Liya Qing felt rather helpless in Wanderer's embrace. She could barely register what was going on. One second she had thrown a stone and in the next one, an arrow was right in front of her face. This was where she would meet her end, that single thought had flashed past her mind as she gazed upon the arrows.
But that final thought was mercilessly trampled upon by Wanderer. Faster than she could understand, faster than she could register, he had grabbed her and dragged her away. That little kid, running about eagerly to fulfil any order they gave him. Since when was a kid allowed to have a chest that felt this safe and secure?
She could hear the arrows cutting through the air, just the sound almost made her skin prick in pain. But they never hit her, they never even scratched her. Wanderer embraced her and ran, each step as light as the wind but as fast as lightning. Arrow after arrow sank into the walls, forever embedding themselves into stone and root.
And in the end, perhaps before anyone could even properly wrap their head around the situation, the last arrow vanished. Wanderer stood not far from his original spot, still embracing Liya Qing. Funnily enough, his face was paler than hers, but was it due to confusion at his feats or fear of her getting harmed?
The other crew members were also looking at him with mouths agape. They all did the calculations mentally. If those arrows had aimed at them, would they have been able to dodge? The answer most of them came up with was far from optimistic, which made them that much more amazed at Wanderer's feat.
"Hahaha, told ya, didn't I, Cap? Kiddo's far sturdier than he looks. And from the looks of it, speedy as shit to boot. He's real soft to the touch, but maybe he's one of them body cultivators? They don't need a dantian to do their thing so it don't sound too far-fetched, no?"
The first sound to break the silence was the boisterous laughter of Yi Sao, as well as the sound of her slapping her thighs. She had told Ching Shih from day one that Wanderer was much sturdier than he looked, he hadn't even flinched when she shook his hand. And now it seemed like she had really been spot on, and boy howdy he was sturdy.
"Hm...Hmph. Dengde, check the wall. Anything protected by an array like that must be valuable. Wanderer, thank you for protecting Qing."
Ching Shih cleared his throat and gathered himself thanks to Yi Sao's laughter, quickly tossing an order to Dengde before he gave Wanderer a slight bow. He hadn't been the target of the attack but had still protected Liya Qing, how could Ching Shih not thank him?
"Ah, no, please don't say that. I almost got Miss Qing hurt so I don't deserve any thanks..."
Wanderer quickly shook his head and arms, freeing Liya Qing from his embrace. She only needed to be protected because of what he did, he really couldn't accept any thanks with a clean heart. At the same time, he was amazed by the speed he had been able to pull off. He had given his body an order and it had listened, more by instinct than anything else. Would he be able to replicate it in a less stressful situation? He wasn't sure, but he honestly wasn't confident, otherwise, it would have happened multiple times over the last few days as he went about his business.
Dengde carefully got to work on checking the wall around where the arrows had come from, his eyes closed as he traced the roots with his finger. He nimbly avoided a few places, a faint light at the tip of his finger as he seemed to draw something on the roots. After a few minutes, his eyes opened again, an excited glimmer in them.
"Hah, Wanderer, you really are our lucky star, aren't you?"
He placed his hand against the roots as he spoke, the light from his finger extending to cover his entire palm before it sank into the roots, and probably the wall behind them. The roots around his palm fell to the ground as the wall behind them slid open, revealing a hidden compartment that housed a small wooden box.
Dengde opened the box carefully, a fresh breeze spreading out from the box, refreshing the minds and hearts of everyone in the room. A transparent crystal rested on a silk sheet in the box, the crystal barely the size of Wanderer's pinky. But Dengde's eyes gleamed brightly as he looked at the crystal, grinning as he spoke.
"A Spirit Stone, and an exceedingly pure one at that. It's probably a High-Quality one, may not even be too far away from Top-Quality. Well Captain, now I'd say we've got more than enough reason to enjoy that feast sponsored by the bozo in the other room, no?"
Wanderer knew that a Spirit Stone was a crystal formed from crystallized energy, but he didn't know anything about their classification or qualities so he had no idea how valuable the one in front of him was. But looking at the smiles of everyone present told him more than enough, they had struck gold.
"Aye, now we've got all the reason in the world to enjoy it. Fuck, I'll be the first one to beat up anyone who doesn't get drunk tonight."
Even Ching Shih seemed to have a little trouble controlling himself as he looked at the crystal. He quickly closed the wooden box and tucked it away inside the ring they had taken from the corpse earlier, cheerfully announcing that it was time to return.
The crew retraced their steps and ascended the ruin to return to their ship. No beasts had attacked them as they descended and the same held true as they ascended, it seemed like they had really abandoned this territory, or at least didn't dare to show themselves. Thanks to this, they were able to easily and quickly get back to their ship and share the good news with the few crew members that had been left behind to oversee the ship.
They were so overjoyed at the treasure they got that they didn't even bother searching the rest of the ruin for any other hidden treasures. They hadn't found anything with their own search, only Wanderer's instincts had allowed them to find the good stuff at the very end. But it had also almost cost them a valuable member, they were worried that things wouldn't go so well should there be a next time.
So they took the bounty they got and didn't bother trying to bite off more than they could chew, this stone alone would be able to keep them going for several more years. And of course, such a great haul had to be celebrated. Luckily, the unfortunate soul who became nourishment for the tree had plenty of alcohol and meat on him.
Some of the meat was spoiled due to the passage of time, but a good portion of it had been contained in secure containers so it had weathered the passage of time far better. The jars and barrels of alcohol, both beer, wine, and other stronger drinks, were all opened and a great fire was started in the specially prepared fire pit on deck.
"Alright boys, our lucky star got us one of our best hauls yet so we're gonna party like you won't believe it! I've activated Levi to keep watch, that's how hard I want you idiots to party! Drink, eat, be merry, enjoy life!"
Ching Shih held a gourd as he addressed the crew, who had prepared drinks of their own from the various jars. The alcohol was raised high with a loud cheer, with Levi keeping watch and controlling things they could enjoy themselves as much as they wanted so they threw away all inhibitions.
Wanderer obviously also took part in the festivities, indulging in the meat and various drinks. The meat was a bit plain but otherwise very good, but it, unfortunately, seemed like he had a rather high tolerance for alcohol. He downed glass after glass of various drinks, but they didn't seem to affect him in the way they did the others.
Day slowly gave way to night as they continued to feast, thoroughly enjoying the alcohol and meat that the deceased had so graciously provided them with. Wanderer had just picked up a jar of alcohol when someone walked over and hooked their arm around his, dragging him and the drink along.
"You're coming with me, Wanderer."
Liya Qing pulled Wanderer along with her as she walked, a few of the crew members whistling or cheering them on as they headed for the door that led to Wanderer's room. Well, they called it a room but it was actually just an old storage room that they had furnished with a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser. The barrels and sacks that had been there when he first awoke on the ship were still present, tucked into the corners.
"Firstly, we'll put that aside."
Liya Qing took the jar of alcohol from Wanderer and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. He was originally only going to use it to fill his glass but she had dragged him away before he could do so. As a result, the jar was so large that it practically covered the entire nightstand, it was something meant for a group of people, not a single youth.
"You saved my life, Wanderer. When I failed to react, when everyone failed to react, you reacted. You're small, you look delicate and frail. But your chest, it felt warm and safe, I felt like I was embraced by a fluffy cloud, high above any danger. Now, now it's my turn to make you feel warm and embraced, like you're on a cloud."
Liya Qing pushed Wanderer onto the bed as she spoke, pulling off his simple brown shirt as she straddled his legs. She showed no shame as she removed her own shirt and bared herself, raising Wanderer's hands and placing them on her mounds.
"Pretty good, aren't they? The shirt hides them most of the time but I'm actually pretty proud of them, you won't find a finer pair across the Wandering Desert."
Wanderer's fingers sank slightly into the mounds he was fondling, a soft sensation filling both his palms. Like a cloud, perhaps there really was something to what she had said earlier. But even so, why couldn't he help but tilt his head? That thing he was feeling right now, was that really what he should be feeling right now?
"Well then, let's see what we're dealing wi...th?"
Liya Qing's words trailed off slightly as she nimbly slid her hands into Wanderer's pants and rested them on his groin. The reason her words trailed off was the sensation her hands felt. Soft, it was too soft. Why was it still soft?
"Are you feeling okay, Wanderer? You probably don't know your own preferences right now so just tell me what you feel, that way we'll have an easier time figuring out how to get both of us 'worked up'."
She guessed that it just couldn't be helped, he was young and probably inexperienced, especially now that he had no memory. What he liked and how he liked it, he knew none of them right now so they could only go based on what he felt. But Wanderer only shook his head somewhat bitterly.
"What I'm feeling... I don't think that's something I should share."
Yes, he had no memory, but even he felt that sharing what he was feeling right now probably wouldn't be the right move. But Liya Qing urged him on to share what he was feeling, to be honest, both with her and with himself. So he did just that, he told her his honest feelings.
"I... I feel disgusted. When I look at you like this, when I touch you like this, when you touch me like that. I feel disgusted, like a billion maggots crawling in my skin, in my head. And... Yes, there's a degree of anger there as well. Anger at me. That's what I'm feeling right now, Miss Qing, disgust and anger."
Perhaps it was honesty that was a bit too brutal, but it was exactly what Liya Qing had asked for. That was why he was still soft down below despite the sensation in his hands, because he felt disgusted. But he couldn't understand why, or why he felt so angry. But he felt it, it echoed within every inch of him.
Naturally, being told that someone got disgusted from seeing her bare body and being touched by her wasn't a good feeling, even for someone as mentally strong as Liya Qing. Her instinctual reaction was to redden in shame, her hand unconsciously swatting out and slapping Wanderer, a loud and crisp sound echoing out beyond the room.
Wanderer's head was forcibly turned to the side by the slap and a small split appeared on his lip, a drop of blood soaring through the air before it landed in the jar of alcohol and mixed into it. Liya Qing looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't spit out the words in the end, be it because of Wanderer's confused expression or because he had saved her life earlier.
She stood up and put on her shirt again, stomping out of the room after giving Wanderer an indignant look. Wanderer heard some jeers from the deck after Liya Qing left so it seemed like the crewmates found the situation quite humorous. In the end, he too stood up from the bed and put on his shirt again.
He picked up the jar of alcohol and brought it out with him, returning it to the table he had gotten it from. His glass had vanished in the time he was gone so he gave up on filling it, just leaving the jar there and walking away.
A slight motion caught his attention, Ching Shih was leaning against the bow of the ship and waving him over, a soft and slightly amused smile on his face. Wanderer gave him a nod and started to walk over, the crew members with empty glasses making their way over to the table that held the jar of alcohol that Wanderer had just given up on.