On Jade Balance Star, ninety-nine percent of the water had been claimed by the Spirit Plant Bureau for irrigation. Every inch of waterway, from the source to the river mouth, was carved with Spirit-Gathering Arrays.
Spirit carp and spirit crucian swam in the water, while spirit algae grew across the riverbed.
But this river was different.
It was a wild river, with almost no spiritual energy.
Yet despite being such a wild river, it had been born with a "pretty face."
Nine bends and eighteen turns—every bend curved just right.
The river flowed down from upstream, winding around seven or eight mountains, leaving behind backwater bays of varying sizes at the foot of each one.
The aquatic grass in the backwater bays grew taller than a person.
Through the gaps in the grass, one could occasionally glimpse a few azure carp flashing past.
With a flick of their tails, they could slap fine ripples across the water's surface.
The pebbles along the shallows had been scoured smooth and round by the current. Bare feet would not be pricked upon stepping on them, feeling only a gentle, lingering chill.
No one knew how many years the old willows on both banks had grown there.
Their roots plunged deep into the riverbank, while their branches stretched askew three feet above the water, forming a neat row of fishing spots for anglers.
The people who came here to fish were mostly ordinary mortals.
They did not need to care about the concentration of spiritual energy, the grade of the fish, or even whether they caught anything at all.
A group of children played in the water by the shallows.
When the splashes caught the sunlight, strings of rainbow droplets burst open in midair.
Several small wooden fishing boats drifted over the waves in