At the beginning of Niujia Village, my sister-in-law and I depended on each other.

In the following period of time, Niu Dingtian began to rebuild his internal strength, and his progress was rapid.

Perhaps out of taboo, A-Bi no longer brought meals here, but came here with A-Zhu every now and then to bring some snacks. The three of them sat in the pavilion, drinking tea and chatting together.

Niu Dingtian gradually found out that Murong Fu had been traveling most of the time in recent years and he could hardly see the two little girls once every half a month.

He also learned that the Mantuo Villa, famous for its flower fertilizer, was just over ten miles to the southeast.

With such a beautiful woman by my side, three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, a light drizzle fell from the sky. At noon, the rain gradually became heavier, beating against the green lotus leaves, and the lake surface was covered with a large white blanket.

In the pavilion——

The fire had gone out, the tea had gone cold, and Niu Dingtian sat upright on a chair with his eyes closed, lost in thought. His fair and handsome face looked even whiter in his black clothes.

Half an hour had passed since the time agreed with Ah Zhu and Ah Bi, but they were still nowhere to be seen in the lotus pond.

Even though he knew it might be due to the heavy rain, Niu Dingtian still couldn't help feeling a sense of disappointment in his heart.

During these three months, apart from practicing, it was more practicing. The only relaxing moment was drinking tea and chatting with the two girls.

The soft words of Jiangnan, the graceful lady, the two considerate and eloquent flowers, seem a bit wasted to be placed in Murong Fu's place.

Just as this thought came to his mind, Niu Dingtian's eyebrows moved slightly, he slowly opened his eyes, and stared into the depths of the lotus pond.

boat.

A familiar boat.

However, the people standing in the boat were not familiar people. In addition to an old man rowing the boat at the stern, there was also a middle-aged man wearing a gray cloth robe and with a thin face.

He held a knife in one hand and an umbrella in the other, with a rebellious and stubborn look on his face.

"I thought he was some kind of hero who could attract my sisters Ah Zhu and Ah Bi to come here so often, but it turns out he's just a gigolo."

Before the boat sailed out of the lotus pond, the middle-aged man had already glanced at Niu Dingtian in the pavilion, looked at the pavilions and temples on the shore, and sneered.

Eating soft rice...

Niu Dingtian was stunned.

It seems that she is really a gigolo, and that it was Ah Zhu and Ah Bi who brought her here from Murong's family.

After frowning and pondering for a while, Niu Dingtian looked at the middle-aged man at the bow, smiled slightly, and said, "If you don't mind, come up and have a cup of tea first?"

The boat was already close to the lake shore, and the middle-aged man seemed to be about to bend his knees and jump onto the shore. When he heard this, he was stunned.

He looked at Niu Dingtian's fair face, suddenly laughed, and said with a squint: "No, no, you kid asked me to go up, but I won't go up."

After saying that, he stood quietly at the bow, holding an umbrella and a knife, and stared at Niu Dingtian fiercely.

"Is Mr. Bao San Bao Bu Tong?" Niu Dingtian asked thoughtfully, already certain in his heart.

Bao Bu Tong ignored him and sneered three times, snorting:
"If you don't want to go up, then don't go up. I came here today to give you a warning."

"Pee more often and look at yourself in the mirror. A toad cannot eat swan meat. You can't expect to be a maid of the Murong family."

Seeing the white skin and tender meat of the ox, which looked like a young man, Bao Bu Tong immediately lost interest in working on it.

However, when he thought about how this kid took advantage of the young master's absence to hook up with the two beauties in the manor, he felt disgusted and couldn't help but humiliate him.

"Oh? If I think about it, does that mean Mr. Bao San is going to kill me?"

Niu Dingtian narrowed his eyes, picked up the herbal tea in front of him, took a sip, and said lightly.

Considering that Ah Zhu and Ah Bi are supporting them, I have given them face once.

If someone doesn't know how to appreciate a favor, he doesn't mind teaching them a lesson.

Outside the pavilion, the rain was still falling heavily, making a loud noise as it hit the surface of the lake.

Bao Bu Tong, who was at the bow, heard this and his face darkened. He shouted, "Who the hell are you? Are you worthy enough for me to kill you?"

After saying that, he jumped into the pavilion, holding an umbrella in one hand and an unsheathed long sword in the other, and slapped Niu Dingtian's face with it.

If an ordinary person were to get hit on the face by this, his mouth would be full of broken teeth.

"boom!"

However, the scabbard was just half a foot away from his cheek and could not move any further. When he looked closely, he saw that it was firmly grasped in Niu Dingtian's hand.

"You know martial arts?"

Bao Bu Tong couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

According to Ah Zhu and Ah Bi, this guy should be a pretty boy who has no martial arts skills.

"Let go!"

The package is different and you can drink it.

But the scabbard seemed to be held by an iron hoop, making it difficult to free itself even a little.

Seeing that he couldn't break free, Bao Bu Tong suddenly felt ashamed. He retracted the umbrella in his hand and threw it out. The umbrella passed through the heavy rain and landed steadily on the small boat in the lake.

Then he spun around and took two steps back, revealing a chilling cold light.

The long sword was unsheathed, and without any hesitation, another fierce gust of wind arose and slashed towards Niu Dingtian's neck.

"Ding--"

The sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out, and a spark of sparks also burst out.

kitchen knife?

When Bao Bu Tong saw clearly what was in Niu Dingtian's hand, he was stunned.

The back of the kitchen knife was blocking his blade, and no matter how hard he exerted his hands, the long knife could not get any closer.

It’s actually a kitchen knife!

Bao Bu Tong's face flushed red, and he immediately turned his wrist and swung the knife downwards diagonally.

Niu Dingtian held the tea to his mouth with one hand, and with the other hand, he followed the knife and kept it close to it. With a sharp "squeaking" sound, he cleverly blocked the long knife again.

The forward and backward movements are smooth and flowing, and are extremely relaxed and natural.

"Turns out he's just a pig pretending to be a pig and trying to eat the tiger!" Bao Bu Tong shouted.

Just as he was about to kick the table in front of him, or rather the wooden board made of branches, before he could kick it, he felt his wrist go numb and the long sword suddenly slipped out of his hand.

Then a white light flashed and a blade came directly to his face.

Bao Bu Tong was stunned immediately, sniffing the fishy smell on the kitchen knife, and said in a trembling voice:
"You...who are you?"

To be so young and have such skills, his young master is no better than him.

"For Ah Zhu and Ah Bi's sake, I allowed you to humiliate me just now, but if you destroy my pavilion, you will die today."

Ignoring Bao Bu Tong's pale and changing face, Niu Dingtian glanced at him indifferently.

Although this room is humble, it was built by myself and it is the result of my hard work when I was in trouble.

You can destroy it yourself, but others cannot.

After hearing this, Bao Bu Tong was about to say something harsh when he suddenly felt a pain in his waist. Before he could react, he fell into the lake with a splash.

Feeling the cold lake water, Bao Bu Tong was shocked.

After his head emerged from the water, he saw Niu Dingtian who had boarded the boat at some point and was looking at him from the bow, holding an umbrella he had brought with him.

"I have taken the boat. Mr. Bao San, go back to where you came from and swim back by yourself."

Looking at the different bags in the water, Niu Dingtian said calmly.

Bao Bu Tong's face turned livid in an instant, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I am not as skilled as you and I will just take it as my bad luck! You are humiliating me like this, are you really going to go against the Gusu Murong family?"

Niu Dingtian smiled and said nothing.

"Oh, and..."

"A reminder to Mr. Bao San, if you dare to touch a piece of wood here, I will burn down Murong Fu's Yanziwu."

After giving Bao Bu Tong a warning, Niu Dingtian ignored it.

He touched the silver in his arms and found it was still there. He looked at the old man rowing the boat at the stern and said:

"Set sail and go to Wuxi City."

"This……"

The old man hesitated.

"sail."

Niu Dingtian’s face is like black water.

So, under Bao Bu Tong's hateful gaze, the boat slowly sailed into the lotus pond. Along the way, it continued to rain heavily, and the water and sky were all white.

half an hour later

The boat slowly arrived at the pier outside Wuxi city. The rain stopped and a cool breeze blew on the shore, bringing with it moist water vapor.

Entered the city gate.

Niu Dingtian walked leisurely, just strolling in the city of Wuxi, enjoying the lively market and looking for a place to drink.

The street was bustling with people, passing by several brothels, and when he arrived in front of a restaurant, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but stop.

"Songhe Tower..."

Looking at the dark sign with golden characters on the door, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but ponder. If he remembered correctly, this should be the place where Qiao Feng drank.

There were not many strong liquors in the Northern Song Dynasty. For someone like me who likes to drink Xianrenzui, the sorghum liquor among them is undoubtedly the best choice.

Smelling the aroma of wine and meat coming out of inside, Niu Dingtian strode in without hesitation.

Going upstairs, the sounds of the cook's knives and the waiters' shouts could be heard.

"What would you like to order, sir? We have all kinds of braised meat and stir-fried dishes..."

The waiter came over hurriedly to greet them, picked up the white rag on his shoulder and wiped the shiny table vigorously.

"Two jars of the best kaoliang wine and a plate of fried broad beans."

Niu Dingtian gave the order after sitting down.

He doesn't like the greasy taste of meat, he just wants to satisfy his craving and have a good drink.

But as soon as these words were spoken, the diners around couldn't help but put down their bowls and chopsticks and look over here.

The waiter smiled and said, "A jar weighs ten kilograms. Can you drink it, sir?"

"Go ahead, take a big bowl." Niu Dingtian took out ten taels of silver and placed them on the table.

The waiter smiled and said, "Yes! Yes!"

After a while, five large bowls, two large jars of wine, and a plate of fried broad beans were brought in.

The wine jar was too big for the guests to drink by themselves, so the bartender enthusiastically filled five bowls and waited quietly on the side.

In the huge restaurant, diners were either doubtful, sneering, or had a hint of expectation, and all their eyes were focused on him at this moment.

There was only a woman in black sitting at the middle table, her vest still facing this way. Her face could not be seen, only her slender back and her shiny black hair, dressed like a girl.

Niu Dingtian glanced over there, then picked up the wine bowl, leaned against the railing beside the building, and started drinking bowl after bowl.

After five bowls of wine, the bartender hurried forward to refill the wine. As he got drunk, Niu Dingtian suddenly felt lonely and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

There wasn't even anyone to drink with. If I had known, I would have gone to the Qun Yu Yuan next door...

“So refreshing!”

"Good drink!"

Seeing Niu Dingtian, who looked like a weak scholar, drink five bowls of rice without changing his expression, which was more casual than drinking water or tea, the generous diners couldn't help but cheer.

Niu Dingtian picked up a few grains of broad bean rice and threw them into his mouth. He picked up the wine bowl, saluted at the people from a distance, and drank it all again.

It wasn't that he liked this kind of flattery, but he felt lonely without his tea companion and wanted to drink to relieve his boredom.

"Good drink!"

Those people quickly held their breath and drank the wine in their bowls, and there was another round of cheers from upstairs.

At this moment, the woman in black at the middle table couldn't help but look back.

Her face was covered with a black cloth, leaving only two eye holes exposed; her eyes were as bright as lacquer.

Niu Dingtian smiled slightly, raised the wine bowl to toast, and then drank it all in one gulp.

“Drink one!”

Some diners laughed and made a noise.

"Yes, drink one!"

"This gentleman is so generous, why don't you drink with me?"

One after another, people followed suit and made a fuss.

They had been keeping an eye on the woman for a long time, but her gaze was cold without any warmth, which made them feel extremely uncomfortable, and now they were all upset due to the atmosphere.

Niu Dingtian suddenly felt a little regretful. Why should he toast to an unmarried woman?

"Humph~"

The woman in black snorted coldly.

At the same time, he grabbed a chopstick and threw it towards here.

Although the chopsticks came with great force, they were firmly caught by Niu Dingtian's two fingers at the moment they passed by his face.

"it is good!"

"Good work!"

This time it was not an intentional booing, but a genuine and sincere applause.

Among the diners, there were many people from the martial arts world. Few of them did not admire Niu Dingtian for his ability to drink and his martial arts skills.

But the woman in black whose attack missed obviously didn't think so.

Seeing that he was about to reach out to grab the Shura Sword on the table, Niu Dingtian knew that he was in the wrong and did not want to lose his interest in drinking, so he quickly raised his bowl to toast and said with a smile:
"I was rude just now, please forgive me, young lady. This bowl of wine is all my apology."

Then drink it all in one gulp.

Now, no one around dared to speak rashly. The chopsticks could be thrown with such force, so it was obvious that he was not someone to be trifled with.

The woman in black hesitated for a moment, suppressed the urge to draw her sword, snorted coldly at Niu Dingtian, threw some silver and money on the table, then got up and went downstairs.

As soon as she leaves,
The upstairs suddenly became lively again.

Niu Dingtian never refused any generous diners who came to flatter and toast him.

By dusk, all the diners in the restaurant had left and the wine on his table had been finished.

"Sir, the total is one tael of silver. The shopkeeper said that the fried broad beans are free, so I'll give you the change."

The waiter came over from the counter with a smile and handed over a few pieces of silver with both hands.

After drinking two jars of sorghum wine, Niu Dingtian felt a little tipsy, but apart from going to the toilet a few more times throughout the afternoon, he didn't feel much.

Glancing at the change on the table, he waved his hand and said calmly:
"Open the account of Niu Dingtian. From now on, anyone who can drink two jars in the store will be charged to me."

After saying that, he stood up and went downstairs, slightly shaky.

When we reached the dock outside the city, a drizzle began to fall on the hazy lake surface, and the old man on the boat was no longer visible.

Niu Dingtian got on the boat, rowed the boat himself, and headed west in the rain.

The rain gradually got heavier, and the lake became pitch black.

When they arrived at Huting, it was already late at night and Niu Dingtian was soaked all over.

After tying up the boat, he reached the shore and was about to walk towards the thatched cottage when Niu Dingtian raised his eyebrows and suddenly stopped.

"Did Bao leave?"

This thought popped into his mind, and then he walked forward and opened the door.

"what?"

"Whoosh!"

A light exclamation and the sound of breaking air sounded almost at the same time. Niu Dingtian tilted his head slightly, and a crossbow arrow shot out close to his face.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Two more followed closely, bringing with them two sounds of breaking through the air in the dark night.

Niu Dingtian's eyes were slightly cold.

"boom!"

"boom!"

The moment the crossbow arrow was approaching, he used all his strength to swing his palm and hit it directly on the edge of the door.

Then he flew into the house and grabbed a person's neck. (End of this chapter)