Minglong

Chapter 191 Sanjiangkou

in the afternoon.

A large ferry was moored at a dock on the outskirts of Beijing, filled with wanderers from all directions, with even the deck packed with people from all walks of life.

Xie Jinhuan, dressed as an ordinary martial arts practitioner, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a long spear, arrived at the private room on the third floor of the ship's building and put down his personal belongings.

Although it was a ferry crossing over rivers and lakes, the environment was not bad when it departed from the capital. There were chess tables on the outside to pass the time, and behind the beaded curtains were beds for the maids and concubines who accompanied the passengers. Standing at the window, one could get a bird's-eye view of the deck and the river scenery on both sides.

"Guji..."

Coal Ball was still a little angry because its snack shelf had been confiscated for eating too much last night. As soon as it entered the room, it flew to the bed and fell asleep immediately, as if to say, "You can keep watch by yourself."

Xie Jinhuan didn't mind and went to the window to wait. Seeing that Bing Tuozi hadn't come over yet, he asked:
"Wife? Are there any experts around here?"

"No, you're currently the highest scorer."

Xie Jinhuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a red-clad queen in a long red dress sitting on the chair behind him.

The Queen wore a golden headdress, her hand supporting her cheek. Her flowing red dress hugged her flawless, fair figure, and she crossed her legs. At the end of her long, slender legs were black high heels with red soles, half-off, dangling precariously from her toes...

What a big car...

Xie Jinhuan felt that it was the ghost wife who could perfectly handle this queenly aura, and turned around to examine her carefully:
"Walk a couple of steps for me to see?"

Ye Hongshang was equally generous, her gaze and demeanor like that of an ice queen. She rose from her chair, supporting herself, and strode out with the most elegant cat-like steps.
Da, da, da~
The crisp sound was captivating, and her long, slender, white legs were faintly visible beneath the red skirt. Combined with her tall figure and the rhythmic sway of her breasts and hips, it was enough to arouse a man's most primal instincts.

Xie Jinhuan walked up to them, only to find that something was wrong.

The ghost bride was already quite tall, but now, wearing high heels, she deliberately made herself appear even larger, standing over two meters tall. She stopped nearby, placed one hand on her waist, leaned forward, and lightly hooked her chin with her finger.
"Little brat~ want me to step on you?"

Xie Jinhuan was flattered and looked around:
"May I?"

"If you like it, what can't your sister do for you?"

Ye Hongshang raised her hands and helped Xie Jinhuan sit down on the armchair. Then she raised her long, slender right leg and stepped on it with her high heel...

"Huh?!"

Xie Jinhuan quickly shrank back:
"Don't step on this, it'll kill you. Raise your legs and put them on your chest."

Taking advantage of her astonishing height, Ye Hongshang found this movement quite easy. She placed her red-soled high heels on her chest, and the silky skirt slid down her knees and thighs like waves due to the high leg lift, revealing her plump, white jade-like right leg and the red fabric...

? !
Xie Jinhuan slid down the chair a little, tilted his head to look around, and then glanced at the ghost wife:

"Hey ghost, do you want me to do something? Why are you being so generous today?"

Ye Hongshang performed a "slippery old shoulder" move, with half of his collar sliding down his shoulder, almost revealing his chubby, coal-like face.
"Was my sister not generous before?"

"Uh……"

Xie Jinhuan was starting to feel the pressure and wanted to fight back, but the ghost couldn't really do it, so all he could do was ask:

"Any more?"

"Yes~"

Ye Hongshang's gaze was condescending, carrying a hint of world-weariness; she perfectly embodied the image of a cold and aloof queen. With her left hand, she lifted the hem of her skirt, pinched the bow at her waist, and slowly pulled the thin string apart...

?

Xie Jinhuan waited intently, only to find that the red rope, stretched to over a meter, still had no end in sight, and he was slightly stunned.

"Uh... honey, you're torturing me a bit."

"The more you desire something you can't have, the more you crave it. If I let you see it so easily, what will be your reward?" As Ye Hongshang spoke, she even used her high heel to hook her chin...

Xie Jinhuan found this perspective a bit unbearable and wished he could dig out the ghost wife's true form right now. Just as he was enjoying it, he suddenly realized:

squeak~
The door was pushed open!
?

……

A little earlier.

Nangong Ye, wearing a veiled hat and carrying a long sword, arrived at the ferry he had booked. He also had a small package slung over his shoulder, containing a small wooden box engraved with the characters "正正正下" and some everyday items.

The reason she didn't go with Xie Jinhuan was that Zi Huishan also needed to go to Sanjiangkou to monitor the movements of the martial arts world. She sent the sword box and other items back and asked Zhang Guan to take them with him on the boat, just in case.

Upon arriving at the guest room on the third floor, Nangong Ye took a deep breath. A hint of hesitation flickered in his sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes. After all, once she entered the room, she would be at his mercy for the next four or five days, spending every day with him…

However, this child will need to go into seclusion along the way to avoid causing trouble; he will only begin to be tortured when he reaches the confluence of the three rivers…

After suppressing his distracting thoughts, Nangong Ye pushed open the door and looked inside.

squeak~
When he looked up, he saw Coal Ball lying on the bed, his life hanging in the balance!

Xie Jinhuan, dressed as a wandering swordsman, was lounging in a grand chair, staring blankly ahead, his hand groping in front of him, looking as if he were possessed...

"Xie Jinhuan?!"

Nangong Ye's expression changed drastically, and he flashed forward to touch Xie Jinhuan's nose.

Xie Jinhuan immediately sat up straight, looked around and straightened his clothes, his eyes first blank, then turning to embarrassment:

"Heroine Mu, you've arrived?"

"Guji?"

Coal Ball, not wanting to see Xie Jinhuan go crazy, rolled around on the edge of the bed and looked outwards.

?

Nangong Ye, carrying a small package, bent down to carefully check the boy's pulse. He found the boy was fine, but there was something wrong with his lower back…

"What are you doing?" Nangong Ye's eyes turned cold, and he straightened up!

Xie Jinhuan was receiving a reward from the ghost. If he couldn't see the ghost, the posture would indeed be a bit awkward. His mind raced:

"I had nothing to do just now, so I was thinking about martial arts moves, hmm... Sleeping Arhat Fist!"

Nangong Ye felt that what she had just done wasn't a martial arts move. If she had stood in front of Xie Jinhuan and offered her leg, it would probably have been just the right length. Therefore, he gave her a slightly disgusted look.

"is it?"

"Ha ha……"

Xie Jinhuan found it difficult to explain, so he got up and looked at the bed:
"Should I go into seclusion now?"

Seeing that the boy wasn't going to cause her any trouble, Nangong Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief and put down the veil and bundle.

"Go to sleep, I'll protect you. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Xie Jinhuan couldn't detoxify while in seclusion, so he didn't waste any time and, with lightning speed, gave the ice-cold boy a quick kiss on the cheek. *Smack*
Then he leaped onto the bed, released the medicinal properties sealed in his meridians, and fell asleep immediately!

Thump~
Nangong Ye clenched his fists, his eyes as cold as frost. However, seeing that Xie Jinhuan was sleeping peacefully, he did not go over to cause trouble for the boy. He sat down at the table, intending to sort out his thoughts.

As a result, the large lump of coal from the inside of the bed flapped its wings and flew over, landing beside it and tilting its head to examine it:

"Guji?"

Nangong Ye blinked and raised his hand to touch his head.

Coal Ball felt that the woman in black looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before, so he shook his head and acted cute, opening his mouth to beg for food.

Nangong Ye didn't know what Coal Ball ate, but since spiritually rich pills wouldn't harm wild birds, he fed Coal Ball a Bigu Pill!

"Guji?"

Coal Ball tilted its head and saw the tea-green pill. It smelled somewhat fragrant, so it immediately swallowed a golden pill and then began to ponder the meaning of a bird's life:
Why aren't you hungry anymore?

I don't want to eat anything...

What's the point of that bird's life...?

……

Seeing that Coal Ball had become very obedient, Nangong Ye raised his hand to rub his head and began to practice his kung fu as well...

……
-
On the other side, an inn in the suburbs of Beijing.

Zhang Chu, dressed as a wandering swordsman, stood in the room, his face pale, staring at the man in black at the window. Beside him, He Can, looking utterly dejected, leaned back in his chair, shrugging and muttering:

"Your Underworld Cult is powerful, yet you're constantly getting your entire clan wiped out; but when it comes to catching your own people, you're incredibly 'god-like' at it, even managing to come knocking on our door..."

The man in black sat down beside the tea table and calmly explained:
“Everyone who joins the sect has a mark on their body so that the ghost messengers can track them down and kill them. Only after Blood Third Brother died did I take over.”

slap~
He Can clapped his hands: "Good riddance! Are you the second or the first in the Northwest branch?"

"Boss."

He Can tilted his head to examine the hood, only to find that there was no black smoke obscuring his face, but rather a large bald head. He quickly looked away.

"What merit do I possess that I need a local altar master to personally come looking for me?"

“You are the last grandson of the He family. You used to be a good-for-nothing, but now that all the good talents are dead, you, the good-for-nothing, can naturally rise to the top. If the Corpse Ancestor comes out of seclusion, he will need a vessel. With your pure Yin body and being a born half-demon, you are currently the best candidate.”

"You really don't believe in evil, do you? Xie Jinhuan wiped out so many of your people, didn't you see?"

The man in black calmly said, "We have already found the location of the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb, and Xie Jinhuan accepted Wei Wuyi's invitation. When we make our move, he will be competing in the Three Rivers Estuary. We are 90% confident that we will succeed."

He Can was indeed surprised that Xie Jinhuan had left, and immediately sat up straighter:
"With Xie Jinhuan gone, there's a 10% chance your plan will fail?"

"Man proposes, God disposes. But even if we fail, it doesn't matter. The Corpse Ancestor's Tomb can't be moved. This time, we are just testing the defenses of the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb so that the sect leader and others can break into the tomb later."

He Can frowned deeply: "Are all of you members of the Underworld God Cult assassins? If we fail, you'll be reduced to ashes, and you still don't care?"

The man in black paused for a moment, then removed his hood, revealing a bald head.
“Everyone has their own path. My conspiracy with you demonic cultivators is only out of personal grudges. I don’t want Buddhism to live, and I’ll also make the Taoist sect lose some weight. Whether I live or die, the result is the same.”

?

He Can looked at the kind-faced high monk before him, paused for a moment, and then performed a Buddhist salute:
"The Buddha said, 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.' It seems that you are blinded by hatred. Either 'put down' it, or you go and cause trouble yourself and don't drag an innocent person like me into it?"

The man in black shook his head: "Zhang Chu is no longer of any use and can go to another branch, but you are still useful and cannot leave."

"Eh?"

He Can quickly raised his hand: "I can't leave, what would it look like if he left? I'll live and die with him, we'll never be apart!"

"you……"

Zhang Chu's face instantly twisted in pain!

The man in black didn't say anything more, pulled up his hood, and left the inn...
-
Sanjiangkou (Three Rivers Estuary)

The Yangtze River rushes down from its upper reaches and splits into two outside Danyun Pass. Most of it flows into the pass to become the Huai River, while the tributary becomes the Qing River, flowing into Daizhou and eventually into the sea at Longgutan.

The confluence of the rivers is known in the martial arts world as the Sanjiangkou (Three Rivers Estuary), located in Jiang'an County, Jingzhou. Whether heading south to the Central Plains or north and west, one must pass through this place, and most of the grand gatherings of the martial arts world throughout history have been held here.

Two days before the start of winter, busybodies have already arrived, with ferries arriving on the river from time to time, and heroes from all walks of life riding in one after another.

The small county town, which originally had a permanent population of just over 20,000, suddenly surged to more than 60,000, and the number continues to increase. Even with guesthouses lining the streets, it is still difficult to accommodate the large number of residents.

Fortunately, Jiang'an County had experience hosting the conference many times. Upon hearing the news, merchants from all walks of life began to set up tents and stalls in the wilderness. From the sky, the county town was completely surrounded by tents, and the riverbank was full of passenger boats. A large area at the confluence of the three rivers was left open to serve as a venue for the organizers.

Around noon, Jiang'an Town was bustling with people, and every now and then, a caravan of finely dressed riders would gallop by, drawing a commotion.
"Are these people from the Fengshan Society?"

"Yes, the one walking at the back is Bao Xiaolin from Jinghua Villa. His son is called Bao Fei. It's said that he was beaten up by Xie Jinhuan, who's quite influential in Beijing..."

"What?"

"Maybe it's because his name is annoying. Xie Jinhuan is a rising star in the righteous path, so it's normal for him to beat up someone just because he has that lousy name..."

……

Inside an inn in the town, Bu Yuehua changed into a black and blue dress, wore a veiled hat, carried a three-foot sword on her back, and took off her glasses and medicine bottles. She sat gracefully by the window, watching people come and go on the street.

Although she had a graceful figure and her veil could not conceal her mature charm, none of the countless wandering swordsmen sitting in the inn gave her much of a look.

After all, Wei Wuyi issued a challenge, and all the leaders of the martial arts elites of the Great Qian Dynasty came. Rank 1, 2, and 3 were as numerous as carp crossing a river. Bu Yuehua was only a second-tier expert here, vying for the treasure. Ordinary martial artists couldn't tell how many big shots were sitting in an inn, so they naturally had to be careful with their words and actions, lest some passing old man break their martial arts with a single finger.

Bu Yuehua only realized how profound the foundation of the Great Qian martial arts was when she arrived at the confluence of the three rivers. However, her attention was not on the martial artists of the Great Qian, but on a table of drinkers in the restaurant across the street.

There were four guests in total. The leader was a broad-shouldered man with a large knife beside him. Although he was dressed plainly and had a beard, Bu Yuehua could recognize him as Liang Yue, the second-in-command of the Black Yan Gang in Southern Xinjiang.

The Black Yan Gang are smugglers from the southern border, mainly smuggling goods by sea to the Northern Zhou of the Great Qian Dynasty. They also engage in ship hijacking. They are not under the jurisdiction of the Witch Alliance, but they wield considerable power.

However, the Black Yan Gang suffered a major humiliation three years ago. A merchant ship fully loaded with goods was anchored in Phoenix Harbor when it was hijacked by a mere child. Dozens of gang members chased after it for over a hundred miles at sea, but still failed to catch it, and have been ridiculed by the heroes of Southern Xinjiang ever since…

According to Bu Yuehua's understanding, Liang Yue of the Black Yan Gang should be on the southeast coast discussing business with the Da Qian Gang. His sudden appearance at the Sanjiang Estuary clearly indicates that he has his eye on the Tiger Bone Vine.

What Liang Yue was talking about was quite unusual. Bu Yuehua, who was hiding nearby, listened carefully and could roughly hear the following through the noise of the street:

"With this matter concluded, we'll immediately head back south. The gang leader has found a good place in Fire Phoenix Valley..."

Fire Phoenix Valley is the core area of ​​Southern Xinjiang, and it contains many treasures, but they are not easy to find. The greatest opportunity lies in Phoenix Tomb.

Like Mount Bing Sheng, Phoenix Mausoleum is a top-tier opportunity that exists but is very difficult to find. It is said that every time an item is taken from it, the surrounding landscape will change, and it will be completely gone the next time you come.

Among the ancestors who had received these opportunities, Wei Wuyi was inconspicuous. Bu Yuehua accidentally found the entrance and naturally wanted this great opportunity. She had been investigating for nearly a year and knew that the Five Elements Fire in Phoenix Tomb was too strong. It was only possible to go deep into it in winter, and she had to prepare various magical artifacts.

If the Black Yama Gang also finds some clues, then this matter will be quite troublesome. When two tigers fight, both sides will inevitably suffer losses. Bu Yuehua frowned secretly. After listening for a while and finding no other clues, she got up and returned to her room...

(End of this chapter)