The Silver Spine River.
A silver streak cutting the supercontinent diagonally in two.
From the top-right to the bottom-left. It twists, expands, fractures, climbs and falls like a living thing.
Ancient myths say that the river was once the vein of a Celestial Dragon slain in a forgotten age. Some say it's the slash, the Gods carved across the continent in a single stroke. Either way, even if this world had gods, none of them would matter as much as this river.
Surging across the lands, the Peng built most of their territory along the river
Peng Fleet Havens stretched along the banks, a stretch of fortified docks and floating manors.
From above, it looked like a cluster of lotus-shaped docks spreading along the river's curve.
"Fresh spirit eels. Eat one and feel your power grow!" a seller shouted over the crowd, his voice lost in the rush of people on the wide stone walkway.
"Haha, looking at your face, this is your first time here, right?" Dawei said, glancing at Jin.
Jin still mesmerized with the atmosphere didn't bother replying. He could finally see the world the way he saw it before.
The colours dancing in the air. People moved by, each wrapped in their own shifting hues. And the closer he got to the river the more he saw.
When he reached the edge, Jin stopped.
Water stretched out before him, vast and endless. It felt less like a river and more like an open sea. No matter how far his eyes traveled, he couldn't spot the opposite shore.
Even its width defied comparison.
"From the frost-bitten mountains touching the heavens in the north-east to the high-altitude lands near the Sacred Beast Palace in the south-west," An Guoli said, his gaze fixed on the water, "there's a reason they call it the Spine of the World."
He glanced at Jin.
Jin's qi was calmer than the others. Steadier. Less restless.
'Hm. He's adapting to the pill better than I expected.' An thought.
Once the cargo was secured and the last ropes tightened, the boat finally pushed off from the dock.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
[Master, your heart rate is slightly elevated. I suggest sitting down for a while.]
Jin let out a quiet sigh.
Even though the world was starting to look the way it used to, he wasn't the same.
The curse still clung to him.
An Guoli had given him a strange pill. He said it would let him "use qi".
The explanation had been simple, almost casual. The pill burned the body's own energy to create a vacuum around the user. By cutting them off from nature for a brief moment, it forcibly dragged in ambient qi and circulated it on its own.
Jin had been shocked such a thing even existed.
Shuye had been even more stunned. She knew exactly how severe Jin's condition was. For a single pill to bypass that curse, even temporarily, was absurd. And the fact that it came from a random merchant in the lower realms only made it worse.
Of course, it had its price.
The effect lasted only an hour. It couldn't be stacked. And since it relied on the meager natural energy a human body possessed, once the effect ended, the backlash was brutal.
Crushing exhaustion.
Hollow limbs.
A body that felt wrung dry.
Used carelessly, it could kill its owner.
Just like everything else in this world, it demanded payment.
"Chunsheng, can you handle this part too? I'm feeling a little dizzy," Jin said, steadying himself against the railing.
Chunsheng smiled easily, already moving toward the ropes. "Don't worry, brother. First time on a ship feeling nauseous is normal. Go sit and rest. I've got this."
Jin watched him for a moment.
Out of the group, Chunsheng's bright, uncomplicated presence was the easiest to be around.
And maybe, without realizing it, Jin had already started relying on that.
Only An Guoli had paid for a seat. That was why he stayed in the inner deck, surrounded by merchants and the wealthy.
People like Jin worked as crew instead. Labor for passage.
No one complained. Jin included. He was slowly getting used to this kind of life.
He sat in a quiet corner of the deck and tilted his head back. Blue sky above, the sun behind drifting clouds. The colors he'd been seeing earlier were already fading.
The pill's effect was ending.
Jin let out another sigh, then glanced to his side. "Hey, pipsqueak. You done analyzing the pill? Hand it over. I don't want you holding something that precious."
Shuye floated there, glaring at the red pill almost half her size. A vein popped on her forehead, but she didn't argue. With a huff, she handed it to him.
"No matter how many ways I think about it, I still don't understand how this was made."
"System?"
[I'm sorry, Master. I don't have any information either.]
Jin closed his fingers around the pill. "So there's no way to recreate it. He only gave me two. Probably because he doesn't trust me yet."
He looked down at his palm.
"And I've already used one."
"Even in the upper realms, something like this would be considered a rare treasure," Shuye said. "A pill that functions on its own, using the surrounding qi to assist its user. For most people, it simply draws in ambient qi, something even normal pills can do."
She floated closer, eyes fixed on the pill.
"But for you, whose body has been severed from the very concept of qi, it adapts. It creates a strange vacuum for a brief moment. That vacuum cuts you off from the world itself. During that disturbance, it pulls in the surrounding qi and forces it through you. After that, everything returns to normal."
She paused, clearly unsettled.
"By creating those tiny instants, it lets you use qi like a normal person. The fact that it even works on someone like you is unbelievable. It's almost as if the pill has a will of its own."
Her voice dropped.
"And the most absurd part is that something like this exists in the lowest realm."
Shuye continued muttering, lost in her thoughts. Jin slowly tuned her out, exhaustion pulling him to sleep. He didn't dwell on how perfectly the pill suited him or how strangely it had appeared at the right moment.
He chalked it up to his anomaly luck and moved on.
He woke to the captain's shout cutting through the deck.
"The Clan Head's ship is in sight. Remember, do not cause trouble and-"
BOOOOM!!
The words were stopped as the ship ahead erupted in a violent explosion.
The original plan had been simple. Link up with the main ships of the Peng Clan and sail together to Sang City. Pirates had been growing bolder lately, and moving as a group was safer.
That was the plan.
Now it was in ruins.
From the burning wreck of the lead ship, a man stepped through the flames. He turned, eyes locking onto their approaching vessel.
He looked like every pirate story ever told. Ragged clothes, scarred skin. The only difference was the pressure rolling off him. Raw killing intent, thick enough to choke the air.
He planted one boot on the shattered railing, raised his sword, and pointed it straight at Jin's ship.
In a low, cold voice, he gave the order.
"Kill those bastards too."