The sea fell quiet, and the wind died. Chen Wuya sat at the bow with his back to the rising sun, one palm pressed against the burning mark on his back. The black pattern had already crept up to his shoulder, like a frozen snake, utterly still. He knew it was only temporary.
A muffled thud came from inside the cabin—Bai Zhi had struck the edge of the bed. She had been enduring it all along, but the contractions were growing closer together. Her ragged breaths filtered through the cabin door.
Mo Feng crouched in a corner of the deck, his fingers rapidly turning the gears on the mechanism box. Blue light flickered across its panel a few times before going dark. "The protective formation in the birthing cabin is active. Three layers of water shields are stacked; they can block outside interference." He looked up. "But they can't block the rules."
Chen Wuya said nothing. He simply took off his shirt. The dark patterns across his back began to pulse faintly, as if they had sensed something. Closing his eyes, he raised his true qi from his dantian and drove it upward against the flow through his disordered meridians, deliberately crashing it into that black line.
A system prompt appeared:
[Curse Activation Countdown: 9 breaths]
He opened his eyes, pressed his palm against the hottest spot, and slowly released his suppression.
"You're going to let it in?" Mo Feng kept his voice low.
"Not let it in." Chen Wuya rose to his feet and walked toward the cabin door. "Invite it."
The candle flame inside the cabin swayed. Bai Zhi leaned against the bed, her face bloodless and her forehead drenched in sweat. One hand gripped the bedframe while the other pressed against her belly. Hearing his