Chapter 705: Chapter 705
After a night had passed.
The downpour had ceased, and the sky above the sea was rapidly changing.
A layer of grayish-white clouds, like wisps of gentle smoke, flitted across the much calmer sea surface.
From the dispersing clouds, bunches of green and a streak of open blue sky appeared.
The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, like sparkling pillars of light, casting upon the island that was still redolent of scorched earth.
The sound of rustling leaves—
A few branches, still bearing raindrops, swayed in the salty sea breeze of the early morning, sprinkling onto the soft sandy soil.
A few drops of rain landed on the crimson cheeks of Wang Yuyan, the icy sensation causing her eyelashes to tremble and she woke with a start.
Seemingly realizing something, she immediately turned around to look at Jiang Dali, who was almost entirely hidden under the roughly constructed shelter made of huge banana leaves.
Seeing that his face was still charred but his breathing had become even, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then stretching out her hand to touch his rough, burnt forehead, and feeling her own forehead which was also smeared with a bit of mud, Wang Yuyan completely relaxed and murmured to herself,
"The fever has subsided..."
"Of course it’s subsided, did you think a mere fever could last long on someone like me, the village chief? I simply didn’t bother to dispel it last night because I was too exhausted, allowing the heat to help eliminate other adverse conditions in my body."
Jiang Dali’s voice suddenly cut in, startling Wang Yuyan so much that she turned her wide-eyed gaze to him as he opened his eyes.
"You, you were already awake? No, no, how did you know you had a fever? Last night you..."
Jiang Dali, still lying on his back, glanced at the tightly covered shelter above him and said indifferently, "At any time and in any place, I never fall into a deep unguarded sleep unless I truly lose consciousness and pass out."
Having said that, Jiang Dali turned his head to look at Wang Yuyan, whose face was now flushed a deep shade of red.
The shelter above her showed clear gaps—it seemed there weren’t enough banana leaves to construct a shelter that could cover both of their bodies.
This also meant that some of Wang Yuyan’s clothes were still wet.
Wang Yuyan, feeling a mix of panic and shyness under Jiang Dali’s gaze, suddenly realized something, and quickly covered her damp clothes with her hands. As she felt the heat rise within her, she reproached him, "Don’t stare at me without permission, you, you should not be looking at me!"
Jiang Dali’s "thank you" that was about to reach his lips shrank back as he calmly said, "It’s nothing. I just noticed there’s sleep in your eye, and I was about to remind you. So it turns out that a noble lady like you also has sleep in your eyes when you wake up, just like a commoner like me?"
Saying this, Jiang Dali reached for the corner of his own eye and wiped it.
"How about we compare whose is worse?"
He flicked his finger.
A hole was punched right through the roof of the banana leaf shelter.
"You, you are so... uncouth!"
Wang Yuyan, feeling a mix of anger, annoyance, and embarrassment, scrambled out of the shelter. She furtively lowered her head to wipe her eyes and, catching the scent of stale and spoiled clothes, felt an inexplicable sense of wrong, her nose turning sour as she almost shed tears.
Jiang Dali heard a sniffle and felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Even with his rough nature, he suddenly wondered if he’d gone too far just now?
After all, Wang Yuyan’s performance yesterday had indeed been very good.
Being a noble lady, to build a shelter and take care of him by her side, and even giving him the greater portion of banana leaves and blocking the wind at the entrance of the shelter for him.
He was not unaware of these things...
Thinking back on the Heavenly Tribulation they had survived yesterday, he regained his composure.
Crawling out from under the shelter, which was more akin to a bear’s den, he said to Wang Yuyan, "After tossing and turning all night, you must be hungry by now. Have some dry food, and once we’re full, we can continue on our way."
"You do have a conscience after all. This is probably the first time you’ve shown concern for whether I’m hungry or not!"
Wang Yuyan hummed to herself inwardly, about to say she wasn’t hungry when her stomach growled in response.
She couldn’t help but feel deflated as she walked toward the forest opposite them, where the Demon Hawk was perched.
Jiang Dali’s voice came from behind her again.
"Remember to bring a large portion of the dry food for me as well."
Wang Yuyan’s pretty face darkened slightly, her fists clenched, she strode away irritably, "This villain, is he just hungry and wants me to get food, or does he really care if I’m hungry?"
After having their fill of food and drink.
Jiang Dali bathed on the beach, though it wasn’t exactly comfortable.
His wounds had closed and scabbed over.
But the burned skin was peeling away, and rinsing it with seawater was as painful as being cut by tiny knives.
Only after he washed off a layer of charred, dead skin did he resemble a boiled lobster. Then he rinsed the seawater off his body with the little rainwater they had collected on the island.
After that, he changed into clean clothes and he and Wang Yuyan continued on their journey atop the Demon Hawk.
Having survived the ordeal, Jiang Dali was like lead washed away, reborn from fire.
His powerful aura was now restrained, his personal temperament and Qi Fortune no longer causing disturbances in the energies of heaven and earth.
As long as his strength and aura did not make any more sudden leaps, it would be difficult to attract another tribulation any time soon.
He exuded a tranquil and profound air, as if transformed from within, his entire person undergoing a sort of rebirth.
Even now, with skin radiating red and his left eye bloodshot, appearing comical and ridiculous, only he knew his own strength.
In the interface, his Qi-Blood and Inner Strength had grown significantly.
The data displayed before him was indeed splendid.