The Dinghe River flows day and night from west to east, but when it reaches the territory of Hexi, it suddenly turns south and reaches Huaibei, and then turns to the east again and flows into the sea. This section of the water flow is gentle, the river surface is open, and the mountains and rivers on the opposite bank are all in the hazy mist, and it is not real.

Because of the siltation of sediment, the river water is turbid, and the sunlight shines a strange red, so this section of the river is also called red water. In the past, the princes competed for hegemony, and this is the hinterland of the Central Plains, and I don't know how many major wars have been staged here. Later, people spread false rumors that this red water is an inexhaustible blood of heroes, which attracted literati and rioters to write poems and pay tribute, and left many beautiful scenes.

When Ye Xingyuan arrived at the Dinghe River, it was already afternoon, the sun was tilted, and it was estimated that it would take a long time to cross the river, and he was afraid that it would be dark when he reached the other bank. I plan to rest at the ferry for the night and return tomorrow morning.

They walked along the Dinghe River to the north for a while, and arrived at a place called Banqiaodu, which is rumored to be the former site of the ancient Zhaowang Banqiao River crossing the river to unify the Central Plains, and now there are many people's homes, which is very lively.

Ye Xingyuan instructed the servants to find a clean inn, settle down, and take Lu Shiniang to watch the sunset by the river, and walked around. Seeing that the river was red, he sighed: "It's really a wave of heroes through the ages, and now it's going west, I don't know when I will return to the east?"

If you follow a character like Tang Shiyan around you, you will inevitably have to admire Ye Xingyuan's poetic talent, and you have to write down this lonely sentence. But Lu Shiniang is a person who doesn't understand literature and ink, doesn't know how to taste, and only thinks that it is very disgusting for readers to be sad and sad.

But this person is always the boss, and he still has to pat himself on the back, Lu Shiniang thought about it and said: "Adults are young and promising, and they will be promoted in a few years, and when the time comes, they will return to the capital, just around the corner." ”

Ye Xingyuan said with a smile: "How easy is it to be promoted in this Xuanyuan world? ”

It's just a matter of getting promoted. If you want to return to the capital, you will probably not be able to succeed in recent years. At least now when these scholars are on the stage, they will inevitably suppress him desperately, and they will never let Ye Xingyuan return to Beijing to block them.

However, this is also Ye Xingyuan's own expectations, he still wants to travel the world and collect all the treasures of the five virtues. Then open the tomb of the saint to take the spirit bones. When the time comes, he will return to Beijing in a dignified manner and seek the way to ascend in the court.

There are also three treasures of the five virtues, and counting the saint's spirit bones, even if everything goes well for Ye Xingyuan, it will take three years and three years, a total of twelve years of hard work to complete. At that time, he, a seventeen-year-old boy, has also become a middle-aged man in his thirties, what will be the mood when he returns to Beijing at that time?

Lu Shiniang said in her heart, you are the champion again, and you don't know how to get through the relationship with Jinyiwei. There are a hundred households in hand. It is difficult for others to be promoted, so why is it difficult for you? As long as you make meritorious contributions, you will be promoted as quickly as possible.

Thinking of this, Lu Shiniang's heart was hot. She has a lot of fame, and after getting along, she thinks it's not bad to follow this study, if she is good, this boss will be promoted, won't she be able to rise to the top?

Therefore, his attitude became more and more attentive, and Ye Xingyuan was also aware of it. He could guess the woman's thoughts, and he didn't care. In his mind. It is always good for people to be self-motivated, but they can be used if they are selfish. If this woman doesn't take the initiative in anything, then what's the use of having such a subordinate?

Seeing that the sun had sunk in the west, Ye Xingyuan returned to the inn and had dinner. After washing, go to bed and rest. The next morning, he was about to cross the river, but the old servant hurriedly came back and reported, "My lord, there is a water demon making trouble on the river today, and I can't leave!"

Ye Xingyuan was stunned and said: "The blue sky is white." Lang Lang Qiankun, how can there be monsters to make trouble?

The monsters in the hinterland of the Central Plains were suppressed at the time of the founding of the country, and occasionally there were little demons who made trouble, which was harmless. This Dinghe River is a waterway artery, if there is a water demon to make trouble, how can it not be cared for?

The old servant said with a bitter face: "I heard from the people at the ferry that this matter had already been reported to the Demon Hunting Division, but no one came to solve it. Now this Banqiaodu is not allowed to cross the river on the first and fifteenth day of the new year, otherwise it will be overturned, only three animals and fruits are prepared, and the river demon is sacrificed, so that the wind and waves can be calm. ”

Ye Xingyuan said angrily: "Who kind of monster dares to enjoy the incense? Does this local official not care? Dinghe Dragon Palace doesn't care? This official has to participate in their dereliction of duty!"

If the monsters that have accumulated years are not harmful, and have formed a tradition, it is just that there are shrines in the local area, such as the Temple of the Immortal Niangniang, and the local officials will turn a blind eye.

But this is obviously not the case with the water demons in the Dinghe River, who have only recently begun to cause trouble, and have capsized boats and harmed people's lives, so how can they be allowed to receive incense? What if this makes the monsters become the climate?

The people can't control this matter, but the magistrate and the Dinghe Dragon Palace are responsible. Dinghe Dragon Palace manages the water tribe, and if there are monsters causing trouble, they have to control it. It stands to reason that the status of the Dragon King of Dinghe is higher than that of the Dragon King of the Han River, and his ability is also greater, how can he let the monsters occupy the ferry, it is really a dereliction of duty!

Ye Xingyuan climbed high and looked at the river, only to see the turbid waves piercing the air, the wind and thunder were agitated, and the dark clouds were thick, and it was really a monster. Today is the fifteenth day of May, and he asked again: "In that case, why didn't the shopkeeper say it yesterday, knowing that this was the case, he hurried to cross the river." ”

The old servant replied, "I have also asked like this, but the shopkeeper said that they should not call the name of the river demon lightly on weekdays, otherwise they will be punished, and they can only wait until the sacrifice today before they dare to declare it." He scratched his ears and cheeks yesterday, trying to suggest that the adults had crossed the river, but the adults did not notice it."

Ye Xingyuan thought about it carefully, and sure enough, the shopkeeper behaved a little weirdly yesterday, but he didn't care. Then he frowned and said: "This monster is so rampant, the people by the river are so frightened, is this worth it? It would have been a day's delay, but when will it be a head?"

He called Lu Shiniang over and instructed: "You go and inquire carefully, what kind of monster is in this river, and why doesn't the Demon Hunting Division come." I will write to the court to deal with this matter. ”

Ye Xingyuan, as a county governor in a different place, of course can't manage the people's livelihood here, but he also has the post of Jinyiwei to visit the northwest. Even if you don't touch it, you don't plan to run away if you bump into something, but you are waiting anyway, so you will put a little effort into it, and you will participate in the secret folding, and you will have to get rid of this harm no matter what.

Lu Shiniang took the order and left, Ye Xingyuan was irritable waiting in the inn, so he went out again and went to the river to check. I saw a lot of water! The whirlpools on the originally calm water surface were everywhere, sometimes rumbling and sounding, and they were very frightening.

There were people arguing at the ferry, "This official has an urgent military situation, and he wants to report it to the governors of the three sides, how can he stop his way because of a mere monster?

Someone cried and begged: "Don't force it, the monster is fierce, maybe you don't dare to hurt the adult, but our little life can't be saved, and no one dares to go out of the boat by the river!"

It turned out that a military attache was in a hurry to cross the river, arguing with the boatmen, he drew a bright knife, put it on the neck of one of the old boatmen, and said viciously: "If you don't go out of the boat, I will take your life first, you see if it is the monster or my knife!"

The old boatman trembled like chaff, and said to his son with tears: "I will definitely die this way, but this military master is urging him tightly, and he is really helpless." I have lived by the river all my life, and dying in the river is also a well-deserved death, which will save me from trouble."

He jumped on the boat and slowly rocked the oar, the military attache holding a knife in one hand and a waist in the other, with a fierce expression and no fear.

Ye Xingyuan saw that the boatman was pitiful, and felt that there was indeed something wrong on the river, so he wanted to come forward to stop it. But it was a little farther away, and by the time he reached the ferry, the boat was already in the middle of the river, and it was in the midst of the storm.

The son of the old boatman was hugging his head and crying, and everyone was talking about it, and someone comforted him: "This military master is fierce, but he is afraid of his life, maybe the monster will not dare to do anything to him." When you get to the other side, your father will rest for the night, and he will be able to return tomorrow, so he doesn't have to be sad. ”

Someone retorted: "What about the hard and fierce life? This military master is only a ninth grade, but I am afraid that his life is insufficient, and I think he will be buried at the bottom of the river." Don't forget, last month, the inspector also drowned in the river, how could I see that monster stunned? It's a pity that Uncle Niu was affected. ”

Hearing this, the old boatman's son wept even more sadly. Ye Xingyuan was taken aback, and stepped forward to ask, "This river demon is haunting, has he ever killed an official?"

Ye Xingyuan was dressed in civilian clothes, just dressed as a scholar, and the person who spoke glanced at him, and didn't care, and said casually: "The river demon is fierce, and the officials are also people, how can they not drown?" It's just that they won't say that when they report it, they just say that they have fallen into the water.

I remember clearly, it was the fifteenth day of last month, the inspector was drunk, said that he was going to take the demon, and sent a few soldiers to the center of the river. At first, he shouted a few curses, but when a wave hit, the boat capsized. The people on the shore did not dare to save him, and watched him drown in the river, and his body has not been seen to this day. ”

Ye Xingyuan's brows furrowed even tighter, the monsters were in chaos, killing a person might not alarm the imperial court, and even the local inspection was dead, and the local officials were still indifferent?

He had experienced the incident in Zhouzhi County, and was extremely vigilant about the behavior of monsters, so he faintly felt that there was something wrong with the local officials here, and was about to ask again, when he heard a miserable scream from the boatman's son, and when he looked up, he saw that the boat in the river had capsized, and the old boatman was nowhere to be seen, and the military attache was struggling in the river with a knife.

The sword swung and rolled up the turbid waves, but it was to no avail after all, he screamed in horror, as if he was entangled in something and pulled down to the bottom of the water. But in an instant, the top was gone, and he was never seen again.

Ye Xingyuan was shocked, and subconsciously pointed at his hand, and the treasure knife on his waist flew straight out, turning into a knife wheel and slashing into the water.

There was a crisp sound, and the sword seemed to have struck something, and it turned around and flew back, and there was no blood on the blade, but with a terrible roar, a spring of blood suddenly rushed out of the river! )