Bai li yue was lying on the bow of a small fishing boat sailing down the Weeping Snow river. She had entered the Wei kingdom a week ago and found a fisherman willing to ferry her to Twin river city in exchange for fifty gold pieces. It had been an uneventful trip so far. She enjoyed the sun in her face while dipping her hands and feet in the cool water. It will be a while before they arrived at the main river highway that led into the city. They would encounter bigger boats transporting goods and passengers from other cities. 

The afternoons were lazy moments for her. She read through the almanac and learned all she could about the great cultivation sects of the land. However her choice was not yet made. 

At night she focused on cultivating the nameless cultivation skill. She'd been stuck at the seventh level of the master realm for a while now. Her progress came in spurts but she was starting to understand how it happened. It had something to do with entering the mystical abode. The last she'd fallen asleep and entered the abode had been during the first few months of her arrival in Chenyang. She'd advanced from the fifth level to the seventh, but ever since then, she hadn't felt a thing. The intricacies of the phenomenon however still remained a mystery to her.

The small boat glided over the water, slowly covering the distance between the boat and her destination. As the days went by, the nature around them was soon interspersed with settlements. Their numbers grew and pushed back the ever present forest. They were finally arriving at the river highway.  

The traffic was fluid where the tributary they were on met the main river. They waited a few minutes until a space opened in front of the boat before joining the line of boats sailing toward the city. 

From her spot on the boat, Bai li yue was fascinated by the similarity of river highway to the highways on earth. The river was divided into two lanes on each side of the river. It resembled a slow moving parade of boats.

On board the medium and large sized boats, the increase in boat activity had brought most of the passengers onto the deck. Numerous passengers engaged in the popular past time of watching the passing landscape and gossiping about other passengers on the boats they passed. It was a natural occurrence for anyone stuck in traffic. 

Bai li yue eyes roved over the milling passengers on the big boats before closing again in disinterest. 

Her striking pose and apparent indolence however caught many people's attention and drew a few shocked remarks from some matrons. She became the topic of conversation for a short while, especially on board a boat sailing from Moon lantern city. 

An itinerant artist, inspired by her pose, captured the scene in front of an audience. To his surprise, the painting sold for a hundred and fifty gold. He quickly started another piece but the boat Bai li yue was on had already fallen behind the faster moving larger boat.

As night fell, the line of boats entered the Twin river city and docked at the port located on the left bank of the river. Bai li yue jumped out of the small boat with her travelling bag and headed into the city. 

The second elder, Qi rong fei had given her some advice before she left. He hadn't lived long in the wei kingdom but he knew a few of the widely known secrets. If she wanted to join the best sword sect, she couldn't find her answer from a book or by asking ordinary people. He'd told her about the restaurants and inns of the kingdom and what to look for. Apart from providing normal services of meals and lodging, those establishments had a second trade. 

Taverns and inns were the places where people spent the most time. People talked and shared their secrets in the open without a care for the servant girl or waiter who was listening. Over time, an information network naturally formed in the back offices of inns and restaurants. For the right price, she could find the information she was looking for. 

She spotted the discrete compass rose integrated into the signboard of a restaurant. 

Bai li yue hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and entered the Hungry buddha food house. She found a place to sit amid the crowd. A waiter came by shortly to take her order. 

'Today's special, a pot of green tea and the answer to a question.' 

She said, when the waiter asked for her order. He handed her a piece of paper and a brush on which she scribbled her question. 

'Your meal will be along shortly.' 

He said before leaving.

Her meal consisted of salt baked fish that arrived overcooked. She ate what she could of the chewy meat and waited patiently, sipping her tea. The waiter returned with a folded sheet of paper.

'Miss, it will be ten gold pieces for the answer and the meal.' 

The price was expensive, but she wasn't complaining as long as the answer was correct. She paid the sum and left the tavern. She had asked about the best sword sect in the Wei kingdom and when they would be recruiting. She had her answer now. It was a double answer between two three star sects: the Sword River Sect and the Sword Mountain Sect. Her informers had added more information by way of background on the two sects. The two used to be a single sect: the Sword Heaven sect. But an old disagreement had led to their partial separation. They still occupied the territory of the former sword heaven sect with a river forming a natural boundary between them. The two sects were in constant competition but nobody, not even they themselves could discern a clear winner and a clear loser. For reasons that eluded everyone, the two sects organised their entrance exams at the same period. Applicants underwent the same series of tests and those who passed were free to choose which sect they wished to enter. The first test was scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks in the mountains behind the Sword Mountain Sect. 

'Looks like i arrived in time. I'll try my luck there and see how it goes.'

With some luck, she should arrive there latest on the morning of the exam. If she missed the timing, then she'd have to wait another year or join a lower ranked sect.

Not wishing to risk any delays, Bai li yue headed for the docks. There were boats waiting at the docks to transport passengers along the river network. After paying a hefty price of fifty gold pieces for a ticket that didn't include a room, she found an empty spot on the deck and plopped down to wait for the new leg of her journey to begin. 

The boat filled quickly with passengers looking to take advantage of every single minute like her. The boat set off under the cloak of darkness and left the city behind. Bai li yue tuned out the noise and used the time to meditate. She would have to save her energy in case her arrival coincided with the start of the test. 

Most of the people travelling to nearby towns and cities remained on deck, drinking and entertaining themselves watching the local dancing troupe until the boat docked at their stop. The night passed in the same rhythm with passengers boarding and disembarking at various junctures. 

Tang Meixui watched the crowd sitting on the deck of the boat. She'd left the group she was travelling with to continue their merriment when it looked like brother Shen was going to make an appearance. None of them had asked her to stay. They'd gone right back to celebrating before she was out of the room. She knew what they thought of whenever they saw her. Tang meixui, newly recognised bastard child of the Tang clan. 

That was the kindest thing they could say about her. Others had said worse things. Her elder cousin had been selected to take part in the sect examination but she had taken a bad fall one night. She had been the only one who could take her place and she'd been glad at first. Passing the test will raise her status in the clan. She would no longer be called a bastard to her face by those who were jealous of her success. 

The jealousy was not limited to looks alone. It also took the form of vicious rumours. Previously an over ambitious bastard, she was now a cold calculating bastard who'd caused her cousin's fall.

She'd weathered the curious questions and accusatory looks because entering a sect was her only chance leaves the suspicion behind. Even a murderer would be respected if they bring profit to their clan. That was her driving force and the reason why she was sticking close to Brother Shen. 

The main clans had put their children under his care since he was familiar with the sect exam. It was a request made to his father. As a filial child he couldn't disobey his father's wishes.

So far, he'd tolerated them all, but she was more perceptive than those pampered children who believed that passing the test was a forgone conclusion because of Shen Duyi. She debated going to his room and striking a conversation with a question. She'd didn't know of a better way to get into his good graces.

Her eyes returned to the passengers talking and laughing among themselves.

Mortals were fortunate. They lived and died young without any of the worries that plagued cultivators.

She was gathering her courage to go and knock on his door when she happened to catch sight of him. 

'Brother Shen-'

She didn't finish calling his name. He hadn't seen or heard her. His attention was firmly on one of the passengers sitting on the deck. Tang Meixiu watched in interest. Brother Shen always acted superior to the rest of them. What in the world had him so engrossed?