Chapter 388 - 221: The Way of the Grandmaster, Resistance in Jinling

Chapter 388: Chapter 221: The Way of the Grandmaster, Resistance in Jinling

Yunzhou, situated in the northwest of the Great Li Dynasty, had never been a region known for its water.

This applied to both the rain from the heavens and the rivers on the earth.

Despite this, Yunzhou’s few waterways were by no means small streams. Even the meandering Wu River, at the border of Yanzhou, was often over ten zhang wide.

All of these rivers were tributaries of the Great River.

The Great River flowed through the entire Central Plains, running from the west straight into the East Sea. It passed through Yunzhou, heading southeast through the fertile lands of Jiangnan before emptying into the boundless, vast East Sea.

Yunzhou’s heart, Yunzhou Prefecture, was naturally situated on the banks of the Great River’s upper course. Only beside such a major waterway could a city so prosperous and immense exist.

「Outside Yunzhou Prefecture, at the river docks.」

On the massive docks that stretched for miles, countless shirtless laborers toiled away. Though autumn had already arrived, they were drenched in sweat from the constant loading and unloading.

There were far too many boats at the docks.

Sampans, black-canopied fishing boats, small two-decked vessels, sailboats, and even true triple-decked greatships over a hundred feet long were all here. Some circled in the river, preparing to dock or depart, while others bobbed by the bank, their crews constantly calling for passengers to come aboard.

The river was so wide that people on the opposite bank were mere specks, and the docks themselves were vast, yet this river-faring hub of the entire northwest still felt overwhelmingly congested. It seemed as if the Great River itself might be choked to a standstill by all the vessels.

Atop a three-decked greatship that had just pushed off from the bank and set sail.

"Senior Brother Qin, I... I’m not feeling so well. Maybe we should just travel by land instead?"

The fiery Ning Zi stood on the swaying deck, her face a little pale.

Qin Zhenyang’s complexion was much better. Although his brow was also slightly furrowed, he said,

"Junior Sister Ning, it’s always like this at first. You’ll get used to it after a while."

Though he said as much, he had only been on a boat a few times himself on occasional trips down the mountain. He wasn’t particularly used to it either.

In the arid region of Yunzhou, most people had never been on a boat. They were complete landlubbers.

And a landlubber’s first time on a boat is often a memorable experience.

"You mean you get used to it after you’ve thrown up enough, right?"

Ning Zi pressed her lips together. She could feel the nausea rising, but seeing that her junior brothers and sister seemed to be holding up, she forced herself to bear it to avoid embarrassment.

The wind was quite strong today. The captain claimed it was good weather, that the boat would be much faster. ’But watching the river waves swell and the boat rock from side to side,’ Ning Zi thought, ’like hell it is. This weather couldn’t be any worse.’

In reality, on such a turbulent vessel, the others in their group weren’t faring much better than Ning Zi.

Huang Zifeng’s eyes were half-closed as he tried to adjust to the constant rocking and swaying. But the way his brow grew tighter and tighter showed he wasn’t adjusting well.

Lin Zhen looked just as unwell. In her past as a young lady of a prominent family, she had hardly ever left home. After that, she went up the mountain to cultivate, so she had never been on a boat either. She felt much the same as Ning Zi, only she wasn’t as boisterous or theatrical. She just pressed her lips together and suffered in silence.

Only Xie Yuan was doing slightly better. He may have never been on a boat in this life, but he had a few times in his past one, so he had some idea of what to expect.

’Logically, a Martial Artist’s ability to adapt should be quite good...’

Xie Yuan silently experienced the gut-churning sensation. While his mind was prepared, his body had other ideas.

’...It feels like the boat and my brain are fighting for control. Hmm, seasickness is caused by a mismatch between what the body feels and what it normally perceives. Martial Artists have extremely strong control over their bodies, and their senses are incredibly precise and keen. The more that’s true, the more likely they are to feel discomfort in a situation like this. It’s like how a sensitive person reacts more strongly to pain, or a muscular person is more prone to hypoxia at high altitudes...’

Xie Yuan now understood why he and his fellow Metamorphosis Realm Martial Artists looked even worse off. Many of the common folk nearby also seemed to be on a boat for the first time, but their reactions weren’t nearly as severe. At least they weren’t wailing to go back to land the moment they left the harbor.

With a slight nod, Xie Yuan deliberately dulled his senses. He let his body sway gently with the motion of the deck, relaxing his legs and moving with it instead of constantly trying to maintain his center of gravity and fighting the motion with his perfectly honed horse stance.

He then shifted his gaze to the world outside the ship. After he grew accustomed to the rise and fall of the waves, he felt much better, and his expression soon returned to normal.

"Huh?"

While complaining bitterly, Ning Zi keenly noticed Xie Yuan’s expression. He looked calm and unbothered, gazing out at the scenery like a seasoned sailor. She couldn’t help but marvel,

"Junior Brother Zhang, are you just trying to look cool? Or do you not get seasick?"

Xie Yuan turned back. Seeing his fellow disciples still struggling, he shook his head and said,

"Senior Sister Ning, I found that if you do this, the seasickness isn’t so bad..."

He explained his discovery to his fellow disciples. They were all skeptical but decided to try it anyway.

A moment later, their dizziness had indeed subsided considerably. They all stared at Xie Yuan in disbelief.

Ning Zi clapped him hard on the shoulder, her eyes wide as she laughed excitedly.

"Junior Brother Zhang, that’s a great trick! I think you were born to be a fisherman!"

However much the wind blew and the waves tossed, Ning Zi swayed right along with them.

Xie Yuan averted his gaze and coughed lightly.

"Senior Sister Ning, you flatter me. I’ve tried fishing a few times and always come up empty-handed..."

Although the group had all changed into plain clothes to disguise themselves and avoid revealing their status as Sword Sect disciples, many eyes were still involuntarily drawn to Ning Zi.