TM CH8

Chapter 8 Thunderstorm

After four days and three nights of getting used to each other, a semblance of peaceful coexistence finally began to emerge between Rong Qi and Gu Yunxing.

Every day, Rong Qi would explore the island, and at dusk, he would return to the cabin with water, food, and firewood. Meanwhile, Gu Yunxing took advantage of the warm daylight to catch up on sleep and rest, hoping for a full recovery soon.

Life on the deserted island was dull and monotonous.

There was no sign of anyone else on the island, and no ships ever passed by on the open sea. It was as if the world had forgotten them, leaving them to struggle quietly for survival in this remote place.

However, the peace was suddenly shattered one afternoon by a heavy rainstorm that arrived half a month later.

As evening blurred into night, Rong Qi was on his way back. He was carrying a pheasant in one hand, planning to gather more firewood at the edge of the forest.

For some unknown reason, the sky darkened much earlier than usual. Thick, heavy clouds rolled in, swallowing the deserted island whole. Lightning flashed intermittently within the clouds, accompanied by the distant rumble of thunder, which unnervingly stirred a feeling of unease.

Rong Qi quickened his pace. Suddenly, something cold struck his face. He raised his hand to touch it. It was rain.

“Boom!”

A thunderclap split the sky, exploding directly overhead. Almost instantly, the rain came down in a relentless torrent. In the blink of an eye, the wind howled and the sky darkened. He couldn’t see anything at all.

Too dark.

Rong Qi strained to open his eyes wider, struggling to make out the path beneath him, but the storm had swallowed nearly all the light. He could barely see a thing. Now, not only was gathering firewood out of the question, but even finding shelter seemed impossible.

He tried to recall his location. If he kept walking a little further, he would leave the forest, and after crossing a stretch of shoreline, he would reach the cabin.

With that thought, Rong Qi pushed forward, breaking into a run.

The heavy rain quickly soaked his clothes.

Rong Qi frowned. Given the intensity of the rain, he suspected that the battered cabin wouldn’t offer much shelter. Still, it was probably better than being completely soaked out here. He tried to reassure himself, but his body was drenched, his vision blurred, and the once even and easy path had turned to slippery mud. Disoriented, he realized he was no longer sure which way he was headed.

There was nothing worse than being trapped alone in the woods. Even before being taken in by Zou Yuchuan, he had never been in such a desperate situation.

After walking a bit further, Rong Qi began to feel cold.

The rain was pouring heavily, with raindrops the size of beans pelting down on him.

Finally, he was exhausted. He fumbled around until he found a large tree, leaned against it, and sat down.

The thunder in the distance continued to rumble. Rong Qi had seen such a storm not long ago.

At least this time, it was not at sea.

He could only keep reassuring himself.

“Right Protector Rong, it’s cold, and the wind is harsh. The rain will harm your health.”

Rong Qi opened his eyes but still couldn’t see anything clearly, so he turned his face toward the direction of the voice. “Gu Yunxing?”

“It’s me.”

This time, the voice was much closer, and Rong Qi could hear it clearly.

Rong Qi: “Why are you out here?”

“I waited for you, but you didn’t come. I got hungry. Hmm? Is that a pheasant today? Too bad the rain’s so heavy, and the branches are damp. I don’t think we’ll be able to start a fire,” Gu Yunxing said, his tone tinged with regret, as he reached out his hand to Rong Qi.

Rong Qi didn’t move.

Then Gu Yunxing remembered that Rong Qi couldn’t see in the dark, so he bent down and took his hand.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you back.”

Rong Qi lowered his head, a trace of hesitation flashing in his eyes. In the end, he didn’t resist Gu Yunxing’s pull.

In the past half month, Gu Yunxing’s injuries had improved considerably, but he still walked with a limp, his pace slow.

Rong Qi sneezed. At this moment, he didn’t feel cold anymore. In fact, he felt a bit hot. He suspected he might be coming down with a cold, which was not a good sign.

“I’ll carry you on my back, so we can move faster,” Rong Qi said quickly, seemingly frustrated by such a compromise.

Gu Yunxing: “There’s no need. Just take my injured hand. I can move faster with a crutch.”

“Fine.”

Rong Qi didn’t hesitate. His head was starting to spin, and he simply didn’t have the strength to carry a grown man, especially one taller than himself.

Gu Yunxing led Rong Qi to grasp his injured left hand, then picked up a branch from the ground, using it to ease the strain on his injured leg.

The pace of their walk immediately picked up.

By the time they reached the cabin, half an hour had passed.

As expected, the condition of the cabin was no better than before. Rainwater streamed in through various cracks, leaving the entire interior damp and clammy. What was a downpour outside had turned into a steady drizzle inside.

Gu Yunxing: “Are you cold?”

Naturally, he was cold. Rong Qi found a place to sit down, raised his hand, and squeezed his sleeves, causing a large amount of water to drip out. The water hit the floor with a splashing sound.

“We won’t survive in this cursed place.” Rong Qi’s voice was hoarse.

Having been stranded on the island for half a month, he hadn’t dared to think deeply about how much longer they would have to remain here. Now, with this heavy rain, the fear buried deep inside him finally surfaced. He turned to Gu Yunxing and asked, “Are we going to die?”

Gu Yunxing: “No.”

Gu Yunxing’s firm answer didn’t bring Rong Qi any comfort. The sudden storm made him face the reality of their situation once again. For a brief moment, he felt on the verge of breaking down. “But I don’t want to stay here for even a moment longer.”

“Right now, we have no other choice.” Gu Yunxing seemed to sigh. “We’ll just have to wait for help.”

Rong Qi straightened up, his tone sharp. “There’s no help coming! They can’t find us, and we can’t get out. There’s nothing here! I’m cold, hungry, miserable, and I can’t even see anything. The only one left with me is someone who ruins all my plans!”

Gu Yunxing frowned, reaching out to touch Rong Qi’s forehead, but his hand was immediately swatted away.

“Don’t touch me!” Rong Qi snapped. “Gu Yunxing, you felt the same way, right? You must feel like you can’t survive here either, that’s why you dragged me into this alliance. Otherwise, with my temperament, you would’ve probably killed me by now, wouldn’t you?”

Gu Yunxing: “You have a fever.” The lingering warmth on his hand from that brief contact still felt almost scalding, yet the rain outside showed no sign of letting up.

Rong Qi sneered, “Are you afraid that if I die, you’ll be left alone on the island? Just the thought of that must be unbearable for you, right?”

Rong Qi disregarded his remark.

Gu Yunxing didn’t expect the ill-tempered man to cooperate willingly. He pressed several acupoints with his fingers, ignoring the angry and surprised look in Rong Qi’s eyes, and quickly and decisively stripped him of his clothes.

Everything happened so suddenly that Rong Qi, his mind muddled by high fever, couldn’t react in time. It wasn’t until Gu Yunxing had also removed his own clothes that Rong Qi cursed angrily, “What are you doing?”

Gu Yunxing hadn’t done anything outrageous. He had simply removed both of their outer robes to huddle together for warmth.

In this heavy rain, neither of them was in a better situation than the other. He finally understood that this right protector of the demon palace might look sharp and clever, but in truth, he was stubborn and had no concept of practical compromises. If it were the old men from the Wulin Alliance, they would have probably set aside their grudges and huddled together by now.

“Gu Yunxing, do you think this will get us through?” Rong Qi grumbled. “It’ll be colder at night. I… I’m burning up…” He paused for a moment, his voice trembling, “Maybe I won’t make it through.”

Perhaps because of the fever, Rong Qi’s body felt warmer than usual. His skin, soaked from the rain for so long, still carried a slight dampness, but it was quickly dried by their body heat.

But this warmth was only enough to maintain his body temperature.

The soaked clothes were no longer wearable, and rain still drizzled into the cabin. Gu Yunxing used internal cultivation to prevent both of them from losing too much heat in the cold wind and rain.

“Rong Qi, you’re a great demon. You won’t die easily.”

His hand once again touched Rong Qi’s forehead. He sighed softly. Rong Qi was right about one thing. He really didn’t want him to die. As the leader of Tianji Sect, Gu Yunxing had never been one to act impulsively. On this deserted island, two people were far better off than being alone.

As time passed, the rain finally began to ease.

Amidst the sounds of wind and rain, Rong Qi’s consciousness slipped away completely. A martial artist’s body was strong, but even it couldn’t withstand hours of soaking in heavy rain. At first, he struggled to stay awake, but by late night, he had completely lost his grip on reality.

“Gu Yunxing… Gu Yunxing, start a fire.”

Gu Yunxing: “…Alright.” It was impossible to start a fire in the cabin, and under the heavy rain, all the trees were wet, but Gu Yunxing didn’t begrudge comforting a delirious patient.

Rong Qi muttered in discomfort, “You… unseal my acupoints… I… I’m so cold.”

Gu Yunxing thought for a moment, then decided that with Rong Qi being so ill, he likely wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble, so he unsealed the acupoints.

Rong Qi shifted his body, murmuring something under his breath. He moved closer to the heat source, resting his head against Gu Yunxing’s neck. His hands wrapped around his waist, fingers digging into the flesh, leaving red marks behind.

“……” Gu Yunxing pressed his head down, adjusting his position to hold him more securely.

The night was perilous.

By morning, the wind and rain had subsided, sweeping away the gloom of the past days. The sunlight that filtered into the cabin had a rare warm glow. Gu Yunxing had hardly slept at all, and now he felt a slight headache. Looking down, he saw that Rong Qi’s face was still flushed, still showing symptoms of a fever.

Gu Yunxing sighed. “I don’t even know if I should save a venomous snake like you.”