I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"Taking a boat is such a hassle."

Year after year, she held Bai Zhou's hand and played with his fingers, complaining to him about all the reasons why she hated traveling by boat.

Symptoms include dizziness, lightheadedness, inability to stand, and loss of appetite.

"If I could, I would rather swim than sit in that rickety little boat that keeps rocking and swaying."

"So that's how it is..."

He took Nian's hand in his own and smiled at her during the day.

"Trust me this once. Sister, I can make you feel like you're walking on flat ground when you're on the boat. If not, how about I take care of you for a month?"

"Huh? In that case..."

I was moved that year.

"Okay, no take-backs allowed."

"Of course not."

Nian happily agreed to Baiyue's request, but after the joy subsided, he remembered something.

She's been being cared for by the daytime all along. Even if she wins, the one-month agreement won't change.

"Gulp! Silly little white rabbit, you actually set a trap for your sister!"

Lying on Bai Ri's back, the young man, not yet old, used his horns to touch Bai Ri's horns.

"Sigh, there's no trap here."

Bai Zhou retorted righteously and eloquently:

"My older sister crawled in here by herself!"

"Goo!"

The year is even more unsatisfactory.

"Damn it, I was thinking of giving you a day off, but it looks like that's not going to happen now!"

"Take this, you idiot!"

"No, please don't do this, sister, we're in heaven."

"Wait, don't move, sister! We're going to fall from the clouds!"

The two landed on the ground, playfully fighting.

Before them stood the mighty River, the head of the Four Rivers, its raging waves crashing against the sky and its roar like thunder.

At first glance, all one sees is the vast, turbid waves flowing eastward.

Looking at it again, one can feel its power stretching across the heavens and the earth, flowing out in torrents.

Three times they saw its form and witnessed the divine waves raging and crashing, like thunder roaring and scorching the sun.

"A river like this... Hey, Xiaobai, you're doomed."

They probably couldn't have imagined how to make ships move as smoothly as if they were on land during the day.

"We'll discuss the specifics once you're on board, Sister Nian."

By raising his hand during the day, Ao Neng could forge a small boat two meters high for him.

"Hurry up and get on, or the boat will be swept away."

He said it, but he was actually watching the daytime.

"Then, sister, I'll go up first."

With a light leap, he landed on the boat during the day.

"See, sister, it doesn't wobble at all."

Looking up, he saw that, just as he had said during the day, he and the boat were almost glued together. When the boat moved, he moved; when the boat rocked, he rocked. Naturally, it was as if he were walking on flat ground.

"Remember to wash my socks for a month, okay?"

Nian jumped onto the boat, patted Bai Zhou on the shoulder affectionately, and then smiled.

"……nature."

As agreed, daytime will naturally follow.

Moreover, her feet weren't dirty, and her socks didn't get dirty when washed.

The original intention was simply to make the New Year happy; the process wasn't important, as long as the result was achieved.

"Um……"

Although amused by the daylight, Nian became bored again after sitting on the boat for a while.

"Little White...sigh, is it already trying to sense moisture?"

"Yes, sister."

The Four Rivers are not comparable to the Five Sacred Mountains.

Mountains don't move; they have plenty of time to sense and guide the earth's veins. But rivers do flow.

The best way to harness the power of rivers is to start from the source and follow them all the way to the end.

But there isn't that much time during the day, nor is it necessary to go to such lengths. With the suppressing artifact, he only needs to gather the power of the rivers in a certain area, then use the cauldron to suppress the flow of energy, and after a period of time, he can absorb the energy into his body.

"The sooner we get it sorted out, the more time we can spend with my sister."

"Hey, am I really that popular with Xiaobai?"

"Of course. My elder sister is to me as honey is to a bear."

Hearing Bai Zhou's words, Nian was overjoyed and didn't disturb him. Instead, he went to the side to design the shape of the remaining cauldron.

The small boat rocked gently, drifting with the current.

As the sun sets and the moon rises, one feels carefree and at ease.

"You can fish for fish scales here? These scales are really plump."

Looking at the scaled fish that had been gutted by daylight, Nian couldn't wait to enjoy it.

"Yeah, it's really fat. It's incredibly lucky to have met us."

To thank the scaled fish for filling their stomachs, Daylight decided to cook it up nicely.

As the saying goes, the bigger the scaled fish, the more tender its meat, and this scaled fish naturally follows this rule. Its delicate and chewy scaled flesh is incredibly fragrant and delicious after stewing.

"I'm full...that feels so good."

During the day, I leaned against the cabin, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

There was a time when he and his husband enjoyed the delicious fish on the boat.

"..."

Lu Lin (a type of fish) in this season... is still a long way from ripening.

I wonder when I will be able to appreciate the beauty of Lu Lin with you again.

But by then, there will probably be no more pain of separation.

very nice……

After making the third cauldron, he wanted to call Bai Zhou to come and see it, but found that Bai Zhou had already fallen asleep.

"You dreamt of something good."

A smile still lingered on his lips.

She gently covered him with the blanket that she had prepared for him during the day, and sat opposite him, quietly watching him.

"Even when asleep, he's restless."

Feeling the tightness from the tip of the tail, the young man smiled and wrapped the tail even tighter.

Returning to the 26th, the fifth mark—Mountains and Rivers

Two days have passed since it entered the river. During these two days, it has been sensing the earth's energy and guiding the water flow during the day.

So on the third day, Bai Zhou, sensing something, lowered the cauldron into the river.

[Ascension to the Alpha - Mythology - The Fifth Mark - Mountains and Rivers]

At this moment, your body is like a towering mountain peak, and your breath is like a vast, flowing river.

This is the confluence of mountains and rivers, signifying that your progress has reached a new level.

The path to ascension has changed once again.

Correspondingly, changes also occurred in Bai Zhou.

A long river-like pattern emerged from his navel, spreading outwards from his sternum with the force of a raging torrent.

The pattern resembles the trunk of a river, with the branches that extend outwards being its various tributaries.

And the place where these stripes finally converge and flow out is Bai Zhou's right palm.

"This arm is filled with the power of the long river."

As Bai Zhou gently stroked the water ripples on his arm, he sensed the terrifying power contained within. If the waves were to surge and breach the dikes, the river would be enough to engulf the four regions of the Great Yan.

"It looks like a tattoo. It's even a bit better looking than mine."

Year took the arm of daylight and gently touched the ripples on the water with his fingertips.

Although the landscape painting looked incredibly realistic, it still felt like smooth skin to the touch. That's why Nian remarked that Bai Zhou's current appearance resembled that of a young man who loved tattoos.

"Just two cauldrons take up half of your body. So where will the remaining seven cauldrons be used to imprint tattoos?"

The Taihua Seal is located from the left abdomen to the left chest, with the river directly occupying the entire chest, lower abdomen, and one right arm.

Nian felt that after the nine tripods were erected during the day, his entire being would transform into a blooming flower.

“You can put it away, sister.”

In the daytime, with a wave of his hand, the water ripples disappeared into his skin, and what landed in Nian's hand was still that firm and powerful arm.