After the banquet dispersed, Lu Xunguang had already instructed his men to prepare a large ship.
Li Ying also packed her luggage and prepared some dry rations and snacks.
Granny Sun felt quite reluctant to part with her when she saw that Li Ying was about to set off again soon after returning to the village.
She repeatedly tried to persuade Li Ying gently, and left A Man in the village to take care of things. Just as Li Ying was about to go out, she was firmly grabbed by Mian Mian's soft little hand.
Mian Mian could already babble out a few words intermittently. She stubbornly kept calling "Mother".
This sight made everyone feel rather sad.
Li Ying let out a long sigh. Since she came to this fishing village, she had been busy making a living almost every day and had never had a moment of leisure. She had also been away from her own flesh and blood, Mian Mian, most of the time.
The little girl was obedient and never cried or made a fuss, which always made Li Ying feel at ease when she left.
But now, this made Li Ying's heart clench.
Taking this opportunity, A Man supported Granny Sun and sent them off with a solemn look.
"Sister, Mian Mian is at the age when she recognizes her mother. She keeps saying every day that she wants her mother. In my opinion, it might be better if..."
Before A Man could finish her words, Mian Mian firmly tugged at Li Ying's clothes again. She raised her rosy and jade - like face, which resembled Li Ying's by about 70%, and called out again, "Mother!"
A Man couldn't bear to see the little girl so aggrieved. She couldn't help but also persuade, "Sister, I know that you and Brother - in - law Lu are going to search for the strangeness in the sea this time. It might be extremely dangerous. But Mian Mian also has a bit of spiritual energy. Please rest assured, as long as I'm here, I will take good care of the ship and there will definitely be no mistakes!"
"Please take A Man and Mian Mian with you, sister!"
She spoke with a determined look on her face. Seeing this, even the little spirit cat Mao Mao, which usually disappeared without a trace, now jumped onto her shoulder with ease.
Li Ying couldn't help but burst out laughing.
It seemed that this time, she had no choice but to give in obediently.
Granny Sun was old and not very mobile, so she stayed in the village to recuperate.
After sailing for several days, the ship reached the vast expanse of the sea. Occasionally, a few seabirds flew by, stirring up a series of ripples.
This beautiful scenery made Li Ying feel relaxed and happy.
Even if they found nothing on this trip, traveling with Lu Xunguang was still worth it.
A Man knew very well that Li Ying and Lu Xunguang had been pretending in front of Qing Liu and Inspector Lin a few days ago. Now they were probably in the sweetest part of their relationship. So she wisely held Mian Mian and stayed in the cabin obediently.
The two people standing on the deck leaned against each other. They watched the bloody sunset on the sea. The night wind was a bit chilly, which made Li Ying involuntarily tighten her clothes.
Lu Xunguang took off his outer robe and wrapped it tightly around her. The deep affection in his eyes was self - evident.
Just as they were looking into each other's eyes, they suddenly heard the rather noisy discussions of the sailors not far away.
Not long after, A Man also hugged the little baby tightly in her arms. She gasped for breath and looked panicked.
"Sister, look at the sky!"
Li Ying took a deep breath and then, together with Lu Xunguang, looked in the direction of the sailors.
They saw a thick cloud in the sky. It was like a giant beast climbing out of the sea, covering half of the sky with its claws flailing.
The servants Lu Xunguang brought were all experienced old sailors who were familiar with the water and had seen many storms at sea. However, they had never seen such a scene before. For a moment, they were so stunned that they just stared.
"Is this... some kind of evil spirit?"
The sailors knew the characters of Li Ying and Lu Xunguang well. They knew that they didn't like such superstitious remarks, so they whispered to each other in a low voice.
Lu Xunguang wanted to protect Li Ying behind him, but unexpectedly, Li Ying frowned and stared fixedly at the strange gray cloud.
"Pass the order. The whole ship should be on high alert and be ready for the storm at any time!"
Her tone was firm. The sailors looked at each other and couldn't help showing a skeptical look.
A storm?
Apart from that strange cloud, there was almost no wind or waves on the sea. The experienced sailors couldn't see any sign of an approaching storm at all.
The leading sailor wanted to ask Li Ying in detail why she said so. But when he met Lu Xunguang's cold and slightly warning look, he immediately didn't delay any longer. He honestly trotted all the way to lower the sails and prepare the rafts. He was so busy that his feet never touched the ground.
Li Ying tightly held Lu Xunguang's hand. The two of them protected Mian Mian and Mao Mao in their arms. Then she took a deep breath and gently explained.
"Brother Lu, although I'm not good at observing the sky at night, if I'm not mistaken, this strange cloud is clearly a sign of a volcanic eruption at sea!"
A volcanic eruption?
Lu Xunguang raised his eyebrows. Before Li Ying could explain to him in detail what a "volcanic eruption" was, as if to confirm her guess, the gray and strange cloud gathered and then dispersed. Not long after, it covered the sky tightly!
Li Ying secretly thought, "This is bad!"
In the twilight, a flash of lightning lit up, making Lu Xunguang's face in the night very clear.
The dull thunder sounded. Before Li Ying could quickly cover her daughter's ears, the night sky suddenly became as bright as day. Thousands of lightning bolts, like flexible silver snakes or dragons emerging from the sea, tore through the silence of the sky one after another.
"Master, Boss Li, please go back to the cabin and rest quickly! The storm at sea is really dangerous. We servants will do our best to fight against the wind and rain!"
Several loyal servants of the Lu family were afraid that something might happen to the two of them. Regardless of the bitter wind and rain, they knelt on the deck with a panicked look.
Li Ying just frowned and said in a deep voice, "If you trust me, please listen to me! Although our ship is strong, human strength is no match for the will of heaven. Right now, crossing this storm is not a good idea. Instead, we should sail with the wind and find a sheltered harbor! We can set sail again tomorrow after the wind and rain stop."
The sailors didn't expect that this woman would have such good ideas about sailing. They were at a loss and looked at Lu Xunguang for advice.
The rain slid down Lu Xunguang's strong side face. He seemed not to notice it and just nodded.
Everyone was exhausted that night. Only Mao Mao curled up into a round ball, nestled beside Mian Mian, and fell into a sweet sleep.
"A Ying, since the sea is calm today, how should we sail?"
There were faint signs of tiredness under Lu Xunguang's eyes. He could still faintly see a strange cloud in the distance on the horizon, just like the one yesterday.
The sailors were still in shock and didn't dare to rush into the thick cloud again.
Li Ying smiled slightly.
"Brother Lu, what we're looking for on this trip might be right behind that cloud."