I patted his shoulder with relief. I had to admit, Bei Chi had truly surprised me.
I knew very well how important a good weapon was to a cultivator, and it was obvious now that Bei Chi was a qualified artifact refiner.
"I was just showing off a bit," Bei Chi said with a smile. "I've already promised these two daggers to Shen Zhiliao..."
"Mm!" I nodded. "Since we've come out today, let's properly enjoy this rare taste of freedom..."
Bei Chi nodded, about to turn, when I suddenly remembered something.
"How about this, when we get back, you go directly into the Soul Suppressing Stele. You can let those seniors have a look at these two weapons first. Perhaps someone knowledgeable about artifact refining can give you some guidance," I said earnestly.
"This... That's great!" Bei Chi exclaimed excitedly.
"Alright, let's enjoy our freedom for now," I said with a smile.
Bei Chi nodded and then turned to leave.
Our schedule today was quite full. Of course, our outing was primarily for eating, drinking, and enjoying the breeze.
We set up a barbecue grill on the deck, grilling all sorts of meats while preparing other delicacies.
Noodles, flatbread...
These things might be commonplace in the outside world, but for us who lived on a deserted island, they were rare treats.
Compared to seafood, which outsiders considered quite good, for us, it was merely... sustenance...
We really didn't want to eat it unless absolutely necessary...
However, the taste of sea fish was quite good, and fishing was also quite an enjoyable activity.
We had started preparing food when we set out in the morning, and we stopped the boat around noon.
During this time, the savages had also adapted to our way of life and greatly praised the food we prepared.
Therefore, they also started learning from us.
Now, they could also cook some relatively delicious food themselves.
We sat together, leisurely eating and enjoying our free time.
It was then that I suddenly felt something was amiss. I looked into the distance but saw nothing unusual.
The surroundings were clear and vast, and nothing seemed imminent.
"Brother Lu, what's wrong?" Shen Zhi asked, walking over with a skewer of grilled octopus.
"I have a strange feeling..." My gaze was fixed on the distance.
"Uh..." Shen Zhi paused. "Is there danger?"
"Perhaps I'm overthinking things," I said with a smile. "Don't mind me, just enjoy yourselves with food and drinks..."
Shen Zhi nodded and said no more.
Just then, Luo Yaqin walked over. She glanced at the sea, her expression turning serious. "Zi Ye... I feel... a storm might be coming..."
My brow furrowed. Only then did I understand the source of that unsettling feeling.
If my guess was correct, it was indeed a storm!
"Perhaps we should leave first," I suggested.
Luo Yaqin glanced at the clear sky, then at the people happily eating and drinking. She shook her head. "It's alright. From the look of things, it will still take some time for the storm to arrive. Once everyone has had their fill, we'll head back..."
I nodded and then rejoined them.
I had to admit, the atmosphere was truly comforting.
Although we all knew that we might face many dangers ahead, at least in this moment, we were relaxed, free, and happy...
About an hour passed, and everyone's spirits remained high.
It was then that I suddenly felt the surroundings seemed to be darkening.
Looking up, I saw that the sky had become overcast without my knowing.
"Go!" I said without hesitation.
While these ships were large enough, no one knew how severe the storm would be, nor what we would experience if we encountered it.
Moreover, we had all come, so we absolutely could not take any risks.
The others naturally noticed the change and immediately began steering the ships back.
But it was clear we had underestimated the speed at which the storm was approaching.
Not long after, raindrops began to fall incessantly from the sky.
The rain was unusually dense, and we could only take shelter in the ship's cabin, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the deck.
The sea began to churn, and huge waves rocked the ship, causing it to drift with the currents.
We pushed the engines to their full capacity, trying to race back, but the storm had arrived...
Through the ship's windows, I clearly saw that everything we had placed on the deck had been blown away, leaving virtually nothing behind.
And under these conditions, even the ship was being affected.
Although the engines were powerful, the speed had noticeably decreased.
"I'll go take a look!" I said, heading outside.
The wind and waves outside were far greater than I had anticipated. The surroundings had become completely dark. Although it was afternoon, it shouldn't have been this dim.
It felt as if night had fallen.
Especially with the dense rain, the feeling was incredibly oppressive.
What surprised me most was that I could clearly see a massive waterspout approaching us in the distance.
From my vantage point, I could clearly see that the waterspout was sucking up seawater, spiraling upwards into the sky.
It looked like a giant water dragon, dancing in the distance.
Seeing this scene, my expression turned grave.
I could clearly feel that the waterspout was moving towards our position.
And the waterspout possessed a terrifying suction force that would affect the ship's speed.
We were still a considerable distance from shore.
Under these circumstances, we would likely be caught up not long from now.
I believed that once this waterspout appeared, none of us would be able to escape.
If the ship were sucked into it, escaping would be impossible.
Even as cultivators, we were still somewhat helpless against such a terrifying natural disaster.
"This won't do," I slowly exhaled, then quickly returned to the cabin. I looked at everyone in the cabin with a serious gaze.
"Listen to my orders now!" I said in a deep voice.
Hearing the tone of my voice, everyone immediately quieted down and turned their attention to me.
"You all immediately go to the other ship!" I commanded.