Words Strategize for the World

The Yuntao River is located about 3 li east of Zhongyuan Prefecture. It is a waterway that flows from north to south and runs through the entire Linyuan Prefecture.

April is the season when flowers are in full bloom. At this time, along the Yuntao River, willows sway gracefully, clear waters flow gently, and mountains are verdant. Everywhere you look, flowers are in full bloom, a riot of colors.

Fang Wei, Fang Yue, Zhang Nianwei, and Dong Ji, whom Fang Yue mentioned, were currently on their way to Yuntao River.

Along the way, tourists could be seen everywhere enjoying the spring scenery. The official road was bustling with people, and women dressed in colorful clothes mingled among them like butterflies fluttering about.

The four couldn't help but exclaim: What a magnificent and beautiful sight!

Before long, we arrived at the Yuntao River. The river was wide, the current was slow, and the water shimmered. People on the riverbank and in boats were all smiles, playing and splashing in the water.

"We don't have any boats, how can we go boating?" Dong Ji asked, feeling a longing to see so many people playing and having fun.

Fang Wei and Fang Yue certainly didn't know, so after Dong Ji finished speaking, the two looked at Zhang Nianwei.

"Well... let's go to the riverbank first." Zhang Nianwei had long wanted to row a boat on the Yuntao River, but she had never done so before because she had no one to accompany her.

Seeing that Zhang Nianwei didn't seem to know either, the four of them could only head towards the river.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Fang Wei stood on the bank and observed the boats on the river. He noticed that these boats were generally luxurious and ornate, some drifting downstream while others were anchored in the river. Just by looking at the style and decoration of the boats, it was clear that they belonged to wealthy young men.

From the moment Zhang Nianwei arrived at the riverbank, she kept her eyes fixed on the boats in the river, her longing written all over her face.

Seeing the longing on Zhang Nianwei's face, Fang Wei found a man dressed as a boatman and asked him how he could go boating on the river.

The boatman pointed upstream and said, "Go up two miles from here and you'll find a boat rental shop. You can rent a boat and go boating."

Zhang Nianwei was very happy to learn that she could rent a boat for boating.

The journey of two miles takes less than a quarter of an hour.

The four quickly rented a boat and began boating on the river.

The rented boat was very small, barely qualifying as a small dinghy, and it had a boatman on board. The dinghy was insignificant compared to the boats owned by the wealthy young men.

For Zhang Nianwei, as long as there is a boat to travel on the river, she doesn't care about the size of the boat.

Fang Wei and the other two were also happy. They usually spent their days reading, studying, and cultivating, so now that they had a rare chance to relax and rest, they naturally wanted to have a good time.

Zhang Nianwei kept putting her hands into the river to pour water, sometimes on Fang Wei, sometimes on Fang Yue. In the end, all three of them were soaked.

The boatman was very skilled at rowing, and with the slow current, the two-mile journey took about 15 minutes.

The boat trip distance was agreed upon when it was rented, so when we reached the vicinity of the official road from which we came, we needed to disembark.

"Hey, we've only been playing for a short while and we already have to go ashore. We haven't had enough fun yet. Why don't we go aboard the boat and do it again?"

Zhang Nianwei realized that the fun wasn't over yet, which is why she made this suggestion.

As long as there's money to be made, the boatman will naturally be happy to help.

"Help...help me..." Just as the boatman turned around to go upstream, a cry for help came from the river.

Upon hearing the noise, Fang Wei and his three companions rushed to the bow of the boat to see who had fallen into the water.

Upon closer inspection at the bow of the boat, about 2 feet from the riverbank, a woman was struggling in the water and calling for help intermittently.

There was a boat not far from the person who had fallen into the water, but at that moment, some people on the boat were clapping and cheering as if they were watching a good show.

The woman who had fallen into the water was not far from Fang Wei's small boat. When Zhang Nianwei saw that the boats next to the woman were not helping her, she told the boatman to quickly row the boat to rescue the woman.

The boatman had been rowing in this area for a long time and naturally knew whose boat was next to the woman, so he did not move.

Not feeling the boat move forward, the four people turned to look at the boatman.

"Young masters and ladies, the ship ahead belongs to the Zhang family of Zhongyuan Prefecture. It would be best if we didn't provoke them." The boatman was afraid that the four of them were unaware of the danger and insisted on rescuing them, so he mentioned the Zhang family.

Fang Wei simply couldn't bear to watch someone drown. And those who are drowning can't survive for long anyway.

So Fang Wei looked at the boatman with a determined expression and said urgently, "Boatman, I am a refined gentleman. If anything happens, I will take responsibility. It has nothing to do with you. You just need to save people."

The boatman was a kind man, and seeing Fang Wei's unwavering determination, he immediately pushed off with the pole and rushed towards the woman who had fallen into the water.

As the woman continued to sink, Fang Wei and his three companions grew increasingly worried and anxious.

Fortunately, the woman was downstream, and the small boat drifted downstream. In addition, the boatman was very skilled at rowing, and he approached the woman in just a few breaths.

As soon as they approached the woman, the boatman handed her the pole. The woman immediately grabbed it, and soon she was rescued and put on the small boat.

The woman coughed incessantly after boarding the small boat, while loud shouts and curses came from the boat of the wealthy young man opposite.

After rescuing the woman, the boatman turned the boat around and went upstream.

Small boats are easy to turn around and are also fast. By the time the rich young man's boat had turned around, the small boat had already gone quite a distance.

As the boat traveled upstream, Zhang Nianwei continuously comforted the woman and patted her back to help her cough up the water quickly.

The boats of the wealthy young men quickly caught up from behind.

Upon arriving at the boat rental location, the boatman refused to go any further, so Fang Wei and his three companions had no choice but to take the woman who had fallen into the water ashore.

The woman had recovered on the boat. After getting ashore, she said directly, "Thank you for your rescue, young master and young lady. I will take my leave now, and I will repay you in the future."

After speaking, the woman left without waiting for Fang Wei and the other three to ask any questions. She moved quickly and was already quite a distance away in no time.

Watching the woman leave, Fang Wei felt that she must have been a martial artist.

The woman had already walked away, and the four men looked at each other, but could only shake their heads helplessly. With the woman gone, Fang Wei and his companions had no choice but to leave as well.

But some people don't want them to leave peacefully.

The wealthy young men on the river sent word that they should not leave. Of the four, only Dong Ji was somewhat flustered; Fang Wei, Fang Yue, and Zhang Nianwei were not particularly worried.

Therefore, Fang Wei and his three companions ignored them and headed directly toward the main road.

Before they even reached the official location, a man chased after them and blocked Fang Wei and his group of four's path.

"Please wait, gentlemen. My young master invites you in."

Zhang Nianwei looked at the man in front of her. He was clearly a martial artist, but he looked very familiar. After thinking about it, she realized that he was a guard of the Zhang family.

"Oh, you're a guard from the Zhang family?" Zhang Nianwei said.

Upon hearing the words, the martial arts man looked at Zhang Nianwei. At first glance, he didn't recognize her, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was Zhang Nianwei.

"Miss Nianwei..."

"Oh, so you really are the Zhang family's bodyguard. What's your name again...?"

"The lowly Li Ge..."

Upon hearing the other person's name, Zhang Nianwei interrupted before they could finish speaking, saying, "Alright, since you're a guard, then move aside. We're going back."

The martial arts man looked troubled, but when he thought of Zhang Nianwei's status in the Zhang family, he was no longer afraid.

"Miss Nianwei, don't make things difficult for me. I'm just following orders from Young Master Wen."

Upon hearing that it was Zhang Wensan, Zhang Nianwei immediately felt uneasy.

Zhang Wensan is the son of Zhang Xiao, a teacher at the prefectural school. From a young age, he was domineering, tyrannical, and arrogant, acting recklessly and arrogantly. If this incident is related to Zhang Wensan, it will likely not end well.