Side Story: Essay "The First Time I Saw the Ocean" (Please Vote for Monthly Tickets)

First Time Seeing the Sea
By Xu Chengjun

(I)

When the autumn wind of 1979 whipped the mist over the Huangpu River into fine grains of salt, I finally stood by the tidal flats of Shanghai and encountered the sea for the very first time.

It was not the frozen blue of a painting, but a living, surging expanse of giant silk. The crests of the waves rolled with shattered-gold sunlight, while their troughs harbored ink-colored shadows. Every rise and fall felt like the breathing of heaven and earth, kneading eons of time into the briny wind.

"Master Qin Shan, how are things?" Yunfan asked, sitting on a nearby stool, gripping his knees tightly with a hint of nervousness.

Su Yao felt she was entirely unsuited to ponder questions of "choice and sacrifice," as it always left her feeling unfulfilled. She had stumbled in many of her decisions, and things ought not to have turned out this way, yet the present reality filled her heart with such a sense of fullness.

The bedroom door was left ajar, so the moment she reached the threshold, her eyes fell straight upon the man inside, smoking a cigarette.

"You mustn't lie to me. If you were truly so cruel-hearted, I fear I would have already been married off to the steward's son by now," Su Liu coaxed playfully, showing just how deep the affection between mistress and maid truly was.

After Attendant Xi reported the matter to the Emperor, the outcome remained the same. Qingyan was taken into custody pending trial for poisoning and murder. Though a death sentence was not explicitly pronounced, leaving a sliver of hope, the Emperor surely understood the hidden intricacies within. Yet, the state had its laws, and a life for a life was only natural and right.

Zhao Qingran frowned. To think someone would harbor such schemes against her? Before she could utter a word, Ji Weiyan suddenly burst into laughter.

Lu Ruishan lingered for a few moments before preparing to leave. On her way out, she caught sight of Su Yao and suddenly shot her a cold, meaningful smirk.

Jiang Yuanhe was likewise consumed with worry over this matter, unable to sleep at night. He waited one day, two days, three days, yet still there was no news.

Lin Chuan and Ye Qiu wore increasingly grim expressions, while Xi Fa looked on with schadenfreude, though a glimmer of anticipation stirred within her heart as well. The elders of the Xibian clan would surely be drawn by the transformation artifact, giving her a chance to break free from her confinement.

Gu Zixi gazed steadily at祁 Xuesha, lingering over the rosy glow on her cheeks and the starlight in her eyes. Pausing for a moment, he wrapped his arms around her waist and firmly deepened the kiss.

Around the perimeter of the formation sat a series of elders and middle-aged men clad in elder vestments, each guarded by an additional elder or protector.

"My teacher was originally a master of the unorthodox path, a figure of both righteous and evil inclinations. Although he later returned to the righteous fold, he still harbored the unpassed secrets of the heterodox sword immortals. Knowing my natural talent fell short of Senior Brother Lin's, and my diligence could not match Kongkong's, I implored my teacher earnestly, begging him to impart the heterodox shortcut method to me."

Far in the distance, Jiang Zaiyuan watched in astonishment, exclaiming in his heart that Gui Lin surely could not have fallen just like that, and that all his previous instincts must have been false—for in Jiang Zaiyuan's mind, Gui Lin was never one to be defeated so easily.

He was merely at the initial stage of the True Realm, inferior even to their former hall master, He Kaijie. If Miao Yangbi were to become hall master, his supreme cultivation might have made him acceptable, but with Jiang Zaiyuan's meager cultivation, they might as well let He Kaijie keep the position.

"Fine, I'll join now!" Youyou Yinglue nodded. Since Lin Fan had put it that way, it would be unreasonable for him to refuse any longer.

After Young Master Ye trampled past, he did not even spare them a glance, pressing forward to charge straight at the oncoming group, striking out once more.

"The critical issue is not whether it is day or night. If you lot could just trim your expenditures by ten percent, the Kindred wouldn't need to be driven half-mad over money, you hedonistic parasites!" The elder seated to the right of Vantrue finally dropped his mask of elegance and roared.

The officer fulfilled his promise, mobilizing all his connections to secretly rescue the arrested researchers and technicians. These individuals were top-tier talents in the weapons industry, having served the First Terrorist Organization for many years with unwavering loyalty.