C33 Struggling to Survive

Ever since the alarm went off, everyone's eardrums had been filled with popping sounds. With every sound, the massive hull would tremble or shake.

Most of the people in the corridor know that those sounds came from arrows and rocks hitting me, and they all know that I'm fighting with the enemy. On the other hand, it was clear that they were at an absolute disadvantage, and they couldn't help but feel anxious. They were deeply worried. Just as everyone was panicking, a person at the entrance of the staircase shouted, "Loyal warrior, listen up! Prepare to meet the enemy!"

Although this shout was not very loud, it could clearly be heard by everyone in the corridor. Following this shout, the corridor once again became silent. Most of the people silently moved their bodies, but they did not push out anymore. Instead, they formed a orderly formation on the spot, forcing a small group of people into unimportant positions. They were under their protection.

The crowded and chaotic corridor suddenly became orderly. The few candles that had just been extinguished were relit. Those who might be "loyal warriors" climbed up the stairs to the deck in an orderly manner, joining the ranks of the resistance against the invasion. The rest of the people seemed to have calmed down and stood still on the spot.

Fierce shouts and miserable cries kept coming from the deck. It could be seen that the battle outside was so intense that everyone in the corridor was worried and at a loss.

The water in the corridor began to enter, and the boat began to tilt to one side. Most of the loyal warriors had already thrown themselves into the battle, and the rest stayed in the corridor to maintain order. Elder Shen shouted, "Let's go up!"

As soon as Elder Shen's words left his mouth, the two loyal warriors nearby took the initiative to open up a path for them. Du Qi followed closely behind the lady in white, climbed onto the upper level corridor, and slowly moved towards the stern of the ship.

As soon as he reached the upper level, Du Qi felt that the sounds of shouting and fighting became clearer, fiercer, and more agitated. It made people's blood boil unconsciously, but they also felt a little guilty and scared.

Along the way, the ship would sometimes lean to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes to the front and back. They had to spend a lot of effort before they stumbled to the exit at the stern of the ship. There were many people gathered here. However, there were people rushing in and out of the water. Du Qi could not see the situation on the surface of the river. In the night sky, there were fire arrows flashing everywhere, and thick smoke surrounded them. "The sound of the fire was incessant. It was obvious that many places on the ship were on fire.

The fire that was refracted from somewhere was reflected on everyone's faces. It looked dark and unpredictable, and it was ghastly and terrifying. Together with the miserable screams that filled their ears, it made them feel panicked as if they were facing the end of the world.

"Boom! The ship crashed into something. It immediately collapsed and fell to the side. The rain arrows shot over, drenching everyone's clothes. It was cold and uncomfortable, making them appear even more frightened and panicked. It was extremely chaotic. Amidst the cries of alarm, everyone seemed to have been thrown into the river. Vaguely, they felt that there were specks of light and black shadows of ships everywhere.

The moment Du Qi's feet left the ship's hull, he inadvertently stretched out his hand and made a grabbing motion. He actually used the grappling technique that he had practiced since he was young, and suddenly grabbed a person's arm. Before he could tell who he was grabbing, the powerful arrows and the river water had already covered the sky and the earth. Du Qi exerted his strength, and the two of them merged into a ball. They changed the trajectory of their descent slightly in the air. After dodging a few powerful arrows, he suddenly sank into the river.

In this violent storm of wind, rain, and turbulent waves, where one could not even see one's fingers, coupled with the anxiety in his heart, he slapped the waves head on. Only then did he struggle out of the water, and in the next moment, he fell back into the water.

Fortunately, Du Qi had been playing and catching fish in the Han River since he was young, so he was very familiar with the water. Furthermore, his inner force was profound. No matter what kind of thing hit him in the water, it did not matter what kind of thing it was. No matter how strong the wind was, he would never let go of the person in his hand. He would only rely on one hand and two legs to struggle at the boundary of being a human or a water ghost in one direction.

After an unknown period of time, Du Qi gradually felt powerless and extremely exhausted. The true qi in his body seemed to have been washed away by the river water, and the man in his hand also stopped struggling and didn't move at all. He didn't know whether he was dead or alive.

Fortunately, at this moment, the rain was slowing down, and Yue Er revealed a little more of her face. Many floating objects floated around her body, but no one was there. The only thing that could be heard was the sobbing of the river water. Although the waves were gradually calming down, they still attacked Du Qi's will, which was getting weaker and weaker. They devoured the little remaining strength that Du Qi had. Du Qi suddenly felt a tiredness and weakness that he had never felt before. Just as he was about to give up struggling, he suddenly realized that he had been rushed to the shore. He was overjoyed and did not know where the energy had come from. He pulled that person to the shore and struggled.

He had just reached the shallow shore, but he couldn't hold it any longer. He lay on the ground, his face covered in mud. The waves still surged up, but they were no longer as fast as before.

Du Qi could not stop breathing. After a long time, he came back to his senses and found that he was holding the young lady's jade arm. The young lady's white clothes were soaked in the river water, but they were stained with mud and lost their original color. The heavy veil covering her face had long disappeared. Her ink-like black hair was revealed, and her beautiful face was like a hibiscus.

Du Qi hurriedly and laboriously propped up his upper body and saw her face clearly. His heart couldn't help but palpitate. She was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, with a clear and round oval face. Her eyebrows were like the crescent moon, her eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes were raised, and her beautiful nose was like a mountain, like a grave. Her cherry-like little mouth seemed to be shut, but not shut. It was unknown how many times more beautiful she was compared to the yellow-clothed girl. At this moment, she was silent as if she had fallen asleep, and it was unknown whether she was alive or dead. Fear and fatigue could be faintly seen on her pale jade face. She seemed even more haggard than before. Du Qi cried out in his heart, 'I'm going to die!' His hands and feet trembled as he examined her. When he found that she was still breathing, he could not help but feel delighted in his heart and let go of his worries. Just as he was trying to get up, he suddenly saw a light coming from the upstream of the river. Du Qi forced himself to look up and was shocked to see three five-masted warships and more than ten ships of various sizes. All of them were brightly lit as they sailed along the river. The shouts of the people on the ship could be faintly heard. Seeing the power of his voice, it actually frightened him until his scalp went numb. He hurriedly stayed close to the shoal and didn't dare make any unusual movements.

After a moment. Yes. Time passed like thousands of lifetimes. Du Qi begged all the gods and buddhas he knew or didn't know to bless him. The ships finally left. Luckily, they were in the dark area where the lights couldn't reach. Furthermore, it was still a drizzle that covered the sky, making it difficult to see clearly. The lights could not reach far, allowing the two of them to avoid their search.

Du Qi did his best to chase away Lu'er, who had crashed into his heart, and made up his mind a few times. He used all of his remaining strength to move the young lady in white to the depths of the grassland on the riverbank. After he exerted all his strength, Yue Er was once again covered by the floating clouds. The two of them entered the darkness of the river bank.

Du Qi was confused. He could not hold on any longer. His vision turned black, and he fell asleep.

After sleeping for an unknown period of time, Du Qi woke up again and saw the sun everywhere. His body was warm, but the top of his head was incomparably cool. It was as if the heat from the soles of his chest and feet penetrated into his soul. It made him moan in comfort, and for a moment, he thought that it was still in his little nest.