Chapter 94: In This Way, We Can No Longer Tell One From the Other

Fortunately, although the hurricane lashed the sea with terrible force, its impact beneath the water was far less severe. Even so, the boatmen who had jumped in after Song Yan and Qin Xin, having failed to dive deep enough in time, were still swept up by the storm and carried off into the unknown.

In other words, in the vast ocean, only the two of them remained.

Now that the hurricane had passed, the surface of the sea was still roiling with waves, but for martial artists like Song Yan and Qin Xin, it no longer posed much of a threat.

So Song Yan signaled to Qin Xin, then took her hand and swam upward.

Seeing the empty expanse of sea, Qin Xin’s pretty face suddenly changed. They still had three days of sailing before reaching Penglai Island. Now that the ship was gone, so was their food and fresh water. Going without food for a few days, as a martial artist at the sixth level of the Earth Realm, she could endure that, but without fresh water, things would be far more difficult.

A trace of panic crept into her heart. “Brother-in-law, what should we do now?”

“Let’s get out of the thunderstorm zone first, then see if we can find an island,” Song Yan said gravely.

As for a solution, he had none that was truly good. He could fly with a sword, and with a second dantian storing true essence, he could barely sustain flight for half an hour.

But now there was Qin Xin as well. If he took her along on sword flight, his true essence would be consumed even faster. Who knew whether he could find an island before he ran dry?

He did not dare gamble on it.

At the same time, he still held a faint reserve of caution toward Qin Xin. If his true essence were exhausted and she took the chance to strike him down, that would be disastrous. So for now, it was better to swim.

As for food and fresh water, he was not worried. His storage ring always contained both, in case of emergencies.

Half an hour later, the two of them finally escaped the thunderstorm zone.

But looking out over the boundless sea, neither of them could feel any joy.

At sea, unlike on land, it was hard to tell direction.

“Which way should we swim now?” Song Yan asked, looking at Qin Xin.

“I don’t know,” Qin Xin said with shame, shaking her head.

“Then do you have a sea chart for the route to Penglai Island?” Song Yan asked.

“No.” Qin Xin was even more ashamed. In the past, whenever she traveled to and from Penglai Island and the Shenzhou Continent, ships had always carried her, so why would she ever think to care about sea charts?

Song Yan sighed inwardly. “Then all we can do is leave it to fate.”

Since they could not determine a direction, Song Yan simply chose one at random and kept swimming. After what had just happened, both of them were feeling heavy-hearted, so neither spoke again.

After about half an hour of swimming, Qin Xin said softly, “Brother-in-law, am I very useless?”

Song Yan looked at her in surprise. At this moment, Qin Xin was in a miserable state. After enduring several waves, her hair had come loose and was plastered wetly against her face.

“How could you think that?”

“If I had paid attention to sea charts normally, we wouldn’t have gotten lost like this,” Qin Xin said gloomily.

“You’re overthinking it. Who could have predicted that we’d run into a hurricane?” Song Yan comforted her gently.

After a while, the two fell silent again. Swimming was an extremely exhausting activity, especially on a restless sea. Each time a wave struck, both of them had to spend energy resisting it.

Their stamina drained quickly, and even their true qi was being consumed at a rapid pace. Fortunately, Song Yan had already formed a circulation within his body, allowing him to absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth at any time. Qin Xin, however, could not. In just a little over an hour, one-fifth of her true qi had already been depleted.

After another three hours of swimming, Qin Xin looked utterly exhausted, and only about one-tenth of her true qi remained.

Song Yan’s heart moved, and he said to her, “Xin’er, why don’t you come onto my back? I’ll carry you.”

“Thank you, Brother-in-law. I can still hold on,” Qin Xin said a little shyly.

Although she had a sliver of affection for Song Yan, she still could not bring herself to be so intimate. After all, both of their clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to their skin. If she got onto his back, then wouldn’t that mean...

“Very well. If you can’t hold on any longer, tell me.”

“Mm.”

More than an hour later, Qin Xin’s true qi had been completely exhausted, and her physical strength was nearly gone as well, so her speed slowed further and further.

“Xin’er, come onto my back after all.”

Seeing this, Song Yan suggested again.

“No need, Brother-in-law. I can still... hold on.”

But this time Song Yan did not give her a chance to refuse. He reached out and drew her into his arms, then said with a teasing smile, “Would you rather I hold you while we swim, or carry you on my back?”

“Brother-in-law... you!” Qin Xin protested.

“All right, get on my back.” Song Yan let go of her at just the right moment.

“Thank you, Brother-in-law.”

At last, Qin Xin no longer insisted. She came behind Song Yan and wrapped both arms around his neck. At first, she deliberately kept her front from touching his back as much as possible, but after several waves, her body was completely pressed against his.

Song Yan was also afraid she might be swept away by the waves. Whenever a surge came, he would instinctively reach back with one hand to steady her by the hips.

To lighten the mood, after one wave had passed, Song Yan joked, “Xin’er, your figure is really quite impressive.”

“Brother-in-law, if you keep teasing me, I’ll tell Sister Yu’er,” Qin Xin said in mock annoyance. By now, after so much contact, she had gradually relaxed, and her tone carried a hint of protest.

“Xin’er, no, don’t. If you tell Yu’er, she definitely won’t let me off,” Song Yan immediately cried out in perfect cooperation, seeming very much afraid of Yu’er.

“Hehe.” Qin Xin laughed with satisfaction. “So even a great hero like you is afraid of Sister Yu’er?”

“There are no men in this world who fear their wives. Only men who respect their wives,” Song Yan said thoughtfully.

For some reason, hearing those words made Qin Xin’s heart tremble violently. Her body, almost unconsciously, pressed even closer to Song Yan.

“Damn it! This is killing me!”

Feeling the softness pressed against his back, Song Yan’s own heart began to heat up as well.

After a moment of silence, Qin Xin asked again, but this time there was an unmistakable note of discouragement in her voice. “Brother-in-law, do you think we’ll survive this time?”

“Of course we will,” Song Yan said with complete certainty. “Maybe if we swim a little longer, we’ll run into an island.”

“I hope so.” Qin Xin nodded, pressing her cheek fully against Song Yan’s back.

Little by little, the breathing behind him grew more even. Song Yan knew that Qin Xin had fallen asleep, so he made his movements as gentle as possible.

However, the waves at sea were rough. Qin Xin only slept on Song Yan’s back for an hour before waking again. Sensing how carefully he had been moving, a sudden warmth of being cherished rose in her heart.

“Xin’er, have some water,” Song Yan said, knowing she was awake. With one hand, he took a bottle of mineral water from his storage ring and passed back the bottle from which he had already taken a sip.

“Brother-in-law, where did this come from?” Qin Xin asked curiously.

“I’m not sure. I picked it up at sea. I already tasted it. It’s fresh water, so it’s drinkable,” Song Yan said with a smile.

“Mm.”

Qin Xin nodded lightly and opened the cap. Then her movements froze.

Brother-in-law said he had already drunk from it. If I drink from it too, wouldn’t that be an indirect kiss with him?