A few days passed before the sprawling port city came into view.

Yu Chen stood, arms crossed over the balcony, as he observed the river leading into the quiet bay. It was teeming with life, and watching the countless ships navigating the open waters left him with a sense of awe, a reminder of how vast the world truly was.

The larger ships, mostly mercantile in nature, glided across the water in straight lines to and from the city, their towering masts piercing past the horizon. Smaller fishing vessels bobbed about in the wake they left behind, as numerous as leaves on an autumn pond.

Nets trailed behind many of them as they skimmed across the waves, but the sun was high enough in the sky that more than a few were already heavily laden with the day’s catch, their hulls lying low in the water as they headed back towards home.

The distant cry of gulls echoed from up above, blending with the milieu of creaking wood and crashing waves that filled the air.

Yu Chen heard a few startled yelps come from the nearby fishing boats as the spirit vessel shimmered into view, the veil hiding it from sight lifting as the shining flag atop the mast lost its luster.

Not all of the fishermen were so surprised, the astute ones had already noticed something was wrong in the river. The illusory formations could hide the appearance of the wake they left behind, but it could do nothing about the actual changes in the water left by the vessel.

Yan Ziqi steered them past the small ships, bringing the vessel into the docks controlled by Ming Shipwrights. Mortals approached as they docked, well used to seeing the strange metallic ships, grabbing at the ropes the artificers threw overboard as they lashed the ship tight to the docks.

Yu Chen shared some last few words with the artificers, whom he’d come to know fairly well during their short journey. They’d become close, having shed blood together in a life and death battle, and they exchanged kind words before he left, wishing him well on his future journey and cracking a few jokes about the pirates they’d fought.

He took one last look around, watching as they scurried about the vessel, diving straight into the work of repairing the ship now that they were back in port. The pirates had apparently lacked skilled artificers, leaving the ship in rough shape from its time away.

Yan Ziqi departed the ship and Yu Chen followed behind, shadowing the man as he entered the compound, heading towards the small residence where they’d encountered Elder Ming before.

“Old man!” Yan Ziqi called out irreverently as he pushed his way into the house.

No wave of heat billowed forth this time, the forge quiescent and peaceful. Instead the elder had company, sitting at a table with a tea tray and a still steaming pot of water placed between him and another young man whom Yu Chen had never seen before.

He examined the new face in curiosity.

The man was only a bit older, a few years at most, and the blue robes he wore were clean and well crafted, appearing freshly pressed. He was impeccably groomed, his black hair pulled back into a shiny topknot that revealed the sharp line of his jaw.

“Ah, you’ve made it back!” Elder Ming said, looking up as they entered. He gave the two of them a wide, gap-toothed smile. “I take it the trip went well?”

“Well indeed. The Sleeping Lady is no longer in the hands of the cutthroats who’d apprehended her.” Yan Ziqi said, as he gave the old man a short bow.

“Good, good,” Elder Ming began, but he was cut off by his guest, who looked up with startled eyes.

“What do you mean?” The strange man said, casting a glance at the elder as he pushed himself up from the table, alarm in his voice.

Elder Ming glanced up at him, letting out a soft snort as his brows furrowed.

“This young man over here came asking me about how to acquire a Spirit Vessel.” Elder Ming said, nodding towards Yu Chen. “He’s looking to head upriver, but the price was rather steep, so I told him about one he might be able to acquire.”

“The Sleeping Lady?” The young man said, his tone both hopeful and full of disbelief.

“Indeed.” The elder said, drawing out the word. “The lady has returned. She’s currently docked out front.”

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The young man practically leapt over the table, hastily making his way to the door.

“Sun Yuan!” The elder called out, his voice stern. “Don’t be in such a hurry, we still have much to talk about.”

Yu Chen’s eyes widened, and he cast a startled glance towards the young man.

He supposed there was some resemblance towards the man he’d seen in the pub, but really, he looked nothing alike to that unwashed fellow he’d seen before. This man was extremely handsome, appearing almost noble, but there was a sullen look lurking in his eyes that matched the face in his memory.

“But elder, I have to see her!” Sun Yuan said from near the doorway, his voice low and emotional.

“You will, but first things first.” Yu Chen felt an invisible force grab him as the elder gave a wave of his hand, pulling him to the table where he collapsed into a chair. Sun Yuan flew back across the room as well, tumbling through the air, and even Yan Ziqi couldn’t resist.

Before he knew it all four of them were sitting across from each other, and the elder motioned towards Yan Ziqi to pour out the tea.

“El-” Sun Yuan began speaking, his eyebrows drawing in as he frowned, but the old man silenced him with another wave of his hand.

Taking the hint Yu Chen remained silent as well, waiting patiently until after the tea had been poured and the elder had taken his first sip, letting out a delighted sigh.

Yu Chen obediently followed suit, letting out a soft sigh of his own as he felt the burst of energy explode in his stomach.

“Now,” The elder said, turning around to look each of them in the eye. “Yu Chen here is looking to head upriver, and has acquired a vessel fit for that purpose.”

“As for you.” Elder Ming said as he fixed Sun Yuan with a stern glare. “What happened to your father was tragic, but I will not allow you to waste your life away, wallowing in misery. He needs a good navigator, one who has journeyed to the confluence before.”

Sun Yuan didn’t respond, staring down at the table looking conflicted.

“The Sleeping Lady needs a steady hand at the wheel. Will it be you or shall I find another?” The elder said, and even Yu Chen could feel the force of the gaze he directed towards the young man.

The air in the room grew heavy. Sun Yuan’s shoulders slumped, trembling a bit as he chewed at his lip. A few moments passed before he sat up in his chair and squared his shoulders, determination crossing his face as he looked around the table, his eyes briefly lingering when they met Yu Chen’s own.

“I’ll do it.” He said firmly.

“Very good.” Elder Ming said, sounding pleased.

“As for you.” He said, turning his attention towards Yan Ziqi. “The dangers of the river are endless, and every decent spirit vessel needs an artificer on board. You’ll be joining them as well.”

“Elder!” Yan Ziqi said, sounding shocked. “I can’t leave now, there is still too much for me to learn.”

The elder gave him a hard look before leaning over the table and flicking the young man on the forehead. Yan Ziqi brought a hand up, rubbing his smarting forehead, but Elder Ming paid it no mind as he continued to speak.

“Do not try to fool a fool boy. You know half my techniques as well as I do, and the other half you can learn whether you are here or there. Regardless, you are another one I won’t allow to waste away in this little backwater.”

The elder glanced at Yu Chen, including him in a look that encompassed both him and Yan Ziqi.

“Sun Yuan may have traveled upriver with his father, but neither of you have, so I’ll tell you what to expect. The path is a long one, even with a spirit vessel. It is a journey measured in months, and may take a year or more depending on your fortune.”

Yu Chen was shocked at these words. He’d already spent days upon the river, but he was still trying to come to grips with the enormity of it all. Months of travel, and that was only to reach the main branch?

It seemed impossible for there to be so much water in the world.

“The path will be neither quick, nor easy.” The elder continued. “You’ll have to weather riverstorms and heavenly thunder, fighting past terrifying spirit beasts and vicious pirates as you search out safe ports from which to resupply. If the vessel is damaged, repairing it will be a task that can leave you stranded for days, Even with Yan Ziqi aboard.”

The elder looked around to make sure they were all paying attention.

“It isn’t all so bad. There are innumerable secrets hiding in the deep waters of the river, and only some of them bring death. If luck is with you, you will encounter chances to seize good fortune.”

Yu Chen nodded as he sat forward. He needed all the good fortune he could find.

“The last thing to know.” Elder Ming said.

“Your destination is a confluence in the yellow river, where three smaller tributaries feed into the main branch at the same location. The waters here are treacherous and unpredictable, and at their heart lies an immortal place known as Baixian City.”

“It is the gathering place of all of the greatest heroes for tens of thousands of miles around.”

The elder raised his voice, drawing all of their attention.

“Fourteen months. That is all the time you have until the next Immortal Fate Assembly convenes.”

”I hope the river treats you well.” He said, looking at each of them in turn. ”If you arrive in time, participating in that tournament will bring you benefits you can scarcely imagine.”

His eyes lingered on Yan Ziqi as he spoke, and the older man gave him a slight nod in return, a contemplative look crossing his face at the words.

“The tournament is only open to those who are under twenty and have reached Foundation Establishment,” He said, glancing between Yu Chen and Sun Yuan. “So all of you should work hard if you wish to participate.”

Yu Chen nodded, as did the others.

Elder Ming glanced around one last time before letting out a gleaming smile.

“Excellent!” He said, before turning his attention back towards Sun Yuan. “Let us go see how the Sleeping Lady has fared in her time away.”

The young man leapt up from his seat, disappearing from the room before Yu Chen could blink.

Fast. He couldn’t help but think.

They left at a more leisurely pace, following the elder who preferred to take his time.

It was only a short walk to the docks, where they found Sun Yuan staring at the gleaming spirit vessel, tears streaming down his face.