Afternoon sunlight spills across the sandy beach.
Tana opens her sleepy eyes and finds herself leaning against a rock. She stretches lazily, then sits listening to the waves.
The lovemaking, lulled by the crash of the waves, leaves her savoring every moment and still burning with craving for more.
Is it already so late?
Where is Haifeng?
She remembers returning to Fan Village. They come to the reef beach to collect shells.
Realizing she hasn't seen anyone for a long time, she assumes he must have gone back.
She tidies herself up, smooths the sand from her clothes, and stands. She walks toward the village, the warm sand shifting beneath her bare feet.
The sea was blanketed in the golden glow of the afternoon sun.
She reaches the house, pushes open the creaky wooden door, and finds herself facing a family of three complete strangers. Their eyes widen at her sudden appearance.
"Sorry, I went to the wrong door."
She backs out, and wanders the village streets. She searches for an exit, for any familiar landmark, only to freeze. This is Haifeng’s house. Without a second thought, she pushes the door open again.
"Where is Haifeng?"
"Haifeng?" The man’s brows furrow, confusion etched on his face.
"The owner of this house."
"What are you talking about?" He steps forward, defensive. "I’ve lived here ten years. Built this place with my own hands."
"That’s impossible!" Tana’s voice rises, sharp with panic. "I stayed here last night! I left this morning, and there was a woven mat by the window, a clay pot on the stove!"
"Are you crazy?" His wife grabs his arm, eyeing Tana like she’s a threat.
"It’s true! Ask anyone! " Tana’s hands shake.
"I’ve never heard that name." The man’s voice hardens. "Ask the whole village. No one here is named Haifeng. Never has been."
The homeowner thinks she’s crazy. He shoves her out the door, slamming it shut behind her.
She goes from house to house, begging for answers, but every face is a blank. Everyone shakes their head, saying no Haifeng, no one matching his description.
How could this be!
She’s a secret agent of the Mongol Empire. She comes here after a failed mission, her pride bruised, her path uncertain, until she meets Haifeng.
She rummages through her belongings frantically.
The Northern Gyrfalcon talisman…gone!
The sheepskin scroll with the Naval Craft Schematics inside her clothes…Nothing!
Nothing is there!
Not a trace of the life she’s lived these past days!
But why? Is everything before just a dream? Such a vivid, tangible dream? Was that promise, just a lie woven by her own mind? Then who is she? Why is she here, on this strange yet familiar beach?
Wait, the dagger at her waist…
Her fingers fly to the hilt. Relief surges through her as she feels the familiar shape. It’s still there! Her Mongolian waist knife, forged by her father, its blade etched with tribal runes.
That’s right. She’s Mongolian. A secret agent. Her name is Tana. She’s not crazy!
This beach feels both familiar and alien, with the same warm sand and the same crash of waves, but something’s shifted, as if the world itself has tilted on its axis.
She moves forward one step at a time, aimless, then spins around to stare at the footprints behind her. The footprints are solid and real, as if to confirm her own existence.
She pulls the waist knife free, its edge glinting in the sunset. She presses the blade to her palm, hard.
"Ah!"
It hurt!
Her blood wells up, red and bright. It’s not a dream.
Just then, a scream tore through the air.
Chaos erupts. Shouts, cries, and the clash of metal fill the air. Blood is everywhere, and the villagers scatter in all directions.
These pirates want to kill everyone. They kill the men. They captured the women. They took everything they could carry. They set fire to everything else.
"There's a woman here!"
The pirates see Tana.
"Look at this! High-quality goods!"
Several pirates surround her.
"We're lucky this time!"
"Weren't you complaining about that poor village?"
"Stop talking, just take her!"
Tana is a secret agent, and she insn't weak. Her waist knife is shorter, but the henchmen are utterly outmatched and soon bear the wounds.
" She's quite impressive! "
"Just three of you want to rob someone? Go away!"
Tana wants to vent her anger. Then a rock hits her head from nowhere. Everything goes dark.
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Dazed and disoriented, Tana feels a dull, throbbing ache in her head. She blinks awake to find herself on a ship’s deck, encircled by the endless sea. Her hands are bound behind her, fastened to the mast.
"She's awake."
"Boss, this woman is good, right?"
"Hmm, not bad. You have good taste."
"What about the reward..."
The ship's captain threws a bag of money on the deck. The young crew member picks it up and leaves quickly. He shows off as he leaves.
The captain reaches out. He lifts Tana's chin.
Tana spits in his face. "I'll kill you."
The captain laughs loudly: "Great, I like it! Bring her to my room!"
"No, no! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I promise!"
"Yeah, they always say that."
The pirates were ready to enjoy their spoils, their greedy grunts and the women's wails filling the air, only to be frozen mid-move by a conch melody, low and mournful, curling up from the waves.
The sad melody fills the air. It lingers in their ears. It feels like it wanted their souls.
"It's that conch shell melody..."
When people hear that melody, they know "Black Feather" has come.
Bending Knife unsheathed: ten steps, certain death.
This legend sears deep dread into the pirates' very souls.
The melody stops suddenly. Everything becomes completely silent.
Everyone holds their breath. The air feels very heavy.
Suddenly, a figure bursts out of the water, arcing like a dolphin before alighting softly on the deck.
"Here he comes!"
His messy, shoulder-length hair makes him look older than he is. Feather-shaped black scars and patches of barnacles cover his skin, creating an unsettling sight. A rainbow-colored conch shell draped at his waist still hums with a faint resonance.
Everyone hesitates. They are afraid to move.
Black Feather extends his hands, and draws two Bending Knives. The pirates are terrified.
"Bending Knife unsheathed... ten steps…death is certain..."
"No, it's impossible!"
"I don't believe it!"
"One step—two steps—three steps—"
"Stop counting!"
Black Feather sprints forward!
"FourFiveSixSeven—"
"You're joking!"
"Nine steps—"
He is about to take the tenth step when a surprise arrow shoots from behind the crowd. At that moment, jumping into the air, he flies over the crowd’s heads, swings his arms mid-air, and lands steadily on the deck.
"The tenth step!"
Yet nothing happened!
"Liar!"
Just as everyone dismisses the legend as false, the archer’s head tumbles to the ground, with a single black feather drifting down in its wake.
“no…”
"Monster! monster!"
"Kill him! kill him!"
The pirates fall into chaos. Black Feather kills them without mercy. His rule is simple: Anyone who dares to fight him will be left with no place to bury their remains.
Soon, the scene is total chaos.
The pirate leader drops to his knees, hands clasped, pleading for his life. But Black Feather dispatches him without hesitation.
He bathes in the warm sunlight. His messy, wet hair shines.
Black Feather walks to Tana. With a flash of his Bending Knife, he cuts the ropes binding her, then moves on to free the other captives.
As the clouds blanket the sun and the light fades to dimness, Tana finally catches a glimpse of his profile. She freezes. The face that looks weathered is covered in barnacles. They are on his face, his arms, his body.
"You saved me. What should I call you?"
The man is silent for a moment. He says, "Hei Yu."
"...Hei Yu?"
"You can be like everyone else." His voice is hoarse and deep.
Like everyone else? Call him Black Feather?
This assassin gives a warm feeling. His hoarse, deep voice sounds gentle.
After taking the captive ashore, Hei Yu makes ready to sail.
"Where are you going?" Tana asked urgently.
Hei Yu glances at her. He replies coldly, "To kill pirates."
His gaze seems to avoid hers. It seemed he wanted to say something but can't.
"Take me with you."
Hei Yu doesn’t answer.
Tana follows him onto the deck. "I have nowhere to go."
Hei Yu still doesn't answer. He turns the winch to raise the anchor.
Tana feels utterly lost, unable to trust her memories or see a path forward.
The ship moves fast across the sea. Schools of flying fish sometimes jump past.
At the bow, Tana stands with the wind in her face. Now, her original purpose fading, as if this whole journey were a dream.
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They reach a remote island, a fishing village named HeiRock Village. Hei Yu has come here to find someone: a teenager named Buji.
Buji sees Hei Yu and runs. But he is no match for the assassin. Hei Yu catches him quickly.
"Let me go! I don't owe you anything!"
"Tell me where Chen Mingfu is."
"Will you let me go if I tell you?"
"I have no reason to kill you."
Hei Yu releases Buji.
Buji says, "He went southeast."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
Hei Yu senses something wrong. He decides to chase immediately.
Before leaving, he gives a threat, "Buji, if you become a pirate, I'll kill you next time."
Buji nodded.
On the way, Tana asks curiously, "Who is Chen Mingfu?"
Hei Yu replies coldly, "A pirate leader. I'll kill him."
Why is Hei Yu so obsessed with killing pirates?
What are the pirates doing in that empty sea?
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Not a soul stirs here, but only an endless, choking fog that never lifts, swallowing the sun entirely. It’s a place normal people dare not approach.
"Which direction should we go?"
Hei Yu doesn't answer.
"How do we get out?"
He still doesn't answer.
The silence continues.
The air is hot and stifling. Everything is confusing.
A voice comes from behind, "Stranger, where are you going?"
The voice sounds kind. It feels familiar.
Tana turns around and jumps in surprise. It's the face of a sea dragon, bigger than their ship. She feels as if she knows it, as if she saw it in a dream before.
"Has this happened before?"
"We have never met, stranger."
"But I know you are the Sea Goddess."
"All sailors know that."
"We're lost."
"What are you looking for?"
Tana stands confused for a long time. Then she says: "I want to know why I'm here."
"I see."
With only a soft reply, the Sea Goddess falls silent, her form fading into the depths as she sinks beneath the waves.
Throughout it all, Hei Yu does not speak a word, and his gaze never leaves the Sea Goddess's eyes.
In sailors' beliefs, the Sea Goddess is the sea's guardian. She guides those who were lost. As the legend says, the thick fog soon fades. A small island appears ahead.
"Someone is already here." Hei Yu says.
A ship is stuck on the beach. The tide has gone out.
They follow footprints in the sand, circle most of the island, and find their target.
"Welcome," the man turns around slowly. His gaze is sharp, as if he’s been waiting for this moment.
"Chen Mingfu, I am here to honor my promise to you… by ending you." Hei Yu's voice is cold as ice.
Chen Mingfu laughs heartily: " Well, you even brought reinforcements for me?"
What? Reinforcements? Me? Tana is confused.
Chen Mingfu speaks to her, "We meet again."
Tana asks: "Do you know me?"
Chen Mingfu grins: "Who doesn't know you? The most powerful pirate chief in the South Sea, Mrs. Ta."
Mrs. Ta?
A pirate?
That is impossible!
"Nonsense! I'm not a pirate!"
"Say hello to Haifeng for me."
"Haifeng? You know Haifeng?"
So he is real!
"Where is he?"
"You're too late."
"Tell me where he is?"
"Worry about yourself."
Tana does not notice Hei Yu's gaze has changed.
"You lied to me."
" No, I didn't."
"You're the leader of the Pirate Alliance."
"I'm not..."
Hei Yu ignores her explanation and draws his two Bending Knives.
At this very moment, Chen Mingfu also draws his Cutlass, he charges at Hei Yu.
A chaotic fight begins.
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The sound of blades hitting metal hurts the ears. The noise confuses Tana's thoughts more.
"Tell me, where is Haifeng?"
The two men clash, ignoring her confusion. Her anger flaring, she snatches her waist knife and leaps into the fray, weaving between them as she presses Chen Mingfu relentlessly for answers.
"Tell me the truth!"
"The truth is you are the pirate leader."
"Impossible!"
"Don't you remember?"
“Remember what?”
"Ten years ago."
"What happened ten years ago?"
"Ask yourself."
"I was only seven years old ten years ago. What could happen?"
"Do you think you're only seventeen now?"
"What?"
"Look at your face!"
She is shocked.
Is she really an old woman? No, no, no! That is impossible! Those pirates tried to take advantage of her earlier.
At this moment, Hei Yu’s Bending Knife has already pointed at her. “How about I kill you first.”
“No! He's lying!”
“No, you are lying.”
A man's shout cut through the air: " Stop his Death Stride!"
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