Chapter 332: Chapter 331: Mysterious Sea Area
A day and a night had passed since the ship’s battle.
The injuries of everyone on board were not severe but not light either. Luckily they had the medicinal pills from the Heavenly Wood Fortress, therefore they believed they would recover shortly.
Perhaps due to having experienced the threshold of life and death together, the relationships formed coincidentally were somehow enriched with different factors; they enjoyed drinking and chatting, creating an unusually harmonious atmosphere.
Of course, the most significant change was their attitude towards Shi Xiaole.
No one regarded him merely as a scholarly student anymore, and every time they saw Shi Xiaole, they would express their respect and gratitude unconsciously.
Even the proud Wang Yuwei treated him much more kindly.
Without Shi Xiaole, they would have been long buried in the sea.
However, Xia Yunxi seemed either too shy or too embarrassed to greet Shi Xiaole directly. Instead, she avoided him these days, making the rest of the crew laugh in bemusement at her apparent overreaction.
In the ship’s cabin, a burst of powerful energy erupted.
"At last, I have reached the late stage of the Ninth Level in the Xuanqi Realm."
Shi Xiaole smiled slightly, quite satisfied with his progress.
In his all-out battle against the man in purple, though he had a slight disadvantage, it shockingly loosened his bottlenecks, accelerating his progress in cultivation.
At this rate, he hoped to reach the peak of the Ninth Level in the Xuan Qi Realm by the end of this year, preparing himself to break into the Spiritual-Passage Realm.
Shi Xiaole pushed open the door of his room and stood on the deck, looking out at the sea.
He liked the grand scenes of the ocean, probably because he, too, yearned for a grand life.
"Shi Xiaole."
The pleasant female voice rang out, and with a whiff of the familiar fragrance, Shi Xiaole knew who was approaching.
"Are you deliberately teasing me?"
Xia Yunxi’s beautiful face, glowing like the morning sun, seemed to be questioning him.
"Miss Xia, you misunderstand me. Don’t you remember? I have explained this many times."
Shi Xiaole turned around and responded helplessly.
"Really?"
Xia Yunxi raised one eyebrow, obviously not buying it.
It was clear that if he had displayed even a slight bit of strength, she wouldn’t have made such a big blunder.She didn’t believe that Shi Xiaole couldn’t think of this simple solution.
This young man was clearly enjoying her treats while pretending not to, and laughing at her secretly.
The ship suddenly jolted. Xia Yunxi, lost in thought, didn’t react in time and coincidentally fell right into Shi Xiaole’s arms.
An unprecedented contact sent shivers through their bodies, making both of their hearts flutter.
The most unexpected part was Xia Yunxi was quite tall, about 1.7 meters, her head came directly in contact with Shi Xiaole’s lips, creating a sensation as if an electric current was passing through her body.
Shocked, Xia Yunxi’s feet went numb and she almost fell onto the ground, but Shi Xiaole caught her by her slender waist just in time.
"Bastard, damn you!"
From the second floor of the ship’s cabin, Gao Fei had happened to witness this intimate scene. It set his jealousy aflame, gnawing at his heart and lungs. In a fit of rage, he smashed the cup in his hand.
In the Flying Horse Dynasty, social etiquette was extremely strict. Although accidental contact didn’t mean a promise of marriage, it was only acceptable between husband and wife to hold and hug each other.
And yet this terrible couple was embracing and even kissing each other in broad daylight?
As the son of the Lord of Heavenly Wood Fortress, Gao Fei had always considered the stunningly beautiful, voluptuously figured, and open-minded Xia Yunxi as his woman.
He had even received a promise from his father that soon his mother would propose on his behalf to Xia Yunxi. Considering the nurturing grace of Heavenly Wood Fortress, they were likely to agree.
So, seeing his future wife in the arms of another man inflamed Gao Fei with the feeling of wearing a green hat. Feelings of anger and resentment gushed forth.
"Miss Xia."
Shi Xiaole was taken aback for a moment.
The shapely figure, the soft heat of her body, and the sweet heavy breathing hitting him at the nape of the neck, everything made Shi Xiaole, whose blood was boiling with youthful passion, have an accelerated heart rate.
His heart had never beaten so fast before.
Shi Xiaole urgently pushed Xia Yunxi away, but the direction the ship was rocking made his hands accidentally touch her breasts, and the intense touch made Xia Yunxi let out a squeaky noise, blushing severely.
She wanted to pull away, but was unable to gather the strength. After several attempts, it seemed that she was only taking advantage of him, and she was on the verge of crying from shame.
"Senior Sister, something’s wrong."
At that critical moment, Wang Yuwei rushed out, shrieking: "What are you two doing?" She obviously couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Xia Yunxi forcefully regained her composure, turned away from the people, intending to run. But then she considered Wang Yuwei wouldn’t cry wolf without a cause, so panting, she asked, "What happened?"
Wang Yuwei then turned towards Shi Xiaole, then back to Xia Yunxi. The former’s face was slightly red, while the latter’s ears were flushed red, evidently more embarrassed, she whispered, "The helmsman of the ship said that we have been circling the same waterway, as if we have fallen into a puzzle and can’t get out."
On hearing these words, both Shi Xiaole and Xia Yunxi sobered up.
No wonder they had been at sea for over twenty days since setting off from land, which already exceeded the half-month journey of the Cai family’s ship, however, they hadn’t even seen the dock yet.
Following the news, a group of people went to the helmsman’s cabin. The helmsman looked slightly anxious, "The wind here is strange, it seems to be always balanced and it’s impossible to determine the location based on the wind sails."
"Also the compass has failed. During this period, the needle was changing, but I suddenly realized today that the changes were very regular, changing direction every day, and completely in order. Now, I have no idea where we are."
"Can’t we move straight in one direction?"
Lv Tao asked.
The helmsman shook his head, "I dare not if we get the direction wrong we would get further away and completely deviate from the land, then..."
Everyone fell silent.
"You bastard, why didn’t you discover this situation earlier?"
Gao Fei growled in rage, abruptly grabbing the helmsman’s collar and threatening him.
This spectacle raised eyebrows and furtive frowns amongst the crowd while Xia Yunxi quickly interjected, "Junior Brother Gao, release Master Zhao immediately."
Gao Fei wanted to retort but eventually released the helmsman, venting his frustration, "Then you tell me, what do we do now?"
The helmsman hung his head in dejection. If he knew what to do, he wouldn’t have called everyone here.
Upon seeing this, everyone started brainstorming solutions. Sharing their ideas, a constant chatter filled the air.
Shi Xiaole looked out at the vast expanse of the ocean. He wondered why, as soon as they captured a few members of the Cai Family, people from the Three Talents Association seemed to know and were hot on their tail?
Could this be related to their current predicament?
Did this imply that they were in grave danger?
He probed the surroundings with his powerful spirit, and after a while, Shi Xiaole’s expression shifted.
He discovered the ship was not sailing straight, as everyone assumed. Instead, it was tracing a very subtle arc, circling around an unknown, distant center point.
Jumping into the ocean from the deck, Shi Xiaole gauged the flow and force of the water. He surmised this region was unusually influenced, the water was being drawn by a particular force!
But what type of force could influence an entire sea region?
Just thinking about it was terrifying!
Shi Xiaole had a hunch they might have accidentally entered a mysterious, unknown prohibited area where a single misstep could lead to their demise.
"What should we do?"
Inside the steering cabin, everyone turned to Xia Yunxi.
Many had suspected external forces like the flow of the sea or wind direction were at play. However, who possessed Shi Xiaole’s abnormal sensory abilities? The minute angle variations were imperceptible, leaving them as blind men crossing a river, utterly clueless.
Xia Yunxi, unfamiliar with maritime affairs, was equally perplexed, suggesting, "We could halt the ship and let it drift naturally with the sea current. Then, based on its pattern, we could devise a resolution."
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
Yes, why hadn’t they thought of that?
"That would waste too much time."
Shi Xiaole, having dried his clothes using inner force, entered the cabin.
"Hmph, do you have a better solution?"
Gao Fei sneered, disapproving of Shi Xiaole.
"May I know Brother Shi’s thoughts?"
Lv Tao politely inquired.
Shi Xiaole suggested, "We can adjust our course based on the wind and water flow."
Gao Fei burst out laughing, "Useless chatter! Everyone knows that, but how can you detect any subtle discrepancies in the angle..."
As he spoke, Gao Fei abruptly stopped, staring at Shi Xiaole in disbelief. The others looked on with hopeful yet incredulous eyes.
"Can you really sense it?"
Wang Yuwei asked in utter astonishment, her lips parted in surprise.
In her view, even a master from the Wind-dust List couldn’t possibly discern the subtle changes in sea breeze and water current. These elements were too vast and elusive.
She understood, even a slight deviation from their eastward course could lead them in an entirely wrong direction.
"If you’re willing to trust me, follow my instructions."
Shi Xiaole declared.
He couldn’t waste any more time. Who knows what ties existed between this place and the Three Talents Association. If they encountered another group of experts, Shi Xiaole wasn’t confident he could fend them off.
Many people looked to Xia Yunxi.
While they admired Shi Xiaole’s abilities, their genuine respect was reserved for Xia Yunxi. Shi Xiaole was too enigmatic and aloof, unlike Xia Yunxi. Her origins were known, and she was sociable, enthusiastic, kind, and generous.
Xia Yunxi blushed slightly and gritted her teeth, "Since we lack an effective strategy, let’s tentatively follow his for now."
Following this, everyone began working together. Shi Xiaole used his spiritual senses to discern changes in the water current and wind direction. After moving a distance, they would adjust their course based on these deviations.
One day.
Two days.
A whole half month passed, and they were still adrift at sea.
"What the hell? Do you guys actually trust him? If even the Wind-dust List masters can’t do it, how can he? You have all been deceived!"
Gao Fei pointed at Shi Xiaole, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and shouted.
"It’s not fair to say that, Brother Gao. After all, Brother Shi saved us, and I trust him."
A young master said.
"Exactly, I believe Brother Shi wouldn’t deceive us."
"If you have a solution, then state it."
Young masters and ladies chimed in with their support.
Gao Fei’s behavior was peculiar, lacking in tact, and didn’t win hearts.
"Hmph, when it’s too late for regrets, don’t say I didn’t warn you."
Gao Fei responded with resentment, his hatred for Shi Xiaole now even more prominent.
Another half a month passed, and the ship was still adrift. Even those who had firm faith in Shi Xiaole started losing hope.
"Quick, look! That’s an island!"
Unexpectedly, on that day, someone pointed out in the distance and shouted in sheer excitement.
