The four of them settled in to their given cabins quickly, they weren't too fancy and had the bare minimum but were good enough, it seemed like they had been cleaned well prior to their arrival at least. They had three cabins between them, Shu He and Shu Xue shared a cabin while the other two had their own, however they didn't stay inside for long as they all gathered in Shu He's cabin and sat around a small wooden table.
"She's asleep already?" Bai Lian glanced over at the little duck that was wrapped up in the bed sheets snoozing away.
Shu He shrugged "She doesn't stay awake if there isn't anything interesting going on" he left out the part where she usually sleeps like a log after gulping down mountains of food, likely to digest everything.
Na Xue sighed as she slid on to the tabletop "I can't say I'm enthusiastic about moving from one wooden box on to the next, how long will this take?".
"It should be a couple weeks' time give or take" Shu He had asked the captain about all this already, so he knew it well.
"That's pretty slow…" Bai Lian couldn't help murmur.
"Hm, how fast do your clan's vessels take normally?" Shu HE asked out of curiosity.
"Less than a week normally, 4-5 days on a good route"
Shu He's eyebrow rose as he said "…Why didn't you just ask your clan for a boat to use, you're one of the heirs right?".
Bai Lian looked away; a hint of reluctance crossed her face "About that… I didn't want my clan to know that I've left the sect".
"…That reminds me, you haven't explained why you wanted to come with us in the first place" Shu He suddenly leaned forward, he had a bad feeling once he saw Bai Lian's expression.
"That… alright, you know that my sister got engaged to someone from the Huo clan, right?".
Shu He nodded, she had explained it to him about half a year back.
"No matter what, my father nor my brother will tell my why the engagement was set, but I just can't believe it was organised in good faith… there's no way our two clans could suddenly reconcile".
Shu He frowned; he was trying to put it all together but then it clicked "So the reason you wanted to go to the Everlasting Ocean Sect… was to see your sister?".
"That's right! I haven't been able to talk to her at all and she's been ignoring all my messages! Plus, I heard rumours that her fiancée is staying there at the moment as well…" A flash of dark light crossed Bai Lian's eyes for a moment before it disappeared.
"Try not to do anything that'd get you in trouble" Shu He couldn't help but warn her, yet all she did was flash him an innocent smile.
"Of course" Was all she said.
That didn't abate Shu He's worries at all.
"I can't believe that cold woman is engaged!" Na Xue suddenly sat up.
"You know my sister?"
"I've met her a couple times, Bai Shufen, right? She's also a core disciple so we've come across one another in some inter-sect exchanges…".
"Really? What do you think of her?" Bai Lian's eyes sparkled slightly as she listened.
"She's a block of ice, can't even hold a conversation with her!" Na Xue spat out words that carried clear distaste.
"Ah… she may look like that but she's a kind person deep down" Bai Lian couldn't help but chuckle as she saw Na Xue's sour expression.
"Well, whatever… I think I'll keep my distance once we're there…" Na Xue yawned as she leaned back on the chair "I'm missing the Shunyue bed already…".
'Bed? It's a Lunaflame Ursa, for heaven's sake!' Shu He retorted in his mind.
After that they spoke for a bit more about miscellaneous things before the others departed for their cabins, they didn't have much interest in the preparations unlike Shu He, who soon departed his own room and headed to the bridge.
…
"What do you mean?" A deep voice yelled.
"I meant it as I said it, Doctor Shu isn't interested in receiving visitors at the moment" The captain, Zou Qiang's voice echoed in reply, there was clear annoyance in his tone.
"But I'm the mayor! I'm not just any visitor!" The chubby man screeched.
"Even if you are the mayor, I don't think you have any authority to order him around".
"I-… agh, fine! Just you wait Zou Qiang!" the chubby man stomped off, his weight causing the floorboards to creak as he went.
Zou Qiang watched him stumble out of the shipyard with narrowed eyes before he let out a deep breath.
"Sorry for the trouble" Shu He's voice came from beside him causing him to turn around. He was sat on top of a crate near him, silently watching something far away.
"It's nothing, not even a little trouble" The captain replied pushing down his surprise. 'I didn't even hear him!' he gulped as he thought.
"But, is this okay? He's still the mayor that owns this town" Shu He worried.
Zou Qiang scoffed "That man is all bark and no bite, besides even if he does something he'd get removed from his position as soon as possible, the townspeople only bear with him because he doesn't do stuff like that".
"Is that so…" Shu He's eyes flickered with gold as he stared off into the distance, but then he blinked and smiled slightly, turning to face the captain "Well, that's good then".
He then hopped down on to the deck before frowning "But, what did he want with me anyway? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want anything from him before".
"I'm sure he just wanted to try to make a connection with you… well, that's not all" a slightly awkward expression crossed the captains face "After you left, maybe a week after, we made a discovery that shocked everyone".
"Huh? What was it?" Shu He's eyes opened wide; his curiosity was peaked.
"You see, while some of our hunters were off doing their job they went to a close by ravine that was a popular hunting spot, but they found it was… entirely burned to the ground".
"…Oh" A bead of sweat dropped down Shu He's forehead, he had forgotten about that.
The captain saw his expression and coughed to clear the air "Well, at first the hunters were devastated, but then we realised that the entire area had become excellent fertile ground! So, we ended up converting it into a massive field! The only thing that we have doubts on is if it was risky to use like that, we don't know what caused it after all".
'Interesting… I wonder if it's because of the massive amounts of Qi displaced in the area… I did use a large bundle of golden Qi there, along with that inferno… the process of burning it would have changed the nutrients in the soil and broken-down dead plants as well…' he paused to think for a second.
"It should be fine" Shu He answered before seeing the knowing gaze the captain gave him "But I didn't do it!" he said, just to make sure.
"Heh, got it, I'll leave that information with the mayor before we go, that should keep him happy".
As the two were conversing a small group climbed the ramps, they caught Shu He's eyes because of two things, first they wore maid like uniforms, but clearly made for tougher work, and secondly they were all female.
He paused for a second before realising he recognised the faces of those in the group, especially the one near the front, her hair was black with many strands of white hair showing her age and her face was wrinkled yet she bore a gentle smile as she stepped on to the ship.
"Oh! If it isn't Doctor Shu! It's good to see you again" Her aged voice called out, causing the others around her to swivel their heads and greet him.
It was Yu Ya, the nurse that had helped him as an assistant when he performed surgery on the crew members.
"It is, Yu Ya, I didn't expect to see you here" These nurses all stayed in the mayor's mansion normally in a minor building, it felt odd to see them on the ship, more so in the clothes they were wearing.
"What, are ladies not allowed on a ship?".
"That's not what i-"
"Hoho, I'm just joking Doctor Shu! You see ever since that incident we've decided to take turns coming along on expeditions to prevent such things again" she explained.
"Isn't that hard on you?" Shu He expressed his concern, he could see that she had gained a few more white hairs since he last saw her, she was getting older.
She held her arms up like a macho man and laughed "Hardly, I've got plenty left in these old bones of mine! Rather I'm worried for some of the poor sods you've got on this crew Zou Qiang!".
"Ah, get off it granny, we'd be fine without you" The captain grimaced.
"Right, right, now tell me who was it that almost got their crew killed by eating rotten food on the last expedition".
"…".
Shu He watched, a drip of sweat falling from his brow.
'How did these guys survive this long?!'
"And that's how it is, Doctor Shu, we've become essential to this ship, so we look forward to travelling with you".
"…Likewise, please take care of me" Shu He spoke as he scratched the back of his head, this was unexpected, but in the end he couldn't say no.
Meanwhile, inside Bai Lian's cabin, Na Xue had barged in and the two of them were listening to the outside through an open window as they turned to each-other.
"You noticed it too, right?" She asked Bai Lian who nodded back.
The two spoke simultaneously.
""Why are they calling him 'Doctor Shu'?""