Homeward Bound
Long Tian carefully placed the metal box in the leather pouch, then looked around the room again to make sure there were no other hidden cavities or compartments in the walls. Under the continuous light, the walls of the room revealed a uniform old stone texture, and the fine lines were the map itself, extending to the edges and then neatly stopping, like a picture frame enclosing the complete composition within fixed boundaries. There were no other panels or gaps that could be opened.
He retreated back down the short corridor along the path he had come from. As he turned, the Dragon Shadow folded its wings and descended, fitting snugly against his back. The light from his forehead switched from diffused illumination to a narrow beam, lighting the steps in front of him. As Long Tian walked back to the edge of the underwater opening, the water outside, under the perfect angle of sunlight, appeared a clear bluish-gray, like a cleaned glass ceiling revealing its original transparency under continuous light.
He climbed back into the water through the opening and surfaced along the same route he had taken down. The boat was still in the same spot. The person at the stern was sitting at the helm, drinking water from an old earthenware pot. When he appeared above the water, the person put the pot down without urging him or asking what was wrong. As Long Tian climbed back onto the boat, water droplets trickled down his clothes and sleeves, forming a thin, shiny layer on the deck. He took the leather bag off his shoulder and placed it in a dry spot, then squatted by the gunwale to wipe the water from his face. He then took the dark gray metal box from the bag.
He sat down on the deck and reopened the box. The silk, unfolded in the afternoon sunlight, had a matte finish, as if soaked in mineral pigments, and the lines were clearer than when viewed from inside the air chamber. The man at the stern put down the earthenware pot, went around to the bow, squatted down, and looked at it for a moment. He stared at it for about a breath, without touching the silk, simply squatting there, gazing at the central area of the drawing and the extended path interrupted by wavy lines. He quietly examined the entire layout and markings, then looked up at the southeastern sea, speaking in a low, even tone. "Have you compared the path in this drawing with the direction of the wall we saw underwater before?"
"The direction of the extended line is southeast by south."
The man at the stern nodded, as if confirming something he already knew but was waiting to hear said aloud. "After that line reaches its end, is there any marking on the outer edge of the wavy line? Or are there any gaps at the edge, as if it's been cut off?"
"There are no tears. The edges of the entire silk are perfectly cut, not torn."
After listening, the man stood up, walked back to the helm, and sat down, not pressing for further details about the silk. He slightly turned the bow to the left, allowing the ship to slowly retrace its path. "Let's go back to Longfish Bay first. After you've pieced together the map in the box with the previous nautical chart, we'll decide how far to go southeast."
The ship returned along the same current it had come from, at a slightly faster speed. This was because the acceleration from being propelled by the same current in the opposite direction was halved, allowing the ship to maintain a stable gliding rhythm. The seawater gradually changed from light gray to deep blue along the way. Clouds piled up at the stern, forming a thick edge that narrowed in the afterglow of the sunset. Dragon Shadow hovered above the bow, its wings half-spread and four eyes slightly lowered, like a navigational lamp placed at the bow, continuously illuminating the water ahead. The crest of each wave was illuminated by its light, creating a fine, shimmering layer, like a row of flashing lights marking the course as the ship continued its journey.
It was already the afternoon of the second day when they returned to Longfish Bay. The people at the stern moored the boat to the dock, wrapped the mooring rope twice around the iron stake, and then unloaded the remaining fresh water and dry rations from the hold onto the shore, just like the routine cleanup he did every time he returned—no unnecessary movements or lingering. Long Tian and Yu Jin went ashore, stood on the dock for a moment, then Long Tian slung his leather bag over his shoulder and walked along the dirt road leading inland, heading towards the exit of Longfish Bay. Several old trees, their height shrunk by the sea wind, stood along the shore, their branches swaying in the wind, maintaining a clear line between the road and their roots. The road gradually Long Tian after passing through the village. Long Tian sat on a roadside Shitou for a while, spreading out the silk map and fish skin paper together, completing the final comparison. After confirming that everything was correct, he folded them up and put them away, then stood up and continued walking forward along the road. Yu Jin followed a few steps behind him, the two walking one after the other. There was no need for them to talk, but their steps were aligned in distance and direction, like the same flag continuously moving forward along the same path under the light above. After passing through a slope, the road turned into an open field. At the end of the field was a narrow valley. At the entrance to the valley was a new low wall, which looked like it had been built recently, its surface still somewhat white.