The children watched their father walk away and were about to cry and fuss again.
A Zi hugged them. "Stop crying. As long as you're obedient, Father will come back soon."
The cries were getting farther and farther away, which also meant they were getting farther from home.
Yun Hui wasn't overly sad. He pulled over a fishing boat and took the three of them on board, heading towards the place where Qing Xuan had detected the gathering spiritual energy.
Seeing Yun Hui silent, Ji Yun Xi stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Yun Hui, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Please go ahead, Senior Sister."
"I'm thinking, should we send your wife and children to a safe place first?" Ji Yun Xi had been pondering this question. She was afraid of making decisions on her own and overstepping her bounds.
Yun Hui didn't expect her to be so considerate. "I don't have any objections, but I'm afraid A Zi and the others won't be willing."
Ji Yun Xi nodded. That made sense. After all, with her husband away and having to suddenly leave the home they'd lived in for over a decade, anyone would be reluctant.
"We'll ask them later. Since Jiang Yao Ji has already come after you, I'm afraid A Zi and the others won't be able to hide for long. If they're captured by Jiang Yao Ji and her people, it'll only make things worse for you."
Ji Yun Xi naturally liked A Zi, her junior sister - in - law. But the current situation was different, and they could only endure the pain of separation.
"Senior Sister, look ahead." The boat stopped, and Yun Hui pointed to several boats in the distance for Ji Yun Xi to see.
She leaned over and saw several boats with quite a few people on them. "It seems this is the place Jiang Yao Ji is looking for."
"We can't get too close."
Yun Luo Tian was curious. They were so far away that they couldn't even tell how many people were on the boats. "Senior Brother, let's get a bit closer. Otherwise, we can't see anything."
Yun Hui shook his head and reached out to touch the water. "No. There's probably a huge whirlpool ahead."
Ji Yun Xi knew that since he used to make a living by fishing, he was very familiar with the abnormalities of the sea, so what he said must be right.
"Yun Hui, if we can't get closer, what should we do?"
"If we get any closer, we may not only be unable to escape the whirlpool but also be noticed by them."
Suddenly, he had an idea. "I know there's a reef area on the edge of this whirlpool. Let's go there first. It's not only a good place to hide but also allows us to strike by surprise."
Their small boat slowly moved along the edge and finally reached the reef area Yun Hui had mentioned.
Perhaps this place was very hidden. Only two people from the Moon - Gazing Pavilion were standing between the reefs on guard.
Qing Xuan flew up and looked down from above. He saw a huge whirlpool writhing wantonly on the sea surface. He was startled and quickly returned to his master. "Master, there's a huge whirlpool there."
Ji Yun Xi guessed. "I'm afraid this whirlpool is the entrance to the bottom of the sea."
"What should we do next?" Qing Xuan was puzzled.
Ji Yun Xi didn't answer him. Instead, in front of everyone, she quietly went around behind the guards and easily knocked them out.
"Don't just stand there. Come and change into the guards' clothes. When Jiang Yao Ji and the others come out, we'll seize the Nine - Heavens Crimson Cloud Iron when they least expect it."
This was a good plan. Ji Yun Xi knew Jiang Yao Ji's personality well. She knew that Jiang Yao Ji would make full preparations before doing anything. Even if there was no Nine - Heavens Crimson Cloud Iron, the things down there would be of great use to Jiang Yao Ji.
Yun Hui walked around and looked. Suddenly, he said, "Perhaps there's something under this whirlpool?"
Ji Yun Xi had the same thought as him. She raised her hand to form a light dot and quietly injected her spiritual power into the water. It followed the current and got into the whirlpool.
In a short time, countless water droplets emerged from the center of the current at the bottom of the whirlpool. Streams of white bubbles then floated on the whirlpool and turned into a mist that spread around.
She knew there was a formation under the whirlpool.
"You all go and check. There's a formation down there." Ji Yun Xi's eyes were sharp.
The other three without hesitation also injected their spiritual power into the water. Soon they figured out the range of the formation.
"Senior Sister, this formation is so big. It not only covers the entire whirlpool but also extends quite a bit!" Yun Luo Tian withdrew his spiritual power and felt a bit nervous.
Ji Yun Xi thought for a moment. "We'll act when Jiang Yao Ji comes out. Now that we've found out its location, we should stay away from the formation. It doesn't matter much about other things, but we mustn't get trapped in it."
"Yes."
The group planned to retreat further and ambush on the way Jiang Yao Ji and the others would take back.
Just as they were about to leave, Yun Hui suddenly saw the unconscious guards.
"Wait." He stopped the others.
"Senior Sister, I have an idea. How about Qing Xuan and I disguise ourselves as the guards and follow them?"
"You two?" Ji Yun Xi didn't want them to take risks and instinctively wanted to refuse. "No. What if you're discovered?"
Yun Hui said, "Senior Sister, don't worry. We're both men and our figures are quite similar, so it's not easy to be recognized."
Ji Yun Xi clenched her hands. If she let them go, their safety was uncertain. If she didn't, they might miss a good opportunity. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided it was worth a try.
Yun Hui and Qing Xuan quickly took off the guards' clothes, while Ji Yun Xi and Yun Luo Tian turned their backs and said nothing.
"Hey, this inner garment!"
"Don't be in a hurry!" The two whispered at each other in a low voice.
After they were dressed up, Ji Yun Xi and Yun Luo Tian took the guards' bodies and hid behind the nearby reefs.
Yun Hui and Qing Xuan replaced the two guards and stood quietly at the entrance.
They waited for a long time. It was almost dark when Jiang Yao Ji and the others slowly emerged from the water.
They didn't look very glamorous. Logically, after getting the treasure, Jiang Yao Ji should be happy, but it seemed not.
Jiang Yao Ji was furious, and Jiang Yin was muttering. "That damned guardian beast. We tried to persuade it nicely, but it was so ungrateful. We should have killed it as soon as we went in!"
Feng Xing Zhi heard this clearly and glared at Jiang Yin with dissatisfaction. "We've already got the thing. It's useless to say more. Let's go."
Hearing his voice, Ji Yun Xi peeked through the reefs. She saw that Feng Xing Zhi's favorite white clothes were dirty, and his eyes were cold.
Qing Xuan whispered, "Just as I thought. The number of people I saw yesterday has decreased a lot. I'm afraid they've lost more than half of their people."
Ji Yun Xi quickly told Yun Luo Tian this news. "Just now Qing Xuan told me that they've probably lost more than half of their people this time. So our chance has come."
"What does Master mean?"
"They're injured. If we strike now, in their current situation, they have no chance of recovering. For us, this is a fortunate thing."