The pleasure barge was at least ten zhang tall.
Upon its decks were carved eaves and painted beams, winding corridors and intersecting roofs, pavilions and towers, everything one might expect. It was as though a vast palace had been loaded onto the water.
Even more astonishing was the fact that this barge was no mystical Spiritual Treasure, it had been built entirely with mortal craftsmanship.
To construct such a marvel must have required immense manpower and resources.
This towering vessel split the waves behind it, cutting through the mist and parting the blue waters like a grand procession.
Its overwhelming presence made the small skiff where Chen Kuang stood seem insignificant in comparison.
Chen Kuang's heart stirred. He paid no heed to the calls of the people on the ship but instead turned his gaze toward the bow of his little boat.
The straw-coated ferryman who had once stood there, bamboo pole in hand, had vanished without a trace. Only the lantern remained, gently swaying in the wind.
Wen Si had departed, his task completed.
So, this was where he was supposed to deliver Chen Kuang?
Right in front of this massive river barge?
Could it be that Chen Kuang's "ladder to the heavens" was on that ship?
The surrounding mist dispersed all at once, and Chen Kuang suddenly froze in surprise.
Where was this?
It was no longer the gloomy, gray-blanketed River of Death. He now found himself on a wide, open lake.
The lake breeze blew cool and crisp against his face, clearing the mind and heart.
All around, the waters were vast and gleaming. In the distance, layers of mountains emerged and receded in hues of light and dark. Mist-shrouded peaks mirrored the shimmering surface of the lake, like a scene painted in ink and wash.
He appeared to be near the lake's center, no shore in sight.
The scenery was sublime.
After a moment's thought, Chen Kuang deduced where he was.
The accents of the people aboard the barge were clearly from Liang, and the architectural style matched Liang's standards.
Evidently, this was still within the borders of the Liang Kingdom.
And there was only one place within Liang that matched these features, renowned as the "Cloud Palace and Dragon Marsh," a place once home to a legendary lake dragon: Eastern Court Lake, located in Jishao Prefecture.
Wen Si had carried him downriver all the way into the Eastern Court Lake!
"I wonder... for Senior Brother, does this count as a trip home?"
Chen Kuang had no idea where Wen Si had gone. He couldn't help but wonder. His gut told him the Music Sage had surely arranged more tasks for this senior brother, just never told him.
"Daoist friend! Admiring the beauty of Eastern Court alone must be a lonely affair. Since fate has brought us together, why not come aboard and join us for a ride?"
The group on the barge had noticed Chen Kuang hadn't replied, but they bore no grudge. They simply renewed their invitation with good cheer.
Through the Mist-Flower Silk, Chen Kuang could see the faces of the group clearly.
Three men and two women, all young.
The one who'd spoken appeared to be the host.
The youth wore a tall crown and flowing robes, his sleeves wide, waist adorned with jade pendants that clinked melodiously as he fanned himself with a feather fan.
The ensemble was absurdly formal.
But paired with that majestic barge, it was oddly fitting.
Chen Kuang's expression turned a little strange.
Even after all those years in the palace, he had never seen anyone dress quite so rigidly.
Ever since Su Yu became emperor, the palace had grown increasingly lax in matters of ritual and music. From top to bottom, the Ministry of Rites had grown loose, and officials abandoned proper form entirely.
Now, to see someone dressed in this outmoded, ritualistic garb, and doing so right after Liang's emperor had just died, it struck Chen Kuang as darkly ironic.
Especially when they were doing something as leisurely as a lake cruise...
Jishao Prefecture was right beside the ruined capital!
One side was scorched earth and endless battles, the other still had time for pleasure cruises and idle music on the waves.
Fresh from his narrow escape, Chen Kuang even wondered if he'd somehow traveled to another world again.
"Well, my boatman up and vanished on me in a hurry. I suppose I'll take you up on your offer, if it's not too much trouble, could you take me along?"
He half-joked, standing and storing away the Dragon's Gums Zither, giving a light bow.
"Haha, how amusing, Daoist friend!"
The host burst into laughter. He had only ever seen Chen Kuang alone, no boatman in sight, so he assumed it was a jest.
Chen Kuang boarded the barge as a maidservant guided him to the uppermost level.
As he ascended, he realized the barge was a world unto itself. Each deck had dozens of compartments, where sounds of wine and laughter drifted, evidently, a feast was underway.
The top floor, however, was open and spacious. Pavilions and decorative rockeries linked in garden-like fashion.
The people he'd seen earlier were now gathered in a central pavilion, chatting.
This was likely Chen Kuang's first proper glimpse into the social world of cultivators.
He paused at a distance, quietly listening in, intrigued.
A thick-browed youth was animatedly saying:
"Did you hear? That Li Hongling who led the siege was supposedly countered by that 'Slaughter God' Huo Hengxuan and died inside the capital!"
A blue-robed young man chuckled:
"You're behind the times. The Canglang Evaluation published an emergency issue just yesterday. I pulled some strings to get my hands on it first thing."
He conjured a scroll with a flourish, waving it proudly.
Even the host raised a brow:
"Good one, Qi Sibai. Everyone says the Heavenly Observatory Division has ties to the Canglang Evaluation, looks like it might be true."
Qi Sibai only smiled vaguely. With a flick, the scroll unfurled in midair.
A list of five hundred names, laid out in order.
At the top, unmistakable, was "Shen Xingzhu".
"She's been number one on the Canglang Evaluation for ten straight years now, hasn't she?"
A glamorous young woman in red sighed wistfully:
"A star in the heavens, a candle among mortals... With her name up there, the rest of us will be overshadowed for the next century."
The host fanned himself, murmuring:
"Stars are, by nature, unreachable."
The bright-eyed girl in yellow glanced at the name, her round black eyes narrowing with dissatisfaction. She pouted:
"It's not so impressive. Who knows, I might make that list too in a few years."
"Haha... cough cough."
The thick-browed youth barely stifled a laugh.
"Well, you've already made it a third of the way..."
He pointed dramatically:
"You're both surnamed Shen."
The girl's face turned dark. She instantly drew her sword, clearly demanding a duel.
The woman in red quickly grabbed her and soothed:
"Don't be angry, Xiaomei. We just need to work hard. Give it a few hundred years, and maybe we'll crack the top ten."
Hearing this only made her angrier. She wailed and frantically swung her sword around.
The host waved his fan.
"Alright, alright, let's focus. What's more intriguing is this recent change in the rankings."
He pondered aloud:
"If it were just Li Hongling's death, they wouldn't have rushed out a special issue. They'd wait for the next regular update."
"Something else must've happened."
Qi Sibai nodded:
"As expected of Brother Lin. Indeed, the emergency issue didn't just remove Li Hongling's name. It also added one more."
"They added a new name?"
The host's eyes widened.
He took a sharp breath, realizing the implications.
"So it wasn't Huo Hengxuan who killed her?"
Qi Sibai replied, "Not only was it not Huo Hengxuan, it was a total unknown."
His finger drifted lower on the list...
Stopping at number thirty-three.
The host read it aloud, syllable by syllable:
"Chen... Kuang?"