When the fishing boats came ashore, the sun was blazing overhead.
The beach was already packed with people.
There were soldiers from the Northern Garrison, as well as civilians from Wuling. Every one of them craned their necks toward the sea.
The past few months of fishing expeditions had yielded nothing. In truth, everyone knew perfectly well that Shen Jue might return empty-handed this time too. Even so, they could not help but hope.
Even if he brought back only a few fish, it would give the fishermen who depended on the sea for their livelihood some comfort.
A saying had been passed down through their families for generations: As long as there were still fish in the sea, there was still a way to survive!
Before long, Shen Jue’s boat was the first to reach shore.
Before the hull had even come to a complete stop, the winch at the stern began to creak and groan. Inch by inch, the fishing net was hauled out of the water.
The beach fell silent for a moment.
Then—
The net suddenly spilled open, and plump sea fish poured out like a flash flood, blanketing the entire stretch of beach.
The fish still glistened with seawater. Their silver scales shimmered beneath the scorching sun, and the moment they landed, they thrashed wildly. Their tails slapped against the wet sand, sending countless tiny droplets flying.
Pei Du stood at the very front of the crowd.
Staring at the sea of fish that nearly covered half the beach, he could hardly believe his eyes. “General Shen, how did you manage to catch so many fish?!”
He had expected Shen Jue to catch some fish, but the sheer quantity before him was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
Shen Jue leapt down from the bow and walked toward Pei Du.
In his usual concise manner, he said, “We entered the Divine Lady’s sacred domain by accident. The Divine Lady then sent her spirit beast, Kun, to guide us across the sea. We were able to catch so many fish today because the Divine Lady took pity on us mortals.”
The crowd erupted in astonishment.
“The Divine Lady?”
“Wuwu, the Divine Lady truly is merciful.”
“We’re saved…”
Several thousand people dropped to their knees on the beach.
The sea breeze swept across their faces, darkened by the sun. It stirred their tattered clothes, but it could not disperse the faint glimmer that had suddenly lit up in their eyes.
Pei Du, Feng Chunya, and the others knelt as well.
“Thank you, Divine Lady, for granting us these fish,” they said, before bowing heavily three times toward the horizon.
Everyone followed their example.
Only after they had finished kowtowing did Shen Jue turn to Pei Du beside him and ask, “Zirang, these fish…”
Before he could finish, Pei Du interrupted him.
“General Shen, take your men and transport the fish back to camp first. We’ll discuss the rest later.”
He had thought things through more carefully than Shen Jue.
The Divine Lady knew everything. How could She not know the desperate state of Wuling City? The reason She had not appeared in person, but had instead secretly helped Shen Jue and the others catch fish by sending Her spirit beast to guide them, was likely because She could not openly favor mortals.
Perhaps Fuyan had been right. In the eyes of the Goddess, all living beings mattered—not merely mortals like them.
Shen Jue glanced at the civilians from Wuling surrounding them and immediately realized that this was indeed no place to discuss such matters.
He asked no further questions.
The soldiers of the Northern Garrison worked with remarkable efficiency. Before long, all the fish piled across the beach had been packed into baskets and carried away.
Shen Jue was busy taking inventory and had no time to think about anything else.
The civilians of Wuling watched with longing.
Not until the last basket of fish had disappeared from sight did some of them seem to want to say something. Yet in the end, none dared make a sound.
These fish had been granted by the Divine Lady to the Northern Garrison. They had nothing to do with them. What could they possibly say?
Pei Du took in the civilians’ reactions. He lowered his lashes slightly, concealing the thoughts in his eyes.
Yesterday, the Northern Garrison and the Divine Lady had both distributed porridge, while the military physicians had treated the wounded among the people of Wuling. Aside from the elderly, the sick, and the disabled, most of the civilians who had ventured out of the city to search for help had regained the ability to move about.
Therefore, he could not simply give the fish away for nothing. That would only teach them to expect rewards without making any effort.
Besides, there were still countless civilians within Wuling City waiting for food to keep them alive. He would have to plan carefully, saving those people first before considering anything else.
Not far away, the fishermen also wore expressions of hesitation.
They wanted to ask about their wages, but they were all ordinary people, most of whom could not even read. The sight of Pei Du in fine robes and Feng Chunya in armor made them feel timid.
In the end, Zhu Jingzhe stepped forward.
He had been the one to organize the voyage out to sea. Now, he could only steel himself and ask about the wages on everyone’s behalf.
“Young Master Pei.”
He cupped his hands in greeting and said quietly, “Before we went out to sea, General Shen promised us wages. Does that promise still stand?”
“Of course it does. The Northern Garrison keeps its word. Once we have agreed to something, we will see it through.”
Pei Du wanted to use this opportunity to teach the people of Wuling that rewards came only after effort.
Thus, he said to the soldiers behind him, “Pay them everything they have earned.”
Zhu Jingzhe hurriedly said, “Young Master Pei, could I forgo the wages and have some fish instead?”
In this starving world, having money did not necessarily mean being able to buy food. It would be far more practical to receive fish directly.
Clearly, the others felt the same way.
“Young Master Pei, I want fish too…”
Pei Du shook his head. “It is not that I am unwilling to exchange your wages for fish. It is simply that Wuling City is filled with people who are so hungry they can barely walk. They need these fish to survive more than you do.”
“Please forgive us,” he said, bowing deeply.
Zhu Jingzhe stood frozen in place.
He had never imagined that the Northern Garrison’s expedition to catch fish had been for the sake of saving the starving people within Wuling City.
For a moment, he wanted to slap himself hard across the face. He was truly damned. Not only had he failed to help, he had even caused trouble.
“Young Master Pei, I don’t want the fish anymore.”
His voice trembled as he spoke, and his eyes had clearly reddened. “I don’t want the wages, either.”
“You must accept the wages.” Pei Du pressed the money pouch into Zhu Jingzhe’s hands. “If you trust me, then once Wuling City has stabilized, I promise you will be able to use the silver in this pouch to buy affordable grain in the city.”
Zhu Jingzhe was taken aback. “Will Wuling City truly have a day when peace is restored? Will there really be affordable grain to buy?”
“With the Divine Lady here, there will.”
The moment his words fell, the light of day suddenly dimmed, as though someone had draped a thin veil over the heavens and earth.
Everyone instinctively looked up. Then they saw a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
High above, the clouds began to churn without end. Slowly, a vast circular opening split apart in their midst.
Sunlight poured through, condensing into a pillar of radiance.
Within that pillar, a figure gradually emerged.
She stepped forth upon the light. Her moon-white sleeves fluttered through the air like clouds unfurling across the sky, while her long hair hung loose behind her.
There was no celestial music, nor did flowers rain down from the heavens.
Yet She merely stood there in silence, and all creation lost its color.
Only that single shade of moon-white remained.
“It’s the Goddess!”
Pei Du gazed up at the sky. “She has come.”
The Goddess stood suspended above the surface of the sea.
“You possessed the courage to venture into the sea in search of a way out, and you also possessed the heart to save Wuling City from its suffering. Thus, my aid was not given in vain. I helped you seize a slender chance of survival for this disaster-stricken city.”
She lowered Her eyes and surveyed the lands in every direction.
Their gaze swept over the Northern Pacification Army before settling on the people of Wuling. Every one of them looked up at Them. Their faces were gaunt, yet their eyes shone with startling brightness.
Like drowning people who had just caught sight of a piece of driftwood.
