Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 296 Going down the mountain
"The Netherworld Tomb with white bones and skulls everywhere, the Death Heart Vortex where Jiang Chen and water ghosts run rampant, and the Blue Sky Cliff connecting the two worlds of darkness and the underworld in Jiuzhou, these three places are the real dangers of Wenyan River area, and they are also the places where ghosts and zombies gather in groups."

Next to Li Long's hand was a wine jar, which exuded a fragrant aroma that smelled sweet and mellow.

The maid in green skirt filled the three people's glasses with wine and stood aside.

Cha Xiaodao listened carefully, pondered for a while, and hesitated: "From what you said, there is a gate between the two worlds in [Biluo Cliff]? But shouldn't the gate between the two worlds be the gateway from Jiuzhou to the mountain and sea world? If there is such a thing in that ghost place, would the court ignore Fuchunji like it does now?"

"No, no."

Li Long drank the wine in the cup in one breath. This [Collapse of Snow and Cold Plum] is a double set of wine brewed by the master chef in Chunjiang Tower using the water from the three rivers in the midwinter season. The alcohol content is not high, but the aftertaste is deep. He shook his finger and said meaningfully: "The [Blue Sky Cliff] is just a crack, far from being called a [gate between two worlds]. The crack allows ghosts and Yin to enter and exit without any worries, but ordinary people cannot get close to it. Over time, the [Blue Sky Cliff] has become a ghost den in the world between the two worlds of Jiuzhou and Anyou.

"What is the Dark World? The Yellow Springs Underworld? The Ghost Gate of Wangchuan?
Seeing Qin Huai's questioning, Li Long didn't say much, but just said vaguely: "The starry sky reflects the nine realms, and this dark world is one of them. From the root, it is no different from the mountain and sea world and the nine states world."

Before Cha Xiaodao could ask more questions, Li Long raised his right hand and held up the wine glass: "Brother, I have just said so much, my mouth is really dry, drink some wine and then talk slowly."

After a pause, he continued, "The underground palace is dangerous. If you fall into the sea of ​​bones and corpses, you will die. The ghost den is treacherous. If you get lost, it will be difficult to rescue. In my opinion, Brother Cha should hold a banquet in the center of Qujiang River. In this way, the people on the boat will be able to help a little."

Cha Xiaodao didn't say anything, he actually wanted to go to the top of the mountain to have a look. But he knew his current situation and he really didn't have any means to deal with the sudden change, so he simply agreed to Li Long's proposal.

"If this [Death Heart Vortex] has any special secrets, taboos or rules, I hope the master can explain it in detail."

Qin Huai also raised his glass and responded.

Maybe Li Long really didn't care about Fuchunji, the foundation he had built up after working hard for half his life, or maybe he had other plans. In any case, at this moment, he was like a kind-hearted and generous man, and told all the information one by one.

"Most of Jiang's ghosts are not conscious. Let me ask you two, if you want to have a smooth banquet, what should you do first?"

"Calm down the ghosts."

"That's right, but then again, Jiang Qian and the water ghosts don't have much sanity left, how can we appease them?"

Li Long added: "My two brothers, you may think of using force to scare them, but I have to say a heartfelt word here, it is useless."

Yin Qi gathered and dispersed, and the minions appeared. Li Long patted the six-foot ghost soldier beside him, who was a little restless and had red light flashing frequently in his eyes: "You have also seen my [minions] refined by Jiang Min. They obey orders and are fearless. But if they insist on using force to force those Jiang Min water ghosts who have not yet been liberated and have great resentment, what will be the consequences."

If it were someone else, they would naturally be confused, but who is Yanfu Xingxing? Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao looked at each other and nodded.

"What the master of the gathering means is to use external objects as sacrifices to appease the ghosts in a gentle way?"

Cha Xiaodao raised his eyebrows, with a strange expression: "Brother Li, there are so many [Minions] in this ghost market, aren't they all captured and refined in this way?"

Qin and Cha spoke in unison and figured out Li Long's intention in just a few words.

"Hehe, if you two brothers don't trust me, you can just tell me straight away. What you really want to ask is, did I deliberately kill those Jiang's minions?"

A gleam of brilliance flashed across Qin Huai's eyes, and he said nothing more.

Li Long stretched out his little finger, dipped it in the tea, and drew a sharp bend and several virtual circles on the wine table.

"The Qujiang River is a sharp bend with many stubborn reefs and rocks at the bottom of the river. The speed of the surging river water varies greatly here, so many whirlpools are formed, killing countless people."

"I am just a merchant. If I really have the power to overturn the seas and rivers, why would I stay here and do these things?"

Li Long sighed and waved his hand to dismiss the soldiers guarding nearby.

Qin Huai took a glimpse of the scene without finding any information feedback, and he didn't believe Li Long's nonsense at all.

Cha Xiaodao gulped down the remaining wine in the bottle, stared at Li Long and said, "Brother Li has said so much, I believe you must have prepared it in advance. Don't keep us in suspense, take out the things quickly and let us have a look."

He glanced at Qin Huai again: "Of course, my wallet is not full. If Brother Li asks for an exorbitant price, then my two brothers will have to force their way through the [Death Vortex]. By then, those Jiang's minions and water ghosts will be swept away, and Brother Li will have no ghosts to train. Don't bother us."

Qin Huai also responded at the right time, pretending to cooperate: "Master, we are all rough people. We can do nothing but fight and kill. If you really have other ideas, you might as well say it directly. If in the end you and I fall out over some trivial matters, then all our arguments today will be in vain~"

"Brothers, what are you talking about? The external objects used to appease ghosts are not precious. It's just that they are rarely circulated in Yangzhou, so they are hard to find on the market."

Li Long pulled out a bundle of incense sticks from his sleeve and handed it to Cha Xiaodao.

[Kitchen God Incense Sticks]: These are hand-rubbed by incense-making masters whose star signs are Tianchu Star or Tianzao Star, and are imbued with the magical power of the Kitchen God.

Note: The user only needs to light the incense and gather yin and yang to calm all things.

"This item is not expensive. I will only make a 10% profit. I will give you 1,000 taels of silver. I will just consider it as making friends with you two."

"It's really not expensive. Thank you, Master."

Qin Huai nodded, took out a purse from his waist, and motioned to Cha Xiaodao to carefully put away the incense sticks.

"After you two brothers descend Yanling Mountain, head west and you will see a dilapidated pier. Further west is the [Death Heart Vortex] in the center of Qujiang River."

Li Long took the purse casually, without even looking at it, and threw it on the small table behind him.
-
"Old Qin, is it okay to just hand the babies over to them?"

Cha Xiaodao looked at the ugly and scoundrel in front of him and was always worried about handing the children over.

"Don't worry, there are people watching up there."

Qin Huai raised his chin and motioned Cha Xiaodao to look up at the sky.

Cha Xiaodao looked in the direction and happened to catch a glimpse of the Flying Yaksha who briefly appeared.

"That is?"

"My summons, it's enough to escort them home."

"No wonder you are so calm, it turns out you have a backup plan."

Standing next to the giant tortoise shell, Cha Xiaodao watched them go east down the mountain. When their figures were completely out of sight, he pulled Qin Huai, who was resting with his eyes closed, and said, "Let's go?"

"Walk."

The five people and one tiger walked along the road. Not long after they walked, they saw an extremely simple dock fish market not far ahead.

Several old sampans that had been patched up countless times were docked here in a disorderly manner.

The head of the guards looked at those shacks that were not even thatched huts, and stopped along with Qin Huai and the other man.

"They are people who have no land and are dedicated to fishing. It seems that because the water flow in Qiantang is disordered and there are not many fish, they gather together to keep warm."

Although Qiantang has been flooded recently, and everyone knows that the water is dangerous, all the fishermen's belongings are on the boat, and they cannot abandon their homes and businesses even if it is dangerous. They can only stay together here for warmth, share oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, and barely survive day after day.

At this time, smoke was rising from the boats, and it was obvious that every family was cooking and eating on the boats.

Smelling the aroma of the fish soup, the White Tiger Guard, who had been eating dry food all day in Fuchun Market, suddenly felt a rumbling sound in his stomach.

"Daozi, stop looking. I'll light the fire and you cook. Let's rest here for half a day first."

Qin Huai patted Cha Xiaodao, who was still rummaging through the [fresh basket] on his waist for instant noodles, and walked towards the dock holding a bundle of half-wet branches.

"Don't worry, my three brothers. I'm quick and I guarantee you'll have hot meals in less than two minutes."

Just as Cha Xiaodao was comforting the [White Tiger Guards], a panicked scream attracted their attention.

"Ghost, water ghost!"

However, when a young girl was killing a fish on the shore, the smell of blood accidentally attracted a water ghost wandering in the vast river fog. She was then pinched by the ankle with a cold and piercing blue-black hand and pulled into the water.

"Girl, don't be afraid! Wife, use more force!"

The weather-beaten old man and woman rushed out of the hut upon hearing the shouting and held their daughter's waist, abdomen and shoulders tightly, but this could not help her break free from the water ghost's clutches.

As the girl's body sank lower and lower, her originally pale face gradually turned gray, as if the water ghost's yin energy was too strong and had already invaded her body.

A boy next to him, who was about twelve or thirteen years old and still looked childish, was also running around in a panic.

The other white water men on the small boats all heard the sound and looked over. After seeing the real situation, they hurriedly picked up the bamboo poles on the boats and poked at the water ghost, but all their poles fell into the void like bubbles, and had no effect at all.

At this moment, the sampan shook slightly, and a golden and red forearm penetrated the surface of the river and grabbed the dark blue ghost hand.

The anxious couple immediately heard a voice ringing in their ears: "Hold on to the edge of the boat, don't capsize!"

They were in a state of panic, but when they looked at this mysterious warrior who suddenly appeared, they felt a lot more at ease.

They are ordinary people without any star power and unable to protect themselves, but the man in front of them looks like a powerful warrior with extremely high star power cultivation, and he will definitely be able to rescue their daughter!
Qin Huai exerted his strength and squeezed the dark blue palm of the water ghost, which had already turned into a physical entity, and it was crushed alive. Before it could use its invisible body to escape, it was smashed to pieces by the golden red iron fist that followed closely behind.

Soon, the girl with a dark blue hand mark on her ankle was pulled back to the boat in shock, with sweat on her forehead and temples.

The frightened water ghost seemed to have never been there and was solved by Qin Huai in two moves. The fisherman and his family all knelt down at Qin Huai's feet and kowtowed desperately.

"Master! Please leave your name. Our Yang family will work like slaves in the next life and repay you with kindness. If you don't mind, my little girl..."

"No need to do that, just sell me a fish."

Qin Huai shook his head, pointed at the two fresh fish hanging in the cabin, and glanced at the girl who was obviously in an abnormal condition.

Name: Yang Xiaomei
Status: Yin energy enters the body (lifespan shortened)
"They are all worthless fish and shrimp. If you don't have enough to eat, I will go and catch some more."

"Don't waste your energy. Stewing this meat with ginger can replenish your daughter's energy and lifespan."

Qin Huai waved his hand, threw down a piece of good meat from the ribs of the Giant Flame Pig, and then jumped off the shaky, falling-apart dinghy.

After the couple saw the appearance of the pork, they expressed their gratitude again.

Qin Huai returned to the camp carrying fresh fish and river shrimps. He glanced at the camp stove that had been dug and at Cha Xiaodao who was trying to find a way to light wet branches, and spoke.

"Let me do it. You go and clean up the fish and shrimp first."

"Okay, is the girl okay?"

Cha Xiaodao stood up and wiped his hands with a wet towel.

"It's nothing serious, but the danger of this [Death Vortex] is probably more dangerous than we thought."

Qin Huai took out a yellow talisman, crushed it, and then controlled the [Fire in the Wood] to ignite the pile of wet branches.

"Although the continuous rain blocked the blazing sun, it was still a bright day. The water ghost was not afraid of the dense human atmosphere and dared to harm people at will."

"Daozi, this ghost banquet of yours is not easy to prepare."

Cha Xiaodao put the cleaned fish and shrimp on the chopping board, muttering: "When the enemy comes, we will fight back; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. No matter how difficult it is, we have to do it."

Cold oil soaks the iron pot and the flames under the hanging stove grow stronger.

Use a knife to drain the fish and shrimp, coat them with a layer of flour, put them in a preheated frying pan, and fry them in boiling oil until both sides are golden brown.

Grab a small bowl of the sauce that has been prepared earlier and mix it evenly with vinegar, light soy sauce, soy sauce, noodle sauce, cooking wine, salt, red and white sugar and other seasonings.

Seeing that the star anise and peppercorns had been fried in fragrant rapeseed oil in the pot, Cha Xiaodao immediately added the scallions, ginger and garlic to stir-fry. With a crisp sizzling sound, white smoke rose from the pot and the fragrance shone out.

Add the fried fish, and as the heat from the [wood fire] gradually increases, pour in the simmering sauce in the small bowl and cook for a while, the aroma will become more complex.

“Are you stewing this in an iron pot?”

Qin Huai, who was feeding the tiger with fresh meat, saw the knife's smooth movements and couldn't help but feel curious about the dishes for tonight.

Cha Xiaodao kept working and took out a bucket of clean water from the [fresh cage].

"Tianjinhai specialty, stewing small fish with steamed buns, is also considered a big pot dish."

"When I was little, my dad loved to cook this dish. You'll know when you try it later. It's so delicious~"

Cha Xiaodao added clean water into the pot. After it covered the fish and shrimps, he ignored it and took a porcelain bowl, mixed the cornmeal and flour in it, added water, and kneaded it into dough.

After a while, seeing that the soup in the iron pot had become thick, Cha Xiaodao took the brush and brushed another circle of cold oil on the iron pot.

Bang bang bang~
Use a knife to pinch the proofed dough into small portions, pat them into palm-sized pancakes, and stick them around the edge of the pan.

"Let's eat!"

Cha Xiaodao exhaled a puff of cigarette with great enjoyment, and said to the others in a cocky manner: "The conditions are limited, so just eat what you can."

(End of this chapter)