Under the looming threat of "a thousand pork knuckles," Xingqiu—unsure of exactly how many Gu Sanqiu had—decided it was best to comply. With their combined efforts, aided by wind and muscle, they quickly broke free from the surrounding sea creatures.
It wasn't as if other sea creatures didn't try to get their hands—or rather, fins—on them, but thanks to the powerful Geo shields, any that approached either exhausted themselves or got stuck in the barrier.
"Phew, can we rest now? I'm not like you, some kind of stamina freak. My arms are going numb."
"We should be able to rest... for now," Gu Sanqiu replied, turning back to look at the sea. "That pink snail meat didn't follow us, so we're safe for the moment. But get your energy back; who knows what weird thing we'll face next."
"What? There's more?"
"Do you really think haunted mansions only give you one challenge to overcome?"
This was like progressing through a dungeon—there was no way the first challenge would be the only one. No game designer would make it so easy, not if they wanted to test how much time and energy you were willing to pour into it.
Chongyun blinked. "Huh? All the haunted houses I've been to only had one challenge, though."
Gu Sanqiu shot a glance at the whistling Xingqiu. I bet most of those 'haunted houses' were things Xingqiu set up to mess with him. Of course, there was also the chance they'd encountered some rather simple-minded spirits.
"Anyway, eat something, you two. Besides restoring your strength, eating some warm food is a good idea."
Gu Sanqiu started bringing out dishes. "Considering you were just harassed by seafood, this meal comes straight from the Liuli Pavilion. I guarantee you won't see a single sea ingredient."
"That's a relief," Xingqiu sighed, settling down as Chongyun sat beside him. Picking up two pieces of spicy chicken, Xingqiu stuffed them into a chunk of Tianshu meat and swallowed the whole thing in one bite.
"Dude, seriously?"
(っﾟДﾟ)っ
Chongyun gawked at him. "I didn't know you ate like this."
"I'm curious myself," Gu Sanqiu said, his expression slightly incredulous. "That Tianshu meat is cooked sweet with potatoes and chestnuts. What were you thinking mixing it with spicy chicken?"
"You usually eat pretty lightly too, don't you?"
"I'm a good boy, which means I don't smoke. But after everything we've been through, eating something bland right now? No thanks."
Gu Sanqiu glanced at Xingqiu, stuffing his face.
Are you throwing shade at someone?
"This place really is dangerous," Chongyun remarked, chewing on a piece of cake. "If it were just me and Xingqiu, handling that snail would've been tough. Unless we could've run away at the start."
"You're overthinking it. Without this guy's ability to detect the currents, we wouldn't have even realized we were surrounded until it was too late."
Xingqiu, having devoured the entire plate of spicy chicken and Tianshu meat, grabbed a nearby drink and downed it in one gulp.
"This area is definitely dangerous. If not for our decent strength, we might not have made it through."
"It wasn't so bad," Gu Sanqiu said, taking out a small knife and stabbing it into a fish on the deck. "Look, this thing has that same pink stuff inside. They're not friends; it's a strict hierarchy."
"That big guy was using those fish in a swarm attack because it's too slow to act itself, relying on the smaller creatures to buy time."
Gu Sanqiu lifted the knife. "Look at this. I slashed at its tongue earlier, and while the blade didn't shatter, the edge got chipped. Plus, it was coated with poison strong enough to corrode metal. That thing's no joke."
"So, are we to assume that snail gained some kind of power from a god, but it's been slowed down by that very power, forcing it to control those fish?"
Xingqiu, once again the refined gentleman, prodded the fish's head with a finger. "If I had to hazard a guess, maybe these fish are at the bottom of the food chain in the waters around Guyun Stone Forest."
"That's possible, but this isn't the time to write a thesis."
Gu Sanqiu chuckled. "Looks like it's time for round two, boys."
"Ugh, can't we get a longer break?"
Chongyun quickly downed the rest of his cake. "Same strategy as before?"
"No, we're charging straight in."
Gu Sanqiu's eyes gleamed. "We only set up a stable platform because we didn't have experience. Now, we don't need it."
"I'll take the helm. You two get some practice in. Otherwise, what are you going to do when we reach Guyun Stone Forest and forget how to fight?"
Navigating through the chaotic currents, Gu Sanqiu skillfully held their course, while Xingqiu and Chongyun stationed themselves on either side of the boat, dispatching any corrupted sea creatures that came their way.
Without them realizing it, the strange knuckle they'd eaten earlier had greatly enhanced their mental fortitude, guiding them to make use of their newly sharpened abilities. The real-life combat pushed their connection between mind and body to new heights.
...
"Wake up, you two. We're almost there."
It was early morning when Gu Sanqiu's voice broke through the peaceful slumber of Chongyun and Xingqiu in the cabin.
"I thought we agreed to take turns. How are you going to maintain your combat strength without resting? That's dangerous."
Gu Sanqiu, a cigarette in his mouth, kept his eyes on the horizon. "Compared to you two, I'm still in pretty good shape."
Xingqiu patted him on the shoulder. "You're truly the monster who's not allowed to go all-out in Liyue Harbor. Traveling with someone like you sure is stressful."
"At this speed, we should be able to land on the island by lunchtime. We haven't encountered any more of those troublesome sea creatures, so you know what that means, right?"
Even Chongyun, usually a bit slow on the uptake, had a sharp glint in his eyes by now.
"It means there's something even stronger on the island or beneath Guyun Stone Forest. Those sea creatures are staying clear of a stronger predator's territory."
"Exactly. Be prepared. After all the trouble we've gone through, I don't want us to mess up the moment we land."
Elemental energy flickered around the three of them as they pushed their abilities to their limits, alert for even the slightest sign of danger.
Thud.
The boat touched the shore, and all seemed calm.
Xingqiu was the first to leap from the boat, weapon in hand, surveying the area while Gu Sanqiu applied shields to protect both them and the boat.
Aside from safeguarding themselves, protecting the boat was crucial. Building a makeshift raft and trying to navigate these dangerous, monster-infested waters wasn't an option. This wasn't some game where crossing the sea by creating an ice bridge was feasible—unless you had an absurdly high level of mastery, that idea was laughable, especially in these conditions.
"Alright, find a spot to anchor the boat. We'll be here for two days and two nights, observing if there's any unusual activity that could threaten the ship before deciding our next move."
Gu Sanqiu glanced back at the treacherous sea they'd just crossed, letting out a long sigh.
"Damn. At least we made it without any screw-ups."
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