“What is going on?!”
As the ship's shaking grew more violent, the chess piece in Lu Sui's hand fell onto the board with a click.
The black piece rolled over to Shen Yu's hand.
He reached out to press down on the rolling piece, then immediately turned his gaze toward the water ahead of the bow, only to see ripples rising on the originally calm, golden river.
In no time, hurried footsteps echoed from the other end of the deck.
Shen Ying was the first to rush out.
She was dressed in red, her black hair tied up high, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead, making her look as if she had just fought someone.
“Second Brother, no matter how far we row this ship, it always ends up back here. Why are you wasting your effort?”
“By the way, I was just sparring with the Zhenbei Army soldiers in the hold, and I didn't see anyone moving the oars. How did you get the ship to move on its own?”
As she spoke, she had already walked up to the two of them.
“It's not us. The ship is moving on its own,” Shen Yu explained succinctly, looking at his sister.
Shen Ying was slightly stunned. Before she could reply, another flurry of chaotic footsteps came from the direction of the cabin.
It was Fan Miaozhen and Fang Shuo.
Behind them followed many people, including sailors from the Fan family and soldiers from the Zhenbei Army.
Clearly, they had all been alarmed by this sudden anomaly and hurried to the deck to investigate.
Unlike the strictly disciplined Zhenbei Army, the Fan family's sailors were ordinary people and could not help but feel panicked.
“We're all up here, and no one is rowing. How is this ship moving on its own?”
“What on earth is going on?”
“Could... could there be a ghost?”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Fan Miaozhen scolded sharply. Seeing the sailors shrink back and lower their heads, she turned to the three at the bow and asked, “Could you please clear up Miaozhen's confusion? Aside from the river that Young Master Fang accidentally prayed for at the beginning, our subsequent wishes to the murals only granted us items. How did you manage to make six large ships move without oars?”
Shen Ying chimed in, “Sister Fan, my second brother just told me that neither he nor Brother Buyan did it.”
“And of course, it wasn't me either.”
Fan Miaozhen's brow furrowed even tighter. “How strange. Then where is this ship taking us?”
Fang Shuo looked around and chimed in, “Could the Divine Lady be sending us out?”
Although life in this painted world was quite comfortable—wishing for whatever they wanted from the murals and having those wishes granted—he always felt uneasy here.
It felt too surreal.
While Fang Shuo was still lost in thought, Lu Sui suddenly looked up at him, his eyes calm and clear. “Young Master Fang is truly wise beneath a foolish exterior. Your casual remark has actually awakened me. It was the Divine Lady who sent us into this painted world, so the master of this place is naturally Her.”
He paused briefly. “Perhaps it really is the Divine Lady casting Her magic to send us out of here.”
Just as he finished speaking, the ship jolted once more.
In the next instant, the six large ships suddenly accelerated along the rushing current, hurtling toward a blinding white light ahead.
The murals on both banks flashed past rapidly.
The wind howled in everyone's ears.
The lifelike murals of Bodhisattvas, lotuses, Sanskrit chants, and dances gradually vanished from sight.
The river grew narrower, but the light grew brighter.
Shen Ying raised her hand to shield her eyes, and Shen Yu instinctively pulled his sister half a step behind him.
The others also shielded their eyes.
After what seemed like an eternity, the white light finally dispersed.
A salty sea breeze rushed over them.
One after another, the six large ships leaped out from a golden rift, landing heavily on the sea and kicking up white waves several zhang high, like six giant fish breaching the water.
The crowd stood dazed for a long time before slowly raising their heads.
Immediately afterward, they discovered that above them was no longer a cavern, but the real sky. Seagulls swept past the masts, letting out clear cries.
As the waves lapped against the hull and splashed onto the deck, Fan Miaozhen unfurled the sea chart she had brought out from the painted world.
“We actually made it to Wuling Prefecture!”
Shen Ying, however, couldn't care less about any of this.
She looked down at her empty hands, finding only the thin calluses on the webs of her hands, worn from years of holding a spear.
She quickly turned and scanned her surroundings. Her eyes swept from the deck to the gunwale, and from the gunwale to the cabin entrance, searching back and forth three or four times, but she couldn't find her precious spear.
“Where is my spear?” she cried. “Where is my silver spear? I was clearly still holding it just now!”
This shout snapped everyone back to reality.
Fang Shuo began rummaging through his bundle. There was nothing inside. The pastries he had prayed for were long gone.
The Zhenbei Army soldiers looked at each other.
Someone touched their arm, only to find that the steel bracers obtained from their wish had vanished into thin air.
The person next to him also had a look of astonishment.
“My crossbow is gone too...”
The items from the painted world could not be brought out.
No, one item had been brought out!
Everyone's eyes fell in unison on Fan Miaozhen—or more precisely, on the sea chart in her hands.
Only Lu Sui had no time to ponder this.
He hurriedly retreated into the cabin, fetched paper and ink, and leaned over the desk to write from memory.
Line after line of text appeared on the paper—the legal codes he had studied and memorized repeatedly every day in the painted world.
Even though he believed he had memorized them perfectly, he still did not dare to be the least bit careless. Occasionally, he would pause, close his eyes to recite a passage in his mind, and then open them to continue writing.
Laws concerned the livelihood of the people of the realm.
There could not be the slightest error.
Shen Yu stood at the door and watched for a moment. Seeing Lu Sui completely absorbed, he knew he must not disturb him right now.
He gently pulled the door half-closed, then turned to Fan Miaozhen and the others on the deck, lowering his voice.
“Let him have some peace. We will discuss matters in the inner room.”
The group understood and filed in.
Shen Ying asked anxiously, “Second Brother, just tell me, can I still get my silver spear back?”
“A'ying, the painted world was perhaps just a dream. How can things from a dream be brought back to the mortal realm?”
“Second Brother, my heart hurts so much...”
Fan Miaozhen looked at the crestfallen Shen Ying, then at Shen Yu, a trace of hesitation in her voice.
“Young Master Shen, what about this sea chart in my hand?”
If no one else had brought anything out, she naturally wouldn't think much of it. Yet, she had somehow brought out a sea chart.
A look of deep thought flashed across Shen Yu's eyes.
“Young Mistress Fan, the sea chart you obtained was likely not a gift from the murals, but a blessing bestowed upon you by the Divine Lady.”
Fan Miaozhen was suddenly overwhelmed by the favor. “Why would the Divine Lady bestow a sea chart upon me alone?”
To ensure Fan Miaozhen's absolute devotion to the Divine Lady, Shen Yu shared his speculation with her. “The Fan family is renowned for water transport, but the weather is unpredictable, and sailing the seas is ultimately treacherous. The Divine Lady bestowed the sea chart out of pity for the hardships of mortals.”
Fan Miaozhen's expression shifted from confusion to deep emotion. “How have I deserved such favor from the Divine Lady...”
For a moment, she felt that what she held in her hand was not just a sea chart, but a heavy responsibility.
*
Inside the temple.
Yun Shu closed the system monitor and muttered in a low voice, “Lu Sui should be able to finish writing down the legal codes within two days. Wuling City's existing supplies can still hold out for three days, so it's just in time.”
She stood up from the sofa, intending to find something to eat, when the little fox rushed in.
“Host, something has happened in Wuling City!”
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