“Wow! A pearl!”
“I got a white jade paperweight.”
“Dear, the River God’s mansion gave me a gold hairpin. It’s beautiful!”
Some took their gifts back to their rooms to inspect, while others opened them in the inn’s hall, showing off.
“Wow!”
A gasp rang out.
Wang Changxiong held a pearl glowing with faint green light, another water-repelling pearl.
Not that he meant to flaunt, but his escort team was curious, and he hadn’t expected such a gift from the River God’s mansion. He’d accidentally shown off his wealth.
“It really is a water-repelling pearl!” Huang Qing said, astonished. “The Lu River God is truly generous.”
Though the mansion seemed to have many water-repelling pearls, they were rare. Only ancient clam demons could produce them, at the cost of their own cultivation. Only a prestigious lineage like the Lu River God’s mansion could afford to give them away.
Lu Zheng stepped out with his luggage, seeing the escort team crowded around their chief, marvelling, with many inn guests joining in.
“Chief Wang!”
“Young Master Lu, give us a moment. We’re almost packed. The boat’s coming, and we’ll set off together.”
“No rush,” Lu Zheng replied.
They’d agreed last night at the banquet to travel together, and Lu Zheng could hitch a ride.
Wang Changxiong sent his men to prepare the carts and horses, while the innkeeper served porridge and steamed buns for breakfast.
The return gifts far outvalued what they’d given, so the innkeeper, in a rare act of generosity, provided breakfast free of charge.
…
“Sigh,” a scholar slurped his porridge, nibbling a bun, and let out a sigh.
“Who’d have thought, rain-soaked bad-luck Zhu Yushan turned his fortune. When will it be my turn?” another scholar said, picking at his bun with a sigh.
“Maybe because he suffered so much bad luck, he finally got a break?”
“If I could marry the River God’s daughter, I’d take ten years of bad luck.”
“You’d have to marry into their family.”
“So be it. It’s the Lu River God’s mansion! Besides, the second son could take my family name.”
The innkeeper couldn’t help but ask, “You keep saying the groom’s luck was rotten. Just how unlucky was he?”
At this, the scholars perked up.
“Zhu Yushan lost both parents young, living off a few acres of rented land. He’s talented, well-versed in classics and histories. With better luck, he might’ve passed the autumn exams. But nearing thirty, he hasn’t even earned a scholar’s degree.”
“His first provincial exam, a pole fell from a building, hit his head, and he bled, needing a doctor.
The second time, he helped a sick man to a clinic and missed the exam.
The third, heCaught a cold the day before and couldn’t get out of bed.
The fourth, he got caught in a brawl between vendors, his ink and paper scattered, and was soaked.
The fifth…
The sixth…”
For twelve years, twelve exams, Zhu Yushan never made it to a single one!
The innkeeper was stunned, and even Lu Zheng marvelled silently. Imagine someone in modern times failing the college entrance exam year after year like this. They’d lose their mind.
To persist twelve times made Zhu Yushan a fierce character.
No wonder he was called “rain-soaked bad luck.” For a scholar, missing every exam was a deluge of misfortune. His roof must’ve been leaking too!
“Such an unlucky guy, how did he win the River God’s daughter?”
“Can’t figure it out!”
“Sigh…”
The scholars’ mood sank again.
…
“The boat’s here!”
With a shout, the ferry crossing bustled.
Lu Zheng, leading his horse, joined the escort team at the dock.
Xiongfeng Escort Agency had five carts and rented a large boat with plenty of room for Lu Zheng and his horse.
At the bow, Wang Changxiong and Lu Zheng stood against the breeze. Wang toyed with his water-repelling pearl. “Who’d have thought that unlucky groom would turn his fortune, gaining wealth and a beauty.”
Even Wang Changxiong felt a twinge of envy.
Lu Zheng smiled. “Maybe his last few misfortunes had something to do with the River God’s daughter.”
“Hm?” Wang Changxiong’s eyes flashed, nodding. “Could be.”
…
The river crossing was calm, the boat steady, reaching the other side in under an hour. Unloading took longer.
After a brief rest at the dock, the group set off. Huang Qing rode ahead, while Wang Changxiong and Lu Zheng rode in the middle, chatting about martial world affairs and local oddities.
Lu Zheng learned that Xiongfeng Escort Agency wasn’t from Yizhou but from farther-off Yuzhou.
“That’s quite a distance,” Lu Zheng said.
“It’s our trade,” Wang Changxiong laughed. “But I stick to Lingbei and Yinan Circuits, never venturing elsewhere.”
Lu Zheng nodded. Yuzhou was in Lingbei Circuit, Yangzhou in Yinan, both in the central-south of the Great Jing Dynasty.
“You seem keen on the martial world, Young Master Lu. Haven’t you met escorts before?” Wang Changxiong asked.
“Probably, but I rarely leave the city or wander much, so I haven’t crossed paths with many,” Lu Zheng said.
Wang Changxiong nodded. Lu Zheng, clearly from a wealthy family and a cultivation prodigy, staying home made sense.
“The martial world’s a tough trade. Looks dashing, but dangers abound. Bandits are manageable, with few skilled fighters. The real threat is prepared ambushes, ghosts, rogue demons, or evil sects. One encounter can be deadly, so we stick to official roads and familiar routes for safety.”
Lu Zheng nodded, appreciating Wang’s seasoned advice.
“Chief Wang, you’re truly well-versed,” Lu Zheng praised.
“You’re too kind. Some I’ve seen, some I’ve heard and remembered,” Wang Changxiong said with a smile. “Escorting’s about caution first.”
“Indeed.”
By now, the convoy had left the dock far behind, leaving the official road for a sparse forest with no one around.
Suddenly, a piercing whistle rose, growing louder and closer. The dozen or so cart drivers and escorts stiffened, faces twisting in pain.
