Chapter 205: Setting Off to Beiming

　　Setting off from Tianyun City’s north gate, then going east from the main street, after proceeding for ten miles, Lu Mingshu reached a ferry crossing.

　　There was footpath made out of pebbles leading to a bamboo forest, covering the waters slightly. A simple stone slab in unadorned colours showed how long it had stayed at this ferry crossing; more than a thousand years. It had been washed into this colour by time.

　　The morning mist had dispersed by now, and the sound of horse-trotting got closer. At the end of the footpath, a girl on a horse galloped toward the ferry crossing.

　　“Little Daze, we are here!” A clear voice could be heard. The horse raised its front hoof up high and stopped in time, landing exactly where the rider wanted.

　　Lu Mingshu got down from Little Daze and looked around the ferry crossing.

　　It was a peaceful river, clear water rippling, but not a single ferry could be seen, and there wasn’t anyone around.

　　Is Xiahou Shan trying to fool me? She sulked.

　　Sending her out of the city, Xiahou Shan had asked Lu Mingshu where she was going to go. “Where is Miss Lu planning to go?”

　　“I came from Xichuan, and Dongyue’s my hometown. It’s boring to go back to either of those places, so I’ll go to Beiming to have a look,” Lu Mingshu replied.

　　Xiahou Shan furrowed her eyebrows. “It’s not easy to get to Beiming!”

　　Bei meant north, and Ming meant river. Just like its name, it was an area near a large river surrounding the whole northern part of China.

　　Looking at the map, a huge portion of Beiming was occupied by the Ming River. This huge river with many tributaries could bring someone to anywhere in the world, and it was the thing that cut the land into many islands in the river. All of Beiming relied mainly on the river; the land was just complementary.

　　There were so many tributaries to the Ming River that made the topography complicated. Even today, there wasn’t any map that could record its actual topography. Moreover, the Ming River was filled with many ferocious beasts. Even a Spirit Realm wouldn’t dare to step into it rashly.

　　“Before I left, my master gave me a book of personal letters, which recorded his years while travelling in Beiming. With the book and my cautiousness, I should be safe.”

　　Xiahou Shan nodded. “It’s good that you know what to expect. If anything happens, take that string of Mystic Dewdrops out. Beiming knows well that it represents Zhongzhou royalty. Don’t hesitate to take it out when you need to.”

　　Lu Mingshu couldn’t help but feel grateful to the queen. “In the end, I should thank Her Highness for this.”

　　“You returning safely is the best way you can express your gratitude to her,” Xiahou Shan said.

　　What Xiahou Shan said made Lu Mingshu feel uneasy. The queen cared for her safety all because of Xie Lianzhen, and speaking of him reminded her of what she did.

　　She did that not because she truly wanted to move Xie Lianzhen, but out of evil intentions. Since you want me to wholeheartedly acknowledge allegiance to you, then I’ll show you the outcome of that. See if you can bear the consequences.

　　But she never expected that, not only could Xie Lianzhen not bear the consequences, she herself…

　　Being sharp, Xiahou Shan intuitively knew that Lu Mingshu was uneasy by her expression, so she changed the topic. “Anyway, if you want to travel to Beiming, there’s an old ferry crossing ten miles away from the north gate. The river is interlinked with their tributary. Sometimes you’ll meet the Jianghu people from Beiming, who make a living on the Ming River. They might not be capable, but they are experienced, so it will be easy for you to get to Beiming with their boat.”

　　“Thank you for the information, Emissary Xiahou.”

　　After bidding Xiahou Shan goodbye, Lu Mingshu made her way to the old ferry crossing. However, now that she was here, she couldn’t even see a boat.

　　Am I just unlucky?

　　Without a boat or guide, it would be hard to reach Beiming. In her master’s book, it wrote that the hardest obstacle that an outsider would face while going to Beiming was that it was so easy for them to get lost. If they did, it would be a serious problem.

　　The river of Beiming could get you anywhere in the world. In an ancient travel book, there were many classic stories of this. One losing his way in the Ming River and meeting a senior who had been missing for years, or losing their way in the Ming River and being unable to find the way out until a junior came to help.

　　From the classics, it showed how easy it was for one to lose their way on the Ming River and how serious the consequences were.

　　The last thing that Lu Mingshu wanted to happen was for her to waste her years in the tributaries of the Ming River, so she had to find a ferry first.

　　Creak!

　　There was a sound of rowing as a small boat paddled out from a bunch of reeds near the riverbank.

　　Lu Mingshu’s eyes lit up.

　　The simple and dull boat paddled across the waters. The old ferry crossing that was as still as a painting regained life.

　　The boatman wearing a bamboo hat shouted across to Lu Mingshu. “Miss, do you want to cross the river?”

　　Lu Mingshu flagged down the boat.

　　The small boat came over quickly. A teenage girl with a Hakka scarf on her head came out from the hold of the ship and jumped up with a rope.

　　After securing the rope, the girl looked up, wiping the sweat from her rosy cheeks and forehead. “Miss, please get on board.”

　　“Thanks a lot.” Lu Mingshu leapt on board, followed by Little Daze. Its weight made the small boat sway from side to side.

　　The boatman was an old man; his hair and beard were already half white. Seeing these two, he chuckled. “Lady Luck’s on my side today that I would be able to get a noble guest.”

　　Lu Mingshu turned around. “How does Sir know that I’m a noble guest?”

　　The boatman beamed. “From your dress and the mount. It has a magical and godly look; it must be a precious beast. If you’re not a noble guest, what else would you be?”

　　Lu Mingshu smiled. “May I know how much the fare is to get from here to Beiming?”

　　“Depends on which part of Beiming Miss wants to go to.” The boatman caressed his beard. “As long as there’s enough, we can go anywhere you want.”

　　Anywhere you want – such an arrogant sentence! But if he dares to say that, he must know the Ming River like his own palm.

　　Lu Mingshu pondered before replying. “I don’t know where to go either. Can I rent Sir’s boat and go wherever I want?”

　　“That’s a good idea!” Before the boatman could reply, the girl clapped her hands. “That’s great, go whenever you want and stop whenever you want. That’s freedom!”

　　This girl on the boat seems to have a concept of Zen, Lu Mingshu thought.

　　But that wasn’t something surprising. The boatman and the girl had mystic force circulating through their bodies, which told her that they were martial artists. These should be the Jianghu people that Xiahou Shan mentioned.

　　She tossed a golden spindle into the girl’s hand. “How many days can I rent the boat with this?”

　　The girl’s eyes widened. “Hundred Refined Golden Spindle?” It was obviously a pleasant surprise for the girl.

　　Lu Mingshu nodded her head.

　　The girl and the boatman exchanged a glance. The girl clapped her hands together. “For half a year, we’ll go wherever Miss wants!”

　　Firstly, refine gold in water to get the essence. After refining it a hundred ways, it becomes a Hundred Refined Gold Essence. Sixty kilograms of gold essence would then be refined into merely a small spindle. This Hundred Refined Golden Spindle could be used to refine a mystic weapon! As Jianghu people made a living on the Ming River, their cultivation materials came from the river. Mystic weapons were rare because mining masters were monopolized by the aristocratic families.

　　The girl turned toward the river and shouted. “Elder brother, we are setting sail!”

　　A wave appeared in the middle of the river. In the blink of an eye, it was beside the boat. A person appeared from under the water. “Here I am!”

　　The guy wasn’t much bigger than the girl. He wasn’t very tall, but he was flexible. He came onto the boat half-naked and threw a net on the boat. Prawns and fish leapt about in the net.

　　Out of curiosity, Little Daze went to smell them, but the fishy smell turned it off, and it turned away.

　　The guy and the girl looked extremely alike. They even had the same smile.

　　“Be at ease, Miss. We can bring you anywhere you want, and we can guarantee you that we won’t lose our way! ”

　　Lu Mingshu nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”