Thousands of Boats Float Along the Narrow Jin River (Part 1)
In the ruined temple - this turned out to be the temple built by King Jingxi for himself to show his merits. After he retreated to the west, Xi Zhongting led the most lawless "Black Wolf" of the current Yu Dynasty and fought all the way here, defeating all the prefectures that had established themselves many years ago.
The prefect of Daohai City had saved his life, but he could not change his servile nature. When he saw Xi Zhongting burning down all the princes' temples in the city, he thought he understood the hidden meaning behind Xi Zhongting's actions, and he forced the people to squeeze out some of their money in order to build a "General Temple" for Xi Zhongting.
He led his subordinates to flatter Xi Zhongting, and before the chrysanthemum-like smile on his face faded, his head fell to the ground.
General Xi is now only concerned with fighting the war. The place has been taken back. As for how Minsheng Prefecture will operate, he still has to wait for His Majesty in the capital to send reliable people.
So the temples in the city continued to bear the scorching heat, barely providing shelter from the wind and rain for people traveling back and forth from the south and north after the provincial capitals opened their gates.
After Meng Shizhuang and Lao Ju left Sujian Mountain, they traveled to many places in Daohai City before settling down in a dilapidated temple closest to the ferry.
They were already sick or disabled, and after coming down the mountain, Meng Shizhuang collapsed before Lao Ju.
The injury he received in Fanli Village had never healed, and the one-month appointment with Fan Ji was his last chance, so he forced himself to stay upright.
After being temporarily out of danger, he collapsed. He had a high fever all day long and was unconscious. Whenever he was not fainting, he would grit his teeth and keep his eyes open. He tied the sword tightly in his hand and refused to let go, leaving several deep scars on his forearm that could be seen to the bone.
They didn't have much money on them.
When Meng Shizhuang took advantage of the chaos and went down the mountain, Lao Hu stuffed a bag of money into her and sold the carriage and horses he had looted from Fanli Village. Their timing of "entering the world" was perfect. Daohai City had only recently resumed currency circulation. In the previous ten years, they had traded with grain and living people.
They don't have much food to eat, but they need a lot of medicine to drink.
After going around in many medical clinics, Meng Shizhuang chose this dilapidated temple after his injuries stabilized.
Lao Ju has not stopped taking his medicine.
Beneath the dark eaves of the dilapidated temple stood a medicine jar with a missing corner. Dozens of people in the temple, many of them old, weak, and sick, needed medicine, and they all relied on it.
Meng Shizhuang came from behind and on the first day he arrived at this dilapidated temple, someone saw that he was a child and that Lao Ju had a sickly look on his face and was breathing heavily when he spoke, so they wanted to give him some advice, but Meng Shizhuang ended up knocking out all his teeth.
The rule of the strong bullying the weak applies both on the mountain and on the ground.
After he understood the rule, he took turns picking out all the other onlookers, and announced the sleeping positions of himself and Lao Ju in the dilapidated temple, as well as the order in which the medicine jars would be used.
Lao Ju loved to nag him about certain things when they were in the mountains, and even more so after they came down the mountain, but he didn't stop him on this matter.
At this moment, Meng Shizhuang walked back to the dilapidated temple, throwing a brand new coin purse embroidered with gold ingots. There was a child looking at the medicine jar.
Seeing him come back, a pair of clear eyes on his dark face were particularly obvious, "Hero, you're back! Your medicine is almost ready!"
The child was an orphan and his current identity is a beggar. After he understood a little, he found that he didn’t have a name yet and didn’t want others to call him “Eh”. He thought that he might be seven years old and asked others to call him “Xiao Qi”.
On the day Meng Shizhuang "visited" the dilapidated temple, he escaped the disaster because of his small stature.
After seeing Meng Shizhuang's skills, he was filled with admiration. The next day, he shamelessly stuck to Meng Shizhuang and couldn't be driven away even if he was scolded. He was attentive to every little thing, and there was a message written on his face saying "Teach me some kung fu".
Meng Shizhuang often left the dilapidated temple to look for opportunities outside. It was inevitable that someone would find trouble with Lao Ju when he was alone here, so it was a good opportunity to leave someone behind to deliver a message to him.
He pulled out two copper coins from his pocket and was about to throw them to Xiao Qi, but he paused before he could do anything. He didn't know what he was thinking, but Xiao Qi just felt that he was standing still, staring at her with a sinister look that made her a little creepy.
Xiao Qi shuddered, "Hero?"
Meng Shizhuang came back to her senses, picked out the smallest silver ingot from her purse, and placed it in his palm: "I told you not to call me hero."
Xiao Qi grinned while holding the silver ingot in his pocket. He measured his stature with his eyes, and when he thought about his age, he opened his mouth and responded, "Okay, young man."
Meng Shizhuang was too lazy to say anything more. She walked around him, picked up the medicine jar, poured the medicine into the bowl which also had a hole in it, and then held it steadily and went behind the statue of the prince which had collapsed into a pile of black ash.
Lao Juzheng sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing.
At the sides of his legs were two double swords.
Meng Shizhuang noticed that one of the knives had a slightly dim blade that was exposed.
He didn't ask, but half-knelt in front of Lao Ju and said, "Drink the medicine."
Lao Ju nodded, slowly opened his eyes, borrowed the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. He wanted to ask Meng Shizhuang what she had done today, but his eyes were fixed on his chest.
Meng Shizhuang's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to stand up, Lao Ju had already reached out and grabbed the belt that was exposed on his chest.
The heavy purse rolled down.
Lao Ju's eyes sharpened: "Where did it come from?"
When Meng Shizhuang saw that he had discovered it, tension and displeasure crept up his back in a familiar way. He used his usual words: "I picked it up." In fact, his face already had an expression of "broken jar, nothing is left to chance."
Lao Ju took a deep breath and suppressed the worries in his heart.
He said in a deep voice: "Give it back."
Just like their quarrel on the mountain, they did not stop after coming down the mountain.
Meng Shizhuang didn't want to get into an argument with Lao Ju, so he repeated stiffly, "I told you, I picked it up." He snatched the purse, stood up and left.
Lao Ju didn't call out to him, but simply looked up and watched him leave. Around him, the eager strangers all raised their heads, their gazes landing on the two swords lying quietly on the ground, then reluctantly lowered their heads.
Xiaoqi was happy after getting the money.
Although Meng Shizhuang refused to teach him martial arts, he did not attack him with a knife like he did to others.
Seeing Meng Shizhuang go in and come out in the blink of an eye, Xiao Qi wisely kept silent. The temple was so small, and he had seen Meng Shizhuang and Lao Ju arguing more than once.
In fact, he and other bystanders felt that Lao Ju had a strange temper and probably had some problems with his brain.
Hero... I have some skills, and the elder who brought me here is not just a consumptive. Both of them are capable of wielding a knife, so why are they still staying in this dilapidated temple?
But this elder always liked to pick on some inexplicable things, such as if the young man stole someone's purse or robbed someone's food.
Is this even a thing?
Xiaoqi often asks himself this question in his heart.
The lame old lady next to the pillar has been beating her chest and stamping her feet every day since Meng Shizhuang came. She has a little grandson named "Skinny Bones", who is as his name suggests. He can't steal or rob, and no one can beat him.
She hid behind a pillar and saw Meng Shizhuang, who was strong and sturdy, and her eyes turned red with envy.
But there are still elders who don’t cherish us!
Meng Shizhuang strode over. Xiao Qi quickly restrained his thoughts and smiled ingratiatingly, "Xiaoxia, what can I do for you?"
"Let me ask you, did anyone bother that old man while I was away?"
He enunciated the words awkwardly and reluctantly.
Xiao Qi thought he was angry and shrank his neck: "They..." He pointed out the people who went to the back to find trouble, and the lame old woman who passed by in the middle, but did not mention the old woman who went to the old house to make sarcastic remarks.
After he pointed, he wanted to say, "Your old man is not a pushover either. He scared people away just like you." But before he could finish his words, Meng Shizhuang turned around and rushed over with an empty scabbard in his hand, kicking down several people.
The lame old woman leaned against the pillar with a pale face, almost confessing her mistake, but Xiao Qi rushed over and covered her mouth.
Meng Shizhuang took off all the anger on her body and didn't want to go back to see Lao Ju, so she walked out of the dilapidated temple and planned to continue "picking up money".
The lame old woman trembled as she pulled at the tattered corner of Xiaoqi's clothes, "What did this kid eat to grow up?" In her eyes, Meng Shizhuang was no different from a monster. He was so cruel and brave that no one could defeat him.
Xiao Qi raised a finger at her mysteriously: "Mother-in-law is so confused, the hero even said she is a girl."
The mother-in-law was sweating profusely as she slid down the pillar and sat down. Her eyes were filled with envy: "Oh, if I could be such a powerful woman, I would die without regrets."
Xiao Qi nodded and said, "I will die without regrets as I have been able to be such a powerful man."
The mother-in-law, who believed in "whoever feeds you is your mother", saw that the "evil monster" had left and felt that she had no use for Xiao Qi. She squinted and scoffed at him rudely: "You haven't even grown all your hair yet, how can you be called a man? You should be a natural-born flatterer!"
Xiao Qi blushed at her mockery: "Just wait, you wicked mother-in-law! I'll tell the hero what you did and ask her to deal with you!"
The mother-in-law bullied the weak and feared the strong. She was already familiar with Xiaoqi's temper and was not afraid at all: "You go, I'll be waiting." Then she let go of Xiaoqi's hand, stood up slowly, and walked with one hand behind her back to the group of people who had just been beaten by Meng Shizhuang, preparing a lot of words to "comfort" them.
Of course, Meng Shizhuang didn't know that there was still a fish that had slipped through the net.
He knew the area around the ruined temple very well. Recently, there were more and more boats docking at the ferry, and after a few days of walking, he would see some familiar faces on the street.
Meng Shizhuang thought about it, then walked to a medium-sized inn and waited for the opportunity.
The sun hadn't yet completely set, and he folded his arms across his chest, his scabbard tied to his forearm. The sword he originally paired with had been discarded by Lao Ju. Because he was ill and refused to loosen the scabbard, his arms were cut and bleeding profusely. Lao Ju had no choice but to escape.
The light of setting sun spread over the river, and the river was filled with pools of gold. Meng Shizhuang was dazzled and thought of the pearl flower she was going to get today.
After coming down the mountain, he discovered something.
As with Sujian Mountain's pathological inheritance, most people in the world looked down on women. But there was a difference down there: those with some ability looked down on women, yet they had to pretend to be polite and courteous to them; those without ability, regardless of whether they were burning, killing, or looting, would always go after women first, yet they would inevitably be a little lax.
When he was sick, he was confused and carried his old habits with him, with his chest bulging - then he realized the benefits of this identity.
Especially men who look like decent people will be extra kind to him; those who are mean and sneaky like to flirt with him, talking dirty and thinking that he can't escape from their control, but he always finds opportunities to fight back.
Meng Shizhuang felt that this identity made it very convenient for him to walk around. But after all, he was not a real woman. His face became more and more hardened, and it was uncomfortable to stuff too much on his chest.
Until I met this pink butterfly today.
If he could wear a piece of pearl jewelry on his head, it goes without saying that others would think he was a woman; or they would think he was a madman who liked to dress like a woman.
Most people in the world would not approach a madman.
Meng Shizhuang was thinking about how to get something for nothing. As he thought about it, he didn't have the chance to "pick up money" again until nightfall. He didn't want to go back to face Lao Ju, but he had to go back.
As he walked, a festive little dumpling rolled to his feet. He picked up the dumpling by the collar. He was a child as small as a snowball.
The child had two streaks of snot on his face and was crying. There was no adult around him. Meng Shizhuang immediately gave up the idea of threatening him, put him down and wanted to leave.
A few steps away, as soon as he saw the clothes and appearance, he knew that it was a local beggar who was born and raised there and burst into laughter, "What a useless fat ball!"
The fat boy sobbed and sobbed, "My, my white steamed buns..."
Meng Shizhuang's ears twitched, and when he looked over, he saw the little beggar was indeed holding two white flour buns. He smiled like a thief robbing a thief: "Did you steal his buns?"
The little beggar recognized her as the "female bandit" who had recently become notorious in the dilapidated temple. He was quite perceptive and immediately stopped smiling. He handed over a steamed bun and said, "Shall I share it with you?"
Meng Shizhuang raised the scabbard and said, "Give it to me?"
The little beggar wanted to cry but had no tears, and he didn't want to be beaten - he couldn't beat him anyway. In order not to be beaten in vain, he threw down the two steamed buns, cried like the fat dumpling, and walked away miserably.
Meng Shizhuang picked up two steamed buns, and without any disgust, he grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth.
Fatty was still crying, but when she saw Meng Shizhuang's expression, tears started to stream down her nose. She stared blankly at him while he ate. After he finished a bun, she said weakly, "That's mine."
Meng Shizhuang was quite shameless: "If you say it's yours, then it's yours?"
Fatty pulled out the red string from around his neck and said, "It's mine. I bought it with the copper coins hanging on my body." He lowered his eyes sadly. He had been in exile away from home, and the copper coins around his neck had been used up by him.
Seeing him sniffing and about to perform another act of "pear blossoms with rain", Meng Shizhuang broke the remaining bun in half and returned one to him, "Eat it."
Fatty was stunned again, tears welling up in his eyes.
Meng Shizhuang pinched his chubby cheeks and said, "Isn't this enough for you?"
Fatty was too angry to say anything. He took a small bite and said, "It's so dirty." He looked at the other half in Meng Shizhuang's hand and said, "Grandma, there's no more to eat."
Meng Shizhuang filled her stomach and thought she could hold out for a while longer despite Lao Ju's nagging. She walked back and said to Fatty, "If I'm not here, you can't even think about eating!"
Seeing the child whimpering silently because of his fear, he was in a good mood and turned around without hesitation.
This bad good mood didn't last long.
When he returned to the dilapidated temple, Lao Ju asked him again, "Did you return the purse?"
Meng Shizhuang remained silent, thinking that it would be fine in a few days.
But Lao Ju did not do as he wished.
Lao Ju didn't resort to his old tricks. He didn't cough or say anything to show weakness. He followed Meng Shizhuang's example and ignored the medicine and food he offered.
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