Qingyang Prefecture, Bibo Lake.
The lake covers an area of 3,000 hectares and is as green as emerald. A small island can be faintly seen lying in the middle of the lake in the vast mist.
The trees on the island are lush, with cornices and brackets looming among them.
In the shallow bay on the south side of the island, several small black-topped boats were moored quietly on the shore, their bodies swaying slightly as the water in the lake beat them.
A young man squatted on the shore, polishing the short knife in his hand with a piece of fine gravel.
This man has a slim build and is wearing a gray brocade robe. One look at him tells that he is not an ordinary person.
"Third Senior Brother."
A clear voice came from behind.
The young man turned a deaf ear and did not stop moving at all.
The person who came was a young man in his early twenties, wearing an indigo outfit and a long willow-leaf knife hanging from his waist.
He walked quickly to the young man's side, his expression respectful.
"Third Senior Brother, there is a man coming from outside and wants to see Master."
The young man stopped what he was doing and raised his head.
"Who?"
"It was said that Qingshan County came with a letter, saying that there was something important that must be presented to the master in person."
Qingshan County?
The young man frowned slightly and stood up.
He was tall, and wherever he stood, he felt an invisible sense of oppression.
"Where is the person?"
"Waiting at the ferry, I didn't let him go to the island."
The young man nodded, reached out and picked up the scabbard lying on the ground, put the short knife into the sheath, and walked towards the ferry.
The ferry is a simple pier made of wooden planks. Several thick pine wood piles were driven into the bottom of the lake, and a layer of thick wooden boards that were soaked black by the lake water was spread on top.
There was a small black-awned boat tied to the end of the pier, and sitting on the bow was a dusty man with a gray face and a dirty face. His clothes were stained with mud. He looked like he had traveled a long way.
He was holding an oilcloth package tightly in his arms. When he saw someone coming from the island, he quickly stood up with a somewhat reserved expression.
"You are Mr. Qiu Shui's disciple?"
The man raised his hands and asked.
The young man didn't answer, he just walked up to him and stretched out his hand.
"Give me something."
The man hurriedly opened the oilcloth package in his arms, took out a letter sealed with wax paint, and handed it over with both hands.
The young man took the letter, turned it to the back and took a look at the paint.
There is a roaring wolf head printed on the paint, with rough lines.
His brows moved almost imperceptibly.
"Are you from the Blood Wolf Gang?"
"Senior, my name is Sun Qi, and I am an errand boy for Gang Leader Ding. This letter was written by Gang Leader Ding himself, and I am ordered to hand it over to Mr. Qiu Shui personally."
The young man did not ask again,
"Okay, I understand, you can go."
Sun Qi seemed to have received an amnesty and respectfully bowed out. He quickly picked up the boat, turned the bow and rowed towards the lake shore.
The young man took the letter and climbed up the steps along the stone path on the island.
Green bamboos are planted on both sides of the path, with their shadows whirling and rustling in the evening breeze.
Passing through the bamboo forest, a martial arts arena paved with bluestones was suddenly opened up. It was built according to the shape of the island. There were several rows of wooden stakes standing on the edge of the venue. The piles were covered with knife marks of different depths.
At the end of the martial arts arena is a small courtyard with green tiles and white walls. A lantern hangs under the eaves. The warm yellow light spreads in the dusk, adding a bit of fireworks to the cold island in the middle of the lake.
The young man stood in front of the courtyard door, straightened his clothes, and then raised his hand to knock on the door three times.
"Come in."
An old and plain voice came from the courtyard.
The young man pushed open the door and entered.
The furnishings in the courtyard are extremely simple, with a bluestone table and a few bamboo chairs.
Sitting next to the stone table is an old man in his sixties. He is thin and has long silver-white hair tied back with a wooden hairpin. His face is extremely pale.
This person is none other than Qingyang Prefecture Mr. Pei Zhaoyuan, the well-known Qiu Shui.
At this time, he was holding a small knife in his hand. The blade was no more than three inches long and the blade was as thin as a cicada's wing. He was cutting a bamboo branch.
The bamboo branches turned over between his fingers. Wherever the blade passed, the bamboo skin rolled up like silk, with even thickness and uniform thickness.
He cut extremely slowly, so each cut was extremely steady, as if he was concentrating all his attention on this bamboo branch, and he blocked out all the surrounding sounds.
The young man stood three steps away from the stone table without making a sound.
He lowered his hands and waited quietly.
I don't know how long it took, but finally, the last knife fell.
Pei Zhaoyuan took back the knife, put the bamboo branch in front of his eyes and looked at it for a moment. A trace of satisfaction appeared on his face, and then he calmly said, "What's the matter?"
Hearing this, the young man took out the letter from his arms and handed it over with both hands. "This is the letter sent by Qingshan County Blood Wolf Gang Ding Wanshan."
Pei Zhaoyuan unfolded the letter and glanced at it.
His eyes paused on the letter paper for a few breaths, and there was no expression on his face.
The young man stood aside with his hands down, not daring to breathe.
He has followed his master for many years and is well aware of his master's temperament. The more calm he is, the deeper the things in his heart will be.
"Gu Hong, what do you think of Lu Jiu?" After a long time, Pei Zhaoyuan finally spoke.
Shen Guhong frowned slightly, thought for a while and then asked tentatively, "Master is talking about the registered disciple from Qingshan County?"
Pei Zhaoyuan nodded lightly. "Not bad."
Shen Guhong hesitated for a moment and then said carefully, "Lu Jiu, among the master's disciples, although his basic understanding is not outstanding, he can be said to be above average."
There was no trace of emotion in Pei Zhaoyuan's tone. "What do you think, if a registered disciple with a middle-to-high status is beaten to death, what would I do?"
Shen Guhong was a little surprised. "Master, are you saying that Lu Jiu is dead?"
Pei Zhaoyuan did not answer immediately.
He handed the letter in his hand to Shen Guhong,
Shen Guhong lowered his head and read the content above carefully, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
"Late Dark Force kills Transforming Force in half a step?"
Shen Guhong sneered, "I think this is just an excuse made by Ding Wanshan for his incompetence. As for the purpose of sending this letter, it is clearly to kill someone with a borrowed knife."
"Of course I can see Ding Wanshan's little thoughts."
Pei Zhaoyuan nodded slightly, then stood up and walked to the courtyard wall.
Outside the wall is Bibo Lake, and the night wind blows across the lake, bringing bursts of water vapor and the fragrance of bamboo leaves.
"Lu Jiu has been with me for three years. Although his talent is not that amazing, no matter what, he can still be considered a member of Bibo Lake."
His voice was calm and there was no hint of emotion or anger.
Shen Guhong stood three steps behind him, waiting for his next words.