Volume 3: Can You Hold On Now? Chapter 15: On the River

  That night, more than half of the officials in Jinling City came to the grand banquet. Cai Feng was supposed to perform a dance but excused herself saying she wasn't feeling well and didn't show up. Everyone knew who she was relying on. However, Jin Wancheng just smiled and said nothing, instead letting Jin Shengjie's new concubine, Su Jin, come out and sing a song.

  The wine cups and chopsticks were crossed, and the atmosphere was tense. Pan Yu suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at him, and when he turned to look, he saw that it was indeed Wang Shouyi's father. Pan Yu sneered and said, "It's that dead ghost Wang Shouyi's old man. He probably knows about his son's rotten business. But I reckon he can't stir up any big waves either. Next time we have a chance, we'll just casually squash him to death."

  Xu Xian solemnly said: "Pan Wang Wei Wu". Xu Xian knew that she extremely hated him calling her by her title, and instead preferred it when he called her Ming Yu. It was often used to tease her.

  Pan Yuk knew he was joking and ignored him with a single glance.

  Someone at the banquet asked: "The two ci poems of Mr. Xu have shaken the world. Can we have a new masterpiece today?"

  Xu Xian smiled and pushed it away, saying: "I don't recite anything that's not absolutely wonderful. If I were to casually improvise, it would also be disrespectful to all of you. But writing is naturally born from the heavens, occasionally obtained by a skilled hand. The way of poetry still requires fate." He measured that he wasn't unaware of the poems about Jinling, but among these poems, eight out of ten need improvement. "The remaining two words 'former country' are also sorrowful and melancholic, not suitable, it's better to just push them away."

  But unexpectedly, the people of Xi Qi applauded loudly, "What a great article! It's as if it was written by Heaven itself. No wonder Mr. Xu can write such wonderful lines. But these two sentences are enough."

  The host and guest were delighted until the end. In the attic outside, Jin Wancheng grasped Xu Xian's hand and thanked him repeatedly. Xu Xian politely asked: "Does Mr. Jin have the confidence to make the kind of telescope I need?"

  "Rest assured, as long as the water jade trial production is successful, I'll make sure you get what you want when you return from Chibi." With the diamond carving technique and this water jade crafting technique, he can now put his mind at ease. Even if this ocean voyage doesn't succeed, it won't completely destroy the Jin family; they'll still be able to preserve a thread of hope.

  Xu Xian said: "That's good, thank you, Mr. Jin."

  "You and Sheng Jie are of the same generation, if you don't mind. How about we call each other uncle and nephew?"

  Xu Xian couldn't help but think that he didn't want to recognize Jin Wancheng as his ancestor, and who knows how many others felt the same way. At this time, he smiled and said, "Then thank you, Uncle Jin."

  Haha, okay, from now on, Sheng Jie will have you and Pan Xian take care of him more often.

  Then they dispersed and returned to their respective rooms, waiting for tomorrow when they would set sail again towards Red Cliff.

  "Miss, are you still watching?" said the green phoenixes in the colorful phoenix house.

  Cai Feng sat on the bed holding the diamond with a joyful smile, turning it over and playing with it back and forth.

  The green bird snatched the high-flying colorful phoenix and quickly got up to grab it. Its mouth shouted: "Give me, give me"

  The blue bird-like hand waved back and forth, not allowing the colorful phoenix to get a "no". Then, onto the bed, the colorful phoenix's waist also followed, bending into an exaggerated arc. The state was on the bed. On the brocade quilt, after searching again and again, a cry of surprise, ah, it was gone. A look that was about to cry.

  The young lady, who had been watching with a mixture of emotions, tossed the gemstone hidden in the tangerine to Cai Feng. Cai Feng immediately turned from sorrow to joy, grasping it in her hand. She then retrieved a wooden box from the corner of the wall and carefully opened it, revealing a dazzling array of light. Inside were numerous gemstones, along with a thick stack of silver notes bearing the seal of Shou Da Gu. Cai Feng placed the diamond in her hand into the box, then gazed at the treasures inside with a foolish smile.

  Qing Luan frantically wiped her cheeks with both hands. "Ahh, you, you, how could you abandon me!"

  Cai Feng let her rub it in, murmuring vaguely: "Why didn't your brother Xu come to find you?"

  "Why is it good for so many people to be together?"

  "It's still up to Pan Yu to decide whether or not to hand you over to Brother Xu in the future."

  Qing Luan rubbed that stunning face even harder "You dare to say!"

  Cai Feng reluctantly said: "No need for me to say, I see Pan Yu and your brother-in-law's relationship is like a husband and wife's, I'm afraid even if I don't say anything, he will still help him. Now you are still under my care, but once you enter the Pan household, you can only be under their care. If you're given to someone else, it'll all be because of me." Cai Feng had already made up her mind that when the time comes, she would naturally stir up trouble.

  "Alas, what can be done?" Qing Luan sighed and put down her hands. She knew that Miss was right, no matter how good her martial arts were, they couldn't surpass the two words "rules". She felt a bit frustrated, but also a bit happy.

  A large ship set sail into the Yangtze River, where the water flow was rapid and there were many dangers lurking behind. However, the Jin family had long prepared a replacement ship that was much more stable than the original one. On board, they also carried a considerable number of guards to protect them, as this voyage was particularly long and did not pass through areas with dense populations like the previous leg. Safety concerns still needed to be taken into consideration.

  At this moment, a carrier pigeon rose into the sky, and thousands of miles away, someone had been waiting for a long time.

  Chu Jianxiong took down the bamboo tube from the pigeon's foot, inside which was a piece of paper densely filled with recorded estimates. The size and shape of the ships, the number of guards, the estimated speed of navigation, all kinds of information were complete. A smile appeared on the bearded face, and he walked out in big strides. He was about to cast a large fishing net, waiting for the fish to take the bait.

  Xu Xian

  At last, I have experienced what it means to hear the wailing of monkeys on both banks that never ceases! The green cliffs sandwiched between the urgent river waters, and from time to time, the cries of birds and monkeys suddenly echoed, reverberating back and forth across the surface of the water. Listening to this made one's heart tremble with fear. Yet, it truly had a few parts of a soul-stirring feeling that surpassed all kinds of music in the world.

  Suddenly a small boat appeared on the turbulent river surface! It flew over from upstream. The guards on the ship were holding their swords tightly, but they only saw one small boat with no more than two or three people on it. And there were about twenty guards on this ship, so they put down their guard.

  But then a small boat was seen speeding towards the bow of the ship, where a figure stood with his hands behind his back, rising and falling with the motion of the ship. The bow of the ship cut through the waves, making him seem like a god standing on the rippling surface of the water. Before he had even arrived, his voice reached us: "In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, I, Chu Xue, have been traveling and admiring the scenery. I didn't expect to meet someone with similar tastes. May I come aboard for a visit?" The sound echoed back and forth between the mountains, and everyone on the ship heard it clearly.

  Pan Yu's expression turned cautious as he thought to himself: This person's martial arts skills are probably not inferior to mine.

  Jin Shengjie was delighted: "Quickly put down the ladder and let the good fellow come up for a chat." He saw that there was only one person, so he wasn't very guarded.

  Moreover, he had better make friends with these eccentric people in the jianghu. At this moment, of course, he couldn't let it go: On the night of the Lantern Festival, Chu Jianxiong deliberately changed his voice with his inner energy, so at this moment, he was not recognized by anyone.

  She thought to herself, "Isn't this Chu Ce the same one I saw during Chinese New Year? Has he come for me this time? Afraid it's not a good omen! But since the host is speaking, she can't say much more. Moreover, with so many people on the boat, how could she curse just him?"

  Chu Jianxiong smiled slightly and said, "No need to set up a ladder, I'll be right there." As soon as he finished speaking, he sprang into the air and flew straight towards the boat. At this moment, Xiao Qing was already very close to the big ship, but still several zhang away, and also several meters higher or lower. Between the two boats was the rolling river water, and falling into it would be difficult to survive. Everyone saw his movements and were worried for him, until he flipped over and landed lightly on the bow of the boat, at which point they erupted in thunderous applause.

  Chu Jian Xiong Hu Bei Feng Yao Ji Shi Ying Wu Da Bu Zou Lai, Feng Feng Huo Huo. Chuan Shang De Shi Nu Ge Gu Jian Le Dou Shi Xin Zhong Huan Xi.

  Translation:

  The majestic and powerful figure of Chu Jian Xiong walks with large strides, full of vigor and energy. The maids on the boat sing and dance, their hearts filled with joy.

  Chu Jianxiong first paid his respects to Jin Shengjie, and then he swept his tiger-like gaze around the room, spotted Cai Feng, and exclaimed in surprise and delight:

  "It turned out that Cai Feng was a young lady from Hangzhou. How did you end up here?" His surprised and delighted expression wasn't entirely feigned.

  It was just that his words were extremely warm and familiar, and those who didn't know would have thought he was a regular customer of Cai Feng's. Cai Feng could only force a smile and steal a glance at Pan Yu's expression, and indeed saw Pan Yu frowning as if deep in thought, and her heart began to feel anxious, for any man would be unhappy in such a situation

  Xu Xian furrowed his brow, now extremely sensitive to spiritual awareness, and had a feeling of déjà vu about this person. He exchanged a glance with Pan Yu, whose eyes also showed some worry.

  Xu Xian patted his chest to indicate that he was there. How could it be said that he was also a cultivator? Pan Yuhuan smiled and glanced at him, and then put aside those worries of Xu's. Anyway, with him around, everything would be fine.

  Chu Jian's heart was coldly laughing, his art was high and his courage was great, he saw the crowd as nothing. This time he brought nearly a hundred brothers and set up an ambush at the slow water of Chibi with more than a dozen ships. When the time comes, he will capture and kill all the people on the boat with just one sound, it's all up to his heart. And relying on his martial arts skills, being an insider is also absolutely safe.

  Just as the wine was being served, he added a pair of bowls and chopsticks for himself. However, at the table, Cai Feng was busy pouring wine for Pan Yu, but ignored him, which made him feel suffocated and frustrated. He could only drink his wine in frustration. In his mind, he thought that once he captured this ship, he would make this little white face pee and fart, and then kill him with one knife. This would let Cai Feng see what a real man is like.

  The boat drifted ashore until nightfall.

  Xu Xian was chatting and laughing with Pan Yu when they heard the sound of knocking on the door, Pan Yu went to open the door. It turned out that Qing Luan said: "Master Pan, the young lady invites you to her room for a moment."

  "Alright." He turned his face and said "Hanwen, I'll be right back!"

  Xu Xian smiled lewdly and said, "No need to go back. One expression of lust and vulgarity made both Pan Yu and Qing Luan want to punch him, but they were both restrained by the presence of the other.

  Qing Luan turned around and was about to lead the way when her wrist was caught by Xu Xian. "Ming Yu, you go ahead! I have a couple of words to say to my sister."

  Pan Yu thought for a moment and said: "As long as you like it." Then he turned around and left again.

  The blue phoenix's wrist was caught by Xu Xian, and she felt ashamed in her heart, but then she heard him say that she was his sister in front of Pan Yu, and she felt a little happy. But the last sentence from Pan Yu really made her blush. Did Miss say it was true? Would Master Pan give me to my brother?

  Xu Xian saw her face changing with worry and joy, and tapped her head. He stared at her and said:

  "Little girl, why have you been avoiding me lately?"

  Qing Luan was just thinking of being at a loss and didn't dare counterattack, but instead said in a low voice: "Xu Da Ge"

  With a 'pa' sound, Xu Xian knocked on her head again, "What did you call me?"

  The green phoenix lowered its head even lower and whispered "brother" in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.