Xue Wu asked, "What happens if we go too far?"
"The Soul Beasts are fierce farther out. There are ten-thousand-year Sea Soul Beasts in these offshore waters. Running into one would be trouble."
"And farther out, there are pirates."
Yu Hairou linked her arm through her father's and gave it a shake. "I'll be there. We won't go too far."
"All right, take your classmates along, then. The captain's surname is Zhou, and the first mate's is Li. They've both worked for me for over a decade. They know the sea better than I do, so follow their instructions if anything comes up."
Yu Hairou's father patted his daughter's shoulder, then smiled at the others.
"Have fun."
"We will! Thank you, Uncle!"
Yu Hairou led the others toward the eastern side of the pier.
Soon, they came upon a medium-sized fishing boat painted white from end to end, moored beside the shore, with rescue rope loops hanging along its rails.
Two middle-aged men stood on deck. One was short and stocky, crouching as he inspected the mooring lines.
The other was tall and thin, an unlit tobacco pipe between his lips, and waved toward them.
Yu Hairou led the others over to the boat.
The stocky middle-aged man looked up. The moment he saw Yu Hairou, he rose from the deck, his face wreathed in smiles.
"Miss Yu, you're here. The boat's all ready. We're just waiting for you to board."
"Uncle Zhou, sorry for the trouble."
Yu Hairou acknowledged him, then turned and beckoned to the others. "Come aboard. Watch your step on the gangplank."
Wu Changkong boarded first, carrying Wu Changbing, with Shui Bing'er and the others following behind.
Next, the tall, thin first mate untied the mooring lines, and the fishing boat slowly left the pier, heading