Xing Yan and Qiong Rong bade Lingyi farewell and skimmed swiftly across hundreds of li of sea beneath the sunset's afterglow. Once they had passed Silverlight Isle, the island held by the Four Rivers, they began to conceal their movements. At Xing Yan's signal, they submerged halfway into the dark blue water and headed due east toward Instantwater.
The moment he entered the water, Xing Yan deliberately glanced back at the setting sun to keep track of the hour. It had already lost its bright colors, turning a hazy dark red behind the sea mist and evening clouds, like a dusty persimmon half afloat upon the smoky waves. The water before him had deepened to darkness; looking out, he could see only the faint remnants of light reflected from the crests. As the sun gradually sank below the sea, the shimmering waves ahead changed from the dim yellow of its afterglow to brilliant lunar silver. Before he knew it, two months had passed, and now the moon in the eastern sky was as full as a platter.
Before setting out, Xing Yan had studied the sea chart in detail and planned a suitable route deep behind enemy lines. This time, he intended to take Qiong Rong eastward for tens of thousands of li, then turn south to find Wave Mother Mountain in the depths of the Southern Ocean. From there, they would follow the land stretching ten thousand li along its eastern side, traveling southeast to evade the South Sea's checkpoints and watchful eyes and reach the place where dragons and ghosts were at war.
Following this route, they swam onward, diving beneath countless terrifying waves and avoiding untold whales, sharks, and treacherous reefs. Some six to eight hours later, as midnight approached, Xing Yan judged that they had probably