The rolling river flowed across the gorge, and boats came and went on the river.
On a cargo ship, a green-robed merchant stood at the bow of the ship, braving the wind and waves. He gazed into the distance for a while before turning back to the cargo hold. He patted the goods covered by the tarpaulin and inspected the goods once more. He was in a very good mood after confirming that there would be no mistakes.
The waiter on guard smiled and said, "When this ship reaches the capital, the boss will earn a lot again, right?"
The green-robed merchant smiled and said, "Don't worry, there will be benefits for everyone. Once the goods are sold, everyone will eat, drink, and play to their hearts' content."
"We were waiting for Boss to say that." Everyone laughed.
Someone asked with a smile, "Boss, can you bring us to experience the clouds?"
"Scram! Do you think my money is something you picked up from the ground? "The green-robed merchant waved his hand angrily.
"Haha …" Another burst of laughter rang out.
The green-robed merchant also walked back to the cabin with a face full of smiles. He went down to the bottom of the ship and said loudly to the eight men who were sitting in two rows in the dark, paddling with all their might, "Everyone, put in more effort. Once we pass this gorge, we will reach the capital."
Among the eight people, five young men looked at each other with joy on their faces.
Just as he had said, the ship left the gorge and the vast capital of the Qi Kingdom came into view.
The water flow gradually calmed down, and the ship slowly docked at a pier outside the city.
There were quite a number of ships docked at the pier. After setting up the planks, a group of people disembarked one after another.
The merchant's friends were waiting on the pier. The merchant in green went ashore and met up with his friends, chatting and laughing merrily.
The five young men also got off the boat and went to the side of the green-clothed merchant. One of them cupped his hands and said, "Boss, shouldn't you pay us our wages?"
The green-robed merchant was a little impatient. He turned around and yelled at one of his workers, "Pay them their wages."
The shop assistant immediately waved his hand and said, "Come here."
"Thank you, boss." The five young men cupped their hands in thanks and went to the shop assistant.
However, not long after, they all returned. Each of them flashed a silver coin in their hands. A young man said, "Boss, didn't we agree on five hundred coins per person? Why is it only 100 yuan? "
The green-robed merchant said, "Don't you have to pay for your food and drinks along the way?"
The young man exclaimed, "Didn't we agree to provide food and accommodation?"
"I say, you guys, are you looking for trouble?" The green-robed merchant sneered with his hands clasped behind his back. The seven or eight servants on the ship immediately surrounded him. Some of them had knives in their hands. It was obvious that they were threatening him.
The five young men seemed to be angry but didn't dare to say anything. In the end, under the threat, they lowered their heads and walked away dejectedly, causing a burst of ridicule.
When they were far away from this group of people, the five young men looked at each other and smiled. One of them looked at the tall city wall in the distance and said excitedly, "We're finally here!"
A young man in the middle said, "Everyone, let's split up in front of the forest. Split up and look outside the city gates. Open your eyes wide and look for the signs left behind by Boss and the others."
Just as he said, the group of people dispersed at the edge of the forest in front of them. The young man who gave the order stayed in the forest to wait for everyone to return.
Not long after, the rumbling of hooves could be heard from the distant official road. Looking back, he saw five riders galloping towards him.
When the five riders passed by them, the young man's eyes lit up. He stood up and shouted, "Da Yong! Da Yong … "
The five young men on the five riders looked back and immediately stopped their mounts. One by one, they turned their horses around and ran back. They rushed to the edge of the forest and jumped down. Both sides cheered and hugged each other excitedly.
Not far away, there was a group of carriages coming. The young man from before immediately booed and signaled everyone to restrain themselves. He didn't want anyone to see anything wrong.
The young man called Da Yong patted his shoulder and asked, "Zhao Mancang, you came earlier than us. Did Boss ask you to come and pick us up?"
Zhao Mancang smiled and said, "Our group just arrived. The others went to look for the signs."
Da Yong looked around and said, "Since someone went to look for it, let's wait here."
Zhao Mancang looked at their mounts and asked curiously, "You came on horses? Where did the horses come from? "
Da Yong asked curiously, "There are horses everywhere on this grassland. Where do you think they came from? If they don't ride horses, are they supposed to walk? "
Zhao Mancang asked, "Why did you only arrive now on horseback?"
One of them mumbled, "Don't mention it. We were captured by a group of soldiers in the Kingdom of Zhao. They took us to be soldiers and we thought of a way to escape. It took us a lot of time. Otherwise, we would have arrived long ago." He then asked, "Mancang, what about you? Why did you only arrive now?"
Zhao Mancang mumbled and did not reply.
In the end, a group of people rushed up to him and forced him to confess. "I found some caravans along the way and helped them with their work. It was along the way."
Someone said with disdain, "Helping others with their work? You have so much energy but nowhere to use it. What a stupid idea."
Zhao Mancang immediately explained, "Isn't it for the sake of safety? We are not familiar with the people and the place, but the caravans often come and go. They are familiar with the roads and have a way to clear the obstacles. On the way, we also met some people who were captured to be soldiers. Luckily, the caravans helped us clear the obstacles. Otherwise, we would have been captured too. "
The group of people chattered beside the forest for a while. Some scouts returned and cheered when they saw them. They then told them that the road sign was outside the east city gate.
Da Yong immediately let the three of them ride horses to the other three city gates to find the others so that they wouldn't have to search everywhere.
When the two groups met up, they came to the east city gate together. On a rock, they saw a simple drawing of a bird. It was the agreed sign and the direction the bird was flying towards was the east city gate.
To be inconspicuous, they split up and entered the city. They followed the signs and found an abandoned house in a secluded area of the city.
They pushed open the door and entered. In the end, they saw Yuan Feng sitting on a chair and drinking tea leisurely. He waved a fan in his hand.
"Leader Feng!" The group of people were delighted.
"What are you shouting for? Are you afraid that others won't know?" Yuan Feng waved the fan in his hand at the door. "Close the door!"
Someone immediately closed the door. Da Yong went in front of Yuan Feng and said with a cheeky smile, "Leader Feng, what order are we in? Are we near the front?"
Smack! Yuan Feng smacked him on the head with the fan. "There are at least a dozen pairs of eyes outside that saw you coming. There are more than a hundred people waiting for you inside. You tell me if we are near the front or not, and you still have the cheek to ask?"
The group of people immediately became listless.
"Remember, there is nothing here. Leader Feng, use your brain and think!" Yuan Feng pointed inside with the fan again. "Stay inside and ask for a brush, ink, and paper from them. Write down the situation when you came here clearly …"
In the tofu restaurant, in the steaming kitchen of the inner house, Yuan Huo and Niu Shan were making tofu.
Yuan Gang watched from the side.
Niu Lin, who was in charge of grinding tofu and guarding outside, knocked on the door and entered. "Boss, Manager Gao is looking for you."
Yuan Gang turned and went straight to the front door. He saw Manager Gao pacing at the door and asked, "What's the matter?"
Manager Gao flashed a handful of gold coins in his hand. There were ten of them. "Mother Qin from White Clouds came to eat tofu just now. Besides paying for it, she also gave us these."
Yuan Gang: "What do you mean?"
Manager Gao: "She said that in the future, the girls from White Clouds will often come here to taste tofu, but it is not convenient for the girls to come here in public. She asked us to separate a private room for them. She gave us ten gold coins and said that they will pay for their wages. "
Yuan Gang refused immediately. "No way!" He turned around and left.
Manager Gao grabbed his arm and smiled bitterly. "I also don't think it is appropriate, but when Third Young Master went to play in White Clouds, Mother Qin specially told Third Young Master about it. Third Young Master has already agreed to her, saying that we need to reorganize the surrounding area, so she asked us to make a private room for them. He said that it is not troublesome. Third Young Master, don't you know? He is a person who cares about his reputation. He promised in front of a group of women and a group of friends, but he can't do it. How do you expect him to put his face? "
Yuan Gang was silent for a while. "Do as you see fit, but listen to me clearly. Don't disturb us here."
Seeing that he had relented, Manager Gao immediately smiled and nodded. "I understand, I understand. Our recipe cannot be easily stolen by others. Boss, rest assured, I will arrange it!"
Yuan Gang turned his head and left.
"Uh …" Manager Gao was speechless. He still wanted to ask him about the recruitment, but judging from his boss's temper, he didn't seem like a businessman at all. He could only shake his head and walk away, thinking that he would ask him later.
The boundless sea was blue and boundless.
A man wearing a bamboo hat was flying on the surface of the sea. From time to time, he would stop on the surface of the water to observe the surroundings. Until a reef appeared in front of him, he flashed over and landed on it.
The area of the reef was only the size of five or six tables. When the tide rose, it was estimated that it would be swallowed by the sea.
This situation was very dangerous for ships sailing on the sea. When the reef sank into the water, the surface could not be seen. Once the ship hit it, it could easily be destroyed and killed.
The man wearing the bamboo hat stood on the reef and looked around. From time to time, he took off the wine pot at his waist and drank two mouthfuls.
In the distance, a ship appeared indistinctly. The man was startled. After observing for a while, he confirmed that it was heading in this direction. He quickly hid behind the reef and waited.
When there was no reef, he would immediately dive into the water to hide when he saw a ship.
After waiting for a while, a large ship sailed a hundred feet away from the side of the reef and kept moving forward.
The man hiding behind the reef watched as the ship left. He quickly took off the bamboo hat on his head and put down the wine jug. Using the reef as a cover, he silently retreated into the sea from the back and submerged himself in the water. Invoking his arts, he quickly moved forward in the water.
When he reappeared, he was already under the stern of the large ship. He did not get on the ship, but remained vigilant. He hung from the stern and followed the ship. Occasionally, he stuck his head out from the sides of the stern and quietly looked in front of the ship.
In the evening, the sea was sparkling. From time to time, he could see the reef standing on the surface of the sea. There was an island in front of him.
"What the hell is this place?"
"People pay, we make money. Who cares what kind of place it is."
"I mean, there are too many submerged reefs in this place. If we are not careful, we could accidentally sink our ship."
"Isn't it fine? The route they gave us at that dock is still useful."
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