A Fleet at Sea
The Endless Sea is just that capricious.
Just moments before, the weather was fine and sunny, and no one had even had time to marvel at their good fortune. But the next instant, a giant wave crashed in, smashing some of the more daring ships that had ventured into the deep sea to pieces.
Zhang Ping'an and his son's boat was among them.
As the waves grew larger, the father and son had to flee their small boat before another giant wave crashed down. Although this saved their lives, they still felt a sense of despair as they looked at the wreckage of their ship floating on the sea not far away.
Father Zhang cried out in anguish, "It's all my fault, all my fault! If I hadn't insisted on bringing you to such a faraway place, our boat wouldn't have..."
"Father, this isn't your fault. I just wanted to take the risks with you, so I didn't stop you at all," Zhang Ping'an said softly.
He and Zhang's father were just minor cultivators living on the Endless Sea. Although they possessed Spirit Root, they were all mixed Spirit Root. They had finally managed to reach the Qi Refinement Great Perfection, and there was basically no possibility of advancing any further.
Originally, Zhang Ping'an and his father weren't too fixated on this, thinking they could live one more day at a time. Relying on their ancestral boat, they could catch some small Demon Beast on the edge of the Endless Sea and accumulate a few Spirit Stone.
But as fate would have it, Zhang Ping'an's younger sister, Zhang Ru'an, accidentally ingested something and fell ill with a strange disease. This strange disease was incurable even by the local medical practitioners, who could only keep her alive with elixirs.
My younger sister is only thirteen years old. Although she has four Spirit Root, she can live for several hundred years if she works hard.
Zhang Ping'an simply couldn't bear to watch his sister die.
The family had no choice but to try every means to earn Spirit Stone in the hope of finding a more powerful medical cultivator to cure their sister's illness. At the same time, Zhang Ru'an also had to consume spirit pills to sustain his dwindling Spiritual Power.
Today, the Zhang Household father and son failed to find anything in the nearshore area. Enticed by their companions, they gritted their teeth and decided to try their luck in the deep sea. If they could find something in the deep sea, even just a low-grade clam, they could sell it for several low-grade Spirit Stone.
Encouraged by their companions and emboldened by the excellent weather, the Zhang Household father and son finally gave in. They steered their small boat behind a fleet of dozens of boats, rowing all the way into the deep sea.
The fact that the first ten days or so of the trip had gone safely made everyone a little complacent.
Zhang Ping'an found a good spot and cast his net, hoping to haul in his catch so he could go home and buy medicine for his sister. But little did he know who had angered the sea Demon Beast. The Demon Beast suddenly erupted in fury, creating a giant wave that capsized the entire fleet.
Now the ship is gone, and everything on board is gone too.
The most precious net has now drifted away to who knows where; the Zhang Household father and son lost everything they had in one night.
"It's all my fault, it's all my fault..." Zhang's father murmured, his eyes reddening.
Zhang Ping'an looked up and couldn't even tell whether the water on his father's face was seawater or tears.
"It's alright, Dad." Zhang Ping'an also wanted to cry, but he held back. "As long as we're alive, there's hope. When we get back, I'll apply for a job at the shipyard. Didn't Steward Qian from Subdue the Sea Shipyard say he really admired me? He'll definitely let me go. If I work hard and do it for a few more years, I'm sure I can buy another new ship!"
Zhang Ping'an's words were full of expectations for the future, but Zhang's father was not stupid. Apart from laborers and weapon refiners, those who went to work at the shipyard were all going into the deep sea to make a living.
Laborers earn little, and his son doesn't know how to forge weapons. His only option is to follow the fleet into the deep sea.
He had already witnessed the dangers of the deep sea today; they had been at risk of capsizing just by passing through the territory of sea Demon Beast. And the shipyard was supposed to actively hunt these Demon Beast —wasn't that just pushing his son to his death?
Moreover, now that they've lost their boat, they don't even know if they'll be able to get home alive.
Thinking this, Zhang's father couldn't help but murmur to himself again.
Zhang Ping'an didn't want to hear any of this. He turned his head away, trying to find passing ships and beg them for help.
Almost all of the fleet's ships were damaged. Most of the crew survived, but some were swept away by the waves and sank to the bottom of the sea.
Zhang Ping'an shuddered, thankful that he and his father had abandoned the ship in time; otherwise, he would surely have been swept into the sea along with the ship by the huge waves.
With mixed feelings in his heart, Zhang Ping'an put these thoughts aside and soon noticed a huge and incredibly beautiful ship sailing towards them in the distance.
Zhang Ping'an could swear to God that he had never seen such a beautiful ship in his entire life!
Sang Ying and her friends discussed the situation and managed to rescue the people who had fallen into the water. There were only fifteen people in total, which their boat could easily accommodate.
They had been at sea for several days and were looking for a place to rest.
After rescuing the people, Dong Fuzhu, wanting to see things through, also helped them retrieve some items that had fallen into the sea.
Among them were fishing nets, fish baskets, and other similar items.
His actions deeply moved these people.
Besides their boat, the most valuable thing in their home was their fishing net. This net was different from the nets used by ordinary people; it not only wouldn't break, but it was even engraved with formations. Large or high-level Demon Beast avoid it, making it very easy for them to catch small, low-level Demon Beast.
Such a net could sell for a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stone in the Cloud Mulberry Realm! That's almost the entire fortune of most people present.
Having been saved, and with their own livelihood also retrieved from the water, Zhang Ping'an and the others were overwhelmed with gratitude. They immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times to Dong Fuzhu.
This was the first time Dong Fuzhu had encountered such a situation, and she was at a loss for what to do. She could only hurriedly help everyone up, saying, "Please don't be so polite, it was just a small favor for us."
"The fairy's simple act of kindness gave us a chance to live; we will never forget such a debt of gratitude!" Zhang Ping'an said excitedly.
Dong Fuzhu felt embarrassed again after hearing this.
It was at this moment that a soft hum, neither too loud nor too soft, broke the relatively harmonious atmosphere between them.
"It's just that a few people and a few items were rescued, why are you praising it so much?"
Everyone looked up and saw that the young man who was speaking was dressed in a noble manner, with several servants by his side, looking every bit like a young master from an Aristocratic Clan. At this moment, his face was full of arrogance, and even the way he looked at Dong Fuzhu and the others was somewhat disdainful.
Caught red-handed talking badly, the man showed no fear, meeting Dong Fuzhu's gaze and continuing, "Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't say anything wrong. You just rescued us; you didn't do anything remarkable. They praise you like you're a celestial being. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Although Dong Fuzhu's act of saving people was motivated by good intentions, it doesn't mean that anyone can accept her kindness and then speak rudely to her.
She immediately retorted in a bad mood, "Yes, I haven't done anything remarkable. Since you look down on my actions, why don't you get off this ship?"