Chapter 1047: Visiting Old Friends
On August 10, Chen Chuan took his aunt's family on a cruise.
This time their journey starts from Jibei Road. They will first pass by Daxi Reef and enjoy the magnificent sea view there. Then they will go to Baihe Island to watch the amazing sight of thousands of cranes flying in the sky. After that, they will visit five small islands with different styles.
The stopover is arranged at the Anying Islands in the central city of Haidong Road. They will stay here for two days, and then continue to head east. They will stay on Gaoshi Island, the home of the Gong royal family, for two days, and then go to the legendary cannibal island for a three-day hunting activity.
The final destination of this trip is the tourist island of Rowan Island, where we will stay for four days. On the return journey, we will detour through the southern channel, taste the food in the famous Baleu Islands, and appreciate the local customs and natural scenery.
Finally, we will return along the scenic Pearl Island Chain. The whole journey will take about twenty days, and we will return to Jibei Road by early September at the latest.
The ship set sail in the afternoon. In the evening, Chen Chuan asked Chao Ming to stay and look after his aunt's family. He left the cruise ship and walked on the sea alone to the Red Crown Island which was outside the route.
This time, he planned to visit the He brothers and sisters. The last time he came, it was during the day, but this time, due to the long voyage, when he arrived, it was almost six o'clock and it was already dark.
As we walked along, we saw that street lights had been built on the mountain road, and the originally simple training venue had been renovated. The playground in front was brightly lit, and a simple court had been built. Many students were playing there, causing exclamations from time to time.
A three-story brick building was built next to the playground. It looked like a dormitory. Many students stood on it to watch the game and cheer.
When he was approaching from a distance, the He family siblings noticed him and came to greet him. When he got closer, He Zhilan said happily, "Xiao Chuan, you're here."
He Ruihai still looked calm and nodded at Chen Chuan, but joy and concern were hidden deep in his eyes.
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "I hope I didn't disturb the two seniors."
He Zhilan said, "No, Xiaochuan, we are looking forward to your coming."
Ever since the island started providing mail and telegraph services, Chen Chuan wrote to the two of them during the Chinese New Year to report his safety, and he also gave them advance notice before coming this time.
After exchanging pleasantries outside for a while, the He brothers and sisters invited him into the house.
He Zhilan said: "Construction on the island has been going on very fast recently, and the number of students coming to study here has doubled. We are almost unable to teach them all. Fortunately, the development company has provided a lot of support and sent us two assistants.
And this…”
She pointed to a tree-like creature in the corner of the hall and said, "They've given us a lot of field biological equipment, allowing us to use boundary skills for teaching here. That saves us a lot of effort. And this hall is newly renovated."
He Ruihai said: "We originally just wanted to avoid being found, so we chose this remote island to hide for a while and find something to do. But now this place looks pretty good, and we plan to live here for a long time."
He Zhilan said, "Yeah, I heard it's connected to the skyline outside. I guess it should be close here too, right?"
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Now it's just the main channel that's connected, but the skyline will continue to expand and will cover this area within the next one to two years."
He Zhilan said in surprise: "That's great!" With Chen Chuan's identity, she knew that the news should not be wrong. To be honest, after coming here and teaching many students, they felt that their lives became meaningful.
After talking for a while, she called to Chen Chuan: "Come on, Xiao Chuan, stop talking. You haven't eaten yet, right? Come with Aunt He..."
She pulled Chen Chuan to the backyard, where there was a barbecue grill and pieces of meat were already on skewers.
"This is the island's specialty, the 'Black Spotted Pig,' a famous delicacy on this sea. In the past, the hunters on the island could earn enough money to feed their families by hunting one. However, this creature is cunning and strong, making it difficult for ordinary people to hunt. This time, your Uncle He went into the mountains specifically to hunt it.
We even specially mixed some secret seasonings. Back then, Sister Zhen loved our cooking and barbecue the most.”
Chen Chuan sat down and said, "Then I want to try it."
He Zhilan smiled and said, "Sister Zhen is good at everything except cooking. She cooks everything, but it only fills her stomach and the food tastes bland. If she put the focus she put into martial arts training into cooking, she would definitely be better than us."
He Ruihai quietly walked to the side, picked up the skewers, placed them over the fire, and expertly flipped them. A rich aroma wafted out. He neatly sprinkled the seasoning on them and handed them to Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan took them with a thank you. The freshly grilled skewers would be quite hot for most people, but he had no problem eating them. They were indeed delicious, the meat juicy and tender, and he'd finished a whole skewer before he knew it. He Ruihai then handed him another skewer.
He Zhilan watched him tasting the food with a slight smile on her face, feeling happier than if she were eating it herself.
The three of them ate and chatted here. When they were almost done, Chen Chuan said, "In two months, I will be accompanying the expedition team to the Linax Federation. This time, I may be gone for quite a while, so I came to say hello to the two elders."
The He brothers and sisters looked at each other, and after a moment, He Ruihai said in a deep voice: "Xiao Chuan, although we are elders, our vision and knowledge are not as good as yours. Whatever you do, you must have your own considerations.
If you only have strength but no flexible adaptability, you probably wouldn't have made it this far. Uncle He can't help you much, so I hope you find the answers you want."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Thank you, Uncle He."
He Zhilan asked with concern: "Xiao Chuan, when will you come back?"
Chen Chuanshuo said, "It's hard to say right now. If I can find the result this time, I will let you know, Uncle He and Aunt He."
After he finished speaking, he stood up and said, "I should go now."
He Zhilan said, "It's late at night. Even though there are street lights, the mountain road is not easy to walk on. Why don't we stay overnight before continuing on?"
Chen Chuan said: "It doesn't matter, I won't take the mountain road."
As he spoke, the two saw a bright light radiate from his body. The grass stems and dust around him floated up on their own, and he slowly rose up and said, "Uncle He, Aunt He, take care and wait for my news."
After he finished speaking, there was a flash of light and it disappeared from the spot in an instant. The He brother and sister raised their hands to block the oncoming airflow, and looked up, only to see a ray of light disappearing into the night sky. After a while, the rumbling sound of thunder was heard in the sky.
Their clothes and hair fluttered for a long time before they stopped and looked at each other.
He Zhilan said hesitantly, "Brother, are all fighters like this?"
He Ruihai thought about it and shook his head. "I don't know, but what I can be sure of is..." He said with certainty: "Xiaochuan is stronger than the last time we met."
After coming out of Red Crown Island, Chen Chuan returned to the boat not long after. He had only been away for less than an hour, and everything on the boat was still normal.
Today is the first day of sailing, and they are still sailing within the coverage of the skyline. There are security and rescue ships along the way, and there are airships following behind, so there will be no problems.
It was only around eight or nine o'clock, and there was an open-air concert on the cruise ship. The music was passionate and many people gathered to watch. Nian Fuli, his aunt, and his cousins were sitting on the side watching.
He smiled slightly, walked over, greeted his aunt, and sat down beside her.
A few days later, the cruise ship arrived at the Anying Islands, where the central city of Haidong Province was located. Because the skylines were connected, the security and defense of the two central cities were also interconnected, so he did not need to report to the central city.
However, if he entered the city, it would inevitably alert the local officials, so he chose not to enter the city. When his aunt and her family went to the central city, he set up a parasol on the beach, put a bottle of drink on it, and read a book there, while soothing music played on the sofa.
Just as he was watching intently, he heard loud shouts. Looking into the distance, he saw many young men riding on the bulging backs of jumping fish in the sea. They held tightly onto the implanted hoops on them, sinking into the sea and then jumping out of the sea. Every time they appeared, the people around them cheered loudly.
This is a sea fish jumping sport that has recently emerged in the Anying Islands and is the most popular among young people. This modified fish will take people to jump into the sea and then jump high out of the sea, which is very exciting. This is not without skills. Every time the fish jumps, the passengers take this opportunity to quickly adjust their breathing. Once in the water, they have to resist the squeeze of the sea water. If they are not careful, they will be thrown off or fall down. This is a great test of skills and physical strength.
As he was watching, a man who looked to be in his thirties walked up to him, removed his sunglasses, and said, "Some people believe that implanting and modifying organisms for human entertainment goes against the laws of nature. Some even believe that if humans treat living beings this way, the other side will treat us the same way in the future."
Chen Chuan glanced at him and recognized him as a security supervisor on the cruise ship. He said, "That sounds like something the Wilderness Sect would say."
The man bowed slightly and said, "Hello, Director Chen, I am a member of the Wilderness Clan, my name is Lu Tuo."
Chen Chuan looked at him. Although the Wilderness Sect wasn't on the level of the Five Great Sects, it was still considered a major sect. He said, "I rarely see fighters from the Wilderness Sect. I always thought you didn't like crowded places."
Lu Tuo said: "Not all members of the Wilderness Sect are savages. Their internal cultivation philosophies are also different. Only those who are too extreme will reject everything in the civilized world.
There are actually more members like me. We are usually hired to participate in some tasks, and use the rewards to obtain resources for cultivation. If we rely solely on gathering them ourselves, it would be too slow. "
Chen Chuanshuo said, "But I remember your Wilderness School tradition. It seems that gathering is also a part of practice?"
"That was in the past."
Lu Tuo said helplessly, "Times are changing. The Wilderness School has fewer and fewer cracks under its control. If we don't find a better way to practice, then the entire school may not survive until the world changes."
…
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(End of this chapter)