We spent the night on the island, camping under the stars on a collection of blankets and towels. It was lovely, being able to just kick back, Meimei resting her head on my chest and Zhuye in the crook of my arm. No biting insects dared to bother us; not a single whine of mosquito wings distracted us from the beautiful song of frogs and other insects, singing their hearts out. Babe was conked out next to us in the sand, Sunny, his plow, on the blankets rather than him, and Washy was coiled in a ring all around our campsite. Both Yanjing and Suyan were using the dragon as a backrest; originally the Auditor was going to sleep in the boat… but he swiftly aborted that plan when he saw the Lord Magistrate, Lady Wu, and Xue Ji retire to those quarters. Finally, Washy’s horns were adorned with all the bees, the girls ever vigilant for any mosquitos. We woke up early to the songbirds taking over for the frogs; The lights of the fireflies slowly disappeared, and the sun crested the horizon, bringing with it a new set of actors. Azure Spear Fishers dove from their perches into the water, the small birds doing as their names suggested and impaling fish that stayed near the shores. They looked like little bolts of blue lightning, striking with speed and precision, flashing their brilliantly colored feathers and chirping with glee. Just as they assaulted the schools of minnows from the heavens, so too were they harried from below. Giant bass prowled beneath the waves—some of them had to be at least twenty pounds, and they smashed the surface like hammers, devouring anything caught in their path. Turtles lounged on branches, soaking up the first rays of the (...)