The weather turned cool, then cold.
The green reeds lost their color overnight. When the river wind swept through, the yellow-white reed fluff would first drift into the air, then, too heavy under its own weight, fall back into the water before traveling far. From a distance, it looked like a layer of floating snow.
More and more water birds came to the marshlands to roost and shelter from the cold. They circled the River Conservancy Office fleet, looking for a chance to scavenge food. When tired from flying, they folded their wings and settled on the masts.
The tower ship led the way, with the Creation Treasure Ship alongside it.
Bats flew in, tigers carried loads, wild boars thundered about, and Ta Ta Kai's family set up gangplanks, moving back and forth as they sorted luggage and cleaned the rooms.
"A Shui, how are we getting to the Southern Border? Are there any great rivers?"
Xu Zishuai carried two huge bundles on his back. He had put up a canopy and was gazing into the distance as he asked. He had little luggage and had finished packing it all by himself.
Lu Gang was a blacksmith, so he had somewhat more belongings and tools with him—too much for one person to carry. Ao Cangyuan and Ao Miyun transformed into human forms, each one and a half zhang tall, and helped him move everything aboard.
Liang Qu tossed his bundle to Awei.
"Several provinces south of here are mostly hilly terrain. The rivers come and go, running in every direction, so we have to wind around. There are lots of reefs too, so we can't travel straight. We'll head east first, reach the Huai River estuary, then sail out into the Eastern Sea. Once we're there, we'll head south along