For the past three days, with Maggie Monroe and Master Yideng around, Gabriel Yang’s condition had stabilized a lot, and his mind was recovering too. But that didn’t put anyone at ease, because no one knew when this bizarre illness might flare up again. To make sure nothing went wrong, everyone decided to prepare for both outcomes. If they could find Mystic Isle, great. If not—or if they found the island but there was no cure—there was a backup plan.
Beiming Divine Skill.
Of everyone, Grace Kwok volunteered herself and became the key executor of this so-called “Plan B.” You could say she was the backup for this operation.
Before they set out, Jill Young sternly warned her: “If you want to master the Beiming Divine Skill, you have to first discard all your previous martial arts and forget them completely. Sure, it looks like a shortcut to the top, but it’s actually super risky. First, Gabriel Yang’s illness is weird—if you absorb his internal energy, you might end up taking the illness with it. Second, Gabriel Yang already broke through the bottleneck; if you absorb his energy, you might never break through yourself. Third, and most dangerous, Gabriel Yang’s cultivation is way too high. Even if he lets you absorb it, one slip and you could suffer a backlash and die on the spot.”
Being the backup really isn’t an easy job.
“I understand.” Grace Kwok didn’t say anything else, just nodded and said, “I’ll start dispersing my internal energy right away.”
This girl really was willing to be Gabriel Yang’s backup.
Lydia Drake was deeply moved, but also sensed something subtle, noticing the complicated look in Grace Kwok’s eyes. But amid all that complexity, gratitude and emotion outweighed everything else.
Two days later, when Gabriel Yang finally woke up, the first thing he saw was Grace Kwok, deliberately keeping up her cheerful act but barely hiding her exhaustion. For a martial artist, dispersing internal energy hurts even more than losing blood. Gabriel Yang’s emotions grew complicated too, and he, Grace Kwok, and Lydia Drake spent a long time talking in the cabin. What did they talk about? Jill Young and the others automatically steered clear and gave them privacy.
During those three days, their little boat circled around the vast and shifting sea. They ran into pirates twice, but saw no sign of any mysterious island. The longer it took, the more likely Gabriel Yang’s condition would worsen. The group couldn’t drag things out forever—they could only take it one step at a time and let fate decide.