July's heat is fading, and by the end of the month, the sweltering summer is gradually going away. A gentle breeze blows at the mouth of the Yangtze River outside the sea. Lin Xie stands on the deck, gazing far into the distance, where a clear and distinct outer arc line appears in the distant sea.

  "That clear and distinct line is the boundary between the river and the sea. Once we cross that line, we will enter the Yangtze River," Lin said with a smile, pointing in that direction to the people around him, and then turning to Ning Zechen, who was staring at the seawater, "If you don't believe me, try tasting the water here, it's salty; after crossing that line, taste the water again and see if it's still salty?"

  Ning Ze's lips twitched slightly, which was a smile. Although he believed what Lin Xie said, he still took a rope and dipped it into the seawater to wet it, then licked the end of the rope, making a bitter face that made him frown. Ao Canghai, Ge Cunxin, and Li Shuyi all laughed. When the boat sailed into the murky waters, Ning Ze seriously took the other end of the rope and dipped it into the water to taste the saltiness, saying: "It's really not salty..."

  Lin Yibei shook his head and smiled, Ning Zechen was a person who would believe others' words but also verify them when he had the chance.

  Although Ning's body and bones did not appear to be particularly robust, he was even somewhat thin and weak, with a pale complexion, yet his arm strength was extremely great.

  Lin Xianchu was in the Xi Sha Island for disaster relief, Ning Zeshen and other young people were selected to do odd jobs. Once there was a ship transporting wood, Ning Zeshen participated in unloading the cargo, Lin Xianchu saw him working together with others to carry a log ashore, the others were strong and sturdy, but he was thin and weak, and the thick end of the log was pressed on his shoulder.

  Lin Zhan only found out when others bullied him, and then he would call that person over and scold them. Only after listening to their explanation did he realize that Ning Ze Min was born with great strength and had intentionally put a thick root on his shoulder.

  Lin Xing wanted to test his strength, so he allowed him to do the work of two people and eat the rations of two people. Ning then carried a heavy log by himself from the ship to the construction site, which was over 200-300 catties in weight and over 2 li away. He ran back and forth for over 20 trips without showing any signs of exhaustion.

  Lin Xie has been practicing martial arts for nearly a year, and he thinks that his physical strength is not necessarily as abundant as it seems. He has also tried out the strength of his arms, which is extremely great. He thinks that if Ning Zhensheng were to practice martial arts, he would be on the same level as Ao Canghai, Zhou Pu, and Fu Qinghe, who are all renowned for their bravery.

  Lin Xiang did not rush to keep him by his side at that time. In the early days of the Xi Sha Island disaster relief, there were many extra things to do, and Ning Zechen participated in it with many disaster-stricken braves.

  Ning Zesheng is from Fengli County, Zhongzhou. At the time, he was 23 years old and not yet married. Before the storm on Xiasha Island, he fled to Xiasha with his older brother's wife, two young nephews, and his widowed mother in her fifties. When the storm surge came, he only managed to rescue his younger sister-in-law and a two-year-old nephew. His widowed mother clung to a log and was washed away by the tide to a slope 7-8 li away, but survived. His older brother and another five-year-old nephew were swallowed up by the tide.

  Ning Zesheng's older brother had read a few years of books and followed the merchant group to run the rivers and lakes, with great strength, roughly familiar with boxing, and being a chivalrous and righteous person. During the escape from famine, he became the leader of the Feng Li Ji flow people. After the disaster, Xisha Island was in chaos, Ning Zesheng searched the entire island for two days for his brother and nephew, but found no one alive or dead, so he returned to directly sign up at the disaster relief camp to do miscellaneous work for disaster relief.

  At that time, the living conditions were very poor, and the refugees had a hard time. It was common for people from the same hometown to help each other in times of crisis, which also formed a strong cohesive force. After Ning Zhenmin returned to the disaster relief camp, all the Fengji Township braves who were selected to do miscellaneous chores spontaneously took him as their leader.

  He insisted that it was his brother who brought more than 10,000 Fengli refugees to the Xisha Islands with him. More than 3,000 people died in the disaster, and he had an irrefutable responsibility, refusing to replace his brother as the leader of the Fengli refugees.

  Lin tied him up this time and officially kept Ning Ze as his companion, teaching him the art of splitting on the boat during his leisure time. He also learned very quickly. When the ship left Chongzhou Xisha Island, many old soldiers in the Wuwei Camp were not as strong as Ning Ze, but they had rich combat experience. With wooden knives or spears, they could easily take down Ning Ze. However, when returning to Chongzhou from Jiaxing Prefecture's southeastern sea, most of the old soldiers were no longer Ning Ze's opponents.

  Ning Ze Min not only had extraordinary strength and a natural talent for martial arts, but he was also a thoughtful person among the many refugees. Having studied in a private school for several years, Lin Xie thought that with time, Ning Ze Min might become another Fu Qinghe who would suddenly rise to prominence. Apart from teaching him combat skills and participating in tactical training sessions that ordinary soldiers would attend during peacetime, Lin Xie also wanted Ning Ze Min to read more military books in his spare time.

  Apart from Ning Zhenchen himself being a rough and unadorned jade that can be polished, Lin Xie also considered that there were over 26,000 refugees who survived on the Western Sand Island, among whom nearly 5,000 were Feng's subordinates.

  The crew gazed out at the western horizon, where the sun was setting over tiny sandbars that were barely visible. They couldn't even make out whether the silhouette of the Xisha Islands was there or not. Looking up at the sails billowing in the wind, they thought to themselves: as long as the winds don't die down tonight and the moonlight allows them to vaguely see the sandy islands and waterways, they should be able to reach the Xisha Islands by dawn tomorrow.

  Before Lin Zexu set sail, the Ninghai Town Navy had been avoiding battles in Taihu Lake and did not engage with the main force of the Donghai pirates who gathered there. As a result, the Donghai pirates became more arrogant, and their warships flooded into Taihu Lake, causing great harm to the coastal prefectures and counties.

  Although Ninghai Town's cavalry and infantry, as well as the local militia who had been fighting pirates for a long time, were strong in combat and actively sought to destroy the pirates, the East Sea bandits raided like the wind, using their warships to dart back and forth through the waterways of the Taihu Lake region. When Lin Zexu set sail from Jiaxing Prefecture, Yixing County and Changxing County were successively attacked and plundered by the East Sea pirates, who also set fires and destroyed everything.

  Lin Mou had been out at sea for two days, and the earliest he could know the latest news from Taihu was tomorrow morning. Lin Mou was worried that if the Donghai bandits ended their raid and returned with a full load from the Yangzi River, what would happen?

  Lin tied up at Meixi Lake mouth to ambush and kill Du Rong, then rushed to attack Shu's stockade. It was guessed that the Donghai bandits who invaded Anji County would target the Ninghai Town naval force and would not stay in Anji County. For Xie's family, Du Rong as a general lost his banner at Meixi Lake, and Xie's family could see the strategic significance of Xiasha Island. It was very likely that Xie's family would let some Donghai bandits raid Xiasha Island when they sailed out of Yangzi River mouth.

  Before Lin Youren set sail from the southeast of Jiaxing Prefecture, he ordered Wu Qi to lead a team of scouts to secretly return to Xiasha Island by land and instructed Fu Qinghe, Lin Mengde, Zhou Pu, Hu Zhiyong and others to evacuate most of the disaster victims from Guanyintan Relief Camp to other places first.

  Lin Xie didn't know at this time whether Zhao Hu could successfully lead the newly recruited soldiers away from Prison Island after receiving the news, after all, he was not in Jiangning, and it was unknown whether Yang Shi and Changsun Gong would set up a way to stop Zhao Hu.

  Lin Xian's dark feelings and worries: If the Ninghai Town Water Division suffers heavy losses in Taihu, the Donghai bandits will pass through Chongzhou from the south. The military mountain water stronghold of Xiao Baoming and Chen Qihu's division is likely to press the army not to move, save strength, as long as the Donghai bandits landing on Xiasha Island exceed 1,000 people, this trouble is not ordinary.

  Li Shuyi, the household registration officer of Chongzhou County, saw Lin Xie laughing and chatting just now, but now he furrowed his brow again, unable to guess what was worrying him this time.

  Li Shuyi was a Xiucai from Chongzhou, who had been studying hard since childhood. Perhaps because he studied too hard and only cared about his career, as a native of Chongzhou, he had never seen the sea, nor had he ever seen this boundary between the river and the sea, where the clear and turbid waters meet.

  A person stands on a boat, the boat sails across the sea, the vast expanse of the four directions is boundless, and suddenly one feels that being in this world is but a tiny and insignificant thing.

  Compared to the initial rejection and disdain when Lin Xie was put on the boat, after spending more than a month together, especially after experiencing the ambush at Mei Creek Mouth and the raid on Shejia Village, Li Shuyi came to realize that Lin Xie was not the incompetent and arrogant pig herder who knew nothing of worldly affairs or literature, as he had been slandered by Qingliu. Although they didn't interact much during this month, if one didn't think about how Lin Xie had splashed a cup of hot tea on Ge Wei's face when they first met, Li Shuyi believed that his insight, learning, and understanding, as well as his literary and military prowess, were truly unmatched by few people in the world.

  Some people are stubborn and unenlightened, while others can take others as a mirror to re-examine themselves. This experience of traveling with Lin Xuan for over a month has broadened Li Shuyi's horizons. He has become disillusioned with those so-called "men of refinement" who only know how to recite poetry, discuss the classics, and indulge in sensual pleasures. He can't help but think: When the pirates from the East Sea pillage and plunder the countryside, burning and killing, what can these "refined gentlemen" do except cower in their beds or behind closed doors? He also realizes that only a strong figure like Lin Xuan can stem the tide of chaos in this crumbling society.

  Li Shuyi was naturally aware of this change in his mind, and Lin Xie could also feel it. Compared to when he left Chongzhou Xi Sha Island, Lin Xie now let Li Shuyi sit on the same boat with him, discussing military strategies and tactics with Ao Canghai, Ning Zechen, Ge Cunxin, and others, without avoiding Li Shuyi. He even discussed with Li Shuyi ways to improve the harsh environment of Xi Sha Island.

  Li Shuyi felt ashamed and regretful, hating himself for his shallow knowledge. After doing the job of a household registration clerk for four or five years, he had not learned much about the practical skills of governing the world.

  As dusk approaches, the stars in the sky twinkle, and Lin sees that there is no delay in traveling at night, so he puts his mind at ease. The earlier he can return to Xi Sha Island, the more at peace he will be.

  There was a hold on the ship specifically for detaining prisoners or captives, Lin Xie and Ao Cang Hai walked down to the hold's cell, where the ship's doctor was administering medicine to Du Rong under the guard of two Wuwei guards.

  "Go out... " Lin Xie let Shiping Langzhong and Wu Wei go out without disturbing him, and said to Du Rong.

  Du Rong's body was injured in many places, with the chest wound being the most serious. Although it didn't hit any vital organs, he had lost too much blood, making his face look abnormally pale.

  Du Rong saw Lin Tie walking in and didn't want to appear like a dying dog in front of him, so he gritted his teeth, straightened his back, and sat up, saying coldly: "You should hurry up and kill me..."

  "If you want to die, there are many ways to do so, why wait for me to take action?" Lin sat down in front of Du Rong and said with a light smile, "I didn't come here to persuade you to live or die, nor did I want to extract anything from your mouth. I'm not qualified to gain anything from the Xi family yet, I have self-awareness, so don't worry that I'll force you to betray the Xi family at this time. You're worried about your wife and children, old and young, and your clansmen who are still in Jinan, I can understand that. But who wouldn't want to live another day? At least I can let you go to Prison Island as a nameless, surname-less prisoner with no record, living silently in the prison cell, and the Xi family will never know you're still alive. If you're not satisfied with this arrangement, then I have no other way... I'll just tell the doctor to stop administering the medicine..."

  Du Rong did not make a sound, but in his heart he was suffocating with resentment. Lin Xie wanted to subject him to severe punishment, humiliation and torture, or lure him with promises of wealth and power, but Du Rong would rather bite his tongue until it bled or starve himself to death than submit to such treatment. Yet Lin Xie treated him in this way, leaving him speechless - could people really be driven to seek death so desperately?

  Lin Ge also knew that Du Rong was of no use to him at this time, so he decided to keep him alive for the time being. He signaled to the ship's doctor, Lang Zhong, who was waiting outside the cabin door, to come in and continue treating Du Rong. Lin Ge then returned to the deck with Ao Canghai, where they waited for dawn to arrive at Xi Sha Island.

  ************************

  PS: Seeking red envelope.

  Additionally: The new desert novel "The Power Minister" is a masterpiece, the author is handsome and absolutely worth reading! Now strongly recommended, everyone go take a look! Also, this person strongly requests to be collected.http://book.zongheng.com/book/48942.html