Wu Tianzhen and Fatty were on deck watching the sunrise.
As the sky broke open, a sliver of dawn peeked out where the sea met the sky. The deep, dark sea surface instantly gained a hint of white. This white spread slowly, yet rapidly, soon engulfing their vessel.
Daylight had arrived.
At this moment, soft footsteps approached, and Zhang Qiling emerged from the cockpit.
"Xiao Ge!" Wu Tianzhen’s face lit up with an almost dog-like enthusiasm. He was about to rush forward when he suddenly noticed that Zhang Qiling’s state seemed somewhat off.
...After bandaging them, Zhang Qiling’s mood had improved significantly. Yet now, looking at him, he seemed even more distressed.
Wu Tianzhen wasn't sure if his feeling was correct, as Zhang Qiling always maintained that same faint expression, unchanging.
Suddenly, Zhang Qiling looked up. Wu Tianzhen immediately plastered a smile back on his face, but before he could speak, Zhang Qiling had already averted his gaze.
He left, without saying a word to them.
"Tianzhen, what's going on?" Fatty had also witnessed the scene. In fact, his expression and thoughts had mirrored Wu Tianzhen's, and now he was equally perplexed.
"I don't know."
Wu Tianzhen replied dejectedly, raising his hand to look at the neatly applied bandages. Was Xiao Ge still displeased about their injuries?
...No, Xiao Ge wouldn't ignore them for such a reason. Something else must have happened!!
Just then, Hei Yanjing ambled out from the cabin.
In an instant, Wu Tianzhen understood the root of the problem—
"Hei Yanjing!" he shouted abruptly, his face a mask of serious suspicion. "What did you just say to Xiao Ge?"
...
Hei Yanjing didn't answer, merely turned his head to give him a steady look and slowly walked over.
He still wore that roguish smile, but the atmosphere around him made Wu Tianzhen involuntarily tense up.
...It felt too heavy, but why?
"Even if this Hei Grandpa is showing great kindness~" Hei Yanjing faced the direction of the rising sun, but the light beam reflected on his sunglasses showed a hint of coldness.
"Don't invest too much emotion in that mute."
"Wh—"
"What do you mean, 'not you'?" Fatty couldn't stand it and stepped forward to question him. But just as he was about to let Hei Yanjing experience his argumentative skills honed over years of market squabbles, Wu Tianzhen suddenly stopped him.
When Wu Tianzhen looked up, his gaze had turned resolute:
"You know something, don't you? Tell me."
He no longer possessed that innocent demeanor; there was a hidden ferocity in his eyes.
Hei Yanjing chuckled. When he had previously reconstructed the cause and effect of the fire on the ship, he had been somewhat puzzled, not understanding how the 'little dog' Wu Tianzhen could have done such a thing. But now, seeing this seemingly gentle and scholarly fellow clearly had two faces, and his second face hadn't fully revealed itself.
If anything, this Wu Tianzhen had piqued his interest. He finally began to seriously consider the feasibility of the request the mute had just made.
Although he had always adhered to the principle of not forming deep interpersonal relationships, wandering through the ever-changing world for so long, he couldn't help but feel bored.
...Finding a disciple to play with, it wasn't impossible?
Wu Tianzhen's questions about Zhang Qiling had piled up like mountains. He had finally found a breakthrough, but this Hei Yanjing was just standing there smiling without saying a word. He was so anxious he almost wanted to jump up and smash his dog-like head!
Though he thought this, the gap in their martial prowess forced Wu Tianzhen to calm down and maintain his politeness.
At this moment, the ship suddenly vibrated violently!
As if disturbed by the sunlight, the colossal whale broke free from its stillness and began to surface again!
But this ascent was extremely rapid. In just a few seconds, the entire whale island had completely emerged from the water!!
The azure palace complexes, which had likely slumbered in the seawater for an unknown duration, were starkly exposed to the air. The white "coral" parasites that were still exposed to the sun instantly shriveled and dried, turning to ash as if baked.
"Buzz—"
A long, continuous hum, seemingly conveying an ancient inquiry, rippled outwards in circles around the whale island, causing the distant ships to sway unsteadily.
And there, beneath the sunlight, atop the towering spire, the two gilded characters finally became clearly visible—
(Yingzhou)
"...This is Yingzhou." Wu Tianzhen had never seen underwater palaces before. Now, seeing these azure palace complexes shimmering in the sunlight, he couldn't help but feel the faint aura of immortality surrounding them.
Amidst the misty clouds over the morning sea, these palaces truly resembled an island in the sea, a place of immortals. It was no wonder that ancient people who stumbled upon it regarded it as a place connected to the heavens, a path to ascension.
"Blind."
Zhang Qiling's voice echoed from below the ship.
Their boat was currently docked in the waters surrounding the whale island. Zhang Qiling had disembarked and boarded the island at some point. Looking up, he saw Hei Yanjing, who was gathered with Wu Tianzhen and Fatty.
"Coming, coming—" Hei Yanjing waved casually at Wu Tianzhen without looking back. With one hand propping himself on the ship's edge, he leaped up like a bird, jumping directly from the deck with almost no pause. He landed without even making a significant sound.
This action instantly reminded Fatty and Wu Tianzhen of the scene when Xiao Ge leaped from the coffin cave into Snowman Peak in Cangshan. The agility was exactly the same.
Though their personalities were vastly different, these two shared the same formidable skills, the same mysterious past, and the same solitary aura.
...It was as if they could see the same scenery, a world they would never be able to see.
"Hey, why did he leave without saying anything?!" Fatty grumbled indignantly.
But Wu Tianzhen was unusually calm now.
"He won't say anything," Hei Yanjing wasn't the type to speak carelessly behind Xiao Ge's back, even though he seemed unreliable.
"But I absolutely won't listen to him!"
"I don't know Xiao Ge's identity, nor do I know what secrets lie between them."
"But I know that Xiao Ge is my friend."
"That's the spirit!" Fatty slapped him on the back. "This Fatty Grandpa admires your spirit, Tianzhen!"
This praise made Wu Tianzhen a little embarrassed. He lowered his head and suddenly saw Zhang Qiling, who was talking with Hei Yanjing, casually glance in their direction.
...Xiao Ge was waiting for them.
This realization made him happy again.
"Fatty, let's go down quickly! Don't keep Xiao Ge waiting!"
"You got it~"