I felt an immediate sense of relief. No wonder they were heading towards the shore; they must have heard that the reincarnation of Bai Ze had appeared and were coming to seek refuge on land. I hadn't expected dolphins to become demons, and such a large group at that. While their auras weren't as potent as the great blue demons, a demon's strength isn't solely measured by its aura, especially creatures from the ocean, whose abilities would likely be crucial in many scenarios.
"A bit of a shame," I said, shaking my head and smiling. "Bai Ze is within reach, yet they ultimately missed the encounter."
"Shall I go after them?" Diana asked.
"No need. Let's not startle them further. If fate allows, we will meet." I looked at Yao Yao, who nodded slightly. As the true form of Bai Ze, she agreed with this sentiment.
After the dolphin pod disappeared from the vision of the Qi sensing technique, Chu Qi restarted the yacht and made a turn, heading south. This time, the speed was slower. I stood on the deck, feeling the sea breeze, and we soon entered a sea area that was surrounded by water in all directions. It wasn't the deep sea, though. Judging by the map, this should be the Yellow Sea, but the water wasn't yellow, but gray.
Limited by the continental shelf, to see the azure sea, we would have to travel another thousand kilometers outward. Our fuel likely wouldn't suffice. After gazing at the monotonous scenery for a while, we turned back.
On the return journey, we encountered a school of fish, of unknown species, a large mass leaping out of the sea, all white, like sardines? There were thousands of them. If we were to cast a net, but a luxury yacht has no fishing net. I glanced at Diana inside the cabin; her large whale mouth could serve as a fishing net afterward, and it had an automatic filtration function. However, she seemed uninterested in the fish.
Never mind, let's go back and eat what's ready.
Upon returning to the secret port and disembarking, my feet felt a little light, as if I had just gotten off a roller coaster. We retraced our steps back to the fortress. The demons had gone to the nearby mountains to hunt, and it was time for lunch. The castle had a refrigerator, stocked with all sorts of ingredients, reportedly also prepared by that wealthy individual. The rich man's surname was Cheng; I hadn't remembered his given name.
Our group were all heavy eaters who favored meat, primarily prepared by stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying. Our staple was a large amount of protein and meat. No one cared for rice, and we ate little vegetables, substituting them with tropical fruits from the preservation refrigerator.
My body was still a bit weak, and the absence of cigarettes made me quite uncomfortable. I felt too embarrassed to ask someone to buy some from the city. I had intended to use this opportunity to quit (since I had surgery), but unexpectedly, while I was sunbathing outside, the fox demon returned and directly handed me five packs of soft Zhonghua cigarettes.
"Weren't you out hunting?" I asked, wondering why she had returned clothed.
"I asked Meng Meng to bring back a portion for me, and I went to the city to buy you cigarettes," the fox demon said with a smile.
Alas, beautiful, flirtatious, caring, and considerate, with a natural alluring fragrance – besides me, what man could resist her?
"Thanks. Next time, buy the slim ones. I like smoking slim cigarettes like you all," I said, even finding fault to keep her from becoming too complacent.
"I do have them. I gave them to Boss. Shall I bring you a couple of boxes?"
"No, no, these soft Zhonghua are already top-notch," I said. They weren't in the long boxes, but in square ones. I had seen them in cigarette shops before; they cost a thousand yuan a box, even more expensive than the No. 3 soft Zhonghua.
Lighting a cigarette and basking in the sun for a while, I felt that the temperature in Lvshun was much warmer than in Fucheng. Although the two places were not far apart, perhaps because it was by the sea, in the warm environment, I covered myself with a blanket and was almost asleep. Drowsily, I heard someone approaching from behind.
I turned my head to see my junior master.
"...What? Teaching me martial arts again? I haven't recovered yet!" I frowned. It wasn't that I was lazy; I truly hadn't recovered. My current stamina was less than a third of what it was before I died. Even taking a puff of a cigarette made me feel short of breath. It seemed I should avoid dying so many times in the future.
"I'm here to give you rehabilitation training," Chu Qi raised an eyebrow. Her expression suggested she had no good intentions.
It started with a full-body massage. I remained on high alert. Later, as expected, it changed nature and became stretching and muscle manipulation, pulling my tendons and bones. It was agonizing, but after a set of combined movements, I truly felt my body loosen up. When I stood up and moved, I also felt my strength recovering. Chu Qi went to a corner and found a few old red bricks, likely remnants from the fortress renovation. She had me test my strength.
I stacked four bricks and, channeling my energy, broke them with one blow. This indicated that my strength had fully recovered.