"Ferry crossing, eight Spirit Stones." The old boatman worked the oar, bringing the boat steadily alongside at one corner of the stone steps.
Jiang Yuan handed over the Spirit Stones and looked up to see that the Evil Cultivator in front of him had already climbed the tall steps and gone into the brightly lit entrance hall. He hurried after him, going up fifty or sixty steps to reach the main gate of Yongle Square, where a wave of bustling noise instantly washed over him.
The place was packed with people, many of them wearing masks or swathed in cloaks.
The hall was bright, yet a faint mist drifted in the air, slightly obscuring vision and creating an air of mystery and unpredictability.
There was none of the filthy, stifling atmosphere he'd imagined; instead, a fresh, reassuring fragrance lingered. Jiang Yuan often did Incense Making and knew his way around aromatics, but he had never smelled anything like this. After a few deep breaths, he felt his mind clear significantly.
