Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 137 Peace Talisman

There is a backwater bay of 20 to 30 meters about four or five miles into the canyon on the Qingping River. The water seems to be turbulent and dangerous, but in fact there is no turbulent undercurrent and the water flow is quite calm.

There is a natural underwater cave a hundred feet deep in this backwater bay. It is more than twenty feet wide and ten feet high, large enough to accommodate medium-sized ships.

Continuing deeper along the water surface, you will find a different world inside the cave. It is an excellent natural hiding place with ample space, enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

Here, there are many traces of artificial excavation and many living buildings. It is the place where a group of water bandits are entrenched. Except for some insignificant members, there are two or three hundred brave men who dare to fight.

The pirates in this area have been operating for many years. Unless the imperial court sends out the navy to attack, they cannot be easily defeated. However, if the navy attacks, they can quickly escape through secret passages. These pirates are underworld and will not easily confront the imperial court unless the imperial court wants to wipe them out.

After dark is the busiest time here. Under the light of the fire, the cave is bustling with people eating meat and drinking wine in big bowls.

These pirates who live on the edge of a knife are just living for the moment, because who knows, they might die in an accident in the Qingping River tomorrow.

If there were outsiders here, they would be able to hear what they discussed most: how many amulets they sold today, how much money they earned, and how much supplies those who did not have money to buy amulets had to exchange for them.

These pirates were quite smart. They didn't rush up to the passing ships with knives to collect tolls. They also valued sustainable development and would not resort to violence easily, so they found an excuse to collect tolls. The nature of the matter was actually the same.

The so-called amulet is actually just a useless piece of wood. They sell it at a very high price, one or two taels of silver per piece. You can buy it or not. If you don’t buy it, you can’t blame them if something happens when you cross the canyon. It’s the same as some people buy it and some don’t.

You say that the broken piece of wood is useless, but it can really keep you safe in this section of the canyon, because these pirates raise ferocious beasts underwater in the river. If people don't buy their amulets, or if some people buy them and some don't, then when the ship is crashed and sinks, it can't be their fault, because it wasn't them who did it.

Therefore, over time, an unwritten rule was formed among the passing ships: if anyone was selling amulets in this area, they would pinch their noses and pay money to buy them.

Of course, these guys are pirates after all, and they usually abide by the unwritten rules. However, if they meet someone they are interested in, they will show their evil side appropriately. For example, when they meet a beautiful woman and become lustful, or when someone makes them unhappy, you will understand how cruel these guys are.

Inside the cave, in a spacious stone chamber, seven or eight men, some fierce and some indifferent, were toasting each other, but with a hint of sadness on their faces.

A slightly tipsy man sitting on a tiger-skin chair at the head of the table smashed the ceramic bowl in his hand and said dejectedly, "How much is left this month?"

"Reporting to the Second In Command, we are still short of three thousand taels," a man dressed as a scholar immediately answered. He was obviously well-educated, yet he was associating with a group of pirates.

The middle-aged man glanced at him and said, "I've told you so many times, don't call me the second in command. If outsiders find out, they'll think we're in cahoots with the other two. If we become too powerful, it'll cause everyone to be wary."

"Okay, Second in Command," the scholar nodded, thinking to himself that you actually quite enjoy me calling you Second in Command, don't think I don't know that.

Without correcting his address, the Second in Command stroked his chin and said, "We're still short of three thousand taels. It's not much. It's already the middle of the month, so there's still time. Tell the people below to keep a close eye on it and don't let any ships go. We'll try to collect the money we've sent in."

"Haha, don't worry, Second Master. No ship can slip away quietly under our noses," someone grinned below.

The second in command shook his head and said to himself, "Damn it! Although we earn a lot in this line of work, the expenses are also high. Especially those officials up there, they are simply bullying us. We work ourselves to death, but we have to give them tens of thousands of taels of silver every month for nothing. Damn it, who is the bandit anyway?"

No one responded to this, and there was no way to respond. What to do? If you are not filial, the government will send troops to suppress the bandits. So you can be filial, but you can still live a carefree life here.

The educated military advisor hesitated and said, "Second Master, a new lieutenant came to the county a month ago. He is not satisfied with the monthly salary of 10,000 taels of silver and said that starting next month, the salary will be increased to 12,000 taels."

"Fuck!" The second in command cursed angrily, smashed a wine jar and said through gritted teeth, "Why doesn't he just go and rob it?"

The people below shrank their necks, thinking to themselves, how could robbing people for money be so easy?

The depressed second in command said with a toothache: "What's the big deal? We have three betting sites, and if each site adds two thousand taels, that's six thousand taels. Isn't this bullying?"

Look at what you said, it is you who is being bullied, can you really rebel?

Seeing that the Second in Command was in a bad mood, someone naturally tried to cheer him up and changed the subject, saying, "Second in Command, the people we were following today said that a passenger ship was approaching with two beautiful young ladies on board. The brothers have already taken action on their own initiative and will send them to you to cheer you up later."

The Second in Command immediately became displeased and said coldly, "I've told you countless times that we're a legitimate business, guaranteeing people's safety. Stop robbing people! Who would pay for our amulets if you break the rules?"

"What the second-in-command said is true, but it's also a kind gesture from the brothers," someone said with a smile.

The second in command's expression improved a little, and he nodded and said, "This won't happen again."

"Don't worry, brothers remember it," the group of people laughed.

Who wouldn't understand that you mean to hurry up next time something like this happens...

After another round of toasts and drinks, the group was wondering why their brothers had been gone for so long and still hadn't returned when they heard someone come over to report, "Second in command, it's bad! Our brothers who went to sell amulets have been knocked unconscious. There are more than 20 of them. If someone hadn't noticed something was wrong and chased them to check, who knows where they would have drifted off to."

The drunken second-in-command glared, not caring about his brother's life or death. He said in a deep voice: "What? My two beautiful ladies are gone?"

And you say you don’t care?

The brothers were all unconscious, so they must be dead. So someone analyzed: "Second Master, it seems that the passenger ship is very difficult to deal with. It only knocked our people unconscious, but did not use any more force. It is obviously a warning."

"Did you see who knocked him out and how?" The second in command was smart enough not to let his anger and drinking get the better of him.

The person who came to report said: "No one saw it, and no one knows how they were knocked unconscious. Anyway, when the brothers chased after them, they were lying in a pile on several small boats."

It's strange that you could see it, it was pitch dark. After the black chess piece knocked the water bandit unconscious, it bounced back and fell into the river.

Hearing this, the second in command had a rough idea in his mind and said in a deep voice: "Except for the government ships, no one passes by here without buying the amulet. No one. It seems that the person who took action has some ability, but he is sneaky and dare not stand out directly. I think his ability is limited. Otherwise, if he is really a powerful character, we should just let him go."

At this point, the second in command waved his hand and said, "Send a message to the third brother, and ask them to stop them at the interruption. The amulet is for sale, and I also want the young lady. I hope it will be delivered to me in the second half of the night. Well, please trouble the third brother to make a trip, and give him one of the two young ladies. He also likes it."

"Okay, Second Master, we'll make arrangements right away."

Not long after, a crow flew upstream from the cave.

Crows are very smart creatures. If properly trained, they can deliver messages more reliably than carrier pigeons, especially at night. Who would have thought that a crow could deliver messages...

Forty or fifty miles away, deep in a tributary, there was a water stronghold. A forty-year-old black-clad swordsman received the letter. After reading it, he sneered and said, "How dare someone break our rules in Yuanshizu Gorge? Let me go and meet them. Notify the brothers and send twenty men to follow me to the river island to wait for the guests."

"Okay, Third Master, I'll arrange it right away."

Soon after, two speedboats sailed out and headed quickly towards the river island two or three miles away.

Having to work in the middle of the night, many people were unhappy. After all, it was raining, which was unlucky. But the superiors had arranged it, so they had no choice but to go. If they dared to disobey, a beating would be the least of their punishment. No one wanted to use themselves to make a nest for the fish...

Chen Xuan was sleeping very lightly on the boat. He could vaguely hear the voices of Zhao Erhe chatting with the boatman on the mast outside. As for Liang Ren, he had been sleeping like a dead pig in the cabin for a long time, snoring loudly. He was also a careless person.

"Is this Monkey Falls Gorge because the cliffs on both sides make even the nimble monkeys unable to stand steadily and will fall?" This was Zhao Erhe's voice, asking the boatman.

Someone replied: "That's right, that's where the name comes from. Even goats, which are best at living on cliffs, can't stand steadily."

“That’s quite fitting.”

"By the way, we'll pass a river island a few miles ahead. There are pirates there occasionally. I wonder if we'll encounter any."

"It's okay. Just follow the rules when you encounter it. Isn't it just buying an amulet? You can spend money and it's done. You don't have to pay. We have prepared it in advance." Zhao Erhe said indifferently. Anyway, it doesn't matter what happens to everyone. There is no need to make trouble. Why bother with a problem that can be solved by spending a little money?
Then Zhao Erhe wondered again, "There should have been people selling amulets when we entered the canyon. Why haven't we seen any?"

"That's unknown. Maybe they're just too lazy to go out at night."

"Hey, maybe we can save some money."

"That being said, I still feel uneasy without the amulet. Rumor has it that there are strange beasts wreaking havoc on the riverbed, and ships are occasionally sunk."

"It's just a rumor. At most, it's just a trick played by those pirates..."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan turned over and thought that someone had come to sell amulets a long time ago, but they were not here just to sell amulets. I heard them talking about two young ladies from a distance, and their words were obscene. Otherwise, I wouldn't have knocked them out and broken the rules. I hope they will know what's good for them and give up.

Then there was the underwater strange beast. Xiao Gao was wearing a dragon horn pendant. If it wasn't a creature of that level, it would have no time to sense the breath and run away. If there really was a strange beast of the dragon's level, there would have been a lot of commotion. How could a boat pass safely on the Qingping River?

"Hoping I could get some good sleep... Damn, I'm overthinking it."

When this thought appeared in his head, Chen Xuan vaguely heard the sound of someone whispering a few hundred feet away, and the word "young lady" was mentioned the most.

One of the auras in particular was even colder than ice, and Chen Xuan's keen senses allowed him to feel it clearly.

"The distance is too far. With such a high level of cultivation, I can't easily knock him out from a distance. I have to go there myself, finish the job quickly, and come back to sleep."

Rumble~!

Spring thunder exploded in the night sky outside, and the flash of lightning disappeared in an instant. There was no trace of Chen Xuan in the room. There was only the window that seemed to be closed by the breeze.

Along with Chen Xuan's disappearance, a bed sheet and an umbrella also disappeared.

Zhao Erhe, who was watching outside, had no idea that Chen Xuan had left quietly. He looked at the sky on the mast, shrank his neck, and then nimbly went down to the deck.

It's thundering now, and running up the mast is courting death. Even if they are in a canyon, the thunder may not strike them, but what if...

(End of this chapter)