TM CH37

Chapter 37 Thunderstorm

Under the flickering firelight, Rong Qi’s ears turned slightly red, but his voice remained calm. “Gu Yunxing, if all goes well, we may be able to go back soon.”

Once they reentered the jianghu, each would return to their destined place.

Even though he and Gu Yunxing had spent days relying on each other for survival, it could not compare to the long road of the jianghu. They had gone together, but they must return separately.

The two were silent for a long time.

After a long while, Gu Yunxing finished grinding the herbs and gathered them in his palm. Red juice seeped through the lines of his palm and dripped between his fingers. He then asked Rong Qi to unfasten his clothes and reveal the wound on his shoulder.

Rong Qi: “……”

He hadn’t expected Gu Yunxing to spend so much time preparing medicine for him. He said with a complicated look, “The wound has already scabbed over. It doesn’t need hemostatic herbs.”

Gu Yunxing: “It will reduce swelling and ease the pain. It will help you heal faster.”

Rong Qi looked at the strange-looking poultice of herbs and followed his instructions with some doubt.

The skin on his shoulder had already scabbed over, but the area around the wound was unnaturally red and swollen, making it look quite alarming at first glance.

Gu Yunxing’s gaze darkened slightly. Without saying much, he carefully pressed the herbs onto the wound.

“Hiss—” Rong Qi furrowed his brow, feeling as though half of his shoulder was covered in the unknown red liquid. He couldn’t help but show a hint of disgust.

The herbs were applied to his shoulder wound, and before long, wisps of coolness seeped into his skin, carrying a slight itchiness.

Noticing the change, Rong Qi’s eyes lit up. It felt similar to the hemostatic medicines he had used before.

“Sect Master Gu is truly knowledgeable, even recognizing medicinal herbs,” he sincerely exclaimed.

Gu Yunxing then smeared the remaining bit of herbal residue on Rong Qi’s injured right hand.

The palm of Rong Qi’s right hand was also stained with the liquid. The more he looked at it, the more nauseous he felt. “It looks like my hands are covered in blood.”

Gu Yunxing reassured him, “Once the liquid coagulates, it should get better.”

The next day, everyone woke up from their sleep one after another.

The cave was eerily quiet, with no one speaking.

Rong Qi frowned and glanced at Yan Fan and the others. Immediately, all three heads lowered in unison. Then he looked at the Fang siblings. Fang Ruoyao was so sleepy she couldn’t keep her eyes open and was dozing off while leaning on her older brother. Fang Lian was startled when their eyes met and gave a slight nod as a greeting.

Rong Qi: “……”

He had no time to guess what was on their minds, but it was clear that each of them seemed a bit odd.

Seeing him wake up, Gu Yunxing ladled a bowl of water. “Would Right Protector Rong like some water?”

Rong Qi nodded and got up to walk over.

Suddenly, he felt that Gu Yunxing was still the more normal one.

He wasn’t sure when Gu Yunxing had gotten up to boil the water, but it had cooled a bit by now.

The warm water went down smoothly, driving away the chill from the night.

Rong Qi had hardly eaten anything the previous night, and now he was a little hungry. He planned to head into the forest later to hunt a wild rabbit to tide him over.

Before leaving, he remembered something. From a distance, he asked Yan Fan where wild rabbits were most commonly found.

Yan Fan hurriedly offered to run the errand for him.

It wasn’t until Rong Qi impatiently told him to stop wasting time that Yan Fan finally gave him a few locations.

“Alright, this venerable one will go check near the three crooked trees across the river.”

After saying this, Rong Qi swaggered out of the cave.

Fang Lian watched as Rong Qi walked off, muttering, “The Right Protector of Liuhuo Palace is really temperamental.”

Gu Yunxing: “Really?”

Fang Lian was momentarily caught off guard. After a while, he whispered, “What’s going on between you and that demon?”

The smile on Gu Yunxing’s face faded slightly, and he glanced at Fang Lian indifferently. “What makes you say that?”

Fang Lian: “Last night, I was half asleep, but I vaguely saw the two of you leave together. You didn’t come back for quite a while.”

Gu Yunxing’s expression shifted slightly, and he looked at Fang Lian thoughtfully. He had never intended to hide his relationship with Rong Qi, so it didn’t matter if someone noticed.

He was about to speak when Fang Lian continued, “Did you go off to duel with that demon?”

Gu Yunxing froze for a moment. “…What?”

“You don’t have to hide it from me. The bloodstains on that demon’s shoulder were seeping out, so it seems his injury wasn’t light.” Fang Lian sighed. “But he could still act like nothing happened while staying in the same place with you. Such a temperament is truly terrifying and troublesome.”

Gu Yunxing: “…Bloodstains?”

Fang Lian pointed towards him.

Gu Yunxing looked down and saw the mottled red stains covering his hands.

Gu Yunxing: “……”

“On the island, we should avoid arguing with him as much as possible.” Fang Lian looked at him disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t have provoked him yesterday.”

With a venomous snake nearby, no one could predict when it would strike back. It was best to remain on guard.

Gu Yunxing remained silent for a long time. In the end, he gave his friend considerable face. “You’re right.”

No wonder everyone in the cave had been acting strangely. They must have thought he had fallen out with Rong Qi.

Gu Yunxing shook his head helplessly and then looked at the already dried hemostatic herb juice on his hands, deciding to go wash them by the river across the crooked trees.

After that day, Rong Qi no longer mentioned the matter of exploring the mountains. With both him and Gu Yunxing involved, the shipbuilding process had suddenly picked up speed.

Everyone worked together, and everything proceeded smoothly.

On the fifth day, at dusk, with a soft ‘click,’ Zhou Yuan fitted the final plank into place, and a simple boat was finally completed.

Gu Yunxing and Fang Lian worked together to drag the small boat into the nearby stream. Once it hit the water, it rocked a little before slowly settling steadily on the surface.

Yan Fan was ecstatic. “It’s done! Finally, it’s done!”

The captain couldn’t hide his excitement either. He stepped forward to inspect the boat. “This boat is even sturdier than I expected. As long as we don’t run into a storm, it shouldn’t be broken by the waves.”

For a moment, everyone’s fatigue faded. After being stranded on the island for so long, there was finally hope of leaving.

Fang Ruoyao asked, “Big brother, does this mean we can leave soon?”

Fang Lian smiled and nodded.

Fang Ruoyao beamed. “That’s great! When we get back, no one is ever taking me out to sea again!”

Fang Lian: “Now that you know how hard it is, you’d better not be so headstrong in the future.”

Fang Ruoyao pouted. “Big brother, I only did that to save you! That demon…” She suddenly remembered that the ‘demon’ was standing nearby, quickly covered her mouth, stuck out her tongue, and hid behind her brother.

Once everyone had calmed down a little, they began discussing the plan to set sail.

The island was far from the mainland, and the sea journey would be long. They needed to prepare food and water and make thorough preparations before they could truly depart.

Nearby, Rong Qi, who had been silent all along, couldn’t help but interrupt, “Everyone, why don’t you look up at the sky first?”

Unbeknownst to them, the clouds had thickened, and it was clear that a storm was approaching.

Fang Ruoyao: “It was fine just a moment ago…”

The weather on the island changed abruptly. The group quickly scrambled to pull the boat back to the shore. The captain instructed his apprentice to bring the prepared vines, securing the boat. “In this kind of weather, setting sail is absolutely out of the question.”

Rong Qi frowned. “There are storms on the island every few days. It will be even worse at sea. If we get into the water, that small boat of yours won’t have anywhere to hide.”

The captain looked troubled. “After we fell into the sea that day, we drifted along with the waves all night. If we’re lucky, we could find the original route in a day. And if we’re fortunate, we might encounter a merchant ship along the way and be able to call for help.”

Rong Qi: “And what if we’re not lucky?”

The captain: “……”

Gu Yunxing spoke up at the right moment. “I’ve been missing for many days. Tianji Sect should still have ships searching the sea.”

The captain’s eyes lit up. “Then we have no problem!”

As they spoke, several dazzling white flashes of lightning had already appeared between the thick clouds, and a muffled thunderclap echoed across the sky.

No one lingered any longer, and they all hurried back toward the cave.

After walking a short distance, Rong Qi turned around and glanced at the small boat docked on the shore in the forest.

The dark clouds loomed overhead, the trees swaying in the wind. The small boat seemed so fragile and insignificant amidst the vastness of the sky and forest. Would it really be able to withstand a storm and carry them away from this place?

“Boom—”

The thunder cracked, and within moments, the first raindrop fell.

Gu Yunxing turned back from the front and pulled Rong Qi, who was lagging behind, forward.

Before long, the rain had already formed a curtain behind them.

They had managed to retreat in time, but their outer robes were damp, with dark water stains spreading across their shoulders and backs.

The group was still basking in the joy of successfully building the boat. They gathered around the fire, drying their clothes while chatting casually.

Fang Ruoyao happened to sit directly in front of Rong Qi. She lowered her head, holding a twig in her hand, idly poking at the stones on the ground.

When Rong Qi was quiet, his eyes were lowered and his gaze was subdued. He lacked some of his usual arrogant dominance and instead resembled a precious young master cultivated by a distinguished family.

Fang Ruoyao couldn’t help but stare in a daze.

After a moment, Rong Qi couldn’t hold back any longer. “Miss Fang is staring at this venerable one so intently. Do you perhaps wish to return to Lihuo Palace with me?”

Fang Ruoyao was stunned, then her face immediately turning bright red. “You, what nonsense are you talking about! When did I stare at you intently?”

Rong Qi: “Oh, you’re right. Even your older brother doesn’t dare to look at me like that.”

Fang Lian, whose name was suddenly mentioned: “……”

“What’s wrong with you?” Fang Ruoyao felt speechless. “Even if I was staring at you, it couldn’t possibly be because I want to go back to the demon palace with you! You you… I was just looking at you because you look very much like a friend of mine.”

Rong Qi sneered, clearly dismissing the clumsy excuse with contempt.

Even Fang Lian, her older brother, coughed awkwardly.

Thinking they didn’t believe her, Fang Ruoyao became both angry and anxious. “It’s true! Her name is Cui Qingxi, and she’s the young lady of Cuiwei Villa. If you weren’t of different genders, I almost would have mistaken you for her.” She suddenly thought of something and turned to Fang Lian. “Big brother, when you went to Lingzhou five years ago to seek a divine weapon, didn’t you meet her?”

Fang Lian sighed. “Miss Cui is a lady of the inner chambers. How could I have met her?”

Fang Ruoyao blinked, then looked at Gu Yunxing.

Gu Yunxing’s eyelid twitched. “This humble Gu has never been to Cuiwei Villa.”

Fang Ruoyao: “……”

“Alright, this venerable one believes you.” Rong Qi, in a rare moment of kindness, gave her an out.

Fang Ruoyao threw down the twig, “hmphed,” and got up to change her seat.

Rong Qi raised an eyebrow, completely unaffected, while Gu Yunxing glanced over a few more times.

After a while, the sound of boiling water came from the stone pot as the meat broth that Zhou Shun had been simmering for so long was ready.

Zhou Shun stood up and prepared stone bowls for the soup. He first handed one to Rong Qi, then another to his master, Zhou Yuan. He served himself and Yan Fan next. Seeing there was still some left in the pot, he ladled out three more bowls in succession, sneaking glances at Rong Qi’s expression.

Rong Qi pretended not to see.

Zhou Shun, with his usual honest smile, distributed the meat soup to the three people sitting opposite.

Rong Qi took a sip of the soup, and his brows immediately knitted tightly.

He now understood who the tough and hard-to-chew jerky from that night had come from. This meat soup was just as inedible!

He couldn’t help but glance at Gu Yunxing, only to find that he was drinking it without changing his expression. Looking at the others, they seemed unaffected as well.

Rong Qi silently stared at the soup in his hands, beginning to question himself. Was it really that bad?

He forced himself to swallow the strong, gamey taste and took another sip.

Rong Qi: “……”

His gaze fell on a wild rabbit piled in the corner, and he wondered: If he asked Gu Yunxing to secretly cook something better for him in the middle of the night, would he agree?

Unfortunately, Rong Qi never got the chance to ask.

The sound of the heavy rain continued through the night, mingling with the wind and creating a lulling effect that made it even harder to stay awake. He had originally planned to keep himself awake a bit longer, but he couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness and he drifted off into a deep slumber.

By the time Rong Qi regained his consciousness, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

The fire in the cave had long since gone out, and the surroundings were dim. He could vaguely hear the long breaths of several people, indicating nothing seemed amiss.

However, cold sweat broke out on Rong Qi’s back. He couldn’t have slept that soundly. Something was definitely wrong!

Where was Gu Yunxing?

He scanned the area but couldn’t make anything out. Relying on his memory of where things had been before, he started feeling his way toward what he thought was the correct direction. But before he could move far, someone grabbed his arm.

Rong Qi: “Who?”

Gu Yunxing’s voice was faint and weak. “It’s me.”

Rong Qi immediately seized Gu Yunxing’s arm in return, frowning. “What’s going on?”

Gu Yunxing: “Zhou Yuan and his apprentice ran off.”

Rong Qi was stunned, and it took him a long moment to snap back to his senses. A flicker of coldness flashed in his eyes. “There was something wrong with that soup.”

Not only did it taste disgusting, but it had also been drugged!

In an instant, Rong Qi’s emotions became a tangled mess. He knew that everyone on the island had their own motives, but even though he had suspected everyone else, he hadn’t suspected that master and apprentice. Who could have imagined that the usually honest and timid boatman would be hiding a colorless and odorless sleeping powder, drugging everyone.

Suddenly, it hit him. He asked, “Gu Yunxing, why aren’t you getting up?”

Gu Yunxing sighed. “The effects of the medicine haven’t worn off yet.”

Rong Qi: “……” That was right. Last night, he had disliked the soup and only had a few sips before setting the bowl down.

He was momentarily speechless. “How did you all manage to drink something so disgusting?”

Gu Yunxing put it delicately. “Perhaps you should try Miss Fang’s cooking.”

Rong Qi: “……” He began circulating his internal energy to help dispel the effects of the drug.

As he bent down to support Gu Yunxing’s upper body and pressed his palm against his back to channel internal energy, he caught a faint scent of blood.