Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 119 Going to Jiangnan

Jiang Mingzhe picked it up high and put it down low, issuing this penalty notice. The Qingcheng Sect members were overjoyed and praised Jiang Mingzhe for his extraordinary benevolence and righteousness.

Some experienced individuals couldn't help but think: This person's martial arts are unfathomable. If we travel with him, how can we not forge some bonds along the long journey? If we can't withstand Nan Murong, we might be able to ask him for help.

Moreover, this person is so young. If we could develop a deeper friendship, wouldn't that be enough to protect our sect for decades?

With this idea in mind, everyone from Sima Lin down wore a warm and enthusiastic smile.
Even the disciple who had lost most of his teeth forced a smile to apologize to Mu Wanqing and expressed his gratitude to Jiang Mingzhe, saying that he had long wanted to get a set of gold teeth but had never made up his mind. He was grateful to Jiang Mingzhe for helping him realize his dream.

Afterwards, Zhu Baokun took several of his fellow apprentices, rented a fine boat, and specially hired a well-known local chef. They sailed down the Jinsha River and into the Yangtze River.

For more than fifty days thereafter, they traveled through Luzhou, Gongzhou, Fuzhou, Zhongzhou, Wanzhou, and Yun'an Army, entered Kuizhou, crossed the rapids of the Three Gorges, and then passed through Guizhou, Xiazhou, Jiangling Prefecture, Ezhou, Jiangzhou, Chizhou, Taiping Prefecture, Jiangning Prefecture, and Runzhou, until they reached Jiangyin, turned into the Wuxie River, and finally landed in Wuxi.

Zhu Baokun paid the fare and gave an extra deposit, instructing the boatman to wait there for twenty days. Only if the boatman did not return would he be allowed to go home.

Jiang Mingzhe led his horse off the boat and stretched lazily.

In fact, every time they stopped along the way, he and Mu Wanqing would lead their horses ashore for a ride to prevent them from straining their muscles from sitting on the boat for too long.

Mu Wanqing then disembarked. Looking around, she saw that it was March, with peach blossoms and willows in full bloom, tender grass in the sunshine, and a gentle spring breeze that made her feel intoxicated. Her mood improved considerably.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Jiang Mingzhe and said, "The scenery in Jiangnan is truly beautiful. After I avenge my master, we'll set up a small courtyard in Jiangnan, plant some fields, raise some chickens and ducks, and then I'll have a few children for you. You can teach them to read and write, and they can become talented scholars like you. Let's not fight and kill each other. What do you say?"

Jiang Mingzhe sighed, "But I don't know how to farm, nor do I know how to raise chickens or ducks."

Mu Wanqing's interest remained undiminished, and she decisively said, "I can plant things, and I can raise chickens and ducks. You can read books, practice martial arts, and teach the children every day. When you have nothing to do, you can go fishing and play."

Jiang Mingzhe said, "If you farm, over time your hands will become rough and your skin will become dark. You will never look as good as you do now and will become a dark-skinned village woman."

Mu Wanqing touched her face, a worried look on her face: "I don't want that. If I'm ugly, you might change your mind. Hmm, how about letting Azi farm and raise chickens, and I'll go fishing with you?"

Jiang Mingzhe rolled his eyes at her and said, "You can let her raise snakes and scorpions, but don't even think about farming or raising chickens."

Mu Wanqing said worriedly, "Then what should we do? If all else fails, we should call Zhong Ling over..."

Jiang Mingzhe lightly flicked her smooth forehead and said irritably, "Do you think Zhong Ling is easy to bully? A Zi bullies her, so you should bully her too. We don't farm, we do business. I'll discuss with Lao Duan about opening a Dali specialty store in Jiangnan. We'll call it 'Duan's Choice of Yunnan,' and it will sell the best things that the Dali royal family uses."

Sima Lin smiled and replied, "Young Master Jiang's idea is excellent. Farming depends on the weather, how can it earn as much as doing business? Speaking of which, our western Sichuan has many special products. If Young Master Jiang is interested, our sect can help procure them."

After all, they had been on the same ship for nearly two months, and Jiang Mingzhe had gotten along well with the Qingcheng Sect. He told them his real name, but Sima Lin and the others dared not address him as a brother and instead called him "Young Master".

Jiang Mingzhe nodded and said, "That's right. In fact, sects are powerful and not afraid of being bullied. They also know many people in the martial arts world, so they have a natural advantage in doing business. For example, if you bring some goods to sell and take some rare Jiangnan items back with you, you can not only earn enough to cover your travel expenses, but you might even have a lot of savings."

Sima Lin nodded repeatedly, genuinely interested, and couldn't help but ask Jiang Mingzhe for details.

Along the way, some shameless disciples from the Qingcheng Sect came to Jiang Mingzhe to ask for martial arts advice. Unfortunately, although Jiang Mingzhe's martial arts skills were already extremely high, his experience was limited. He could only offer some general principles, and those with good aptitude could gain some insights, while those with less aptitude struggled to even understand them. At this moment, Sima Lin's inquiry about business acumen came at a perfect opportunity. Jiang Mingzhe spoke fluently and effortlessly, and Sima Lin felt as if he were listening to heavenly music, with countless ideas springing into his mind, making him eager to start his own business immediately.

We chatted and laughed all the way to the city and found a rather grand-looking restaurant to eat at.

Since there were too many of them to fit in a private room, they ate in the main hall, with several people sharing a table. As usual, Jiang Mingzhe and Mu Wanqing sat alone.

Before long, dish after dish was served, each one a feast for the eyes and nose. However, the taste was either too sweet or too bland, leaving the Sichuanese diners complaining bitterly.

Jiang Mingzhe, being a seasoned traveler, was quite open-minded, while Mu Wanqing, a young girl with a sweet tooth, found the food rather delicious. The two of them actually enjoyed it.

Now that Mu Wanqing considers herself Jiang Mingzhe's fiancée, she is no longer as concerned about the veil as before. She usually carries it with her when traveling, but takes it off herself when it's time to eat.

Her beauty had already been revealed on the ship. Although the Qingcheng Sect members were amazed by her beauty, they were intimidated by Jiang Mingzhe's power and never dared to look at her for long. They were no different at this moment.

Just then, a dozen burly men with bandit-like faces filed in. Seeing the Qingcheng Sect members dressed in white robes and with unusual attire, all of them turned their eyes toward them.

Upon looking around, they spotted Mu Wanqing, and several people exclaimed in unison, "What a beautiful young lady!"

Immediately, someone teased, "Young lady, what's the point of a pretty boy? You should find a strong man like us brothers."

Sima Lin slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and shouted angrily, "Damn it! If you bunch of bastards have had enough of living, I'll send you on your way today!"

The other twenty-odd Qingcheng disciples stood up in unison, their gazes turning icy as they looked at the group of burly men.

Although they traveled by water, they would inevitably stop ashore for a treat when they encountered prosperous places.

Once Mu Wanqing removed her veil, she became a typical femme fatale, causing countless troubles. The Qingcheng Sect was already quite adept at protecting her.

The group of burly men hadn't expected the two sides to be in cahoots, but they weren't afraid. One of them laughed and said, "You son of a bitch from Sichuan, you're not even as tall as a stool when you stand up, yet you dare to act tough in front of us grandpas?"

Sima Lin laughed, then suddenly pulled out a small hammer and awl, leaped in front of the cursing man, swung the hammer, and sent the man tumbling over, sending several teeth flying out.

A disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, who had just gotten a full set of gold teeth, was immediately delighted and clapped his hands, exclaiming, "Senior Brother, what excellent martial arts! Let this guy wear a few more gold teeth!"

Before he finished speaking, a burly old man stepped forward, drew a large sword from his back, and slashed down at Sima Lin with great ferocity.

Sima Lin ducked and turned to the side, swinging his hammer at the old man's foot. The old man scoffed, "Trying to be like a rat?"

As he spoke, he took a big step forward, slashed out with his backhand, and spun around like a top. His small hammer swung left and right, and his lightning cone appeared and disappeared unpredictably, fully demonstrating the "steady, ruthless, insidious, and poisonous" principles of his Qingcheng School of martial arts.

The old man was not to be outdone; his knife danced up and down, gleaming with a cold light, each strike aimed precisely at Sima Lin's vital points.

(End of this chapter)