Taihu Lake, one of China's five great freshwater lakes.
Its vast, rolling surface carried the same visual impact as the sea, though the waters were far calmer.
The complicated terrain and waterways had made this place practically lawless.
Countless water bandits lay hidden throughout the area, making ordinary people reluctant to come anywhere near it.
The Murong Family and Mantuo Villa were practically the local emperors here, the undisputed overlords.
Even Great Song Dynasty officials carried less weight than a word from either family.
This was also a place the Murong Family had carefully selected for raising an army. Easy to defend, difficult to attack.
Once those scattered water bandits were gathered together, they could form an initial fighting force.
However, Xu Yue possessed Murong Fu's token, so he could travel through Taihu Lake without hindrance.
At that moment, the group of three was crossing toward Swallow's Nest in a small boat.
The boatman was an old man who made his living on the water, weathered by wind and sun until he looked far older than he actually was.
Yet even such an old man carried a well-hidden air of ferocity and bloodshed.
Besides being a boatman, he might have had some other side job.
Or perhaps being a boatman was the side job.
"Cart drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, porters, Kiba—guilty or not, they all deserve killing!"
Little Dezzi curled his lip as he looked at the seemingly honest boatman behind them.
Mu Wanqing, whose ears had twitched, immediately grew restless again and raised the sleeve crossbow in her hand. Her gaze toward the boatman turned sharp.
Only after Xu Yue tapped her little head did she cover it and look at him plaintively, pouting.
"You jest, honored guests. You are esteemed guests of the Murong Family. How would this old