Haisheng Village.
This was a coastal village common throughout Minhai Prefecture. Every household made a living by fishing, and fishing nets were often hung outside their doors to dry.
Night.
Amid the howling wind, a little girl stumbled out of the village and hid in a crevice by the shore.
Before long, the village began to stir.
Groups of fishermen carrying torches, their faces feverish, began searching the surroundings.
"The sea is the destination of all things!"
"The great Father of the Sea needs sacrifices!"
"Offer up sacrifices, and the Father of the Sea will repay us with fish, gold..."
Yingzi's eyes were full of frightened tears, and she desperately covered her mouth.
She did not know why everything had turned out this way.
She had once had a harmonious family, with both parents and an older brother who doted on her.
But after one voyage out to sea, her brother never returned.
And from then on, everything seemed to change.
First, her father constantly sighed, saying that the Imperial Court's taxes were growing heavier and heavier.
Then, on a day of brilliant sunshine, her father and several uncles decided to risk going out to sea to catch some precious seafood in the deep waters—the old master Liu from the authorities had said that those could be used to offset their taxes.
Then came another long wait.
On a night of thunder and torrential rain, only Second Uncle returned. He said that everyone aboard the boat had encountered a maritime disaster, and he was the only survivor.
For fishermen, the moment they went out to sea was the moment they tied their heads to their belts. Aside from the wails that came from a few households, they accepted this reality with surprising calm.
But...
From that day onward, the