Chapter 8 1. Night boat

South boats and north horses, people in the north mostly hire cars when they go out, while people in the south mostly go out by boat.Because there are many rivers in the Liangzhe area of ​​Anhui, the only way for pedestrians to go a little further is by boat.This kind of boat has a canopy, can travel day and night, the speed is not slow, plus it walks smoothly, it is much more comfortable to sit on than a horse-drawn carriage, and the price is also cheaper, so the business is very easy to do. Chen Hui is such a shipowner.Said it was the owner of the ship, it was nothing more than saving money and recruiting two men, and he was also punting the boat.The name of punting is "driver", and it is a laborious task. Although the current in the south of the Yangtze River is not too fast, sometimes there will be places where the current is turbulent. At that time, it depends on the skill of the captain.For those with high skills, just a little penny, and it will pass lightly and skillfully. For those with low skills, it is a trivial matter to be carried in by the vortex for a long time, but it is a big deal if it hits some rocks.If you are unlucky and a murder happens to a passenger, you will be involved in a lawsuit. Therefore, the captain must always be a veteran who has been sailing for more than ten years.Chen Hui ran the wharf at the age of seventeen. He is in his thirties this year. He has been running for fifteen years.He used to be the captain of Bingfang Boat Company of Gujia in Gusu for several years, and only bought a new boat this year to stand on his own.This boat is not very big, it can seat about twenty people, and it is painted with tung oil lacquer for two passages. The canopy is also painted black and shiny. Twenty-seven people were seated.

This trip started from She County on Huizhou Road, passed Xin'an River to Jiande Road, and then turned to Lanxi to go south to Jinhua Mansion on Wuzhou Road.The Xin'an River is thousands of miles away, flowing eastward into the sea. After passing through Jiande, it is called the Fuchun River, also known as the Qililong River.Wu Jun of the Six Dynasties wrote an article "Thinking with the Song and Yuan Dynasties", which is very famous. It is said: "From Fuyang to Tonglu, a hundred miles away, there are strange mountains and rivers, unique in the world." It is the section of Fuchun River.Although Xin'anjiang does not have such a reputation, it is generally "clean in wind and smoke, with the same color in Tianshan".

Yan Gaoxiang stood at the bow of the boat with his hands behind his back, looking at the scenery on both sides of the strait, feeling refreshed. "The water is clear and blue, and you can see the bottom at a thousand feet; you can see the fish and the fine rocks without hindrance. The turmoil wins the arrow, the waves are rushing, and the high mountains between the banks are full of cold trees." The sentence in Wu Jun's article, although it is about the rich Chunjiang is no different from this place.Senior brother Song Renshou was also his teacher and friend. Although he was a magician, he was also a scribe in his early years. When he was young, he asked him to read a few articles.He studied hard since he was a child, and he didn't pay much attention to the words and chapters. After reading these epigrams, he would forget them, but once he was in the scene, the sentences he had memorized came back to his mind.

At this time, the wind was smooth and the boat was traveling extremely fast. A medium-sized boat with more than 30 people was flying like a bird, almost scratching the water.Standing at the bow of the boat with a penny in hand, Chen Hui looked back at the five liang on the sail (five liang: the weathervane on the boat.), seeing this young man with a big gourd on his back was fascinated by the scenery, and said: "Guest officer, on the river It's windy, be careful not to fall." Yan Gaoxiang smiled and said, "Commander, how many days are there before we can arrive at Jinhua Mansion?"

Chen Hui looked at the sky and said: "After Chun'an, if the wind is still smooth, we will arrive early the morning after tomorrow. If it is not smooth, we should arrive the day after tomorrow." At least three more days.Yan Gaoxiang pressed his waist unconsciously.The last time I ambushed Zuo Ping Zhang Tian Yuanhan of Huguang Xing Zhongshu Province in Chaohu, the senior brother Song Renshou finally won the jade ring of the gods, and Liu Chengyue, the master of the Nine Willows, was extremely annoyed by Song Renshou's plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain, and immediately summoned the best in the sect hunt down.Jiuliu Sect and Zhushan Sect come from the same origin, but now Jiuliu Sect is much more prosperous than Zhushan Sect because they have taken refuge in the government. Senior brother Lu Xiling was seriously injured by Liu Chengyue in the Battle of Chaohu, so he let Yan Gaoxiang lead the pursuers alone.This matter is very dangerous, but Yan Gaoxiang is a newborn calf with the most competitive nature, although he also understands that he is not Liu Chengyue's opponent, and he is not as good as the top experts in the Nine Willows, but he still agrees.Fortunately, he is in the dark, the enemy is in the clear, and Yan Gaoxiang's martial arts are far superior to Taoism. In a real fight, he may not be able to defeat him, but when he is running away, his martial arts are far more useful than Taoism. His inner strength is strong, and the opponent wants to chase him It was not easy, if Yan Gaoxiang was not afraid that they would find Song Renshou and Lu Xiling, he would have thrown them far away.Because Song Renshou took Lu Xiling eastward to Hangzhou and then down again, he led the pursuers of Jiuliumen directly southward to the area of ​​Anqing. The senior brother was far away, so he suddenly exerted his strength, dropped the pursuers and went straight to Huizhou, and then took a boat from Huizhou to Jinhua.

The secret of Shenxiao Yujue falls in Jinhua.Perhaps the senior brother has solved the secret, but Yan Gaoxiang still has many doubts in his heart.The elder brother once said that he will not take the position of Zhushan leader, but the new leader already has one.It's just that there are only three brothers and sisters in the Zhushan Sect. Besides them, who else is there?Since he was a child, he has never heard of his father having other disciples. Could it be that the senior brother wants him to pick him up? Thinking of this, Yan Gaoxiang couldn't help sighing.He is stubborn and upright by nature, and he doesn't like Taoism since he was a child. Only the water fire knife in his school is the most suitable for him, so he has worked hard on the water fire knife, but most of the Taoism is so-so.But the Zhushan sect is originally a school of magic, and he himself is not considered a high-level sorcerer. In terms of martial arts alone, he may be higher than the senior brother, but in terms of magic, he is far inferior to the second senior brother. He has no intention of succeeding to the throne. Hierarch.The more he thought about it, the more annoying he became, and he took a sip of the gourd on his back.After sitting on the boat for most of the day, only half of the gourd wine was drunk.

The water fire knife uses internal force to force the wine out of the gourd, and condenses it into knife-shaped ice as a weapon.Because wine can burn, this water fire knife can be water or fire, and its power is extremely powerful. If you drink it all, you will be in trouble if you meet anyone.But Yan Gaoxiang was young and had a strong alcohol addiction. It was a joy to watch the scenery and drink along the way, he ate so smooth that he almost drank a gourd of wine.He hesitated for a moment, then said: "Captain, do you have wine on board? Sell me a jar." Chen Hui was pointing the penny on a reef by the river, and turned the bow of the boat, when Yan Gaoxiang asked, and said with a smile: "There is no wine on board. The guest officer wants to drink. There is an old Qian's shop in front, which makes pear blossoms." The wine is very good, the guest officer can just buy a jar there."

The people who run the boat are familiar with the inns and restaurants along the river. They bring guests to drink and eat food, and those shopkeepers will give Chen Hui a commission based on the guests' expenses.Chen Hui was the most familiar with the Qian family's old store, and Chen Hui would bring customers there every time, and naturally he would brag to Boss Qian.Yan Gaoxiang was the best wine. He had heard of "Pear Blossom Wine", which was a name he had never tasted before. He moved his index finger and asked, "Is this wine good?" Chen Hui said: "Naturally, it's very good. Every spring, shopkeeper Qian makes a vat by himself, with a radius of hundreds of miles. Who doesn't want to try it. This wine is made of new rice, and it has a strong stamina. The color of the wine is like milk, and it has the aroma of pear blossoms, so it is also called Sanbaijiu."

It turns out that the brewing of wine in Jiangnan is different from that in the north, and most of them are rice wine.Mongolians love to drink kumiss, but how can there be so many horses in the south of the Yangtze River?In order to please the Mongols who are officials here, there are master craftsmen who use rice to make wine, which is the same color as kumiss.Although Yan Gaoxiang loves to drink, he doesn't know much about the name and color of this wine. Hearing Chen Hui's hype, he couldn't help being fascinated, and said: "Pear blossoms are white, wine is white, and what is Yibai?"

Chen Hui said with a smile: "This wine is usually packed in porcelain vases and jars, and the jars in this bottle also take up one white, so it is called Sanbai."
Sanbaijiu really lived up to its reputation, as soon as the altar was opened, there was a fragrance.As soon as Yan Gaoxiang smelled the aroma of wine, he was very happy. He took out a silver coin from his arms and said, "Shopkeeper, serve me a jar of wine, fill the gourd with it, and cut a pot of good beef." Big Yuanbao banknotes are worthless, and people who go out still use a lot of silver. Although the owner of the old Qian's shop is obese and his real name is vulgar, he has the nickname of "Shu Ke", which is quite elegant.Seeing that the young man was generous, he was very attentive, and said: "Master, there is wine, but there is no beef right now. How about cutting a pot of mutton?" The cattle in the south of the Yangtze River are all buffaloes, and they are also used by the villagers for farming. They were slaughtered only when they were unbearable, so there was very little beef.Yan Gaoxiang had never been here before, so he couldn't help being startled, and said: "That's fine, let's cut a couple of catties."

Chen Hui's boat stopped at the pier, and there were several ordinary boats parked around it.At this time, all the guests on board went ashore to rest, and the wealthy guests drank a lot of wine, while those who had no money bought a bowl of noodles downstairs to satisfy their hunger.Yan Gaoxiang sat at the table by the window, a piece of mutton and a sip of wine. The wind from the river was cool and pleasant. Looking at the fake paintings on the wall, he was very happy. As he was eating, he suddenly heard someone say: "Several drivers, may I ask which one is going to Jinhua Mansion?" This man's voice is very clear, but he is always a little timid.Yan Gaoxiang looked up, but he was a young Taoist priest.This young Taoist priest has a handsome appearance and is only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he has a luxurious air in his gestures, not like a Taoist priest, but more like a nobleman, but he has a sword on his back. Chen Hui was swallowing a bowl of mutton noodles at this time. Hearing what the boy said, he quickly stood up and said, "Is the Taoist going to Jinhua Mansion? The villain's boat is on the way, and it only needs two qian silver." Ordinary Night sailing ships are divided into upper and lower decks, the lower deck carries cargo, and the upper deck carries people. They usually depart at dusk and arrive at the port in the early morning of the next day, so they are called night sailing ships.Chen Hui's ship was mainly used to transport cargo, and carried passengers along the way. It took five or six days from beginning to end. An ordinary driver could not bear such hardship.It took three full days to travel to Jinhua, and ordinary boats naturally couldn't go that far. This Taoist must have waited for a long time to go to Jinhua because of urgent matters. Seeing someone speak up, the Taoist took a long breath and said, "Thank you, Commander, which treasure ship is the Commander?" He spoke politely, and he didn't look like a Taoist priest.Chen Hui swallowed a piece of mutton in his mouth, pointed to his boat and said, "Master Dao, that new boat with gray cloth sails is it." Chen Hui bit the word "new" very hard, the Taoist didn't seem to care about the newness of the ship, he took out a bag of silver taels from his bosom, counted out two coins and handed it to Chen Hui, saying: "Excuse me, sir." It's not a strange thing for a Taoist priest to go out, but this little Taoist priest is alone, but he doesn't seem to be used to the rivers and lakes.Yan Gaoxiang didn't take it seriously either, he finished his wine and meat, filled up the gourd of wine, and returned to the boat.Chen Hui also drank a pot of wine in the old Qian's shop, very happy, standing on the bow of the boat humming, the boat went down the river very briskly. When it got dark, the passengers were sitting idle and bored, gathering together to gamble and brag.People from Xialiba, the village talk is quite unimaginable, there is a little beard who is throwing dice, while telling the story of the country widow stealing a man to raise a monk, the more detailed it is, the more it is almost suspicious The monk in his story is himself, and he speaks so spatteringly.Yan Gaoxiang was upset when he heard his words about adultery, so he stood up and walked to the back of the boat.Once on the back deck, I saw the little Taoist standing at the stern with his hands behind his back, watching the sky quietly.He didn't speak, and took a sip from the wine gourd.The river wind was bright and clear, and it made people feel chilly, but after drinking, his whole body became hot and he felt more comfortable, so he couldn't help but let out a long breath. Hearing the sound, the little Taoist turned his head to look at Yan Gaoxiang, with a look of surprise in his eyes.Yan Gaoxiang smiled faintly, and said: "Little Daoist, do you want a sip of pear blossom wine?" He thought to himself: "This little Taoist is probably going out for the first time." The little Taoist shook his head, bowed immediately and said: "Thank you, poor people don't drink alcohol." There was still some childishness in his voice, but he called himself "Poverty" in an old-fashioned way, which was a bit funny.Yan Gaoxiang smiled and said: "Master, Yan Gaoxiang of a certain family, don't you know the elder's name?" It must be Yan Gaoxiang's easy-going words, and the little Taoist priest gradually calmed down, and said with a smile: "The poor Dao Junyi Zhao Yizhen, my master is the wife of the Qingwei Sect." Yan Gaoxiang cupped his hands and said: "I have admired you for a long time." Just as he was about to take another sip, Zhao Yizhen was both surprised and delighted, and said, "Brother Yan, have you ever heard of a poor Taoist name? I must have heard of the family teacher's name." Right. Pindao is originally from Junyi, and his guest is Anfu..." Yan Gaoxiang was slightly taken aback when he saw that his face was full of joy, as if he had confessed all eighteen generations of his ancestors.In fact, he has never heard of Zhao Yizhen's name at all, and he doesn't know where Junyi is. Zhao Yizhen's master, Chen, and his wife don't know who it is, saying "Jiu Yang" is just a common courtesy in the world, and he didn't expect Zhao Yizhen to believe it. , happy like this.He has not been around the rivers and lakes for too long, but he has much more experience than Zhao Yizhen, and he thought: "This little Taoist priest is really a baby." Seeing that Zhao Yizhen was still waiting to talk, he interrupted him: "Zhao Yizhen is the first time to go out Bar?" It turned out that this Zhao Yizhen was descended from the imperial family of the previous dynasty, and Junyi was the capital of Bianliang in the Northern Song Dynasty, which is also Kaifeng in Henan today.In fact, his father was An Fuling, who had already changed his hometown to Anfu, Jiangxi, and claimed to be his ancestral home, Junyi, which was to show that he did not forget the fundamental meaning.It was indeed his first time to go out, and when Yan Gaoxiang yelled, his face blushed slightly, and he said: "Brother Yan made fun of me, I have been following the master to cultivate the poor way, this time I was ordered by the master to go to Jinhua to pay respects to the uncle..." Before he finished speaking, the boat shook suddenly, and a scream came from the bow.That was Chen Hui's cry.Chen Hui has been sailing a boat for many years, and the boat sailed smoothly all the way, but this cry was terrified.Yan Gaoxiang was taken aback, he didn't know what happened, and after a long body, he jumped up.There were a lot of people in the cabin, and it would take a lot of time to pass through the cabin, so he wanted to pass through the canopy.With a strong foot, the man has already risen from the ground, and is about to jump onto the canopy, when there is a breeze around him, Zhao Yizhen jumps onto the canopy ahead of him.The canopy of the boat is only made of bamboo strips, covered with oilcloth, it can't bear much strength, but Zhao Yizhen's body is light and nimble, with his toes rubbing on the canopy, people flash past like a cloud of smoke, without even making a sound, In the blink of an eye, he had jumped to the bow of the ship. Zhao Yizhen's move caught Yan Gaoxiang by surprise, his feet were slightly heavy, almost piercing through the canopy of the boat.It's just that his martial arts are extraordinary, before his left foot is firmly established, he suddenly turned his right toe, lightly and skillfully dissipated the force, like a vulture, he swept across the several feet long boat canopy, but he was a beat slower than Zhao Yizhen.He was very surprised in his heart, and thought: "So this little Taoist priest is so good at martial arts!" Now the world is not peaceful, bandits and bandits are everywhere, just now he saw that Zhao Yizhen has no experience in the world, and he has been wondering why Zhao Yizhen can rely on it Only after seeing Zhao Yizhen's martial arts at this time did he survive until this time, and only then did he understand the reason. Yan Gaoxiang jumped onto the bow, seeing Zhao Yi really helped Chen Hui who was lying on the deck, he took a step forward and said, "Daoist Zhao, what happened?" Chen Hui's face was pale, and he pointed to the front, saying: "There are... there are monsters!" His lips had lost all color, presumably he had been frightened just now.At this time, the passengers in the cabin were shocked and squeezed out one after another. First, a mustache shouted loudly: "Captain, how did you drive the boat? One of my supreme treasures was knocked apart by you." It turned out that it was only a few days ago The man was throwing dice to gamble, and the mustache was very dissatisfied when he saw that he was about to throw a supreme being, but because of the jolt of the boat, he became a two or three.At this moment, the helmsman at the stern of the boat could be heard exclaiming: "Guest officer, go back and sit down!" But it was because of the crowded crowd at the bow that the stern of the boat turned up and the rudder couldn't handle well. up. Yan Gaoxiang sternly said: "Everyone, please sit back to your seats. It's fine. Don't worry, everyone." Although these people will not overturn the boat, if the steering fails, they may hit some rocks.Yan Gaoxiang's voice was loud and powerful. The man who had lost money in the bet was still waiting to step forward. When he looked up, he saw Yan Gaoxiang's eyes were shining brightly, and he pressed his hand on the mouth of a big gourd behind his back. I dare not go forward again.Although Yan Gaoxiang was young, he was born with a lot of muscles. Standing on the bow of the boat was like a tiger crouching on the ground. The mustache was afraid in his heart, but his mouth was still not soft, and he shouted: "You didn't buy this boat, why can't we buy it?" Get to the bow." But he shrank back into the cabin, thinking: "This kid must be with that little ox-nosed man, no, these two may be water thieves, I still have two taels of silver on my waistband Well, I have to find a place to hide quickly."