Chapter 50 Wooden Boards

Wooden boards, of course, were no ordinary wooden boards.

They were boards from the Cold River Giant Ship, and they needed to be sufficiently damp, having been in contact with the Cold River for as long as possible.

This was just the first step, to curb the proliferation of the red eyes.

If it succeeded, it would mean that Qing Chen's idea in the morning was correct, and they could naturally proceed to the next step.

The so-called damp boards, the boards that had been in contact with the Cold River for the longest time, were naturally those from the bottom of the ship.

In theory, the outer part of the hull was the most suitable, but for safety's sake, they would just take some from the inside.

With a plan, the group quickly took action. Fang Yue glanced in the direction of the deck, calculating that Tian Ruichi had been talking to the Helmsman for a while now. The fact that it wasn't over yet made him wonder how the conversation was going.

If it was all just a misunderstanding, and they could adjust the course through communication, then naturally everyone would be happy. If not, then they would have to start considering the next course of action.

Suppressing his thoughts, Fang Yue first went to deal with the wooden board issue.

...

The bow of the ship.

Tian Ruichi stood before the Helmsman with a complex expression.

"Helmsman, where are you taking us?"

"..."

The Helmsman didn't speak, not even opening his eyes. Like a piece of withered bark, he clung to the helm, unmoving.

"Helmsman, answer me! Where are you taking us? What exactly were Master's orders to you? There's more than just me on this ship. If it were just me, no matter what Master meant, no matter what the Helmsman was thinking, I wouldn't have a single complaint—my life was given to me by Master. But the others on the ship are innocent; they are all my friends…"

As Tian Ruichi was speaking, the Helmsman's old, bark-like skin slowly蠕动 (蠕动: rú dòng; wriggled) and he opened his eyes, interrupting him.

"Blazing Fire Sect."

"What…"

"Your master told me to take you to the Blazing Fire Sect."

"But… why? Master knows that I am under imperial orders to lead people back to the capital…"

"..."

Seeing that the Helmsman was about to close his eyes and fall asleep again, Tian Ruichi said urgently, "Helmsman! Answer me!"

"With the Heavenly Eclipse imminent, the capital is changing. Wait for orders at the Blazing Fire Sect. If the Heavenly Eclipse passes and your master is still alive, he will come to take you back to the capital. If not, you may leave on your own, but you must never step foot in the capital again in this lifetime—these are your master's exact words. I know nothing else."

What?!

The capital is changing? His master might die?

Tian Ruichi's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Helmsman, return to the original course. I want to go back to the capital! The capital is changing, and my master is in danger. How can I sit idly by!"

"..."

This time, the Helmsman completely closed his eyes, and no matter what Tian Ruichi said, he didn't respond.

Tian Ruichi clenched his fists, his heart filled with worry.

Although his master's Heavenly Sword technique was unparalleled, the capital was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. If something big really happened, even his master would have difficulty protecting himself.

Maybe there was nothing he could do even if he went back, but Tian Ruichi just wanted to stay by his master's side and repay his kindness.

Seeing that the Helmsman was really ignoring him completely, Tian Ruichi stomped his feet anxiously. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and returned to the cabin.

As soon as he returned to the cabin, Tian Ruichi realized that they were all gone.

Only the members of the Special Envoy Team were running up and down with short wooden boards.

Tian Ruichi stopped someone and asked a question, then went to the deck with confusion. When he reached the stern, he saw a group of people crowded together, forming a circle, as if something had happened.

Could it be… that Jing Yan had died?

Tian Ruichi's heart skipped a beat.

Before he left, Fang Yue and the others were still discussing how to save Jing Yan. Now that he returned to this scene, it was inevitable that Tian Ruichi would think too much. He wasn't familiar with Jing Yan, but Jing Yan and Fang Yue were comrades who had risked their lives together, and Fang Yue had been kind to him. So, all things considered, he was still very moved by Jing Yan's death, and he couldn't help but feel sad.

At this time, Brother Ye must need my comfort.

Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Tian Ruichi quickly squeezed into the crowd.

But upon closer inspection, he found that the situation seemed to be different from what he thought, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

He saw Fang Yue and the others setting up a few small pots and lighting a fire in the middle of the night.

Some were grilling, some were boiling, and some were stewing…

And their ingredients were… wooden boards.

Fang Yue was using a small dagger to scrape mussels and algae from the damp wooden boards, scraping off the mussels and moss and carefully placing them on a plate. In a short while, Fang Yue had already filled three small plates.

Next to him, someone took a plate of mussels and carefully ground them into powder.

Some were for Qing Chen to use conveniently, preparing to take them as medicine, while others needed to be taken to the other small pots for material processing.

And next to these people, the dying Jing Yan was being force-fed a bowl of green soup by Qing Chen, and his complexion quickly became rosy.

"You, what are you doing?"

"Making an antidote."

Qing Chen was concise, leaving Tian Ruichi a little confused.

Fang Yue patiently explained the situation.

"So, Jing Yan will be okay?"

"Yes, based on the current situation, curbing the reproduction of the red eyes has already been effective. However, the current materials only provide temporary containment. Qing Chen told us to get the wooden boards and everything on the wooden boards down, try all kinds of cooking methods, and feed them to Jing Yan to test the reaction and find the best solution.

Oh right, how did your talk with the Helmsman go? Is he willing to correct the course?"

Hearing Fang Yue mention this, Tian Ruichi's expression darkened.

"No. The Helmsman refused to correct the course… But, I want to go back to the capital!"

When he said the last four words, Tian Ruichi looked firm.

Fang Yue noticed the change in his emotions and asked strangely, "What happened?"

Tian Ruichi was a simple person, and he quickly told Fang Yue what the Helmsman had said.

Heavenly Eclipse… the capital…

Even a Yu-level Heavenly Sword might fall…

Fang Yue lowered his head and frowned, thinking for a while before raising his head and saying, "Don't worry, we definitely have to go to the capital. As for how to make the Helmsman 'listen', we'll discuss it slowly…"

"Ahhhhh!"

Just as Fang Yue was saying this, Jing Yan suddenly let out a series of tragic screams.

Fang Yue looked over and saw Qing Chen expressionlessly stabbing a red-hot, charcoal-like wooden board into Jing Yan's chest, which was why Jing Yan was screaming so painfully.

This treatment method was simply so brutal that he wasn't treating Jing Yan like a human…

Fang Yue noticed Lin Ling next to him shrinking his neck, and there was a complex look in his eyes as he looked at Qing Chen.

"Brother Ye, it's confirmed that wooden boards baked at high temperatures have the best effect. Other solutions can be shelved. Just get more high-temperature wooden boards. Then, the next step is to transfer the remaining active parasitic red eyes in Jing Yan's body."

As he said this, Qing Chen took out a dagger and, under Jing Yan's terrified gaze, made a long cut on the back of Jing Yan's right hand.

"Keep your arm close to the deck, and hold the position still."