The General Who Only Knows How to Spoil His Beloved and Write Stories 18

Chapter 18: A Brush with Death

According to the old folks in Yinshui City, the sea pirates had a small island in the South Sea that served as their lair and base. When they weren’t plundering coastal cities, they were usually active in the South Sea area.

The ships from Langxuan sailed from Yinshui Port all the way to the South Sea. They had been at sea for three days. At first, everyone found it novel, but after three days of looking at the unchanging vast sea and azure sky, it became tedious.

There was a particularly delicious fish in the South Sea area. It had no name, but its body was yellow and white, so everyone tentatively called it “yellow fish.” Most of the people on the ship knew martial arts, so catching fish was fast and convenient. Even those who didn’t could just row a small wooden boat or a zengmeng¹ to catch them.

[Translator’s Note:

1. Zengmeng : A type of small, light boat or sampan, often used for fishing or short-distance travel on rivers and lakes.]

When Qi Xiao had free time, he would also catch some to eat with Fu Yunzhi. The two of them would set up a small grill in a deserted corner of the stern, roast fish, and watch the sky.

At this moment, they were sitting on the edge of the ship, leaning against the railing, waiting for the fish to cook.

The plump fish sizzled. Qi Xiao took it off the grill and tore off a piece of white meat for Fu Yunzhi.

“What are you looking at?” Seeing Fu Yunzhi staring at the sky, Qi Xiao couldn’t help but look up as well. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, and he squinted his eyes.

“There might be a storm tonight,” Fu Yunzhi said.

“No way,” Qi Xiao said. “The sun looks pretty fierce to me.”

Fu Yunzhi shrugged.

Fu Yunzhi is knowledgeable and has some understanding of fortune-telling and weather prediction. I should probably listen to him, Qi Xiao thought.

“You eat slowly, then. I’ll go and inform the others to prepare.”

Fu Yunzhi nodded and continued to nibble on the remaining fish. He had to admit, this yellow fish was truly fragrant, soft, and tender, with a sweet juice that burst out with every bite.

After Fu Yunzhi finished all the fish, he looked up at the sky again and saw that the sun had been obscured by clouds.

Rumble—Rumble—

Muffled thunder echoed around them. The weather at sea changed in an instant. A moment ago, it was a clear sky, but now it was filled with lightning and thunder, dark clouds pressing down. The rolling waves were also getting bigger.

A drop of water landed on Fu Yunzhi’s nose. This is bad, he thought. It’s starting to rain, which means the storm isn’t far behind!

Without even packing up the grill, Fu Yunzhi hurried back to the cabin.

The raindrops grew from small to large, from few to many, gradually becoming a downpour. Before Fu Yunzhi could even get back to the cabin, he was knocked to the deck by the fierce wind and rain.

“Yunzhi!” Duanmu Ling rushed over and helped him up.

Although the wind and rain were violent, it wasn’t impossible to walk. Just as the two were about to move forward, they heard a strange sound behind them…

Fu Yunzhi spun around and saw that five or six unidentified creatures had appeared on the deck.

The creatures had flat, wide bodies, like a fan, and were covered in slippery, thorny barbs. They had no feet and could only move by wriggling their bodies, which looked very disgusting.

“When we were in Yinshui City, an old fisherman described the sea monsters to me,” Duanmu Ling said. “These… are probably them.”

Fu Yunzhi frowned. “They move very fast.”

Duanmu Ling gave him a push. “You go find someone to help! I’ll stay here and prevent them from entering the cabin!”

“Leave you here alone?”

“It’s just a few fish, isn’t it? I can handle it. Hurry up and go!”

With that, Duanmu Ling drew his sword and charged forward. The barbs on the sea monster fish were highly venomous, so he was very cautious.

Fu Yunzhi glanced at the sky, then at Duanmu Ling. Finally, he gritted his teeth and rushed into the cabin to find Qi Xiao.

He couldn’t find Qi Xiao, but he ran into Qi Shaoling, who was out looking for Duanmu Ling. After telling someone to inform Qi Xiao to bring some men to the deck, the two of them hurried back. When they returned to the deck, they saw that the number of sea monster fish had increased. It seemed they had been washed up by the waves, or perhaps they were also afraid of the storm and had all rushed onto the ship.

Qi Shaoling charged forward to help. Fu Yunzhi also shouted, “Come back, you two! Qi Xiao is already on his way with men!”

Although he trusted their martial arts, fighting in such bad weather was not ideal. The storm was about to hit, the ship was rocking violently, and the rain was heavy. It was difficult to even see clearly, let alone control their movements.

“Go back,” Qi Shaoley said.

Duanmu Ling nodded. He didn’t linger in the fight and, with Qi Shaoling’s support, they slowly retreated.

The sea monsters continued to pursue them relentlessly, wriggling towards them, their mouths, also lined with barbs, open.

One of them lunged at Qi Shaoling’s back. He turned and swung his sword. However, before the blade could even get close to the sea monster, the ship rocked violently. Qi Shaoling slipped, lost his balance, and leaned backward. Just as his back was about to touch the dense barbs on the sea monster, Duanmu Ling gritted his teeth and used all his strength to pull him back.

Qi Shaoling was steady on his feet, but Duanmu Ling was pushed towards the sea monster fish by the recoil.

The barbs of the sea monster fish grew larger and larger in his vision. Duanmu Ling quickly stretched out a hand to brace himself against the fish’s back.

A sharp pain and a chilling sensation shot through his palm. He knew he was probably poisoned, but it was better than his entire body falling onto the barbs. If that had happened, he would likely have lost his life.

“Duanmu Ling!”

Qi Shaoling’s eyes turned red. He pulled Duanmu Ling into his arms, and with a swing of his sword, he killed the sea monster fish that had tried to attack them.

The wind and rain brought a biting chill. Qi Shaoling took a deep breath, leaned against the railing, and tore off his sleeve to tie it around Duanmu Ling’s arm, preventing the poison from spreading.

Fu Yunzhi watched from the side, his heart pounding with fear. When he saw Qi Xiao and Shen Linye coming from the cabin with some Jianghu people and the Qi family army, his voice was strained. “Duanmu Ling is injured!”

Qi Xiao put an arm around Fu Yunzhi’s shoulder. “It’s alright, we’re here.”

“The storm is coming soon,” Shen Linye shouted. “Let’s finish this quickly!”

The sea monster fish were killed one by one. Qi Xiao and Fu Yunzhi helped Qi Shaoling carry the unconscious Duanmu Ling back to his room.

Only after entering the room did they realize how cold it was outside. Without even having time to change, Qi Xiao and Fu Yunzhi quickly summoned a physician.

The physician was a calm, middle-aged man. He took Duanmu Ling’s pulse and, after a brief observation, said, “He was poisoned by a sea monster fish in his left hand. Fortunately, the poison hasn’t spread to his heart, so it’s not fatal. You don’t need to worry. However…”

“However what?”

“For the next few days, Young Master Duanmu will not be able to use his left hand. Also, the sea monster fish’s poison is extremely cold. Until the residual poison is completely cleared, he will likely feel cold and uncomfortable often.”

Qi Shaoling breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was all temporary. Once he got through it, there would be no major problems.

“I will write a prescription,” the physician continued. “You should give Young Master Duanmu the medicine according to the prescription every day. I will also come regularly these next few days to administer acupuncture to clear the poison.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” Qi Shaoling nodded.

Seeing that everything was fine, Qi Xiao and Fu Yunzhi left. After leaving the room, Fu Yunzhi was immediately hit by a blast of cold air and sneezed.

“Let’s go back to my room,” Qi Xiao said. “It’s closer. We need to change out of these wet clothes as soon as possible.”

Fu Yunzhi nodded.

There were no clothes for Fu Yunzhi in Qi Xiao’s room, so he had to temporarily put on Qi Xiao’s outer robe.

Seeing Fu Yunzhi take his clothes and walk behind the screen, Qi Xiao’s mind began to wander.

This is… this is a boyfriend shirt, right?

Qi Xiao swallowed hard.

Before long, Fu Yunzhi emerged from behind the screen, wearing the ill-fitting robe. The white robe hung loosely on his slender frame, the sleeves too long to see his hands, and a sliver of skin was exposed at his chest.

Holy. Mother. Of. God!

Qi Xiao averted his gaze. “Get into bed. The storm has already started.”

The ship was large, and staying in the cabin, apart from the more violent rocking, they were not greatly affected. Lying in bed, Fu Yunzhi asked, “Will Duanmu Ling be alright? Do we need to go over and help?”

“Shaoling is there, so nothing will go wrong,” Qi Xiao said. “If we go out and something else happens, we’ll just be causing more trouble. As for the deck, Alliance Chief Shen and Cult Leader Mu’s room is the closest to the outside. He’ll keep an eye on it.”

“Speaking of which,” Fu Yunzhi said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the legendary Mu Linglong.”

Qi Xiao thought for a moment. “I haven’t either. Why don’t we go take a peek tomorrow?”

Fu Yunzhi smiled. “Take a peek? Wouldn’t that make us look like lechers?”

“You don’t understand,” Qi Xiao said seriously. “If we go take a peek, we might be able to see some of the indescribable things between Alliance Chief Shen and Cult Leader Mu.”

“You…”

Fu Yunzhi smiled helplessly. Ever since he and Qi Xiao had had their “frank and honest” exchange and had even discussed the plot of his storybook, this person had been acting like a dead pig that wasn’t afraid of boiling water, completely without shame.

Seeing that Fu Yunzhi’s constantly furrowed brow had finally relaxed, Qi Xiao also felt relieved and stopped talking.

I feel like Yunzhi and I have been getting closer and closer lately. Staying so harmoniously in the same room like this, chatting a bit before bed, how wonderful…

In the other room, however, the atmosphere was not so warm. Qi Shaoling sat by the bed, watching Duanmu Ling intently, afraid that something might happen to him.

“Cold…”

Duanmu Ling muttered softly, hugging the quilt tighter. Qi Shaoling leaned in closer and saw that he seemed to be trembling slightly.

The rain outside grew heavier, and the window was blown open by a fierce gust of wind. Duanmu Ling shivered unconsciously. Qi Shaoling couldn’t bear to watch any longer and pulled him, quilt and all, into his arms. Perhaps feeling the warmth, Duanmu Ling couldn’t help but lean closer to him, the two of them embracing almost seamlessly.

Qi Shaoling calmed his emotions and began to practice his internal energy. A warm true qi enveloped the two of them, and Duanmu Ling finally relaxed, falling back into a deep sleep.

Without Duanmu Ling’s voice, the room was very quiet. Qi Shaoling felt that his life had always been this quiet, but now, he was suddenly not used to it.

Counting the days, he and Duanmu Ling had been together for nearly half a month. During this time, Duanmu Ling had seemed to be constantly clinging to him, pestering him to share a room, and chattering endlessly in his ear.

Qi Shaoling’s memory lingered on the deck, in the wind and rain. Duanmu Ling, with a panicked expression, had pulled him back, completely disregarding his own safety. In his eyes, there was only him…

Qi Shaoling sighed and couldn’t help but tighten his arms. He couldn’t understand what the person in his arms was thinking, nor could he understand his own feelings.