Guangyuan Prefecture.
A land of fish and rice, its waterways flowed freely.
A boat's stern cut through the waves. The boatman poled it along, and as the river rocked gently, ripples spread outward across the water.
A young man stepped out and glanced at the scenery beyond. His face was reflected upon the water.
It was Lu Qing, who had already left the prefectural residence.
Guangyuan Prefecture was vast. At its center stood Broad Source City, beneath whose jurisdiction were several cities, along with county towns and small mountain villages scattered like stars.
The Broad Source River ran north to south through it, making its waterways fairly well developed.
Especially now, with word spreading that the capital's academy would establish another branch here, more and more people from nearby regions were heading to Guangyuan Prefecture.
Many entered Guangyuan Prefecture, but those leaving it were nowhere near so crowded.
Lu Qing sat inside the boat, dressed somewhat like a Confucian scholar. Yet he still had several years before coming of age, and compared with his clothes, it was the faint air about him that set him apart from ordinary people.
This boat ferried passengers to the opposite bank, so naturally Lu Qing was not its only traveler.
"Brother, are you also heading to the capital to take the academy examinations?"
The person traveling with him was a Confucian scholar in faded white robes.
"Not quite." Lu Qing glanced at him, seeing through his intentions, and shook his head slightly.
He held a scroll in his hand. Its contents concerned neither Confucianism nor military strategy, but rather strange tales and legends of extraordinary people and unusual events.
Lu Qing was reading with great relish.
"Oh, I see." Liu Jincai froze for a moment, then did not continue the conversation. Perhaps his earlier