I glanced westward. Within the range of my physiognomy perception, I detected no humans, nor any vehicles. Our car was still at the base, but there was no way we could return to it. Thus, I decided to enter the sea.
The three of us descended to the shore. I told Ya Nan to wander off. In a small cove formed by a pile of reefs, I returned the demon core to Diana. She transformed into a sea creature to serve as transport. This time, however, neither Ya Nan nor I entered her mouth. Ya Nan opted for autonomous flight, while I stood on the back of a humpback whale, much like I had done in the Celestial Lake.
Wu Chengfeng and I, breaking through the waves, skirted the peninsula under the cover of night. Twenty minutes later, we reached Old Turtle Bay.
The population density in Old Turtle Bay was immense. The harbor still held many fishing lights. By then, dawn was breaking, and visibility at sea was good. To avoid detection by humans, Diana and I abandoned the idea of landing. We reverted to our human forms in the water and swam for about a kilometer before reaching the shore.
Without the demon core, my stamina was depleted. I was utterly exhausted!
Swimming in the sea was a completely different experience from swimming in the calm Celestial Lake. It was incredibly unpleasant, mainly because the seawater was undrinkable!
Once ashore, seeing me shivering uncontrollably, Diana pulled me into the cabin of an unattended fishing boat and covered me with a blanket. She then nestled beside me. Soon, she sent the demon core into my body. This time, however, the demon core returned with her "command." It transformed into a small furnace within me, instantly warming me up.
A wave of warmth spread through my entire body, even drying my clothes.
By the time we reunited with Yao Yao and the others at the villa complex, I had completely recovered.
The ordeal of the night had left everyone a bit weary. I led them directly to the show unit we had visited during the day. Kicking the door open, I told everyone to find places to rest, as show units were fully furnished with beds and bedding.
I went to a bedroom on the top floor. There weren't enough rooms, and several girls were already in the bedrooms. Fortunately, all the rooms had carpets, so we could sleep directly on them.
The fox demon suggested I sleep on the bed. I declined, saying I would sleep on the carpet. The "little furnace" effect was still active, and I was genuinely sleepy. Leaning against the bed, I half-reclined on the floor and quickly drifted off. In a daze, I felt someone drawing close. I opened my eyes to find the fox demon and Meng Meng, one on each side, rolled onto the carpet and hugging my arms.
"Hey, hey, why aren't you sleeping properly and coming down here?" I asked, frowning.
"Boss, you're so warm. Let us hug you for a while!" Meng Meng said lazily.
I felt their body temperatures and indeed, there was a significant difference compared to mine. I tried to shut down the "little furnace" within my dantian but failed. The demon core was likely still executing Diana's command. I felt no discomfort, just a slightly higher body temperature. My physiological reactions were zero; instead, I felt very comfortable, as if basking in a gentle spring breeze.
"You two are too greedy! You've taken up all the space! I'm cold too!" Chen Ke complained mournfully from the bed.
"Then come down!" the fox demon chuckled.
"No need," I said. "I'll come up. That way, there's more space, and you can all get warm."
Maintaining this peculiar sleeping arrangement, I adapted and fell asleep again.
I had some strange dreams. Some I couldn't even distinguish from reality; they were quite pleasant.
When I finally woke up completely, whatever had been clinging to me was gone. I could only see a gap in the curtains. I stretched and got out of bed, walking to the window. I pulled back the curtain to reveal a brilliant sun, high in the sky, indicating it was well past midday. Glancing at the wall clock, I saw it was already one in the afternoon. No wonder I was feeling hungry.
The girls weren't in the room. I heard laughter and looked down from the balcony. Qian Xun and Wan Xun were playing games in the villa, with Shao Chen squatting beside them, watching with a motherly smile.
Activating my physiognomy perception, I found no demons present; they were likely out hunting. Yao Yao and Chu Qi's auras were on the first floor. I wondered what they were up to.
I dressed and went downstairs. To my surprise, they were learning to cook from Chen Ke. Bing Bing was gutting a fish that looked very fresh.
"Where's Diana?" I asked, as she was the only one missing.
"Don't know. She disappeared as soon as she woke up this morning, and she didn't take her phone," Yao Yao replied.
Could she have gone to find Long Yue alone?