Chapter 26: The Beginning of An Immortal’s Journey
Early the next morning, Wei Yuan finished his ablutions first thing after he got out of bed and made his way to the square in front of the entrance gate.
The Palace of Absolute Beginning’s immortal boat was parked at the center of the square. Twenty zhang long and light blue in color, several folded masts lined the vessel’s sides. When it was time, it would carry all newly recruited disciples toward the entrance gate.
Wei Yuan followed Zhang Sheng onto the vessel. It was separated into three floors. The bottom floor was where the cargo and luggage were stored, the middle floor was where the servants and menial resided, and the upper floor had six tables in it.
The scholar picked a random table on the upper floor and took his seat. A short while later, Sun Yu and Daoist Fu Feng entered the immortal boat and sat at their table.
As the departure time neared, more people began to show up. Two boys entered the boat first. They were led by their elders, and they each occupied a table. Their attendants went downstairs after attending to their needs. Wei Yuan vaguely remembered their faces. One of them had stood next to Li Zhi, and the other Bao Yun.
The next group of people to show up wore strange outfits that were both extravagantly ornate and exposed a lot of skin. Their complexions were deeply tanned, with large swathes of scales covering their necks and wrists. The one characteristic they all shared in common was their amber-colored eyes.
There was a boy among the group of four. He was none other than the one belonging to the Yan Clan of the Eastern Sea; the one who rode a nine-hued deer to participate in the unified exam at the beginning.
The Yan group had chosen the table at the farthest end; also the one table that didn’t have a window view. Zhang Sheng found it a little strange that the normally ostentatious Yan Clan was keeping such a low profile.
It was at this moment another two groups showed up. They were accompanying a boy and a girl. As soon as Wei Yuan saw them, his heart skipped a beat, and his head slowly toward the window. The view outside had never looked more scenic than now.