This unexpected journey to watch the South Sea troops had been magnificent, and Xing Yan's feelings had risen and fallen with every turn. On the way there, he had been apprehensive; upon reaching the dragon god's review grounds, he had been awed by the strength and grandeur of the South Sea navy. Had that been all, the unforeseen excursion would have left him with nothing but splendid, fantastical memories. Yet the South Sea Water Marquis Meng Zhang's blunt words at the end had tangled the usually tranquil young man's heart into knots.
Maintaining a calm, composed manner, he took his leave of the exalted Sea Deity, surrendered himself once more to the azure waters, and traveled northwest beneath the sea. On the surface, everything seemed peaceful and normal-so normal that even he almost believed it. Yet, perhaps because the seawater was so cold, Xing Yan finally had to acknowledge that his forehead was burning, something seemed to be buzzing in his head, and the heart in his chest kept pounding, thump, thump, thump, beyond all his efforts to restrain it.
Only after they left the sea and walked a considerable distance along a Jiangnan post road, where the vegetation stood sparse and scattered, did these strange symptoms gradually subside.
Both girls beside Xing Yan had clearly noticed his unusual expression, but neither knew how to comfort their hall master. Xueyi followed with graceful steps, opening her mouth several times to say something, only to fall silent again when she could not find the words. Qiong Rong, meanwhile, could plainly sense that her hall master brother was unhappy, and wanted to do something to cheer him up.
Usually, she needed only to do whatever she thought she ought to do, and her brother would burst out laughing, though she had never