The wind and waves grew fiercer. The little black-canopied boats pitched up and down, threatening to vanish beneath the great waves at any moment, and startled cries rose from time to time.
Fortunately, all the black-canopied boats reached the shore safely.
The boats docked, and the light rain continued to patter down.
Soaked from head to toe, Fang Yun did not return to the city. Instead, he walked to a sightseeing pavilion on the embankment.
The pavilion had a black roof and red pillars, with a blue-gray stone table and stools in the center. More than a dozen people of all descriptions were sheltering from the rain inside.
Seeing a man in Hanlin Academician robes enter, they all bowed their heads in greeting.
"No need to stand on ceremony. I'm a Pearl City local too." With that, Fang Yun turned toward the Pearl River and gazed at the drizzling rain outside.
The students and scholars who had followed him still refused to give up. They stood nearby, watching Fang Yun in the pavilion. Only a few bold ones ran inside, claiming to be sheltering from the rain while their eyes kept drifting toward him.
Fang Yun gazed outside in a daze. The misty rain blurred the world, stirring sorrow.
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, fierce winds howled, and rain poured down in torrents.
The scholars outside were stunned by the downpour. They scrambled to find shelter, while some had no choice but to run off to buy umbrellas.
"Ah..." Fang Yun let out a long sigh. Like a heavy hammer striking their hearts, it filled everyone in the pavilion with unbearable distress.
After sighing, Fang Yun turned and walked to the stone table, taking the four treasures of the study from his Sea-Swallowing Shell.
Surprise appeared on the faces