Fortunately, although the hurricane on the sea was fierce, its impact underwater was limited. However, a few sailors who jumped in after Ian Song and Lyra Hale didn't dive deep enough and were still caught by the hurricane, swept away to unknown places.
In other words, on this vast ocean, only he and Lyra remained.
Now that the hurricane had passed, the waves still roared across the surface, but for martial artists like Ian Song and Lyra Hale, it was no longer a major problem.
So, he signaled to Lyra, then pulled her upward to swim to the surface.
Looking at the empty sea, Lyra's pretty face suddenly changed. There were still three days of sailing left to reach Penglai Island, but now without a ship, it meant no food or fresh water. As an Earth Realm sixth-layer martial artist, she could endure a few days without food, but lacking fresh water was a serious problem.
So, a trace of panic appeared in her heart: "Brother-in-law, what should we do now?"
"Let's get out of the thunderstorm zone first, then see if we can find an island," Ian said in a low voice. As for solutions, he didn't have any good ideas either. Although he could fly on his sword, with the addition of a middle dantian storing true essence, he could barely keep flying for half an hour.
But now, with Lyra along, carrying her while flying would greatly increase his true essence consumption. Who knew if he could find an island before running out of energy? He didn't dare gamble on it, and he still kept a bit of caution toward Lyra—if he exhausted his true essence, she might take the chance to strike. So, swimming was safer for now.
As for food and fresh water, he wasn't worried. His Storage Ring always carried emergency supplies for situations like this.
After half an hour, the two finally left the thunderstorm zone.
But staring at the endless, boundless ocean, neither of them felt any joy.
The sea was nothing like land—it was almost impossible to tell directions.
"Which way should we swim now?" Ian asked, looking at Lyra.
"I have no idea either!" Lyra said, embarrassed, shaking her head.
"Do you have a sea chart for Penglai Island?" Ian continued.
"No," Lyra said, even more embarrassed. She'd always had ships to take her to and from Penglai Island and the Shenzhou continent, so she never bothered with sea charts.
Ian sighed inwardly. "Then we can only leave it to fate."
Since they couldn't find any directions, Ian could only pick a random one and swim. After what had just happened, both of them were weighed down, so they didn't speak again.
After swimming for about half an hour, Lyra quietly said, "Brother-in-law, am I really useless?"
Ian looked at her in surprise. Right now, Lyra looked truly bedraggled—after being hit by several waves, her hair was loose and plastered wetly to her face.
"Why would you think that?"
"If I'd paid more attention to sea charts before, we wouldn't be lost now," Lyra said gloomily.
"You're overthinking it. Who could have predicted we'd run into a hurricane?" Ian comforted her softly.
After chatting for a while, the two fell silent again. Swimming was exhausting enough, and in the restless sea, every wave required effort to resist.
So not only did their stamina drain quickly, but even their true qi was rapidly consumed. Luckily, Ian's body had already formed a cycle, allowing him to absorb spiritual energy from the world at any time, but Lyra wasn't so fortunate. In just over an hour, she'd already burned through a fifth of her true qi.
After another three hours of swimming, Lyra looked utterly exhausted, with only about a tenth of her true qi left.
Ian had an idea and said to Lyra, "Lyra (Heart), why don't you get on my back? I'll carry you as we swim."
"Thank you, brother-in-law, but I can still manage," Lyra replied shyly. Although she had some feelings for Ian, she wasn't ready for such close contact—especially with their clothes soaked and clinging to their skin. If she got on his back now, wouldn't that be...
"Alright, but let me know if you can't keep going."
"Mm."
After another hour, Lyra's true qi was completely spent, and her stamina was nearly gone too. Her speed slowed noticeably.
"Lyra (Heart), you should get on my back now."
Seeing her situation, Ian suggested again.
"No need, brother-in-law, I can still... keep going."
But this time Ian didn't give her a chance to refuse. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, teasing, "Would you rather I carry you in my arms, or on my back?"
"Brother-in-law... you!"
"Alright, just get on my back!" Ian let go of Lyra at the right moment.
"Thank you, brother-in-law."
Lyra finally stopped resisting and moved behind Ian, wrapping her arms around his neck. At first, she tried to keep her chest from touching his back, but after several waves crashed into them, her body ended up pressed firmly against him.
Ian was also worried she'd be swept away by the waves, so whenever a big wave hit, he'd reach back and hold her by the hips.
To lighten the mood, after a wave hit them, Ian teased, "Lyra, you've got quite a figure."
"Brother-in-law, if you flirt with me like that, aren't you afraid I'll tell Princess Yu'er?" Lyra said, half annoyed but obviously more relaxed after so much contact.
"Don't, Lyra! If you tell Princess Yu'er, she'll never let me off!" Ian played along, pretending to be afraid.
Lyra giggled triumphantly. "So even a big hero like you is scared of Princess Yu'er?"
"There's no such thing as a man who's afraid of his wife—only men who respect their wives," Ian mused.
For some reason, when Lyra heard this, her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively pressed herself even closer to Ian.
Damn! This is killing me!
Feeling the softness pressed against his back, Ian couldn't help but start to feel heated inside.
After a moment of silence, Lyra asked again, her voice tinged with defeat: "Brother-in-law, do you think we'll survive this?"
"Of course we will," Ian said confidently. "Maybe we'll find an island if we keep swimming a bit longer."
"I hope so," Lyra nodded, pressing her cheek against Ian's back.
Gradually, the breathing behind him grew more even. Ian realized Lyra had fallen asleep, so he tried to move as gently as possible.
But the waves were rough, and after just an hour of sleep on Ian's back, Lyra woke up. Feeling Ian's careful movements, she was suddenly flooded with a sense of being cared for.
"Lyra, have some water." Ian realized she was awake and handed her a bottle of mineral water he'd taken from his Storage Ring—after drinking from it himself.
"Brother-in-law, where did this come from?" Lyra asked curiously.
"I don't know either. I found it floating in the sea. I've already tried it—it's fresh water, you can drink it," Ian said with a smile.
"Mm."
Lyra nodded lightly and opened the bottle. Suddenly, she froze. Wait—brother-in-law drank from this bottle first. If I drink from it too, isn't that like... an indirect kiss?