Xu Xian Zhi * Volume 2 Chapter 16: Dragon Lord

  Xu Xian felt a sense of comfort and relaxation, as if his bones had become lighter. He stretched out his hand to touch her small head, "This is more like it." He pulled her to sit beside him at the table, "I have a good feeling about you, you're quite similar to me when I was younger, with your careless and unlearned demeanor. Why don't I take you as my little sister, Ming Yu? She won't dare bully you then."

  As soon as he said this, Qing Luan felt a bit clearer and shook off his hand, saying: "I don't want to." He just wanted to be her brother, but she was having all sorts of wild thoughts, it was really embarrassing.

  Xu Xiancai didn't care about her and just said: "Sister, isn't your father still alive?"

  Qing Luan heard him call himself her brother and felt both joy and loss in her heart but was also somewhat sobered.

  I don't know either."

  Xu Xian said: "Your brother, I'm also about to get rich soon. Tell me your father's name, age, height and appearance, let's set a reward and ask someone to find him, how about that?"

  Qing Luan exclaimed in surprise: "Really?" She had some martial arts skills, but she had always been following Cai Feng around, so when did she have the chance to search for her biological father.

  "Of course, a real person can't be without relatives."

  Qing Luan smiled and said: "I have two relatives, one is a young lady and the other is you."

  "Psst, Xian, stop being silly and tell me quickly."

  "You hit me again." Qing Luan cried out, covering her head.

  "Otherwise, you think I'd recognize a little sister for nothing? This is an important pastime as a brother, hurry up and say it."

  The green bird puffed out its cheeks and said unhappily, "My dad's surname is Shentu, he has a big beard all over his face and is very good at cooking. I don't remember anything else."

  Xu Xian murmured: "The surname Shentu is a rare one." But he had the feeling that he had heard this surname somewhere before.

  Pan Yu knocked on Cai Feng's door and asked: "What's going on?"

  Cai Feng explained: "The man from today?"

  Pan Yu put his hand on her lips, "Don't say anything more, I understand."

  Cai Feng was startled by her intimate actions and couldn't help but feel a little regretful. On such a night, if Pan Yu wanted to do something, how should she be good? Where's Wu Qing Luan?"

  Pan Yu smiled and said: "Chatting with her brother in the room, it won't be for a while." With a sly smile on his face.

  Cai Feng scolded the dead girl, who had forgotten her friends and was now eager to be with him. She hadn't even let him coax her for two sentences before she quickly ran off, leaving him behind. Pan Ya finally found a sense of control in front of Cai Feng, looking down at the lamp and seeing that absolutely beautiful face, which was indeed worth treasuring.

  Cai Feng said softly, "Young Master Pan, do you want to ransom me?" As soon as she finished speaking, she regretted it. Usually, others would propose and she would reject them, but today she was the one who brazenly brought it up first, completely losing face.

  Pan Yushang took a step forward and blocked her way, smiling: "Of course, unless you have other thoughts in mind."

  Cai Feng pushed Pan Chen's chest with her hands, lowering her head and said: "I am naturally willing to do so, but please come back another day, Cai Feng is still young and needs care."

  Panyu's hand hooked up the chin of Cai Feng, a pair of smiling eyes seemed to be about to dive into Cai Feng's heart. What if I said I didn't want to go back? Cai Feng was truly in a dilemma, refusing would be difficult, how could she refuse without offending Pan Yu? But agreeing would also be difficult, what if she was abandoned afterwards, wouldn't that be a dead end for herself?

  With a bang, the door creaked open. Qing Luan and Xu Xian stood at the entrance, staring at the scene inside. Both of them were stunned. Two equally stunning faces were pressed extremely close together, embracing each other, forming an absolutely breathtaking picture.

  Cai Feng loudly called out for help and took advantage of the opportunity to push open Pan Yu's face was bright red as he said: "The two young masters, please leave now!"

  Pan Yu's face also slightly flushed as she met Xu Xian's gaze, and she lightly coughed twice before bowing her head in farewell.

  The door closed and Qing Luan's face was full of incredulity: "Miss, you wouldn't... Didn't you say you wouldn't let the rabbit go without letting the eagle fly?"?

  The colorful phoenix pounced on her, saying: "Dead girl, I almost let someone eat you." Of course, she didn't know that Pan Wu temporarily didn't have the ability to eat her away, but was just teasing her and having fun, making up for the confidence he had lost on Xu Xian's body.

  One night passed and at dawn the big ship set sail. This place is already very close to Chibi, and after sailing for only two hours, it arrived under Chibi. The ship stopped and anchored. Everyone looked up at the wall and saw many inscriptions by scholars and poets. It also stirred up a lot of poetic thoughts among the people. Just when Xu Xian was considering whether to go east or not, another boat came drifting down with the current. Chu Jianxiong's eyes narrowed, "Could there be more trouble?"

  Xu Xian looked at the small boat and felt a sense of familiarity, then saw the old fisherman standing at the bow of the boat. Based on his current memory, he immediately thought of it with joy: "Old man, how are you here?"

  The fisherman's father smiled and said: I heard that a strange person came to visit, especially to see you. I didn't expect it was just you, a little kid. His casual tone was as loud and clear as the Yellow Bell and Da Yu, and it seemed to reverberate across the river, never fading away.

  Originally, when Xu Xian was practicing at night, ordinary people couldn't see him, but those with the Tao saw a dazzling golden light that they couldn't look straight at. This old man patrolled the river and heard that someone who practiced had arrived, so he wanted to meet him on the shore.

  It was just that this little boy made many people on the boat frown and secretly say that this fisherman didn't know his place, how could he be so presumptuous. Xu Xian, however, didn't seem to mind at all and instead said with a smile: "Old man, why don't you come aboard? I have some thin wine to offer you."

  He wasn't too impressed with Chu Jianxiong and the like, but was deeply impressed by the old fisherman's magnanimity in the midst of the big snow last time. On the other hand, he also wanted to discuss the issue of children's education with this old man, that little gluttonous loli couldn't be ignored anymore.

  But unexpectedly, the old fisherman shook his head and said: "I never drink with people who are disorganized. If you want to drink, I still have a few cups of turbid wine that you barely qualify for." This sentence directly overturned the meaning of the words inside and outside the ship, which means that except for Xu Xian, no one on this boat is qualified to sit with me and have a cup of wine. At this time, the people on the boat were in an uproar, where did this old man who didn't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth come from?

  Xu Xian said to Pan Yu: "I'll be right back." Pan Yu knew that the people he associated with were all extraordinary and couldn't be judged by ordinary standards, so she nodded in agreement. Xu Xian didn't care about the gazes of the people on the big ship and got down from the large vessel into a small boat.

  The scoundrel nodded and steered the boat to a stop on a sandbank in the river, saying: "There's wine in the boat, go get it quickly." He ordered him around like he was a junior.

  Xu Xian entered the boat and indeed found a jar of wine, then he found two earthen bowls, poured two bowls, and it was indeed turbid wine, but the aroma that rose to his nostrils didn't seem like inferior wine. He asked again: "Old man, do you have something to eat?"

  The fisherman smiled and said: "You're not being polite." He then ordered Xu Xian to bring out a package of broad beans and a plate of fish slices, all of which were used as accompaniments to the wine.

  The fisherman, after taking a sip of wine, said: "Little friend, why have you come here?" He had initially addressed Xu Xian as "young master", but this was just a polite term used between strangers. This time, he called him "little friend", which, although somewhat condescending, also sounded more intimate. Xu Xian's attitude was respectful and humble, matching the term "little friend".

  Xu Xian didn't know about these changes in his heart. Last time it snowed heavily, the fisherman wore a bamboo hat and Xu Xian couldn't see his face clearly. This time when they sat down, Xu Xian took a closer look at him. He saw that the old man's face was rugged and his hair and beard were all white, but messy and unkempt, as if he had never taken care of them. If it weren't for these things, one might still take him for a slovenly old man.

  But the old man's eyes were deep and profound, like a sea that was calm at times and flashing with lightning at others, as if they had substance, sweeping across Xu Xian's face.

  Xu Xian said: "I, Xu Xian, have come to Chibi this time for a pleasure trip. First of all, I would like to thank you again for the kindness of taking me on board last time." After finishing speaking, he took the wine from his bowl and...

  The flavor was just ordinary at first, but then a burst of coolness suddenly emerged from the soles of my feet, and I felt an inexplicable thrill throughout my body. It's hard to describe what kind of wine it is, but I know it's not an ordinary product.

  The old man thought for a moment as if he wanted to dig out this memory from his brain and finally asked: "What?"

  It was Red Cliff, where Cao Cao's men were killed and their fleet set on fire."

  Xu Xiandao said, "Exactly. However, regarding the four words 'killing people and setting fires', no matter how many heroes participate in it or what kind of earth-shaking great undertaking they create, at its core, it's just those four words."

  But for Xu Xian, this chaotic world has great significance. The long river of history is turning a corner in this era and flowing into another river channel, transforming into today's Daxia Dynasty.

  The old man seemed to have recalled the events of that time completely, and with a wave of his hand pointed upstream: "You've come the wrong way. You say that Red Cliff is still dozens of miles further up."

  Xu Xian said with a strange expression: "Is it time to distinguish between the literary and military heroes of Chibi now? How did you know, old man?"

  The old man grabbed a handful of broad beans and sent them into his mouth, then pinched a few pieces of fish meat and chewed them together. Finally, he washed it down with wine, feeling extremely refreshed. "Ah, tens of thousands of people were shouting here all night, disturbing my sleep. Now that I think about it, it's still noisy."

  If it were modern times, Xu Xian would have thought that the old man was an escapee from some mental hospital. But at this moment, he hastily asked: "Old sir is also a cultivator? Otherwise, how could you live for so long? If that's the case, then the little girl's behavior can be easily explained, maybe she's just a little demon?"

  The old man smiled and shook his head: "You also know some of the methods of Qi Gong, and you have lived longer than ordinary people."

  Xu Xian couldn't help but be curious: "Was that battle intense? This period of history in the Three Kingdoms is enough to stir up every nation's heart."

  The old man glared and said, "You say that. In those years, the fish and turtles on this side were fat and numerous after that battle." His words were full of admiration for that war.

  Xu Xian was speechless, what kind of logic is this? No wonder the granddaughter he raised would cry and shout to eat people. It turns out that it's because of this. And look at what they're eating, broad beans are purely for drinking with wine, and fish is eaten raw like this. Although it's sliced very thinly, eating one or two pieces still feels fresh and delicious, but eating too much might make you see green lights in your eyes when you see people. Originally, he wanted to say something about the child's education, but now it seems better to keep his mouth shut.

  Xu Xian was not born to listen to the growth of fish and shrimp for two years. Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Cao Cao, they are all heroes who can't be finished in three days and three nights.

  Picking up the most interesting one, he asked: "You tell me about Zhuge Liang borrowing the east wind. I heard that he even ascended to the altar and performed a ritual. Did he practice some kind of magic?" Since this world has gods and monsters, it's not surprising that Zhuge Liang would know magic.

  The old man took a sip of wine and said, "Zhuge Liang, I'm not very clear about Zhang Jiao, but he's good at magic, but only understands the technique, not the law, and can't be considered a cultivator. Real cultivators are either on an isolated island overseas or in a deep mountain forest. How many people can stay aloof from worldly affairs?"

  Xu Xian said discontentedly: "Didn't all cultivators participate in the Battle of Sealing the Gods?"

  The old man thought and thought, just when Xu Xian thought he couldn't answer, the old man asked: "What is the War of Sealing the Gods?"

  Xu Xian hastily explained something about a nine-tailed fox spirit and a great battle at the Heavenly Gate.

  "The old man listened, puffed out his chest, glared and said: 'You little scamp, do you think I've forgotten the passage of time just because I'm old? You were born in the Spring and Autumn period, how could you have lived to the Shang and Zhou dynasties? And those nonsensical things you mentioned, eight out of ten I've never even heard of. The establishment of the Heavenly Court was after my time, truly a load of nonsense.'"

  Xu Xian was speechless for a moment, as if this was the reason. "The Investiture of the Gods" is also written by humans, so it's not entirely reliable. But Laozi was indeed a real person from the Spring and Autumn period. However, Xu Xian thought for a moment and said: "You must have heard of the Battle of Chu and Han?"

  The old man nodded: "This is indeed what I heard from my father, but it seems that only a few thousand people found a flat land and fought with copper knives and stone axes. It was also two against one, and they won without much effort. Moreover, it's far less impressive than the Battle of Red Cliffs. That year, the fish... zzi?"

  Xu Xian: "What?"

  Thousands of people with copper knives and stone axes, this doesn't sound like a war that decides the fate of the world, but rather like a big group fight. Is this really what the struggle for hegemony is all about? But it seems that in real history, the struggle for hegemony was just a battle between large tribes, and under the production base at that time, the scale of the tribes couldn't be too large. Saying that there were thousands of people in the war might even be an exaggeration.

  Xu Xian was still unwilling: "What Feng Bo Yu Shiying Long Xuan Nu, that's what's written in the history books."

  The old man burst out laughing: "Dragon clan? Would you go and step on a group of fighting ants? If there really was a dragon passing by, it wouldn't be a big battle, but rather a meal. You're also a cultivator, how could you not know this? The method for eternal life has been around since then, but it's just the beginning. Later, someone with the surname Peng cultivated and lived to be 800 years old, which is considered small achievement. Driving clouds and rain? Don't even think about it."

  Xu Xian listened to the implicit meaning and exclaimed in surprise: "You are a dragon?" Long Xing had a vague recollection of the three days of heavy snow in Hangzhou, wondering if it was all brought by the old man's water vapor in front of him.

  The old man laughed and said, "Yes, I have been guarding the Yangtze River for thousands of years. Later, that laborer in heaven even granted a title to some water god of the Yangtze River without asking which one wanted it."

  Xu Xian couldn't help but take a deep breath when he heard this. He had once listened to Yu Xuanji talk about some matters concerning the divine way. The Yangtze River, as the largest water system in the Divine State, although its area is not comparable to that of the ocean, yet it is related to the fate and fortune of hundreds of millions of people. If we talk about the rank of gods, it is even above the Dragon Kings of the various seas, and can be considered the supreme position among the water gods. Even the Jade Emperor would have to show respect and courtesy when meeting him.

  Xu Xian did not expect that this ordinary-looking old fisherman would have such an identity. No wonder the little girl refused to admit she was a dragon from the demon tribe, for how could an ordinary demon compare?

  Xu Xian said strangely, "You said it was ants fighting, now how did it become this appearance?" That means if you look down on ants, how can you become like an ant.

  The usually proud Long Jun let out a sigh and said: "Who would have thought that the world would become like this when there were no humans, but then a great disaster occurred and we became scattered and disorganized. However, we gained spiritual wisdom. The method of longevity has always been pursued by dragons, and later I summarized a set of methods for condensing internal elixir, which all the demon clans must practice. But who would have thought that a certain Li Er from the human tribe would come up with an even more effective method of longevity? Therefore, my kind had no choice but to transform and cultivate. If it weren't for the dragon tribe being aloof by nature, how could humans have taken the lead?"

  Xu Xian finally gave up using those few to interpret this section of history. He slowly realized from the old man's words that the so-called dragon tribe was probably the remnants of the dinosaur era.

  That great calamity that affected the Earth's climate did not kill all dinosaurs, some of them evolved bit by bit over time into intelligent species earlier than humans, but because their individual strength and intelligence were too strong, society had no need to exist, which in turn restricted the emergence of civilization and population development.

  The so-called immortal cultivation of Xian and Shen is nothing more than a technique, a technique that humanity has been striving for since its birth.

  There is a saying that it's hard to be immortal, and death is just like the previous life. In "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong became the king and every day he ate his fill and drank enough, then started worrying about his own lifespan, isn't this so?

  ，」?

  Some rely on wind and dew, some on absorbing the essence and spitting out the air, and some on swallowing gold and wearing stones. What they pursue is only to make themselves live a few decades longer. If one can live as long as heaven and earth, that would be the greatest good.

  But like the development of all technologies, it was not successful at first. Many people who swallowed gold and stone were poisoned to death, and those who played with wind and dew and avoided grains were starved to death. At most, only a few people like Peng Zu achieved minor success.

  Until one day, a man named Li Er walked out of the library he had been guarding for his whole life. He gathered all the wisdom and experience of his predecessors and created an effective method of longevity.

  This greatest heir and successor finally opened up the era of immortals and gods.

  Xu Xian raised his cup and praised: "Listening to your words is truly enlightening, I toast you with this cup." The two of them drank another cup together.

  Xu Xian sighed: "I didn't expect the dragon to come like this."

  It seems that evolution can better explain the origin of dragons than totemic beliefs. Moreover, the appearance of Western dragons is different from that of Eastern dragons, probably due to differences in evolutionary direction and the absence of Taoist practices such as meditation and cultivation. As a result, Western dragons relied on their own strength to dominate humans completely, devouring them at will, without being managed by monks or Taoist priests, ultimately becoming symbols of evil. In contrast, Eastern dragons are more intelligent and stay in the water, relying on human sacrifices to survive.

  The old man said in surprise, "Oh, you know where the dragon comes from?" He saw that Xu Xian had only a few decades of life span, while the dragon was not recorded in history and its own thousands of years of existence were also unclear about where it came from, so how did he know?

  Xu Xian was taken aback and suddenly understood the meaning of "summer insects cannot speak ice". When facing this old dragon, he was indeed an ignorant summer insect. But when this old dragon faced the accumulation of thousands of years of human civilization, wasn't it also a summer insect? The founder of Taoism may have had boundless magical powers, but that didn't necessarily mean he understood the structure of the universe better than a modern elementary school student.

  Xu Xian smiled and said, "Now I can stretch my legs." Then he roughly told the history of the White Bone Demon's destruction of the world, and also talked about the speculations of later generations about that catastrophic event that wiped out the dinosaurs. Long had never seen that part of history, but humans had pieced together the appearance of that era through diligent research.

  The old dragon listened with his eyes wide open, subconsciously stroking his beard, and felt that it was unbelievable. However, relying on his thousand years of wisdom, he couldn't find any flaws in the argument, and instead found that it matched his own experience perfectly, giving rise to a kind of...

  "I originally came from there" and this small human being no longer dares to have an arrogant heart.

  He bowed and said: "Now I realize that I am also a frog at the bottom of the well. The wisdom of humanity should not be underestimated."

  The wisdom of a dragon is not something that can be compared to by one person, the light itself has accumulated experience over its long lifespan, enough to fill an entire library.

  But what Xian said is the crystallization of countless human wisdom, combining mathematics, history, chemistry, physics and other subjects over hundreds of generations. A person's intelligence and lifespan are limited, but humans have expanded their intelligence through communication and extended their lifespan through inheritance, ultimately becoming the spirit of all things.

  Xu Xian was initially somewhat frightened and embarrassed by this bow, but suddenly seemed to remember something and burst out laughing: "The way of longevity is indeed just the way of longevity."

  When the Taoist flies with his shining light, can he be faster than an airplane? When he summons the wind and thunder, can he be more powerful than a mortar shell? What the so-called Immortals and Buddhas are superior to ordinary people is only these two words: "longevity".

  If we say that Xu Xian initially had some reverence and doubt about his own path, but now he has truly cut through the halo of gods and demons, understanding that they are only longer-lived than ordinary people. Eventually, everything they can do will be done by ordinary people in a better way. They were originally no stronger than ordinary people except for living longer.

  The old man asked strangely: "What's so funny?"

  I laugh at how vast the world is, you and I are just frogs at the bottom of a well.

  "What is the Tao, I already know. What are humans, I already know seven or eight things." Although there are still some things that cannot be understood, such as cause and effect, such as reincarnation, but Xu Xian believes that not understanding does not mean it's impossible to understand, what's lacking is only the accumulation of knowledge and that one step of enlightenment at the door.

  No need to humble oneself before gods and buddhas with the weight of thousands of years of human progress on one's back. There is no need to beautify the struggles of a few primitive tribes into some magnificent war of heroes. We are just humans, after all - insignificant humans compared to the mighty dragon tribe, like ants in comparison.

  But it was such a small insect that created the Tao, created Buddhism, and created the future world of乾坤. And in that future world, the road to gods and Buddhas has come to an end, while the road for humans will take people to every corner of the world. Who is the ultimate winner? Time has already given clear evidence that the path I took is the one leading to heaven, while the path you took is a dead-end road.

  The old man looked at the spirited Xian and suddenly thought, "Did Laozi riding a green cow out of Fanggu Valley and the Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree have the same enlightenment? Perhaps they were enlightened to completely different or even opposite things, but didn't they all gain a new understanding of this world and start their own path?"

  Xu Xian suddenly sang a song: "The rolling Yangtze River flows east, the waves wash away all heroes' right and wrong, success and failure. Turning back, the green mountains still stand, with several degrees of sunset glow. The white-haired fisherman is accustomed to watching the autumn moon on the riverbank, and the spring breeze brings a pot of turbid wine, joyful reunions, and countless things past and present are all paid off in laughter."

  The song contains the Lei Yin technique that he usually finds hard to master, but it is used unconsciously. The sound of the song reverberates in the mountains, with a sense of melancholy and sorrow, but also with a surge of Xian's own passion and excitement. The tiger crouches and the dragon coils, today surpassing yesterday, heaven and earth turned upside down, sighs and shouts.

  No matter how heroic you are, what does it count for in the rolling river of history? It is the countless ordinary people who have stirred up the waves of the times. What's the point of being nostalgic about the past myths and legends? The present history should be written by ourselves. Life is just a fleeting moment, let's take a step back and listen to the whispers of heaven and earth.

  The people on the boat initially saw that the old and young were smiling and eating, but they were far inferior to those on the boat. In their hearts, they were all disdainful. Only Pan Yu and Chu Jianxiong relied on their martial arts skills and occasionally heard only a few words, which made them feel shocked. Until Xu Xian sang loudly with the old man, the song was this famous phrase that expressed the magnanimity and self-confidence born between heaven and earth.

  Chu Jianxiong was listening to the song and suddenly felt that everything he was doing now was just a joke, and he was somewhat disheartened. But then he was shocked to realize that the song had seriously affected him, so he quickly gathered his spirits and ordered his men to hurry up. Everyone on the ship was entranced by the song and no one noticed anything. Chu Jianxiong listened again, but the song had already stopped, and he let out a sigh of relief, waiting for his men to arrive. Unfortunately, he didn't hear the old dragon say his own identity.

  Xu Xian finished singing and felt that his heart was broadened, and he became closer to the old dragon in the river. Originally, words that couldn't be spoken were now freely expressed: "Although the dragon clan's power is strong, your granddaughter is still young and her mind is not yet mature. Why don't you take her with you and personally teach her instead of letting her drift away in West Lake? He naturally doesn't believe in any nonsense about sending her to relatives' homes." That little girl's home was probably right there in West Lake.

  The old man waved his hand and said, "Since she can take care of herself, why should she follow me like a fool? Last time, she even dared to run back. If I were young, she would have been bitten to death." This is the rule of the dragon tribe. All young dragons will be driven out after they can stand alone. If they come back again, it's only to fight for territory and there can only be one winner in a battle to the death.

  Xu Xian found this beast education hard to understand. Perhaps the heart of a human is ultimately difficult to fully understand the heart of a dragon, but still asked: "What about her parents?"

  She was the daughter of the Yellow River Dragon King, but decades ago, the Yellow River changed its course and poured into the sea. My son refused to go with the flow and insisted on blocking the river mouth. He saved many people on both banks, but lost his own life in the process. So I raised this child myself. Originally, she should have gone to compete for her father's position as the Yellow River Dragon King, but at her age, how could she be a match for those water monsters? So I sent her to West Lake to cultivate and wait for the day when she can reclaim her rightful place.

  The dragon can control water, but when it encounters a river changing its course, even the mighty dragon is powerless against nature's changes. The word "rebellion" sounds simple, but the price to pay for it is huge and unimaginable. It's not just a matter of shouting a few slogans or spouting nonsense like "heaven and earth are not benevolent".

  In Xu Xian's heart, however, a scene emerged: heavy rain poured down, the muddy river surged, and the embankment burst, flooding thousands of miles. A giant dragon appeared in the midst, trying to block the sea mouth with its own strength to save all living beings from this fundamental change that no creature could withstand. Knowing it was impossible, yet doing it anyway, there was only death.

  And left behind are the unattended young girls and orphans following this majestic yet apathetic grandfather. Seeing the old dragon mention his son's death without any sorrow, Xu Xian couldn't help but feel some anger and asked: "Don't you feel sad?"

  The old dragon shook his head and said, "I'm proud of him not because he saved a few people, but because he did what he wanted to do and had the courage to pay the price for it. Compared to those dragons who learn to build palaces with food as their subjects and become rulers of fish and shrimp, this one has some semblance of being a dragon. As for life and death, they are just things that should happen in one's fate. The difference is only in whether it's sooner or later."

  Xu Xian was speechless for a moment.

  At this time, dozens of small boats suddenly appeared on the river surface and rushed towards the large boat where everyone was sitting. The speed was extremely fast. The big boat immediately became chaotic, with sailors shouting "Quickly raise the sail!"

  Chu Jian's heart was filled with joy, and he leaped up, using his palm as a knife to cut off the sail rope. A strong gust of wind hit him from behind, making it extremely difficult for him to avoid being blown away. He managed to dodge it by rolling on the ground. He wondered how there could be such an expert on the boat, and when he turned around, he saw that it was Pan Ya. He was shocked that this young white-faced boy had such impressive martial arts skills. Adding to his surprise, he realized that the people on the boat were not ordinary guards, but rather a group of experts who were difficult to defeat in battle.

  Jin Shengjie stared in shock as the guest turned into a mortal enemy, and even more astonishing was that Pan Yuteng, who was normally gentle and elegant, leapt into battle with martial arts skills that were not inferior to those of Chu Jianxiong. Cai Feng's eyes flashed with strange colors, but she heard the sound of Qing Luan shouting "Pan Gongzi, I'm here to help you!" as he joined the fray.

  Although the ship was narrow, the terrain was complex. Those more than a dozen guards were somewhat inferior in martial arts. Chu Jianxiong deliberately delayed his time and never fought head-on with anyone. For a moment, he couldn't take him down.

  The people on the boat were anxious and worried, but Pan Yuxin's heart became even calmer. His eyes fell on Xu Xian, thinking to himself: This time, I have to rely on you again.

  At this time, Xu Xian was urging Lao Long to send him back to the boat. He had just made a few more talismans and was about to try out their power.

  Lao Long smiled at Xu Xian and said: "Just in time, I've run out of snacks to go with the wine. I'll go change flavors."

  Xu Xian only then realized why the little girl had been shouting about wanting to eat people all day, it turned out that she had inherited this trait. He quickly grabbed hold of Long Jun who was about to leave and said: "You still teach your granddaughter not to eat people, what's going on here?"

  The old dragon turned back and smiled, saying: "Next time you see her, tell her to eat if she wants to, just don't blame me in the future when she gets killed for eating humans." He then seemed to remember something and took out a bright pearl from his sleeve and tossed it at Xu Xian, saying: "Thanks for the lesson today, I'll give this to you as a gift." After speaking, he plunged into the water, and the small boat was gone without knowing when.

  Xu Xian took the bright pearl, somewhat dazed. This is the dragon's attitude, without good or evil, not even right or wrong, completely independent and self-reliant. As long as one can bear the consequences, there's nothing that can't be done. It's just that after doing it, one might regret it.

  Only the great river surged eastward, but suddenly it seemed to solidify, and the rippling water appeared to have a new master due to some kind of intervention. However, the people on the boat were still completely unaware.

  Many small boats were getting closer and closer, but the big ship was like a turtle that had turned over on its back and couldn't move.

  Jin Shengjie was filled with regret in his heart, but as someone who had been through many things, he ordered the sailors to repair the sails. Although he knew there was no chance, he didn't give up on fighting for that one-in-ten-thousand chance.

  Chu Jianxiong was overjoyed, this time killing Xu Xian not only avenged his great hatred but also captured two noble young masters to obtain a sky-high ransom. Cai Feng was already in his pocket.

  Pan Yu didn't worry at all, putting all her hopes on Xu Xian. Although this expectation seemed unreasonable even to herself, as she didn't know about Xu Xian's abilities. Yet, she believed in him without any doubt and finally called out to Qing'e, no longer chasing after them, standing at the bow of the boat, waiting for Xu Xian to make his move. It was truly a rare sight to see her rely on someone so wholeheartedly.

  Qing Luan was taken aback and retreated back to Cai Feng's side. Cai Feng whispered, "Girl, wait a while, if it doesn't work out, you can jump into the river and run away. In the future, come back to rescue me." Qing Luan glared at her, grasped Cai Feng's hand, and waited for the small boat to approach. To avoid humiliation, she could only fight to the death. However, she couldn't help but look towards Xu Xian on the shore and shouted, "Big brother, hurry up and run!"

  Among the small boats that surrounded them, one of the largest boats had a man standing at the bow laughing and saying: "I am the Dragon King of the River, who can escape from me, Chu Da Ge?" It turned out that he was a water bandit on the river with the nickname "Dragon King of the River".

  Chu Jianxiong listened and immediately decided to go back and make his hypocritical subordinates look good. But Xu Xian had a feeling of not being able to bear watching, he foresaw that a great tragedy was approaching.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, several whirlpools suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, like a number of large mouths densely packed around the big ship. The small boats instantly lost control and started spinning around, while the big ship in the center didn't move at all.

  Xu Xian was about to close his eyes, unable to bear it. Dozens of small boats had turned around in circles and quickly sank into the water, leaving behind only a few cries of surprise and a string of bubbles. Nothing remained. The surface of the water returned to calmness, and the people on the big ship forgot what they were doing, staring blankly at the scene. Chu Jianxiong knew that these subordinates were all good hands at playing with the tide, but even after staring for half a day, he didn't see a single one float up.

  Is it like this again?

  Chu Jianxiong spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling depressed and frustrated. It was the same last time, when he was about to succeed, but mysteriously failed, and lost so thoroughly that his entire army was annihilated. The people he had accumulated over the years sank into the river in a very ridiculous way.

  Chu Jianxiong's eyes were about to split open as he let out a loud roar: "Xu Xian, I'm not done with you yet!" He then turned around and jumped into the river.

  At this time, those whirlpools swallowed dozens of small boats and seemed to be satisfied, disappearing. They actually let Chu Pengxiong land safely and enter the dense forest by the shore.

  Xu Xian heard this sentence but felt as if he was watching an anime when the big villain flew up into the sky, turned into a star and shouted out that one sentence "I will be back".

  This really isn't wuxia.

  I hope this world's composition can satisfy you but personally still feel quite reasonable alas, never mind, it's a headache to die for, what a tiring Chinese New Year.