[Xianjian + Ancient Sword Colleague] Being a master is also a kind of practice

A few days later, seeing that Shen Bailing had dealt with many matters that were on the desk one by one, the elder Xie Xiao smiled, and finally took out the letter addressed to Master Kun Yao and gave it to him.Shen Bailing didn't care about taking a rest at the moment, put the envelope in his sleeve and left Chaohu in a hurry, Yu Jian went all the way to the sea.

People say that there is a fish in Dark North, its name is Kun, and when it turns into a bird, its name is Peng.That kun demon lives in the sea of ​​darkness in the north.It's just that the sea of ​​darkness is in the extreme north, and Yujian might not be able to reach it in a day or two, so Shen Bailing stopped at Qinglong Town by the East China Sea after thinking about it for a while, and decided to take a boat here to go to the island closest to the north Go up, wait until there is no ship available, and then go on the road with the sword, so as to save some energy.

As soon as he set foot on Qingshi Street in Qinglong Town, Shen Bailing couldn't help feeling a little emotional.More than [-] years ago, he also visited this place, and made friends with a handsome young man in this place.The past is still vivid in my mind, but the time is like a fleeting moment, gone and never returned.Now there are many moss marks on the bluestone under his feet, and most of the faces in the town are not so familiar. The two people who fell asleep together that day are also far apart.

Shen Bailing shook his head lightly, trying to wipe away the invisible melancholy in his heart, but after all he had no intention of wandering around, so he asked passers-by where the inn was, and walked towards the center of the town.

Qinglong Town has been a famous port market town since ancient times. It is full of fireworks and is very bustling and lively. It is not much better than the nearby small towns. The most famous inn in the town is called Haikeju, which is a sea business hotel for business travelers. set by people.When Shen Bailing came to the inn, as soon as he entered the door, he asked the innkeeper where the big boat to go to sea was rented. The waiter in the inn saw that he was handsome in appearance, elegant in conversation, and very hospitable in his hospitality. Come out and pick him.

"Young master, you are not an ordinary person. If you want to rent a boat, you can count on our Qinglong Town as the right place! There are many shipbuilders in our town, and big and small boats are not uncommon here. Just find a shipyard and ask. In all likelihood, you can rent it, but the farther you go, the more expensive the rent is, may I ask you, where are you going?"

Shen Bailing thought for a while, then said vaguely: "North."

The waiter in the shop said like a few treasures: "There are at least six or seven sea routes to the north. I don't know which one the young master is going to take?"

Shen Bailing was taken aback, only then did he realize that his idea of ​​chartering a boat to go overseas alone was very risky, the ocean is vast, and among the scattered islands, he didn't know the exact location, let alone how to get there, when the sea is windy and where is the right place Sailing is even more confusing, so even if you rent a big boat, you can't go to sea. If it weren't for the waiter in the shop to point it out, it would be useless.

The clerk in the shop was very clever, seeing his frowning and worried face, he guessed a bit, and hurriedly said: "Young master, don't worry, we have a lot of big ships that go out to sea every day, and many merchant ships also accept passengers. Not only is it much cheaper to rent a boat, but it also saves a lot of trouble, you only need to get off the boat when you arrive at the place, why don’t you go to the southeast port and ask?”

Shen Bailing nodded, and asked suddenly: "Isn't the harbor in the northeast? I remember that when I came here more than 20 years ago, there was still a beach in the southeast. When was the harbor built?"

The waiter's eyes widened suddenly, he sized Shen Bailing up and down for a long time and said: "Unexpectedly, the young master can take care of himself, but he looks a few years younger than me... Yes, the harbor was built more than 20 years ago. There is another story in it!" Then he started to talk, "It all happened before I was born, according to my mother, there were monsters in our Qinglong Town more than 20 years ago, and many children from other families They taught the monsters to grab their hearts and livers and eat them. People in the town were so scared that they didn't even dare to go out the door. Those who had children at home hid their daughters and children tightly. Later, maybe it was monsters who did evil and even God couldn't see it. Going down, one day, a fairy was sent to the town. The fairy descended from the sky stepping on colorful auspicious clouds, waved down a thunderbolt and killed the monster on the beach outside the town, and then floated away. The people in the country are no longer suffering from the rampant monsters. In order to express gratitude to this immortal, everyone built a new port in the place where the immortal killed demons and eliminated harm. The original old port was gradually abandoned. It is strange to say that it was probably blessed by the immortal. Well, since the completion of this new port, more and more merchant ships have sailed from here, and Qinglong Town has become more and more lively."

He spoke with great interest, but he didn't notice that Shen Bailing's expression became a little weird from the moment he heard it.Shen Bailing has long been dumbfounded. He never expected that the act of killing demons would turn into such a "wonderful" story through word of mouth. This story is still widely circulated. Now he is secretly grateful for the name of that "immortal" It has not been handed down along with this story, otherwise... Where can I put my old face that hasn't changed much?

After leaving the inn, Shen Bailing left the town and headed southeast.Sure enough, not long after, a blue sea and a rather large port could be seen in the distance.There were many ships, large and small, floating on the sea, and the sunlight cast a faint white light on them, and the bow of the largest ship was even more shining with silver light.

After walking in, he heard the white sails fluttering in the salty breeze, and Shen Bailing saw clearly that the long and narrow silver light at the bow was actually a pattern drawn by silver paint, which looked like a giant sword in shape. , I secretly wondered in my heart at the moment.He has heard that some places often paint eyes on the bow of the ship according to the custom, intending to distinguish the way back when sailing outside, but he has never known why the big ship in Qinglong Town is painted with a giant sword. Is it to make the ship sail like an imperial sword? As fast as a sword?

"The little brother in front, please help me!"

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard someone shouting behind her, Shen Bailing turned her head, only then saw a group of boatmen carrying many boxes coming, and hurriedly stepped back a few steps to let them pass.These boatmen are all big men with broad shoulders and round waists, their faces are black and red, and they walk vigorously even though they are carrying heavy loads. He swiftly rowed the small boat to transport the goods to a huge sea ship parked not far away, and saw someone on the big ship hanging down the rope to hoist the goods on the small sampan one by one.

Shen Bailing was fascinated, and suddenly smelled a heavy smell of sweat, and when he turned his head, he saw another person three feet away.The man was extremely tall, and his shoulders were more than a foot wider than him. He had a burly figure, and his tangled muscles bulged out his half-worn shorts. He stared intently at this side.

Without waiting for Shen Bailing to ask doubts, he heard the man say: "This little brother... have we met somewhere?"

Shen Bailing was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head instinctively.The man seemed a little embarrassed, scratched his head and laughed: "Forget it, meeting is fate, I feel kind when I look at you, I think our fate is not small, why not make friends? My name is Xiang Qing, yes The owner of that ship." He pointed to the big ship that Shen Bailing had just watched for a long time.

Shen Bailing arched her hands: "My surname is Shen, and my name is Bailing."

Xiang Qing waved his hand boldly and said, "I saw that you were about a few years younger than me, so I asked you to call you Brother Shen. Brother Shen, just now I saw you staring at my boat all the time. Hold on, do you want to follow me on board?"

Shen Bailing hurriedly shook his head again: "Don't dare to bother. I just... have never seen a sword painted on the bow of a ship, and I think it's a bit rare."

Xiang Qing also looked at the bow of the boat with his gaze, with a proud expression naturally appearing on his face, and explained: "Brother Shen doesn't know something, and there are indeed no swords drawn on the bow of the boat in other places, even in Qinglong Town. Only our Xiang family’s boat is painted like this. It’s not that I’m boasting about myself. My father is the best boat builder in the town. This boat was built by him and a group of apprentices, and they spent a lot of time on the sword. Hie painted it, and there is a lot of meaning in it.”

Shen Bailing asked curiously, "What's the meaning?"

Xiang Qing said with a smile: "The sword is painted with the fairy sword of an immortal. My father and that immortal have a little friendship, so our family's boat dared to draw his sword on the bow. It can be regarded as a little bit of fairy spirit. In this way, the monsters in the sea will not dare to make troubles when they see the fairy sword, and they will go to sea smoothly... It's all thanks to the blessing of the immortal!" He said and cupped his hands to the sky.

When Shen Bailing heard this, his heart moved slightly, and he asked, "Brother Xiang's father is the third in the family?"

A look of surprise appeared on Xiang Qing's face: "How do you know?"

Shen Bailing smiled and said nothing, just glanced at Xiang Qing's face lightly, and secretly sighed in his heart: It was only a one-time relationship back then, but Xiang San's eldest son is so old...

Since he is the son of an old friend, Shen Bailing looked at Qing naturally kindly, and immediately inquired: "I have something important to go overseas to the north, but I don't know if there will be a sea ship going there in the next few days, brother Xiang, can you give me some advice? two?"

Xiang Qingmang waved his hand and said: "Why are you being so polite! Coincidentally, my boat is going to the northern archipelago. If Brother Shen trusts me, you can take my boat and go on the journey."

When Shen Bailing heard it, she was very happy, and said without hesitation: "Then I'll trouble you, brother Xiang." She said and cupped her hands again.

Xiang Qingman gave a casual salute indifferently: "What's the matter, it's just a matter of adding more people. Our fleet often goes to those islands in the north, and the route has long been familiarized. Very well, brother can rest assured. It’s just that it’s unavoidable to feel uncomfortable when going out to sea for the first time, brother Shen is so frail, I’m afraid he will suffer some pain.”

Shen Bailing smiled and said, "Brother Xiang, don't worry, I will take care of myself."

Xiang Qing nodded: "Okay, Brother Shen, take a good rest today, and set off to sea early tomorrow morning, we will meet here, but don't go to bed late!"