Chapter Four: Tri-Witch City
ew..."Qin Sang let out a long sigh, and realized that all the patients in the hall were staring at him with curious eyes. Perhaps they were wondering why the abbot of Qingyang Guan had such a young ma...“My name is Qin Sang. I’m a shop assistant who works for the shopkeeper. This time, while traveling to buy goods, I was captured by a group of bandits. Yesterday, those bandits encountered their sworn enemies, and I took the opportunity to escape but got lost. My leg was also injured, so I could only drift on a wooden raft in the river. Unexpectedly, after falling asleep, I drifted into the big river. Fortunately, you kind people rescued me…”
Qin Sang sat on the deck, surrounded by burly men with swords at their waists. Wrapped in a worn cotton coat, he had regained some warmth and spoke softly of his origins.
The person who had come ashore to save Qin Sang stood before him. He was about forty years old, thin-faced, and looked like a scholar. He was dressed like the other strong men, with cloud boots on his feet, a blue martial arts suit, and a jeweled sword hanging from his waist. His posture was straight and he appeared very capable.
> After walking on water for a long time, this person's whole body remained refreshing, with only the soles of their shoes showing some watermarks.
The other strongmen held him in high regard, calling him Bai Lao Da, which must be their leader.
Such a person couldn't possibly be a pirate from the Running Ships gang. Judging by their tone, they sounded more like bodyguards. Qin Sang felt his heart ease slightly.
When recounting the story, Qin Sang subconsciously omitted the part about encountering the immortal. As he calmed down, he realized that although this White Boss was not an ordinary person, he was far from a sword-flying immortal master.
"Meeting you here, on the river's heart, is a sign of fate. Extending a helping hand is simply what one should do; there's no need to talk about favors! My name is Bai Jianglan, and I am a few years older than brother Qin. If you don't mind, please call me Big Brother Bai..."
Bai Lao's words also carried a bit of chivalrous spirit. He lowered himself down, his gaze sweeping over the large bloodstain on Qin Sang's chest before smiling, "When I saw you, you were lying motionless on the raft. We thought there was a corpse on board, thankfully you sat up yourself... Come, let me take a look at your leg wound."
As he spoke, Bai Jianglan placed his hand on Qin Sang's calf and closed his eyes slightly.
A moment later, Qin Sang suddenly felt a warm current flowing from Bai Jianglan's fingers into his calf, then traveling along his blood vessels until it spread throughout his entire body. Under the influence of this warm current, all the cold and dampness in his body seemed to disappear.
That warm current circled his body once before gathering again at the wounded area on his calf. At first, a tingling numbness spread from the injured spot, followed by a significant reduction in pain.
Qin Sang feigned surprise: "Big Brother Bai, are you the legendary immortal My leg is healed!"
The burly men around roared with laughter, "Kid, you managed to kill even a bandit. You don't know what true qi is Consider yourself lucky for running into Boss Bai who's willing to spend his true qi to heal your wounds. Hurry up and thank Boss Bai!"
Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he thanked her repeatedly.
Bai Jianglan retracted his hand, calmed his qi and blood, then opened his eyes and glanced at Qin Sang. "It seems you truly don't understand martial arts. I'm just a warrior, not a fairy master, and I have no fairy master's methods. This true energy is also called internal strength. Although it can help alleviate your pain, it's difficult to heal your injury. Your leg bones aren't broken, but there are several cracks. I've already used my internal strength to dissipate the blood clots at the injured site. After disembarking, just find a doctor and get some bone-setting herbal medicine. In less than a month, you'll be as good as new…"
"Spring Peach Girl is here!"
A soft cry interrupted Bai Jianglan's words.
All eyes turned silent, parting to the sides. Bai Jianglan also stood up and turned to look back.
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At this point, Qin Sang was able to see that everyone was now near the stern of the ship. There were no lights in a row of cabins ahead, except for one in the middle which had been arranged as a flower hall. Candles burned inside, and their light shone through the flower windows, though both inside and outside the windows were covered with gauze, so it was impossible to see inside the flower hall.
>
At this time, the doors to the flower hall were ajar. A slender figure carrying a lantern walked over. As she drew closer, it was revealed that she was a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old.
The little girl wore a water-green dress, the fabric of high quality. It was clearly no match for the night wind blowing off the river, her hands were cold and trembling slightly.
Those five big, burly men seemed to be afraid of her. Seeing the little girl walk over, they all stepped aside and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Miss Chun Tao."
It's possible that they are from the same family as him, Qin Sang thought to himself.
"Captain Bai, Miss asked me to ask you, why are you stopping your ship here"
Chun Tao's expression was displeased. She frowned and walked forward, shorter than Bai Jiang Lan by a head. She strained to lift the lantern high, nearly shoving it into Bai Jiang Lan's face. Her almond eyes glared at him, her face etched with displeasure as she questioned him.
Bai Jianglan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Please tell Miss Chun Tao that we saw a raft in danger in the center of the river. There were still people on it, so we stopped to rescue them. Now the people have been rescued, so we are leaving."
Upon hearing this, Chun Tao lowered her head and glanced at Qin Sang, then lowered the lantern and held it against Qin Sang's face.
>
Qin Sang was careful not to appear disrespectful, standing straight and smiling foolishly as she nodded.
Before he could even open his mouth to thank her, Chun Tao let out a cold snort. "Guards, throw him down for me!"
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Qin Sang was startled. She didn't expect this lively little girl to have such a cruel heart, and she hurriedly looked at Bai Jianglan.
Bai Jianglan frowned slightly, waved her hand to let her subordinates retreat, "Miss Chun Tao, absolutely not..."
Chun Tao's pretty eyebrows shot up suddenly, she pointed at Bai Jiang Lan's nose and cursed loudly, her voice rather sharp, "Bai! The king asked you to escort the young lady, is this how you protect her This thief has shifty eyes and is covered in blood. At first glance, he doesn't look like a good person. You dare let him onto the ship What if he's an assassin and disturbs the young mistress How many heads do you have!"
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"Chun Tao, please calm down," Bai Jianglan said with a good temper, "I've already asked carefully. Brother Qin doesn't know martial arts. He's a poor man who was harmed by bandits and managed to escape. The blood on him is from the struggle. There's no reason not to save him. Besides, Brother Qin has a broken leg and walks unsteadily. With us brothers watching over him, he won't disturb you."
Chun Tao saw Bai Jianglan stubbornly trying to rescue someone, and her eyes lit up. "This boat isn't pulling two smaller boats behind it Give him one, and let him get lost!"
Qin Sang gasped, looking at the vast expanse of the river. The autumn tide was in full swing, even more formidable than the Yangtze River in his past life. The mountains on both sides were towering and indistinct, not a single light flickering. Occasionally, there were roars from strange beasts, like cries from the underworld itself.
A small leaf boat drifted down the river, dying without knowing how.
This little vixen is ruthless!
Bai Jianglan said, "Miss Chun Tao may not know that this place is just entering the Ninefold Gorge of Wu Lingjiang. Both sides are steep cliffs and dangerous mountains, with no human habitation. Wild beasts roam freely, and one can only go down the river. But this Ninefold Gorge is the most turbulent and perilous part of Wu Lingjiang's waters. If a small boat is put down, it will surely capsize. It's better to do this: let Brother Qin stay in the stern cabin. We'll set sail now, and by tomorrow morning we'll pass through the Ninefold Gorge and arrive at Sanwu City. Then we'll release Brother Qin. I'll personally guard the deck tonight to ensure absolute safety."ly not easy, but it's not entirely hopeless to build a foundation."The Chen surname cultivator was very kind to Zhao Songqiao, "Let's go to Xueying Hall first. The hall master is my disciple, he will...