As the ship started spinning around violently, the people onboard already began to lose hope. Although there was no lack of mighty figures on board, they were in the middle of the sea after all. If their ship sank, perhaps as a result of encountering a powerful Heavenly Beast, even a Heavenly King would not be able to fly all the way back to land with his cultivation strength without stopping to rest.
However, after their ship stabilized from all the vigorous spinning, the giant turtle stopped delivering its attacks.
W-What happened? Why did that giant turtle stop attacking? When everyone was still trying to figure out what had happened, they heard a cry for help coming from the ocean.
The leader of the large ship was an old man dressed in a grey coat. He looked like he was in his 70s or 80s. He was the one who had cast the protective shield over the ship. If it wasn't for him, the ship would probably have sunk.
A dozen Heavenly Jewel Masters stood beside him, and the moment they heard the sudden call for help, the old man waved his hand and ordered, "Go have a look!"
Immediately, someone went to the side of the ship and looked toward the sea. Two figures could be seen flailing in the water, and they looked like they wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
"Master Gu Yu, there are two people in the sea. It seems like they won't be able to hold on for much longer," the sailor quickly reported.
The old man dressed in a grey coat whose name was Master Gu Yu frowned slightly. "Two people? How can there possibly be two humans in the middle of the sea? Save them first!" As he said that, he led the group of Heavenly Jewel Masters to the side of the ship as they looked into the sea.
At first, he was still somewhat worried that they would encounter enemies at sea, but the moment he saw Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, the tension in his face vanished.
The reason was because he could guess their ages at a glance. Most Heavenly Jewel Masters had their ages and cultivation bases intricately tied together. The two of them looked like they were in their twenties. Even if they were both Heavenly Jewel Masters, how strong could they be anyway? He immediately waved his hand and ordered his crew to rescue the two of them with a rope.
Zhou Weiqing's and Bing'er's bodies could not help but tremble when they stood on the deck. It looked like a sign of frailty to the people on the ship. This was made more apparent since the duo had used their Heavenly Energy to make themselves look paler. However, in truth, both of them were feeling touched! Even though they were still on a ship, being able to step on solid ground felt wonderful.
Zhou Weiqing immediately sat on the floor as he exclaimed sincerely, "Finally, we're saved! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The gray-dressed elder looked at them skeptically before he asked, "Hello there young friends, where do you hail from? How did you get stranded in the middle of the sea?"
Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er had already discussed this beforehand, so without any hesitation, Zhou Weiqing smiled wryly as he said, "My wife and I came out to the sea to hunt for Heavenly Beasts, but unfortunately, we came across a Dreadfiend Sea Naga. Even though our ship was merely hit by the waves that the Dreadfiend Sea Naga stirred up, the ship was immediately destroyed. The two of us have been floating in the sea ever since. It's fortunate that we are both Heavenly Jewel Masters, so we're much stronger than most people. Otherwise, I believe we wouldn't have been able to last that long. Once again, thank you very much for saving our lives."
There was a twinkle in the old man's eyes. "Both of you are Heavenly Jewel Masters too?" At the moment, he was the only one whose eyes remained relatively calm. The moment everyone around him heard the words 'Dreadfiend Sea Naga', each and every one of them went pale at once. After all, the Dreadfiend Sea Naga was like a god in the ocean. Encountering it would be no different from encountering Death itself.
Nodding his head, Zhou Weiqing replied, "Yes! My wife and I are both Heavenly Jewel Masters, but we've used up too much of our Heavenly Energy, so we can't prove it to you now. Please may you take us back to the mainland? I give you my word that we'll definitely reward you!"
As Zhou Weiqing spoke, he observed the people around him too. The old man seemed ordinary, but his eyes radiated vigor. His Heavenly Energy was converged, and he was no doubt a Heavenly King Master. It was no wonder they dared to journey so far out into the sea, they an expert at that level presiding over them.
Other than the old man, there were five middle-aged men whose Cultivation Bases were in no way weak. They were at least at the Seventh Jewel realm. The remaining seven or eight Heavenly Jewel Masters consisted of both young men and women. They looked at Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er mostly out of curiosity, and in general, they were not hostile at all. It seemed that they were quite decent people.
Then again, this was just a simple conclusion he made from their appearance. While Zhou Weiqing was observing them, the crew was observing him as well. The sincere gratitude glowing in Zhou Weiqing's and Shangguan Bing'er's eyes gradually lowered their guards.
Of course, Zhou Weiqing was not putting on a facade at all. He was really feeling grateful! After all, being able to talk to another living person again was such a wonderful feeling. He was close to tears after seeing people again after being out at sea for so long. He had only lasted this long thanks to his strong spirit. Had it been some other person who was in his shoes, they would probably not have been able to last for more than ten days.
The old man slowly walked to Zhou Weiqing and extended a skinny hand to him. He was stunned by the gesture, but he immediately understood the old man's intention. Zhou Weiqing extended his hand as well and let the old man hold his wrist.
A rich and strong Heavenly Energy suddenly flowed from the old man's hand into Zhou Weiqing's body, causing his body to tremble ever so slightly. Soon, the look of gratitude on his face became even more pronounced.
Zhou Weiqing was protected by the Saint Energy. In addition, he had the ring that Tang Xian had given him. It was more than enough for him to conceal his own strength. Unless there was a fight, even a Heavenly Emperor would not be able to identify his true strength if Zhou Weiqing really wanted to conceal it, let alone a Heavenly King.
After a brief examination, a look of surprise appeared on the old man's face. "Young lad! What a good cultivation base you have! You're so young but you're already at the Fifth Jewel Stage! What a limitless future you have ahead of you. It's fated that we met, and since we've rescued you, you might as well stay with us for now. Someone give this couple a cabin and some food. We'll talk after you two have settled down."
"Yes!" Instantly, a sailor came forward and led Bing'er and Zhou Weiqing, who barely managed to stand up. They walked into the ship with wobbly feet and their arms around each other.
When they had disappeared into the ship, a middle-aged man standing to Master Gu Yu's side whispered, "Master, did you find anything suspicious about them?"
Shaking his head, Gu Yu replied, "The young man's cultivation technique is just an orthodox method, and his cultivation base is quite good. Besides, even if somebody wanted to harm me, they wouldn't send someone all the way out here just to do that. I think it's pure coincidence that we ran into them. His cultivation base is only at the Fifth Jewel Stage, so he can't cause much of a storm even if he has malicious intentions. This time luck doesn't seem to be on our side. It's shocking that we actually came across a horrible creature like the Devilish Black Tortoise. I think we've harvested quite a lot already. Pass the order down to the captain to set sail for the mainland."
"Yes, Master."
Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er had no clue what arrangements the crew had made for them. When they arrived at the cabin prepared for them, both of them could not help but cheer aloud while hugging each other tightly.
There was no doubt that they were very close to the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. Now that they had met other humans, their loneliness had also abated. Because Zhou Weiqing had concealed his strength, he believed that the crew would not pay much attention to them as long as they lay low and behaved appropriately. Clearly, traveling to the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland on a big ship was much more comfortable than traveling there on their own. On top of that, there was no need for them to worry about the crew having malicious intentions towards the both of them.
Soon after, someone delivered food to them. There was even hot fish soup, which deepened Zhou Weiqing's liking towards them. After all, even if the drowning was just an act, the crew did save their lives in the end.
The duo lay on the bed and rested for a while. Although the cabin was spartan, the simple wood furniture was more than enough to fill their hearts with joy. Oftentimes, one would only know how to appreciate and cherish a thing after they had lost it.
The sky gradually darkened. When Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er were fast asleepsomebody knocked on their cabin door.
Zhou Weiqing woke up and opened the door. He saw a young man that he had seen earlier in the day standing outside the door. "Mister, can you and your wife follow me, please? Master Gu Yu would like to meet the both of you."
The young man was not exceptionally polite but he was not stand-offish either. Instead, there was more curiosity in his eyes when he looked at Zhou Weiqing.
Zhou Weiqing quickly responded politely. Bing'er also woke up due to the minor disturbance. After they freshened themselves up, they left the cabin.
The moment the young man saw Bing'er, who had changed into a set of clean clothes and simply made up, he immediately gawked at her, seemingly forgetting himself. His feet were nearly glued to the ground. It was only when Zhou Weiqing finally gave a small cough that he snapped out of his trance.
With a red face, the young man quickly lowered his head and shyly led the way. Zhou Weiqing secretly chuckled in his heart as he thought, 'This boy must be a young virgin! Usually, it's the virgins that fall for Bing'er's beauty the hardest.'
When Bing'er had just gotten together with Zhou Weiqing, she was already very beautiful and eye-catching. At that time, she still had an adolescent look. After three years, she had completely transformed into a truly stunning beauty. Although the three Shangguan sisters looked similar, their temperaments were completely different. Bing'er's gentleness and elegant beauty were the most alluring among the three sisters. Presently, she was wearing a long, green dress without any makeup on her face; it made her look like the rarest beauty, filled with an air of elegance. In other people's eyes, it was a real pity that she only had her sights on Zhou Weiqing. She did not even notice that the young man was looking at her.
Under the young man's lead, the two of them entered the hull of the ship.
The ship was really huge, spanning more than three hundred meters in length and over eighty meters in width. Such a gigantic ship was rare even in the Boundless Mainland. Even a storm could hardly shake it, and it could sail rather stably across the ocean, but its speed could not be compared to the Neptune Shuttle. At the very least, it could carry more than one to two people.
After they entered the hull of the ship, they continued to make their way towards the huge berth area ofthe ship.
Inside the berth area were a few table banquets that were filled with dishes Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er had never seen before. The unique and novel-looking dishes clearly could not be found in Boundless Mainland.
Master Gu Yu was sitting at the head seat by the main table, and there was a middle-aged man in his forties sitting next to him. Zhou Weiqing had not seen the man earlier, but judging from his attire, he was likely someone important. He was probably a captain or something.
There was a total of three tables. Other than the Heavenly Jewel Masters Zhou Weiqing met during the day, the rest of the people present were likely important figures on the ship.
Beckoning to Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, Master Gu Yu motioned for them to come to his table. Zhou Weiqing knew that the most crucial moment was here. These people definitely wanted to figure out his and Bing'er's origins.
When he first entered the berth area, his face was already filled with a deep sense of gratitude. After all, he was one of the best actors in the Boundless Mainland.
Holding Bing'er's hand, Zhou Weiqing walked towards Gu Yu's table and bowed respectfully. "Master."
Gu Yu nodded his head at them, gesturing for them to take a seat. The two young men sitting beside him had their eyes fixed on Bing'er. Although their gazes contained no lust, it was still strange. At this moment, Bing'er, who had changed into new clothes, was like a beautiful valley filled with flowers, outshining the beauty of the other women on the ship.
Bing'er seemed oblivious to the gazes that were trained on her. She only lowered her head slightly and leaned against Zhou Weiqing, showing everyone that she only listened to him.
As Gu Yu's gaze swept past Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, he smiled and said, "I was in a hurry when we rescued you earlier. Might I know where you're from? Can you tell us what exactly happened to you earlier? After all, I'm responsible for everyone onboard while at sea."
Gu Yu had was careful with his words, but it was apparent that he really wanted to know where the duo had come from.
Tears of sadness flowed out of Zhou Weiqing's eyes as he nodded. Even Bing'er, who knew it was all an act, could not help but be infected by the seemingly genuine sadness that came from him, let alone the people in front of him. "Master and everyone here had a hand in saving our lives. Of course I'll tell you where we come from. My wife and I come from a small family near the port of Ubaatar. We hitched a ride on a large ship—both our families have declined. It's just me and my wife. At first, we wanted to use this opportunity to hunt down some Sea Beasts and trade their Nucleus Cores for some money. It would allow us to buy some Consolidated Equipment Transformation Scrolls for ourselves. Who would've thought we would encounter an overlord of the sea like the Dreadfiend Sea Naga? We did not even have any idea just what was happening. All I heard was people shouting 'Dreadfiend Sea Naga!' and before we knew it, the ship was smashed into pieces. We were quite lucky to be swept up by the waves, and we've been drifting around in the sea ever since. If it were a few days later, we probably would have drowned. Oh, that's right, my name is Zhou Weiqing and my wife is Shangguan Bing'er. We're very grateful for the help that we received today. We'll remember this life-saving deed and hope that we can find a way to repay all of you in the future."
Other than sincerity and truth, there were no other words that could be used to describe Zhou Weiqing's account. His story perfectly matched his identity as a shipwreck survivor; at the same time, he made his and Bing'er's identities known. As for the Ubaatar port, it was actually the end destination recorded in the Neptune Shuttle's seamap. Other than that, Zhou Weiqing only knew about the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland's name. Still, it never crossed their minds that the two of them were from the Boundless Mainland. It was sufficient to gloss over the details and get away with the mere mention of a location's name.
After looking at Zhou Weiqing's miserable appearance and listening to his story, almost everyone present had a sympathetic look on their faces.
Master Gu Yu was the only one who did not even bat an eyelid. He said indifferently, "If that's the case, does that mean the both of you are unaffiliated? The two of you look like you're in your twenties. It's not easy to reach the Fifth Jewel level at your age."
Zhou Weiqing let out a deep sigh. As though he had not heard the skepticism in the elder's tone, he continued, "Although my family is poor, we still have some cultivation techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. Master, how about this? My wife and I owe our lives to you. If you're interested, I'm willing to pass my family's technique to you. It would be a token of gratitude from me and my wife."
Even if there were still any doubts remaining about the couple, their doubts completely vanished the moment this statement was made. Everyone could feel his deep sincerity.
Be it the Boundless Mainland or the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, a technique that was handed down from ancestors was extremely precious to any Heavenly Jewel Master. Since Zhou Weiqing was willing to hand over the technique he inherited, it was more than enough to prove his sincerity. This was because every technique had its own characteristics and many things could be gleaned from it. Since Zhou Weiqing was willing to expose the secrets of his most precious possession, it meant that he had completely opened himself up to all of them.
Sure enough, the moment Gu Yu heard his statement, his expression immediately softened greatly. Waving his hand, he said, "We can have an exchange when we have time. For you to cultivate to the Fifth Jewel at such a young age means that you're indeed a promising talent. I'm willing to give you a pointer or two."
Although Zhou Weiqing's had delivered a beautiful speech, Master Gu Yu obviously would not believe him so easily. He thought to himself, "Since you want to give me your technique so willingly, then I should not waste this chance to see how powerful your technique really is. The technique should be pretty good considering the fact that you managed to cultivate to the Fifth Jewel by your twenties alone."
Mind games were invisible, but they were also the most dangerous ones. One wrong step, and all decorum could be lost instantly. Zhou Weiqing could express himself so calmly because there really weren't any hidden intentions in his heart. He had no intention of harming anyone onboard. Moreover, with his cultivation base, he did not have to worry about the situation taking a turn for the worse. With the Neptune Shuttle in his hands, they could still reach the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland safely even without the ship. However, if they could reach the mainland onboard this ship, they would at least have an official identity they could use during their stay. At the same time, they could use this opportunity to investigate the situation in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. There was no doubt that it would be very helpful to him in his mission.
The meals served onboard mainly consisted of seafood. Ships of this size would only bring sufficient vegetables and fruits, as well as limited quantities of meat and grains, when out at sea. Most of their food was obtained from the sea because it was easier to ensure their supplies would suffice for a long voyage that way.
Even though the dinner was not particularly sumptuous, it was more than enough to whet Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er's appetite. Regardless who it was, having steaming hot food to eat would feel extremely blissful after eating just dry grains. This also served to further prove that they had met with a catastrophe at sea. However, Master Gu Yu did not intend to let Zhou Weiqing off just like that. He invited Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er into his cabin immediately after the meal.
Compared to Zhou Weiqing's cabin, Gu Yu's cabin was way better. His cabin alone occupied the entire upper level of the ship. Apart from being spacious, there was also some space for other activities. Standing in here allowed one to observe the situation in the sea.
Bing'er waited outside the cabin while Zhou Weiqing was brought inside. The two young men who had abnormal looks on their faces were both Gu Yu's disciples. At the moment, they were ordered to stay outside as well, and they had used the opportunity to hit on Bing'er. If it was Fei'er who was standing here, their secrets would probably have long been dug out by her. However, Bing'er was different. No matter what they said, she listened to them with a faint smile on her face and seldom spoke. It made the two young men try their best to show off. However, they managed to maintain some restraint and did not try to do anything excessive.
In less than an hour, Master Gu Yu's voice was suddenly heard from the cabin. "This is a nothing but a suicide technique! How lucky you are to be able to cultivate it to such an amazing level! What Immortal Deity Technique? It should be renamed to Suicide Deity Technique instead!"
When the door opened, a helpless-looking Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yu walked together. Apart from the stunned look on his face, the way Gu Yu looked at Zhou Weiqing changed as well.
Bing'er immediately understood what had happened. Suppressing the laughter that was bubbling up in her chest, she lowered her head and stood next to Zhou Weiqing, eliciting jealousy from the two young men.
Gu Yu sighed and said, "Weiqing, I've never seen or heard of such a technique before, so I really can't give you any pointers. Why don't the two of you go back to your cabin and rest? We've already begun our return. On the way back, if we come across any danger, we'll have to trouble the two of you to help out."
Zhou Weiqing politely replied, "It'll be my pleasure." After the exchange, both of them had obviously gotten the old man's approval and were considered part of the crew.
The voyage continued. It was a boring journey for those who were originally onboard, so they would occasionally hunt some weak sea creatures to add to their harvest.
However, for Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, this life was much more comfortable than the one led on the Neptune Shuttle. They did not have to do anything and would progress forward anyway. More importantly, they gained a huge amount of knowledge about the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland while onboard the ship.
Zhou Weiqing was exceptionally good at adapting to any environment and befriending others. Through his exchange with the people onboard, he quickly obtained a lot of useful information.