Yin Fu Daojun

Chapter 61 The Ferry
This time he returned to his hometown, one is to worship the ancestors, the other is to settle down, and the third is to go up the mountain to seek the Tao. There are three things in total, and he has already made plans.

Staying here all the time, without teaching from his teacher, his cultivation base and morality will never be greatly improved, and he will be a frog at the bottom of a well after all.

What's more, there is the hidden danger of Lanruo Temple. If it is really Lanruo Temple in "Strange Tales from a Liaozhai Studio", the situation will not be optimistic.

He can only find a way to improve himself, and only if he has enough strength, can he protect himself and his family well.

From Houguan County to Shanyin County, across two counties and [-] counties, the distance is thousands of miles. When Xie Duan fled, it took more than two months to get there.

Now Changshan County, Dongyang County is under the shade of the mountains, so it is only a short distance from Houguan County. Even if it is a horse-drawn carriage, it will take at least half a month.

Of course, if he used the divine movement technique, including asking for directions and resting, it would take him at most three to five days to arrive.

It's just that although the magic movement is fast, there are taboos, that is, you can't eat wine or meat along the way, otherwise it won't work.

There are still more than ten days until the Ghost Festival, so Xie Duan is not in a hurry, it is good to take this opportunity to travel and broaden his knowledge.

Therefore, starting from Changshan County, I only ran five or six hundred miles that day with the magic walking technique, and then I ran and walked for a while, which was very pleasant.

What I saw and heard along the way can be described as shocking and emotional.

Compared with Changshan County, there are already many places full of refugees. After all, not all local officials are like his brother-in-law.

Some people were forced to survive, and it was common for them to become bandits and rob their homes. Some people were more ruthless, and they even pulled their flags to rebel.

Fortunately, everything has two sides, good and bad.

There are chaotic poor mountains and bad waters, and there will naturally be harmonious and peaceful prosperous cities. The situation in some relatively large counties is still very good, and the overall situation is even better than Changshan County.

So unknowingly, after two or three days, I arrived in Minzhong County.

Dongyang County is to the west of Minzhong County, and above Minzhong County is Kuaiji County. These three places can be said to be neighbors and adjacent counties.

The world is divided into Kyushu, Dongyang, Kuaiji, and Minzhong are three counties that belong to Yangzhou in Wu. Xie Duan did not follow the original road to Kuaiji County and then return home from Kuaiji County. It is very difficult to travel, so why not just come to Minzhong, take the water route from the Grand Canal, you can go directly to Wu County, and then go to your hometown by land.

Xie Duan had seen the Daqi Territory Map at his brother-in-law's office. It was completely different from the Huaxia Rooster Map, and the geographical division was not detailed. It only listed the states and counties of the world, as well as major water systems.

So Xie Duan knew the approximate route of his return home, but to get to each county accurately, he needed to inquire along the route.

The Grand Canal was first built in the Sui Dynasty, repaired in the Tang Dynasty, and even changed a lot in the Qi Dynasty. It runs through the north and south like a long dragon, which not only promotes cultural and economic exchanges between the two places, but also facilitates transportation.

At noon, on the turbulent lake, a wooden wheel sailed along the water. The huge sail spread out, like a wide wing. It didn't need the helmsman to exert strength, but only needed to control the direction.

This is a merchant ship headed for Jinling. It is not very big, small to medium-sized, full of tea leaves. The owner's surname is Mo, and his name is Shiren. People call him Yuanwai Mo, a native of southern Hokkien.

Yesterday, Xie Duan boarded their boat from Fufeng Town Ferry, negotiated the price, and they have been sailing for a day and a night.

There are a total of thirty people on this ship, including the helmsman, handyman, escort, etc., and the overall team is quite large.

Standing on the deck outside the front cabin at this time, Xie Duan looked around the canal, but saw green hills on both banks, slowly sweeping back, the hull parted from the water, the river roared, and the strong wind whizzed past.

"The green hills can't cover it, after all, it's going east!"

He felt it, and suddenly remembered a poem from later generations.

However, just as the words fell, a voice came from behind.

"Good poetry, good poetry! Mr. Xie is worthy of being a scholar."

Xie Duan turned his head to look, but saw a rich man with oily face, a square scarf on his head, and a teapot in his hand.

"Mo Yuanwai!"

Xie Duan bowed to him and felt quite ashamed.

"The green hills can't cover it, after all, it's going eastward! Although Mo is just a businessman, he can still understand this poem. It really has a beautiful artistic conception."

With a smile on his face, he came to the front and scanned the front.

"Mr. Mo laughed at me, this poem was not written by me!"

Seeing this, Xie Duan responded without any change in expression.

"The literati use poems to express their feelings. This is a matter of interest. How can they be laughed at? Thank you for your humility! I don't know where the son is from?"

When Xie Duan boarded the boat, he only said where he was going, and he was generous. Mo Shiren saw that he was dressed as a scholar, but he was carrying a knife, and his demeanor was extraordinary. It must have some origins, so he agreed to take him for a ride.

"The surname of Houguan County, Linhai County."

Seeing him ask, Xie Duan did not hide anything.

"Oh! Wu County and Linhai County are only separated by a river. If the wind is smooth, Mo's boat will be able to reach Wu County in five days at the earliest."

When Mo Shiren heard this, he nodded and understood.

The two were chatting casually, and before they knew it, it was late afternoon, the water was gradually calming down, and the speed of the merchant ship was also slowing down. As far as the eye could see, not far ahead, there were many villages on both sides of the bank.

"Mo Yuanwai, the Yanpingjin Ferry is ahead."

A dark-skinned, muscular man poked his head out from the cabin at this moment, saw Mo Shiren, and bowed his hands to salute him.

This person is the helmsman of the ship, that is, the one who steers it.

"After passing Yanpingjin, it is Yanping County. Let everyone work harder. Before it is dark, let's spend the night in the county town tonight."

After listening to the report, Mo Shiren nodded and responded.

"Got it!"

The helmsman agreed, and then shrank back.

The helmsmen paddled hard, and after a while, they came to the Yanpingjin Ferry. The ferry was connected to the canal, and there were watchtowers and ship locks. Embankments were built on both sides, and there was a man standing on the watchtower.

Seeing them, he quickly waved the flag and sent out signals frequently.

The merchant ship docked three miles away from the ferry. At this time, looking around, I saw that the river ahead had been sealed off, and no ships were allowed to pass through.

Accompanied by several assistants, the head of the Dushui Supervision stationed in Yanpingjin River came to the front in a hurry and boarded the merchant ship.

"What are you guys doing? Where did you come from? Is there a way to guide you?"

The master in charge was dressed in a robe and was a little muddy. While asking people to check inside the ship, he turned to Mo Shiren and asked.

"My lord, my villain, Mo Shiren, a tea merchant in southern Fujian, is transporting a batch of tea to Jinling. This is the guide of this villain. Please take a look at it, my lord."

He bowed to salute, and at the same time took out the guide from his arms and presented it.

The master of the river took it over and glanced at it, then raised his head and said.

"Don't you know that this waterway can no longer be used? The river is closed, I advise you to turn back quickly and take a detour."

He handed Lu Yin back to the other party, and said with a serious expression.

"This... dare to ask my lord, why can't I go this way?"

Hearing this, Mo Shiren was slightly taken aback.

He didn't know in advance that the river channel in this place was closed, and he had already come here, and if he took a detour, it would delay a lot of travel.

"Don't ask too much, anyway, if you don't want to die, just leave quickly."

The master frowned, standing on the deck and waiting quietly.

Mo Shiren rolled his eyes, and while his subordinates were inspecting, he stepped forward with ease and stuffed two big silver coins into his hands.

"My lord, it's convenient. It's really not easy for a villain to make this trip! Even if you can't pass, there must be a reason!"

With a smile on his face, he is already well versed in the way of business.

The master in charge weighed the silver tael in his hand and smiled happily.

"Forget that you will come! Let me tell you the truth, the river monster came out of Yanpingjin, and several wooden boats have been overturned, and many people died at the mouth of the river monster! The county has invited a mage, and it has been fighting with it for three times. For three days and nights, in order to prevent accidents from rebirth, the river channel was temporarily closed."

(End of this chapter)