Click to begin the wondrous journey of <Jinmen: The Path to Immortality Begins with Unorthodox Ways>.
The steamer slowly pulled away from Xiaguan Wharf, its stern churning up muddy spray and drawing a long wake across the river.
Master Long stood in the wheelhouse, one hand on the helm, the other holding a cigarette.
The red glow of the cigarette tip flickered behind the glass window.
The boat was not moving fast, but it was steady. Its hull rose and fell gently with the river swells, as though cradled in a rocking cradle.
Li Jinrong stood on the stern deck, gazing at the unfamiliar scenery along both banks of the Yangtze, his eyes carrying a touch of curiosity.
Tie Kun had stationed two guards each at the bow and stern, taking turns on watch with their guns never leaving their sides.
Uncle Fu led the rest in guarding the crates, adding another two layers of rope.
Rather than staying in the cabin, Chen Mo had moved a chair onto the bow deck. Facing forward, he watched the river part before the ship's prow, then close together again.
Once they left Jiangning, the river grew broader and broader.
The houses along the banks gradually thinned out, replaced by vast stretches of farmland and reed marshes.
Now and then, they could see fishermen's shacks built along the shore, fishing nets drying outside their doors and several battered wooden boats beached on the mudflats.
Farther off lay rolling hills, gray and hazy, appearing and disappearing through the thin mist.
In the afternoon, wind rose over the river in gusts, blowing in from the northwest with a chill in its breath.
The boat began to pitch. It was not severe, but it was noticeable.
Li Jinrong did not look well. He was seasick.
He