Chapter 81: Giant Dog Pulling Coffin
For the Northern Song Dynasty, both of its northern neighbors were wolves, but wolves also come in different types.
The blue wolf is a wolf, and the Husky is also a wolf.
Xixia is like a blue wolf, ferocious and cruel. Once they are unhappy, they will go to the north of the Song Dynasty to rob the grass and valley.
As for the Liao Kingdom, it was once a wolf, but somehow, it slowly turned into a husky. It looked very ferocious, but actually did not have much fighting power.
Now that the white disaster has appeared, given the character of Western Xia, it will definitely go south to plunder.
The imperial court had already drawn up a strategy to attack Western Xia and had intended to implement it after the spring. As a result, the plan would most likely have to be brought forward.
If Lu Sen wanted to take part in the attack on Western Xia and get the position of military supervisor, he would have to rush back to Bianjing City.
Lu Sen said goodbye to Ouyang Xiu, and took everyone on the square wooden boat he had built earlier, going upstream along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal towards the city of Bianjing.
Even the rivers north of Hangzhou were covered with thin ice, not to mention the areas further north.
The square boats could no longer move forward when they reached the northern part of Suzhou. In front of them was a vast expanse of white river surface... Many boats were parked on both sides of the river, and some small boats were frozen in the middle of the canal.
Fortunately, the ice was thick enough and the boat was frozen, but the people on it were able to get off and walk onto the land by walking on the ice.
There is no danger to life.
"It seems that we can only go by land. But it's icy and snowy, and the land route is even more dangerous." Yang Jinhua withdrew her gaze from the outside, sighed, then looked at Lu Sen and asked with a smile: "Sir, do you have any ideas?"
In her eyes, her husband was extremely powerful and might actually have a way to return to Bianjing City quickly.
"let me see!"
Lu Sen sat in the boat, pretending to be thinking and closing his eyes, but he was actually opening the system formula bar to see if there was any formula that could solve the current problem.
After looking for a while, he focused his attention on a recipe.
Mechanical Puppet Beast (Ice Dog): A special mechanical beast used to transport goods in the snowfield, with no combat power.
Lu Sen has always been able to create puppet beasts, but the formulas of low-level puppet beasts are more inclined towards life functionality.
In addition, there are two other types: wooden ox and flowing horse, which are also used to pull goods, but the corresponding environments are different.
Lu Sen is a homebody and doesn't need to go out to do business, so the cargo-hauling function is of no use to him.
In addition, the puppet beasts all need external energy packs. Now the only thing Lu Sen can do is the redstone energy pack. This thing consumes a huge number of gems. The projector is equipped with an energy pack, which consumes most of the gems he has saved for more than a year.
So for a puppet like this that has little combat power, we need to connect it to an energy pack?
Too luxurious!
However, it can only be wasted now.
Just as he was about to synthesize, Lu Sen suddenly remembered something, looked at his system backpack, and then sighed helplessly.
I left the gem at home and didn't bring it out.
Because under normal circumstances, you don’t need to bring any gems when you go out.
Seeing Lu Sen's helpless expression, Yang Jinhua comforted him: "Don't be disappointed, sir. There are always times when people are unable to do something."
No one found this strange. Lu Sen was still young, but he already had great supernatural powers. If he continued to practice for a few more decades, what else could he achieve?
"There is a way, but we are just lacking some materials." Lu Sen turned his head and asked, "Is there any place like Qiwuzhai in Suzhou?"
Yang Jinhua shook her head and said, "Sir, this is my first time out of the capital, so I don't know much about what happened in Suzhou."
"Me too." Zhao Bilian was wrapped in a cloak, she was a little afraid of the cold.
Pang Meir didn't say anything, probably because she didn't know.
But at this time, a certain Jianghu person in charge of Pang Mei'er suddenly clasped his fists and said, "There is not only a Qiwuzhai in Suzhou, but also three more. I am quite familiar with this place. If Master Lu does not mind, I am willing to lead the way for Master Lu."
"Thank you for your help." Lu Sen said to the others at the same time: "Since we have stopped, let's stay here in Suzhou for one night."
Several people agreed.
They planned to abandon the boat on the river for the time being, but several boatmen from the Prince of Runan's Mansion were unwilling to leave.
They said they wanted to guard the boat so that no one could steal it.
Anyway, there is enough food and bedding on the ship, so there is no need to worry about survival.
It’s no wonder they do this. The river boat built by Lu Sen has excellent performance.
The boat is light and stable while sailing. It is also extremely sturdy and quite large for a river boat.
It is considered a 'top-notch ship'.
A few boatmen would not dare to leave a boat like this alone and unattended. What if it is occupied by someone?
Seeing that they insisted, Lu Sen persuaded them for a few words and then followed their lead.
He took Yang Jinhua and a few others and walked on the ice to the river bank, and then entered Suzhou city.
Because of the cold weather, there were fewer pedestrians on the streets of Suzhou city, making it seem sparsely populated.
First, they found a very luxurious hotel and accommodated Yang Jinhua and others.
Then, under the guidance of the man from the martial arts world, Lu Sen came to a strange object store.
What Qiwuzhai sells are naturally "strange things", including various rare stones, golds, jades and bronze inscriptions.
Lu Sen went over and asked, "Shopkeeper, are there any gems here?"
"There are quite a lot of gems. How many do you need, young man?" The shopkeeper with a mustache clasped his hands together and smiled flatteringly, "We only sell the best gems."
Lu Sen has fair skin and an extraordinary temperament, and it is obvious at first glance that he is not an ordinary person.
This was a big customer coming, so the shopkeeper didn't dare to neglect him. He immediately turned around and took out a box from behind the counter. When he opened it, he saw jewels and precious stones inside.
Pearls, natural crystals, glass pieces, cat's eyes, etc.
Lu Sen looked through it for a while, picked out the larger gems such as cat's eye, ruby, amethyst, etc., put them into a small pile, and then asked: "Boss, can you calculate how much these cost?"
The shopkeeper looked at them one by one, estimated the price, and said excitedly: "Sir, give me sixty strings of cash, and you can take these treasures away."
At this time, the Jianghu people nearby came over and whispered, "Master Lu, it's at least ten strings of cash more expensive."
The voice was not too low, and the shopkeeper opposite heard it. He immediately bowed and said, "Since you are an expert, then fifty strings of cash will do. My dear guest, how do you plan to pay? I don't accept Jiaozi."
Jiaozi had already appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty, but it was not long ago and many merchants did not accept it.
Lu Sen took out half a gold ingot from the system backpack and put it on the counter, saying with a smile: "Give me some silver, I don't want to hand it over either."
The shopkeeper picked up the gold ingot, weighed it, and bit it with his teeth. After doing this several times, he confirmed that it was a top-quality gold nugget, and said with a smile: "This gold nugget is worth sixty strings of silver. I will give you ten strings of silver, is that okay?"
Half a gold ingot, that’s about the price, Lu Sen nodded.
Soon, the shopkeeper put the selected gems into a box that looked quite good, put a few pieces of silver in it, and pushed it in front of Lu Sen, saying with a smile: "Thank you for taking care of my business, sir. Come often in the future."
"You're welcome." Lu Sen picked up the wooden box and turned away.
After going out, Lu Sen took out a peach from his system backpack and handed it to the man next to him: "Brother, please lead the way, and thank you for reminding me just now."
"Master Lu, you don't have to be polite. This is what I should do." The man from Jianghu took the peach without refusing and smiled happily.
Now everyone knows that the 'Fairy Peaches on Earth' grown by Master Lu are good things. Although their effects are not as good as jade bee jelly, they are also rare treasures from heaven and earth.
Then the martial artist took two steps behind Lu Sen and swallowed the peach in a few bites.
There was no other way. He was afraid that if he kept the fairy peach, it would be snatched away by someone, so he might as well eat it first.
After eating, he felt a slightly warm energy flowing along his meridians. After converting it with his internal force, it was at least equivalent to a year of hard training.
Gain a year’s worth of internal energy for free.
He immediately wanted to eat another one, but then shook his head helplessly, knowing that he was overthinking.
Why should Master Lu give himself another one?
Now he really hopes that he is Master Lu's subordinate, but he knows that the other party probably looks down on him.
The two returned to the hotel and saw Yang Jinhua, Zhao Bilian, and Pang Meir sitting at a table in the main building. Opposite them was a middle-aged man and two young men dressed in gorgeous clothes and luxurious vermilion cloaks.
As soon as Lu Sen stepped into the hotel, Yang Jinhua saw him. She stood up and said with a happy smile: "Sir, you are back."
Lu Sen walked over: "Well, things are almost done."
"That's good." Yang Jinhua then introduced to Lu Sen: "This is the King of Xiangyang, and these two are his sons. Like us, they also took a boat to Beijing, but ended up being stuck in Suzhou City."
Yang Jinhua and the other two had met the King of Xiangyang in Bianjing City and knew him.
"Greetings to the King of Xiangyang and the two princes." Lu Sen bowed his hands as a gesture of greeting.
Prince Xiangyang also stood up. Although he was close to old age, he still looked very young with his handsome face and thick black beard.
"This must be Master Lu, right?" King Xiangyang said with a friendly smile, "Even though I am in Songjiang, I have heard of your great name and admire you for a long time."
At this time, a young man stood up and said excitedly: "Master Lu, I heard that you have the magic of the world in your sleeves. Can you show it to us?"
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him with strange eyes.
Who is Master Lu? Why does he perform just because you ask him to?
Treat him as your guest?
Prince Xiangyang coughed lightly, turned his head and scolded: "Kuan'er, shut up and sit down."
The young man looked at his father and sat down unconvinced.
King Xiangyang continued, "My son is ignorant. I apologize to Master Lu."
After saying this, the King of Xiangyang leaned forward slightly and clasped his hands again. Considering his status and age, it was already very sincere to be able to make such a gesture.
Lu Sen clasped his fists and said with a smile: "No, no, the King of Xiangyang is too kind."
Then Lu Sen asked Yang Jinhua, "Have you booked a room?"
Yang Jinhua nodded slightly.
"King Xiangyang, I have some things to discuss here. It's a pity that I can't drink with you. Please forgive me." Lu Sen spoke in a sincere tone.
In addition, Lu Sen had just come back from outside and was covered in snow, so this reason was very convincing.
"No, it's me who has hindered Master Lu's important business." King Xiangyang waved his hand indifferently.
Then Lu Sen took Yang Jinhua and others upstairs.
Prince Xiangyang sat down. It was snowing heavily, and there were only three of them sitting in the main hall. It was quite deserted.
After a while, the young man named Kuan'er said indignantly: "How dare you put on airs in front of us. Dad, you haven't been back to Beijing for more than three years, and no one takes you seriously anymore."
Upon hearing this, the King of Xiangyang smiled happily: "I don't need others to treat me as a big shot right now. You two should keep a low profile for the time being. Do you understand?"
The two teenagers reluctantly said 'yes'.
Lu Sen took Yang Jinhua and others upstairs, and Pang Meir returned to her room. She couldn't follow Yang Jinhua into the room.
She is not Lu Sen's wife or concubine. If she really went into the room, that would be embarrassing!
The three of them entered the room and Zhao Bilian immediately closed the door.
Then he came over with a sly smile, and said excitedly, "Sir, you can't help it anymore, do you want to have sex in broad daylight?"
Hearing this, Yang Jinhua was furious. She walked over and pulled Zhao Bilian's cheek to the side, angrily saying, "Zhao Bilian, can you be more serious? We are out in the open now, and there may be ears. If someone hears us, your reputation will be ruined."
Zhao Bilian screamed in pain, but seeing Yang Jinhua's furious face, she did not dare to struggle and could only let Yang Jinhua pull her facial flesh.
After several rounds of arguing, Yang Jinhua's anger subsided a lot. She turned around and walked to Lu Sen and asked, "Sir, you seem to be avoiding the King of Xiangyang. What's going on?"
After all, they are husband and wife, and Yang Jinhua is getting to know Lu Sen's personality better and better.
Lu Sen sat down and said, "It was Taishan who told me to be careful of this man. He said that if I were in the south this time, and if I ran into someone or something related to the King of Xiangyang, it would be best not to get involved. According to the intelligence he got, the King of Xiangyang seems to have been acting a little strange recently."
"Hey, has father told you so many things?" Zhao Bilian looked surprised.
Lu Sen smiled when he heard this. He had to say that the Prince of Runan was indeed a good father-in-law and was very nice to Lu Sen.
"So I don't want to deal with this person. I will ask Heizhu and Lingqin to rest early, get up early tomorrow, and leave here directly to avoid King Xiangyang." Lu Sen lowered his voice: "You or Zhao Bilian will notify Pang Mei'er."
Before Yang Jinhua could speak, Zhao Bilian patted her chest and whispered in the waves, "Leave it to me."
With a plan in place, the group quickly ate dinner and went to bed as soon as it got dark.
When it was light the next day, they tiptoed down to the main hall, paid the room fee, and left.
By the time Prince Xiangyang and his two sons came down from the third floor to the main hall, it was already one stick of incense later.
After eating breakfast in the main hall, Prince Xiangyang waited for another half an hour, but still did not see Lu Sen coming down, so he called the waiter over and asked, "Are the distinguished guests on the second floor still awake?"
"They paid the rent and left long ago."
Prince Xiangyang and his two sons were a little surprised, and then Prince Xiangyang's expression became a little ugly.
At this time, Lu Sen and others were already "speeding" on the ice of the canal.
Two huge pale blond wooden giant dogs were running ahead, pulling a large sled.
The sled is also made in the shape of a matchbox house to provide wind protection.
The wooden dog ran at an extremely fast speed, holding a snow pole in its hand. Wherever it passed, there was a rumbling sound, which attracted the attention of passers-by on the shore, and then they shouted in panic.
"In spring, there is heavy snow, monsters appear, and giant dogs pull coffins." A scholar saw this and shouted in panic, "This is an ominous sign."
It’s true, the matchbox-shaped sled looks like a coffin from a distance.
Sitting at the front, controlling the two giant wooden dogs, was Yang Jinhua.
She was so excited at this moment that she shook the reins and shouted "Gee, gee, gee".
The passion of the children of generals was aroused.
As the sled moved north, the weather became colder and the ice thicker.
Then we saw more and more river boats frozen on both sides of the river .
Many merchants and travelers were stranded in small villages or cities on both sides of the canal.
Some even stayed on board to live.
These people saw the scene of two giant dogs pulling the "golden coffin" and roaring past, and they were all so scared that they dared not move.
Afterwards, rumors of monsters appearing in the canal began to spread to the surrounding areas.
