The bamboo raft floated out of the small river and merged with the big river. Niu Youdao put away the bamboo pole and let the bamboo raft drift with the current. He believed that Dongguo Haoran had no reason to lie to him when he was about to die, so there was no need for him to be suspicious.
Sitting on the bamboo raft, he used a wooden knife to cut out some small bamboo strips. He pulled some dry firewood that he had prepared beforehand and took out a match. He made a small fire on a flat rock and began to roast the small bamboo strips until they were tough enough. Then, he cut the bamboo strips into small pieces. He pulled out the hemp thread that he had prepared in the village from his bosom and stretched it with his hand. After confirming that it was sturdy enough, he tied a small piece of bamboo to the hemp thread at a point in the middle of the bamboo.
He then pulled out a piece of wheat straw from his bosom and cut it into small pieces. He bent the extremely tough bamboo strips and used the small pieces of wheat straw to bind the two ends of the stretched bamboo strips so that the bamboo strips would not be able to bounce off. He reached into his tattered clothes and pulled out a small handful of wheat kernels. These were the kernels that he had pulled out from the muddy ground in the village. He guessed that they had been scattered by the bandits when they raided the rations. He pinched a grain of wheat and stuffed it into the holes of the wheat straw on the two ends of the bamboo strips. Like this, he made a dozen or so simple mechanisms on the hemp thread.
After that, the hemp thread was dipped into the water. One end was tied to the bamboo raft, and the rest was up to fate. Niu Youdao didn't care anymore. He took out a bamboo tube and drew some water from the river. He slowly swallowed it until it was warm before swallowing. He sat on the bamboo raft and warmed it up. He admired the scenery on both sides of the river, and his eyes were filled with curiosity towards this world.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt some movement on the bamboo raft he was sitting on. It seemed like something was being pulled underwater. He was delighted. The movement continued to come, but he sat there without moving. Not long after, the movement stopped.
The hemp thread behind the bamboo raft was pulled back. Soon, a two to three catty fish was dragged out of the water. The gills on both sides of the fish had been pushed open by the bamboo strips. In just a short while, the fish was already half dead. This small and simple fishing mechanism was not to be underestimated. The gills were the fish's breathing system underwater. Once breathing became obstructed, even the fish that lived underwater would drown. The bamboo strips were elastic and the fish would not be able to break free. Coupled with the lack of oxygen, the fish would quickly lose its strength underwater. Once it was caught, it would be difficult to escape. The fish on the hook would instead struggle underwater for a long time.
Of course, this small mechanism had its flaws. Big fish were hard to catch.
There was no other way. The conditions in the village were limited, and there was no food for him to carry. He could only pick up some random things according to the local conditions. He had to find a way to fill his stomach along the way.
He plucked the fish and threw it away. Then, he put a small piece of wheat straw back into the water. The other wheat grains had already swelled up, so he estimated that the chances of luring the fish had greatly increased.
Picking up the half-dead fish, he took out a dagger and cut open the belly of the fish. After cleaning it in the river, he lit the fire again and skewered the fish with a stick. Then, he happily roasted the fish. Since he could catch fish, it seemed that the environment here was pretty good. He planned to eat, drink, and defecate on the bamboo raft. He heard that it was chaotic here, so it was probably safer to stay on the bamboo raft.
The fish had just been cooked and scalded. Before Niu Youdao could take a few bites, there was a tug under the bamboo raft. Niu Youdao was overjoyed.
At the same time, a horse carriage was running wildly on the shore. A group of people was chasing after it. They quickly caught up. The cavalry on both sides raised their bows and shot at the carriage. Screams were heard and the carriage was quickly stopped.
When the bamboo raft passed by, Niu Youdao, who was slowly eating the fish, saw the soldiers throw a few corpses out of the carriage. One of them did not seem to be dead and was kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy. A general approached and stabbed the kneeling man with his spear.
For Niu Youdao, who had lived in another world, to do such a thing in broad daylight was too much. Most importantly, what he saw in the village made him have a bad first impression of these soldiers. He did not have a good impression of them, but he could only watch from the side.
The general who pulled out his spear also noticed Niu Youdao. What a surprise. Roasting fish on a bamboo raft?
Niu Youdao also noticed that the soldiers had noticed him. He pretended to be a good citizen and went about his business. He pulled some rope from the back of the bamboo raft and brought up another fish.
The general looked interested and said to his subordinate, "In the middle of winter, the clothes are tattered but there is a way to fill his stomach. This young man looks smart. With some training, he may be a good seedling." The voice was that of a woman.
The subordinate understood that this was to capture the young man to be a soldier. He shouted to Niu Youdao who was on the bamboo raft, "That young man, quickly come ashore. I have something to ask you." He wanted to trick him into coming over.
Niu Youdao did not dare to come ashore. He pretended not to hear and wiped his hands on his clothes. He plucked the roasted fish from the bamboo raft and continued to eat, pretending to be deaf.
Thud! An arrow was nailed to the bamboo raft and quivered slightly. It was right next to Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao almost jumped in fright. What would happen if he missed?
He looked up angrily and saw that it was the general who raised his spear to kill him.
The other party sat on the horse and pointed her bow at him. She shouted, "Young man, come here!"
The voice was crisp and clear. Niu Youdao then realized that this was a female general. Because she was wearing a dusty armour, he could not tell if she was a man or a woman. He was enraged and pointed his middle finger at her. He shouted, "Slut!"
Although the female general did not understand what he meant by pointing his middle finger at her, she could tell from his cursing that this gesture was not meant to compliment her. For a commoner to dare to scold an officer, he must have some guts. Interesting. She laughed coldly.
Her subordinates immediately drew their bows and aimed at him.
"I'll go!" Niu Youdao gave a strange cry. How could he have forgotten that the other party had bows and arrows? If he had known earlier, he would not have angered the other party. With a flip of his body, he dived into the cold river.
With a series of thuds, more than a dozen arrows nailed into the position that Niu Youdao had been sitting on. Sparks flew and the burning firewood on the flagstone was sent flying by the arrows.
The female general made a sound of "Yi" and her eyes revealed an increasingly appreciative look. She discovered that this young man was not simple. His reaction speed was fast enough. A normal person would have been scared out of their wits, but this young man's first reaction was to avoid danger. She confirmed that he was indeed a good seedling and this aroused her interest in taking him under her command.
She raised her hand to stop her subordinates who were about to shoot again. She looked on with a face full of ridicule and led her troops to follow the drifting bamboo raft.
Under the water, he reached out and climbed to the edge of the bamboo raft. When he popped his head out to take a look, Niu Youdao discovered that the pile of firewood on the bamboo raft had already been set on fire. He hurriedly waved his arm and splashed water, extinguishing the flames that had just started. If the bamboo raft was burned, he would not be able to bring the body to the Shangqing Sect with his current body without a vehicle.
Seeing that the other party's troops and horses were leisurely following on the shore, it was obvious that they had their eyes on him. Niu Youdao climbed onto the bamboo raft and paddled with his feet, pulling the bamboo raft to the other side of the shore.
The female general casually took out an arrow from her quiver, nocked it on the bowstring, and released it with a whoosh.
Niu Youdao turned his head to look at the arrow that flashed by. He saw that the arrow was stuck in a crooked tree trunk on the other side of the shore. The corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. The river was at least sixty to seventy meters wide and could easily hit a small tree on the other side of the shore. The other party's meaning was too obvious. This was showing off her archery skills and warning him that if he dared to go ashore on the other side, she would shoot him down with one arrow and he wouldn't be able to escape.
Niu Youdao indeed had this thought. If he really couldn't do it, he would give Dongguo Haoran a water burial and he would slip onto the other side of the shore to escape. It wasn't that he was heartless, but the water was too cold. If he soaked for too long, he would definitely lose his little life.
The female general had a teasing smile on her lips. She looked like she wanted to see how long he could soak in the water. She led the troops to slow down their riding speed and stared fixedly at Niu Youdao. She also got the horses to set up a long line on the riverbank and stared at the river from a long distance to prevent him from diving far away and escaping.
After resisting for a while, Niu Youdao's teeth started to chatter from the cold. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "General, this lowly one has no grudge with you, why are you threatening me with death?"
The female general replied, "No grudge? Who was that b * tch scolding just now? "
"…" Niu Youdao was speechless for a while and shouted again, "Can you be a great person and forgive this lowly one's past?"
The female general simply said, "No!"
Niu Youdao: "What will it take for you to let me go?"
The female general: "Very simple, come under my command to atone for your sins and become my soldier!"
So unruly, wouldn't I be tortured to death by you? Niu Youdao cursed in his heart. He didn't dare to believe the other party and suspected that the other party was trying to trick him into going up to teach him a lesson. Since the other party was being unreasonable, there was no need for him to be polite. He replied loudly, "I'm not interested in being your soldier, how about being your man?"
The female general sneered, "You still dare to be so stubborn, let's see how long you can soak in the water!" An arrow was nocked on the bow and she looked like she was about to shoot.
Niu Youdao took a deep breath and dove into the water. He grabbed onto the vines under the bamboo raft and moved stealthily under the bamboo raft.
But after waiting for a while and seeing no movement, he quietly peeked out again. In the end, the moment he peeked out, the other party pretended to draw the bow again and forced him into the water again.
After repeating this a few times, Niu Youdao finally understood that the other party was playing with him. But he didn't dare to not dodge. What if the other party really shot him? He was now a little suspicious of Dongguo Haoran's words. Didn't he say that the talisman would protect him on the way? Why didn't it have any effect?
He had no choice but to hide under the pile of firewood. Underneath the firewood was Dongguo Haoran's body. He couldn't care less if the arrow would hurt the innocent.
Fortunately, there was always a way out. Just as he was thinking of a way to escape, a complicated terrain appeared on the riverbank in front of him. The horses couldn't get close to the riverbank anymore. The river started to meander and change its direction. In the distance, the silhouette of a towering mountain appeared. The river seemed to be flowing through the mountains and the speed of the river seemed to have increased.
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