Chapter 65: The Peerless Treasure

  A person who can't swim falls into the water, apart from flailing their arms and legs, there's one more thing that's very obvious - no matter what they grab onto, they won't let go even if it kills them. Nishiyu pulled me into the water and first swam forward with half her body, I was in a flurry as I hugged her thigh, Nishiyu's face turned red: "What are you doing? Let go!"

  I certainly didn't let go! And I held her even tighter, because I wanted to stick my head out of the water, and my face was actually stuck to Nisi Yu's leg. Like this, we splashed back and forth a few times, and I had already swallowed several mouthfuls of water. My ears were buzzing, and in the water, I saw Nisi Yu seemingly scolding me with a "pervert". Then she flipped over and completely submerged me in the water. As soon as my hand relaxed slightly, she really swam away like a beautiful mermaid with a tail fin.

  The more I struggled, the more I sank down. I stretched out one hand with all my might and signaled to the lifeguard on duty. He was sitting high up on an iron frame, clearly seeing me, but remained unmoved. As I waved my hand even more wildly, he finally responded by waving his hand in front of his chest.

  He thought I was with Zhang Shun and the others, definitely didn't think I couldn't swim. Seeing me calling for help, he still thought I was doing some kind of trick. Maybe my current appearance really does look a bit like synchronized swimming performance. All I see is me stretching out an arm, then poking out a straight and fluffy leg, sometimes even making various high-difficulty movements, sometimes pedaling like a tricycle, sometimes like drawing wind... And many people noticed that I hadn't breathed for more than half a minute, this is absolutely the quality of a professional synchronized swimming athlete...

  I never thought that my little brother Qiang would drown in a swimming pool surrounded by experts, there were many people who could have saved me, but Zhang Shun and Ruan Xiao'er only cared about having fun, while Ni Siyu and the lifeguard thought I knew how to swim...

  Classmates, after finishing this chapter, I hope you will review the story of "The Wolf is Coming" again.

  I held my breath and started drinking water in big gulps, then I straightened up in the water, raised one hand high, slowly sinking down like the Statue of Liberty, and at the last moment, I gave the lifeguard the middle finger...

  At this time, Ruan Xiaohei returned after going to the toilet. He saw that things were not right and stepped on the water to run in front of me, then drilled under my belly to hold me ashore. I lay flat on the surface of the water, like a speedboat breaking through the waves, causing the people around me to be extremely amazed.

  Ruan Xiaowu pushed me to the shore, and I only felt that my internal organs were aching, and my mouth and nose were pungent. Zhang Shun and they two, as well as Ní Sīyǔ, just then all came over, Ní Sīyǔ covering her mouth, apologetically said: "Sorry, I didn't know you couldn't swim."

  I slowly opened my eyes. With a murmur, Ruan Xiao Wu leaned over to listen for half a day and said, "He says he needs artificial respiration." Ni Si Yu knelt down in front of me with one leg, seeing that my belly had already swollen up, and quickly pinched my nose shut with one small hand, her cherry-like mouth was already pressed against mine. Zhang Shun pushed her away, saying, "No need to be so troublesome." Then he grabbed my two feet and lifted me upside down, shaking me vigorously, I poured out a lot of water like a broken water bag. He threw me on the ground and asked, "Better now?"

  It's much better now, but I lay on the ground and refused to get up, pretending to be dying and saying: "I think... I still need artificial respiration..." The lifeguard also came running over, terrified of his own dereliction of duty, and pressed down on my shoulders, saying: "I'll do it!"

  I pushed him away with a loud shout and stood up, saying: "I suddenly feel much better."

  Ni Siyu glared at me angrily and said with a huff: "What's wrong with you, how can you not know how to swim?"

  I inexplicably said: "Why can't I not know how to swim. Now with global warming, the Yellow River has dried up, and if I don't run to this unlucky place, I won't drown anywhere else -"

  "So you lied to me and said you were their coach?"

  "I'm just teaching them theoretical knowledge, does that mean Coach Tyson can definitely beat Tyson?"

  Ní Sīyǔ saw that I had the energy to be reckless and knew that I was fine, so she playfully scolded me. She really is as gentle as a breeze. She stretched out her hand to Zhang Shun and introduced herself: "Hello, my name is Ní Sīyǔ." Zhang Shun, this carefree and arrogant guy, was surprisingly very awkward at this time. He carefully shook hands with Ní Sīyǔ and didn't know what to say. I chimed in and said: "This is my big apprentice Zhang Shun." Ní Sīyǔ glared at me, then stretched out her hand to Ruan Xiaò'er. Ruan Xiaò'er tightly closed his legs and lightly patted Ní Sīyǔ's small hand. I had no choice but to speak for him: "This is my second apprentice. You can just call him Second Brother." I again wrapped my arm around Ruan Xiao Wu: "And this is Fifth Brother." Ní Sīyǔ nodded at him in greeting, and Ruan Xiao Wu seemed to be a bit grateful to me because he didn't have to shake hands with Ní Sīyǔ.

  "Shall we take a break? I'll treat everyone to drinks." said Ni Siyu in a gentle and soft voice.

  "Alright, alright." I took the lead and left.

  "I'd rather not invite you."

  I heard this and made a gesture as if I was going to jump into the pool, shouting: "This time no one is allowed to save me!"

  Ruan Xiaowu is a straightforward person, hastily embracing me and saying: "Let him jump."

  Ruan Xiaowu let me go, and I slipped away to Nie Siyu's side: "You don't invite me, so I'll invite myself."

  "Haha, just kidding."

  We walked to the rest area, and Ni Siyu asked us what we wanted to drink. It was only then that I realized I couldn't drink anything else. The water I had drunk earlier could probably irrigate a mu of land. Although I had thrown up quite a bit, I shouldn't be lacking in fluids within 24 hours.

  "Is there wine?"

  Ni Siyu exclaimed in surprise: "Ah, you still dare to drink after swimming? They don't sell that here."

  Ruan Xiao'er and Ruan Xiaowu didn't say a word, they just sat there with their heads down. Earlier, because of saving me, they hadn't paid much attention to each other, but now that it was quiet, Ni Siyu's captivating figure completely entered their line of sight. Especially those straight and slender long legs, unintentionally lightly crossed over each other, and those snow-white arms, which looked even more delicate under the black swimsuit. The girl's budding breasts were particularly eye-catching, although not as full as that old mountain witch Flirty Three, but developed just right, with a slight gap at the chest, like an innocent child's smile. In the eyes of these two old feudalists, this was almost like seeing her naked.

  What? How did Ni Siyu's thigh get 5 red handprints? On her jade-like skin, the white and red colors are particularly eye-catching. Is there an illicit affair? Whose evil claws could this be?

  I suddenly remembered: That was my magic claw, just now in the swimming pool... I miss it.

  A beautiful scene.

  What a pity! At that time, I didn't have the chance or the mind to savor that feeling carefully.

  Ni Siyu saw where my gaze fell, her face turned red, and she pretended to change her sitting posture while pressing one leg on top of the other. She ordered cola for us, rested her arm on the table and asked: "Can you tell me where you guys are from?"

  "What's that?" I wrapped the straw around my two hands, bulged a drum package in the middle, and stretched it to Zhang Shun's eyes and said, "Pop." Zhang Shun popped, and with a loud "pop" sound.

  Ni Siyu said gloomily: "I was asking them 3, but you can also say it, aren't they the swimming team?"

  "Of course not, what's the point of asking?"

  "Why is their water quality so good?"

  Zhang Shun finally said: "We are all people who grew up by the water since childhood and make a living by fishing."

  Ní Sī Yǔ suddenly said: "No wonder, I just wanted you guys to teach me how to swim."

  Talking about swimming, Ruan Xiaowu finally had the courage to raise his head and say: "How can you practice swimming in water where even fish don't exist? Like our seventh brother, who can hide underwater for 7 days and survive by eating fish and shrimp."

  I stroked my chin and pondered: Is it that Ruan Xiao Er can only stay in the water for 2, while Ruan Xiao Wu can stay for 5, hence the naming? Doesn't that mean the bigger the skill, the lower the rank?

  Of course, Ruan Xiaowu's remarks were not taken seriously by Ni Siyu, who thought it was just an exaggeration. She said: "Are you talking about muscle training? I train on the treadmill every day and haven't stopped lifting dumbbells."

  After I explained what a treadmill was to Ruan Xiao'er and the others, they were all skeptical. "How can you practice swimming by running on land?"

  "Our kids, when they just learned how to walk, the adults would carry them and throw them into the water, clap their hands and leave. When they came back, the kid was probably already..."

  "Did he drown?"

  "He's already learned how to play with water, so I'd say Xiao Qiang is even worse than a toddler who has just learned to walk."

  Ni Siyu opened her big eyes and said: "I started swimming from a young age, but my dad taught me theoretical knowledge for a long time before I got into the water. Just practicing leg movements while holding onto the railing took me a month."

  Zhang Shun said: "Your dad must be a big fisherman. Not caring about small money - that would delay fishing!"

  "My father is a coach of the provincial swimming team, but I think he's not as good as you guys. Can you teach me how to swim?"

  Zhang Shun said: "Little girl, with your swimming skills, you definitely won't drown," he said, looking at me with disdain, "what's the use of learning more?"

  Ní Sī Yǔ: "The competition, I've always wanted to win the provincial championship."

  Zhang Shun and Ruan Jia brothers looked at each other in dismay, asking in unison: "What is there to compare?"

  "It's about who swims faster and in more varied ways. For example, frog stroke, dog paddle, and so on."

  Ruan Xia'er said in surprise: "You've been studying since elementary school just to be faster than others?"

  Ní Sī Yǔ said naturally: "What's wrong? My major project is freestyle swimming."

  Zhang Shun and the Ruan brothers all fell silent, in their eyes, being skilled at swimming was a matter of survival and fighting, it was the last barrier to protect the mountain stronghold, it was an inevitable choice. It's hard to say if they had considered this technique as something sacred deep down, but they learned it just to compete with others, apparently they saw it as a form of play. You'd find it difficult to explain to them what "sports spirit" means. What does "higher, faster, stronger" mean? What is the "new Beijing, new Olympics"? This is the difference in ideas brought about by different eras. Even if they could pilot spaceships, they still couldn't be considered people of this era.

  Ni Siyu was originally full of enthusiasm and expectation, such a beautiful girl, probably rarely rejected by people. But when she saw the expressions of the three people, she immediately understood that this matter had already become impossible. Although she didn't know why.

  We remained still for a while, then Zhang Shun pushed away his Coke cup and stood up, saying: "Xiao Qiang, let's go."

  What a beautiful MM, the successor of the stinky tofu wants you to hand over the secret recipe. It's better to teach swimming than fencing, with such a devilish figure, it's enough to make you look every day and not be happy. Really stubborn. But I have no choice, I want to teach, but Ni Siyu probably wouldn't agree, uh, definitely wouldn't agree.

  When we walked out a dozen steps away, suddenly heard a loud noise behind, turned back to see Nian Siyu smashed the cup on the table, black cola splashing on her snow-white skin was particularly eye-catching, she angrily shouted: "I know why you didn't teach me. Isn't it just because I'm a cripple?"

  Is she crippled? I carefully looked her up and down again, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Could it be that she's a stone maiden?

  Ni Siyu suddenly stood up and quickly walked past us, I saw that two lines of tears had already flowed down her cheeks. It wasn't until then that I realized she limped a little when she walked fast, she walked to a place far beyond us, wiping her eyes with her hand, turned around, the tears had been wiped away, and a faint smile hung at the corner of her mouth, saying softly: "The doctor said my legs are no longer suitable for any exercise, I don't believe it, I just want to show him, but now it seems he's right, I won't swim again." She wiped her eyes, slowly turned around, and walked towards the exit.

  Zhang Shun said in a low voice, "I didn't know she had leg problems." Ruan Xiao'er said, "I didn't know either, we're not teaching her because of that, are we?" Ruan Xiaowu said, "Look at how miserable she is, why don't we teach her?"

  Ruan Xia'er: "This girl's temper is too big, just to argue with a doctor, she insisted on soaking in the water for so many years, and in the future, she will be beaten to death by a few sentences."

  I see an opportunity in this matter, so I loudly say to Ni Siyu's back: "Are you afraid of being beaten?"

  Ni Siyu looked back in shock, with tears still on her face: "What?"

  "If you don't hurry up, it's a flogging; if you can't hold your breath, it's a flogging - they are far more ruthless than I am."

  Ni Siyu was stunned for a moment, and suddenly tears rained down. She knelt happily by the pool, covering her face and sobbing uncontrollably.

  Ruan Xiaowu walked up to her, wanting to pull her but not daring to stretch out his hand, looking at Niesi Yu's white arm and stammering: "We can teach you too, I have a request."

  Ni Siyu hastily lifted her head and looked at him.

  "...wear more clothes from now on."

  Eyes... dead eyes... I walked while reciting like an old monk, constantly thinking about this beautiful little sister swimming. He actually wanted her to wear a frog-like swimsuit. If it were up to me, my requirement would be that she must wear a fiery three-point swimsuit...

  Later, I learned that Ni Siyu's legs were born with congenital defects, also known as congenital left (right) hemiplegia, similar to polio. The condition would worsen with age, manifesting as unilateral limb weakness and eventually loss of motor function. However, Ni Siyu's father defied the odds by teaching her how to swim from a young age. Now, unless she walks quickly, it is hard to notice that there is anything wrong with her legs, which is already a miracle.

  Ní Sī Yǔ listened to Zhang Shun and others say that this is the first time they came to the swimming pool, she expressed her disbelief. She was a senior member of the swimming pool, of course, because of her father's relationship, she didn't need to spend money. As for the training that Zhang Shun and others would teach her in the future, it would be held at the provincial sports team's swimming pool, from 7 pm to 9 pm. Although Ní Sī Yǔ was an official member of the swimming team, she rarely participated in training and belonged to a loose organization with a goal of becoming the freestyle champion of the province.

  We agreed to meet outside the swimming pool entrance, where Ni Siyu was wearing a refreshing sportswear and basketball shoes that only boys would wear. She looked much more cheerful than the black mermaid. Ruan Xiaoer exclaimed in surprise: "I wouldn't have recognized you if you were dressed like this!" Passersby couldn't help but stare, then shook their heads and sighed as they walked away.

  He walked away directly. I originally wanted to follow him to have some fun, but Zhang Shun said: "Xiao Qiang, you'd better not go today, I think you've had enough."

  So I had to return to the tavern with a huff, where it was still closed and most of the good men had left, leaving only Zhang Qing and Yang Zhi to protect Zhu Gui from further trouble. All that was left was to wait for Shi Qian's message, while Wu Yong returned to sit in the central army and contact Song Jing.

  Zhu Gui said that Shi Qian has returned, and is making up for lost sleep. This trip was not in vain, as he followed his intuition and tracked down the 8 people to a beer stall where they had eaten late at night. This first confirmed that the 8 were together, and it's also said that after finishing their meal, they almost got into a fight with others due to a disagreement, apparently none of them are easy-going. Finally, and most importantly, under Shi Qian's repeated questioning, the stall owner recalled a name that they often whispered: Liu Xuan.

  Is it that amazing? I half-believed and half-doubted, reaching out to grab the sleeping Shi Yan on the sofa, but only grabbed a nightgown. Below, Shi Yan had already woken up from his sleep in one second and jumped two meters away, while also holding a willow-leaf-sized knife in his hand, vigilantly looking around. It seems that his professional demeanor and spirit have not changed due to the change in environment.

  He saw me and put away his dagger. I said, "Qian Ge, you've worked hard, investigating all night?"

  Shi Qian waved his hand and said: "Those are all simple. I've already found the approximate address of one of them, and at most it will take 3 days for Liu Xuan to capture him!"

  "You've gained a lot from staying up all night!"

  Shi Qian suddenly revealed a pleased expression, saying: "What's this, we're not even done with these things yet, the biggest gain is..." Shi Qian habitually looked around and put his hand into his pocket, saying: "I stole an extraordinary treasure yesterday - a Night Pearl!"

  My heart skipped a beat at once, peerless treasure. Night Pearl, isn't this a coincidence? Shi Qian stole... it shouldn't be Bao Zi, right?

  He put his hands in his pockets, but hesitated to take them out. It seemed that he wanted to satisfy my appetite before he was satisfied: "Originally, I could have come back earlier, but those people didn't know what they were doing. They stayed up all night, and I waited for them until it was past 3."

  This is even more like it. Xiang Yu and Qin Shi Huang can chat until this point every day.

  "After that, I spent half a day thinking about how to get in. We usually don't go through the front door, it's easy to get trapped at home, but the windows are glass, and breaking them would make too much noise."

  "I chimed in and said: 'Let me teach you a trick. Next time, buy a roll of plastic tape to cover the glass completely, then hit it with a hammer - not a sound will be made.'"

  Shi Qian thought for a moment and nodded: "Brilliant! I didn't expect you, Xiao Qiang, to be an insider too."

  I scratched my head and said, "When I was in school, I would sneak into the office to steal exam papers."

  "Uh, you know this line of work isn't easy to do anymore. Nowadays, houses don't even have beams, and climbing on top of the lamp is easy to get electrocuted. If someone discovers me, I also can't learn from the mice's calls, so before entering the house, I must be careful. Later, I learned from the street thugs' fighting skills that they would turn off the lights, after I entered the door, I opened all the windows of each household, and after hiding for half an hour, I finally made my move."

  "I interrupted him: 'That Qian Ge, how did you know they had a treasure at home?'"

  "It's strange to say, maybe it's just my good luck, that such a precious treasure they would casually throw on the table, letting it shine and sparkle..."

  It's gone! The pearl in the stolen purse must have been taken away for sure.

  "What's next?"

  "Haha, that's it! Brother Qian has made his move, and success is achieved!" At this point, Shi Qian finally stopped teasing me and suddenly pulled out a round bead, holding it in the palm of his hand for me to see.

  It was a pink ball, looked very beautiful, I pinched it from his hand and threw it to the ground with force.

  At that moment, Shi Qian let out a loud cry: "Don't!" The thief, mimicking my previous actions when I rescued the Listening Wind Bottle, had an evil dog pounce towards the pearl.

  But he was a step too late, and he watched in horror as the pearl hit the ground with a loud thud, then - bounced back up.

  I caught it with my hand and bounced it on the ground a few times, saying slowly: "This is a glow-in-the-dark rubber ball..."

  Shi Qian felt something was off and carefully asked: "How much is it worth?"

  I played with the rubber ball and said: "This thing was worth 5 cents last year, but now it's not allowed to be sold because of radiation. This collector's edition can probably sell for 1 yuan -"

  Shi Qian said with a sob, "Really?" He took the rubber ball, but didn't dare to throw it on the ground like I did. As soon as he lost his grip, the ball fell to the ground and rolled under the sofa.

  I waved my hand at him: "Now I don't have a single yuan left."