At this moment, the sound of drums suddenly came from outside. The drums sounded slow and even, as if they were gathering energy.
Ren Yaoqi subconsciously looked out the window and saw more than a dozen long and narrow dragon boats spread out on the river. Each dragon boat had two rows of about twenty people sitting on it, with different costumes. There was also a person behind each boat with a drum in front of him, and the drum sound came from here.
Xiao Jinglin also tilted his head to take a look: "This is about to begin."
At this time, Xiao Jingxi happened to sit down next to them. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Wenting got off the boat just to start the race, right?"
Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin looked back. Although they were in the cabin, they had an excellent view. In addition to being able to see the scenery on the river, they could also see the high platform on the shore.
Sure enough, Yun Wenting had already ascended the platform and stood behind Old Master Yun. Furthermore, the heads of the Su, Ren, and Han families were also standing there, all looking in a certain direction with a very respectful attitude, as if they were waiting for someone.
Ren Yaoqi's heart skipped a beat as he watched a tall, middle-aged man, flanked by several people, ascend the dais. His face was solemn and composed, his features gentle yet radiant with the dignity of someone long in high office. He wore a jet-black robe embroidered with a four-clawed dragon. From the moment he saw the garment, Ren Yaoqi could already guess his identity. This was Xiao Yan, King of Yanbei.
This was Ren Yaoqi's first time seeing the legendary King of Yanbei, so he took a second look. Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin didn't look very much like him, so they must have been more like Xiao's mother.
"Brother, aren't you going down?" Xiao Jinglin glanced at Xiao Jingxi and asked.
"I didn't board the ship here, so they don't know I'm here." Xiao Jingxi replied with a smile on his face.
The platform was filled with men, but Ren Yaoqi's gaze paused slightly as he looked behind King Yanbei. Several others had come with King Yanbei, one of whom was the second son, Xiao Jingyue, whom he had met on the bridge earlier. Standing next to Xiao Jingyue was a handsome, slightly shorter young man, but Ren Yaoqi recognized him as a woman disguised as a man. This woman was none other than Wu Yiyu, the sister of the Wu family, whom he had met once before.
Wu Yiyu followed the people from the Yanbei Palace up to the high platform, gazing at the river with a somewhat arrogant look, and the smile on the corner of her mouth was very reserved.
Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin, brother and sister, must have seen Wu Yiyu, but they did not show any reaction, just like Ren Yaoqi or anyone else on the boat, they were just watching the fun.
Su Chengyuan, the old man of the Su family, presented a stick wrapped in red silk with both hands. King Yanbei took it with his right hand and weighed it casually in his hand.
Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin stood up. Although Ren Yaoqi had never participated in a dragon boat race, she followed suit without a word. Everyone outside looked at the King of Yanbei respectfully. No matter how noisy the scene had been before, it was now completely quiet.
King Yanbei walked over to a bronze gong hanging in front of the platform, raised his hand, and struck it fiercely. The resounding gong and drum sounded with a reverberating echo, ripples spreading out in circles as if with substance, and could be heard clearly across the entire river.
Almost at the same time, more than a dozen dragon boats on the river began to move. The drumbeats on the boats changed from slow to urgent. In sync with the drumbeats, the boats shot out like arrows, competing for the upstream. At this time, shocking cheers also rang out.
On the high platform, everyone surrounded King Yanbei and led him to the main seat.
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