Netizens and fans in the live broadcast room also saw Hu Feifei’s pale and grim appearance, and they speculated about it.
“What’s going on? Why does Hu Feifei look even more fragile after going down to the sea?”
“So, what exactly happened at the bottom of the sea? I only saw the camera shake a few times, and then it slowly turned from seawater to pitch black. If I hadn’t heard the sound of flowing water on the screen, I would have thought the live broadcast had ended.”
“Did something happen in the sea???”
“To be honest, there are many uncertain factors in the sea, and it’s quite dangerous.”
“I hope she’s alright.”
…
Everyone was looking at Hu Feifei, waiting for her response.
Hu Feifei swept a glance at the people on the boat and then secretly peeked at the calm Jing Li from the corner of her eye. Her heart tightened, and she quickly forced a smile, lowering her head and saying in a soft voice, “I’m fine. I’ve never dived before, and this time in the sea was a bit too long for my body to adapt.”
This statement was reasonable for someone who was diving for the first time, and the others sighed with relief upon hearing it. The staff member who had asked the previous questions looked her up and down and then asked if she was feeling unwell anywhere, before sitting back down.
“I’m sorry, the camera and lighting attached to my head accidentally fell off and sank to the bottom of the sea during the dive. It was too dark underwater, and I couldn’t see where the two guest teachers were, so I had to go down and retrieve the equipment first.”
The diving instructor apologized to the people on the boat and then said, “However, during the dive, I noticed that the seawater had become somewhat turbid, which could mean there’s a storm at the bottom of the sea, or even a typhoon.”
“So I do not recommend that the two guests dive again, and for safety’s sake, we should return to the shore immediately.”
Upon hearing his words, the faces of the people on the boat changed slightly.
They were not familiar with the changes in the sea, but they knew the seriousness of the situation if there was a storm or even a typhoon at the bottom of the sea.
Although they were all afraid, the instructor’s words were only his opinion, and they were unsure if the situation was truly that serious. They also feared that it might be a misjudgment on the instructor’s part, and they would waste time and money.
For a moment, the people on the boat looked at each other, undecided.
“I suggest we listen to the instructor and return to the shore now.”
Just as they were at an impasse, Jing Li suddenly spoke up, “Regardless of the circumstances, the safety of everyone is the most important thing.”
“And we just searched around the seabed. Hu Feifei and I didn’t find any valuable clues. It’s possible that the island’s treasure is not in the sea at all, and we were wrong about it before.”
Seeing that the others were still hesitant, Jing Li continued, “If everyone is disappointed that we didn’t capture the footage of the seabed, I think we can wait a bit and return to the seaside once the situation in the sea has stabilized.”
“That way, even if we don’t find any clues, we can still let the viewers in the live broadcast room see the beautiful underwater world.”
After saying this, he looked around at the people and smiled, “What do you all think of this proposal?”
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw the silent and downcast Hu Feifei, and he called out to her with a smile, “Hu Feifei, what do you think?”
Hu Feifei was startled by his call, raised her eyes to meet his smiling face, and immediately said, “I think it’s feasible.”
After a pause, perhaps feeling that her response was a bit too enthusiastic, she pursed her lips and spoke softly, feigning weakness, “Moreover, that previous trip has somewhat drained my physical strength, and I don’t think I’m quite up for another dive.”
With the guests voicing their support and Hu Feifei describing her condition as so serious, the others naturally did not continue to insist, especially now in front of so many viewers in the live broadcast.
The director in charge of the diving filming immediately nodded in agreement with Jing Li’s proposal and instructed the boat captain to return to the shore.
With the rumbling of the engine, the boat soon docked back on the shore.
By the time they returned, it was already getting late.
To avoid the danger of walking in the forest at night, Jing Li and Hu Feifei took off their diving gear and immediately headed back to the campsite in the forest.
*
On the plane, Gu Tingshen was frowning as he stared at the black screen of his phone, trying to discern anything else from it.
Earlier, when he watched the live broadcast and heard Jing Li say he was going to the sea to search for clues, he had been closely following the situation over there. After witnessing the sudden gust of wind in the forest, he sensed a hint of unusual crisis.
Recalling Jing Li’s other identity, Gu Tingshen’s expression became increasingly grave, and he stared at the screen without blinking, closely monitoring the other’s movements.
Sure enough, when they reached the sea, something happened again, and the camera shook and lost its signal as soon as they entered the water.
Gu Tingshen’s heart immediately raced, and he began to worry about Jing Li’s safety.
“You can definitely turn bad luck into good luck.” He silently said to himself, his eyes fixed intently on the screen, afraid of missing even the slightest valuable clue.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation in his chest, similar to the time he watched Jing Li dealing with the tree demon through the surveillance camera.
Gu Tingshen paused, then instinctively looked out the window. Soon, he saw a streak of light emerge from beneath the clouds, piercing through the layers of mist and heading straight towards him, before instantly disappearing into his body.
After the beam of light vanished inside him, countless unfamiliar images flashed through his mind.
Gu Tingshen was momentarily stunned, and he instinctively turned to glance at Qin Hao sitting in front of him. Qin Hao was still engrossed in the magazine in his hands, seemingly unaware of the magical scene just now.
Confirming that he was the only one who witnessed it, Gu Tingshen relaxed back into his seat, closing his eyes to recall the various scenes that had flashed through his mind.
In the images, there were countless unfamiliar faces – people, animals, and even strange plant-like entities. They all raised three fingers towards the sky, solemnly reciting their oaths.
“I swear on my life that I will devote myself entirely to the Wanjian Sect from this day forward. If I ever betray this oath, I shall face the most agonizing punishment of thousands of Heavenly Thunder and never find rest.”
“I swear on my demonic core that I will never again harm innocent lives. If I do, I shall willingly have my core extracted and my intelligence erased, becoming livestock for others to slaughter for eternity.”
“I swear on my thousand years of cultivation…”
“I swear…”
…….
As their lips moved, a cacophony of voices filled Gu Tingshen’s mind, like the bustling sounds of a crowded marketplace.
With the conclusion of each oath, a beam of light would emanate from the speaker’s body, rising to the sky and disappearing into the thick clouds. In response, a muffled thunderclap would sound from the clouds, as if acknowledging their vows.
Although the number of unfamiliar faces was staggering, Gu Tingshen found he could clearly remember each one, along with the specific oaths they had sworn.
Suddenly, his expression changed as he recognized a few familiar faces among the multitude. One was Zhang Guolin, whom he had seen at the film studio. Another was Hu Feifei, whom he had just seen in the live broadcast.
However, what attracted his attention the most was another face that was particularly handsome, delicate, and familiar – Jing Li.
In the vision, Jing Li appeared as the youthful figure Gu Tingshen had seen in his dreams before, dressed in a pristine white robe. With three slender, pale fingers raised, he looked up at the sky with a solemn expression and said in a clear, adolescent voice, “I swear on my demonic core and all my future cultivation, I will live for as long as you, so I can always stay with my senior brother.”
Although the young man spoke earnestly, his words were filled with childlike innocence, and it was evident they would not receive a response from the heavens.
True to that, the sky he gazed upon remained quiet, without the slightest disturbance.
The young man waited, and with a slightly petulant pout, he raised his three fingers again, murmuring, “Okay, if you think my oath is taking advantage of you, then I’ll compromise a little bit.”
“If you don’t want me to live that long, then I’ll become the most powerful person in the Spiritual Realm, and then go somewhere else to live even longer.”
Looking up at the sky with hopeful eyes, he asked, “Is that alright?”
The clouds still did not respond, and just as the young man was about to give up dejectedly, a muffled thunderclap suddenly echoed from the clouds, as if hesitantly acknowledging his vow.
The young man’s eyes immediately widened, and a visibly joyful expression appeared on his face.
The vision then abruptly ended.
Gu Tingshen struggled to emerge from the recollection of that radiant smile on the young man’s face.
The Jing Li in the vision seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, perfectly overlapping with the youth he had seen in his dreams, yet subtly different from the Jing Li of reality.
For a moment, Gu Tingshen felt disoriented, unsure which one was the true Jing Li.
It was as if the gears of destiny were guiding them to meet.
Regardless of the truth, Gu Tingshen was now certain of one thing – he and Jing Li had known each other long before their encounter at the Jing family banquet, perhaps even in a previous life.
Just as the vision had depicted, it was a story of past and present lives.
Past and present lives?
Gu Tingshen paused, momentarily stunned by the term he had just thought of, yet it also seemed like the most fitting answer to the many mysteries before him.
“Mr. Gu, we are about to land on the small island. Please remain seated and fasten your seatbelt,” the flight attendant said over the intercom.
Gu Tingshen immediately snapped out of his thoughts, settling back into his seat. He then glanced down through the window at the small island surrounded by the azure sea, a faint smile playing on his lips.
If it truly was a story of past and present lives, then he could not let this opportunity slip away.
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