Xia Yunzhao told the Cloud-Swallowing Whale that it would have to wait a little while before they could bring its child over.
The Cloud-Swallowing Whale remained perfectly calm. With nothing else to do, it resumed eating aquatic beasts.
It ate them the way a person might snack on dried little fish, swallowing several at a time without even bothering to chew.
Watching it made Xia Yunzhao hungry, of all things. He decided to buy himself some dried fish later.
Just as the whale finished devouring the last of the aquatic beasts, a figure abruptly descended from the sky. In the blink of an eye, Shang Shuangze was standing beside him.
Xia Yunzhao and the whale turned their heads at the same time. A father and son had appeared nearby.
In front of Xia Yunzhao and the others, Xu Zhenhai had been thoroughly deferential, without a trace of a gang leader’s airs. But the moment he saw the whale, his first instinct was to shield his son behind him. “You?”
Something felt wrong. He looked from side to side. “Seniors, what is going on?”
Xia Yunzhao stopped him before he could say more. “First, answer me. Is the young Cloud-Swallowing Whale with you?”
Xu Zhenhai looked at them, then at the whale. He nodded. “Yes. I hired several Golden Core cultivators to go out to sea and capture this young whale, then had it form a symbiotic contract with my son.”
He straightened his back and planted himself before his boy. Despite his slightly plump build, he suddenly seemed as solid as a mountain. “Now that you have found us, do with me as you please. But the contract has already been made and cannot be severed. If it is, both of them will be in mortal danger.”
Xia Yunzhao sighed. So that was the situation. One parent had acted to save a child, and the other had come to save its own child, too.
He ventured, “Why don’t we see how the little whale is doing first?”
The Cloud-Swallowing Whale stirred. It was so enormous that even a slight movement sent the sea surging. With a flick of its tail, it gave a low call.
The boy hiding behind his father’s back began to glow faintly at the forehead. A young whale’s cry rang out, and a thin layer of blue light spread over the boy. A small whale appeared.
It was only as tall as one person and as long as two, with brilliant sky-blue skin. Beside the adult, it was adorably tiny. It wagged its tail and sang one whale-song after another, flying toward the Cloud-Swallowing Whale.
The adult sent up a jet of water to catch it. Its two enormous round eyes instantly narrowed into cleaver-shaped slits, and it gave the little whale a stern smack with its tail.
The little whale did not budge. It rubbed against its mother affectionately, calling again and again. The adult answered with an occasional deep rumble.
No one understood their calls, but it was obvious that a mother and child, reunited after a long separation, were catching up.
Xu Zhenhai’s son secretly tugged his father’s sleeve. “Daddy, will Little Blue come back?”
Xu Zhenhai nodded. “Of course. You two have formed a symbiotic contract. From now on, you live and die together.”
The child asked softly, “But doesn’t Little Blue want to stay with its own mommy and daddy too?”
Xu Zhenhai fell silent. On this point he had been selfish. Yet he could never have stood by and watched his own child die.
Xia Yunzhao could hardly say anything either. At most, he was the go-between. He could help mediate, but the decision belonged to the two families.
Seeing that the whales still had plenty to discuss, he leaned toward his Dao companion for a private chat. “Shall we get some dried fish later? This morning, I saw a little shop selling wine and snacks. Let’s buy some for Xianchan too.”
Shang Shuangze nodded slightly. “While I was at the Sea-Crossing Gang, I saw a special kind of ore with seawater-like patterns. I think Xianbao would like it.”
Xia Yunzhao smiled. He loved the way Shang Shuangze could speak so simply and calmly with him about the little matters of home.
A splash sounded. No one knew what the adult whale had said, but the young whale sprang up and dove back into the sea.
Xu Zhenhai instinctively stepped forward. “What did you do? Where is the young whale?”
The Cloud-Swallowing Whale ignored him completely. It slowly sank beneath the surface, its body growing transparent.
Xu Zhenhai said, “Wait! You’re not allowed to leave…”
Xia Yunzhao hurriedly caught hold of him. Is this man really that reckless? That is a Soul Transformation expert! The fact that it hasn’t attacked you is already a kindness. Do you really think it’s some pushover?
Just then, water splashed again. The young whale leaped out of the sea, holding a dazzling, multicolored conch shell in its mouth.
Wagging its little tail, it floated over and placed the shell in the child’s hand.
The boy was delighted. “Is this for me?”
The little whale chirped, “Ying, ying!”
The boy laughed. “Okay! I’ll come find you!”
Xu Zhenhai hurriedly asked, “What did it say?”
Smiling, the boy replied, “Little Blue says it’s going home with its mommy. Its mommy says it can’t leave the sea until it grows a beast core. Until then, whenever I want to see it, I can blow this shell and it’ll come meet me at the shore.”
Xu Zhenhai froze, then frowned. “Did… did its mother really say that? It doesn’t mind that I bound you together with a symbiotic contract? Could there be some scheme behind this?”
Xia Yunzhao, who had been watching the whole thing, was speechless. “Gang Leader Xu, you’re the one who’s been scheming from the beginning.”
Looking somewhat ashamed, Xu Zhenhai forced himself to reply, “You are right to rebuke me, Senior…”
The boy gave another little exclamation, then said sheepishly, “Little Blue told me not to sleep late anymore, but to cultivate hard and try to live a little longer…” Raising his small fist, he promised the whale floating in the air, “I’ll work hard! I’ll start learning cultivation exercises tomorrow!”
Watching him, Xu Zhenhai gradually relaxed, though he could not have said why. He stroked his son’s head. “Have you made up your mind? Cultivation is very hard.”
The child nodded solemnly. “Didn’t you say Cloud-Swallowing Whales live a really long time, Daddy? I’m going to work hard and live for ages, so Little Blue won’t lose out!”
The young whale gave a cry, as if agreeing with him.
Far out at sea came the adult whale’s deep call. The little whale rubbed its friend reluctantly and plunged headfirst into the water.
It could not yet turn invisible, so everyone watched its shadow swim farther and farther beneath the surface. At a certain point, it suddenly vanished.
Only then did Du Yan and the others, who had been silent throughout, let out their breaths. “They’re gone?”
Zhong Yundu nodded. “Looks that way.”
Jing Ruyun said quietly, “Go check whether the harbor will allow ships to leave.”
One guard ran off at once. He returned within moments. “We can set sail! We sent out a low-tier treasure ship to test it, and the Cloud-Swallowing Whale didn’t react!”
“Excellent!” Xia Yunzhao was instantly refreshed. He had thought resolving the matter would be troublesome, but the whale had proved remarkably magnanimous. “Let’s get a good night’s sleep tonight. Tomorrow we’re putting to sea!”
“Yes!” The guards all sprang into action. None of them had much experience with an ocean voyage, so there were plenty of preparations to make. Fortunately, their City Lord had already gathered a great deal of information. They only had to prepare the supplies on his list.
Xia Yunzhao caught Shang Shuangze by the hand. “Come on, come on! Let’s go buy dried fish!”
“Please wait a moment, Seniors.” Xu Zhenhai stepped forward to block their way. His son clung to his leg, peeking out to examine Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze. Those two older brothers were so handsome!
Xia Yunzhao looked puzzled. “Is there something else, Gang Leader Xu?”
Xu Zhenhai hesitated. At their last meeting, this senior had seemed somewhat temperamental. Today he seemed almost easygoing. Could someone’s personality change so much?
What he did not know was that Xia Yunzhao’s earlier visit had been to find out what was wrong with his son. Xia Yunzhao had deliberately put him under pressure to make him hurry back and see the child.
This time, he had no such purpose. Little City Lord Xia was perfectly easy to get along with by nature.
Xu Zhenhai said carefully, “Seniors, thank you all for helping me settle this matter. I cannot express how grateful I am. Would you perhaps honor the Sea-Crossing Gang with a visit, so I could offer a small token of appreciation?”
Xia Yunzhao instantly weighed a banquet at the Sea-Crossing Gang against dried fish. “Sorry, Gang Leader Xu. We have things to do. Perhaps another time.”
Xu Zhenhai hurriedly replied, “Of course, of course. May I ask when you’ll be leaving tomorrow? I’ll bring my son to see you off.”
That was no problem. Xia Yunzhao readily gave him a time.
Xu Zhenhai could see that he was in a hurry, so he exchanged a few polite words and took his leave. Shang Shuangze had carried him here, but he would have to walk back on his own. Fortunately, it was not far.
The others dispersed as well. Some wanted to browse the streets too, such as Zhong Yundu. Some had nothing to do and just wanted to curl up in their courtyard, such as Du Yan. And some wanted to sneak after Xia Yunzhao but got caught, such as Xiang Moyue…
The most obedient were the two brothers, Su Meng and Su Ying. They did not run about; instead, they dutifully helped the guards gather supplies for the voyage.
Xia Yunzhao paid none of this any mind. Everyone knew when a person felt most impatient: when something delicious was just out of reach. Only a true food lover understood that gnawing, restless longing.
He dragged Shang Shuangze straight to the shop selling wine and snacks. Even before they reached the door, the fragrance of fried food floated out.
They had excellent timing. A tray of fried little fish had just come out of the oil. The golden fish stood at odd angles, piled together as they tumbled onto the plate, while tiny bubbles burst across their skin with a sizzling sound.
The shopkeeper scattered a handful of seasoning over them. The residual heat of the oil toasted the powder, and a delicious fragrance rose into the air. Perfection!
Xia Yunzhao swept out his hand grandly. “I’ll take this whole batch!”
Without worrying about anything else, he picked up a fish and popped it into his mouth. “Mmm! So good!”
The little fish had been fried all the way through. Even the bones were crisp enough to chew.
Shang Shuangze picked one up and tasted it too. He nodded. It really was good.
In their robes, Xianchan and Xianbao poked out their heads, frantic for a taste.
Pedestrians strolled along the street, and the scents of food drifted from its various stalls. Another peaceful day.
* * *
The group spent their second night in the courtyard, which would also be their last night at Wangdu Cape.
In the morning, the red sun rose above the horizon. It was time to leave.
Not many people knew that the Cloud-Swallowing Whale had gone, so there was hardly anyone at the docks.
Xia Yunzhao and his companions stood at the landing, with Xu Zhenhai opposite them to see them off.
As promised, Xu Zhenhai had brought his son. The child had not fully woken up and was dozing against his father’s shoulder. His father shook him awake, and he obediently thanked Xia Yunzhao, though he did not necessarily understand what the adults before him had done.
Then Xu Zhenhai took out a storage pouch and presented it respectfully. “A small gift. I hope you will accept it.”
Xia Yunzhao figured the man would only worry if he refused. After all, Xu Zhenhai’s capture of the young whale was a secret. If the city’s cultivators learned who had delayed their departure, Xu Zhenhai would have a hard time of it.
Xia Yunzhao casually accepted the pouch, then reminded him, “Gang Leader Xu, don’t just bring gifts for me. Think about who you owe the greatest apology.”
Xu Zhenhai froze. “You mean… But if I go directly to the Cloud-Swallowing Whale, won’t I anger it?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “It didn’t get angry yesterday. Why should it suddenly get angry later? And even if it does, you still need to go. If it’s angry, that’s all the more reason to apologize.”
He could understand a father’s desperate wish to save his child. But Xu Zhenhai had taken someone else’s child and bound it to his own. Even if the harm could not be undone, he should at least show genuine remorse. On festivals and holidays, there ought to be generous presents, too.
Xia Yunzhao had not taken Xu Zhenhai for a thoughtless man. Why was it taking him so long to work that out?
Fortunately, Xu Zhenhai was not a fool. At the reminder, he immediately understood and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Senior. I understand.”
Only then did Xia Yunzhao nod in satisfaction. He summoned Cloudwater Ferry with a wave of his hand, and everyone flew aboard. “You can head back now. We’re leaving.”
Xu Zhenhai had just opened his mouth to speak when his vision blurred. The magnificent silver-white ship had already vanished.
Xu Zhenhai: “…”
He patted his son’s back. “As expected of a senior. Even his treasure ship is incredibly fast.”
Xia Yunzhao himself had not expected Cloudwater Ferry to move so quickly across the sea. It was much faster than it was in the sky! Well, it was a ship. Naturally, it was in its element in the water!
The slightly salty sea breeze lifted his long black hair. The glittering surface of the ocean seemed even more splendid than the sky. His interest rose at once. “Didn’t we buy a set of fishing gear yesterday? Let’s fish!”
Zhong Yundu and Su Meng instantly raised their hands to join in.
He tugged Shang Shuangze over as well. “We went fishing back in Liancui Mountain, remember? Fishing at sea must be completely different.”
The moment he mentioned it, Shang Shuangze remembered. Back then, their fishing trip had somehow landed them inside the Secret Realm of Obsessions. He could not help laughing.
Xia Yunzhao narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. “What are you smiling about? You certainly aren’t smiling just because you want to fish. What did you remember?”
Shang Shuangze smiled without answering. “You need bait to fish. Do we have any?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “What about slaughter-beast meat? There’s plenty in the Hundred-Compartment Pouch.”
“That probably won’t work.” A passing guard chimed in. “When we went to buy the fishing gear, the shopkeeper said that although slaughter-beast meat has a bloody smell, it doesn’t attract sea beasts at all. It’s better to use aquatic-beast meat, or even the flesh of sea beasts themselves.”
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment. “It’s fine. Let’s give it a try first. If nothing bites, we can figure something else out.”
Sure enough, nothing bit.
Each person took a fishing rod, and they sat on deck from sunrise to sunset. Not a single fish was caught… No, wait. They had caught something, after all. Su Meng had tripped while walking and fallen straight into the sea. When they hauled him out, a lobster was clinging to his hem. It had no spiritual energy at all, just ordinary seafood.
Xia Yunzhao could hardly believe it. “Are sea beasts really this picky? It’s slaughter-beast meat! They probably haven’t seen one before, but it still contains spiritual energy, and it smells of blood. They won’t even eat that? Do they eat people, then?”
Everyone: “…”
“Sea beasts eat people relatively rarely,” Xiang Moyue explained. “Unlike slaughter beasts on land, sea beasts stay in the water. If they want to eat people, they have to swallow fishermen from fishing boats, which makes it difficult to eat humans often or in great numbers. That’s probably why they aren’t very interested in slaughter-beast meat.”
Xia Yunzhao understood. In the end, it was simply a question of what they were used to eating.
He remembered Xu Zhenhai’s gift and took out the storage pouch to have a look. “Well, well. Gang Leader Xu really put some thought into this.”
Instead of the usual spirit pearls and medicinal herbs, the pouch held an assortment of thoughtfully selected supplies for a sea voyage. Some were things the guards had already prepared, while others were items Xia Yunzhao had not even known to ask about.
Xu Zhenhai had even considered that they might get bored on the voyage and provided fishing gear.
This was nothing like the ordinary tackle the guards had bought: an entire set of rods, hooks, spears, and nets, all made from artifact-refining materials! They were far sturdier than common fishing rods.
Besides the usual supplies, there were thirty medicinal pills, a map, a magical artifact that could indicate direction on Wangjin Sea, and a handbook of sea beasts.
Xia Yunzhao examined the pills first, taking one out and identifying it carefully. “Are these… Water-Repelling Pills?”
What a coincidence. He did not have the recipe for these pills. That was why, for the voyage, they had prepared ten Water-Repelling Pearls and a suit of water-repelling inner armor for everyone.
But Water-Repelling Pearls and water-repelling inner armor were not as convenient as the pills. They were external objects, after all. If someone accidentally lost hold of one, they could find themselves in danger.
He had not expected Xu Zhenhai to give them Water-Repelling Pills. They had not managed to find any for sale in Wangdu Cape themselves!
“And these are Level-Three Water-Repelling Pills! Thirty of them! They weren’t cheap!” Xia Yunzhao immediately distributed them among the group. “If you run into danger, take one. I’ll study them over the next few days. Maybe I can work out the recipe. Don’t you dare skimp!”
Everyone laughed. Their City Lord always said the same thing when giving out pills: Don’t skimp. Take them when you need them.
Then he examined the map. As expected, it was even more detailed than the one Xiang Moyue had obtained.
Xiang Moyue took no offense. “The Sea-Crossing Gang may not be large, but it’s been established at Wangdu Cape for five hundred years. The previous leader was Xu Zhenhai’s father. It’s only natural they have accumulated a few resources.”
He suspected the map had always been an internal Sea-Crossing Gang document and had never circulated outside it. That would explain why the people at the information shop had been unable to obtain the same details.
The direction-finding artifact was valuable too. The spiritual energy above Wangjin Sea was chaotic. Ordinary cultivators who entered could easily lose their sense of direction, and common navigational artifacts would stop working. Only a specially made artifact like this could identify the correct course.
They had already prepared one such artifact, but no one complained about having a second. The more good things, the better.
As for the sea-beast handbook… Xia Yunzhao opened it and could not decide whether to laugh or cry. It did indeed describe the common sea beasts of Wangjin Sea, complete with strikingly lifelike illustrations. Its information was immensely valuable.
The tone, though, was rather childish. Xia Yunzhao suspected Xu Zhenhai had given him a handbook originally meant for his own son.
Still, the contents were worth studying. He carefully put it away.
After sorting the rest of the supplies, Xia Yunzhao announced enthusiastically, “Let’s have a contest! Everyone picks a piece of fishing gear, and whoever catches the least has to cook dinner! Shang Shuangze and I are a team!”
The instant he finished speaking, his hand darted out to seize the fishing net. “Hehe! I’ve made my choice!”
The guards immediately began wailing that he was cheating.
Xia Yunzhao laughed wickedly, grabbing his Dao companion with one hand and the net with the other. “First come, first served!”
No one could argue him out of it, so they chose their own gear and sat down again. There was nothing else to do anyway. Wangjin Sea’s spiritual energy was so chaotic that even cultivation sessions could not last long.
Time slipped by. The sky darkened.
The stars over the sea seemed to hang lower than those above the land, almost close enough to touch. But the starry sky lasted only a moment before clouds blotted it out and the sea winds began to rage.
Xia Yunzhao was still figuring out how to haul in his net. He glanced at the darkening clouds and raised a hand to activate Cloudwater Ferry’s defensive formation.
An ordinary storm was nothing to fear. The real danger was a spiritual-energy storm.
Before long, thunder crashed. A bolt of lightning seemed to split the entire night sky, and rain began clattering down!
It really was an ordinary storm. Yet the power of nature was boundless; even an ordinary storm could be terrifying enough.
The black seawater looked like ink. Raindrops the size of beans hammered its surface, shattering it into fragments. The ocean heaved as though it were water in a basin being tipped this way and that, with Cloudwater Ferry no more than a leaf floating inside it.
Fortunately, the defensive formation was doing its job. The deck remained dry.
Xia Yunzhao formed a hand seal and enlarged Cloudwater Ferry. He summoned an illusory image of the Heaven-Reaching Tree to steady the hull, and the deck immediately grew level again.
He took out a treasure lamp, lit it, and hung it from the mast. The light drove back the darkness. As the silver vessel sailed across the black ocean, it resembled a lone star in the night sky.
Su Meng was a little pale. “This is only an ordinary storm? I’ve never seen wind this strong or rain this heavy.”
“That’s why we ought to respect this land,” Xia Yunzhao said, rubbing the boy’s head. “What does it matter if we’re cultivators? Beside the power of nature, the difference between us and ordinary people is no greater than the difference between big ants and little ones.”
Su Meng nodded. He would remember that.
Guang Yun called from beside the railing, “City Lord! We forgot to bring the net in. Shall we pull it up for you?”
Xia Yunzhao smacked his forehead. “No, no, don’t! I’ll do it myself! I haven’t caught a single fish all day!”
Everyone burst out laughing. The transition from the vast power of nature to catching fish could hardly have been smoother.
Shang Shuangze was already waiting at the railing. As Xia Yunzhao approached, he passed him a length of net rope.
They pulled together. Xia Yunzhao’s face immediately fell. “It’s so light! Don’t tell me the net’s empty again!”
He had even played a little trick to claim the net first. Who would have thought that, after an entire afternoon, everyone else would have a catch, including Su Ying, who had managed to hook a little fish with his rod, while he and Shang Shuangze kept bringing up empty nets? He was beginning to suspect someone had tampered with it! Could Xu Zhenhai have tied some god of bad luck to the mesh?
Seeing his expression, Shang Shuangze felt so fond of him that he lowered his voice and offered, “Shall I go down into the sea, catch something, and toss it into the net?”
Xia Yunzhao kept up his mournful face. “If you were really going to do that, you shouldn’t have said it out loud.” Did Shang Shuangze think he did not know? Everyone on this ship had exceptionally sharp hearing!
Shang Shuangze coughed softly. Behind them came a few suppressed giggles.
Suddenly, Xia Yunzhao looked startled. “Look, everyone! There’s something in the water!” His hands changed position. “Don’t pull yet. I think something’s coming straight toward us!”
At his words, the others also saw what was happening beneath the surface. Specks of light, like fireflies in the sea, had gathered into a swarm and were heading straight into their net.
The rain had not stopped. Droplets shattered the surface of the water, reflecting glittering flecks like scattered gold. The scene was eerie and beautiful.
“Wait! I know what they are!” Xia Yunzhao exclaimed in sudden realization. “Pull the net! We’re about to have a bumper harvest!”
Naturally, Shang Shuangze hauled alongside him. Together they pulled the net up and emptied it onto the deck with a splash.
The points of light below the water followed them up, leaping and crackling against the defensive formation without giving up.
Xia Yunzhao immediately opened the formation. Rain poured down in a rush, and with it came great shrimp, one after another, in a swarm even denser than the rain!
They were nothing like ordinary sea shrimp. Every one was as long as an arm, with a shell resembling green jade and a tiny point of light on its head. Come to think of it, they really did look a little like fireflies.
The big shrimp landed with a clatter, soon piling up thickly across the deck. From the sea below, more and more kept leaping aboard.
It was the sort of spectacular haul one might see only in one’s dreams!
But the others could sense spiritual energy in the shrimp. They hurriedly asked, “What are these?”
Xia Yunzhao laughed heartily. “Phosphor-Flame Jade-Shell Shrimp! Top-grade Level-Four materials! We’ve struck it rich!”
Who said a god of bad luck had been tied to that net? Clearly, someone had tied a god of wealth to it!