The Battle with the Shark

In Gold Sand Village, during the village chief election festival, the open grassland was cast aglow with numerous bonfires, illuminating the village a fiery red. Above each fire roasted fish that young hunters had caught.

Villagers of all ages gathered around the fires, eating, drinking, laughing, singing, and dancing on the land that was abuzz with celebration.

On such a night, young fishermen ventured out not only to catch fish but also to snatch up a mermaid of love, while the village maidens longed for the return of their demigod fisherman.

Today's fishing hero, Lin Hao, approached Yang Shun and his wife, saying, "Uncle, Auntie, please preside over the cutting ceremony for the shark I've caught."

Yang Shun replied, "But Jing Tian hasn't returned yet."

Lin Hao said, "Uncle, we've waited an hour for Big Brother Yang. The council has decided that no matter when he returns, as long as the fish he catches is bigger than the winner's today, he will rightfully be our village chief."

Hearing this, Jin Lan's tears flowed as she asked, "But why hasn't he come back?"

Lin Hao was already feeling awkward, and seeing Jin Lan's tears made him even more anxious. He hurriedly comforted, "Auntie, don't cry. The elder brother is so strong, nothing bad should have happened to him. He's probably still out there hunting a bigger shark. Jing Tian is just like that; once he's set his mind on something, he's bound to achieve it. I guess if he hasn't found a big shark, he won't come back."

Feeling slightly reassured, Jin Lan responded, "I hope it's as you say."

Yang Shun nodded and agreed, "Alright, I will conduct the cutting ceremony for you."

As the crowd prepared to cut open the shark that Lin Hao had captured, flipping it over caused an immediate uproar.

All eyes were fixed on the great white shark Lin Hao had caught, and the surprise was evident.

"Jing Tian kill" Lin Hao read the words etched across the shark's underbelly.

On the white belly of the shark were three clear characters: "Jing Tian kill."

For a moment, everyone present was utterly confounded.

Yang Shun grabbed Lin Hao by the collar, lifting him for questioning, "Rat, what's this about?"

Lin Hao stammered, "Uncle, I swear I don't know."

Yang Shun pressed, "Did you deliberately etch these words onto it?"

Lin Hao stuttered, "No, not me."

Yang Shun, infuriated, demanded, "Then how did these characters get here?"

Lin Hao replied, "When I caught the fish, I never touched it like that, nor did I pay any attention."

Yang Shun asked, "Did you catch this fish?"

Lin Hao, pale, confessed, "I found it at sea, it was already dead."

As everyone was digesting the news, a voice shouted, "Look, there are so many sharks!"

As the villagers gazed out to sea, they were stunned by the incredible sight before them, a scene of magnitude like nothing they had ever witnessed—a once in a lifetime spectacle.

Before their eyes, hundreds, maybe thousands of sharks were floating belly-up from the heart of the ocean.

Carcasses spread across the water like mounds of hills bobbing on the surface. What could cause such ferocious creatures as the sharks to die in droves was a mystery to all.

No one had the answer.

When the villagers hauled the dead sharks ashore, they discovered that just like the one Lin Hao brought back, each shark had the same clear message etched on it: "Jing Tian kill."

This discovery finally convinced everyone of Lin Hao's words and hinted at the unimaginable events that must have occurred at sea.

Seeing this, Yang Shun and his wife knelt toward the sea, tears streaming down their faces, crying out, "My son, where are you?"

Yang Jingtian was still in the midst of the ocean, hunting sharks.

No, more accurately, he was on a shark-killing spree.

He had intended to catch just one giant shark to bring back, but unexpectedly he had encountered a swarm of them.

Yang Jingtian's adventure began when he deemed the first shark he caught too small, only a few hundred pounds. Not wanting to waste space on his boat and reluctant to release it, he used his palm strength to split the shark in two. This served a dual purpose: not only to get rid of the carcass but also to attract more sharks to him.

Sharks, being vicious and sanguine, are drawn to the scent of blood. Yang turned the captured shark into a sort of chum, which lured an overwhelming swarm to the area.

Yang had hoped to attract only a few sharks, but to his dismay, they came in throngs.

Seeing the ocean churn with tens of thousands of them and watching them tear away large chunks of flesh from their dead with razor-sharp teeth filled Yang with dread. Suddenly, he felt the boat rock—sharks were biting at its hull.

Yang drew his knife, swinging skillfully.

His formidable martial skills allowed him to dispatch the predators efficiently. With a slight slicing sound, a shark's head was punctured, and the ensuing bloodbath caused a frenzied clash among the swarm as they bit and tore at each other.

With exceptional fighting prowess, Yang remained unscathed amidst the onslaught. With each strike, another shark was left dead or wounded. Injured sharks would instantly be devoured by the others, reduced to nothing but a pile of bones.

Yang Jingtian was a martial arts master, but the small boat couldn't withstand the relentless assault of the sharks. As he watched countless predators surrounding him, it became clear that they were endless, and even with his immense strength, he knew he would eventually tire. In such dire straits, his only option was to fight with everything he had, without a moment to think of anything else.

To draw attention and possibly aid, Yang deliberately etched "Jing Tian Kill" onto each vanquished shark.

Incredibly, before half the day had passed, Yang alone had slain over a thousand sharks, yet their numbers only seemed to grow.

He felt a surge of despair but continued to fight relentlessly.

Old Master Mo had taught him that persistence leads to victory.

Yang tirelessly battled against the sharks, even as the boat he was on had been chewed apart and sank into the depths. He relied on his martial prowess to fight off the sharks in the water.

Everyone has their limits, and if not for Old Master Mo's teachings, Yang might have already become shark food.

At that moment, what Yang longed for most was the sight of a passing fishing boat. However, as day turned into night and still another day passed, no such help came. All he could see around him, except for water, were sharks.

To endure such a multitude of sharks for so long was a feat only Yang Jingtian could accomplish. As he surveyed the area, the sea had turned to a crimson field, with countless shark corpses afloat and yet more sharks relentlessly approaching.

In that moment, Yang reflected on many things.

He thought about his parents' upbringing, his joyful life with He Zhuofang, and the teachings of Old Master Mo.

He felt that if he were to die there, the people he would have failed the most would be them.

"What nonsense is this business of being village chief? Why did I do such a foolish thing?" —such a thought suddenly erupted in his mind.

For him, the most crucial thing now was survival.

Only by living could he find any reason to harbor grievances or regrets.