The little boat drifted over the sea. The winds over the southeastern waters were much gentler.
"Whoosh..."
A seagull swept past him.
Thick fog covered the sea, and the sky covered the fog.
From a distance, nothing could be seen but a gray haze.
Sand gulls cried in the sky; brocade-scaled fish slipped into the water.
A few fishing lights told of changes in the mortal world.
The Dragon King struck his bell, telling of vast seas turned to mulberry fields.
"You must be patient, Fairy."
Li Ping'an wore a bamboo hat that blocked out much of the sunlight.
He sat in the little boat, holding a fishing rod.
Beside him sat a little girl who also wore a bamboo hat and looked exceedingly well-behaved.
"Can I go down and catch them?"
"The fish hide very deep. I'm afraid you won't be able to catch them, Fairy."
The little girl gave a lazy yawn.
For an active, restless cat, fishing was clearly not the sort of patient work that suited her.
Just then, a fish leaped out of the sea.
The little girl instinctively sprang after it.
Li Ping'an could only smile helplessly.
Old Ox was studying the map, drawing on the information they had gathered along the way.
The nearest place to them should have been this so-called Three-Headed Kingdom.
Its people had one body and three heads.
But no one knew its exact location; it existed only in rumors.
After a while, Kitten surfaced with a little fish in her mouth.
She dog-paddled swiftly back toward the boat.
As she swam, she called anxiously, "Big Ping’an! Big Ping’an!"
Li Ping'an lifted his head slightly.
Kitten scrambled aboard in a few quick movements and shook herself.
Droplets sprayed in every direction.
"Over there, over there..."
Kitten pointed at the