The painted boat dock.
As the name suggests, this was the dock where painted boats moored on the Qinhuai River.
The ten-mile Qinhuai, shrouded in mist and haze, left behind an eternal romance.
As the saying goes, the prosperity of the past, with its lights and oars, stretched for ten miles along the Qinhuai; where the songs echoed through the land, its scenery endured for millennia!
This area was still near the Confucius Temple, the heart of Jinling's culture.
On this not-so-wide river, many moving stories of scholars and beauties had unfolded, as had the sorrow of dynastic changes.
Times had long since changed, but dozens of antique-style painted boats were still moored at the dock.
One painted boat was tied to the pier, and several people were already seated.
The car stopped, and Chen Fan pushed open the door to get out.
"Mr. Chen, be careful!"
Jiang Tiansheng said.
"It's alright," Chen Fan smiled. "I'm very curious about the owner of that Dragon-Fish Jade Token."
He nodded and looked to the side, where Zhong Yishan had also arrived early and was waiting for him.
Zhong Yishan was also holding a box and walked forward, whispering, "Mr. Long."
"My name is Chen Fan, Master Zhong, please just call me by my name!"
"How can that be?" Zhong Yishan quickly replied.
Chen Fan patted his shoulder. "It's decided then, let's go!"
The two walked towards the pier.
On the pier, Ping Yihong stood with a young man, cupping his hands in greeting. "Mr. Chen, please return the jade token and hand over your mobile phone, camera, and other communication devices before boarding!"
Chen Fan casually returned the jade token and obediently handed over his mobile phone.
He looked at the guests on the painted boat and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
There were six people sitting on the boat, and among them was an acquaintance, the胖子 Sun Mingen.
Next to Sun Mingen sat a middle-aged man, also quite plump, with a slight resemblance to Sun Mingen.
Chen Fan and Zhong Yishan boarded the boat, drawing the attention of the six people on board.
"Mr. Chen!"
Sun Mingen was overjoyed to see Chen Fan, whom he hadn't expected to meet. He thrust the box in his hand into the arms of the middle-aged man next to him and walked to the bow of the boat.
"Young Master Sun!" Chen Fan greeted him. "What a coincidence!"
Sun Mingen said with a beaming smile, "This is great luck, running into Mr. Chen here, I don't have to worry about being taken advantage of. Please, have a seat!"
Chen Fan and Zhong Yishan went to sit down.
The middle-aged man stood up and nodded in greeting.
"This is my dad," Sun Mingen said, scratching his head and smiling.
"Sun Chuancheng," the man said, extending his hand with a smile.
He was much fatter than Sun Mingen, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled, making him look both comical and approachable.
"Hello, Uncle!"
Chen Fan greeted him.
"Master Zhong, it's been a while."
Sun Chuancheng recognized Zhong Yishan and also greeted him.
"Hello, Master Sun," Zhong Yishan replied.
After they were seated, Chen Fan looked at the people sitting on the opposite side of the boat.
There were two couples. One couple was younger, around twenty-six or seven, with aloof expressions, ignoring Chen Fan's gaze.
The other couple seemed to be a grandfather and granddaughter. The elder was in his sixties or seventies, with white hair, and the younger was a girl of thirteen or fourteen.
As Chen Fan's gaze fell upon them, the elder nodded in greeting, and the girl smiled sweetly.
Chen Fan smiled and nodded back.
Ping Yihong boarded the painted boat, ordered it to set sail, and said, "Everyone, welcome to the Dragon-Fish Secret Meeting. I will now announce the rules."
"Do not ask where this Dragon-Fish Secret Meeting will be held; you will know when we arrive."
"Do not inquire about the identities or origins of others, or the origins of the treasures brought. If you are reported, you will be warned for minor offenses and asked to leave for serious ones!"
"This secret meeting guarantees your personal safety and the security of your belongings. However, please take good care of the treasures you bring to avoid unnecessary complications."
The painted boat sailed leisurely out, following the Qinhuai River, heading upstream amidst the ancient buildings on both banks.
"When you communicate with each other, please do not speak loudly. Respect others, and they will respect you."
"Furthermore, there will not be excessive introductions to the treasures at the secret meeting. Whether to trade or not is entirely up to your judgment and needs."
"Once a trade is agreed upon through barter, there can be no backing out!"
"..."
There were quite a few rules, but this was expected.
Amidst the hum of the engine, the painted boat sailed upstream along the Qinhuai River.
In less than ten minutes, the boat stopped at a ferry crossing.
On the road outside the ferry crossing, a luxury mini-bus had already parked.
"Everyone, please board the bus!"
"It's really quite mysterious," Sun Mingen mumbled, beckoning Chen Fan to disembark.
The mini-bus soon drove off.
The scenery outside the window changed, and after an hour, the bus reached the foot of a mountain.
"Mr. Chen, this is the Fangshan Scenic Area!" Zhong Yishan whispered. "I didn't expect the Dragon-Fish Secret Meeting to be held here this time!"
Chen Fan was also a little surprised.
However, the location of the Dragon-Fish Secret Meeting was different each time, so holding it within a scenic area didn't seem unusual.
The bus began to ascend the mountain, and halfway up, it suddenly turned onto a fork in the road.
"I don't know this road!"
Everyone on the bus looked surprised.
People like Zhong Yishan and the Sun father and son were locals of Jinling and were very familiar with Fangshan, yet they hadn't known about this detour.
After driving for another three minutes, the bus stopped outside a pavilion with classical charm.
Several young women were already waiting.
Looking through the window, they were all wearing Hanfu dresses and had an elegant, classical demeanor, all looking very beautiful.
"Everyone, we have arrived. Please disembark!"
Ping Yihong said.
"Welcome, everyone, please come this way!"
These women bowed in greeting and led the way.
Chen Fan got out of the car, and as he breathed in the extremely fresh air, his entire body and mind felt relaxed.
The air seemed to carry a hint of sweetness.
He looked thoughtfully down the mountain, taking in the bustling city.
This place was secluded yet close to the city; clearly, it wasn't a place one could live in with just money.
Moreover, as a scenic area, it attracted crowds of tourists, yet even Zhong Yishan and the others were unaware of such a place.
He looked closely and seemed to see the air flow accelerating and the light and shadow distorting a hundred meters away.
This place held a rather mystical quality.
"Gentlemen, please come in."
A woman approached, bowed, her eyes like autumn water.
Chen Fan nodded and, with Zhong Yishan, followed the woman into the pavilion ahead.
Upon entering the pavilion, they discovered that there were stairs leading down on the other side.
Following the stairs down, after several turns and about three hundred meters, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a classical building built against the mountain.
The building seemed to be built on a cliff face, half embedded in it.
Everyone marveled, completely surprised to find such a scene in this location.
Indeed, entering the building, they found a large hall inside, not small in space.
Looking outwards, one could see the city's splendor, while looking inwards, it seemed like another world, distinct from the mundane.
In the hall, several long tables had been set up, made of pear wood, antique in style, with fruits and tea placed on them.
To the side of each table, a display stand was set up.
"Everyone, please take seats in pairs. You may place the treasures you have brought for trade on the display stands for others to appreciate," Ping Yihong said slowly. "All treasures are guaranteed to be safe here and will not be lost."
Chen Fan looked towards the far end of the hall, where there were also several display stands, but they were empty.
What truly captivated Chen Fan's entire attention was a landscape screen behind those display stands.
The screen was sixteen panels, over a person tall, blocking the view, and one couldn't tell what was behind it.