Chapter 146: Journey to the South of the Yangtze River

In the hazy third month of spring, willows thrive and orioles flutter.

Around the time of the vernal equinox, faint mists would invariably rise over the lower reaches of the Luo River in the State of Zhao.

Even the local residents could offer no explanation for this bizarre phenomenon. Yet in the eyes of wandering poets and romantic scholars, it formed a rare and picturesque scene, brimming with an ethereal beauty.

At this moment, a small, black-awninged skiff drifted leisurely from the north along the gentle current.

At the stern stood a boatman wearing a straw hat. Though somewhat advanced in years, he possessed a lean and robust frame with strong arms, propelling the boat at a brisk pace.

Seated at the bow was a youth in grey attire. He appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old, leaning against the gunwale with his arms pillowed behind his head. A reed was clamped between his teeth, giving him a rather carefree and leisurely air.

"Tell me, young master," the boatman said, grinning as he rowed. "You've truly chosen an excellent time to visit Luo City!"

"Oh?" The grey-robed youth raised an eyebrow and asked, "How so?"

"You might not know this, young master, but whenever spring brings its blooming flowers, a blossom known as 'fireworks' springs up in every street and alley of Luo City. Though tiny, these flowers invariably cluster together in dense groups with soft, delicate petals. What's most unusual is that their blossoms are translucent tinged with a faint white, much like misty morning clouds."

"Such a wondrous flower exists?" The youth turned his head slightly in mild surprise.

Seeing that he had piqued the youth's interest, the boatman eagerly opened the floodgates of conversation and chuckled, "It seems you rarely travel far from home, young master. As the saying goes, 'Journey to Jiangnan in the misty third month, regret it deeply if you miss Luo City'——"

"Old man, I reckon you just made that verse up yourself!" The youth curved the corners of his lips in amusement.

The old boatman's face flushed red. He coughed a few times at the stern and argued stubbornly, "My words are unpolished, but the reasoning is sound; the fireworks of Luo City are renowned far and wide. When they bloom, talented scholars and wealthy merchants from the southern State of Zhao flock there to admire the flowers, discuss poetry, and forge connections. It is, so to speak, a grand gathering bridging officialdom and commerce——"

"Then Luo City must be overflowing with people right now, I presume?" the youth suddenly interjected.

"Indeed!"

The boatman glanced at him and continued, "Luo City is merely a single city; how could it possibly accommodate so many people? Therefore, every year at this time, heavy guards are posted at the city gates. Unless one is a commercial magnate, a renowned scholar, or a person of high rank and influence, ordinary folks are simply not allowed to enter."

"According to you, old man, does that mean I won't be able to get into the city?"

"Not necessarily!" The boatman smiled faintly, assuming a mysterious air. "As the saying goes, officials have their paths and commoners have their ways. If the young master is truly sincere about entering the city to view the flowers, there are still other methods..."

Just as he was about to elaborate, his expression suddenly shifted, and his eyes snapped toward the bow of the boat.

Through the lingering river mist, a swift-sailing vessel with hoisted canvas was bearing down upon them at high speed.

As the craft drew closer, two figures became visible standing upon it.

Both men were dressed in official constable attire with broadswords at their waists. They possessed broad shoulders and thick waists, exuding a distinctly ruthless aura.

"Where did these ignorant peasants come from? Do you not know that this river route has been sealed off?" one of them roared furiously.

"Ah, officers! I am merely a boatman of the Luo River, and truly had no idea the riverway was closed!" The old man dropped his oar, hurried to the bow, and bowed repeatedly to the two constables.

"You didn't know? Hmph! Dignitaries from the capital are boating here, yet low-born peasants like you dare to cruise the same waters! I'd say this is a grave offense; come with us at once!" With that, the man reached out to grab the boatman.

"You can't do this, officers! My family relies entirely on my punting to survive. If I'm dragged away like this, I'm afraid I'll only return to collect my old woman's corpse!"

"Hmph, I care nothing for your troubles!" Far from showing a shred of pity, the two constables leaped directly onto the small skiff and moved to seize him by force.

At that moment, an abrupt voice rang out from the boat:

"What a strange world this is. Clearly bandits by nature, yet once they don official robes, they transform overnight into lords of the realm!"

The expressions of the two constables altered drastically as they whipped their heads around toward the back of the boat.

There, half-sitting and half-reclining, was the grey-robed youth. He was staring idly up at the sky, not even bothering to cast a glance in their direction.

"Old Li, how does this fellow know who we really are?"

The younger of the two constables whispered urgently to his companion.

"You're asking me, but who am I to ask?"

The older constable wore an equally bewildered expression.

"Shall we just kill them to tie up loose ends?"

"Right. Make it swift and clean—leave no trace behind!"

"Understood!"

After a brief consultation, the pair simultaneously drew the broadswords from their waists and lunged toward the boatman with vicious expressions.

"Help!"

Having read their body language and anticipated danger, the boatman had already panicked. Seeing them draw their swords, his legs buckled entirely and he collapsed straight to the deck.

In his desperation, driven by some sudden surge of courage, he grabbed a boat oar from the bow and thrust it blindly forward with his eyes shut tight.

*Thud, thud!*

Two soft thuds echoed, followed by complete silence.

"Eh?"

After kneeling on the deck for a long while, the boatman finally dared to open his eyes. The two constables, who had been lording over him just moments before, were now staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes.

"Honorable officers... what is the matter?"

The boatman asked, trembling slightly as his hands tightened around the oar in lingering apprehension.

*Plop! Plop!*

Touched merely by his oar, the two constables fell straight backward like felled trees, tumbling headlong into the river.

What the boatman failed to see was that the halves of a shattered reed were deeply embedded in the throats of both men, and only as they sank beneath the surface did bright red blood begin to well up in the water.

"Murder!"

Crying out in panic, the boatman flung the oar into the river, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.

"Do not panic!"

Suddenly, a calm voice sounded, and a hand gently rested upon his shoulder.

The boatman turned his head to see his youthful passenger. Strangely enough, despite the boy being only sixteen or seventeen years old, his presence imparted a deep sense of reassurance.

Suppressing his terror slightly, though still pale with horror, the boatman stammered:

"I've killed someone! I've killed a man! In all my years, old as I am, I've never even slaughtered a chicken, yet today I've killed a man!"

The youth glanced at him indifferently and said:

"If you did not kill them, they would have killed you. Would you rather fight back, or stretch out your neck and wait to be butchered?"

Stunned by these words, the boatman snapped out of his daze and realized, "That's right... if I didn't kill them, they would have killed me. I had no choice; back home... back home... I still have an old woman waiting for me to return..."

With that, he scrambled hastily to his feet, rushed to the stern to grab the remaining oar, and prepared to turn the skiff around.

"What are you doing?" the grey-robed youth asked.

"Turning back, young master! We can't go any further ahead!"

"It's useless!"

The youth shook his head. "They were impersonating officials to seal off the river here, which means they must have ulterior motives ahead. Once they realize these two haven't reported back in time, they will inevitably send reinforcements. They travel in fast, canvas-driven vessels, and with the northern wind blowing now, you cannot outrun them!"

"Then what am I to do?" Panic seized the boatman once more.

"Go ashore here and drag the skiff into the woods," the youth said calmly, pointing toward the riverbank.

The boatman looked in the direction of the finger and saw a dense, verdant forest stretching not far along the shore, its depths shrouded from view.

"Makes sense!"

The boatman nodded repeatedly as the realization dawned on him. Regaining his wits, he turned around intending to express his gratitude further.

To his utter astonishment, however, save for himself, there was no longer a second soul upon the small black-awninged skiff.

The grey-robed youth had vanished into thin air right as he turned his head, leaving behind only a few shattered pieces of silver resting on the bow...