Harvesting pearls from the Shellfish Grounds carried risks.
The Ocean was a vast treasure trove, and those with strength claimed it. Humans were invaders; the Sea Tribe were the true masters. When interests clashed, countless disputes of all kinds arose, sometimes even ending in a fight to the death.
Over the years, vicious incidents like this had been far from uncommon during the various harvest seasons at the Shellfish Grounds. In truth, there was no right or wrong in it. If something belonged to no one, why could you harvest it but I couldn't?
Human Pirates wouldn't launch a sneak attack at this stage, because they couldn't personally dive to the seabed to harvest pearls. They'd tire themselves to death.
Pirates usually waited until the month-long pearl harvest was over, then struck when the boats were returning laden with their spoils. The Sea Tribe did the exact opposite: they came to make trouble while the pearls were being harvested. As for their motives, only Heaven knew.
The three Cultivators took turns standing watch. Lu Shilun went first, for ten days; Hou Niao went second; and Zeng Ji took the last ten days.
The sea within a radius of a hundred li could still be seen clearly from several hundred zhang up in the air. In this stretch of sea, April and May were mostly calm each year, with few towering waves or complicated weather, making it more suitable for harvesting pearls. After all, the workers were ordinary people, with almost no ability to withstand harsh weather.
Hou Niao casually found a Fishing Boat and sat atop its mast, swaying along with the waves. Since they didn't need to raise sails and the boats moved very slowly while casting their nets, even the great height was nothing to him.
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