TM CH9

Chapter 9 Helping Each Other

When Rong Qi woke up, he heard the crackling sound of burning wood. He opened his eyes and felt as if his body had no strength at all. His throat was parched, and his mind was foggy.

The fire nearby was blazing brightly. On the opposite side, a simple rack held their outer robes, left to dry. Rong Qi lowered his head and noticed he was only wearing his inner garments. However, with the fire nearby, he didn’t feel too cold.

“If you’re thirsty, drink some water,” Gu Yunxing said, squatting by the shore, busy preparing yesterday’s pheasant.

Rong Qi parted his lips and looked around, but he couldn’t find the water flask.

Gu Yunxing turned his head and raised the sharp tool in his hand. “In urgent situations, one must be flexible. I’ve borrowed Right Protector Rong’s dagger for now.”

Rong Qi said nothing. He slowly sat up and saw what seemed to be a ‘stone bowl’ used to hold water. It couldn’t truly be called a bowl. It was more like a stone that had been hollowed out in the middle, crudely polished enough to hold some water.

He reached out to touch it and found it was warm.

“How did you manage it?” Rong Qi asked curiously. Even if Gu Yunxing had somehow made this ‘bowl,’ getting the water to boil was no easy task.

Gu Yunxing: “I heated stones in the fire and then dropped them into the water.”

Rong Qi paused. The method was certainly unusual. But he didn’t think too much about it and picked up the bowl to drink a few sips. The warm water felt much better than cold water.

Gu Yunxing said, “It’s a pity I still couldn’t get the water to boil. Next time, I’ll use more stones.”

Rong Qi finished the water and, propping himself up, moved closer to the fire. Due to his illness, he couldn’t help but cough a few times.

Gu Yunxing glanced at him, got up, and took their outer robes from the rack, tossing one to Rong Qi. “We need to find a suitable cave before the next storm.”

This wasn’t the first time he had suggested it. But his leg injury hadn’t healed, so he couldn’t travel far. Finding a cave had always been Rong Qi’s responsibility.

Rong Qi responded irritably, “If I could find one, do you think we would have been in such a sorry state last night?”

There was no reason for him to lie about this. After all, he was the one who had gotten caught in the rain, and now he was paying for it with this illness.

Gu Yunxing picked up a sharpened stick, skewering the pheasant and bringing it closer to the fire. As he turned it to roast, he said, “Then we’ll just have to build a shelter ourselves.”

Build a shelter?

Rong Qi looked at him in disbelief. “You know how to build a house?”

Gu Yunxing paused for a moment before replying, “No, but do you have a better idea, Right Protector Rong?”

Rong Qi: “……”

No.

“It’s too early to say anything now. Let’s wait until you’ve recovered and this humble Gu’s leg has healed properly. We can worry about these matters then,” Gu Yunxing said, skillfully changing the subject.

Rong Qi had already put on his outer robe, but he was still holding onto another one. “Yours? Why did you throw it over?”

Gu Yunxing: “Just wear it for now.”

Rong Qi opened his mouth, his expression somewhat complicated.

After a moment, he decisively wrapped Gu Yunxing’s outer robe around himself and leaned back against the stone, lost in thought.

At that moment, a hand appeared out of nowhere and gently touched his forehead. “You’re still a bit warm, but it’s much better than last night.”

Rong Qi stiffened, drawing back his neck to avoid the hand.

“Troublemakers really do live a long time,” Gu Yunxing muttered, unfazed by his retreat. He pulled his hand back and continued to turn their breakfast on the fire.

After a while, the pheasant was done.

But Rong Qi shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

With the high fever, his mouth tasted bland, and he had no appetite at all. He continued to lean weakly against the rock, his whole being exuding a sense of world-weariness and self-forgetfulness.

This was probably the first harmonious day the two had spent together on the island.

Rong Qi’s fever still fluctuated, but fortunately, his body was strong enough that it didn’t worsen. He felt weak and had little energy, so he couldn’t muster the strength to move around or explore. Gu Yunxing, however, had managed to make a trip to the forest, though he didn’t go far and returned quickly.

He fetched some water and found some food. To Rong Qi’s surprise, he had even brought back a few wild berries.

Gu Yunxing: “I saw birds eating them, so they should be safe.”

The fruits weren’t very appealing under this climate, small in size and somewhat shriveled. But after several days of eating unseasoned roasted meat, neither of them minded it anymore.

Rong Qi still coughed from time to time, but his usually sharp tongue had finally quieted down, leaving fewer biting remarks.

This time, he personally witnessed Gu Yunxing’s process of boiling water and couldn’t help but lean closer to observe.

Gu Yunxing pushed aside the charred embers, used two branches to pick up a stone buried underneath, and then his gaze fell on the stone bowl filled with water behind Rong Qi.

Rong Qi handed him the bowl, thought for a moment, then placed it back on the ground.

When the scalding stones hit the water, steam quickly began to rise. After a while, Gu Yunxing pulled out the cracked stones and replaced them with a fresh, heated one from the fire. He repeated this process several times until the water finally began to boil.

Rong Qi frowned. “It’s a bit dirty.”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

Rong Qi lifted the stone bowl by its edge and sniffed it, his expression rather disgusted. Fortunately, there was no strange odor, so he refrained from commenting further.

In the evening, the two sat quietly around the fire. Perhaps due to the storm that had passed the night before, the sea breeze had significantly died down.

“Sect Master Gu is quite versatile,” Rong Qi said wearily, eating the wild berries Gu Yunxing had gathered, drinking the water he’d boiled, and wrapped in his outer robe. “I’ve heard that Tianji Sect dabbles in many arts. I used to think it was an exaggeration, but now I can see there’s some truth to the rumors.”

Gu Yunxing paused before responding, “Whether praise or criticism, why does it always sound suggestive when it comes from Right Protector Rong’s mouth.”

Rong Qi glanced at him but slowly turned his gaze away again.

Gu Yunxing: “When I was young, I wandered far and wide. Once, when I was in danger, a retired senior saved me. All these things, he taught me… he’s like a half-master to me.”

Rong Qi: “Who is he?”

Gu Yunxing didn’t intend to elaborate. “This humble Gu has also heard a lot about your actions, Right Protector, though what I’ve heard doesn’t quite match what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

Rong Qi: “The righteous sects are always good at spreading misinformation.” After casually badmouthing them without a second thought, he grew somewhat puzzled. He was very aware of his reputation in the jianghu. People always described him with phrases like ‘cold-blooded killer’ or ‘ruthless and merciless.’

Indeed, that was the case, so where was the difference?

Gu Yunxing said, “This humble Gu used to think that Right Protector Rong was a cold-hearted, taciturn, and ruthless demon.”

Rong Qi looked at him warily. “So?”

Gu Yunxing: “But now I know that your verbal skills are actually quite remarkable. If that’s considered being taciturn, then there must be no one in the world with a sharp tongue.”

Rong Qi: “……”

It took him a moment to realize. Was he implying that his words were harsh?

He bit down on the last piece of meat, shooting Gu Yunxing a glare.

Gu Yunxing said nothing in response. He lowered his head to arrange the next batch of hot stones.

It was true that his heart was cold, and his temper was quite fiery. He really was one of the most difficult people to get along with.

“Achoo—” Rong Qi sneezed, frowning and pulling his robe tighter around himself. The two were tall and of similar build, but upon closer comparison, Gu Yunxing was slightly taller and had a slightly larger frame, so his outer robe appeared a bit loose on Rong Qi.

Gu Yunxing’s eyes darkened slightly as he continued to adjust the stones.

“What are you planning to do with these stones?” Rong Qi asked. He had noticed that Gu Yunxing had been fiddling with them for quite some time.

“I burned some extra stones at noon and found that a few of them still retained heat even after the whole afternoon,” Gu Yunxing said as he pulled a dark stone from his clothes and handed it to Rong Qi. “Feel it.”

Rong Qi took the stone and felt the warmth in his hand.

Gu Yunxing: “But some of the stones cooled down quickly.”

Rong Qi understood. “So it must be a problem with the stones themselves?”

Gu Yunxing nodded. “That’s why I tried to find some more stones similar to the hot ones. I’m not sure if they’ll retain the heat, though.” He glanced at the freshly heated batch of stones. “We should move these into the cabin. It might be warmer in there.”

Rong Qi thought of the bowl of water that had been boiled by the stones and said hesitantly, “Are you sure it won’t roast us?”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

Rong Qi’s concern was not unfounded. The stones freshly pulled from the fire were scalding hot. With their limited fabric supplies, they couldn’t properly wrap them. Otherwise, wrapping them in a few layers of cloth might have made the temperature bearable.

The sea breeze grew stronger.

Rong Qi spoke with a nasally tone, clearly still affected by his illness. “If you’re interested, then go ahead and move them. But keep them far from me.”

With that, he stood up, his body swaying slightly. After steadying himself, he stopped in place, his expression very conflicted.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth. “For the sake of you taking care of me for a day…”

Then, Gu Yunxing watched as a certain demon, who clearly had no idea what ‘mutual assistance’ meant, bent down to pick up two branches. Without a change in expression, he used them to pick up a hot stone, helping him moving it.

Gu Yunxing: “……”

The two of them worked together to move five stones and pile them in one place. Afterward, Gu Yunxing extinguished the fire, crawled into the cabin, skillfully blocked the entrance with the tabletop, and sat down close beside Rong Qi.

Rong Qi was physically and mentally exhausted. He didn’t bother to sit cross-legged. Instead, he lay down on the cold wooden planks, curling up and closing his eyes. After a while, he seemed to feel a bit chilly and pulled the robe up higher over his body.

Gu Yunxing silently observed this demon, nonchalantly draped in his outer robe, looking entirely at ease.

After a long silence, Rong Qi’s voice floated out, sounding somewhat disgruntled. “What useless stones. They’re not even helpful.”

Gu Yunxing glanced at the lonely pile of stones by his feet. He half-sat up, reached out, and lightly touched them. Two of the stones were only lukewarm, while the others were still hot to the touch, though not unbearably so.

“Ssss—” The sound of fabric tearing broke the quiet. Rong Qi, feeling the heat, was slow to react. By the time he asked, “What’s wrong?” Gu Yunxing’s voice came to his ear.

“Take this.”

A round stone was pressed into his hand. Rong Qi felt the fabric around it and realized it was warm. He immediately understood what was happening and silently tucked the stone into his chest.

Soon, Rong Qi heard the sound of Gu Yunxing settling down beside him. A moment later, he felt an arm gently drape over him. He immediately frowned.

“Right Protector Rong, you’ve taken this humble Gu’s robe. You can’t leave this humble Gu with no way to survive at all, can you?”

Indeed, he was still wearing Gu Yunxing’s robe. Since last night, this person had been taking care of him.

It wasn’t that Rong Qi couldn’t feel Gu Yunxing’s goodwill, but he had been defeated so miserably in their first two fights that he was deeply wary of this person. However, now that the other had made such concessions, rejecting him further would only make him seem ungrateful.

In the past, he had learned a bitter lesson. If he wanted to survive, he couldn’t trust anyone. Therefore, Rong Qi never needed companions and was always wary of anyone who approached, let alone allow someone to stay close.

But now, if he continued to refuse Gu Yunxing, it seemed like he would die very quickly.

Rong Qi turned over and made up his mind. He shifted his body closer to Gu Yunxing.

“You’re not even afraid of me passing my sickness to you, so what do I have to worry about!”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

In the dark, Rong Qi’s face was faintly flushed from the fever. He vaguely realized that if he wanted to survive, his only option was to rely on Gu Yunxing.

Two grown men hugging to sleep felt awkward, uncomfortable in every way.

Gu Yunxing honestly said, “It’s a bit bony.”

Rong Qi rolled his eyes. “It’s all because of those damn stones you brought.”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

In the end, the ‘damn stones’ were stuffed at their feet and became foot warmers.

“This venerable one really regrets rejecting the fox fur coat my subordinate offered.”

“Fox fur coat?”

A fox fur coat was naturally the kind of thing subordinates used to flatter and curry favor.

That subordinate had initially said something like, “The wind on the deck is strong, it’s not advisable to stand here for too long.”

Rong Qi had heard such fake concerns many times before, so he shot the man a cold glance and told him to get lost.

The subordinate returned to the cabin, and not long after, he came back holding a fox fur coat, his attitude so attentive that even Rong Qi couldn’t help but glance sideways at him.

Unfortunately, the fox fur coat was gone now, and the ship had sunk. Heaven really did love to torment people.

Rong Qi let out a yawn, too exhausted to continue their nighttime talk. He closed his eyes and soon drifted into a lightheaded sleep.