哈哈漫画

"Accept the bet and admit defeat. You lost, so when we dock you have to treat us to a big meal," Lu Liucheng said smugly, glancing at Qing Niang who hadn't caught anything.

"As if I would lose," Qing Niang retorted. Seeing that she was about to lose to two children and having run out of patience, she tossed her fishing rod aside. She then took out a packet of powder from her bag and scattered it into the river.

"What did you sprinkle?" Lu Xuanyu curiously asked, seeing Qing Niang throw powder into the river.

"Something good. You'll see in a moment," Qing Niang said mysteriously.

"Fish... fish are floating up!" Soon, fish began floating to the surface belly-up.

"You poisoned them!" Lu Liucheng shouted, pointing at Qing Niang.

"This isn't poison, it's a sedative," Qing Niang argued.

"We agreed to fish. Using sedatives is cheating," Lu Xuanyu expressed his dissatisfaction with Qing Niang's actions.

"Catching fish one by one is too troublesome. My way of catching fish is more interesting. Besides, we never said drugs weren't allowed," Qing Niang said as she picked up a nearby fishing net to scoop up the fish. After hauling the fish onto the boat, she looked triumphantly at Lu Liucheng. "You two little brats, you're still too green to beat me."

Lu Xuanyu looked at the fish floating on the river's surface, speechless at Qing Niang's actions.

"You've gone too far," Lu Liucheng said as he picked up his fishing rod and swung it at Qing Niang, trying to knock the fishing net out of her hands. He couldn't stand her bullying people and fish like this.

Qing Niang blocked Lu Liucheng's fishing rod. "You're just a sore loser."

"You're the sore loser!" Lu Liucheng retorted, swinging the fishing rod like a spear at Qing Niang again. Qing Niang, having been hit by Lu Liucheng several times, was starting to lose her temper. After dodging, she forcefully pushed Lu Liucheng, sending him straight into the water.

Qiu Chan, who had been sitting nearby watching the two quarrel, saw Lu Liucheng fall into the river. Without time to speak, she immediately jumped in after him, and the boatman who had been watching from the side also jumped in to save him.

Lu Xuanyu shouted, "Help! Chengcheng has fallen into the river!"

Qiu Chan rescued the struggling Lu Liucheng and swam with him to the boat's side. A rope was lowered, and the two were pulled back onto the boat. Soaking wet and having swallowed several mouthfuls of river water, Lu Liucheng shivered in fear.

Hearing the commotion, Li Xia and Lu XuanNing came to the boat's bow. Lu XuanNing took off his cloak, wrapped it around Lu Liucheng, and carried him back to the cabin.

Seeing that Qiu Chan's clothes were completely wet, Li Xia said, "Qiu Chan, quickly go back to the cabin and change your clothes."

Jiang Chong helped Qiu Chan return to the cabin to change.

Li Xia then instructed Qiu Shui to go brew some ginger tea. Qiu Shui hurried off to make the tea. Li Xia turned to Lu Xuanyu and asked, "What happened?"

Lu Xuanyu explained what had transpired, expressing his dissatisfaction with Qing Niang's cheating. Li Xia looked at Qing Niang.

Knowing she had done wrong, Qing Niang lowered her head and approached Li Xia. "I'm sorry, I..." Before she could finish, Li Xia kicked her into the river.

"Help! I can't swim!" The nearby boatman wanted to jump in, but Qiu Ling and her people held him back. Li Xia stood on the boat, silently watching Qing Niang struggle in the water. After quite a while, she finally threw down a rope, looped it around Qing Niang, and pulled her back onto the boat.

Qing Niang lay on the boat's bow, coughing violently. Seeing Li Xia approaching, she backed away against the boat's wall.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to knock him into the water," Qing Niang apologized fearfully.

"Do you understand what it means to accept the consequences of a bet?" Li Xia asked softly.

Qing Niang huddled against the boat, not daring to look at Li Xia. Li Xia's gaze frightened her.

"The feeling of choking on water isn't pleasant. Remember this. Also, remember to accept the consequences of your bets," Li Xia said before turning and leaving.

Qing Niang leaned against the boat's side, feeling wronged. Qiu Ling arranged for someone to take Qing Niang to wash up, not wanting the trouble of having to care for her if she fell ill.

Lu Xuanyu's servant, Ma Yi, approached. "Second Young Master, are you alright?"

"Ma Yi, Sister-in-law was so impressive just now," Lu Xuanyu said, full of admiration.

Lu Liucheng had already changed his clothes and taken some medicine. Upon seeing Li Xia, his first words were, "Mother, I want to learn how to swim." Falling into the water had been frightening, but his great-grandfather had once said that one should face their fears head-on. Once you overcome your fear, you won't be afraid anymore.

So he wanted to learn how to swim. Once he learned, he wouldn't be afraid anymore.

"You're not scared anymore so soon?" Li Xia sat down next to Lu Liucheng and felt his forehead.

"I'm still scared," Lu Liucheng admitted honestly.

"This is also a lesson for you. Don't think that just because you've learned some martial arts and beaten a few kids your age, you're invincible. You're still very weak," Li Xia tapped Lu Liucheng's forehead, reminding him to remember this lesson.

"Mother, I'll remember," Lu Liucheng honestly acknowledged his recklessness.

"If you want to learn to swim, I'll have someone teach you," Li Xia said. They were heading to Hai City, where there was an ocean. Learning to swim would be good. Thinking of this, she turned to Lu XuanNing, "Do you know how to swim?"

"No, I haven't learned," Lu XuanNing replied.

"Learn to swim with Chengcheng, and then teach me," Li Xia also wanted to learn how to swim.

"Alright," Lu XuanNing had originally planned to learn. With ample time, they stopped for an hour each day at noon, and Lu XuanNing taught Lu Xuanyu and Lu Liucheng how to swim. The soldiers in the army who couldn't swim also joined in the lessons. After all, naval soldiers who couldn't swim wouldn't do.

At night, Lu XuanNing would take Li Xia into the water and teach her. The water was cool at night and visibility was poor, but these factors didn't affect Li Xia. She quickly mastered swimming and could even dive underwater to explore.

She even dragged up a small box from the riverbed. It seemed someone had buried something at the bottom of the river. When opened, it contained a box of gold and silver, along with an indecipherable map. Li Xia had Qiu Ling inquire about it and learned that there had once been a shipwreck caused by river pirates in this area.

However, Li Xia didn't find any ship. The box of gold and silver was an unexpected windfall, but it piqued Li Xia's interest in such discoveries.

"I've heard that there are even more treasures in the ocean," Li Xia said to Lu XuanNing as she flipped through travel journals and shared the information she had found.

"When we reach Hai City, if we have time, we can go out to sea and search for treasure," Lu XuanNing recorded all the information Li Xia had gathered.

"Alright, whatever you say," Lu XuanNing agreed to all of Li Xia's proposals.

After a month of sailing, they disembarked and then traveled by horse-drawn carriage for about ten days before reaching Hai City. The prefect of Hai City sent people to welcome them into the city.

The general's mansion prepared for Lu XuanNing had already been renovated, with a courtyard no smaller than their Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South in the Capital City. Observing the dress of Hai City's people along the way, it was clear that this prefect governed well.

While Lu XuanNing went to meet with Liu Ping, the prefect of Hai City, Li Xia took charge of cleaning up their living quarters. Lying on a bed that didn't move, she rested well and fell into a deep sleep.

"How is the madam?" After Xiao Changning finished taking her pulse, Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan, who had been waiting outside, came forward to inquire.

"According to the new medicine formulated by Zhou Heng, it's within a controllable range," Xiao Changning's answer didn't satisfy the two.

"What do you mean by 'within a controllable range'?" Qiu Chan didn't understand.

"You can't save the madam," Qiu Ling said, somewhat disappointed.

Knowing that the two were worried sick, Xiao Changning didn't say more. He picked up his medicine box and went to check on Lu Liucheng and Lu Xuanyu. It was their first time traveling, and while they were initially excited to see the mountains and waters, they soon grew weary of sitting in the carriage on bumpy mountain roads, unable to endure the jolting.