The statue's face is that of a kind and benevolent woman, with a wide skirt sculpted into cascading waves by the craftsman, as if she were stepping out of the ocean's tides.
A few tourists nearby had just bought incense and candles, and were kneeling in devout prayer with their eyes closed.
Lin Chuqiao walked to the wooden table for drawing lots on the west side of the main hall, pulled out several large-denomination bills, and stuffed them into the merit box, then accepted the most expensive top-grade incense from the white-bearded temple priest.
She was educated as an elite from a young age and although she enjoyed studying religious customs, she never believed in the protection of ghosts and gods.
But after experiencing the life-and-death crisis on Yong'an Island with the Noah Organization's blockade and witnessing Fang Cheng descending like a heavenly deity amidst a hail of bullets and saving her from death, her proud heart became completely submerged.
