.
But just as a few people were preparing to set off, they heard a middle-aged man's voice coming from the Wangchuan River: "My benefactor, don't leave, don't leave, there is a boat, there is a boat."
At this time, I saw that there was no boat on the river before. When I turned around, a painting boat suddenly appeared. On the painting boat, there was an honest middle-aged man, paddling the boat, rushing towards here.
"No way, there was no boat before, so where did this boat come from?" Wu Fei exclaimed.
The surface of the river is calm and waveless, and you can see whether there are any boats at a glance.
If there was a boat, it would have been impossible not to have discovered it just now.
Ma Dong recognized the boatman and said, "Young master, he was the boatman who sent us across the river last time. I remember that his boat was overturned by a big black fish and sank to the bottom of the river.
The man sank into the water and drowned, but the young master took pity on him and gave him a sum of money to bury the man and buy a new boat to make a living."
"I remember it too, but I didn't expect that he was still making a living as a ferryman here. What a coincidence," Niu Er said.
Li Xiuyuan looked at the ship and the boatman hiding in the cabin and using the oars, but he remained silent.
Soon the boat docked, and the boatman said to Li Xiuyuan and others, "My dear friend, hurry up and get on the boat. I will take you across the river."
"Young Master, it's better to arrive early than to arrive by chance. Let's cross the river quickly." Ma Dong said happily. He felt that God was helping him. He didn't expect to meet a boat willing to ferry by such a coincidence.
Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment, and looked at the boatman who kept waving and couldn't help but hesitate.
But in the end he nodded and led his subordinates and horses onto the painting boat.
"There are still a few benefactors, please sit tight."
The boatman shouted and started to move the boat, carrying everyone towards the river bank.
Li Xiuyuan stood on the boat and asked, "How many days has the boatman been ferrying here?"
"In a few days, thanks to my benefactor's last silver taels, I was able to bury and compensate the man. My family also lived well because of my benefactor's silver. I don't know how to repay my benefactor for this great kindness.
That's good. I thought that my benefactor often passed by here to cross the river, so I thought of using the boat here to ferry my benefactor across the river." The boatman said with a smile.
Li Xiuyuan said: "You ferry me across the river, who will ferry you?"
"I've been on the boat all day. I don't need people to ferry me across. I just want my benefactor to take me on the boat a few more times. I don't have much ability, so I can only repay my benefactor's kindness by using the boat." said the boatman.
"Hey, boatman, your boat is really dirty. There is mud and wet everywhere in the boat, as if it was just fished out of the river. You don't clean it either." Wu Fei sat in the cabin,
When I saw a layer of mud on the wooden boards, I couldn't help but feel a little dirty.
The boatman smiled sheepishly and said, "Next time, next time, next time I will clean it up."
It must be said that the boatman was very good at handling the boat, and in a short time the boat reached the river bank smoothly and steadily.
A group of people led the horses and walked out of the boat.
"By the way, young master, I haven't paid the boatman the ferry fare yet." Ma Dong suddenly remembered something and said.
"No, he won't ask for our ferry fare." Li Xiuyuan walked forward without looking back.
Several people were a little confused and looked back subconsciously, with a look of horror on their faces.
There were no ferries on the Wangchuan River behind him. There was only a calm and calm river surface. The painting boat that had just carried him and others across the river disappeared completely in the blink of an eye.
"Are you scaring me? The boat was here just now. Where did it go in the blink of an eye? It disappeared." Wu Fei touched his bald head and exclaimed.
The taciturn Xing Shan's face also changed slightly, and he was a little uneasy.
Li Xiuyuan said: "Didn't you just say that the boat was very dirty and unclean? Okay, stop making a fuss and continue on your way."
Wu Fei was stunned for a moment, and then he seemed to think of something and felt a chill behind his back.
Ma Dong, however, had followed Li Xiuyuan and learned a lot of things. At this moment, he lowered his voice and said: "Wu Fei, you are right. The painted boat looks like it was picked up from the bottom of the water. There is also mud and water plants. It must be a sunken ship."
, The person who can control such a ship must be both a god and a ghost, and absolutely cannot be a living person. The young master was afraid that he could tell it at a glance, so he was a little hesitant when he got on the ship."
"It's a ghost ship. How dare you, young master, ride on it?" Wu Fei broke into a cold sweat and felt frightened for a while.
Niu Er next to him curled his lips and said: "What does this mean? One of the eldest master's concubines is a vixen. This time we are going to help the in-laws solve their troubles."
"What are you still dawdling about? Why don't you hurry up?" Li Xiuyuan urged.
"The young master is urging us, let's follow him quickly," Ma Dong said.
Several people got on their horses and hurriedly followed.