Fish Scale Ferry had been continually expanding, making room for more large ferry boats like the Tong Yin Ferry Boat and turning a temporary dock into a permanent one. It was said that the Cloud Rock Country Imperial Court had already outsourced its state-run aged vinegar, coix wine, and ink production. Some bold youths from the capital fished there at night. Not far away were painted pleasure boats wafting the scent of cosmetics, where cups and goblets passed in lively succession. Their hosts were mostly influential nobles from below the mountains, entertaining Mountain Immortal Masters. They admired the moonlight, spoke of friendships, and drank gold and silver. The sworn brothers at the wine table all shared the same surname: Money. The youths by the river whispered among themselves, naming which imperial relative or which chief official's young master owned each painted boat permitted to conduct business there. Now and then, they saw a woman stagger to the railing, take out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth, and briefly straighten her appearance. After hesitating repeatedly, she did not tuck the handkerchief back into her sleeve, but threw it away before hurrying back into the lantern-lit revelry.
By now, everyone in court and common circles knew that the owner of the Tong Yin Ferry Boat was a Sect-level immortal estate. Added to that, the Imperial Court had imposed martial law, forbidding idle outsiders from approaching the Tong Yin Ferry Boat and disturbing the Sword Immortals' quiet cultivation. Thus, the waters near the Tong Yin Ferry Boat remained comparatively tranquil. Whenever a small boat occasionally came near, attendant Martial Cultivators would swiftly spring from the reed beds like wild birds, using their lightness skill to skim the water like dragonflies and urge that boat to turn around at once. Cursing