Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 19: The Skinny Horse Travels at Night in Search of a Ferry

The autumn leaves are still yellow and the mountain road is overgrown with thorns. In fact, it is not a road because no one has walked on it. The deserted village is the village that Wuzhan visited eight years ago. The collapsed houses are covered with dead grass. If you don’t look carefully, you would think they are dug graves. Eight years have passed, and no one still lives here.

Wanjiao would never pay attention to such scenery, and even if she saw it, she would not associate it with her mood. She was always very happy, asking questions about this and that, and often forcing Wuzhe who was unwilling to talk to speak. Laughter was always around Wuzhe, and Wuzhe could do nothing about her.

Dusk was approaching, and the two had been walking on the official road for a long time. They thought that China would be unified and the people would be able to live in peace, but the road was still desolate.

Finally, I saw a few people, who were also elderly widows who had returned from chopping firewood in the mountains. They put down the firewood and rested by the roadside, envying the handsome young couple passing by, which brought out a sad mood.

There was indeed an inn. There were no houses around the inn. There were two small wooden cabins, one for people and one for horses. The cabin for people had a door but no windows, while the cabin for horses had a door and windows.

There were two horses, thinner than Wuzhan. These were the fast horses stolen by Wanjiao. Wuzhan was standing far away from the post station. He saw Wanjiao walking out lightly, leading the thin horses on both sides. He wondered what method she used to make it so easy.

Wan Jiao grumbled, "We just have to ride these two horses!"

Wuzhan asked: "How did you steal it?"

Wanjiao said arrogantly: "What do you mean by stealing? It means taking. Wanjiao just blew gently and made them sleep for three days. Otherwise, how about you give it a try, sir?" She pouted her pink little mouth and came close to Wuzhan and pretended to threaten him.

Wuzhan begged for mercy, "No need to try." Wuzhan had to answer quickly, otherwise she might really do it. Wuzhan had experienced this many times in the past half day.

Wuzhan had never ridden a horse before, but Wanjiao only demonstrated it once and Wuzhan learned it. Looking at Wuzhan sitting on the horse, Wanjiao smiled and said, "Young Master, you look much more symmetrical sitting on this horse!"

……

The two men rode for dozens of miles overnight, and at daybreak they hid in the woods beside the official road to rest. Wuzhan was still afraid that the Taoist in green would catch up with them, or that he was hiding somewhere to block them. In order to avoid him, they had to travel at night and rest during the day.

They tied the horse to a tree not far away to let it graze. The two of them leaned against an ancient tree together and ate the steamed buns that Wanjiao picked up at the post station. In a short while, Wanjiao fell asleep, with her head tilted to lean on Wuzhan's shoulder. It seemed that she really liked sleeping lazily during the day. Perhaps it was her habit.

Wuzhan's ears were finally quiet. He looked up at the blue sky and white clouds through the leaves, wondering what else he could do after going to Mount Huashan. However, after thinking it over, he felt that nothing could be done because of the torment he had suffered in the past few days. His illness, which had not recurred for nearly half a year, was about to flare up again. In fact, it had started a long time ago, but his heart was in more pain than his body at that time, and he did not realize that he still needed to live to fulfill his master's last wishes.

Two days later we arrived in Hanoi. The road to Mount Hua was blocked by the Yellow River. Looking around, we saw peaks gathered together, waves raging, the river flowing endlessly, with waves boundless and unobstructed. It was the first time I saw the Yellow River. I looked at it for a long time before I followed Wanjiao to the downstream to find a ferry.

They should have crossed the Yellow River from Hedong to Huashan, which was the shortest route. However, Wuzhan was worried and changed the route temporarily. They chose to cross the Yellow River from Henei and take a detour through Yingchuan to Huashan.

……

There is a simple shed next to the ferry, with a tea table and chairs inside. A boss who is very good at business opened a teahouse here for people crossing the river to rest while waiting for the boat and to kill time.

Today we encountered two caravans trying to cross the river, plus some individual travelers. There were quite a few people sitting inside drinking tea.

Wuzhan and Wanjiao let the stolen horse go because it was an official horse with a brand on it. When they arrived at the ferry, both of them were wearing white clothes, like a pair of immortal lovers, attracting the attention of those who were drinking tea under the awning.

Wuzhan was afraid of the crowds and eyes, so he and Wanjiao did not go to the crowded place under the awning. Instead, they stood on the shore where there were few people, with their backs to the awning, looking into the distance at the Yellow River, waiting for the boat to come.

Wuzhan had asked Wanjiao not to talk too much in front of many people, so Wanjiao was surprisingly calm at this moment, standing quietly beside Wuzhan.

The two people stood on the shore, and the people drinking tea under the awning began to whisper, speculating about their identities and relationship. Some of the conversations could be heard clearly by the person without any barrier, while others could not. Some were words of envy, while others were unpleasant to the ear.

Wanjiao wanted to turn around and scold those people several times, but she knew that Wuzhan didn't want to cause trouble and attract attention, so she held back her anger.

There are always lustful people. A slightly thin, wealthy young man in white clothes, holding a folding fan, came behind Wuzhan with a smile, bowed and said with a smile: "Excuse me, I am Tian Buming. I see that you are elegant and handsome. I hope to make friends with you. I hope you can give me a favor and have a cup of cold tea under the shed."

Wuzhan turned around and thought, "If I don't go, I will definitely not give him face, which will make me look too arrogant and cause more trouble." He quickly returned the greeting and said, "Greeting to meet you, Master Tian. I am Li Nie. You really think too highly of me. If I don't go, it will seem strange. So I'll have to let you pay for it."

Tian Buming said happily: "Please welcome Mr. Li!" Someone in the pergola gave Tian Buming a thumbs up.

Wuzhan returned the invitation and followed Tian Buming to the pergola, with Wanjiao following behind him. The most conspicuous tea table in the shed was immediately cleared, and the three of them sat down. Wanjiao sat next to Wuzhan. The people in the shed looked at Wuzhan and the other person carefully, especially at Wanjiao, who looked very rude.

After the waiter served the tea, Tian Buming began to ask, "Excuse me, who is this young lady related to you? Can you introduce her to me?"

Wuzhan thought, "This is exactly why he asked me to have tea. It seems that it is really troublesome to take Wanjiao with him!" He glanced at Wanjiao, hoping that she didn't mind, and said to Tian Buming, "This is my sister, Li Jiao."

The people who were drinking tea under the awning became even more excited after hearing Wuzhan's words.

Tian Buming was overjoyed when he heard this, and looked at Wanjiao, "Your sister is as beautiful as a fairy, I am so lucky to meet her!"

Wan Jiao raised her eyebrows, ignoring Tian Buming completely, staring at Wuzhan, meaning, "You gave me another name, and when did I become your sister? How are you going to explain it to me when I have no one around."

Seeing Wanjiao ignoring him, Tian Buming awkwardly withdrew his gaze and looked at Wuzhan and asked, "Where are you going, sir?"

Wuzhan said, "I want to take my sister to Yingchuan to pay homage to our ancestors. I fled there when I was young and have never been back to pay homage."

Tian Buming said happily: "My home is in Yingchuan, which is just on the way. If you don't mind, you can go with my caravan. I will be your guide, and we can also enhance our friendship."

Wan Jiao said coldly: "We can leave by ourselves."

Tian Buming couldn't stop smiling, Wuzhan said softly: "My sister is usually spoiled, I hope Brother Tian can forgive me!"

"It's okay, it's okay, hehe, Tian just likes this kind of personality." He said with a shameless smile.

Wanjiao opened her eyes wide and was about to get angry, but Wuzhan quickly winked at her and Wanjiao suppressed her anger. She stood up alone, left the shed, walked to the shore, and kicked stones into the water from time to time.

Tian Buming was even more delighted to see Wanjiao was driven away by him. He bowed his hands and apologized, "I saw your sister and forgot myself for a moment, and said something wrong. I hope Brother Li can go over and persuade her, and ask your sister to forgive my rudeness!"

Wuzhan thought to himself: "You are so rude, yet you still asked me to persuade you. If I wasn't afraid of attracting attention, why would I talk to someone like you? Besides, with Wanjiao's temper, you should be beaten to a pulp by now." He wanted to get up and leave, but when he saw a bamboo board in Tian Buming's sleeve, he suddenly remembered the "reflection board". It was also because he had lived in Cangyan Mountain for too long and had forgotten many things.

The so-called "shenshen" is a bamboo board with a person's head, name and official seal carved on it. Since Shang Yang's reforms in the Qin State, people have been allowed to pass through with "shenshen". If they do not have "shenshen", they will be detained and forced to do hard labor for a few days. They will only be released after their identities are verified.

That Taoist works for the Qin Dynasty, so he must have ordered all the fortresses to search carefully. Once detained, he will definitely not be able to escape. Wuzhan's eyebrows moved slightly, and he stood up and said lightly: "My sister has been angry with me these two days, and she may not listen to me. I will try."

"Good work!"

Wuzhan walked up to Wanjiao and whispered, "Wuzhan made you angry."

"If it weren't for you, I would have skinned him alive!"

"It's not okay to skin him alive, but it's right to let him suffer a little loss."

Wan Jiao's anger turned into joy, and she said, "You want me to teach him a lesson now?"

"Not now. Let me ask you, how did you get across this river in the past?"

Wan Jiao said proudly: "It's like walking on flat ground. I'll naturally walk across the water. If I can carry you, I won't have to wait for this broken boat."

"That's good. I just remembered that I didn't take photos and couldn't cross the river. So I have to inconvenience you. You...this way..." Wuzhan told Wanjiao the solution he had come up with.

After hearing this, Wanjiao narrowed her beautiful eyes, pointed at Wuzhan, and snickered, "I didn't expect you to be so bad. But this is not good. How can you let him off so easily!"

Wuzhan said calmly: "It's enough to let him suffer a little. Being too ruthless will bring trouble. It's enough for him to cross the river smoothly."

……

Wuzhan returned to the tea table, and Tian Buming asked anxiously, "Has your sister forgiven me?"

Wuzhan sighed and said, "Brother Tian, ​​can I have a word with you?"

Tian Buming hurriedly said, "Okay!" The two of them came to a deserted place.

Wuzhan said, "Brother Tian, ​​you don't know. I left in such a hurry that I forgot to bring my photo. I only remembered it when I saw the ferry. My sister was angry with me because of this. She wanted to go back to get it, but I was afraid of missing the time. Now I don't know what to do. I wonder if Brother Tian can help me think of a solution."

Tian Buming gently waved his fan and thought, "So that's how it is. Everyone in our caravan has one. Otherwise, you could have sneaked into our caravan."

Wuzhan said, "May I ask Brother Tian if you can spare one person from the caravan and lend him to me so that I can go to pay my respects alone. He and my sister will wait near the ferry. I will thank him and return him when I return. I will go back to your house alone. Brother Tian, ​​can you agree to my unwelcome request?"

Tian Buming's eyes swung around, and finally turned to Wan Jiao in the distance, with a silver ray of light flashing, "How can that be! The photos are engraved with portraits, although they are not very clear, but there is no one with a face like Brother Li in our caravan, each one is covered in dirt, only... only my portrait is somewhat similar to Brother Li's, it is difficult for them to recognize, how about this, Brother Li, take my photo, I will wait for Brother Li here."

"How can this be possible? It will take me several days to go back and forth. How can I trouble Brother Tian to wait here?"

"Don't bother me. I have nothing to do when I go back. I have... food and drink here. You must finish everything and come back. I won't rush you."

"What about Brother Tian's caravan..."

"Alas, when the caravan and I go out, we always do our own things. They can get things done just as well without me. I just need to give them the instructions."

"Brother Tian, ​​don't you want to travel with me and enhance our friendship?"

Tian Buming chuckled and said, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Then he handed the camera to Wuzhan.

Wuzhan put it into his sleeves, bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, Brother Tian. I'll leave my sister to you, Brother Tian, ​​to take care of her. She is naughty by nature and doesn't know the ways of the world. I hope you can forgive me if I do something inappropriate."

……

The two men returned to the shed, and Tian Buming explained some things about the caravan and chatted with Wuzhan. Not long after, they saw the huge ferry with sails hoisted coming from upstream at a very fast speed. After a while, it dropped anchor at the ferry. There were more than 40 shirtless officers and soldiers on the boat acting as sailors. This ship was an official ship with a wide deck that could accommodate hundreds of people. The cost of crossing the river was very high, requiring three taels of silver, which was why Qin Zheng operated here. In addition, it also played a big role in controlling population movement and catching fugitives.

The person in charge was a fat, white-faced man in official uniform. As soon as the boat reached the shore, he shouted, "Line up first, and get your passports and silver ready!"

Wuzhan didn't know where to get the silver, and just when he was worried, Tian Buming took the initiative to hand the silver to the clerk and handed it to the white-faced official together.

The pale-faced official took the photo Wuzhan handed over, looked at Wuzhan carefully, and said, "Tian Buming, I don't think this photo is yours. You must be punished for impersonating someone else!"

Wuzhan coughed twice and said, "I dare not. This is my first time traveling with a caravan. I am not feeling well. I am afraid that my facial expression may have disturbed you, sir. I hope you can forgive me!"

The white-faced official checked many people every day, and it was easy for him to slack off after a long time. He saw two people carrying a drunk man onto the boat, and hurriedly said, "Hurry up and register on the boat, don't be an eyesore here!" He pointed at the drunk and said, "Why are you carrying a dead person on the boat?"

One of them replied, "He was drinking in my restaurant and told me to help carry him on board when the boat came. If he missed the boat, he would not pay for the wine. If he did not miss the boat, he would pay double the money and his photo will be hung around his neck." They took off the photo from the drunkard's neck, showed it to the official, and paid the boat fare.

The drunk was still holding a wine jar in his hand. He was thin and had some fine lines around his eyes, but he was still charming. His hair was still black and his eyebrows were still sharp. He was just a little bit dissolute because of his drunkenness. He muttered, "You're right. Here's the money." He threw a small piece of silver to the waiter from somewhere. The waiter caught the silver and said happily, "Thank you, sir. I'm leaving now!"

The official took one look at the body and said angrily, "Why are you walking away? Why don't you carry him onto the boat? Do you want me to collect his body?"

The waiter hurriedly carried the drunk man back onto the boat and left after registering him.

……

Wuzhan stood on the boat and said to Tian Buming, "Brother Tian, ​​I'm leaving now. I'll leave my sister in your care." He then said to Wanjiao, "I'll come back as soon as I finish my work. Don't be too naughty, or you'll cause trouble for Master Tian!"

Wanjiao stared at Wuzhan in silence. Tian Buming stole a glance at Wanjiao and smiled at Wuzhan, "Of course, of course. Brother Li, don't worry!"

The anchor was raised, the sailors raised the sails, and the boat rowed towards the center of the river with the oars on both sides.

The river bank gradually disappeared from sight. Suddenly, a strange laugh came from a distance. A black figure swept across the water and landed on the boat with a gust of cold wind. Upon closer inspection, we saw that the man was wearing a black robe with wide sleeves. He was tall and thin, with half of his hair tied up and the other half loose. One side of his face was red and blue, and the other side was deathly pale, like a ghost. His eyes were yellow like an eagle. Even seeing him in the daytime, it was still frightening.

(End of this chapter)