Chapter 4: The Name

What is a name? The merman did not understand, and he looked at Liang Yuan, his eyes brimming with longing for knowledge.

“Every person and every thing possesses a name. A name is a designation, a title that will follow you throughout your life,” Liang Yuan explained. “If you had no name, how would you call your kin? And how would they call you?”

“A name…” The merman seemed to grasp the concept, murmuring to himself as if searching for a name for his own. Yet, after much thought, none of the names he considered seemed right. With hopeful eyes, he turned to Liang Yuan and pleaded softly, “You… Me… What should I be called?”

Though the merman’s words were not entirely coherent, Liang Yuan understood his meaning. Smiling gently, he gazed at the merman and said, “Qianxian. From now on, your name shall be Qianxian.”

“Qian,” as in the saying, “A favor as small as a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring.”
“Xian,” meaning the first, the pioneer of the merfolk, the forerunner of his kind.

Thus, Liang Yuan named him Qianxian.

Of course, the name bore another significance as well. Qianxian—of the aquatic kind, the merfolk, those mysterious beings known as spirits of the sea.

“Qianxian…” The merman softly recited his new name, repeating it over and over, and a bright light gradually shone in his eyes. He was deeply satisfied with this name. Perhaps it was because Liang Yuan was the god he revered; whatever the divine bestowed was absolutely correct. No matter how extraordinary a name he might have chosen for himself, it would always pale in comparison to a gift from a god.

Delighted with his new name, Qianxian was overjoyed, while Liang Yuan’s expression remained placid as he watched Qianxian’s happiness with a quiet detachment. The merman’s innocence was childlike, and Liang Yuan found it rather endearing.

After basking in his joy for a while, Qianxian suddenly remembered something. He looked to Liang Yuan, and with great caution, inquired, “Origin God… you…”

He did not finish the question, but Liang Yuan understood what he wished to know—his own name.

After a moment’s thought, Liang Yuan replied, “Yuan.”

“Yuan?” Qianxian echoed. Liang Yuan had spoken the word in his own language, and as it passed Qianxian’s lips, it sounded a little awkward. But after repeating it several times, Qianxian fixed the name firmly in his heart. He would never forget it.

“All right. It is time to go,” Liang Yuan said with a smile. Looking into the distance, he saw another merman using brute force to catch fish. Shaking his head, Liang Yuan flicked his finger, sending a point of light into the merman’s mind.

The merman stood blankly for a moment before coming to his senses. Looking around in confusion, he saw that his hands were covered in mud and felt a wave of disgust.

What happened next would be up to them. Liang Yuan mused silently. Qianxian, seeing this, was overjoyed and hurried to follow Liang Yuan, swimming by his side through the vast ocean.

Ever since Liang Yuan had split the earth into nine parts, the seas had changed as well—divided by land, and to travel from one sea to another required a long and winding journey, costing much time.

But Liang Yuan had time in abundance; he cared nothing for such losses.

He roamed across mountains and rivers, traversing the nine provinces and five peaks. Though it sounded grand and heroic, to truly swim like a dragon through the four seas required endless amounts of time.

Along the way, Liang Yuan witnessed many things. He saw creatures from the land, unable to bear the strife above, willingly cast themselves into the sea, slowly adapting to life in the coastal waters. Given enough time, they would grow, evolve, and eventually transform into whales that roamed the ocean depths, or dolphins—graceful spirits of the sea.

The ocean was home to ferocious beasts. Gigantic sharks, tens of meters long, hunted with jaws strong enough to crush stone. Monstrous creatures, resembling mantis shrimp from another world, lurked in the abyssal trenches, lying in wait to ambush passing sea life.

All these beings were descendants of that first drop of Liang Yuan’s divine blood, shaped by millions of years of evolution into their current forms. And in those millions of years, some creatures had even ventured onto land.

In the blink of an eye, fifty years had passed.

During these fifty years, Liang Yuan had used his divine power to lead Qianxian through most of the seas. The merfolk could live for five centuries; Qianxian, previously in a state of innocent ignorance, had already survived more than seventy years. Now, after enduring another fifty years, he was over one hundred and twenty years old.

On the earth of Liang Yuan’s previous life, such an age would make him a living fossil. Among the merfolk, however, he was still in his prime—a rising star with a bright future ahead.

A resonant, soul-shaking roar echoed from the distance, sending the nearby fish scattering in terror. Qianxian, unfazed, quickly bowed respectfully to Liang Yuan and asked, “Origin God, that must be a fierce shark. Should we draw near and observe?”

After fifty years, Qianxian had mastered speech, no longer bearing the awkwardness of decades past.

“No need,” Liang Yuan replied, his gaze profound. “It will come to us.”

Qianxian showed no surprise, but retreated a step, bowing his head deeply behind Liang Yuan.

The god could not be wrong. All his decisions were infallible. This was the faith that filled Qianxian’s heart.

Over these fifty years, no matter what had occurred, the Origin God had always resolved it with ease. Even earthquakes and tsunamis powerful enough to shake the entire ocean could be quelled in an instant by his will.

Just as Qianxian expected, a massive gray shark, more than thirty meters long, soon appeared before him. In the instant it emerged, it dominated Qianxian’s entire field of vision. Its body was round and muscular, and its menacing presence made Qianxian instinctively hold his breath—his gills unable to draw any air from the water.

This was, without doubt, the fiercest shark he had seen in fifty years.

But he quickly calmed himself, for beside him stood a god—one capable of anything. In the presence of such power, no matter how terrifying the beast, it would be utterly destroyed, left without a trace of life.

“Go,” Liang Yuan said calmly, flicking a pale blue light from his fingertip. It shot toward the giant shark and enveloped it in a shimmering glow.

Yet, to Qianxian’s surprise, the beast was not obliterated. Instead, it remained unharmed—completely intact.

What was happening? Qianxian was filled with doubt, but before he could react, the ferocious shark obediently swam to Liang Yuan’s side, all traces of savagery gone.

Before Qianxian could speak, Liang Yuan’s even voice came: “It is yours.”

“Mine?” Qianxian was overjoyed. He looked at the shark and, in that instant, felt a bond form between them—as if the great beast had become his own brother, bound to him by an unbreakable tie.

The next moment, the shark transformed into a stream of light and entered Qianxian’s chest, leaving behind a vivid tattoo of a giant shark upon his heart.

“Thank you, Origin God!” Qianxian exclaimed, bowing again and again in gratitude.

But this time, Liang Yuan’s voice rang out once more, sending a chill through Qianxian’s soul.

“The journey’s end has come. It is time for your travels to conclude.”

“From here on, the road ahead is yours to walk alone.”