Болезненный юноша, путешествующий во времена династии Сун

Глава 3

“I don’t swear, you know that,” Mo Xibei shrugged. “Besides, instead of wasting energy swearing, it’s better to do something more meaningful.”

"For example?" Honglv didn't know what the Northwest was referring to as something more meaningful.

"Bring a bucket of water and wash the handprints away. They're disgusting to look at." Northwest pointed slightly forward, as if those bloody handprints were nothing more than a bowl of rose dew spilled on the ground in the morning.

Honglu could only nod resignedly. She understood what Northwest meant and hurriedly led everyone on the ship to their positions. Those who were supposed to cook cooked, those who were supposed to tidy up the cabins tidied up, and the rest who couldn't start work for the time being fetched water to wash the ship's planks.

Mo Xibei also turned to return to her cabin. She wasn't very experienced in the ways of the world, as she was the kind of person who always avoided trouble. However, she had read many martial arts novels, and she knew that something earth-shattering was about to happen. She didn't like trouble, but if trouble got involved, she had to protect herself. Now, she needed to prepare for self-preservation, and the best way to conserve her strength was to sleep.

Before entering the cabin, she subconsciously glanced to her right. A dozen feet away, the people on that boat were just as quiet as those on her own boat, silently carrying water to wash the deck. At the stern, a young man stood, wearing a long blue robe that fluttered in the wind like a swaying green bamboo leaf. He moved with the wind, but not as if he were controlled by it. Rather, it felt as if the wind was simply moving with him.

Mo Xibei paused unconsciously. In that instant, the young man seemed to sense it and slightly turned his head. The lines of his chin were smooth and firm, and a few strands of hair fell down and brushed against his face. His eyes were bright as autumn water, and his tightly pursed lips slightly lifted as their eyes met, revealing a faint smile. In that instant, Mo Xibei felt as if the thick dark clouds that had been piling up in his heart since morning had been seen by the sun and had disappeared without a trace.

In high spirits, Mo Xibei plunged into the cabin, sighing as she thought, "A man who looks like this is several times more alluring than me, a woman. It's a sin, a sin indeed."

Volume One: Ten Years in the Jianghu, Chapter Five

After washing the planks, the boats moored on the shore began to leave one by one. Honglv originally wanted to stop and wait for them to go further away, but Northwest thought that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down first, and it's better to fish in troubled waters. In the current situation, it's better to follow in the middle. So, their boat slowly followed.

Having learned from the previous day's experience, the people on each ship became more vigilant. Those who knew each other adopted a posture of mutual support, while those who did not know each other would glare at each other if they got too close.

Mo Xibei leisurely lay on the cool chair eating pears, only instructing the helmsman to maintain a safe distance from other ships and to pay attention to the safety of food and water, and to keep everything else as normal.

"Shouldn't we be on guard?" Honglv stood in the northwest corner with some concern, watching the huge pear quickly shrink until it became a core.

"No need," Northwest shook his head.

"Then another one..." Honglu dared not think about it.

“The other one won’t come so quickly.” Northwest said with certainty. Sure enough, the next day was calm and peaceful, and nothing that shouldn’t have happened occurred, not even the night before.

The next two days were incredibly peaceful. Honglu began to think that the bloody handprint was just a prank. However, on the fifth night, when it was time to turn off the lights and go to bed, she passed by Mo Xibei's room and found that Xibei, who was as lazy as a pig every day and who was usually fast asleep at this time, was not in the room.

Indeed, Mo Xibei was not in the room. At this moment, she was wearing the black clothes she usually hated the most, lying on her boat awning, patiently waiting.

The watch started, nothing happened.

At the first watch of the night, nothing happened.

Nothing happened at midnight.

The third watch of the night...

A light rain began to fall, quickly soaking Mo Xibei's clothes. In this early spring season, the night wind was still chilly, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Almost at that moment, the surface of the canal suddenly changed. Without careful observation, in such a dark night, with no stars or moon, one might simply think that the wind was stirring the water. However, Mo Xibei, an excellent swimmer, knew that it was the unique ripples in the water that occur before a diver surfaces.

One, two, three, a total of seven shadows emerged from the water one by one, and approached a moored boat one by one.

Those sleeping on the boat were disciples of the Sea Sand Gang. Mo Xibei watched quietly as they somehow managed to leap out of the water one after another and land lightly on the deck. This happened seven times in a row. The boat swayed gently with the waves, as if nothing had landed on it.

Mo Xibei secretly admired them. No wonder she had fallen into their trap without realizing it that day. Just that leap out of the water was something that few in the martial arts world could match. Xibei knew she couldn't do it. Her theory was simple: if you know something is impossible, then don't do it. These seven people seemed to be very skilled. She wasn't confident of winning, so she continued to lie in wait in the shadows.

Mo Xibei still remembered the massacre that night many years later. Seven people entered the cabin, and not a single cry for help came from inside. After a moment, there was a series of soft, quick splashes, followed by silence. The seven people then came out of the cabin and jumped into the river one by one, disappearing from sight in a moment.

The boat of the Hai Sha Gang gradually sank into the river at dawn, and the paper windows of the cabin were covered with dark red bloodstains.

The twelve ships heading to Luoyang were reduced to eleven.

By the afternoon, the number had increased to ten. This time, under broad daylight, the ships sank, and no one was rescued.

On the sixth night, an uninvited guest arrived on Mo Xibei's boat. A boy dressed as a page leaped over from a nearby boat, holding a visiting card, and said that his master requested an audience with Mr. Mo.

Mo Xibei was eating when he glanced at Honglu's hand. It contained nothing but flattering and admiring words, and at the end, it was signed by an unfamiliar name: Chu Junfeng.

"I don't know your master..." Mo Xibei had only said half a sentence when she was lightly bumped by Honglu next to her. She glared at Honglu and said, "I don't see people I don't know, ah!"

At the end, he let out an "Ah," which drew a curious look from the pageboy. Honglu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "Young Master Mo, you are so ignorant. Even a three-year-old child in the martial arts world knows the name of the great hero Chu Junfeng. Now that he has come to see you, you actually say that you don't know him and don't want to see him?"

Volume One: Ten Years in the Jianghu, Chapter Six

"So what? It's his business if he's famous, and it's my business if I don't want to see him. If you want to see him, go ahead." Mo Xibei snorted, poured herself a glass of pure wine that she had supervised the craftsmen to brew, took a small sip, and then said, "Show him out."

“My master said that we are all in the same boat now, and he is worried that he cannot deal with those seven people on his own. He hopes to get Mr. Mo’s help,” the page said, his words and even his eyes were very earnest.

The mention of seven people sent a jolt through Northwest. She hadn't noticed yesterday that there were others like her lurking nearby. Indeed, there were always people more capable than herself. But why did Chu Junfeng, who was known as a great hero, watch everything unfold without intervening? A playful smile appeared on Northwest's lips. After a moment's thought, she said, "In that case, please have your master come over and speak with us."

Chu Junfeng arrived quickly. In fact, he didn't know why he came, or even why he asked Mo Xibei from the neighboring ship for help.

If Chu Junfeng himself was a highly respected and respected young martial arts master, then Mo Xibei's reputation in the martial arts world was far inferior to his. Indeed, Mo Xibei wasn't the obscure figure she imagined. After all, someone not yet twenty years old, without a prominent family background, managing a renowned entertainment industry in Jiangnan suggested she was far from ordinary. However, this couldn't be the reason Chu Junfeng sought her cooperation.

Why seek out this businessman who reeks of money? Chu Junfeng thought it was because of Mo Xibei's eyes.

At their first meeting, the bloody handprint that appeared out of nowhere threw everyone into a panic. However, he unexpectedly saw a pair of calm, clear eyes, bright, indifferent, even mocking, watching all the flustered people. When their eyes met, Chu Junfeng suddenly realized that those eyes were looking at him in the same way. No, not entirely the same, because there was also a hint of mockery in them, like someone looking at a peacock.

Because he arrived so calmly, Chu Junfeng even suspected that Mo Xibei had a problem. Fortunately, he saw Xibei lying on the boat awning last night.

He has good martial arts skills, a meticulous and perceptive mind, and doesn't recklessly rush into fighting bad guys, which shows that he knows how to weigh the pros and cons. Such a person might be a good partner.

Having made up his mind, Chu Junfeng sent his page, Tian Xin, to deliver the visiting card. Of course, based on his knowledge of Mo Xibei's history of avoiding trouble in the martial arts world, he understood that he might be turned away with just a visiting card. What could possibly impress such a person? Chu Junfeng thought, perhaps only by revealing his own weaknesses.

Sure enough, Tian Xin returned after a short while and said, "Young Master, that Master Mo requests your presence."

When Chu Junfeng entered Mo Xibei's cabin, he saw a young man dressed in white lounging in a large recliner, half-closing his eyes and munching on a pear. His clothes were already wrinkled from his posture. However, the girl standing next to the chair was pretty and charming. Before she could even speak, her face had already turned red.

After being poked twice by Honglu, Northwest finally let go of Shuili and sat up straight. Actually, she had seen Chu Junfeng clearly even with her eyes half-closed. He was indeed more handsome from the front than from the side that day. Beautiful things always deserve a second look, but now that she was forced to sit up straight, she felt embarrassed to stare at his face. For this reason, she secretly complained about Honglu's meddling.

"I have long admired Brother Mo's name. I am Chu, and I pay my respects." In Honglu's eyes, compared to Mo Xibei, who had no manners whatsoever, Chu Junfeng's etiquette was simply impeccable.