Qiluo brought her roughly four-meter-long skiff alongside the fishing boat. After tying it up, she tossed her catch aboard before climbing up herself.
Since the Great Calamity descended, marine life had dwindled to a hundredth of its former abundance. Most remaining creatures concealed deadly toxins or were monsters too powerful to hunt. Only a handful of fish species could be caught with specific bait in specific waters.
The reefs Qiluo had just visited were one such place. Dense submerged rocks and relatively shallow waters kept most large ships and monsters away, making the area a rare fishing haven.
"Brother Long, Xiaoyuan—I'm back."
Qiluo greeted them, pretending not to notice the stranger in a dark green Daoist robe standing beside the Long father and daughter.
Tears immediately spilled from Xiaoyuan's eyes when she saw Qiluo return. She broke free of her father's hands and shouted anxiously, "Sister Qiluo, run! Daddy's a bad man! Daddy sold you!"
Qiluo looked coldly at Long Da Hai and asked with a frown, "Is that true, Brother Long?"
Long Da Hai's expression shifted. Gritting his teeth, he turned his head away and murmured as though trying to convince himself, "Don't blame me, miss. We have to survive too. Trading you for a green identity for my Xiaoyuan means our whole family can live."
"If you have to blame something, blame the world."
"Blame being born during the Great Calamity, washing up in the Stench-Turbulence Sea, and ending up in Sea Dragon Sect territory, of all places—"
The green-robed cultivator beside him took offense.
"You fucking short-lived wretch! Watch your mouth. What's wrong with our Sea Dragon Sect?"
The male cultivator raised his hand, about to strike Long Da Hai, but thought better of it and held back.
"Forget it. Dealing with a mortal with a white