Ben Irwin hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded and began to move his feet. The other Xianbei men looked at Isaac Hall with hopeful eyes, waiting for Isaac Hall to pick up Shawn Irwin. They still stayed close to Isaac Hall without moving. At first, Isaac Hall was furious, but then he realized something, pointed at the remaining few, and said, “You three, let’s see… Military strategy and tactics—since there’s already a Ben Irwin, the rest of you will be called Shawn Irwin, Zane Irwin, and Zack Irwin. As for the three who are seriously injured, together with the three who were revived, you’ll be called ‘A timely rain after a long drought, good.’ Whoever wakes up first will be Julian Irwin, then Hank Irwin, Frank Irwin, Gavin Irwin, and Eugene Irwin. As for the last unlucky one, he’ll be Howard Irwin—ha, I really do come up with good names, but whether he survives or not is another matter!”

Everyone cheered and began running toward the thatched hut. Isaac Hall had only taken a few steps when he suddenly remembered something and instructed, “Wait, Ben Irwin, remember to send someone to keep watch. Also, go get an axe from my boat, and be quick about it.”

※※※

Night, deep and boundless.

Have you ever seen the sea before dawn? It’s wrapped in the arms of the night, so quiet, so dark.

The waves begin to dance.

Each crest is like lace edging rolling on a black evening gown—white, pure. With the night’s rhythm, they tumble and leap. Who is it, with sharp teeth, that shatters this great slab of black jade? The spray that flies out is pale as death. One wave passes, another comes.

The wind is speaking, sending its eternal sound into people’s ears. Who is reciting in silence? Endlessly murmuring, sleepless and tireless.

A small sailboat tows a raft, skipping lightly on the tips of the waves, always moving forward, forward, ever deeper into the darkness.

“…I can only keep walking, walking! In this age of slaughter, happiness is so far from me, untouchable, unreachable. Even if it seems close at hand, like a lighthouse at the horizon where sea and sky meet. But I can’t tell its direction or distance, can’t figure out where it is—I wonder, am I willing to spend my whole life searching?”

Amid the vast sea, Isaac Hall carefully held the helm, muttering to himself.

Beneath his feet, in the cramped cabin below deck, Shawn Irwin tossed and turned, half-awake, half-asleep. In a daze, it seemed as if someone was asking, “Who are you?”

“I am Little Shawn.”

“What does Little Shawn want to do?”

“I want to travel the world, to find someone.”

“Have you found them?”

“If I find them, I want to share joys and sorrows with them.”

“Then why are you still wandering?”

“Because… because maybe this person isn’t the one I’m looking for. I want to find the one I truly want.”

“You’re still hesitating in your heart, still not sure!”

“Why? Why am I hesitating?”

“Because he’s too unreal.”

“Why is he unreal? I’ve been searching so hard, in every place with sunlight and well water, and in every place without sunlight and well water.”

“Maybe you’ll never find him.”

“Of course, there are many things that can never be found, but they will always exist.”

“He’s just a phantom…”

“Why isn’t a phantom real? Maybe this world itself is a phantom, and this life is a brief awakening; or maybe this world is a long awakening, and this life is a dream from which we never wake—how can you tell the difference?”

On deck, facing the first rays of dawn, Isaac Hall suddenly sang out loudly: “My Holy Father, if it be possible, let this cup of suffering pass from me. I love your stubborn will, I agree to play this role. But now another play is being staged, I beg you to spare me this time…”

This is a poem by Pasternak (winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1958), called “Hamlet.” There is a second stanza, and Isaac Hall, his voice low, sang it: “But this act has long been arranged, the coming of the end cannot be stopped. I am alone. Hypocrisy drowns everything. To live in this world—how can it compare to walking in the fields.”

The song startled Shawn Irwin awake. She lay in the cabin, silently listening to the winding, poignant melody.

In this era, the laws had just been set by Xun Xu and Jia Chong, and music had only just begun to have the concept of melody. But the aria sung by Isaac Hall was full of religious meaning, sounding sacred and magnificent. The florid high notes had not yet been introduced to China, but as Shawn Irwin listened to the song through the deck, she felt as if a small hand was touching the softest part of her heart, resonating deep within her soul. Though she could not understand the lyrics, she could not help but weep.

Forcing herself up, Shawn Irwin wiped away her tears and stepped out of the cabin.

On deck, the first light of dawn appeared, countless rays of sunlight piercing the clouds, golden snakes dancing wildly across the sea. Shawn Irwin gazed into the distance—nothing but sea in every direction. She couldn’t help but ask, “Where is the land? Where are we now?”

Chapter 6: I Promise You

Isaac Hall was sailing a racing single-masted sailboat, with extremely compact space arrangements. To complete the long journey, the cabin was packed with food and fresh water, leaving very little space. After Shawn Irwin moved into the cabin, her guards dared not squeeze in as well. So, there were only two people on the entire deck—Shawn Irwin and Isaac Hall. The remaining guards all stayed on the towed raft.