TM CH14

Chapter 14 As the Water Rises, So Does the Boat

“This humble Gu has kept the Right Protector waiting for a long time.” Gu Yunxing bent over to enter the cabin. Seeing there were no extra ‘seats,’ he sat down on the floor.

Rong Qi sneered. “I wasn’t waiting for you. But if you had taken any longer, the pheasant would’ve burned to a crisp.” As he spoke, he pointed to a blackened lump beside him. “Saved you half. No need to thank me.”

Gu Yunxing looked closely at it, then connected the dots. A trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes. “This is… roasted pheasant?”

Rong Qi’s gaze shifted away from the charred mass. “Of course!”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Rong Qi sneered. “I just left it on the fire a bit too long.” After a pause, he added, “It’s still edible on the inside.”

Gu Yunxing picked up the blackened lump, brought it closer, and poked at it a few times. A cloud of strange black flakes instantly scattered.

Gu Yunxing: “……”

Rong Qi looked annoyed. “What’s with that look, Gu Yunxing? If you won’t eat it, then starve!”

Not wanting to outright reject this rare gesture of goodwill from the demon, Gu Yunxing peeled off the outermost layer of ‘charcoal.’

Only to find it was scorched black all the way through.

Rong Qi couldn’t stand Gu Yunxing’s dawdling any longer. He snatched the roasted pheasant, tore it apart a few times, and managed to dig out a small piece from deep inside that was barely not black. He handed it over. “Eat.”

Gu Yunxing: “…Thank you.”

That strange piece of roast meat ended up ‘accidentally’ falling to the ground. With a hint of apology on his face, Gu Yunxing promised to repay Right Protector Rong’s kindness twofold the next day.

Rong Qi only sneered and didn’t lash out. After all, he had secretly done the same thing himself.

He decided to drop the ‘roasted pheasant’ matter and asked, “Gu Yunxing, how are you doing as the Tianji Sect Maer? Are you winning people’s hearts?”

Gu Yunxing: “It’s going alright.”

Rong Qi: “And how many reinforcements can your ‘alright’ bring you?”

Gu Yunxing: “Lihuo Palace has many disciples, with three outposts along the coast. I expect they’ll be quicker than my land-bound subordinates.”

Rong Qi glanced at him but said nothing. He knew better than anyone that none of those three coastal outposts belonged to him. Even securing the ship they were on had taken considerable effort.

Gu Yunxing asked, “Why the sudden interest?”

Rong Qi looked out through a hole in the cabin wall toward the endless sea in the distance and said, “No reason. Just wondering if we’re going to die of old age in this cursed place.”

Gu Yunxing smiled faintly. “The jianghu is full of endless strife. To die of old age in a peaceful place can also be considered a good ending.”

Rong Qi: “You sure know how to comfort someone.”

Gu Yunxing: “Speaking of which, this humble Gu also feels a little homesick.”

Rong Qi: “Also? I don’t have such a thing.”

Gu Yunxing: “The Right Protector was adopted by Palace Master Zou from a young age. I thought Lihuo Palace might be a place you’d feel attached to.”

Rong Qi looked at him. “Trying to pry information from me?”

Gu Yunxing was slightly surprised. “What makes you say that?”

Rong Qi naturally didn’t believe his nonsense. When he was sitting alone, he felt somewhat sentimental, and his casual question was also a subconscious hope to have a chance to leave this deserted island. But Gu Yunxing had first probed into the matter of the outposts, then asked about his connection to Lihuo Palace. After being exposed by him, he still put on a surprised look. Who was he trying to fool?

“Not surprising. Sect Master Gu is the only son of the previous sect master. You took over your mother’s position at a young age. To you, Tianji Sect must truly feel like home, right?”

Gu Yunxing shook his head helplessly. “Then what information does Right Protector Rong believe this humble Gu was attempting to pry out? What could this humble Gu possibly do now?”

Rong Qi was at a loss for words.

Gu Yunxing: “You and I are stuck here together. We can’t keep talking about wild rabbits and pheasants every day, can we?”

Rong Qi: “…One day we’ll leave this place, and when we meet again in the jianghu, we’ll be enemies.”

His words sank both of them into silence. The sound of waves crashing on the shore echoed, making the cabin feel even quieter.

Suddenly, Gu Yunxing said, “The wind is picking up.”

Rong Qi: “There’s wind every day. It’s never stopped.”

The two of them fell into silence again, listening to the wind for a while.

After an unknown amount of time, the man in front of him suddenly stood up.

Rong Qi warily looked up. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s not the wind—” Gu Yunxing’s tone was unusually serious. “Get off the ship, quickly!”

Before Rong Qi could react, his body was already moving, following Gu Yunxing toward the exit. Just then, a tremendous noise sounded, and the cabin suddenly rocked violently. Rong Qi, caught off guard, stumbled toward Gu Yunxing but quickly regained his balance.

Gu Yunxing steadied him. “The tide’s rising. The seawater’s coming in.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to rise to this point tomorrow?” Rong Qi cursed as he steadied himself. “Why now of all times? It’s getting dark!”

The two of them rushed out of the cabin, their feet splashing into the rising water.

So fast?

Rong Qi’s pupils slightly contracted. Without realizing it, the seawater had already risen to the point of submerging the instep of his foot. Looking towards the sea surface again, he saw layers upon layers of surging waves rushing towards them. Under the force of the water, the ship shook violently. The wooden racks beside the cabin had already been completely washed away, carried into the sea by the waves, disappearing without a trace.

If the tide kept rising, the ship—

They exchanged a glance, both reading the worry in each other’s eyes.

Rong Qi couldn’t swim and was deeply wary of the rising water. “What… what do we do?”

Gu Yunxing: “You’re fast on your feet. Move anything useful from the cabin out here.”

As he spoke, another wave surged, the crest of it rising to waist height.

Rong Qi: “They’re all junks. Why bother moving them? This venerable one isn’t going. You — come back quickly!”

But Gu Yunxing had already reentered the cabin. He quickly tore off the canvas, carrying a pile of things as he emerged.

In the time it took, the water had already reached their knees.

When Rong Qi saw what Gu Yunxing was carrying, he was momentarily speechless. “Gu Yunxing, are you insane? Why are you carrying planks?!”

Gu Yunxing sighed. “Can you make a roof?”

Rong Qi froze. A roof?

Seeing the confusion on his face, Gu Yunxing directly explained, “I can’t either.”

Rong Qi: “……”

Gu Yunxing: “So I took a few intact wooden planks. We can use them later.”

Rong Qi didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Once, they could both be considered knowledgeable and well-informed figures in the jianghu. As it turned out, one day they would be reduced to a state of mutual bewilderment.

Another surge of water came.

Gu Yunxing: “Hurry, move the stuff over, don’t let it get swept away.”

Rong Qi could only help take the things and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

Gu Yunxing turned to him. “What’s wrong?”

Rong Qi’s eyes widened. “I left my dagger inside.” He had taken it out earlier to cut that annoying roasted pheasant.

Gu Yunxing: “Where did you put it?”

Rong Qi replied, “The pile of stones.” Then, he suddenly realized what the man beside him was planning and quickly reached out to grab him.

“What are you doing? The ship’s about to float away! It’s just a dagger. If it’s gone, it’s gone!”

“It’s not too late. I’ll go get it.” Gu Yunxing’s tone was firm as he held onto the ship’s side and started to head back inside.

“Gu Yunxing!”

How could this cripple care so much about some random object when danger was upon them? He was practically throwing away his life!

Now that night was approaching, only a sliver of dwindling light remained on the horizon. Rong Qi could already feel his vision blurring. On top of that, he couldn’t swim, and he knew he couldn’t stay foolishly in place any longer.

“Gu Yunxing, the ship’s floating! Get out, now!”

“Splash—”

In the blink of an eye, the waves surged, and Rong Qi felt his clothes drenched, even tasting the salty seawater in his mouth.

He gritted his teeth, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. Gu Yunxing, this time, it’s you who want to throw your life away!

He immediately turned around. Clutching the things Gu Yunxing had given him, he ran toward the shore.

After running for a distance, Rong Qi turned and glanced back.

The setting sun on the horizon had completely sunk in the west, leaving only a faint glow. He squinted his eyes, but he could only vaguely see a patch of shadow swaying in the vast waves.

The tide rose higher and higher, lifting the ship. With the next surge, it was swept away, tumbling toward the sea. The shadow swayed in the waves, quickly drifting farther and faster, heading deeper into the ocean, eventually fading from Rong Qi’s sight.

The cabin… was gone.

But where was Gu Yunxing?

He tried to make out Gu Yunxing’s figure in the dark, but his night blindness made it hard to discern anything in the distance.

Rong Qi took a step forward, then paused and pulled his foot back.

He should be thinking about how to survive the coming night, not worrying about someone else’s fate. Especially not this ‘someone else,’ who was an excellent swimmer. Even if something happened, it wasn’t up to him, a land-lubber, to save him.

“What a waste that I thought you were a smart person, but you turned out to be an idiot!”

“An idiot! A complete idiot!”

It was just a worthless dagger. What was it worth to risk his life over? Even he, the rightful owner, didn’t care about it. Yet Gu Yunxing had to stick his nose into it!

He cursed toward the sea, then, as if that wasn’t enough, he kicked the water harshly, sending up a splash.