Even Gu Sui looked at Ling Qingyu with admiration.
This time, Ling Qingyu was the one who slapped all of them awake. Then, she brought them to this bay and started explaining her plans and arrangements on the beach. At first, everyone carefully guarded against lizards that might suddenly appear. But after a while, they found that the lizards really disappeared without a trace as Ling Qingyu said. They became more relaxed and also more excited as they listened to her admirable conduct.
“So, we will split up like this. There are snakes in the forest, so we shouldn’t venture too deep. Lu Yao, Yang Zhao and Yan San. You guys will rotate to explore.” Ling Qingyu clapped her hands. “Now, all the big men, get up and start carrying things over!”
Once they started, Gu Sui and Yang Zhao’s management abilities shone. Since people learned of Yang Zhao’s identity, Ding Dong and others automatically followed him. Even though there were only around twenty people, each did the work of two and didn’t waste any efforts.
Sure enough, capable subordinates are treasures! Ling Qingyu watched as the living area gradually formed. She was impressed. Then, she glanced at Yan San, who was basking in the sun. With an angry face, she said, “Yan San, don’t blame me for not reminding you. There are arrangements for food distribution. Look, even little Shiyi has gone to gather fruits. Aren’t you afraid of starving to death?”
Yan San felt depressed. After awakening, he couldn’t see a single lizard. And to be honest, with the kind of work everyone is doing, no one valued his martial skills. Yang Zhao and Lu Yao were using their brute strength. The feeling of being useless despite his skills was horrible. After considering what might happen if he were really useless to the rest, Yan San decided to let go of his noble ideas and said, “If you are willing to help me get a parrot, I can go into the mountains with you.”
Climb the mountain! Ling Qingyu’s eyes swept through the dense jungle, then looked at the mountain range at the back. Yang Zhao and Gu Sui are here. In addition, with Zhu Weili, Huang Jing and Zhou Tan, rebuilding the Aeolus should be no problem. However, the last few times they ventured deeper into the forest, they realized that other than Ling Qingyu, any other person who went deeper would be chased away by snakes. She was the only one who could explore.
Yan San’s martial arts were quite proficient. Bringing him would be much safer. However, there might be numerous exotic creatures hidden within the mountain range. With this guy’s attitude, bringing him would be like carrying a timed bomb!
Ling Qingyu watched as the little merchant, named Cai Jingfang, collected fruits with Ye Shiyi. Oh, this Cai Qingfang. Because of Zhu Weili’s reveal, people mostly ignored him. Later on, Ling Qingyu remembered that they still had this person. Hoping that he might be another big character, she had approached him to chat. The result was that this Cai Jingfang was just a regular farmer from Quanzhou. Because he could read a few words, everyone at home hoped that he could become a ranked scholar. He took tests for 10 years, starting from the age of thirteen. By the time he finally passed, he was already in poverty and got laughed at by the other farmers. Cai Jingfang sold all of his books and went to Quanzhou with only a silver and two coppers. He had hoped to go sailing with others, but even if he were a small merchant on a ship, he would still have to spend a hundred silvers. Everyone ignored him because of his situation. There were even some who tossed him out the door. Helplessly, when he saw the Aeolus about to depart, he could only try his luck. He didn’t expect that he was actually allowed on the ship.
Ling Qingyu was shocked speechless. A silver and two coppers. He was quite daring!
“Yan San, I thought of something you can do.” Ling Qingyu looked at Ye Shiyi, then the waves at the coastline. Yesterday, Zheng Xi and she swam over to check it out. There really was a divide. On one side was the shallow sea; but across an invisible barrier was the bottomless ocean with great waves that dissipated at the divide. Along that line, their sight also became distorted so that the scenery further away seemed like a mirage. There also seemed to be a huge whirlpool.
“I remember reading before that it’s possible to train in the tide. It would increase your strength tremendously. How about you take Ye Shiyi over?”
Yan San looked at her and said, “Why not tell Lu Yao to take him? Lu Yao is practicing an orthodox kung fu style. Mine is used for killing people.”
“All paths become one. In the end, all kung fu are used for killing,” said Ling Qingyu softly. “I won’t ask about Lu Yao and Ye Shiyi’s situation. But since Ye Shiyi calls me sister, I have to help him a little. Besides, you are the one who is not doing anything, not Lu Yao!”
Yan San squinted his eyes. He had been paying attention to the little guy for a while. The little guy’s skeleton is quite miraculous. He really was a perfect candidate for practicing martial arts. Stealing Lu Yao’s disciple would also be quite fun. According to Ling Qingyu, they might be staying for a while, so it would be an interesting thing to do.
—
“Miss, you really want to go alone?” asked Zheng Xi again as he organized some things at the side.
“Don’t worry. I won’t go far.” Ling Qingyu put the basket Huang Jing made on her shoulder. Over the past few days, the bay had made much progress. They built a couple of cottages. And under Ling Qingyu’s instruction, there were even bathrooms and privies. In order to prevent the seawater from being contaminated, Ling Qingyu bid Zhu Weili make a simple sewage system. There were a lot of white cloths within the commodities they had on the Aeolus, so they came into good use here. Even though he complained occasionally, Zhou Tan was truly unparalleled as he showed his tailoring skills despite being a jeweler and metalsmith.
Everything was organized well. Yan San had taken Ye Shiyi into the sea to challenge the peak of martial arts. Originally, Yan San didn’t believe Ling Qingyu’s suggestion. Therefore, he sneaked into the water at night. Even though he had powerful martial arts skills, he still didn’t know how to swim. So, he held his breath and walked on the sea floor. After finding the boundary line, he realized that the power of the ocean at the bottom was something no common man could withstand. It was perfect for practicing inner strength. This reignited his desire to challenge the higher realms.
Ling Qingyu felt bored. In terms of planning, Zhu Weili was much more proficient than her. The laborious shipbuilding work was also not something she could do. She also wanted to keep her life instead of challenging the tide with Yan San, Lu Yao and Ye Shiyi. Thinking back and forth, she was still drawn to the mountain full of treasures. So, Huang Jing made her a basket. Bringing two sets of clothes that Zhou Tan made, she was ready to climb the mountain.
“I have to ask. Boss, are you sure you recognize them?” Shi Fang described a variety of medical herbs in detail. Even though the bay had many rare herbs, it was still incomparable to what they saw in the forest. When he heard that Ling Qingyu planned to go hiking, he was the first to agree. Then, he continuously spoke to her about which ones she should pick and bring back.
“I know! Don’t worry. When you guys had left me before, I was still able to find all of you. Nothing bad will happen!” Ling Qingyu finished her preparations and smiled at the crowd of men facing her with worry.
