alone as a fairy

It's like coming to the sea, but it's much gentler than the sea. Under the sun, the water is sparkling, the water and the sky are the same color, and islands are faintly visible in the distance among the blue waves, which is picturesque.

Everyone walked along the shore of the lake. Chen Zining hoped to find a guide who was familiar with Qiandao Lake. The treasure map described Qiandao Lake in detail, but Chen Zining didn't know anything about Qiandao Lake. He couldn't connect with the specific terrain. There was no guide. Difficult to find place.

After walking for an hour, a village appeared by the lake in the distance. Chen Zining sighed, "Why is it so desolate?"

He has read geography books and knows that Qiandao Lake is rich in water quality, with many fish, and it is surrounded by plains. Water can be diverted from the lake, and two seasons of rice can be planted. , the entire Qiandao Lake area is known as the "Land of Fish and Rice". Looking at it now, the plains are overgrown with weeds and sparsely populated, which is far from the records in the book.

Miao Shufang said: "I've heard old people say that Qiandao Lake is located between the three kingdoms of Shengtang, Xuanwu, and Xuanyue. Any country that controls Qiandao Lake can attack other countries as it pleases, so the three countries have reached an agreement. There is a tacit agreement, no one will interfere here, and a policy of letting things go."

"Water bandits, bandits, and smuggling fleets are everywhere in Qiandao Lake, especially water bandits, almost everywhere. No one can tell how many water bandits exist in the entire Qiandao Lake. These water bandits run amok here, and even burn and kill Looting, doing all sorts of evil, it’s no wonder it’s not desolate.”

As if to confirm Miao Shufang's words, the village in front covers an area of ​​about a hundred acres, and the scale is not small. A three-person-high wall was built outside and two watchtowers were built.

Outside the village near the lake, some rice is planted, and on the other side there are also some grains and miscellaneous grains. The area is about eight or nine hundred mu. Chen Zining couldn't help but sigh when he saw it. There are six thousand mu of fertile land in Baiyang Village outside Tsinghua City, and there are Qiandao Lake, known as the "Land of Fish and Rice", is such a large village, but only grows such a small amount of grain.

Seeing that there were thirty people in Chen Zining's party, the people on the watchtower made a slight movement and were very vigilant.

After Chen Zining and others approached, a loud voice came from the watchtower: "What are you doing?"

Du Tao replied, "I'm here as a guest."

Perhaps seeing that Chen Zining and his party didn't look like bad guys, the people on the stage waved their hands down, the gate of the village opened, and Chen Zining and others entered one after another.

An old man in his mid-century came rushing over from the village, and said to Chen Zining and the others: "Everyone is young masters and ladies from the city, please come in quickly, please go to the small shop to have a rest." After speaking, he led the way.

There was a relatively wide road in the middle of the village. Many children on the side of the road looked at Chen Zining and the others with curious eyes. Some village women held their children to prevent them from getting too close, with a trace of defense in their eyes.

There is an inn in the middle of the village, which looks quite small. Two waiters from the inn came up to welcome them and led 31 horses into the backyard. They were busy serving tea and feeding the horses.

Chen Zining and others entered the inn and saw that there were no other guests inside, so they asked, "What's the shopkeeper's name? What's the name of this village?"

The shopkeeper replied: "The little old man's surname is Guo, and this is Longkou Town."

Cen Anjun smiled and said, "This is also called a town, how many people does it have?"

Shopkeeper Guo smiled and said: "There are more than 5000 people, which is not comparable to other places, but it is considered big within a radius of a hundred miles, so it is called a town."

Du Tao said: "Master Guo, your inn is not small, is there anyone staying?"

Shopkeeper Guo said: "There is a small pier outside our town. Caravans often come here to load and unload goods. If you open an inn, you can also have a place to stay."

Chen Zining said, "Can so many of us live here?"

"There are places, but it rained heavily a few days ago, and there are not many clean quilts."

Meng Xue said: "That's not a worry, we have brought some ourselves."

Chen Zining said: "I want to enter Qiandao Lake, can you introduce a guide who is familiar with it?"

Shopkeeper Guo said: "How many miles do you want to go, young master?"

Chen Zining was a little confused, and said, "I can go anywhere, I need the best guide."

Shopkeeper Guo was taken aback, looked suspiciously at Chen Zining, and said, "My lord, it will be very dangerous if you go thirty li. The lake is much more chaotic than the land."

"Don't worry about this, I have a way to protect myself, please trouble the shopkeeper."

"Okay, please wait a moment, I will help you to ask."

At noon, after Chen Zining and the others had finished their meal in the inn, the waiter brought in a middle-aged man in his fifties with a limp on his right foot, and said to Chen Zining, "Master, this is Mr. Yan Liu, who is from our township. I am the person who is most familiar with Qiandao Lake in the world.”

Chen Zining saw that this man had gray hair and was prematurely decayed, but his eyes were full of vicissitudes, and he had a calm and calm demeanor. He was obviously a person who had seen the world, and his figure was solid, about the strength of an intermediate warrior.

"Please sit down, how much do you know about Qiandao Lake?"

Yan Liuye thanked him first, and then said, "Your Excellency, I don't dare to call you Yan Liu, you can just call me Yan Liu."

It turned out that this Yan Liuye, named Yan Huping, had been with a fleet of ships when he was young and had been on the lake for more than 30 years. Now he returned to his hometown due to a leg injury. The fishermen who are fishing are the people who are most familiar with Qiandao Lake here.

"Where are you going, my lord?"

"Walking around and looking around, there is no specific purpose."

Yan Huping said: "Young master may not know much about Qiandao Lake. The situation in this lake is chaotic, there are many water bandits, and there are many hidden reefs, undercurrents, and water animals under the lake, and there are many dangerous forbidden places. No one in Qiandao Lake dares to say yes It understands, and no one dares to say that it can go anywhere.”

"Oh, the forbidden area? Let's hear it?" Chen Zining asked after hearing his heart skip a beat.

Yan Huping said: "There are many places in Qiandao Lake, some of which often have large whirlpools, which can roll a large ship into the water; , very few can escape; there are many powerful water beasts in the lake, each of which has divided their territory, and once they meet, they will be troublesome."

After finishing speaking, he asked tentatively: "Sir, don't you want to go to the lake to find treasure?"

Chen Zining's heart tightened, but his face remained calm, and he said, "Why do you say that?"

Yan Huping said with a smile: "There are treasures in Qiandao Lake. This legend has been passed down for thousands of years. Many people also believe it. They went to the lake to look for treasures, but no one was able to find them, and many people died because of it. Young Master, you must be more careful."

Chen Zining couldn't help laughing and heaved a sigh of relief. The Zhu family's founding of the country was only 700 years ago, and according to Zhan Ping's speculation, the treasure of the Zhu family should have been 300 years ago, when the Great Xia Dynasty was in its prime. What a talented emperor left behind, hoping to give future generations a chance to rise again, will never be passed down for thousands of years. The so-called legend should refer to something else.

At this moment, a few bells rang from the watchtower by the lake, and then a message came from there: "The water bandits on Huludao are here again!"

Chen Zining asked, "What's going on?"

Yan Huping added a hint of distress on his face, and said: "Oh, it's just a bunch of vampires who just received protection fees last month, and they're here again this month."

"Where is Huludao? Is it very powerful?"

"Huludao is more than 40 miles away from here. There are thousands of water bandits on the island, and their strength is among the best in this area."

"Who is their leader? How is their cultivation?"

Yan Huping was a little surprised why Chen Zining asked so carefully, but he still replied: "Their leader is called Bai Mazi. I heard that there is a high-level martial artist. No one in our area can match him."

Chen Zining stood up and said to the others: "Let's go and have a look too. I've seen a lot of mountain bandits and horse thieves, but I've never seen this water bandit before. Uncle An, you take people and stay here first."

Du Tao and others laughed, stood up and walked out of the inn.