He looks up sharply at Ryouma's voice and pulls his foot back from the blade, as if having this particular act--hesitation, unvarnished self-doubt, uncertainty--witnessed by anyone at all is intolerable. The sword itself leaps up from the docks and back into Jin Guangyao's left hand, but he smoothly sheathes it rather than holding it at the ready. Then he smiles, a perfectly modest and inoffensive non-expression. "No, gongzi," he replies courteously, "the shortcoming is my own for not knowing whether the limited strength of my spiritual power is enough to sustain the journey."

He curves his arms into a circle and sketches a slight bow. "I am called Jin Guangyao. Gongzi, are you also curious about the lighthouse?" When he straightens to consider Ryouma again, he has carefully adopted an expression of polite curiosity.