TM CH35

Chapter 35 A Small Boat

After Yan Fan and Zhou Yuan returned from foraging, the atmosphere in the cave had grown subtly tense.

Yan Fan had always viewed the righteous path as a threat. Previously, he had compromised and temporarily ceased hostilities with the Fang siblings out of necessity. But things were different now. With Rong Qi’s arrival, it was as if he had found his backbone. He even pulled Captain Zhou Yuan along to pledge allegiance. Zhou Shun, as Zhou Yuan’s apprentice, followed his master’s lead and stood behind Rong Qi as well.

As for the Fang siblings… After the needle incident, they had temporarily set aside old grudges with Rong Qi, though they still did not fully trust him.

Good and evil could not coexist. The Wulin Alliance and Lihuo Palace were never on the same path.

By the time Rong Qi realized something was amiss, he found himself surrounded by Yan Fan and the others, while Gu Yunxing stayed with the Fang siblings, gazing at him from across the fire.

Beside him, Yan Fan, Zhou Yuan, and Zhou Shun were discussing methods for building a boat, but Rong Qi lacked interest and inexplicably felt a sense of weariness.

Ever since encountering the freak, they had traveled day and night, crossed the sea to reach the island, and reunited with the others. In just a few days, his time spent with Gu Yunxing felt like a distant memory.

“Is Right Protector Rong worried about Gu Yunxing, this unknown variable?” Yan Fan lowered his voice. “With him here, he’s indeed a threat.”

Rong Qi’s gaze turned icy as he fixed his eyes on Yan Fan. “It seems this venerable one has not given you permission to speak.”

Yan Fan was taken aback.

Rong Qi frowned. “Or have you been away from the palace too long and forgotten my rules?”

Yan Fan’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he hastily dropped to his knees. “Th-this subordinate is wrong!”

The three people opposite them heard the commotion and looked over in unison.

“Acting clever without permission.” Rong Qi suppressed his anger. “Get lost!”

Yan Fan immediately crawled away to a distant spot.

Rong Qi shot a glance at Zhou Yuan and Zhou Shun. “You two, get lost as well.”

They hurriedly trembled and retreated together.

Finally, there was no one else around.

However, Rong Qi’s mood did not improve, especially when he noticed that the people opposite were still looking at him. He couldn’t help but curl his lips into a sinister smile.

Fang Ruoyao jumped in surprise, shrinking behind her older brother. She whispered, “This demon is really terrifying. Why do Yan Fan and Uncle Zhou insist on following such a person?”

Fang Lian gently reassured his sister, but his own heart was filled with worry.

“Youzhi, in my understanding, this person’s methods are treacherous and his temperament is cruel. It’s absolutely impossible for us to leave the island peacefully with him. What are your plans?”

Gu Yunxing, however, unusually did not respond.

Fang Lian looked at him, a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Youzhi?”

Gu Yunxing sighed softly. “It’s too early to discuss these things. Let’s rest for now.”

The night on the west island was still bitterly cold, though the howling wind had gradually weakened as it passed through the maze of tunnels. Rong Qi sat alone by the fire, snapping branches and tossing them into the flames.

The fire flickered briefly, then quickly surged into higher flames.

In the cave, Fang Ruoyao had fallen into a deep sleep, her head resting on her brother’s arm. Fang Lian was using his internal energy to keep the cold at bay for both himself and his sister. In the corner, Yan Fan huddled together with Zhou Yuan and Zhou Shun, the three of them roughly gathered in a small group for warmth.

Before long, only the crackling sound of the burning firewood remained in the cave, and even Fang Lian eventually closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Rong Qi, however, couldn’t sleep. He stubbornly kept adding branches to the fire, determined that the light should not fade.

After a long while, Gu Yunxing walked over and sat beside Rong Qi, joining him in adding more branches to the flames.

Rong Qi looked at him in surprise.

Gu Yunxing raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Rong Qi mouthed, “Not sleeping?”

Gu Yunxing shook his head, took out the cilin from his chest, and picked up a thicker branch from the ground, quietly beginning to carve it.

Rong Qi immediately recalled all those finished products he had once thrown into the fire, each one shapeless and incredibly ugly. He silently mocked him — unable to carve even a simple flower, yet still pretending to craft something, wasting the wood in the process.

Gu Yunxing didn’t seem offended. His fingers were long and nimble, and his gaze was focused. Even if what he was carving wasn’t impressive, the way he carved was pleasing to the eye.

Rong Qi then followed his gaze, watching as the branch was stripped of its bark and then whittled into a long, rectangular shape with each stroke of the blade. He grew somewhat puzzled, then eventually fell into deep thought.

After a while, a slender wooden stick was handed to Rong Qi.

Rong Qi looked at him questioningly.

Gu Yunxing leaned closer to his ear and whispered, “Thank you, Right Protector, for sparing me from the pain of the needle torture. This ‘bone-piercing needle’ is for you, as a token of my gratitude.”

Rong Qi fell silent. He looked at the thin stick, then at Gu Yunxing, his eyes full of suspicion.

Gu Yunxing called this a bone-piercing needle?

No, was this really the same bone-piercing needle?

In that moment, Rong Qi felt an urge to demand an explanation for his own silver-ringed bone-piercing needle.

Gu Yunxing hesitated upon seeing Rong Qi’s reaction. “Does it not look like it?”

Rong Qi tugged at the corner of his mouth, silently questioning: why don’t you tell me?

Who had taught Gu Yunxing to carve like this?

“The ship… my ship… Uhh…” Zhou Yuan turned over behind them, mumbling indistinctly in his sleep.

Rong Qi was startled and quickly pulled away from Gu Yunxing. When he saw that Zhou Yuan hadn’t fully woken up, he couldn’t help but let out a quiet breath of relief. Turning to the side, he noticed that Gu Yunxing was also sitting upright, gazing ahead with an air of calm detachment.

Rong Qi raised an eyebrow, then leaned in closer to stare at him.

Gu Yunxing had no choice but to speak up. “Rong Qi.”

Rong Qi smiled. “What is Sect Master Gu feeling guilty about?”

Gu Yunxing’s eyes darkened slightly. “And why is the Right Protector Rong so eager to distance from me?”

Rong Qi fell silent, his gaze shifting to the Fang siblings who were fast asleep nearby. The meaning was unspoken but clear.

Gu Yunxing shook his head and handed the ‘bone-piercing needle’ back to Rong Qi. “Is the Right Protector truly unwilling to accept it?” He paused, then added, “What this humble Gu carved is fairly close to the mark, about seventy or eighty percent resemblance right. This can be considered a fine piece.”

Rong Qi stared at the so-called ‘fine piece,’ and fell into silence.

Gu Yunxing inadvertently turned it halfway, revealing a cloud-shaped pattern carved at the end.

After a moment, Rong Qi took the wooden stick and said, “It’s just as well, my hair tie is dirty.”

With that, he no longer showed any distaste. Right in front of Gu Yunxing, he untied his hair tie and casually used the ‘wooden stick’ to twist his hair up a few times, then inserted it diagonally. The stick was neither too large nor too small. It was far from resembling a bone-piercing needle, but as a hairpin, it fit perfectly.

Gu Yunxing: “……”

He stared at it for a while, then finally looked away.

The next morning, Rong Qi woke from his sleep, only to realize he was leaning against the stone wall. Gu Yunxing had already awoken before him and was sitting by the fire, boiling water. Speaking of which, the cave, though simple, was actually equipped with all sorts of useful items. He didn’t know who had put everything together.

The sound of bubbling came from the stone pot. Rong Qi recognized it as boiling water and said, “Gu Yunxing, pour me a bowl of water and leave it there.”

Fang Lian entered the cave, carrying a bundle of firewood, and was taken aback by what he heard.

He saw his friend indeed fetch a stone bowl, scoop out a few ladles of hot water, and place it aside to cool down.

Fang Lian couldn’t help but frown, not understanding why his friend would accommodate such an impolite request. However, he was not one to meddle, so he silently sat down and brought up the topic of shipbuilding materials.

“We’ve made some progress with the shipbuilding plans,” Fang Lian said, tidying the firewood. He then took the stone bowl and filled it with hot water for himself. “But we encountered a problem a few days ago, so the progress has been stalled. Thankfully, you’re here now. With your talent, you’ll definitely be able to come up with some solutions.”

Gu Yunxing then asked a few questions.

Rong Qi sat to the side, openly listening.

As for the shipbuilding matter, Yan Fan had already discussed it with him the night before. Since the appearance of the freak, everyone on the west island had focused on researching ways to build a ship to leave the island. The reason so many of them had left the cave yesterday was to gather materials for this purpose.

But building a ship was no easy task.

Zhou Yuan, the ship’s captain, had spent half his life with ships and was the most familiar with them among the group. In the past, if a ship was damaged, he could usually make repairs, but building a ship and sailing one were entirely different matters. He could only try his best.

After Fang Lian finished explaining a situation that was almost identical to what he already knew, Rong Qi stood up and walked over to Gu Yunxing. Ignoring Fang Lian’s complicated gaze, he took the bowl of cooled water and drank it in one gulp.

The warm water made him feel a bit more comfortable.

Rong Qi’s mood inexplicably improved. He called out, “Yan Fan.”

“This subordinate is here.” Yan Fan had also woken up. After last night’s scolding from Rong Qi, he dared not act presumptuously and quietly waited to the side.

Rong Qi raised his chin, signaling for Yan Fan to wake Zhou Yuan and Zhou Shun. Then, with a playful look, he turned to Fang Lian and said, “This venerable one is quite interested in your ship. Please continue discussing. I’ll leave first.”

With that, he motioned for Yan Fan to lead the way and called for Zhou Yuan and his disciple to follow.

Fang Lian silently picked up the hot water and took a sip. “I remember the last person who acted so arrogantly in front of you still hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries.”

Gu Yunxing remained noncommittal, as if he hadn’t heard.

Fang Lian: “……”

The shipbuilding site was located by a small river deep in the forest.

Yan Fan led the way, explaining, “By building the ship along the river, we can reach the nearest lake to the coast. It’ll make transportation easier.”

Rong Qi: “Who came up with this idea?”

Yan Fan was stunned for a moment, looking somewhat hesitant.

“Looks like it was Fang Lian,” Rong Qi said with a cold smile. “You all seem to be doing quite well following him these days.”

“Alliance Leader Fang has more ideas than we do. If it weren’t for him, we’d have been caught by the killer long ago,” Zhou Yuan, the ship’s captain, replied awkwardly. He suddenly noticed Rong Qi’s expression and quickly added, “But that was before! Now that the Right Protector is here, we’re sure you’ll come up with a better plan.”

“Is that so?” Rong Qi glanced at him with a half-smile, his eyes sharp. “It’s been a few months, yet the captain is still as eloquent as ever.”

Zhou Yuan wiped the sweat from his brow. “Not at all, not at all.”

Seeing this, Zhou Shun also chimed in to support him.

They had all witnessed the methods of the Right Protector of Lihuo Palace. Before setting sail, the three major coastal outposts had simultaneously issued a no-sail order, forcing ships to stop. Yet, this terrifying lord led his subordinates to hijack an entire ship, placing a sword at the captain’s throat, forcing him to navigate.

That day, as they set sail, the port was heavily guarded, but this demon used a small vessel to clear the way, cutting down anyone who tried to stop him. Every time they thought back on it, nightmares followed.

“Don’t worry,” Rong Qi said as he patted Zhou Yuan’s shoulder, lowering his voice. “This venerable one won’t let you die.”

After all, there wasn’t another person on this island who knew how to build ships.

Soon, they came to a stop. Rong Qi glanced around and, without wasting time searching, directly asked, “Where’s the ship?”

Zhou Shun hurriedly pointed to the area ahead, hidden by the thick foliage. “I-it’s over there.”

He swiftly walked over, raised his hand, and pulled back the cover over the ship, worried that this demon might once again intimidate his master later that night.

Rong Qi’s gaze was immediately drawn to the wooden boat.

Calling it a wooden boat was perhaps too generous. It resembled more of a small skiff. The boat’s hull was long and slender, incomplete but showing signs of a streamlined design. It was constructed from several pieces of wood, but the craftsmanship was poor, leaving many gaps between the planks. The rear of the boat had even been cut open.

It was clearly still unfinished.

Rong Qi walked over and gently ran his fingers over the hull, the excitement in his eyes difficult to conceal. Having stayed on this deserted island for so long, he had at one point prepared himself to be trapped here forever. He hadn’t expected that seeing this small boat today would reignite his hope of leaving the island!

“How much longer until it’s finished?” Rong Qi asked urgently.

The captain replied, “If things go smoothly, it can be done within ten days. But…”

Rong Qi frowned. “But what?”

The captain sighed. “The sea is rough, and this small boat might not be able to withstand the waves. We’ll need to test it first to see if it can survive.”

Rong Qi took a deep breath. No matter what, even if it ultimately failed, it was still better than waiting helplessly for rescue.