The vast expanse of the azure sea stretched out as far as the eye could see. Seabirds soared up and down in the sky.
Qing Xuan took a light leap, seizing one of the seabirds. It was his first time on a boat, and he was extremely excited.
He stared at the seabird, and the seabird, with its beady black eyes, curiously stared back at him.
"Hey?" Qing Xuan couldn't help but stroke its wings. Suddenly, inattentive for a moment, the seabird flapped its wings and flew away. He didn't dare to use too much force for fear of hurting it, so he could only watch helplessly as it flew away, leaving a few feathers on the deck.
"Hey, don't go..."
Ji Yunxi stood on the ship's deck. The gentle sea breeze blew, making her sleeves flutter like a dancing butterfly. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, fluttering in the wind. Seeing Qing Xuan's frustrated expression after losing the seabird, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yun Luotian sighed and whispered under her breath, "She's laughing like a fool."
"What did you say?" Qing Xuan had sharp ears and immediately flew into a rage.
Yun Luotian quickly rolled away, dodging backwards, "Nothing! You must have misheard!"
"You're asking for a beating!"
Yun Hui watched the two of them playing and bickering, and helplessly shook his head. Seeing Ji Yunxi beside him, he took a few steps forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with her. "Senior Sister, I have something I'd like to ask you."
Ji Yunxi lowered her eyes, her fists clenched tightly in her sleeves. "You're probably asking about Feng Xingzhi, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm really curious." Yun Hui recalled that during their great battle with Jiang Yaoji, Ji Yunxi's emotions seemed a bit off, especially when she saw Feng Xingzhi. Her attitude was rather ambiguous.
"Logically speaking, he was in the upper realm back then. Now that we've all scattered, and you, Senior Sister, have even fallen into reincarnation. How come it seems like you're very familiar with him?"
Ji Yunxi looked out at the sea. "You're right. There's more to our story than just what happened in the upper realm."
She calmly recounted her past with Feng Xingzhi. From beginning to end, her tone remained flat, and her expression barely changed. Only at the very end did her eyes unknowingly turn red.
After listening, Yun Hui couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. He was deeply shocked by their experiences and couldn't calm down for a long time.
"Senior Sister, don't worry. Everything will be fine once we defeat Jiang Yaoji."
She didn't answer, but simply nodded slightly. However, her heart was in turmoil.
The ship continued to sail on the sea. At this moment, the sun was setting in the west. The fiery red sun gradually sank below the horizon, and one by one, the stars emerged. The night sky was finally upon them.
The ship continued to move forward. Suddenly, a thick mist rose on the sea. The helmsman frowned tightly. Looking at the vast expanse of white, he unconsciously slowed down the ship.
Seeing this situation, everyone stood guard, spreading out to observe their surroundings.
The deeper they went, the thicker the mist became. They couldn't see anything in the vast expanse of white. Finally, the helmsman stopped the ship.
Ji Yunxi walked up to him and asked, "Why did you stop?"
The helmsman looked solemn. "We probably won't be able to move for a while. It's completely impossible to see clearly. There are numerous hidden reefs below. It's very easy to hit a reef and capsize the ship."
Ji Yunxi nodded and told everyone to rest where they were.
Everyone was a bit disappointed. There was nothing to do on the ship, and they were all bored, looking rather listless.
Seeing that the atmosphere was rather dull, Yun Hui took the initiative to suggest, "Since we've stopped, I'll go into the sea to catch a few fish for everyone to roast and eat."
Hearing this, Qing Xuan excitedly stood up. "Great! I want to go too."
Ji Yunxi wanted to stop them. "It's better not to go. The helmsman said there are many hidden reefs here, and we're very close to the northern region. The sea water is very cold."
Qing Xuan immediately said, "Master, it's okay. I've never caught fish before."
Yun Hui also chimed in beside him. "Anyway, there's nothing to do now, and it looks like this mist won't disperse for a while. It'll be a good way to pass the time."
Helpless, Ji Yunxi had no choice but to agree. "The temperature in the northern region is very cold. There are many thousand - year - old mysterious ice formations underground, which makes the temperature in the surrounding areas quite low. Although the cold emitted by the mysterious ice can be resisted with magic, its effect doesn't last long. You should be careful not to stay in the sea for too long."
"Got it."
Ji Yunxi took out two blankets and threw one to Yun Luotian. Yun Luotian caught it smoothly.
The two of them wrapped themselves in the blankets and nestled on the deck, chatting. However, they waited for a long time, but there was still no sign of Yun Hui and Qing Xuan.
Yun Luotian asked worriedly, "Senior Sister, why have they been gone for so long? Nothing bad has happened to them, right?"
Ji Yunxi glanced at the helmsman. He seemed to have disappeared without a trace. "I don't know."
Yun Luotian stood up and walked to the edge of the ship, looking out at the sea. Unfortunately, the mist was too thick, and she couldn't see anything. "How about I go down and take a look?"
Ji Yunxi grabbed her arm. "No. Wait a bit longer. The sea water is too cold. Don't go down for now!"
The two of them turned around to go back. Suddenly, Ji Yunxi heard the sound of surging waves. She thought it was Yun Hui and Qing Xuan coming back, so she stopped in her tracks.
Yun Luotian also noticed her movement and looked at her curiously. "Senior Sister, what's wrong?"
Ji Yunxi shook her head. "It's nothing. Did you hear the sound of the waves?"
Yun Luotian looked puzzled. "I didn't hear anything. Is it Senior Brother Yun Hui and Qing Xuan?"
Ji Yunxi sat down by the edge of the ship. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just too tired these days. I must have misheard."
So they continued to sit and chat. However, Ji Yunxi was a bit absent - minded. She felt that she couldn't have misheard just now.
She was constantly on guard, and suddenly noticed that there were some water stains on the ship's deck, which extended all the way into the cabin.
Ji Yunxi looked at the water stains, filled with confusion.
"Ah!!!" Not long after, a shrill scream came from the cabin.
Yun Luotian was startled.
Ji Yunxi immediately stood up and ran towards the cabin. Yun Luotian quickly followed!
As soon as they entered the cabin, they saw a string of wet footprints. Yun Luotian whispered in Ji Yunxi's ear, "Senior Sister, these don't look like human footprints. They look more like those of some kind of fish."
Ji Yunxi nodded, signaling her to be careful.
After walking a few more steps, a figure suddenly rushed out from the darkness of the cabin and pounced on Ji Yunxi.
Ji Yunxi deftly dodged to the side, avoiding the attack. She summoned her sword and flipped her wrist, hitting the figure on the back.
Although the sword wasn't drawn from its scabbard, she used a great deal of force. The figure winced in pain. Enraged, it reached out to grab Ji Yunxi's neck. Ji Yunxi kicked it away with one foot. The figure knelt on one knee on the ground, but there were no visible injuries on its body.
"Wow, Senior Sister, it's not human!" Yun Luotian exclaimed after clearly seeing the figure that Ji Yunxi had kicked away. "Well... no, mermaids should probably be considered human, right?"
The mermaid in front of them was covered in scales all over its body. Although it had taken a heavy blow from Ji Yunxi, there were no particularly obvious injuries.
Ji Yunxi was also extremely surprised. She never expected to encounter a mermaid here!
The mermaid was also startled at this moment and looked at Ji Yunxi and Yun Luotian warily.