Chapter 4

"Little brother's name is Qin Sang. I work as a helper for the shopkeeper. This time, while on a trip to buy goods, I was captured by a gang of bandits. Yesterday, those bandits encountered their mortal enemies, and I took the opportunity to escape during the chaos, but I got lost and injured my leg. I could only drift on a wooden raft in the river. I didn't expect to drift into the main river after falling asleep, but fortunately, you all came to my rescue..."

Qin Sang sat on the deck, surrounded by a circle of burly men with swords and knives at their waists. He was wrapped in an old cotton coat, feeling a bit warmer, and softly recounted his story.

The man who had rescued Qin Sang from the water stood in front of him. He was around forty years old, with a thin face, looking like a scholar. He was dressed the same as the other burly men, wearing cloud boots and a dark green tight-fitting outfit, with a precious sword hanging from his waist. He stood tall and looked very capable.

After walking on water for a long time, this man was still fresh and clean, with only the soles of his shoes slightly wet.

The other burly men respected him greatly, calling him White Boss, who seemed to be their leader.

Such a person could not be a water pirate from a boat gang. From their words, it seemed they were guards for some family. Qin Sang felt a bit more at ease.

When recounting his story, Qin Sang subconsciously omitted the part about encountering a fairy. Calming down, he realized that although White Boss was not an ordinary person, he was far from being a fairy master who could fly with a sword.

"Meeting in the middle of the river is a matter of fate. Offering help is our duty, so there's no need to mention any gratitude! My name is Bai Jianglan, and I am a few years older than you, Qin brother. If you don't mind, you can call me Big Brother Bai..."

White Boss spoke with a touch of chivalry, crouching down and glancing at the large bloodstain on Qin Sang's chest. He smiled and said, "When we saw you, you were lying motionless on the raft. We thought it was a corpse, but fortunately, you sat up on your own... Come, let me take a look at your leg."

As he spoke, Bai Jianglan placed his hand on Qin Sang's calf and closed his eyes.

A moment later, Qin Sang suddenly felt a warm current flow from Bai Jianglan's fingers into his calf, then up his leg, and finally spread throughout his body. Under the warmth, the cold and dampness in his body was completely dispelled.

The warm current circled his body and then gathered back at the injured part of his calf. Initially, a tingling sensation came from the pain, but then the pain was reduced by a large margin.

Qin Sang exclaimed, "Big Brother Bai, are you a legendary fairy master? My leg is better?"

The surrounding burly men laughed, "Kid, you can even kill bandits, and you don't know what true qi is? You're lucky to meet White Boss, who is willing to use his true qi to heal you. Hurry up and thank White Boss!"

Qin Sang's eyes sparkled, and he thanked him repeatedly.

Bai Jianglan withdrew his hand, calmed his qi, and opened his eyes. He looked at Qin Sang and said, "It seems you really don't understand martial arts. I am just a warrior, not a fairy master, and I don't have the skills of a fairy master. This true qi is also called internal strength. Although it can help alleviate your pain, it's difficult to heal your injury completely. Your leg bone isn't broken, but there are a few fractures. I have already used my internal strength to disperse the blood clots. After we disembark, find a doctor to prescribe some bone-healing herbal medicine. In a month, you will be as good as new..."

"Miss Chun Tao is here!"

A light call interrupted Bai Jianglan's words.

Everyone fell silent and moved aside, and Bai Jianglan also stood up and turned to look.

Qin Sang then saw that they were near the stern of the ship. The cabins in front had no lights, except for the middle one, which was decorated as a flower hall with candles burning inside. The candlelight shone through the flower windows, but the windows were covered with gauze, so the inside of the flower hall was not visible.

At this moment, the door of the flower hall was half-open, and a slender figure holding a lantern walked over. When she came closer, it turned out to be a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old.

The girl was wearing a light green thin coat of good quality, but it couldn't withstand the cold river wind, and her hands were trembling from the cold.

The burly men seemed to be afraid of her. When they saw the girl walk over, they all stepped aside and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Miss Chun Tao."

She might be their boss, Qin Sang thought.

"Commander Bai, Miss has asked why we stopped the ship here?"

Chun Tao's expression was displeased, and she frowned as she walked forward. She was shorter than Bai Jianglan and had to lift the lantern to almost touch his face. Her almond eyes glared at Bai Jianglan, and she asked angrily.

Bai Jianglan bowed and said, "Please inform Miss that we saw a raft in the middle of the river in distress, and there was someone on it, so we stopped to rescue them. Now the person has been saved, and we will set sail again."

Hearing this, Chun Tao lowered her head and glanced at Qin Sang, lowering the lantern to his face.

Qin Sang, not wanting to offend her, straightened up and smiled foolishly, nodding.

Before he could thank her, Chun Tao snorted, "Get someone to throw him overboard!"

Qin Sang was startled, not expecting such a delicate girl to be so ruthless. He quickly looked at Bai Jianglan.

Bai Jianglan frowned and waved his hand to dismiss his subordinates, "Miss Chun Tao, please don't..."

Chun Tao's eyebrows shot up, and she pointed at Bai Jianglan's nose, scolding him sharply, "Bai! The prince asked you to escort the young lady, and this is how you protect her? This little thief looks suspicious, covered in blood, and clearly isn't a good person. You let him on the ship? What if he's an assassin and disturbs the young lady? How many heads do you have?"

"Miss Chun Tao, please calm down," Bai Jianglan replied calmly, "I have already asked him in detail. This Qin brother doesn't know martial arts and is a poor victim of the bandits. He barely escaped with his life, and the blood on him is from fighting. It would be unjust not to save him. Moreover, Qin brother has a leg injury and can't walk easily. With our brothers watching, he won't disturb the young lady."

Chun Tao, seeing Bai Jianglan's determination to save him, thought for a moment, "Isn't there a small boat at the back of this ship? Give him one and let him go!"

Qin Sang drew a sharp breath. Looking at the vast river, the autumn tide was strong, and it was more dangerous than the Yangtze River in his previous life. The mountains on both sides were dark and heavy, with no lights, and occasionally, strange animal roars could be heard, making it seem like a ghostly realm.

A small boat on the river would mean certain death.

What a cruel girl!

Bai Jianglan said, "Miss Chun Tao, you don't know that we are just entering the Nine-Fold Gorge of the Wu Ling River. Both sides are high cliffs and dangerous mountains, with no human habitation and fierce beasts. We can only go downstream. However, the Nine-Fold Gorge is the most dangerous part of the Wu Ling River. A small boat would capsize. How about this: let Qin brother stay in the stern cabin. We will set sail now, and by tomorrow morning, we will have passed the Nine-Fold Gorge. We will let Qin brother disembark at San Wu City. I will personally guard the deck tonight to ensure everything goes smoothly."