As the morning mist began to thin and the first pale rays of dawn had yet to fully banish the shadows of night, Xu Lin quietly rose and set out alone upon the road home.
His figure flickered indistinctly in the morning fog, his stride resolute and steady as he made his way straight toward a hidden little port.
This small port was like a pearl concealed in a forgotten corner of the world. Though inconspicuous, it bore a unique mission against the backdrop of this peculiar era. Because the Great Qing Empire had closed its doors to the outside world, normal shipping traffic across the strait had been ruthlessly cut off. Consequently, small fishing boats darting back and forth across the vast seas had arisen to meet the demand, shouldering the heavy responsibility of transporting people between the two shores and becoming a secret passage for countless individuals seeking to escape to survival or pursue hope.
Chapter 124