The view outside the window shifted slowly from the familiar skyline of the city into mountains and rivers, then into an unfamiliar coastline. A damp, salty sea breeze seemed to seep through the sealed window, carrying with it a briny sweetness unlike anything from the inland.

"Rookie, half an hour till the stop." The System Elder's voice rose in my mind, laced with impatience. "Stop moping at the window like a bitter housewife and think about how you're going to open a conversation with Elder Kai. Don't let your nerves show."

I rolled my eyes inwardly. "Yeah, yeah, can you lay off for two seconds? It's my first time travelling this far from home."

"First time? What have you done with your forty-odd years? When you were courting your wife, didn't you cross provincial lines just to hand-deliver a love letter?"

"That's completely different!" I muttered under my breath. "That was romance. This is fleeing for my life and cultivating immortality. Entirely different categories."

Jade Lin's face flickered through my mind, then River's. I hadn't dared wake either of them before I left — just slipped a note under the lamp, something about heading out of town to track down a new recipe for grilled fish, told them not to worry. Jade Lin was sharp; she'd know something was off. But she'd cover for me with River. The thought of River waking up, not finding me, and pouting that little pout of his — something tugged tight inside my chest.

"Stow the soft heart," the System Elder scoffed.

The chime announcing our arrival cut off the thought. Haidong City's train station had the full character of a seaside town — a roofline that rippled like waves, floor tiles inlaid with shell patterns. Crowds streamed through the exit, most in light summer clothes, speaking in a dialect that tasted of open ocean. Following Old Man Zhang's instructions, I skipped the taxi rank and found a deserted stretch of shore, then unwrapped the oil-cloth bundle to reveal the Water-Pattern Communication Talisman.

The jade slip was warm and smooth to the touch, its water-ripple engravings shimmering faintly in the sunlight. I drew a slow breath, and following Zhang's directions, channelled a thread of spiritual energy into the slip. It blazed to life at once, erupting into a column of water that shot skyward, where it briefly condensed into a blurred water-pattern symbol before dissolving into nothing.

"Right. Now we wait," the System Elder said. "If Elder Kai doesn't show, you'll be left standing on the beach eating sea wind."

I crouched on the rocks and watched the waves come in, one after another. My stomach was doing its own rolling. Scarlet — the core disciple of Baizhen Pavilion — was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, while I was still only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement. That gap was the distance between an ant and an elephant. How much could Elder Kai actually do for me? Zhang had said he was a veteran of the Demon Demon Suppression Bureau — that ought to count for something. Hopefully.

About a quarter of an hour passed. Then an old man came ambling down the boardwalk from the direction of the shore — straw hat on his head, blue mandarin-collar jacket over his frame, leaning on a dragon-headed walking stick. He was short, his skin weathered dark, his face mapped with wrinkles like a reef that the sea had been sculpting for decades. But his eyes were startlingly bright, as if two pearls had been set into the stone.

"You're Ethan Lu?" the old man said.

"Yes, sir. Junior Ethan Lu pays his respects to Elder Kai." I scrambled to my feet and cupped my hands in a bow.

Elder Kai looked me up and down, and the corner of his mouth curved. "Old Zhang's eye hasn't failed him. Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, with a Water Spirit Root to boot. That's no small thing — it's rare for someone who started cultivating in middle age to reach Foundation Establishment, but it's been done."

A jolt ran through me. He'd read my cultivation level and spirit root at a single glance?

"Passable, I suppose," the System Elder's voice came, dripping with sarcasm. "He's reading the surface. You think he can see the Dao Ancestor's Sword Intent inside you, or the secret of the bronze ring? His perception is thoroughly mediocre."

I held my expression steady through sheer effort, and kept my voice respectful. "Junior's talents are dull; I can only hope Elder Kai will offer guidance."

"Guidance is too grand a word." Elder Kai waved a dismissive hand and turned to walk deeper along the boardwalk. "Come along. It's not a short walk to Listening to the Waves Retreat."

Walking with Elder Kai along the seaside boardwalk, the further in we went the fewer people there were, until at last it was only the two of us. The wind off the water grew fiercer, snapping the ties of his straw hat with a continuous rustle. His gait looked leisurely, but every step landed in precisely the right place — even the spray from the waves seemed to part deliberately around him.

"Elder Kai, where exactly is this Listening to the Waves Retreat..." I couldn't help asking.

"Just past that cluster of rocks ahead." He pointed forward. "It's a small secret realm — some old friends and I carved it out back when the Demon Demon Suppression Bureau was still running. The spiritual energy inside is denser than what you get out here."

As he spoke, we rounded an enormous outcropping of rock, and the world opened up. A small cove lay before us, ringed by sheer cliffs. At its centre sat a tiny island with several tall palms growing on it; in their shade I could just make out a few timber buildings. A path paved with giant clamshells stretched from the shore to the island, the water between them so clear you could watch schools of coloured fish drift past beneath the surface.

"This is Listening to the Waves Retreat?" I stood there half-stupefied. It looked for all the world like a paradise hidden from time.

"Mm." Elder Kai nodded and stepped onto the shell path, beckoning me to follow. "Took considerable effort to get this place into a half-concealed state. Baizhen Pavilion's reach doesn't extend here."

End of Chapter 30: Listening to the Waves