The ox cart slowly stops on the side of the river, there is the largest wharf in Yixing, and it is also the busiest place, there are more than 20 mooring wharves lined up, among which there are official, there are private, the thick mooring stones are densely covered along the river, hanging the lone sail and the double sail of the boat, the big ship, the flying boat, the small boat, etc. come and go to the river, shouting, unloading, arguing, and the quotation and counting sound, the sound is in the ears, the crowd is crowded as far as the eye can see, shoulder to shoulder, making people dizzy.

Xu You stepped down from the ox cart and looked left and right, I don't know if it was psychologically tricky, there was always a kind of walking through a certain TV series full of ancient atmosphere, but that voice with a bit of Wu accent still clearly told him that this was the real antiquity. As Feng Tong came to a spacious private dock, this was a privilege that only the wealthy families of the noble clan could have, and compared to the chaotic docks next to it, the silence and serenity here exuded an inexplicable luxury and grace. Docked in front of you is a double-decker ship, more than ten zhang long, three zhang wide, the bow of the ship is painted with a crane beast, this is to show the awe of the river god, in addition to other sloops and brigs are different from the hull erected three masts, hanging three sails of different sizes, the whole ship has no carving Dan carving, green cover Jiangju decoration, but it gives people a very atmospheric and steady, just like Yuan's door style, restrained and unassuming!

"Lang Jun, please board the ship."

Feng Tong made a gesture of please, Xu You stayed on the shore for a moment, and after all, he didn't look back, and went straight to the boat. The autumn equinox did not have such a determination as his, and turned to look at the place where he grew up, his eyes were full of reluctance and lingering affection.

"Let's go, don't miss the hour!"

Feng Tong reprimanded impatiently, the autumn equinox was speechless, turned around and bowed his head, did not look at Feng Tong, and quickly chased Xu You into the cabin. Feng Tong snorted coldly and said to the people around him: "Chu Man is Chu Man, if our maid of the Yuan Mansion dared to be so rude, he would have been beaten to death by a random stick a long time ago!" ”

The subordinate smiled and said: "Yes, yes, the main thing is that the steward is good, and the slaves and maids know a little etiquette, and when they go out, they will not embarrass the lord of Lang." ”

Feng Tong nodded proudly, walked on the sampan to board the boat, waved his big hand, and said, "Come on, untie the rope, and lift the anchor!" ”

Along the river upstream, go more than 20 miles to reach the red leaves Zhu, here the river is narrow, the cliffs on both banks, the water flow is turbulent like a waterfall, look very precipitous, there has always been a saying that "the red leaves are difficult to fly", no matter the size of the boat, all the ships need to be pulled by the slender man on both sides of the bank to pass smoothly. When the boss of the boat was negotiating the price with the slender man on the shore, Xu You walked from the cabin to the bow of the boat, and there was a loud sound of the torrent churning and whistling in his ears, and he looked at the endless river in the distance, and he didn't know what he was thinking in his heart.

After a while, the price was negotiated, and the slender men of ** came over with thick ropes to tie and fix the two sides of the big boat, and then walked on the edge of the cliffs on both sides. There is no road here, only one hand climbs the gap in the mountain wall, the other hand carries the wooden plank with the rope at both ends through the shoulder, and the irregular gravel under the feet, and uses all the strength of the whole body in the water that swings from time to time, and pulls the rope straight to move the boat forward.

This is to fight against the power of nature with its own strength, and the beauty of the muscles that burst out in that moment made Xu You, who saw this scene for the first time, a little surprised, beckoned to the boat boss, and asked, "Are these slender men?" ”

"Hui Langjun's words are the slender man of Momiji Nagisa."

"Why aren't they dressed?" Xu You felt strange, because these people who came into the eye were all naked, not to mention a few pieces of cloth, but there was not even a grass ring between the waist and crotch to cover the shame.

The boat boss laughed and said, "Lang Jun is a nobleman, and it is ordinary for him not to understand these things. If you wear clothes, sweat soaked in salt and wear of the cables, I am afraid that you will have to change your body in two or three days, how can you afford it? In addition, when pulling fibers, they have to go into the water frequently, and they can't tolerate the delay of untying their clothes, and they have to be on the shore for a while, in the water for a while, and if the clothes are on the body, they are wet and dry, and they are extremely prone to wind and cold diseases, so it is better to come and go naked like this. ”

This is the knowledge that comes from life, if it weren't for today's words, Xu You is reading thousands of volumes, I'm afraid I don't know this, listening to the boat boss speak elegantly, but there is a little bit of interest, said: "I think this rope is very strong, but is it made of hemp rope?" ”

"This is a specialty of Yizhou's fiber vine, not hemp."

Yizhou is also Sichuan, Xu You remembered the rattan armor soldiers in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and said: "Is the silk rattan a kind of tree vine?" ”

The boat boss patiently explained: "No, the fiber rattan is made of selected bamboo, and then wound and braided, which is both tough and resistant to water invasion, so it is called fiber!" ”

"I see......"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a low shout from behind him: "Be careful! ”

Before Xu You could react, a sword light slashed through the air like a long rainbow, almost sticking to the tip of his nose and stabbing towards the left back of his head.

Bite! Bite! Bite!

The sound of metal colliding and rubbing sounded in his ears, as if tens of thousands of kittens were scratching the rusty iron sheet with their claws at the same time, Xu You had goosebumps all over his body, fortunately, he had already developed a deep temperament in the city government in his previous life, and did not show a panicked expression.

The sword light is extinguished in a flash!

Xu You turned around slowly, and in front of him was a middle-aged man wearing crimson armor, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a dignified appearance, but his body was not tall, only to Xu You's chest, and he held a shiny long sword in his hand. At his feet, there were three red arrows scattered in a mess, with strange workmanship, the tip of the arrow was not triangular, but curved in an arc, a bit like a crescent moon in the early days, and the whole arrow body was much shorter than ordinary arrows, and there was no feather feather behind the tail.

Assassination?

Xu You suddenly understood how sinister the environment he was in just now, and he couldn't be afraid, so he arched his hand to the middle-aged man and said, "Thank you for coming to the rescue, I don't know what to call it?" ”

"Below is the first-class military officer of the Yuan Mansion."

The reason why it is said to be the first-class military candidate of the Yuan Mansion is because Zuo Yan is the private department of the Yuan Order, and all the subordinates of the family at that time adopted the military system, from the general to the deputy general to the captain, and the military candidate is under the captain, but this kind of military position is only a title within the family and is not recognized by the imperial court. However, in the event of war, these troops can immediately become brave and well-trained tigers and wolves, and their combat effectiveness is definitely not under the regular army, and it is precisely because of this that the politics of the gate lords can compete with the imperial power politics for hundreds of years without decay.

"The left army is a good handsome skill, one sword breaks three arrows, and the wrist strength is so stable that it can enter the five grades, and he is called the little grandmaster!" Although Xu You's martial arts skills were lost, after all, his eyesight was still there, and this Zuo Yan shot down three powerful arrows from different angles in an instant with a one-handed sword, his breath was not panting, his face was not red, and his body did not even shake, and his strength should not be underestimated.

"Don't dare!" There is joy in Zuo Yan's eyes, Xu You is famous, and he is known as a genius master of the younger generation, and it is also an honor for him to get an evaluation from him.

"In fact, he is reckless, watching Lang Jun's demeanor when he is in danger, he knows that everything is under control, not to mention that with Lang Jun's white tiger strength, he can break the four arrows with a snap of his fingers. It's just that this is Yuan's boat, and Lang Jun is a guest, so I can't let you dirty your hands. ”

Of course, Xu You would not say that he was now an ordinary person who was powerless, and the calm and calm appearance just now was just because he didn't realize that danger was approaching. However, he was thick-skinned enough, smiled slightly, and admired his unruly demeanor in the eyes of others, pointing to the crescent-shaped red arrow on the ground and asking, "Four arrows?" Is that its name? “

"No, the four arrows refer to four people, flying, killing, moon, and dark!" The soles of Zuo Yan's feet shook, and a red arrow bounced up, falling in his hand, pointing to the crescent shape of the tip of the arrow, and said: "This is the crescent arrow used by Yue Yao, the red stem body, no feathers behind the tail, the arrow is one inch and five minutes long, eight points wide, and it is coated with severe poison, and the throat is sealed with blood." ”

Xu You looked at the position of his left finger, and sure enough, he saw a trace of dark brown blood faintly flashing on the arrow of the crescent moon, which should be due to the poison.

"Lang Jun, the four arrows have always been scaled, since Yue Yao has appeared, others are also bound to covet and peep left and right, please return to the cabin, in order to be safe!"

"It's okay!" Xu You said with a smile: "There is a military waiting, and there is nothing to be done about these jumping clowns!" ”

Zuo Yan was not as relaxed as him, and said: "Lang Jun is a nobleman, he has never walked in the rivers and lakes, I don't know the reputation of these four people, let alone me, even if he really crosses the fifth grade and becomes a little grandmaster, he may not be able to escape their assassination." ”

"What, do they kill a lot?"

Zuo Yan shook his head and said with a solemn expression: "No, since their debut, they have only killed seven people!" ”

Xu You had the heart to ask which seven people again, Feng Tong, who received the news, rushed out of the cabin, and when he saw that Xu You was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head and scolded Zuo Yan angrily: "How did you guard, you didn't know if you were touched on the boat to commit murder?" ”

In fact, as a subordinate of the Yuan Mansion, Zuo Yan belongs to the official service, which is slightly higher than Feng Tong's slave status, but in the final analysis, they are all attached to the Yuan family, and the level of status depends on the degree of favor. Although Feng Tong is a slave, he is Yuan Jie's henchman who cannot be left for a moment, and he is naturally many times higher than his small soldier.

So after being reprimanded, Zuo Yan didn't dare to distinguish it, and said: "Yes, there is a crime of negligence in the job!" ”

"Humph!" Feng Tong was about to scold, but was stopped by Xu You, and said: "Steward Feng, these three arrows were not shot from this boat, but were caught in other ships along the coast, so it is not that Zuo Junhou is derelict in his duties, do you want to blame me...... It's all the trouble I've caused! ”