After two days of rest, Fang Ming got up early on the third day and prepared breakfast.
"After we finish eating, we'll get ready to head to the mine. Ba Yu Fang will stay home and watch the door, don't let any thieves sneak in again."
At the dinner table, Fang Ming informed the others of today's itinerary.
"Got it, Fang Ming," Nannan nodded obediently.
Qing Mian also indicated no problem, and as for Ba Yu Fang, it was more than okay; guarding the door was its specialty.
...
After clearing the table, Fang Ming returned to the room and emptied all the antiques from his backpack, loading some miscellaneous small tools. Finally, he opened his diary to check if the upcoming itinerary had any issues.
"We embark on our journey again, heading to the mine to find clues to the White Mist World. However, upon reaching the vicinity of the mine, we discovered it had been sealed off by the police. After inquiring, we learned that terrorists had appeared here, necessitating the temporary closure of all roads leading to the mine for a search. I decided to sneak into the mine quietly tonight."
The mine was sealed off? Fang Ming frowned. He knew that although the government had nominally sealed off the mine, in reality, they only assigned a few patrol guards to watch the mine entrance. Sealing off the entire mine was a first.
After all, the mine was not small in area, and sealing it would require a considerable amount of manpower and resources, which H City simply didn't have the capital for.
The current situation could only indicate one thing—something big had happened in the mine!
Fang Ming thought of the fierce beast that the thief had encountered in the mine in his memory the day before yesterday. Could it have appeared?
This made him more determined to go to the mine. There was a high probability that the White Mist World was there!
After reading the diary's prediction, Fang Ming flipped to the隨筆 (random notes) section, hoping to see if there were any new entries.
"Huh? A new random note has appeared?" Fang Ming was surprised and quickly read it.
Each appearance of a random note was never simple and had a significant impact on Fang Ming's plans.
"A dilapidated ancient ship appeared by the sea, filled with a dense miasma, and many people died within it. We also detected the presence of Number One nearby. In the center of the cabin, an ancient painting was hung. After I touched it, I was transported back to the ancient world."
"What!" Fang Ming's eyes widened. The White Mist World, it was definitely the White Mist World!
Bai Mu Village could be considered "ancient," dating back to around the mid-20th century. And this ancient painting could directly take them back to ancient times. If this wasn't the White Mist World, then what was it?
The mine was only a suspected clue, but this ancient painting was practically screaming "I am the entrance to the White Mist World" at Fang Ming. How could he not go?
"Since the mine is now sealed off, let's go to the ancient ship." Fang Ming showed a slight smile. Finally, there was a clue to the White Mist World.
After packing his things, Qing Mian and Nannan transformed into煞紋 (sha wen - curse patterns) and attached themselves to Fang Ming. Fang Ming hailed a taxi and headed towards the seaside.
However, the driver refused to go to the ancient ship, only willing to take Fang Ming to a nearby area; otherwise, he wouldn't drive him.
Fang Ming found out that the ancient ship area was very strange, with three groups of people dying there recently, totaling several hundred. Citizens widely speculated that something unclean was present.
"Alright, then just take me to the vicinity," Fang Ming agreed. The driver breathed a sigh of relief and curiously asked Fang Ming what he was going there for. Fang Ming came up with an excuse and fobbed him off.
Soon, the driver dropped Fang Ming off nearby. Fang Ming got out and looked towards the sea, where he could already see the silhouette of a large ship.
Bidding farewell to the driver, Fang Ming walked for about half an hour and finally reached the vicinity of the large ship. A cordon had been set up, but there were no people around.
"Such a dense miasma." Fang Ming exclaimed as he approached.
Upon reaching the large ship, a strong sense of miasma could already be felt.
"Number One's aura is here," Qing Mian reminded him. He and Number One shared the same origin, making it easy for him to detect Number One's scent.
Fang Ming nodded. He already knew from his diary that Number One had been here.
Crossing the cordon, Fang Ming climbed onto the large ship and scanned the surroundings. Anything of value had already been removed, and the entire hull was dilapidated.
Following the diary's instructions, Fang Ming entered the ship's cabin and indeed found an ancient painting on the wall.
Fang Ming approached to examine it. The painting primarily depicted a river, with pavilions and bustling crowds on both banks. In the middle of the river, a sumptuously decorated ancient ship was slowly sailing, with a man on board embracing a group of beautiful women, looking quite carefree.
"This must be the painting," Fang Ming scanned the surroundings again. This was the only painting left on the ancient ship; everything else had been taken.
Fang Ming tried to remove the painting, but it was attached to the wall and didn't budge, which was why it was left behind.
"How do I enter the White Mist World through this painting?" Fang Ming stroked his chin. Referring to his experience in Bai Mu Village and the diary's hints, he figured he needed to touch it while it was dormant to enter the White Mist World.
No sooner said than done, Fang Ming placed one hand on the painting, closed his eyes, and let his mind go blank...
A feeling of dizziness gradually washed over him.
"Buns, delicious buns..."
"Selling candied hawthorns~"
...
The sounds of vendors calling out woke Fang Ming up. He opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar world.
He stood on a street, his "strange attire" attracting a crowd of people pointing and whispering at him.
Fang Ming looked around. He was currently on an ancient street, and the people around him were all from ancient times. Seeing them pointing and whispering at him, Fang Ming instantly understood the reason.
However, he didn't have the currency of this era. He couldn't just go and steal, could he?
He had just arrived in this world and knew nothing about it. If he were to brazenly steal something, what if he encountered a powerful being? Wouldn't that be disastrous?
So, enduring the strange glances from the crowd, Fang Ming quickly ran towards a less populated area, turned into an alley, and leaped up to the rooftop to observe his surroundings.
"Got it." Fang Ming saw some clothes drying on a clothesline belonging to a family. He ran over and quietly took the clothes. This was all he could do for now, despite the damage to his image.
Every time he entered or exited the White Mist World, he had to become a clothes thief. However, now that he had the miasma, it was much easier. As long as he saw the style of clothes, he could briefly mimic them with miasma, though it couldn't last too long.
He changed into the stolen clothes and then stealthily approached a seemingly wealthy household. Reciting "Amitabha," he stole some valuables from their home.
With money in hand, Fang Ming began to formally investigate the world. First, he needed to understand what kind of world this was and then find the foundation that supported its existence.
After all, independent scenes in the White Mist World could not form without a sufficiently powerful entity supporting them.
He entered a restaurant, ordered a few small dishes, and sat in the hall, eavesdropping on the conversations of the patrons, hoping to hear about any recent major events in this place.
If this world was like Bai Mu Village, it would surely be repeating the same special period over and over. It was because of this period that the malevolent spirit behind it could continuously collect miasma to grow stronger.
"Did you hear? That foolish scholar is preparing to hold his Yun Xian Poetry Gathering again. He's truly foolish and rich." Several people in the restaurant were chatting.
"Who isn't? He holds it every year, and every year he comes in last, still spending a large sum of money as prizes. If he's not foolish, what is he?"
"Alas, if I had a father who was a chamber of commerce president, I would also squander money like this every day. Why don't we have such good fortune?"
...
The discussion of these few people caught Fang Ming's attention.
Fang Ming stood up, picked up his wine cup and pot, and walked over to them.
"Excuse me, elder brothers, for interrupting," Fang Ming cut into their conversation.
"Who are you..." The few men exchanged glances. Who was this person?
"It's like this, I overheard you discussing that a poetry gathering is about to be held here. I happen to be interested in such things, so I specifically came to inquire from you. This pot of wine is my apology gift to you."
The men glanced at the wine, a fine carved vintage, and immediately broke into smiles. This pot of wine was worth more than their entire meal.
"No problem, no problem. What would you like to inquire about, brother?"
"I'd like to ask where this poetry gathering will be held and how to participate. I've come from afar, drawn by its fame, and I'm not very clear about it," Fang Ming asked.
"Hahaha, brother, you've come to the right person. This brother, Wang Daquan, is one of the organizers of the venue setup for the poetry gathering. He knows everything clearly," one person said, patting another.
Wang Daquan didn't want to embarrass his friend, and he wasn't very willing to divulge specific details of the setup, fearing Fang Ming might be a spy sent by a rival.
However, since Fang Ming was only asking about non-critical matters like the venue and participation method, he told him.
"Brother, go to the first floor of the Tonghua Restaurant. There's a registration point there. After registering, you'll be given an identity token with the specific participation location and schedule," Wang Daquan said.
"Tonghua Restaurant?" Fang Ming asked again, "How do I get there?"
Another person chimed in, "Go out and head straight north. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you'll see a very large restaurant. That's the Tonghua Restaurant."
"Thank you, elder brothers, for informing me," Fang Ming said gratefully. "Then I'll be going now."
"Until we meet again." The men found Fang Ming amiable and likable.
Bidding farewell to the strangers, Fang Ming paid for his wine and headed north in search of the Tonghua Restaurant. Soon, a luxurious restaurant with carved beams and painted rafters appeared in his sight.
Fang Ming quickened his pace and arrived near the first-floor entrance of the restaurant. Two long queues had already formed in front of the main entrance, with two registration windows at the front.
Fang Ming went to the end of the line. The person in front of him was dressed poorly, but seemed to have some education.
"Brother, may I ask if this is the place to register for the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering?" Fang Ming gently tapped the person in front of him and asked politely.
The person turned to look at Fang Ming. He didn't recognize him but replied politely, "Yes, this is the place to register for the poetry gathering."
"Thank you, thank you."
Having confirmed the location, Fang Ming quietly queued up. The registration process was very efficient, and it was soon his turn.
"Name, age, origin, occupation," the registering clerk inquired.
"Fang Ming, 22 years old, from Dong Province, a commoner," Fang Ming casually made up an identity, only his name being truthful.
The clerk wrote down the information Fang Ming provided on a token, then stamped it and handed it to him, saying, "This token is your proof of participation in the poetry gathering. If lost, it cannot be replaced. Please take good care of it."
"Okay, okay."
"Next."
Fang Ming left the line and examined the token.