Huo Yu’s blood surged.
Before, when he was merely the son of a general, he couldn't have Gu Qingcheng. Now, he was about to become the emperor of the Great Huo Dynasty, and he still couldn't have her?
He was unwilling!
Du Lanyue, hearing Huo Yu’s military order, anxiously asked Gu Qingcheng, “What do we do? They have the advantage in numbers.”
“It’s alright, they can’t catch us.”
Gu Qingcheng steered the yacht away, but deliberately slowed down, moving at a snail’s pace.
Huo Yu’s warship, at first glance, seemed much faster than Gu Qingcheng’s boat. As Gu Qingcheng’s boat sailed out of the waterway and onto the wider water, Huo Yu’s ship was already closing in from behind.
Standing at the bow, Huo Yu could clearly see Gu Qingcheng’s boat was only about 15 meters away. On the water, this distance was practically nonexistent.
Huo Yu couldn't help but smile smugly. “Qingcheng, Lanyue, stop your boat and surrender obediently. I will spare you, otherwise, I will ram your boat and sink it.”
Du Lanyue, watching the approaching enemy ship speeding towards them, was incredibly nervous.
Gu Qingcheng, however, remained unhurried. “Stop bragging. If you have the guts, try to ram us?”
Huo Yu hadn’t expected Gu Qingcheng to be so calm and composed. He had just been boasting, and never imagined she would dare him to ram their boat. Having made such a threat in front of so many subordinates, and being taunted by Gu Qingcheng across the water, he would lose face if he didn't act.
Fortunately, he wasn't foolish enough to ram Gu Qingcheng’s boat with his own. He stiffened his resolve and ordered a ship behind him to ram Gu Qingcheng. This was a medium-sized vessel that could carry over 50 people, more than twice the size of Gu Qingcheng’s boat.
Du Lanyue watched the enemy ship get closer and felt the threat of death looming once again. She instinctively grabbed Gu Qingcheng’s hand and said, “Qingcheng, I can’t swim. Can you take me with you?”
“No problem. I can even hold my breath underwater. But it’s best if we don’t end up swimming in the river.” Gu Qingcheng shuddered at the thought of the countless frozen corpses that had once floated in the water. Although nature had purified it somewhat, the psychological barrier remained.
The two chatted as if nothing were happening, infuriating Huo Yu. He had expected these two weak women to be trembling with fear and surrender immediately. Instead, they were talking leisurely on the boat, completely disregarding him.
Huo Yu felt deeply humiliated and decided to kill them. He ordered his ship to ram theirs forcefully.
As a result, the ship collided with the yacht. The yacht only tilted slightly, appearing undamaged. Conversely, Huo Yu’s warship sustained a large hole. Water gushed in through the breach, and the entire ship began to sink slowly, sending the crew scrambling into the water in panic.
Du Lanyue felt the vibration of the boat and could hardly believe their vessel hadn't been damaged. She joyfully exclaimed, “Qingcheng, our boat is fine!”
In reality, the yacht only appeared fine. Gu Qingcheng had already received a damage report for the vessel. Hull impact force 90%, damage level three, damage repair function activated… At the moment of impact, the yacht had rapidly completed its self-repair, leaving everyone oblivious, thinking nothing had happened.
Gu Qingcheng was overjoyed, feeling that spending 20 tons of iron for the upgrade was incredibly worthwhile. With this life-saving ability, Gu Qingcheng remained extremely calm. The new measurement’s effectiveness made her even more composed in dealing with Huo Yu.
Seeing that their side was unharmed while the attacking bandits were in trouble, Du Lanyue felt a wave of relief. She felt that being with Gu Qingcheng made even extreme situations seem manageable.
Huo Yu roared in anger. He could only reluctantly order his men to rescue the drowning bandits and then plot how to kill Gu Qingcheng.
Just then, a subordinate beside Huo Yu pointed at the distant water surface and exclaimed, “General, bad news, a waterspout!”
A waterspout is the spectacular phenomenon of a tornado pulling water from the surface into the sky, forming a massive column of water. While it looks beautiful, it is extremely dangerous for ships on the water. If caught in the vortex, the vessel could be damaged, and people could be killed or injured.
“Retreat quickly!” Huo Yu, prioritizing his own life, shouted an order upon seeing the situation.
Gu Qingcheng and Du Lanyue also witnessed this spectacle. Huo Yu could retreat to the island, but Gu Qingcheng had no way back.
Under everyone’s terrified gaze, Gu Qingcheng moved forward instead of retreating, steering her boat directly towards the waterspout. The wind grew stronger. The waterspout, though appearing only as thick as a water vat from afar, revealed a radius of hundreds of meters upon closer inspection.
Gu Qingcheng was stunned. Fortunately, she had just completed the yacht’s upgrade and could only hope it would withstand the onslaught.
“Sister Lanyue, let’s quickly go inside the cabin.” Du Lanyue knew the situation was critical and could only trust Gu Qingcheng implicitly.
The two entered the cabin and closed the door, creating a sealed world. What amazed Du Lanyue was that upon entering the cabin, they could no longer feel the terrifying chaos of the storm outside, and she felt completely relaxed.
The night was clear with many stars. Through the portholes, they could clearly see everything happening outside. The water column then slowly moved towards them. As the massive tornado vortex moved, it sucked up everything on the water surface into the air.
Gu Qingcheng could only silently pray that they wouldn’t be so unlucky as to be sucked into the tornado. Seeing the fierce winds and the darkness, this scene felt so familiar. Gu Qingcheng suddenly realized this was exactly what she had seen in her dream! A wind disaster!
If one encountered a wind disaster on land, there was no need to be overly frightened; hiding in a cellar or a sturdy house could provide shelter. Gu Qingcheng hadn't expected to encounter a wind disaster on the water, just like in her dream.
Although Huo Yu frantically ordered his ships to dock, they were affected by the wind and lost control. Instead of moving towards the shore, they were rapidly propelled towards the origin of the waterspout. Huo Yu, terrified, clutched the ship's railing, using all his strength to avoid being sucked away by the wind.
Gu Qingcheng’s yacht was also caught by the ferocious suction of the hurricane, pulled into the center of the waterspout, and lifted upwards with the water column. Gu Qingcheng felt as if she were slowly passing through a time tunnel, her boat spiraling upwards within the water column. Other objects were also being lifted: stone statues, countless fish and shrimp, and even other fleets of ships…
To Gu Qingcheng’s astonishment, she even saw Huo Yu. Huo Yu was tightly hugging the mast, his face etched with fear, devoid of the commanding presence of someone about to ascend the Great Huo throne.