Ziling jumped off her shoulder, her little paws scratching at the edge of the wooden bucket, letting out a triumphant "Awoo!" as if she were asking for praise.

Rong Zhiyuan's eyes lit up as he looked at the lively octopus, crab, various fish and shellfish in the bucket: "Goodness, this octopus must weigh five or six pounds!"

Mo Bai proudly raised his chin. "I caught it."

Rong Jiaojiao nodded: "He caught it, but he doesn't know what it is?"

Mo Bai blushed and protested, "Hey, Rong Jiaojiao, you shouldn't expose someone's shortcomings!"

Everyone laughed. Shen Rui said gently, "There's a kitchen in the courtyard, and the ingredients are so fresh, why don't I cook?"

"No, no!" Rong Jiaojiao waved her hands repeatedly. "How can I let my senior cook? I'll do it!"

Rong Zhiyuan also said, "We juniors can handle these. The three of you, please have some tea first, and we'll take care of it."

Shu Lang patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go together then, it'll be more fun with more people."

Soon, the courtyard became lively.

Rong Zhiyuan skillfully handled the seafood, while Mo Bai clumsily helped from the side, occasionally getting pinched by the crabs and yelling.

Rong Jiaojiao and Chen Rui prepared the ingredients, and soon the aroma filled the small courtyard, which was shrouded in an invisible light curtain.

Zi Ling squatted at the kitchen doorway, staring longingly at the fish soup in the pot, her mouth practically watering.

Mo Zhizhou and Shu Lang sat at the stone table in the courtyard, leisurely drinking tea.

Looking at the busy young people, Mo Zhizhou sighed, "It's so good to be young."

Shu Lang smiled and nodded: "Yes, looking at them reminds me of when we were young."

A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen as Rong Jiaojiao prepared a special sauce.

Shen Rui took a bite and exclaimed in surprise, "This sauce recipe is quite unique!"

"It was created by my master!" Rong Jiaojiao said proudly. "With the addition of spiritual herbs for flavoring, it can also strengthen the body for ordinary people."

As night fell, a barbecue grill was set up in the courtyard.

The charcoal crackled, and the aroma of seafood filled the air.

Rong Zhiyuan demonstrated his superb barbecue skills, making everyone almost drool with envy.

"Dinner's ready!" Rong Jiaojiao brought out the last dish, steamed crab, and everyone sat around the stone table.

Under the lights, a table full of seafood looks incredibly appetizing.

Shu Lang raised his teacup: "Welcome to the naval base!"

"Cheers!" everyone responded in unison.

Zi Ling also had its own special seat, with a large plate of steamed fish in front of it. It ate without even lifting its head, its little tail wagging happily back and forth.

Mo Bai picked up a piece of spicy octopus, and his eyes widened as soon as he took a bite: "This is so delicious!"

“Of course!” Rong Jiaojiao said proudly, “This is my and Senior Shen’s masterpiece.”

Rong Zhiyuan picked up a piece of the fattest crab meat for his sister: "Eat more, you've gotten so thin."

"Thank you, brother. You should eat too." Rong Jiaojiao also put some food on her second brother's plate.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Rong Zhiyuan suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Jiaojiao, how many days can you stay here?"

Rong Jiaojiao said, "I plan to stay here for two days and then go home." She looked at Rong Zhiyuan expectantly, "Brother, do you have any time off?"

Rong Zhiyuan shook his head regretfully: "I'm sorry, Jiaojiao, your brother can't accompany you this time. We're going out to sea on patrol tomorrow, and it will probably be a few days before we come back."

Rong Jiaojiao shook her head: "It's okay, brother. I'm just glad to see you. I'll go to sea and catch some fish and shrimp myself tomorrow and then go back."

Mo Bai, who was listening from the side, was itching to join them. He asked, "Can we come along on the sea trip?"

Rong Zhiyuan shook his head: "No."

Just as Rong Zhiyuan was about to explain the military regulations, Shu Lang suddenly put down his teacup: "Actually... it's not entirely impossible."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

Shu Lang explained with a smile, "We are stationed here and have the responsibility to monitor any unusual situations at sea. It is possible for us to apply to go to sea under the pretext of 'assisting in special surveillance missions'."

Shen Rui nodded knowingly: "It can indeed be done. However, we need to report it to our superiors."

Mo Bai's eyes lit up as he looked at them expectantly.

Mo Zhizhou felt somewhat helpless seeing his young master like this. He always did things his own way, and if he wasn't allowed to go even once, he would probably be resentful and always thinking about it.

He knew the application process would be troublesome, so he said, "Let's skip the application. Aren't there villages nearby? We can give the villages some things and rent a fishing boat to go out to sea."

When he said he would give something, he really meant he would give some money or tickets.

Rong Zhiyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "That's a good idea. There's a fishing village three miles to the east. Old Chen in the village has a nice fishing boat. Although it's now owned by the collective, renting it shouldn't be a problem."

Shu Lang stroked his beard and nodded: "That's excellent. It avoids alerting the military and fulfills Young Master Mo's wish."

Rong Jiaojiao, however, was somewhat worried: "But can an ordinary fishing boat handle it? What if we encounter a storm..."

"Don't worry," Rong Zhiyuan smiled and ruffled his sister's hair, "Old Chen's boat may not be as big as a warship, but it's perfectly safe for navigating near the coast. Besides..." he lowered his voice, "with you cultivators here, what are we afraid of?"

With a "woof," Zi Ling jumped onto Rong Jiaojiao's shoulder, nuzzling her face with her head, and whispered, "Master, I also want to see the sea."

Mo Bai stood up impatiently: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the fishing village now!"

Rong Jiaojiao said, "They're probably already resting at this late hour."

Rong Zhiyuan said, "We have to go now, otherwise people will set sail early tomorrow and you won't be able to rent a boat."

He stood up and clapped his hands: "Let's go, I'll take you to Old Chen's house."

Rong Jiaojiao asked, "Brother, did you ask for leave? Can you leave the military camp?"

Rong Zhiyuan pulled out the leave slip and laughed, "Am I the kind of person who doesn't follow the rules?"

"All right!"

"Come on, I happen to know Old Chen. I'll take you there, and it'll be easier to talk about renting a boat."

The group said goodbye to Shu Lang and the others and left the military camp.

In the darkness, the group walked eastward along the coastline.

The moonlight spilled onto the sea, creating shimmering waves.

Ziling perched on Rong Jiaojiao's shoulder, her little nose constantly sniffing the salty smell of the sea breeze, excitedly barking "Awoo!"

The fishing village is small, with dozens of households scattered along the coast in a neat and orderly fashion.

Rong Zhiyuan led everyone to a small courtyard at the east end of the village with ease.

"Is Uncle Chen home? This is Rong Zhiyuan. I need to talk to you about something!" He knocked lightly on the wooden door.

Soon after, the lights came on inside.

Thanks to its proximity to the military camp, the villagers here had access to electricity quite early on.

A sprightly old man opened the door and beamed with joy upon seeing Rong Zhiyuan: "Oh my, it really is Comrade Rong! Coming so late, are you trying to mooch off my catch again?"

Rong Zhiyuan scratched his head sheepishly: "I'd like to rent your boat for two days."

Old Chen's gaze swept over the crowd, and when he saw that Mo Bai and Mo Zhizhou were dressed and had an extraordinary bearing, a look of confusion flashed in his eyes: "Who are these...?"