Duannian’s body swayed, a look of pain flashed on his sowhat youthful face, almost dropping the unconscious Wa Wei.
Bai Ruozhu helped him steady Wa Wei, her expression serious, "You can’t leave the water. I’ll have soone get you a large wooden barrel of water. In your condition, leaving it might not hold for a few days. Wa Wei is still unconscious, and you can’t waste ti. If she wakes up and doesn’t see you, she probably won’t want to live alone."
"I..." Duannian hesitated but eventually nodded.
Seeing him not looking well, Jiang Yichun went over to help him. The young man had a bit of pride and didn’t like others, but he didn’t mind Jiang Yichun, probably because he knew about Jiang Yichun’s situation.
After this commotion, everyone returned to the boat, and the ship workers on the deck couldn’t help but cheer. But when they saw Duannian being helped up by Jiang Yichun, they all showed expressions of terror.
Bai Ruozhu was busy treating Wa Wei and didn’t have ti to deal with others.
Jiang Yichun asked soone to find a large bathtub and wanted to fill it with seawater, but Bai Ruozhu stopped him.
Taking advantage of no one around, Bai Ruozhu quietly extended a hand, with a thought, drawing so Hot Spring Water from the Space.
This was the benefit she gained after absorbing the Hot Spring from Luili Island. In the past, the Hot Spring Water lost effectiveness when taken out of Space, but she tried it now, and it was effective, great for detoxification and healing, though still not the sa as soaking in the Hot Spring directly in Space.
But it’s already impressive, and using the Hot Spring Water to save people would be much more convenient in the future.
Not to make Duannian suspicious of why not using seawater, Bai Ruozhu sprinkled so dicinal materials in, then asked Jiang Yichun to help Duannian, saying it was a detoxifying dicinal bath soup.
Wa Wei didn’t have water in her lungs, just fell unconscious from the fall and excessive emotional upheaval. Bai Ruozhu perford acupuncture on her but didn’t rush to wake her up.
Duannian was given a room alone. After Bai Ruozhu took care of Wa Wei, she planned to check on him but heard Fang Luo’s voice outside the door.
"My father is rfolk, but he’s not like you. What are you?" Fang Luo asked.
"Why should I tell you? Are we that familiar?" The boy’s voice was a bit arrogant, with a hint of defiance.
"You..." Fang Luo glared at him, "then you’re not rfolk either. You don’t even know what you are, do you?"
The boy looked at Fang Luo with cold eyes but soon let out a light laugh, "You seem almost thirty, right? A dying person, I don’t bother to argue with you."
"Alright, we’re all compatriots here, let’s talk it out," Jiang Yichun’s voice ca, interrupting the impending argunt.
Bai Ruozhu appropriately knocked on the door and walked in.
"How is Wa Wei?" Duannian imdiately asked nervously upon seeing her. He seed indifferent to everything, but was extrely worried about Wa Wei.
"She’s fine, just affected emotionally and needs to rest well. Waking her now might just make her faint again; wait until later when she wakes naturally." Bai Ruozhu explained.
Duannian let out a sigh of relief, "When will my poisoning be cured? It’s uncomfortable here; I want to go back to the sea."
Not only was he poisoned, but he also suffered non-trivial internal injuries. Bai Ruozhu didn’t think he was fit to soak in the sea now, nor that he could handle the dangerous creatures there.
"You can’t stay in the sea forever, can you? If you like Wa Wei, you’ll have to live with her," Bai Ruozhu reminded him.
Duannian’s eyes dimd a bit, "I can’t leave the water. I’m afraid I can’t live with her. Her family can’t accept either."
By the end, his tone was filled with self-deprecation, probably having been ostracized since childhood, seeming arrogant outwardly, but it was just a facade. Inside, he was fragile, insecure, and felt he wouldn’t be accepted by anyone.
But what was his fault? Born as he was and still expelled by his people?
"How do you know it’s impossible if you don’t try? You’re still young; there’s plenty of ti." Bai Ruozhu said.
Duannian lowered his head in silence, tacitly agreeing with Bai Ruozhu’s view, but pondering over other matters.
After a while, he suddenly looked up and said, "You’ll never find rfolk Island. I’ve looked for over ten years and never found it."
"It’s only hiding behind an Array. rfolk go to Danliang; it can’t be far," Jiang Yichun said.
"When I left at five, many couldn’t live past thirty. These ten years may have seen no change." Duannian sighed.
Jiang Yichun remained calm, "We must see to know."
He sneaked a glance at Bai Ruozhu; now, he no longer feared death but feared leaving her and the child to face the future.
Fang Luo was also gloomy, the room’s atmosphere unpleasant. Bai Ruozhu cleared her throat, changing the topic.
"Why did that Sea Monster attack suddenly, breaking its promise?"
At the ntion, Duannian’s eyebrows rose in anger, "It wasn’t breaking its promise; it coveted , said that I’d be a great boon, so wanted to devour ."
"A great boon?" Bai Ruozhu was puzzled.
"That’s how the deep sea works; powerful Sea Monsters consu other strong ones to enhance their might. That one had lived nearly two thousand years." Duannian scoffed, "Dare to sche against ; I’ll slay it soday!"
Bai Ruozhu, seeing how knowledgeable he was about the sea, asked curiously, "You were exiled from rfolk Island at five. How did you grow up? It’s not easy for a child to survive in the sea, right?"
"You probably won’t believe it; it was a white whale that raised , but it died three years ago." Duannian showed sadness, likely considering that whale his family.
Bai Ruozhu and the others were montarily speechless. After a mont, Duannian collected himself and looked at Jiang Yichun, asking, "Aren’t you not pure-blooded rfolk? What’s your story? In my childhood mories, I don’t recall rfolk leaving the Island to the mainland."
"There are legends of rfolk at sea, right? If they couldn’t leave the Island, why do so fishern and ship workers claim to have seen them?" Jiang Yichun asked.
"So do leave occasionally to fetch things but can’t stay away for long. Those reaching Danliang Country are probably defectors escaping," Duannian said.
Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun exchanged a glance, understanding each other’s thoughts. Wasn’t his mother captured back?
"You’re likely right. My mother was taken by a group claiming she was a saintess to bring her back to the tribe. My father said they were too powerful, unable to find any word of her for more than twenty years."
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