Aspirations

Chapter 31 Cold pulse
The Hutuo River originates from Hedong Road, flows southwestward between Hengshan Mountain and Wutai Mountain, and flows eastward to the Jiehe River, flowing eastward to Zhongshan Village, Lingshou County, Zhendingfu, Hebei Road, and then all the way to the east, where it joins the Fuyang River to form Ziya. After the river, it is injected into the Bohai Sea.

The water volume of the Hutuo River is not abundant, and this year is the same as usual.After passing through the convergence of several upstream tributaries, when it flows through Zhongshan Village, it becomes a large river with a length of several dozen feet.At Zhongshan Village, you turn a corner gracefully and surround Zhongshan Village. Zhongshan Village is like a paradise, quiet and content.

A few tens of miles to the east, out of Lingshou County, and in the territory of Zhending Mansion, the river surface is a little wider, and it is quite a mighty trend.The large and small boats on the river are not as tall, luxurious and numerous as those on the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, but they also have the artistic conception of a light boat floating and free.

On this day, a small boat set off from Zhendingfu, went upstream, and headed for Lingshou County.At the bow of the boat stood a man, dressed as a scholar, with a square scarf on his head, wearing a blue shirt, standing against the wind and looking up at the sky with his hands behind his back.

The scholar was handsome, with red lips and white teeth, and thin shoulders. Although he deliberately smeared his face, he still couldn't hide the delicacy around him.He has a beautiful face, a small and firm nose, and his eyes are like stars, especially his slender neck, which is like a beautiful jade.The current stop is hidden in the green mountains and green waters, like a fairy floating in the air.

The boat master Wei Xiaoba turns [-] this year. He has been sailing on the Hutuo River for more than [-] years. He has long been accustomed to the beautiful scenery and steep mountain peaks on both sides of the strait. Amazed.Not only did he admire the generosity of the guest officer, but he gave him a tael of silver just for the reward. He was also shocked by the handsome appearance of the guest officer.

As long as the river is not blocked by heavy snow, Wei Xiaoba has been sailing on the Hutuo River every day for more than [-] years, and the number of guest officials who are greeted and sent by him is not [-] or [-], whether it is a beautiful lady or a beautiful lady like Pan An He has seen a lot of young talents, but there has never been anyone like today's guest official who made him feel happy at first glance.It is not only because the Keguan looks beautiful, but also because the Keguan's every move reveals a joy that makes people feel like a spring breeze.

Yes, this young and beautiful guest officer dressed as a man—Wei Xiaoba saw at a glance that the guest officer dressed as a scholar was actually a little lady—not only was she beautiful, but she also spoke softly and pleasantly, and she was like A flawless piece of jade looks like a distant mountain, beautiful and mysterious.The close-up view is like a pool of water, quiet and beautiful.In a word, this little lady who called herself Mantuo was the most comfortable guest Wei Xiaoba had ever seen in his life.

The little lady got on the boat from Zhending Mansion and was going to Zhongshan Village.Usually, the passenger officers will disembark at Lingshou County, and then transfer to Zhongshan Village by mule and horse, which is more convenient.The little lady insisted on going directly to Zhongshan Village by boat. After Wei Xiaoba repeatedly stated that it was safer to disembark from Lingshou County and transfer to mules and horses, the little lady still insisted, and he did not say anything more.Although the ten-li river from Lingshou County to Zhongshan Village has many bends and rapid water, it is easy to cause accidents, but the little lady is generous and tactful. He couldn't bear to refuse, so he agreed.

Wei Xiaoba believes that with his more than [-] years of sailing skills, he can survive no matter how big the wind and waves are and how fast the turbulence is.

The Hutuo River reaches the border of Lingshou County and runs parallel to the official road. People on the boat can see the pedestrians and carriages above the official road.Going against the current, the speed of the boat is not too fast. When approaching Lingshou County, on the official road by the river, two fast horses passed by.

The fast horse galloped, leaving the pedestrians and carriages on the road far behind.Immediately, the two of them looked awe-inspiring. They were all dressed up smartly, one in black and one in white, and their attitude was very arrogant, which was particularly eye-catching.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way! Officials handle the case, don't care if you get hurt or killed!"

"Drive, drive!"

Man Tuo stood at the bow of the boat for a while, admiring the scenery on both sides of the strait, rarely looking at the official road.The two fast horses and their arrogance finally caught her attention. She glanced at them casually, with a faint smile on her lips.

Wei Xiaoba was rowing vigorously, and when he looked up inadvertently, he saw Mantuo smiling. The sun was shining brightly, and the heat was suffocating. For some reason, he suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his body was instantly cold!
what happened?Wei Xiaoba's heart was pounding, obviously Mantuo just smiled casually, why did it make him feel terrified with chills all over his body?Mantuo was just a delicate little lady, not a man-eating tiger or a water python that made waves, so how could he be frightened?

Of course Wei Xiaoba couldn't understand it, because although he had lived for a long time and had experienced countless storms, he had never seen a real storm, and he didn't know what killing intent was.That's right, the chill that Mantuo showed when he smiled just now is exactly the killing intent that everyone who has experienced the battle of life and death has experienced!
"The boatman, the two fast horses just now will arrive at Lingshou County half an hour earlier than us, right?" Mantuo turned around and gave Wei Xiaoba a sweet smile. The killing intent just now disappeared, only Chunfeng and Mingmei.

"Yes, yes, it will only take half an hour to die. Not far ahead, the official road is full of potholes, and if you want to run, you can't run fast." Wei Xiaoba felt the softness of Mantuo like a beautiful jade again, and his mood relaxed and doubted. The chill just now was just an illusion.

"After Lingshou, how much faster can we get to Zhongshan Village by boat than by horse?" Mantuo didn't notice that Wei Xiaoba was overly frightened by her unintentional killing intent. Guan and Muen rushed to Zhongshan Village in one step.

"There should be no problem in the first half an hour." Wei Xiaoba said with a look of self-satisfaction, "Little lady, that is, I, Wei Xiaoba, dares to sail to Zhongshan Village, even if it is someone else. Not to mention Lingshou. , I am the only one who dares to sail from Lingshou County to Zhongshan Village, looking at Zhendingfu."

Mantuo said nothing, turned and looked up at the green mountain.The green hills are charming and colorful. In addition to their various appearances, they also have the vigor and majesty unique to the green mountains in the north, but lack the soft beauty of the mountains and rivers in the south.Mantuo couldn't help but think of her all the way from Hainan to Quanzhou to Jinling, Lin'an, then to Daming, Zhending, Baozhou, and then to Shangjing.If she hadn't met Hua Guan and Mu En in Happy Forest outside Shangjing, she would have settled down in Shangjing by now.After running around for many years, she had long wanted to find a quiet yard to play the piano, practice martial arts, and recite poetry, and she was already tired of the wind and rain.

Although he grew up in the south since he was a child, Mantuo yearns for the mountains and rivers in the north.The majesty and splendor of the northern landscape is incomparable to the grandeur of the southern landscape.Throughout the ages, when dynasties settled in the north, they were powerful and prosperous.Daxia made his fortune in the north, and when Tokyo was the capital, he made Tokyo more Lin'an, and took the meaning of temporary resettlement.Fortunately, Taizong swept the north and returned all the great mountains and rivers of the north to Daxia.Otherwise, if it is still in Lin'an today, Daxia will not have the current prosperity.

Mantuo was originally a woman from a water town in the south of the Yangtze River. She grew up in the picturesque Wuyi Mountains, but she was not good at martial arts.At the age of five, he met a famous teacher and taught him a martial art.When she was ten years old, her father came to Beijing as an official, and she came to Beijing with her father. Since then, she has fallen in love with the landscape and climate of the north.Later, her father was banished from Beijing, and the guest died in Hainan. After she buried her father, she went all the way north to seek justice for her father.

As a result, they met Hua Guan and Mu En in Happy Forest.

Mantuo didn't know who Huaguan and Muen were. She just met them in the Happy Forest and overheard their conversation. She knew that they belonged to the Third Prince, and she learned from Li Guanyu. The two were going to Zhongshan Village, Lingshou County, for the third prince. She didn't care what she was doing, but it was not difficult for her to guess that the dignified third prince sent someone to an inconspicuous small mountain village hundreds of miles away. major event.Since it was a major matter for the Third Prince, she had to check it out.Furthermore, if she can ruin the important affairs of the third prince, it can be considered to be a blessing for the people of the world and vent her anger for her father.

After all, the death of Daddy, the Three Kings, Xingwang, has something to do with him.

Following Huaguan and Muen all the way south, Mantuo acted cautiously, hiding his whereabouts and not being discovered by the two. It was also because the level of the two was too average. With Mantuo's ability, they didn't have to be too deliberate to hide them.However, after arriving at Zhending Mansion, Mantuo learned that there are many mountains in Lingshou County, and Zhongshan Village is surrounded by mountains and Hutuo River. The probability of discovery will greatly increase.

Therefore, Mantra decided to take the water route.

Following the two of them along the way, Mantuo heard some of the things the two of them talked about along the way. Some of them were directly heard at close range, and some were inquired from the stall where the two of them had eaten. She became more and more interested in Xia Xiang. thicker.A budding scholar, who has not been admitted to fame, and has never taken a step in Zhongshan Village, how could he be sent to investigate by the three princes who are powerful and famous all over the world?With the power of the three princes, he is in charge of every day, and all he cares about is the important affairs of the court. Not to mention that Xia Xiang has not yet obtained the title, what can he do even if he has the title?Being an official, he is only a small county magistrate of the seventh rank. Compared with the star king, there is still a difference of more than [-] miles!
So why did the three kings have to make plans with Xia Xiang?There must be some unknown inside story.

Mantuo didn't have any idea of ​​coming forward for Xia Xiang, she just wanted to find out the truth as one of the foreshadowings that she could use to fight back against the Three Kings.She and Xia Xiang are not related, nor do they know each other. Whether Xia Xiang is dead or alive has nothing to do with her.

After passing Lingshou County, the river narrowed and the water flow became rapid. Looking around, there were almost no boats on the river, only Wei Xiaoba's boat was floating on the river alone.As the sun sets in the west, the light is golden all around, and the scenery on both sides of the strait changes abruptly, with fewer trees and more strange rocks.On the abrupt peaks in the distance, there are cliffs and rocks.

"Little lady, this cliff is called Cliff. A few days ago, two young people fell down. By the way, they are young people from Zhongshan Village. One is called Xia Lai and the other is called Xia Qu..." Wei Xiaoba steered the steering wheel steadily. Although he was tired, he was full of passion. He didn't have the feeling of inexhaustible strength. The river in front of him was rolling and undercurrent. Not only was he not afraid, but he inspired the courage to fight the wind and waves.

"Is he dead?" Man Tuo didn't care much about Xia Lai Xia Qu, and asked casually in response to Wei Xiaoba's enthusiastic introduction.

"No, they are dead, but they didn't die. But I heard that the two fell off a cliff and were rescued separately. They didn't meet each other. The two brothers don't know whether the other is alive or not." Wei Xiaoba shook his head and sighed. With a look of sadness worried for the ancients, "It's really pitiful, Xia Laixia was originally a good descendant of Zhongshan Village, just because I have to go to Beijing with Xia Xiang to take the exam, I want to wait for Xia Xiang to enjoy the glory and wealth after high school, who knows talent. Soon after walking out of Zhongshan Village, he fell off the cliff. Some people say that Xia Laixia was pushed off the cliff by Xia Xiang..."

It turned out to be related to Xia Xiang, and Mantuo asked: "Why did Xia Xiang push Xia Laixia to get off the cliff? Boatman, don't listen to the wind or the rain. With Xia Laixia going all the way to Beijing, Xia Xiang will be much safer. Pushing the two off the cliff is not good for him at all, Xia Xiang is neither stupid nor crazy, why did he kill his own people?"

Wei Xiaoba was immediately speechless, and after holding it for a long time, he said embarrassingly, "I'm also anecdotal, I don't know if it's true or not. Quan should relieve the boredom for the little lady, and the little lady doesn't have to take it seriously."

Mantuo did not explain the identity of the woman disguised as a man by the captain of the boat, but replied indifferently: "It's better to forget it with such a boring thing to relieve the boredom."

Wei Xiaoba blushed and coughed a few times to hide his embarrassment.After a while, he remembered something again, and couldn't help but say: "I heard that Xia Lai was rescued by a horse team, and followed the horse team to make a living outside the Great Wall. Xia Qu was rescued by a caravan, and went south to Quanzhou with the caravan to go to sea. I don't know if it's true or not. In short, this matter has been rumored in the ten miles and eight townships near Zhongshan Village. They all say that Xia Xiang is not a lucky person. Whoever approaches him in the future will be unlucky. Xia Laixia goes to this pair Poor young man, I don't know if I can come back to Zhongshan Village in this life..."

She didn't care about Xia Xiang's life or death, nor did she care about the fate of Xia Lai and Xia Go. She had heard Wei Xiaoba's words.After a while, I felt a bit boring again, seeing that the river water became more and more turbulent, and the color of the water was getting darker, and at the same time, a slight coolness hit, I couldn't help asking: "Ordinary boat masters dare not go to Zhongshan Village by boat, it is because of this place. Is the river fast and dangerous? Or is there another reason?”

Wei Xiaoba smiled, stroked his sparse beard contentedly, and said: "This section of the river is a bit turbulent, but the river is not too deep, other boatmen dare not sail, there are reasons for the rapidity of the river, and some It is said that this section of the river is where the Qi of the Hutuo River is located, and that boating can easily disturb the river gods and cause unpredictable disasters.”

"Qi meridian? Could it be the cold meridian?" Mantuo was slightly surprised. Just now, she felt the slightest chill in the river, which was very different from the previous river.

"Cold pulse? What is a cold pulse? The little old man doesn't understand." Wei Xiaoba knew what the cold pulse said, even the Qi pulse, he was only half-believing, he just listened to it, but he didn't know what the Qi pulse was. .

"The cold pulse is..." Mantuo wanted to explain a few words, but he swallowed the words again. With Wei Xiaoba's knowledge, he didn't understand what he said, so it's better not to say it, wasting time, "How long will it take? To Zhongshan Village?"

"Half an hour." Wei Xiaoba didn't really want to know what the cold pulse was. He just wanted to get to Zhongshan Village earlier. At this time, the chill was bursting, as if from summer to autumn in a blink of an eye, and he was a little more panicked for no reason. , Could it really alarm the River God, the River God was angry and wanted to punish him?
"Could it be faster? I'll add another tael of silver." Man Tuo flipped her wrist, and there was an extra ingot of silver in her hand. Without further ado, she raised her hand and threw it to Wei Xiaoba, "I'm here to help the boatman."

"Okay, okay, it will be fast, it will be possible." Wei Xiaoba was extremely pleasantly surprised. It was the first time he had seen such a generous guest officer in more than [-] years of sailing. Row vigorously.

Man Tuo turned around, ignored Wei Xiaoba, and looked at the distant mountains like a daisy, the setting sun like fire, and the deep and deep river, if you observe carefully, you can see that there are white air-conditioning rising, it really is a cold pulse... When she heard about the cold pulse once, she was still young and didn't know what the so-called cold pulse was. She only knew that the cold pulse was an invisible but palpable energy channel hidden underground.Qi veins are divided into warm veins and cold veins. If the pulse is warm, it will be an auspicious pulse. Above the warm vein, the vegetation is luxuriant, the family is prosperous, and the body is healthy.If it is a cold pulse, it is an ominous pulse. On the cold pulse, everything will wither, the family will not be prosperous, and all kinds of diseases will arise.

Today, I saw the cold pulse with my own eyes, and it is as magical as the legend.Mantuo has practiced martial arts since childhood, and his physique is much stronger than ordinary people, but he can still feel the cold air.Looking at the water again, no fish can be seen, and there are no herbs growing on the banks of both banks.Even the scenery on both sides of the strait is also cold and gray, which is more depressing and chilling.

It's like stepping from midsummer to late autumn.

I heard that the emperor's illness was also caused by the fact that the palace was built on the cold veins?Mantuo recalled his father's exhortation before he left, and frowned slightly.Although the palace is built on the cold veins, the palace is huge, but it has thousands of rooms. If the emperor chooses a room far away from the cold veins, it is not difficult. ?

For a moment, I was fascinated, but I don't know how long it took, when I heard Wei Xiaoba shout: "Guest officer, here we are."

Zhongshan Village is here?As soon as Mantuo looked up, on the river bank, there was a mountain village surrounded by mountains on three sides. The mountain village was located at the foot of the mountain. From a distance, it looked like a gem dotted between green mountains and green waters.Three mountains and one water, backed by mountains and waters, is really a good Fengshui treasure land, it should be talented people come out in large numbers, how could it have been hidden in the mountains for more than a hundred years without people knowing?

Mantuo's thoughts moved, and he suddenly wanted to understand something, yes, if a geomantic treasure land has been unknown for more than a hundred years, then once the spiritual energy of more than a hundred years gathers on one person, it must be a talent through the sky and the latitude. Is this person supposed to be there? On Xia Xiang?
Wei Xiaoba enthusiastically sent Mantuo off the boat. It was already late, and he did not dare to take the risk to return. Tonight, he would spend the night in Zhongshan Village first, and it would not be too late to return tomorrow morning.Furthermore, if the little lady wants to go back tomorrow morning, and he takes her back again, it will be considered a complete merit.

Wei Xiaoba was a good boat, followed behind Mantuo, and kept introducing Zhongshan Village to Mantuo. Before walking a few steps, he suddenly saw two fast horses galloping. In the blink of an eye, the fast horses were already close at hand.

"How can it be so fast? It shouldn't be!" Wei Xiaoba thought it was the two fast horses that the little lady was referring to, and it was also true that horses were rarely seen in the backcountry.

After a stunned moment, the fast horse rushed in front of Wei Xiaoba, and immediately one person raised his hand and whipped it, hitting Wei Xiaoba on the cheek.

"Bastard, get out!"

Wei Xiaoba was beaten with a whip, and the pain was unspeakable, and he fell to the ground with a shake.Coincidentally, there was a slope on the ground, he fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and the second fast horse just arrived, the hoof raised, neighed, and stepped on it with one foot.

When Mantuo turned to look, it was too late!
(End of this chapter)