Zhao Yanfa rode the fast horse Feixue given by Ye Linfeng, and went all the way south from Yangzhou to the north bank of the Qinhuai River. The swordsmith Xu Yizhi was on the south bank, and to get there, he needed to cross the Qinhuai River by boat.

At this time, spring arrives, the river thaws, and there are already men waiting here on the shore for the ferryman. Zhao Yan was dressed in white and led a white horse, like a handsome son, humble as jade. When several captains saw him dressed up and knew that he was a rich son, they greeted him one by one and asked him if he wanted to take a ferry.

Zhao Yanfa was surrounded by this group of captains, and he didn't know which one to go to, and he was in trouble. But he heard the young captain sitting on the bank of the river asking: "The prince crossed the south of the river, but he is going to the other side to find the sword-casting master Xu Yizhi?"

The man wore a hat, a coarse cloth shirt, trousers, a white jade-like ankle, slender arms, and a delicate voice, but it was a woman.

Zhao Yanfa said in his heart that there are still women doing such tiring work as a captain here, it must be a child of a poor family, he felt pity, walked over and asked, "How did you know that I was going to find Xu Yizhi Xu's senior?"

The woman looked up, and under the hat was a thin little face, only eighteen or nineteen years old, with a patch of green mud on her cheeks, and her original skin color could not be seen clearly, but her eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky, and her eyelashes were black and long, blinking up and down like two small brushes.

She glanced at Zhao Yanfa up and down, and said leisurely: "How many people have I crossed on this Qinhuai River, you can see at a glance that you are a person who practices martial arts." Recently, there have been countless knights who have gone to the other side to find Master Xu to ask for swords, and I have crossed not a thousand but eight hundred, and that road is very familiar. A penny, can you go?"

Zhao Yanfa saw that this girl was frowning and clustered, and her demeanor was as heroic as a man, and she was quite heroic. He thought it was very interesting, smiled slightly, and said, "Deal." ”

The girl got up and pushed the boat into the water, and said, "Lead me by myself, I don't care about these chores." Again, wash your horse's hooves in the river before getting on board, don't get my boat dirty. ”

Zhao Yanfa didn't expect this little captain to be so rude, but he felt that this girl was different, and he was not angry at all, and washed the horse's hooves from the river according to her instructions before getting on the boat. An old man on the shore smiled and said, "Girl, I'm stealing business with my grandfather again!"

The girl stuck out her tongue and laughed playfully: "Grandpa Liang, this guest is going to find Master Xu to cast a sword, I am very familiar with this road than you, I will rob it, if it is an ordinary guest, I will not rob it with grandpa!"

The old man squinted and smiled, the wrinkles on his face huddled together, and shouted, "Girl, row carefully, and give me a signal when you get home." ”

"Okay, Grandpa Liang, I'm leaving!" the girl smiled sweetly, stretched out the boat's boat, and disappeared into the blue waves, drawing water lines. The boat pushed away Qingbo and rowed towards the opposite shore.

When the boat reached the center of the river, the girl put the boat away and let the boat swim forward on its own with the current. She untied her hat and spread her long hair, but it was black and straight. She leaned over the bow of the boat, holding a handful of water in both hands to wash the mud off her face, revealing her otherwise fair face.

Although when he saw her white ankles, Zhao Yanfa guessed that the complexion on her face must be so fair, but he didn't expect to see her this time, she was still moved, and her heart couldn't help but chuckle. I couldn't help but take a few more looks.

The girl turned around and just saw Zhao Yanfa looking at her, her eyes straightened, she glared at him, and asked, "What are you staring at me like this?"

She was blunt, Zhao Yanfa smiled slightly, and said, "The girl is indeed beautiful." But I have a problem and want to ask the girl to help me answer it. ”

The girl listened to Zhao Yanfa praising herself, she was very useful, nodded, and said, "Say it." ”

Zhao Yanfa asked: "I saw that the girl was smeared with sludge on her face when she was on the shore, and she looked very ugly, but why did she wash the sludge away when she arrived in Jiangxin?"

The girl smiled and said, "It's not to prevent bad people from seeing me beautiful, lustful, and plotting against me." If they are on the shore, even if they have a good grandfather, how can they be the opponents of those chivalrous people. But if you want to get to the heart of the river, it is my territory, no matter what kind of martial arts master you are, you will naturally not be able to compare to me in the water. Naturally, I'm not afraid that they will have bad intentions towards me!"

Zhao Yanfa thought it was very interesting, smiled slightly, and said, "What if the girl meets a person with excellent water nature?"

"That's impossible!" the girl tilted her head and looked proud: "I grew up by the Qinhuai River since I was a child, and no one is more familiar with the Qinhuai River than me, except for my father." No matter how good he is, he will call me grandma here!"

Zhao Yanfa heard her say such rude words, not only did she not feel bored, but she also felt that she was very real and unpretentious, which was really strange. The girl's face sank suddenly, and she asked, "Why do you ask so much? Could it be that you covet my beauty and want to plot against me?"

Zhao Yanfa is a northerner, he doesn't know the nature of water, his face is pale with fright, and he shouts: "Girl, don't you dare to go down!"

"Forgive me and don't dare!" The girl raised her head, handed the boat to Zhao Yanfa, and said, "You come to row, I'll go down and catch two crucian carp." The river had just thawed, and my father wanted to eat the crucian carp in the river. With that, she jumped into the water, her body was light, and she only made a few splashes.

Although it was spring, the river was still cold, but the girl was not afraid, and gradually disappeared into the bottom of the river. After a while, there was a splash on the water, and two blue and white crucian carp weighing more than three catties were thrown onto the boat, beating on their own.

Then the girl leaped out of the water, her long hair soaked, and her face whiter after being soaked in the river, like a hibiscus in clear water. The girl just left her head out and didn't get on the boat. Zhao Yanfa felt curious and asked, "Girl, it's cold in the water, won't you come up?"

The girl floated on her feet and said, "There are too many people in my family, and these two items are not enough for us to eat." I'm going to get some more out of breath, and I'm going to grab a few more. I have a wooden bucket on the boat, you take it out and scoop some water and put the fish in it, you must not let it die, the fish will not be fresh when it dies. ”

She ordered Zhao Yanfa to do things as a matter of course as if she were ordering her subordinates. Zhao Yanfa was not angry or annoyed, according to what she said, found a wooden barrel on the boat, scooped up some water and threw two crucian carp into it. After a while, there was another splash on the water, but the girl threw another one up. Zhao Yanfa grabbed the fish and threw it into the barrel. This was repeated many times, one catching fish and the other picking up fish, and in the blink of an eye the barrel was full.

Zhao Yanfa shouted: "Girl, this barrel is full, presumably the family has enough to eat." ”

The girl nodded and shouted, "You step back, I'm going up." Zhao Yanfa hurriedly led the horse back a few steps, and the girl jumped onto the bow of the boat with a few droplets. The water droplets splashed on Zhao Yanfa's body, and he suddenly felt a little cool. But I saw that the girl was soaked all over, and her thin shirt was clinging to her skin, and she looked very uncomfortable. The girl's body trembled slightly, and her lips were blue, presumably after staying in the water for a long time, and she was a little cold.

Zhao Yanfa felt pity, took off his long shirt, handed it to the girl, and said, "If the girl doesn't dislike it, please put this long shirt on." ”

"Don't dislike it, don't dislike it!" The girl was already cold, and naturally she didn't refuse the clothes sent to the door, so she took it and wrapped it around herself, and suddenly smiled slightly, looked at Zhao Yanfa, and said, "Why are you so good to me?"

Zhao Yanfa hurriedly shook his head and explained, "Girl, I just saw that you had a cold and I was worried about it, so I gave you the clothes, but I didn't have any other bad intentions!"

The girl smiled, glanced at him, and said, "Okay, okay, I know you don't have bad intentions." I'm just kidding you. Really, you're such a big person, you don't even understand this, I don't want to play with you anymore. So saying, he turned around and sat down at the bow of the boat, his feet in the water, kicking back and forth.

Zhao Yanfa was stunned for a while, this captain actually sat on the bow of the boat to rest, and he, the guest who crossed the river, turned out to be the captain. He only felt ridiculous, but he was not angry, and propped up the boat, broke through the clear waves, and rowed towards the opposite shore.

Zhao Yanfa, the leader of the Henan Wumeng League and known as the "King of Yu" in the rivers and lakes, is the person who can be called by the minister, I am afraid that there is only this girl in the whole world!

Zhao Yanfa rowed the boat for dozens of miles, only tired and his arms were sore. Feeling that this oaring was more tiring than practicing martial arts, I couldn't help but feel pity for the girl at the bow of the boat, and said in my heart: She picks up and drops off travelers on this river every day. A man like me is so tired, her body is so thin, and her arms are so small, it must be even harder!

Gradually, the boat had sailed away from the center of the river, and the opposite bank appeared in view. Looking from afar, I saw flowers and green grass on the shore, and a dilapidated thatched house reflected on the water.

The girl got up and stood on the bow of the boat, pointed at the thatched house, and said, "Look, that's Master Xu's residence!"

Zhao Yanfa looked where she was pointing, but saw that the open space outside the thatched house was actually black. When I looked closely, it turned out that there were many kneeling people there, and there were as many as forty or fifty people. He couldn't help but wonder and asked, "Girl, who are those people, and why are you kneeling on the ground?"

The girl smiled and said, "They, naturally, are the heroes of the rivers and lakes who came to find Master Xu to forge a sword like you." It's just that Master Xu doesn't look down on them. They just stayed here and didn't leave! They said that they had to kneel until Master Xu agreed. The girl sneered and said, "It's really a joke, how can Master Xu change his mind because of this bitter trick." The sword he forged can only be used by heroes, not by anyone!"

When the girl mentioned Xu Yi, she was full of pride. Zhao Yanfa nodded and said, "Are there so many people who came to ask Master Xu for a sword?"

The girl said: "A few days ago, there were more than 200 people here, but some people couldn't hold on and left early, leaving only these forty or so still holding on." But in my opinion, these people are also supporting in vain, and Master Xu will not even give them half a piece of scrap iron. ”

As they spoke, the ship had docked. The girl jumped out of the boat and let Zhao Yanfa come down, while she pushed the boat to the boulder on the shore. The girl came over, stretched out her hand, and said, "Pay me the boat fare, a penny." ”

Zhao Yanfa took out a silver ingot from his arms, which was two taels, handed it to the girl, and said, "Girl, I went out in a hurry, and I didn't have any broken silver on my body." Why don't you come to me? ”

The girl took the silver in her hand, turned her head and said, "I am in the middle of nowhere, where can I get so much silver?" She rolled her eyes and said, "Otherwise, the rest of the silver will be your food expenses." ”

"What kind of food?" Zhao Yanfa was confused. The girl didn't answer, and walked straight towards the thatched house: "Master Xu is inside, won't you go in and have a look?"

Zhao Yanfa reacted at this time, and he didn't care about the meaning of the food expenses, so he led the horse and followed her, thinking that this girl must know Master Xu, maybe she would have a share of the silver taels on the ferry.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, forty or fifty people kneeling in front of the thatched hut turned around, and when they saw the girl, they all bared their teeth and smiled, and they were very flattering: "Miss Lanwei, you are back!

It turns out that her name is "Lanwei". Sure enough, it's a nice name. These people must have been crossed by her, right? Otherwise, why would these people be so respectful when they saw him?

Lan Wei ignored them and walked straight towards the thatched hut. Zhao Yanfa followed her. The people who were kneeling on the ground looked at Zhao Yanfa, then lowered their heads and whispered:

"Are you here to find Master Xu to forge a sword again?"

"He looks like a rich boy and a scholar, and he doesn't know if he can hold a sword or not. ”

"Bet he won't be here for three days. ”

......

Zhao Yanfa ignored these people's words and threw his horse on the pillar at the door. Na Lanwei walked into the thatched house, turned around and went into the backyard, and shouted: "Daddy, someone is coming to you to forge a sword again!"

Zhao Yanfa was suddenly startled, looked at her with a stunned face, and shouted, "You, are you Master Xu's daughter?"

The girl turned her head and smiled slightly, and said, "My name is Xu Lanwei, and I am Master Xu's daughter. Isn't it?

Zhao Yanfa shook his head, only to be shocked: "Why did Miss Xu pretend to be a captain to lead us across the river?"

Xu Lan smiled and said: "Anyway, you crossed the river to find my father to get money, so it's better to let me earn it." Just in time to get you to my doorstep, kill two birds with one stone!"

With that, Xu Lanwei took Zhao Yanfa into a dilapidated house in the backyard. As soon as he entered the backyard, Zhao Yanfa heard the sound of striking iron in the house. Above the ruined house, a pillar of smoke rose from the chimney, and the sound of burning fire could be heard from the house. He looked intently, and saw a large furnace made of rock in the house, and the flame was rising. There were three young men standing beside the stove, holding their arms and sweating, each pulling the bellows and fanning the fire into the stove. In the furnace lay a piece of iron four feet long, red from the fire.

A middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a short shirt with a long chest-length beard and an open belly, was using an iron tong to pinch out the piece of iron, put it on an iron plate, and beat it vigorously with a hammer. The way he strikes iron is extraordinary. After flattening the iron with a hammer, then folding it from the middle and flattening it again, and so on many times, the black iron is refined into steel and is not easy to break.

It is well known that striking iron requires the cooperation of two or three people, and the sledgehammer and the small hammer are repeatedly struck. But the middle-aged man was different, the whole process was only operated by one person, and he was sweating profusely in an instant. Hearing Xu Lanwei's voice, the man raised his head and looked at Zhao Yanfa. Zhao Yanfa only felt that the man's eyes were as sharp as an eagle falcon, and he was not surprised.

The man looked at Zhao Yanfa and shouted, "Let him wait outside." After saying that, he continued to bow his head and strike the iron, and stopped talking. Xu Lanwei turned around and said to Zhao Yanfa: "My father asked you to go out and wait, you can go, by the way, bring the fish on my boat by the way." Thank you. ”

This man is the predecessor of the sword-casting master Xu Yi! Zhao Yan said in his heart: Sure enough, he has a strange temper like the legend of the rivers and lakes! He was not angry or annoyed, turned around and saluted a few people, and retreated. As soon as he walked out, he saw a burst of laughter from the group of people kneeling outside. A big man shouted, "Little brother, did you also eat Master Xu's closed door?"

Zhao Yanfa smiled and nodded, ignored him, walked to the boat amid the laughter of everyone, took the bucket of crucian carp in his hand, and walked to the hut. The wooden barrel weighed thirty pounds, not to mention the fish, but he carried it in one hand as if it were nothing, and his body was as light as a swallow. When everyone saw it, they were all shocked, thinking that this boy looked like a scholar, but he didn't expect that his martial arts were so strong, and it seemed that his identity was not simple!

Zhao Yanfa's identity is certainly not simple. With his identity as the leader of the Martial Alliance, it is enough for this group of people to bow and worship. But Zhao Yanfa only made this trip to ask for a sword, and he didn't want to make too much noise, so he smiled slightly and said: "I have worked on the farm since I was a child, and my body is very strong, and these weights don't count." ”

Although he said so, these people kneeling are all knights in the rivers and lakes, and no one can see that he has a deep hidden peerless martial arts. But seeing him so low-key, it was inconvenient for everyone to say more.

After Zhao Yanfa sent the fish in, he walked out and asked the big man just now: "This big brother, am I kneeling here like you?"

The big man smiled and said, "We were driven out by Master Xu, and we have already said that they will not forge swords for us." You're different, you don't kneel. ”

Zhao Yanfa thought about it, these people are all kneeling, if I stand, it looks too different. Just kneel down with them. He was a dignified leader of the Martial Alliance, and the leader of the rebel army on the same level as Liu Futong, Qin Shuyuan, Zhang Shicheng, and Xu Shouhui, and he knelt on the ground like everyone else. It can be seen that he is looking for a sword, and he can not care about face.

He knelt with the others until noon, when the smell of food wafted from the hut. The big man looked up and sniffed, and was very happy: "It's Miss Lanwei who has made the meal!"

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and everyone shouted excitedly, as if they had encountered some great joy. Zhao Yanfa was a little puzzled, and was about to ask the big man, but saw Xu Lanwei coming out of the house, holding a bucket of fragrant rice in his arms. Behind him were two small servants, one holding a large bucket with forty or fifty pairs of chopsticks in it, and the other holding a large pot in his arms, which was steaming, but it was a large pot of red crucian carp.

A few people placed their things on a large table in the doorway. Xu Lanwei had already taken off the coarse cloth shirt at this moment, changed into a light yellow fringed dress, tied her hair up, pulled a bun, and inserted a hosta on it. There was also a little blush on her face, reflecting her fair little face, which was very delicate and charming. That dirty tomboy instantly turned into a fairy-like lady. Zhao Yanfa couldn't help but be stupid.

The crowd stood up with a bang and gathered around the table. Xu Lanwei knocked on the rice bucket and said, "You people are running out of food, either you will have to pay again, or you will have to leave here." Everyone nodded yes, but looked at the fragrant rice and braised crucian carp and swallowed.

Zhao Yanfa suddenly laughed, at this moment he finally understood why Xu Lanwei had to catch so many fish in the river just now, these people were indeed not enough to eat two fish. He also understood what Xu Lanwei meant when he said just now that he would use the extra money as food expenses. I didn't expect the Xu family to be quite kind, and they even cooked for these knights who came to the door to ask for swords.

"Eat. After Xu Lanwei finished speaking, he left the table, and a group of people rushed up, holding dishes and chopsticks, making a full amount of rice, sandwiching large pieces of fish and meat, and eating with relish. Xu Lanwei saw Zhao Yanfa standing still, very curious, so he walked forward and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why don't you go to dinner? Do you think the food I cook is not delicious?"

Zhao Yanfa shook his head and said with a smile: "They are all seniors, and they came earlier than me, so naturally let them eat first, and I will eat when they finish eating." ”

Xu Lan smiled slightly: "I didn't expect you to be quite polite." However, these people are all starving ghosts and reincarnated, and they can't even have fish bones left, so I don't care if you're hungry when the time comes. ”

Zhao Yanfa listened to her words and was about to leave, but saw that the table was surrounded by the group of people, and there was no gap, and his face was sad for a while. Xu Lan shook his head slightly and said, "But he is a person who is not free and easy." As he spoke, he strode over, separated the crowd, picked up a bowl and held a large bowl of rice, picked a large piece of fish, poured soup on the rice, and handed it to Zhao Yanfa: "Yao, try it." ”

When everyone saw that Xu Lanwei actually served dinner to this son-in-law in person, they all quieted down and looked at the two of them. Xu Lanwei realized that something was wrong, turned around, and looked up: "Do you still want to eat, if you don't eat, I'm going to feed Ah Huang!"

Everyone hurriedly lowered their heads and continued to eat. Zhao Yanfa smiled slightly, took the meal, only to feel the aroma, and took a bite. The fragrant rice, the delicious fish, and the thick soup make it so delicious. Zhao Yanfa devoured it, and after a while, there was not a single grain of rice left in the bowl of food.

Seeing that he was in such a hurry, Xu Lanwei was extremely happy in his heart, and said proudly: "How is it? ”

Zhao Yanfa nodded excitedly, and before he could swallow the food in his mouth, he said: "Miss Xu is really a good craft, I, Zhao Yanfa, have grown so big, and it is the first time I have tasted such a delicious meal." ”

Xu Lanwei listened to his praise, smiled sweetly, and asked, "Do you still want to eat?"

Zhao Yanfa nodded heavily, and looked up at everyone again, a little embarrassed. Xu Lan saw his thoughts, snatched the bowl, and said, "Zhao Gongzi doesn't have to be polite. You pay the most for food, so it doesn't hurt to eat a few more bowls. As he spoke, he walked to the table, filled a big bowl of rice, sandwiched a large piece of fish, poured the soup, and handed it to Zhao Yanfa.

Although everyone was indignant, but with Xu Lanwei here, they didn't dare to say anything, just looked at their rice bowl that had bottomed out, and sighed secretly.

The food cooked by Xu Lanwei was very delicious, and Zhao Yanfa ate three bowls in a row, and his stomach was very satisfied. He and Xu Lanwei also became acquainted, and said with a smile: "Miss Xu's craftsmanship is not inferior to that of the chef of the restaurant, if anyone can marry a girl, it is really a blessing from eight lifetimes of cultivation!"

Xu Lanwei shook his head suddenly and shouted, "I don't want to get married." It's good to be free and easy to be like yourself, you can go wherever you want, unrestrained. If you get married, you will become someone's daughter-in-law, and you will feel tired when you think about it. ”

"Don't you want to get married?" Zhao Yanfa suddenly felt a sense of loss in his heart. This loss actually made him a little stunned. Why does it feel this way?

After lunch, the two servants cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks on the table, and everyone knelt in front of the door again. The chimney in the backyard was still emitting black smoke and the sound of iron striking. The big man bumped into Zhao Yanfa and said, "Brother, I think Miss Lanwei seems to be interested in you? Did you know we can only eat one bowl? ”

Zhao Yanfa shook his head and said, "This eldest brother is joking, Miss Xu, she should have watched me come for the first day and take care of me." ”

The big man still said to himself: "If you can get the appreciation of Miss Lanwei, half of your purpose of seeking the sword will be achieved, just impress Master Xu again, and the divine sword will be in your hands!"

He didn't want to listen to these words anymore, smiled slightly, and ignored them again. The big man was bored with himself and kept silent.

And they knelt from noon to evening, and saw the sun go down and dye the earth crimson. The sound of striking iron in the backyard stopped, and Master Xu was about to rest. Xu Lanwei came out with two servants with food. This time, it was a large bucket of white rice porridge and a large pot of small pickles.

The two servants each went to the table with white porridge, pickles and chopsticks. Xu Lanwei walked up to Zhao Yanfa with a small tray and said, "I knew that Zhao Gongzi was embarrassed to eat, so I made a separate serving for Zhao Gongzi." ”

Zhao Yanfa saw another big bowl of white porridge in the tray, a plate of small pickles, and two boiled eggs, he was very moved, took the tray, and said: "Thank you Miss Xu for your kindness, Zhao Yanfa is unforgettable in this life." ”

Xu Lan smiled slightly and said, "I cooked the porridge, and I fried the pickles in oil, can you taste it?"

Zhao Yanfa smiled slightly: "You don't need Zhao to taste it, as long as it is made by Miss Xu, it is delicious." ”

Xu Lanwei's face flushed when he praised him, and he said shyly: "Flamboyant, eat it!"

A person next to him saw the food in the tray and shouted, "Miss Lanwei, you are too partial, why did you boil eggs for this kid, but we only have white porridge and pickles?"

Xu Lan raised his eyes slightly, turned around, crossed his waist, and shouted: "Okay, you Peng Evil Tiger, do you know how much food money Zhao Gongzi gave me? If you don't speak, I forgot that your food money is finished, either you will pay it again tomorrow, or you will leave, choose for yourself!"

That Peng Evil Tiger touched his nose with ashes, and the expression on his face was crying and laughing, which caused everyone to laugh. Zhao Yanfa looked at her spirited appearance, she was still commanding in front of many chivalrous people, she was not afraid at all, nor did she feel rude, but felt that she was very interesting, and an inexplicable emotion was born in her heart, sweet and sour, I couldn't tell what it felt.

After dinner, everyone went to the hut. Zhao Yanfa was puzzled, so he grabbed a person and asked, and only then did he know this question. It turned out that the Xu family not only provided them with food, but also provided accommodation. He made a large bunk in the hut, and forty or fifty people were crowded inside.

After entering, Zhao Yanfa found a remote corner and sat down against the wall. Suddenly, I heard someone shouting outside, "Is Zhao Gongzi coming in?"

Zhao Yanfa heard that it was Xu Lanwei's voice and replied, "Miss Xu, I'm in." He was about to get up, but he couldn't stand up because of the crowd. Xu Lanwei said again: "Don't move there, I'll go in." ”

There were a group of big men in the room, Xu Lanwei didn't care at all, walked in, and held a red silk quilt in his arms: "Zhao Gongzi, although it is spring, it is still very cold at night, this quilt will be covered for you!"

Everyone looked really jealous, but they didn't dare to say anything in front of Xu Lanwei, so they could only secretly scold that this kid was really a blessing!

Zhao Yanfa was flattered, and clasped his fists and saluted: "Thank you, Miss Xu!"

Xu Lan smiled slightly: "You're welcome, Zhao Gongzi, I'm going back to beat my father's back!

Zhao Yanfa held the quilt in his arms, only to feel a faint fragrance and extremely warm. Although the conditions here are many times more difficult than his Wumeng's big house and bed, he still feels very comfortable and warm in his heart!

......