“What’s going on?!”
As the ship’s rocking grew more and more violent, the chess piece in Lu Sui’s hand slipped from his fingers with a sharp click.
The black piece rolled in a circle before coming to a stop beside Shen Yu.
He reached out and pressed down on the rolling piece, then turned his gaze toward the waters ahead of the bow.
There.
Ripples had begun spreading across the golden river, which had originally been calm.
Before long, hurried footsteps came from the other end of the deck.
Shen Ying was the first to rush out.
She wore a red robe, her dark hair tied high, a thin sheen of sweat glistening at her temples. She looked as though she had just finished fighting someone.
“Second Brother, no matter how far we row this ship, it always ends up coming back here. Why are you wasting your effort?”
“Oh, right. I sparred with the soldiers of the Northern Garrison beneath the deck just now, but I didn’t see anyone touching the oars or paddles. How did you make the ship move on its own?”
As she spoke, she had already reached the two men.
“It wasn’t us. The ship started moving by itself.” Shen Yu glanced at his sister and gave her a brief explanation.
Shen Ying froze slightly. Before she could respond, another burst of chaotic footsteps came from the direction of the cabins.
It was Fan Miaozhen and Fang Shuo.
Behind them followed quite a few people, including sailors from the Fan family and soldiers of the Northern Garrison.
Clearly, they had all been startled by the sudden anomaly and had hurried onto the deck to investigate.
Unlike the disciplined soldiers of the Northern Garrison, the Fan family’s sailors were ordinary men. Naturally, they could not help but feel frightened.
“We’re all here, and no one is rowing. How did the ship start moving by itself?”
“What on earth is going on?”
“C-Could it be a ghost?”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Fan Miaozhen snapped.
The sailors shrank their shoulders and lowered their heads. Only then did she turn to the three people at the bow and ask, “I would be grateful if you could enlighten me. At the beginning, Young Master Fang somehow prayed a river into existence. After that, when we prayed to the murals, we could only obtain objects. How did you manage to make six large ships move without oars?”
Shen Ying took over. “Sister Fan, my second brother just told me that he and Brother Buyan didn’t do it.”
“Of course, I didn’t do it either.”
Fan Miaozhen’s brows drew together even more tightly. “How strange. Then where is this ship taking us?”
Fang Shuo looked around and added, “Could it be that the Divine Lady is sending us out?”
Although life in this world within the painting was quite comfortable—if they wanted something, all they had to do was pray to the murals, and their wishes would be granted—he had never felt at ease here.
There was an inexplicable sense of unreality.
While Fang Shuo was still lost in his wild thoughts, Lu Sui suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him. His gaze was calm and clear.
“Young Master Fang truly has a talent for seeming foolish while being wise. Your offhand remark has actually given me a revelation. It was the Divine Lady who sent us into this world within the painting, so naturally, She is also its master.”
He paused before continuing, “Perhaps it truly is the Divine Lady who is casting a spell to send us away.”
The moment he finished speaking, the ship jolted again.
In the next instant, the six large ships surged forward along a sudden torrent of water, abruptly accelerating toward a dazzling expanse of white light ahead.
The murals on both banks swept rapidly backward.
The wind howled in everyone’s ears.
Bodhisattvas, lotuses, chanting, dancing, music—those vivid murals gradually vanished from their sight.
The river grew narrower and narrower, while the light grew brighter and brighter.
Shen Ying raised a hand to shield her eyes. Shen Yu instinctively pulled his sister half a step behind him.
The others also raised their hands to block the glare.
No one knew how long had passed before the white light finally dispersed.
Salty sea wind rushed toward them.
One after another, the six large ships burst from a golden rift and crashed heavily onto the surface of the sea, sending white waves soaring several zhang into the air. They looked like six enormous fish breaking through the water.
Everyone remained stunned for a long while before slowly raising their heads.
Then they realized—
There was no longer a cavern above them, but the real sky. Seagulls skimmed past the masts, their cries clear and bright.
Waves slapped against the hulls, splashing water onto the deck. Fan Miaozhen unfolded the nautical chart they had brought out of the world within the painting.
“We’ve actually reached Wuling Prefecture!”
Shen Ying, however, had no attention to spare for that.
She looked down at her hands.
They were empty. Only the calluses formed from years of gripping a spear remained at the base of her thumb.
She immediately turned and swept her gaze around, searching from the deck to the railings, then from the railings to the cabin entrance. She looked back and forth three or four times, but could not find her treasured spear.
“Where’s my spear?” she demanded. “Where’s my silver spear? I was holding it just a moment ago!”
Her shout jolted everyone awake.
Fang Shuo began searching through his bundle, but there was nothing inside. The pastries he had prayed for had vanished without a trace.
The soldiers of the Northern Garrison exchanged bewildered glances.
One of them reached for his arm, only to discover that the fine-steel bracer he had obtained through prayer had disappeared into thin air.
The man beside him wore the same look of astonishment.
“My crossbow is gone too…”
The objects from the world within the painting could not be brought out.
No—one thing had been brought out!
Everyone’s gaze fell upon Fan Miaozhen. More precisely, it fell upon the nautical chart in her hands.
Lu Sui alone had no time to investigate the matter.
He hurried into the cabin and returned with paper and brush. Then he bent over the desk and began writing from memory.
Line after line of text appeared on the paper. They were the laws he had pondered over each day in the world within the painting and committed to memory through repeated recitation.
Although he believed he knew them by heart, he still did not dare to show the slightest carelessness as he wrote. Every so often, he would pause, close his eyes, silently recite the passage once, and then open them to continue.
The law concerned the livelihood of all the people under Heaven.
There could not be the slightest mistake.
Shen Yu stood at the doorway and watched for a while. Seeing that Lu Sui was completely absorbed and oblivious to the world around him, he knew that he absolutely could not disturb him at that moment.
He gently pulled the door almost shut, then turned toward Fan Miaozhen and the others on the deck, lowering his voice.
“Let him have some peace and quiet. We’ll go inside and discuss matters.”
Everyone understood and filed into the inner cabin.
Shen Ying asked anxiously, “Second Brother, just tell me—can I still get my silver spear back?”
“A-Ying, the world within the painting may have been nothing more than a dream. How could anything from a dream be brought back to the mortal realm?”
“Second Brother, my heart hurts…”
Fan Miaozhen glanced at Shen Ying’s crestfallen face, then at Shen Yu. There was a trace of hesitation in her voice.
“Young Master Shen, what about this nautical chart in my hands?”
If no one had brought anything out, she naturally would not have thought much of it. But she alone had brought out a nautical chart.
A thoughtful look passed through Shen Yu’s eyes.
“Young Master Fan, the nautical chart you obtained was likely not a gift from the murals, but a blessing bestowed upon you by the Divine Lady.”
Fan Miaozhen was immediately overwhelmed by the honor. “Why would the Divine Lady bestow a nautical chart upon me alone?”
In order to make Fan Miaozhen devote herself completely to the Divine Lady, Shen Yu told her the conclusion he had reached.
“The Fan family is renowned for its river and sea transport. Yet the weather is unpredictable, and sailing the seas is ultimately perilous. The Divine Lady bestowed this nautical chart upon you out of compassion for the hardships of mortals.”
Fan Miaozhen’s expression shifted from confusion to deep emotion.
“How could I possibly deserve such regard from the Divine Lady…”
For one brief moment, she felt that what she held in her hands was not a nautical chart, but a weighty responsibility.
*
Within the divine temple.
Yun Shu switched off the surveillance feed and murmured to herself, “Lu Sui should be able to memorize all the legal statutes within two days. The supplies in Wuling City will last another three days, so we should just make it in time.”
She rose from the sofa and was about to find something to tide her over when the Little Fox came rushing in.
“Host, something has happened in Wuling City!”
