Volume 5 Chapter 29: Special Joy From Within
Fine rain scattered across the waterfront terrace.
"You are a soldier?"
Lin Xi looked at the assassin leader seated on the ground, asking again.
"I used to be." The assassin leader coughed, and then said with difficulty, "If I knew you were a cultivator, we definitely wouldn't have taken action."
Lin Xi's brows furrowed, he sensed a familiar smell from his Toxicology course. "As long as you can tell me who prompted you into doing this, I can ensure that you won't die. There is no need for you to do this." He looked at this assassin leader, quickly seriously saying.
"If I don't die, there will be others who will die." The assassin leader laughed with difficulty, saying, "Thank you for your good intentions."
"I can get revenge for you." After some hesitation, Lin Xi looked at this assassin leader and said, "Once he is dead, no one else will suspect that it was you who spoke."
"There's no need, thanks." The assassin leader began to cough blood.
Even though the waterproof black armor covered even the face, there was still blood flowing from his mouth and nose areas. It was completely black.
Lin Xi watched silently.
This was Suckling Pigfish Poison, a rather superficial type of poison in Green Luan Academy's Toxicology course. However, the poison acted extremely quickly, even if Lin Xi immediately made the antidote, with the other party's non cultivator aptitude, he still wouldn't be able to save him in time.
Moreover, the other party's poisoning was completely a method used in the army, hidden between the lips and teeth. Even if he didn't use his ability earlier and could still go back in time, he still didn't have any way of preventing him from ingesting the poison.
No matter how fast his sword was, it couldn't compare to the other party clenching his teeth.
The other three assassins he knocked down on the terrace long lacked all sounds.
The wide river surface was already extremely calm, even the assassin who was knocked into the water was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Buping stood there in a stupor. He naturally knew that since Lin Xi took on the role of Enforcer, there was no way he was that weak. However, when just the light wave of a longsword could easily send someone flying, creating several corpses on the small building's terrace, this type of scene, for him, was a bit too shocking.
Fourth Grandpa Zhu walked past his side.
Lin Xi turned around, looking at this lean faced, forty something year old river character dressed in rough cloth clothes.
"I am precisely Fourth Grandpa Zhu."
Fourth Grandpa Zhu didn't waste any words, a bit shaken as he bowed towards Lin Xi, using the most sincere voice to say, "These people have nothing to do with us."
When he heard Fourth Grandpa Zhu's words, Wang Buping snapped out of his daze. His body suddenly shook, turning around to look at this renowned Breath River character.
Lin Xi calmly sized up Fourth Grandpa Zhu, looking at his facial features. He calmly said, "What proof do you have?"
Fourth Grandpa Zhu looked at Lin Xi, saying, "These people's way of doing things is similar to the military, there is no way anyone under us has this type of people."
Lin Xi shook his head. "As long as there is silver, any of these people from the military can be purchased."
Fourth Grandpa Zhu's arms and legs became a bit cold.
He noticed that in this type of situation, he indeed couldn't find any reason to prove himself.
"Do you have any idea where these people are from?" Right at this time, Lin Xi instead asked.
Fourth Grandpa Zhu was stunned, but he didn't say anything.
His eyes moved towards the spacious river.
Lin Xi also suddenly turned around, looking towards the river surface.
There were water sounds.
A small boat was currently speeding over.
A pallid faced middle-aged man was moving a pole, controlling the boat.
He seemed to be extremely sickly, the river water also extremely deep, there should be no way the pole used in shallow waters could reach the floor, yet this pole seemed to be able to control the current below the boat. With just a stir and stroke, this small boat moved with shocking stability and speed, as if it was a spider leaping along the water surface.
Lin Xi had never seen such a fast ship, so his eyes were deeply drawn.
Cultivator!
This pallid faced man was definitely a cultivator, or else there was no way he could have this type of power, able to control a boat to this level.
"Second brother..."
The instant he saw the figure on the boat, Fourth Grandpa Zhu couldn't help but cry out softly.
In this world, there was already no one who understood this sickly man better than him.
In this river, no one had better swimming and boating skills than him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be called this Breath River's Dragon King.
Many times, when their brothers were in danger, this 'Dragon King' would control a boat precisely like this, appearing before his eyes.
Right now, this Dragon King was seriously ill, but just like before, when danger was imminent, he would appear before his eyes.
"This humble one is Zhang Long, those who make a living on Breath River, out of adoration, call me Second Grandpa Zhang."
"These people who came from the river... if they were sent by me, I would definitely want to see just what kind of scene it is, I'd definitely set up some small boats in the river, watch from the distance. If Sir Lin is willing to believe us two brothers, you can come onto my boat, I will bring sir in pursuit."
When there was still quite a bit of distance between Lin Xi and himself, Second Grandpa Zhang's slightly gasping breath already sounded.
When Lin Xi gave Fourth Grandpa Zhu whose eyes were filled with an indescribable feeling a look, after remaining silent for a bit, he raised his head slightly. He looked at the small boat that arrived with great speed, and then at the Dragon King who controlled it. He nodded. "Sure."
Second Grandpa Zhang nodded. His nose moved slightly, while smelling the familiar water vapor smell, he also smelled a unique fishiness.
Unknown whether it was because he was riding a boat at night or because of Lin Xi's reply, his mood instead became a bit more stirred up than before, a bit of a smile appearing on his pallid face. "Sir Lin, you've already cut up an Ironhead Dogfish?"
Lin Xi's brows furrowed slightly as he watched the boat get closer and closer. When he heard Second Grandpa Zhang's words, he was a bit stunned, not replying, only nodding.
Second Grandpa Zhang looked at the green-clothed youngster who quietly stood in the rain, calm and full of vigor, with a smile saying, "Sir can bring it onto the ship, eat while chasing after them. Ironhead Dogfish's meat quality is special, if the time is a bit long, the taste will become worse. Even if you forcefully eat it, the taste and effectiveness will greatly decline."
"Alright."
Lin Xi nodded again, turning around and sprinting outwards. With a tap of his feet, his body flew out, leaping onto the second floor. When he appeared again, his hands had faint yellow light flickering about, holding a large pot that was still boiling. On top of the pot was a large plate, on it several dozen already cut fish fillets and a large fish that had already been partly butchered.
Lin Xi didn't stop in the slightest, leaping out from the terrace with this boiling pot in hand.
He landed in the quickly moving boat.
When his feet landed on the boat, the bamboo rod in Second Grandpa Zhang's hands stirred gently in the water, the boat almost completely without any rocking, steadily stopping in the water.
Lin Xi sat down, placing the large pot at the front of the boat.
Just like how Lin Xi immediately sensed that the assassin leader was from the army, right now, both he and Second Grandpa Zhang seemed to sense the other party's breadth of mind, having a type of unique tacit agreement.
When he saw Lin Xi sit down at the front of the boat, Second Grandpa Zhang's face produced even more brilliance, the wind and rain on this river making his chest feel even more joy. He looked at Lin Xi in admiration, glancing at the faint green longsword in Lin Xi's hands, saying in admiration, "Daybreak, an excellent sword."
Lin Xi turned slightly, greeting respectfully, "Mister's skills in controlling the boat are admirable, full of lofty spirit. I will have to completely rely on this mister."
"If we are talking about boat control and speed of boat rowing, for the past twenty years in Breath River, if I claim to be number two, no one dares claim to be number one. If we are talking about lofty qualities, there aren't many who can compare to Sir Lin either."
Second Grandpa Zhang smiled radiantly, but the bamboo pole in his hands never stopped, the small boat seemingly flying. While speaking, the small building was already far behind them.
Lin Xi didn't say anything else, starting to cut the fish seriously with his dagger.
The snow-white fish fillet entered the large pot like magnolia flowers, immediately filling up a plate.
The water in the pot was still boiling. Lin Xi poured all of the fish fillets into the boiling water, and then after cooking them a bit, the fish fillets furled up slightly, becoming even more fine and tender.
Bamboo chopsticks moved quickly. On this extremely stable ship, he picked up all of these fish fillets extremely quickly, turning around and placing them in front of Second Grandpa Zhang, placing the bamboo chopsticks in his hands on the jade plate.
"Many thanks."
When he saw Lin Xi do this, Second Grandpa Zhang didn't decline either, expressing his thanks with a smile. "This humble one has already been sick for a long time, hard to digest food, so one plate is enough."
Lin Xi nodded. He cut another plate of fish, directly using his fingers to cook them in the pot, and then placed them in his mouth. The unique freshness actually had a bit of orchid fragrance, the exquisite soft meat also having a bit of a flexible texture, truly something no sashimi of his previous world could compare to.
Right at this time, Second Grandpa Zhang smiled radiantly again. The boat paused, still steady and not shaking, but it moved even quicker.
In the wide river, a black ship appeared within their line of sight.
On the ship was a man in a black raincoat, in his hands a pair of paddles.
Even though they couldn't see this man's face clearly, the moment Lin Xi and Second Grandpa Zhang saw him, he already turned around, his body shaking, clearly also shocked at the speed of the small boat Lin Xi and Second Grandpa Zhang were on.
Lin Xi naturally cut the fish fillets, after heating them a bit, he placed them into his mouth.
The boat ahead began to move in an even more panicked manner, but its speed couldn't compare to Lin Xi's at all.
While sailing across the dark drizzling night and eating this river's most vicious Ironhead Dogfish fillets, chasing after the enemies ahead, Lin Xi only felt a type of unrestrained and happy feeling inside.
"I cannot chase too close, or else he will definitely jump into the river to escape. With my current condition, I fear that I cannot catch him. Three more li ahead and there is a moderate shallow area, the river flow even slower. At that time, even if he wants to jump into the water to escape, it will still be easier to catch him."
While the large fish in his hands slowly disappeared, a snow-white set of bones slowly appearing, Second Grandpa Zhang suppressed his voice, saying this while coughing slightly. He reached out a hand, grabbing a fish fillet, chewing it in his mouth slowly.
"Such an excellent taste, it's something I haven't tasted in many years."
He said with a sigh of admiration. He looked at the small boat ahead, and then after slightly lowering his head towards Lin Xi, said with a bit of regret, "Unfortunately, there is no wine, or else with this scenery and these feelings, a full glass would be downed in one gulp."