Yu Chen sat at a cluttered table, studying the apprentice artificer across from him. The man was tall and thin, his robes scuffed and stained from long hours in the workshop. He wore a long leather smock over them, and it appeared well-used, scarred and pockmarked with burn holes - the marks of his craft.

For their part, the other artificers ignored Yu Chen, focused entirely on their work. They were clustered around a table, their hands filled with tools and materials as they worked together on something he couldn’t quite see. He leaned forward, curious as one of them stood up to fetch something. To his surprise it was a miniature ship, not so different from the larger ones being created just outside.

It almost resembled a toy, perched delicately atop the thick metal stand that held it in place. Yu Chen watched as one of the men, using a thin pair of tweezers, carefully positioned a small metal plate against the hull of the miniature model. Another artificer leaned over, pressing a fingertip glowing with qi energy against the piece of metal. The first man withdrew just as the ship began to glow, light rippling across its surface as the energy infused it.

The process took longer than expected. The tiny ship let out a hum as it absorbed far more qi than it should for its size, greedily sucking in energy until the artificer finally lowered his finger with a tired sigh, his face pale and drained. The plate had vanished, seamlessly blending into the rest of the hull as though it had always been one piece.

He tried to get a closer look as another artificer lifted a small object, perhaps another plate - but his view was cut off as the artificer who’d stood up returned, carrying a small tray full of gleaming objects. He set the tray down as he took a seat, blocking Yu Chen’s view.

Yu Chen turned his gaze away, letting his eyes roam across the rest of the workshop.

The long, low tables scattered throughout the room were laden with objects of every size and shape. Despite this the room didn’t appear messy, only full, giving off an air of organized chaos. The room was polished and spotlessly clean - although the same couldn’t be said of its inhabitants. All of the artificers bore some stain or mark on their smocks and robes, and many had unkempt hair that looked as though it hadn’t seen a comb in weeks, if ever.

Everything was starkly illuminated by the recessed spirit stones embedded in the walls that emitted the blinding light he’d first seen when he’d entered, and there was no room for dust or shadows to hide under that harsh radiance.

He turned his attention back to the artificer across from him, who was eyeing him in growing interest. Yu Chen felt his skin prickle beneath the man’s gaze. The way it flickered across him, as if gathering all the details it could and effortlessly collating them, left him feeling exposed, and he fought the urge to look away.

“My name is Yan Ziqi, how may I refer to you?” The man said as soon as Yu Chen’s attention landed back on him.

“This one is Yu Chen senior.” He said, bowing his head towards the older man. Yan Ziqi might be an apprentice, but he emitted a much stronger aura than Yu Chen himself, one that placed him squarely near the middle of Foundation Establishment.

“And why have you chosen to visit Ming’s Shipyard?” The artificer asked as he rubbed his chin, leaving behind a soot covered mark when he pulled his hand away. “What is it we can help you with?”

“I’m looking for a Spirit Vessel that can carry me upstream. I was told that I might be able to acquire one from Jiang Ming, so I’ve come to see if that might be the case.” Yu Chen said, speaking plainly.

The man didn’t say anything for a few short seconds, simply observing Yu Chen, and he couldn’t say what the man was thinking behind those sharp, expressive eyes.

“Who was this person who told you to come visit Jiang Ming?” The man said finally, breaking the silence.

“Sun Yuan, senior. A navigator I encountered.” Yu Chen replied honestly, seeing no need to lie about the referral. Of course, he left out the part where the man had recommended stealing it.

Yan Ziqi leaned forward with a sudden intensity that surprised Yu Chen, staring at him in surprise before speaking.

“You’ve met Sun Yuan?”

“Yes…” Yu Chen said slowly, unsure what exactly had caused the man to react like that.

“How was he?” Yan Ziqi asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.

“Drunk.” Yu Chen said, scratching his head, although he couldn’t help but recall the clarity within Sun Yuan’s eyes. “Or at least, playing the role of one.”

“Still?” Yan Ziqi sighed. “The old man will be glad to hear he’s still around at least. He worries about that boy, especially since what happened.”

Yu Chen’s eyebrows climbed up at the words. Sun Yuan’s stock rose in his estimation, as he unexpectedly found out he had some relation to the enigmatic Jiang Ming. More than ever, he found himself determined to recruit the man.

“You were looking for a navigator, eh?” Yan Ziqi said, as he gave Yu Chen a knowing look. It hadn’t taken him long to piece the puzzle together, although in truth it wasn’t a hard one to figure out.

“Sun Yuan’s not a bad choice.” He said, and his eyes shone as he spoke. “I suppose he turned you down though. A shame, it would be helpful for the boy to get back on the river. He’s been wallowing in misery ever since his father passed.”

Yan Ziqi stared at him consideringly, and Yu Chen could see the wheels turning in the man’s mind.

“I think you should meet Elder Jiang.”

Yu Chen’s eyebrows went up again. Meet Elder Jiang? That was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

They left through another door, and Yu Chen blinked, finding the light of the midday sun a relief after leaving the starkly lit workshop. They didn’t have to go far, walking towards a large building that sat nearby.

“Old man!” Yan Ziqi called out, pushing the door open. A wave of heat rushed outward, washing over Yu Chen, and he could feel the low hum of power vibrating through the air within, causing the hairs on the back of his arms to stand up.

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The center of the room was dominated by a massive forge. At its heart lay a raised circular pit that crackled with a vicious blue flame so intense it warped the air above it. Waves of heat ran in all directions, causing even Yu Chen’s forehead to bead with sweat.

What sort of fire could burn with such intensity? He couldn’t help but wonder.

A short, squat man stood before the furnace; his back hunched over as he peered deep into the flames roaring within. His hands, rough and calloused, flickered, moving strangely in tune with the fire as he manipulated something Yu Chen couldn’t see. He didn’t look up as they entered, paying no mind to Yan Ziqi’s words.

Yu Chen could see the light of the fire reflected in the wide, round lenses of the mask covering the squat man’s face, his gaze inches away from the flames that billowed forth from the furnace. With a swift swipe of his hand the flames suddenly faltered, swelling down into a remarkably tiny flame and revealing a glowing bar of metal that the man pulled out of the heart of the forge.

He carried it over to a nearby anvil and sat it down with practiced ease before casually flicking his fingers once more.

Yu Chen watched in awe as the two massive hammers that hung in the air sprang to life, slamming down on the molten iron in a rhythmic beat as if pounding away at mochi. The metal rapidly flattened beneath them, lengthening along its width as it was beaten into a rectangular panel by the weight of those enormous hammers.

Each blow rang out across the room like an audible attack, and Yu Chen quickly covered his ears as the noise sliced through the air with a force that caused his palms to sting. Even with his hands over his ears he knew he’d be left with a dull ache, hearing the sound of ringing for days to come.

The metal cooled rapidly once out of the fire, fading from a blinding white into a bright yellow that dwindled down to a soft red. As it solidified it began to resist the blows. The sound of hammer against metal changed as it rapidly hardened, the softer tones from the near-liquid metal now ringing out harshly as it turned rigid.

The short man flicked his hand once more and the hammers paused, hanging poised in the air as though frozen. He turned away from the anvil, dusting soot from his robes as he approached them.

He paused, as though a sudden thought had struck him.

Reaching up, he peeled off the strange mask that covered his entire head. Bushy gray hair sprang up as the mask came away, wild, and untamed as it ran in all directions with a sort of frenetic energy. Curiously it wasn’t damp at all, despite the heat from the forge filling the room. Yu Chen couldn’t help but wonder if the mask held some mystical properties, perhaps allowing it to absorb warmth, or sweat, preserving the wearer’s comfort in addition to other things.

The short man smiled up at him, revealing a mouth with only a few remaining teeth. Yu Chen found his wrinkled face quite odd for a cultivator, different from his expectations. In his experience, cultivators were vain. They’d never admit it, but they prided themselves on their appearance and at his age they’d take beautifying pills and elixirs, staving off the ravages of time for as long as they could.

It appeared Elder Jiang had never bothered with such things, although the aura he emitted was fierce, beyond that of even Elder Gu, and shockingly pure. It was as though he’d funneled all of his essence into refining his spiritual powers and honing his craft, even at the expense of his own health.

“And who is this?” The old man asked, looking towards Yan Ziqi who stood at his side.

“His name is Yu Chen elder. He came to visit, asking about purchasing a spirit vessel.”

“Eh?” The elder said, cocking his head as he looked towards Yu Chen dubiously. “That hardly requires my attention. Why is he here then?”

Yan Ziqi cast a glance towards Yu Chen before addressing the elder once more.

“He told me that he’s met Sun Yuan recently.”

The old man’s eyes lit up as he turned towards Yu Chen, the smile returning to his face.

“Why didn’t you say so! Sit, sit! Ziqi, boy, go and make some tea for our guest, would you?”

Yu Chen felt petrified as he watched Yan Ziqi bow his head and walk off. The old man grabbed his hand, leading him toward a seat and urging him to sit.

Only a few seconds passed before Yan Ziqi returned, carrying a tray with a steaming kettle, multiple tiny saucers and cups, and a glass jar filled with tiny green leaves. A tantalizing aroma came off of the jar, causing the back of Yu Chen’s throat to water.

The elder rambled on about Sun Yuan, reminiscing fondly about the boy, but Yu Chen hardly heard him, his mind filled with one question. How had a Foundation Establishment cultivator ended up serving him tea?

Yan Ziqi sat beside them and began carefully lifting the tea leaves from the jar, his movements slow and deliberate as he placed them into the waiting teapot. He reached for the kettle of steaming water with a quiet grace and slowly poured it into the teapot where the leaves began to unfurl and infuse the water around them.

He let the tea steep for a brief moment, before pouring that first batch across the small saucers and cups, washing them as he discarded it. The bitterness gone, he filled the teapot once more with fresh water, allowing the tea to bloom, filling the air with a rich scent.

“So how is he then? Where did you see him?” The elder eagerly asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Yu Chen tore his eyes away from Yan Ziqi, who was once more filling the cups with tea.

“I only spoke with him for a short while.” Yu Chen hurriedly said. “He seemed very depressed, drinking in a seedy gambling den. The Leaky Cask, I believe it was called.”

Elder Jiang sighed, before nodding in thanks as he received his cup of tea, swirling it in his hands for a brief moment as he stared at it contemplatively. He didn’t respond right away, instead holding the cup up as he observed the color of the tea and bringing it close to smell the aroma drifting from it.

Yu Chen hurried to copy him as he accepted his own cup from Yan Ziqi. He sniffed the cup, and his eyebrows widened, finding the smell electrifying. The steam rising off it caressed his face, and he felt his pores open up and his body relax, as though he were sitting in a hot sauna.

The elder took a small sip, letting out a sigh of contentment and Yu Chen followed suit, before letting out a small cough as the trickle of tea pouring down his throat and into his gut erupted with a shocking amount of spiritual energy that coursed through his body, energizing him.

“He always was a troubled one.” The elder said, taking another sip before speaking. “I’m afraid he found his father’s death hard to bear. You said he spoke with you, yes? Would you tell me what it was about?”

The old man listened attentively, as Yu Chen spoke, reiterating the conversation he’d had with Sun Yuan. The elder nodded when he found out Yu Chen had approached him looking for a navigator, only to sigh when he heard what the man’s parting words had been.

“Bah. He’ll always be a navigator. He was born to roam the yellow river, as his father before him and his father before him. I should know, I designed every vessel they ever helmed.”

“You are looking for a spirit vessel, yes? That’s easy enough, and I’ll even let you have one I’ve personally created. All that you must promise me in return is that you take Sun Yuan with you when you leave. I won’t have that boy wasting away, he needs to be out on the river fulfilling his destiny, not sitting around drowning himself in mortal swill.”

Yu Chen blinked in surprise as he looked at the elder.

“Of course, Elder. but how will I get him to follow me?”

“That’s simple enough. All you must do is go and retrieve his father’s spirit vessel. As long as you have that vessel, Sun Yuan will follow you all the way to the end of the river!” The elder let out a long laugh, as though he found the idea extremely funny.

Yu Chen let out a soft sigh as he took another sip of the tea. Of course there was a catch.