It was dusk. Yi Shuyuan dissolved into the wind and roamed just above the water, watching the sunset shine upon the lake and fishing boats heading home both near and far.
According to the histories, only sixty percent of Longwind Lake lay within Longwind Prefecture. The entire lake bordered one prefecture and two provinces, which gave some idea of its vastness.
Even now, though it had not recovered its former extent, Longwind Lake was still astonishingly large. Even Yi Shuyuan could hardly see its far shore at a glance.
Who knew how many people now depended on life upon the water for their livelihood?
Sometimes, people's ability to adapt was weak. Perhaps a little trouble adjusting to the local water and climate would leave them half-dead.
Yet sometimes, people's ability to adapt was strong. Four years ago, when they realized their farmland could never be restored, so many had broken down in tears. Now, quite a few were living reasonably well.
The wind Yi Shuyuan had become drew ever closer to the lake's surface. His form gradually emerged, and he reached out to touch the water, trailing sprays of droplets.
The next instant, Yi Shuyuan seemed to fall out of the wind and into the water, his body gliding along the waves like a fish.
Amid the rippling light of sunset, Yi Shuyuan did not use Water Control to move, yet the surrounding currents seemed unwilling to leave his side.
Gradually, the faint outline of a long, slender white form appeared within the currents.
Scales rose upon his skin, born at the touch of water; whiskers formed before his snout, lengthening with the waves.
His eyes bulged and membranes formed, glimmering with the lake's faint light; his brow swelled slightly, as though a chi mu was taking shape within.
His