The next day, as they prepared to leave, a group of monkeys blocked their path.
The creatures seemed endlessly curious, playing with the small boat Chang'an hadn’t yet put away.
Some monkeys rode on the backs of two wolves, combing through their fur—likely picking off fleas.
Others leaped and danced around Chang'an and Old Gu Six, their expressions unmistakably joyful.
Chang'an pulled a bunch of bananas from her spatial storage and offered them. A little monkey circling her scratched its head, eyed the fruit, then suddenly sprang away, vanishing into the distance.
Chang'an was baffled. Had monkeys changed their diet now?
She handed the bananas to a larger monkey instead, which peeled them one by one and distributed the pieces—even giving one each to Old Gu Six and Chang'an, displaying more courtesy than some humans would.
Chang'an ruffled the head of a nearby baby monkey, then called out to the two wolves lounging on a distant rock.
"Little Yin, Big White, time to go."
She stowed the boat back into her spatial storage. The monkeys, startled by its sudden disappearance, fluffed up their fur in alarm.
As the fishing boat slowly drifted from shore, the little monkey that had dashed off earlier returned, clutching two unripe bananas.
Finding the spot empty and the boat already departing, it shrieked frantically on the sand.
An elder monkey, seeing this, snatched the discarded bananas, sprinted, and leaped onto the boat. It placed the fruit on the deck before jumping back to shore.
Neither Chang'an, Old Gu Six, nor the wolves were at the bow to witness this.
As they sailed away, the white whale brothers surfaced, swimming alongside the boat and occasionally breaching to greet Chang'an.
"Sweetheart, should we head back?" Old Gu Six asked.
Chang'an thought for a moment. "Let’s return and store the harvest in the spatial storage first. We might not make it back in time for autumn otherwise."
"Do you even know which direction to go?"
Chang'an: "..."
"Old Master! Old Master! Get out here and navigate for us!"
[Coming, coming! You two are truly my blessing. If you’ve got no sense of direction, can’t you just stop wandering around?]
[Turn the boat 45 degrees—that’s north. Keep this course steady, and you’ll be home in five or six days.]
After relaying Old Master’s instructions to Old Gu Six, father and daughter adjusted their course and relaxed.
Chang'an leaned over the boat’s edge, teasing the white whale brothers. The two wolves joined in but ended up drenched when the whales splashed them.
Meanwhile, Old Gu Six rummaged through the boat, likely searching for fishing gear.
Then, disaster struck unexpectedly. As Little Yin shook off the water, it accidentally kicked Chang'an straight into the sea.
With a loud splash, she plunged headfirst into the waves.
Another splash followed—Old Gu Six diving in after her.
The stunned white whale brother swiftly swam over, lifting Chang'an onto its back. Old Gu Six, relieved, swam toward them, intending to carry her back to the boat.
But the whale suddenly surged forward, nearly flinging Chang'an off.
She dared not scream—one gasp would fill her lungs with seawater.
Running out of breath, she patted the whale’s back, signaling to surface, but it didn’t understand.
Old Gu Six watched helplessly as his daughter vanished into the distance. His fury seemed to churn the very ocean around him.
Just as Chang'an teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, the whale finally grasped her meaning and breached the surface.
Gasping for air, she scanned the horizon.
Great. An endless expanse of ocean, and she was utterly alone. Where was her ridiculously large father?
This was bad. Losing anyone else would’ve been fine, but not her walking karma bank.
"Old Master! Old Master! My dad’s gone! Get out here now!"
[What? How’d he disappear this time? Sixth time already!]
"This fish won’t listen to me! Make it take me back to him!"
[No. I give up. I’m done.]
"Why are you mad? I just got carried off by a fish! Tell it to take me back!"
[Wait—what?] Old Master checked the situation. Oh. A misunderstanding. Nearly gave him a heart attack.
Wait—hold up. Since when did Old Gu Six find Purple Extreme?!
The moment Old Master spoke, an enormous violet dragon, large enough to blot out the sky, materialized above Chang'an.
Suddenly, the world darkened. Storm clouds gathered, lightning split the air, and thunder roared.
Chang'an thought she saw the sky itself crack open—seawater churned violently, surging upward. The white whale beneath her might as well have turned into a lifeless prop.
She felt it: this world was on the verge of collapse.
Eyes wide, Chang'an stared in disbelief. Was this the end? Or was she about to respawn?
Old Master hadn’t left. A faint silhouette appeared at the edge of the fractured sky.
"Purple Extreme!" he bellowed. "This world cannot withstand your power. How dare you manifest in your true form? Leave with me at once!"
A majestic, thunderous voice exploded in Chang'an's ears, leaving her momentarily dizzy and disoriented, as if the entire world had fallen silent.
Purple Extreme knew it had messed up. It had been forcibly awakened by Old Gu Six, and now, seeing him on the verge of another dark episode, it panicked and dragged him straight to Chang'an.
In its haste, it nearly shattered the world again with excessive force.
Without hesitation, it dropped Old Gu Six and transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the sky alongside a fading silhouette.
The heavens calmed, the mountains and rivers stood unharmed, and the day returned to serene tranquility.
Thud! Old Gu Six plummeted from the sky into the sea, sending a massive splash soaring into the air.
"Ah! My dear old man!"
What was that dragon thinking? She was in the water—why did it take Old Gu Six up into the sky? Dropping him from such a height could kill him!
Holy moly, they almost all got wiped out in one go.
"Hurry, Big White! Go find my dad!"
Once the world settled, Big White the whale regained its senses, though it seemed to be trembling slightly.
This time, it understood. Swiftly, it carried Chang'an to where Old Gu Six had fallen.
Chang'an hauled her unconscious father onto the whale's back, then gave it a couple of pats. Obediently, Big White surfaced with both of them in tow.
After that sudden upheaval, who knew if their boat was still where they left it?
"Big White, take us to the ship."
It took a great deal of effort—nearly the entire morning—before the whale finally located the vessel. With its help, Chang'an mustered every ounce of strength she had to drag Old Gu Six aboard.
Seriously, how could he stay unconscious for so long? Did he get turned into a vegetable from the fall?
And what was up with the two wolves on the ship? Were they asleep or dead?
Chang'an checked their breathing and, relieved to find them alive, collapsed onto the deck in exhaustion.
Worried Old Gu Six might have swallowed seawater, she scrambled up again to perform CPR. But no matter how long she pressed, there was no response.
Terrified, Chang'an burst into loud sobs. "Don't you dare die on me! I don’t wanna be stuck changing your diapers!"
"Relax, I can use the outhouse myself. No need for you to carry my chamber pot."
