Shirley Yang sighed upon hearing this, "The reason dukes and nobles crave this item endlessly is precisely because rarity commands value; the rarer and more precious it is, the more it serves to underscore their status, standing, and wealth. Little do they know, the Egg People of the South Sea trade their very lives for these treasures. How can one wear ornaments bought with countless lives without fearing entanglement with vengeful spirits?"

Uncle Ming said, "What's so strange about that? The Emperor himself possesses such privilege. All under heaven is the Emperor's land. Ten thousand refine the elixir, one ascends to godhood. Otherwise, why would so many desire to be Emperor? Even those unlucky souls often comfort themselves with the saying, 'The Emperor's throne rotates, and the fortunes shift yearly.' It just goes to show that power and profit are what every common mortal dreams of."

I thought to myself that whenever Uncle Ming beat around the bush, he must be aiming for something. He'd talked at length about the origins of the Egg People's egg-harvesting trade, but I couldn't discern his underlying meaning. The dragon holds many meanings in ancient times; besides symbolizing the Son of Heaven, in the eyes of Feng Shui masters, it represents mountain ranges, and at sea, it takes on yet another significance. Could the Dan people of the pre-Qin era be a lineage of the sea dragon clan? So, I turned to Uncle Ming and Shirley Yang and asked, "Why does the phenomenon of one person exploiting another exist in society? The reasons can be referenced in Rousseau's Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men; those are questions for philosophers and sociologists to ponder. Let's stick to the matter of the Dan people. Gu Cai’s body, covered in those tattoos, is certainly extraordinary. Could he actually be a surviving descendant of the sea-faring Dan people?"

Uncle Ming replied that this was precisely what he suspected. Although many Egg People still make a living collecting eggs on the islands now—besides fishing and collecting eggs, they also engage in salvaging 'green heads' [valuable wrecks]. Due to their extensive underwater experience, they can conduct salvage operations with only rudimentary equipment, often leading to them being hired by salvage crews. However, the true Dan people of antiquity have been virtually extinct for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Even if remnants exist, they would be as rare as morning stars. But according to what Ruan Hei said before he died, Gu Cai’s embroidery of fish, dragons, and sea beasts was all received from his biological parents. He has naturally fish-like eyes and extraordinary affinity for water, qualities no ordinary fisherman or Egg Person possesses. Just look at the swiftness and ferocity of his diving to rescue someone just now—surely not something an ordinary person could manage? That’s why I dare assert he is a descendant of the Dan people.

According to ancient legends, the earliest Dan people, existing since the Qin and Han dynasties, lived wild on the seas, relying entirely on battling the wind and waves for survival. Both men and women were adept at collecting eggs. Among them, those who excelled beyond the common run, who stood out from the rest, were entirely embroidered with the "Sea-Penetrating Array" on their bodies. These men were called 'Dragon Households' (Long Hu), and the women 'Otter Families' (Ta Jia); both were considered descendants of Dragon Kings and Fishing Lords. Gu Cai is very likely one of the 'Dragon Households' among the Dan people.

Uncle Ming has drifted at sea for half his life, yet apart from Gu Cai, he has never seen another 'Dragon Household' in the world. The tattooed embroidery on Gu Cai's fish eyes is like an ancient curse of the Dan people. Perhaps during the tattooing process, some secret medicine was also introduced beneath the skin, thus allowing him to dive through the waves as if walking on level ground and safeguarding him from sea monsters underwater. However, Gu Cai's parents passed away early, meaning this 'Sea-Penetrating Array' embroidery pattern, handed down for thousands of years, along with the secret medicinal needling techniques the Dan people refused to share, are now completely lost. Gu Cai is probably the last 'Dragon Household' in the world.

The specialties of the 'Dragon Households' and 'Otter Families' among the Dan people were feats as perilous as observing water colors to locate a dragon's lair, or entering a dragon's den to seize its jaw. The terms 'Dragon Lair' and 'Dragon Dwelling' are euphemisms for ancient clams housing the precious Hè Pearl. Observing the water to locate the lair and seizing the pearl, plunging into the water to carve open the clam and slay the dragon—these are innate abilities of the Dragon Households. Uncle Ming believes that the turbulent water currents in the Guixu area are numerous, and the seabed likely holds even more complex water eyes and springs. Blindly navigating them would surely lead to death in the pursuit. If they have the aid of the Dragon Household, Gu Cai, everyone gains more confidence whether advancing or retreating here.

I didn't agree with Uncle Ming. Even if Gu Cai is truly a 'Dragon Household' descendant of the Dan people, with extraordinary innate talent, he is only sixteen years old. We couldn't ask him to take unnecessary risks, nor could we pin all our hopes on him alone. Furthermore, what Uncle Ming implied was that in the future, he wanted to take Ah Ling and Ah Cai under his wing. Since their master is gone, Uncle Ming hoped to look after these orphans and perhaps guide them in future 'green head' salvaging operations. Shirley Yang and I could never agree to that. Duo Ling’s biological father was an officer in the French army; after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the French forces withdrew hastily from Vietnam, and her entire family was scattered. If Shirley Yang were to help find Duo Ling’s relatives in France, that wouldn't be difficult. Gu Cai could also go with his senior apprentice sister to France for a stable life. Why should he follow the old rogue Uncle Ming into constant danger salvaging 'green heads' at sea?

We conferred for a while but ultimately did not agree to Uncle Ming’s request. Seeing that Fatty had already wrapped Ruan Hei’s corpse in oilcloth, everyone prepared to use the dinghy to head towards the ruins of the ancient city of Guixu while the sharks were still preoccupied with the Sword-Backed Whale-Salamander. But at this moment, the seawater in Guixu stabilized; the water level stopped receding, revealing an immeasurable number of wreckages and sunken ships on the surface. Wreckage from vessels of all eras piled up in the water—from long-masted galleons to steam-powered ships. Anything that met disaster and sank on the eastern side of the Coral Spiral Sea area was, without exception, sucked into Guixu by the sea eye, coming to rest here.

Looking all around, it was like entering a cemetery of shipwrecks. In the depths below, who knows how many hull remnants and ruins of the Kingdom of Heaven-Defying still lay piled up. After the water level dropped, next to the Triton, a sea willow boat stranded on a massive rock, the bow of a white cruise ship suddenly emerged. It seemed to have sunk not long ago, not as heavily corroded as the other wrecks. The white hull was strikingly visible against the black-green seawater. As we boarded the dinghy, everyone noticed the exposed bow of this sunken ship. It looked strangely familiar; it might very well be the Marie Celeste, the main target of our search.

The discovery of the shipwreck containing the Qin King’s Bone-Reflecting Mirror made everyone pause their current actions. To salvage the Qin King’s Bone-Reflecting Mirror, this 'great green head,' might be our only chance now. However, our immediate situation was precarious; we might not be able to protect ourselves. The sea eye could begin sucking in seawater or igniting underworld fire again. The underwater terrain was complex, riddled with hidden currents, and sharks were lurking. Diving into the wreck posed an enormous risk.

I inwardly assessed the situation and felt it was worth the gamble. Man proposes, God disposes. 'Guixu' is sustained entirely by the sea-qi condensed from the burning of underworld fire. Seeing the abnormal conditions of the Coral Spiral Sea, I suspected that the remaining dragon-qi line in the sea of the Southern Dragon was nearing its end, and this place would soon be swallowed by surging seawater. Once the wrecks were crushed beneath rock layers at the bottom of the sea, there would be no chance of seeing daylight again. If we hesitated now, we would surely regret it later. Realizing this, I gritted my teeth; no matter how great the difficulty, we had to overcome it with all our might. One word: 'Salvage.'

There was no time to waste. Facing this sudden development, I quickly assigned tasks to everyone. I felt that Uncle Ming had always harbored dissatisfaction with the egg-collecting enterprise, attempting to disrupt the Egg People's grand strategic deployment; therefore, he had to come down into the water with me. Wherever I went, I would take him.

Upon hearing he had to risk diving again, Uncle Ming nearly dropped to his knees begging for mercy. This old rogue was truly cunning to the extreme. Knowing that pleading with me or Fatty was useless, he went to plead with Shirley Yang, asking to stay behind to guard Ruan Hei’s corpse and the 'green head' goods, ensuring everything remained safe. 'With an old man at home, you have a treasure.' The salvage team could do without anyone, but they absolutely could not do without him, this old captain. The salvage team could not be without a maritime consultant who was old enough and experienced enough. Since he was a consultant, an expert, he shouldn't join the action team but must remain in a safe area to provide technical intelligence support and help formulate tactical plans for the action team.

Shirley Yang, soft-hearted, took pity on Uncle Ming’s pitiful appearance and said to me, "Forget it, Old Hu. Uncle Ming is quite old. Let him stay here to look after Duo Ling and the others. Diving here is extremely dangerous. What you need most is a Navy reconnaissance expert; I'll go with you."

I had no choice but to agree. It would still be our group of grave robbers acting together; coordination and mutual support were practiced. No matter how complex the underwater situation became, we could handle it. At worst, we could retreat and figure out another way. Once the decision was made, Fatty and I went to fetch the equipment, preparing to dive and salvage the Qin King’s Bone-Reflecting Mirror.

As we were busy gathering our gear, Gu Cai suddenly stepped forward, borrowing the Dragon Arc short blade used for scraping clams from Uncle Ming. He said that besides collecting eggs, the Egg People were also salvaging 'green heads' underwater. Although he was a novice, Ruan Hei was dead, and he didn't want everyone treating him like a useless young boy. He hoped to replace his master and contribute something to the salvage team so that his master’s spirit in heaven could rest in peace.

I looked at the peculiar "Sea-Penetrating Array" embroidery covering his sturdy back. I knew his water skills were superb, capable of wrestling with the tusks of flood dragons. When it came to these underwater endeavors, even Fatty and I were no match for him. Since he had the courage and willingness to help, he would be an excellent asset to us. I immediately agreed, but warned him not to act on his own; his advances and retreats underwater would be commanded by the Navy reconnaissance expert, Shirley Yang.

Just as the four of us, wearing our dive masks, were about to enter the water, Shirley Yang suddenly remembered something. Before diving, she had to issue one final warning: if they truly found the "Qin King’s Bone-Reflecting Mirror" aboard the Marie Celeste, under no circumstances should they face the mirror toward a person's face. Otherwise, the yin shadows within the mirror would invade the person, resulting in death or severe injury—it was highly likely that an evil entity was sealed within the bronze mirror.