The Martial Lord of the Troubled World

Chapter 89 The Groom
The tiger-shaped monster on the riverbank raised its forelimbs, its dark golden pupils turning towards the man, and exhaling black smoke mixed with sparks from its nostrils.

"Roar--"

The man seemed to understand its meaning and blinked.

You mean there are two?

The monster swung its neck and let out a low, hoarse growl, revealing a ring of black mane growing from its neck.

"You want to eat both?"

The man laughed and approached the monster.

The invisible heat surging around him made the man's already sparse hair even more scorched and dry. His lips were cracked, and his cheeks showed a sickly purplish-red color and premature aging caused by years of exposure to high temperatures.

He didn't care at all, and instead slowly brought his palm close to the demon, making a stroking motion from a distance.

"Don't worry, it will all be your prey sooner or later."

The man squinted, gazing at the distant river. He gently tightened his fingers, and the charred pebble he had just been holding instantly turned to powder, trickling down between his fingers.

"Once we capture Yangping, we'll take the next two provinces."

"...With my mastery of military strategy and your supernatural abilities, we can go anywhere in the world."

Suddenly someone raised his foreign rifle and fired a shot into the air, followed by hundreds of people shouting in unison, "General Ming!"

Countless fluttering red scarves and deafening shouts seemed to ignite a raging fire that instantly spread across the riverbank, dispelling the surrounding winter chill.

"Boom boom——"

Amidst the roar of the diesel engine, the small cargo ship, trailing black smoke, carved a path of murky white foam across the river as it slowly moved forward.

Fu Juemin stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the scenery on both banks.

He changed into a light-colored stand-up collar shirt, and wore the satin trousers he often wore when practicing martial arts. He didn't feel cold, but the biting river wind made his face feel a little tight.

The small cargo ship had been sailing on the Luan River for almost two hours, and its speed was gradually stabilizing. It had now entered the Wuxian section of the river.

It was winter, and both banks of the river were covered with vast expanses of withered yellow reeds, followed by the dried-up and silted riverbed. Every now and then, one could see a simple shack built on the riverbank. When a cargo ship passed by, the refugees who were lying in the muddy water and silt on the riverbank would wave excitedly at it.

Along the way, the Fu family encountered more than one section of the river with collapsed banks and severe siltation. If the cargo ship had not been small and had not had a shallow draft, it would have caused them a lot of trouble.

"According to the map, at the current speed of the cargo ship, if all goes smoothly, it will only take three days to completely leave Yangping territory."

Then, transfer to the 'Haiyan' passenger ship at the entrance of the Minjiang River, and travel directly to Shenghai..."

Fu Juemin thought to himself silently.

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. The sky and earth were very bright, but there was no warmth. The sunlight was weak and listless, as if it were always covered by a thin layer of gray-white clouds.

This is what the old saying refers to as a "snow-brewing day"—it may not actually snow, but the temperature will definitely be very cold at night.

"Brother Lingjun".

A soft call drew Fu Juemin's attention back. Xu Xinyi, draped in a hand-knitted cashmere blanket, snuggled into his arms.

This time, Fu Juemin did not refuse and embraced her. Xu Xinyi was plump and dressed in thin clothes. Holding her felt like holding a warm and full piece of jade.

Fu Juemin had already heard everything that happened at the Cold Clothes Ritual at the dock from Cao Tian, ​​and he was quite satisfied with Xu Xinyi's final choice.

He may not have much affection for Xu Xinyi, but having a woman who is willing to love him so wholeheartedly is not a bad thing.

"Brother Lingjun"

Xu Xinyi, nestled in his arms, called out softly again. Fu Juemin hummed in response, looked into Xu Xinyi's eyes, and sensed that she seemed to have many things she wanted to say to him.

But in the end, he didn't say anything, he just hugged himself even tighter than usual.

The two huddled together at the bow of the boat until sunset. As the river grew colder and the black smoke from the diesel cargo ship became unbearable, they retreated back into the cabin.

into the night.

In the small room, Fu Juemin stood in the Hunyuan stance with his eyes closed.

Space on the ship was limited, and apart from a few bottles of blood-tonifying pills, he hadn't brought anything related to martial arts training. For the next few days, Fu Juemin would probably only be able to practice standing meditation.

Once we arrive in Shenghai, we can easily spend a lot of silver dollars to restore our original cultivation conditions in Luanhe, and they might even be better.

After dinner, the diesel engine in the hold was shut down, and the boat was left to drift on the river, steered by the boatman. If the wind was favorable, the boat could travel quite a distance overnight.

Fu Juemin stood barefoot on the deck, his body moving with the rise and fall of the ship, as if rooted to the ground, with an indescribable charm.

He had practiced the Hunyuan stance for a long time, but without skill points, he was still far from achieving mastery.

Practicing martial arts has always relied on years of accumulated, persistent effort.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door.

Fu Juemin opened his eyes, a strange look flashing across his face.

He stood quietly for a while, and after the knocking was repeated three times, he finally went up and opened the door.

"Lingling Jun-ge..."

As soon as the door opened, Xu Xinyi stood there wrapped in a blanket. Whether it was from the cold river wind at night or some other reason, her body and voice were trembling slightly when she saw him.

"Come in." Fu Juemin reached out and pulled her in, closed the door, and looked at her calmly.

Inside the cramped cabin, the kerosene lamp on the table flickered.

Xu Xinyi didn't say anything after she came in, but she gripped the corner of the blanket tightly with both hands.

"I"

Suddenly, Xu Xinyi opened her mouth, as if she had made up her mind, and loosened her grip, causing the blanket draped over her to slip to the ground.

She was wearing a nightgown that was probably for summer, with lace trim, revealing her beautiful, pearly white arms and neck.

At this moment, Xu Xinyi was like a gift that had been unwrapped on its own, standing steadily in front of Fu Juemin with her head down, waiting for his appreciation.

Fu Juemin's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment, he reached out and pulled Xu Xinyi into his arms, then picked her up in his arms.

Xu Xinyi's breathing suddenly became rapid, and she buried her head deeply in his arm.

Fu Juemin carried Xu Xinyi to the bed and peeled her skin clean like a bamboo shoot, carefully examining the large expanse of alluring white skin before him as it was gradually tinged with a thin layer of rouge pink.

The light was dim, and he took a deep breath before slowly pressing his body down.

at this time
An unprecedented sense of dread arose in Fu Juemin's heart!
It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, instantly extinguishing all his burning passion.

Fu Juemin's expression suddenly turned serious. He abruptly got off the bed, picked up the clothes he had just taken off from the floor, hurriedly put them on, and then strode out of the room.

"Brother Lingjun!"

Xu Xinyi's surprised and bewildered voice rang out behind him, but Fu Juemin didn't turn around. He simply said in a deep voice, "Get dressed and don't come out for now!"

"boom!"

After closing the door and stepping out of the cabin, Fu Juemin's expression finally turned truly grim.

"The dock...water sprite"

Appeared again
Moreover, based on his recent perception of that demonic aura, he was certain that the other party should be nearby at this moment.

It chased us all the way up from the Luan River!
Fu Juemin looked around with a gloomy expression. The river was pitch black, and he could hardly see anything. However, there were people running quickly on the boat.

A moment later, someone rushed toward him.

"Master!"

The one who arrived was one of the guards that the Fu family had brought with them this time; it seemed he had come looking for him.

"problem occurs!"

Seeing the constant flashes of horror on the other person's face, Fu Juemin took a deep breath and slowly said, "Take me there."

Five minutes later, Fu Juemin stood on the deck at the stern of the ship, surrounded by a crowd.

Apart from family members and women, almost all the men on the boat came over, and a dozen torches were lit, illuminating a small area of ​​water around them.

"...I first heard a 'splash' sound, and I thought it was a big fish, but..."
It suddenly leaped up, grabbed Xiao Liu, and then hid back in the water.

The speaker was Wang Shuisheng, whose face was pale and whose voice was trembling. Someone next to him offered him a cigarette to calm him down, but he didn't even hold it properly and dropped it on the ground.

It's hard to imagine what terrifying scene Wang Shuisheng, a martial artist at the Bone Forging Realm, had just experienced that could frighten him to this extent.

Fu Juemin glanced to the side and saw his father, Fu Guosheng, with a furrowed brow, and Li Tong also looking slightly tense.

He thought for a moment, just about to say something.

Suddenly, a loud "splash" came from the river not far away. In an instant, everyone on the boat was terrified and retreated.

"River God, spare me! River God, spare me! I meant no offense."

The hired boatman was the worst off; he knelt down on the deck and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy as the water rippled.

Fu Juemin was annoyed by what he heard, so he kicked him over.

Instead of wasting time kowtowing here, why don't you hurry up and get the boat moving!

He snapped, his face cold, and gestured, "Give me the gun!"

The quick-witted guard hurriedly handed him the Han-made spear and held up a torch to light his way.

Fu Juemin walked expressionlessly to the side of the boat, raised his gun and aimed, the muzzle slowly scanning the dark river surface.

[Hidden Listening] activated, and all sounds and noises from underwater within a radius of several miles quickly entered his ears—

The sounds of underwater currents, schools of fish darting about, and the soft rustling of stones against scales.
Countless extraneous sounds were quickly filtered out, and finally, a strange yet familiar thin figure appeared in Fu Juemin's mind.

Unlike the one Fu Juemin had "seen" before, this water monkey seemed to be carrying something on its back.

It was dark, long and narrow, covered with layers of thick silt and aquatic plants.

In the murky, dark water, Fu Juemin "glimpsed" a section beneath the long, thin object that appeared to be loosely wrapped, revealing what seemed to be a woman's pale ankle.
As if sensing Fu Juemin's "spying", the water monkey in [Youling]'s "vision" suddenly turned around, its eyes burning like ghost fire instantly staring intently at Fu Juemin!

"boom!"

On the dark water, a splash of water exploded without warning.

Almost simultaneously, a sharp glint flashed in Fu Juemin's eyes, and he pulled the trigger, a deafening gunshot suddenly erupting.
(End of this chapter)