When they looked up and saw that they were surrounded by white snow, Yin Xiu and his party finally arrived at the pass outside the pass that they had been dreaming of before. At this time, the boat was slowly blowing out soot and drifting towards the berth at a very slow speed. After seeing the port, even though it was freezing cold, the fur seal was in a very happy mood. "Sailors call this place the Old Wood Port, because all the wood cut from the Changbai Mountains will be boarded here and then transported to various parts of Kyushu, and even exported to Southeast Asia." "There is also a shortage of wood in Southeast Asia?" Ma Xiaoyu asked curiously. Ma Xiaoyu grew up in Malaysia and has adapted to the hot and humid weather, but she instinctively felt uncomfortable in this ice and snow. At this time, she was no longer dressed in leather boots and short skirts. Instead, her whole body was wrapped under a white velvet coat, and she also wore a furry hat on her head, so that no inch of her skin was exposed to the cold air. middle. This tight-fitting outfit made her figure appear taller and slimmer, and her temperament also had a touch of coolness. The sea dog smiled and said: "Sister, most of the exports from Southeast Asia are pear wood, rosewood and the like, which are suitable for making furniture. The wood in Changbai Mountain is mostly nanmu and birch, which are large and hard and can be used to build houses. They are very popular among wealthy businessmen. This can be regarded as a kind of complementarity. "

"That's it." Ma Xiaoyu suddenly realized. Yin Xiu also looked around, opened his mouth and exhaled a formed ball of white air. "I'm afraid we need to prepare more warm clothes for this trip." "Well, we have to hire a few sleds and bring a few dogs." Liu Banxian shrank his neck. "It's not yet time." Ren Qi leaned on the railing, his eyes just looking at the familiar mountains and sea, "It's not yet time for snow to fall in Changbai Mountain. It will be about the same in more than a month. By then, the mountain will be closed by heavy snow, and we will see even a roe deer." It’s not here anymore.” "So, now is the last time to enter the mountain?" "Yes, people from the White Lotus Sect are probably keeping an eye on this time." Ren Qi nodded, "We have to hurry up. We can ride horses or hire a few carriages. In short, we have to enter the mountains before the heavy snow closes them. We will stay for another week or two to search inside. No matter whether we find anything or not, we have to do it anyway. Get out before the snow falls. If you have any other plans, you have to wait until spring. " After he said these words, he turned around and saw everyone giving him a thumbs up with admiration on their faces. In response, Ren Qi just scratched his face, "When I was in the palace, I always worked outside the customs for several months a year, so I remember these solar terms very clearly." "So I say, you are the right person!" Liu Banxian patted his shoulder. "Obviously I got on the boat myself." Ren Qi turned away. "Master Liu, Emperor." Sea Dog left the driving job to someone else, then walked over and lit a homemade cigarette. "There is an old hunter near the port. He spent the first half of the year hunting in the mountains. In the second half of the year, when there was no more prey, he came to the dock to work as a loader. He is very familiar with the conditions in the mountains. I can introduce him to you if necessary. " "Of course!"

Yin Xiu grinned, "I didn't expect that Brother Haigou has such a wide network of contacts and can find anyone." Sea Dog shook his head and signaled Yin Xiu not to use flattery on others to deal with him, "I have never seen that Orion, I just know roughly what his name is and which area he lives in. As for whether he can go or not, I I can’t guarantee that.” "Don't worry, I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." Yin Xiu said and looked at the sea dog again, "What about you? What did you do while we were in the mountains?" "You don't have to worry about that." The sea dog smiled and said: "The money paid by Master Liu is enough for a whole boat of us to do nothing and play here for two months, so we will stay here for two months as agreed, until you come back or ask someone to We just left after sending a message that we were no longer needed." What Sea Dog said about "no need for us" was actually full of hidden worries about the future, but he just brushed it off in an understatement. Men and women at sea are always exposed to danger. The bigger the storm, the higher their wages. "Don't worry, I'll definitely come back. Even if something delays me, I'll ask someone to send me a message. I won't keep you waiting in vain." "I can rest assured that." The seal showed two rows of yellowed teeth, "When you come back, I..." Before he could finish his words, Yin Xiu stopped him, "We can talk about anything else when we get back." Sea Dog paused and nodded, "Okay, then I'll wait until you come back." While he was talking, the ship had already docked. Unlike those big docks where there are rules and regulations for everything, the so-called berth is just one or two piles and a slightly wider place. At this time, there was an old man standing on the shore. He was wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket that looked like a turtle shell. He was holding a red stick in his hand to command the ship to stop. He was waving it tremblingly in this direction, looking a little listless. Following his command, the Black Widow slowly approached the berth and then dropped a cable. The old man slowly picked up the rope, put it on the stake, and wrapped it around several times. After completing this procedure, the Black Widow was safely parked in the port. As soon as the seal got off the boat, the old man came to him and asked for money. "The berth fee is five cents a day. I'll charge you five yuan in advance, and any more will be refunded." "So expensive?" The seal's eyes widened, "Didn't you just make a triangle the year before last?" The old man glanced at him and said, "You might as well say it was the year before last." "I know A Biao." "A Biao? He drowned while swimming in the river last month." The old man said coldly. "Why are you swimming in such a cold weather?" Sea Dog asked doubtfully. "Oh, he drank the deer blood wine and became very hot all over. His lover went to the city, and the sheep was roasted and eaten, so he went to the river to take a stab at it to cool down the fire, but he got cramps and drowned. .”

"It's true that good people don't live long." The sea dog shook his head, "Okay, we're going to stay here for two months." He counted out twenty dollars. "Two months should be 30 yuan and 50 cents," the old man said. "I know." Sea Dog took out two more dollars and said, "No invoice." "it is good." The old man shook his hand, and the money in Sea Dog's hand was put into his pocket. "By the way, let me ask you about someone else." "I don't know you." The old man didn't even raise his eyelids. "I haven't asked yet!" The sea dog glared at him and took out two more dollars from his pocket. "There is a man named Hai Dongqing on this dock. He is an Orion. Do you know him?" The old man stared at the money and reached out to take it, but the sea dog took his hand back. "Where is that person?" "Over there." The old man reached for the money and pointed to the warehouse in the distance. "In the third room, Hai Dongqing is in it, but he is not an Orion, but a dock worker." "It's pretty much the same." The sea dog smiled and said, "This man is an Orion in the first half of the year and a dock worker in the second half of the year. Just like us, he does hard work. He is not always relaxed like you." "easy?" The old man glanced at him sideways, "On this cold day, any good person wouldn't hide in the house to keep warm. Only a hard-working person like me would stay on the dock to guide you to the berth. Is it easy? The cables weighed dozens of kilograms each. They were so cold when immersed in the water that they felt like holding ice cubes. After tying, my hands were all red. Sometimes the skin would stick off if I put them in too fast. " "alright, alright!" The sea dog said impatiently: "You have already made a lot of money from me, and there is no more. What's the use of complaining to me?" But the old man still stretched out his hand and said, "Then give me a bottle of wine." "What do you want wine for?" Sea Dog became more and more confused. "What else can I do? Drinking, of course! Watering the flowers?" "Okay." Yin Xiu signaled the sea dog not to argue with the old man, then took out a wine bottle from his arms and handed it to the other party, "Here, I'll buy you a drink."

The old man was not polite. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip. After exhaling a sigh of relief, he screwed the cap back tightly. "Why don't you drink it? This is fine soju." "I know." The old man carefully hid the flask in his arms, "It's just because it's so good, it would be a waste to drink it now. I have to wait until night, stew a grouse, put two plates of sauerkraut and dried beans, so that I can open it , savor a few mouthfuls carefully.” "Be particular!" Yin Xiu gave a thumbs up and said, "Call a few more friends?" But the old man shook his head with a calm expression, "I am as cold-tempered as a ghost. I have no friends or enemies. All my family members are dead. Not many people on this dock recognize me." "I see, sorry to bother you." Yin Xiu didn't talk to him much, turned around and left. "Wait, young man." The old man pointed to his chest, "Thank you for the wine." "You're welcome." Yin Xiu waved her hand. "By the way, if you want to hire a convoy, there is a village ten miles south from here. The men there are all porters. As long as you can afford the money, they can take you anywhere, no matter where it is. . If I give you a lot of money, I can carry you up. "The old man said. "Huh? How did you know we were going to Changbai Mountain?" Yin Xiu asked. Everyone also cast doubtful or doubtful glances at the old man. Ren Qi even quietly put his hand on the sword, waiting for Yin Xiu to speak. Yin Xiu smiled at everyone first, and then looked at the old man, waiting for his answer. The old man felt many looks that were not kind, but his expression remained calm. "I have seen too many people on this pier. I can roughly tell a person with my eyes and nose. Those whose hands are covered with calluses and cracks are fishermen. Those who have an earthy smell on their bodies are natives. The one who can smell the fishy smell from far away is the Orion. And you, you have brought a beautiful but difficult-to-mess with woman. Needless to say, what is the background of a woman who can behave well on the ship? And the smell on your body is different from others, like the smell of sandalwood, so I guess you are not ordinary people like those before. " "Those people before?" Yin Xiu became interested, "Who are they?" Seeing that Yin Xiu was about to pay, the old man waved his hand in a rare gesture, "You gave me a bottle of wine. It would be vulgar to pay me back." "Sorry." Yin Xiu put the money back into his pocket. "Which people?" The old man touched his chin, "To be precise, it should be a lot of people, weird people, like all the weirdos that a person can see in ten years, all gathered together in one week.

And they are not in a group or a gang. Even if they know each other, they are probably just acquaintances and cannot talk together, so those people have their own factions and portals. About two months ago, these people also came ashore from this pier. They were all silent as if they were mutes. However, they could no longer tighten their mouths after drinking wine, so I knew that many of them were going to Changbai Mountain. Some of these people have bulging temples, like masters in martial arts novels who practice kung fu to the extreme. Some have hands above their knees and high cheekbones, making them look like elusive mandrills in the woods. There are also people who carry monkeys or falcons on their shoulders, with fierce eyes, and they don't look like ordinary entertainers. The strangest thing was that one night, probably early in the morning, there was heavy fog. I saw a man walking in front, holding a bell jingling, followed by a group of people hiding under black robes, walking straight. I was really shocked at that time, and I didn’t dare to go up and charge him. " "It's true that all the weirdos that have not been seen in ten years are here." Yin Xiu grinned, "According to you, we are also considered weirdos?" "You don't count," the old man pointed to his chest, "You follow the rules and are humane. Unlike others, you only talk about the morality of the world." "Why, you don't care about the morality of the world?" "Ah!" The old man sneered: "Only those who don't talk about morality talk about morality all day long. When did you ever hear that Mr. Guan told others about "loyalty"? People who truly practice morality don't talk about those empty words at all." .” "Is this also the realization you gained on the dock?" "It's not enlightenment." The old man's face turned cold, "It's personal experience." "understood." Yin Xiu said no more, just cupped her hands at him and said, "See you later." "See you later?" The old man stubbornly refused and said, "I don't know you. We'll talk about it later. Even if you come over next time, you may not be able to see me. It would be unlucky for you to have a relationship with me." "I understand, then I'll see you." Yin Xiu walked back, stretched out his hand to take Ma Xiaoyu off the boat, and then said to everyone: "Let's go find Hai Dongqing!" "okay!" Liu Banxian also jumped off the boat, looking quite excited, like a tourist. "I know that place well and I will lead the way." The sea dog walked forward immediately, and everyone followed behind him. The old man watched Yin Xiu and the others leave with his cloudy eyes without any emotion, as if the previous conversation with them was just a figment of his imagination.

It wasn't until he heard the sound of the cable being thrown to the shore behind him that he turned back and grabbed the heavy cable. With a flick of his wrist, the cable was easily grasped in his hand like a piece of silk thread. . "Fifty cents a day, take ten yuan first, and any more will be refunded and less will be made up." (End of this chapter)