Chapter 140: A Rising Tide

“Old Yu, enjoy the sea view with your wife. I won’t disturb you further.” With those words, Gu Ning’an leaped down from the reef and strolled unhurriedly toward the fishing village along the coast.

“Mr. Gu, thank you!” Old Yu called out loudly to Gu Ning’an’s retreating figure. Then, turning to the painting in his hands, he smiled and said, “My dear, so immortals really do exist in this world… and we were lucky enough to meet one!”

“Such fortune can’t be called anything but good!”

Saying this, Old Yu sat down on the ground, turning the painting back toward the sea. He couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “My dear, the immortal said that in the next life, I’ll recognize you… You must wait for me…”

A single day is fleeting, vanishing between sunrise and sunset.

In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk. Scattered “little black dots” began appearing on the sea’s surface—the fishing boats returning from the day’s work.

On one of the boats closest to shore stood a young man. His eyesight was sharp, and from afar, he spotted an elderly man sitting beside the reef on the shore.

The young man quickened his pace, rowing the boat faster. He muttered to himself, “That old man’s a new face. It’s almost high tide at sunset, and he’s still sitting by the shore. If he’s not careful, he might get swept into the water.”

About half an hour later, the young man docked his boat at the shore. He quickly set down the oars and ran toward the reef.

But when he reached the reef, he found it empty.

“That’s strange. I saw the old man sitting here before I docked. How could he have disappeared in the time it took to park the boat?”

The young man glanced at the faint “sitting marks” visible on the sand and felt a chill in his heart. He turned toward the sea. “The tide shouldn’t have risen enough to sweep someone away…”

Suddenly, the young man noticed a cluster of bright red petals floating not far from the shore.

The petals gathered densely, forming what looked like a vivid red “carpet” drifting on the water.

In the center of the petals, he could faintly make out a painting being held aloft.

Night fell completely, and one by one, the fishing boats returned to the shore in an orderly manner.

By now, the reef where Gu Ning’an and Old Yu had been earlier was almost entirely submerged by the tide.

Gu Ning’an wandered through the small fishing village, noting the abundance of dried fish of various kinds hung outside the doors of homes. The air was thick with the rich aroma of salted fish.

Unlike other towns or villages, the streets here grew quiet at night. Even the street vendors were few and far between, and those present sat silently in front of their stalls, lost in thought.

It wasn’t that the vendors weren’t motivated to sell; it was just that in this coastal area, fish were so common that every household had their own catch. Fish had become the least valuable commodity.

If someone wanted to buy fish, they’d approach the stall naturally. For those who didn’t, no amount of shouting could persuade them, so calling out was pointless.

From a fishmonger, Gu Ning’an bought a fresh grouper, weighing nearly five pounds, for just sixty wen.

This left him marveling at how cheap fish was in this coastal area.

If it were the modern times, this grouper would easily fetch close to a thousand in price!

Carrying the grouper back to the small inn where he was staying, he handed it to the inn’s staff to prepare. Then, he returned to his room to wait.

After the innkeeper finished preparing the fish, it was delivered to Gu Ning’an’s room. The preparation cost him only ten copper. Once the innkeeper left, Gu Ning’an eagerly picked up his chopsticks. He took a piece of fish from the belly, removed the bones, dipped it into the broth on the plate, and placed it in his mouth.

The grouper’s flesh was firm yet tender, rich but not greasy. Its delicate texture melted with a light press, releasing a mild sweetness and just the right balance of savory flavors that exploded across his palate.

The exquisite taste made Gu Ning’an devour the entire five-pound fish in no time at all.

Satisfied, he placed the empty plate on the low stool outside his door, stretched out on the bed, and drifted off to sleep.

Boom! Boom!

The weather along the coast was naturally unpredictable. Not long after Gu Ning’an fell asleep, the skies were suddenly filled with rolling thunder, followed by heavy rain.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Guest! A flood’s coming!”

“Hurry! Get out!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Urgent knocking on the door and the innkeeper’s shouting broke the silence.

Groggy, Gu Ning’an sat up, slipped on his shoes, and opened the door.

By then, many guests, still drowsy and poorly dressed, had rushed out of the modest inn.

Gu Ning’an descended the creaky wooden stairs to the ground floor, where the water had already begun to pool, rising to his ankles.

Outside, the rain poured in torrents, the drops falling in thick, unbroken streams. The deep rumble of thunder couldn’t drown out the shouts echoing through the streets.

The streets were chaotic. Women, drenched to the bone, carried their children through the water. Men struggled forward with elderly relatives on their backs. Others clutched their valuables as they ran frantically.

“Guest, run toward the outskirts of the village!”

“The tide surged suddenly! If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”

The innkeeper, after notifying all the guests, shouted this to Gu Ning’an before running off without looking back.

One by one, the other guests also bolted from the inn, leaving Gu Ning’an alone.

Stepping out into the storm, Gu Ning’an glanced up at the thunderclouds gathering in the sky. His brows furrowed.

“There’s a calamity brewing in those thunderclouds… Is a sea demon attempting a tribulation?”

…

The original coastline had been hundreds of meters away from the village, with earthen dikes built at the nearest points to hold back the water.

But under the onslaught of the storm, the dikes had collapsed. What was once their location was now a vast expanse of water.

The roaring winds whipped up waves, each higher than the last. At the horizon, a towering wave seemed to pierce the sky, connecting the ocean to the heavens.

It was as if the apocalypse had arrived. Just a glance at the massive wave was enough to fill anyone with despair and an overwhelming urge to flee.

On the roof of a wooden house closest to the current coastline, a one-armed figure stood tall, bracing against the howling wind and rain. His tied hair had come undone, flying wildly behind him in the storm.

Boom!

A bolt of blue lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the long blade strapped to the figure’s back.

The copper-colored scabbard was mottled with marks, and the crimson hilt gleamed like fresh blood.

Clang!

The one-armed swordsman unsheathed the heavy blade in a swift motion. The long blade, riddled with fine cracks, reflected the lightning with glimmers of silvery light.

Roar!

A thunderous roar erupted from within the massive wave, shaking the heavens and earth. Within the wave’s depths, a terrifying shadow with claws outstretched could be vaguely seen.