Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 950 - 948_1

Chapter 950: 948_1

The rain was so heavy that it was impossible to keep one’s eyes open. Everyone squinted through the downfall. Despite wearing straw raincoats, the soldiers were soaked to the bone.

It was the dead of winter. Although it wasn’t as freezing as the north where water droplets would freeze on contact, the chill was still bone-deep. It was so cold that people’s teeth chattered. Everyone’s face was a hue of blue-purple from the bitter cold.

Massive boats were venturing out to sea. Ten of them proceeded side by side, each of them linked together.

Ten more boats were similarly linked together end to end with iron chains at the back.

In the dim, misty sea, one could hardly see the stern of the second boat from the first. If it wasn’t for this measure, the boats trailing behind would not be able to keep up and would inevitably lose their way.

In such weather, if contact was lost at sea and without communication tools, attempting to re-establish contact would be tremendously difficult.

The golden python was guiding Xiao’er on their direction, as she personally adjusted the sail’s exposure to wind, manipulating the course of the vessel.

Shangguan Xuanyi was blocking the wind and rain for her, standing right behind Xiao’er, sharing the physical strain with her.

Xiao’er was manning the rudder, while Shangguan Xuanyi manipulated the angular position of the sails hanging vertically on the mast to propel the ship forward.

The soldiers were busy shifting their weight. They would run to the other side whenever the boat began to tilt, striving to maintain the balance of the huge boat on the sea surface to prevent it from capsizing.

These men were in the navy; their usual training took place on the sea and they knew exactly what needed to be done without needing instruction from Xiao’er.

The waves were high and the turbulence of the boat was intense. There were several occasions where the ship almost toppled over but everyone was experienced. No one panicked and they all did what was necessary.

As long as the direction was correct, sailing amidst the storm was no issue for them.

General Di and Zhao Youwei were in awe as they watched Xiao’er’s small figure standing firm amidst the freezing cold and rain.

"In this world, there are not many women as resilient as the Princess," General Di said, genuinely filled with admiration.

"She’s truly one of a kind," Zhao Youwei’s gaze remained fixed on Xiao’er. Even though her hair was drenched and clinging onto her face, her lips turning a chilling shade of purple, he found her beautiful. She was more beautiful than any women he’d ever met, an entrancing sight.

He had always believed that character was more beautiful than appearance, and she was blessed with both - a stunning beauty and a strong character that was second to none.

The boats were slowly but surely making their way forward amidst the rise and fall of the waves.

On usual sunny days, the boats would reach their destination within a few days.

However, with the severe weather, the difficulty of the journey had escalated.

Darkness fell and dawn broke, rolled one after another, yet their destination remained out of sight.

The future remained unclear.

Struggling against the wind and waves, everyone had barely eaten over the past few days. Although they attempted sustainable eating shifts, they were all too distracted to manage a decent meal. As the days passed, hunger was gnawing at their bellies, energy sapped, and the end of their voyage remained an unknown distance away. Some soldiers could not help but ask, "Did we get lost? Why haven’t we arrived yet?"

"Unlikely, didn’t you see how calm Prince Rui and the Princess are? The generals aren’t worried either."

"But we have been at sea for so long now!"

"It’s not that long, usually, it takes a few days to get to Wanli Shitang. Isn’t it normal we haven’t arrived yet given the heavy storm and difficulty in controlling the boat?" a voice reassured everyone.

"Yeah, right. It feels so long because we’re all tired and hungry."

Xiao’er knew the soldiers were weary and famished. Sometimes it wasn’t hunger or fatigue they feared. It was the feeling of hopelessness. Hearing their discussion, Xiao’er loudly consoled, "Hang in there! We will arrive at Wanli Shitang in another hour! We have always been on the right direction. Everybody, don’t worry."

At their state of exhaustion, an hour seemed like an eternity. Nonetheless, spirits were lifted upon hearing Xiao’er’s reassuring promise. They had already endured for so long and had survived the massive storm without capsizing. Certainly, they could hold on for another hour. They shouted encouragingly to their comrades on the next boat, "Hang on, brothers! In just an hour, we will reach land!"

The soldiers from each boat shouted this to the troops on the next boat, and the news that they could reach land in an hour quickly spread!

Please everyone’s morale rising once again, Xiao’er took a deep breath and continued, "Brothers, be alert. We are about to enter the waters of Wanli Shitang. We are near the earthquake’s epicenter, so unknown dangers could be lying ahead. There might be major whirlpools. Everyone, stay fully alert, follow the boat ahead closely, and get past this final challenge!"

The closer they got to Wanli Shitang, the more dangerous it became. In truth, they were just two nautical miles from Wanli Shitang. But Xiao’er had said that it would take another hour to reach the shore because the tectonic activities had expanded Wanli Shitang by several times its size. The sea water would rapidly surge into the fissures left by the tectonic activities, creating hazardous whirlpools that posed great challenges to navigation.

If there was only one boat, Xiao’er could easily bypass it. But with hundreds of boats, it was impossible to escape them all. Therefore, they had to see the situation and act accordingly.

Fifteen minutes later, Xiao’er could faintly see a dark silhouette not far away, "We’re here! Everyone, stop! The ships in the first row, let go of the iron chains. One by one, slowly make your way to the shore! Be careful not to hit the reef!"

Xiao’er asked the golden python about the location of the hidden reefs and reminded everyone to make sure to avoid them.

The soldiers on the first row of ships also caught sight of Wanli Shitang, which seemed much larger than what they remembered. With the destination in sight, everyone was more exciting than ever. Some even could not wait and wanted to jump right into the sea and swim straight to it.

"We made it! We didn’t lose our way at all. We’re right here!"

"Absolutely, this is incredible! I thought our ship was just drifting aimlessly in the sea!"

"Are you stupid? Do you think Prince Rui and the Princess are fools? Would they lead us astray?" A general scolded after hearing their conversation.

Who would dare to lead a hundred thousand soldiers to sea without the full confidence of their survival!

The soldiers on the boat hurriedly began to unfasten the iron chains. Led by Xiao’er, the first ship successfully landed.

Following the trajectory of Xiao’er’s ship, one by one, the ships slowly made their way to the shore.

As each ship arrived, they would line up side by side, and the soldiers would immediately use iron chains to attach the two ships together.

After more than two hours, all the ships had successfully landed. Other than one or two ships that had been sucked into a whirlpool, having a few close calls, there weren’t any major incidents.

All one hundred thousand soldiers conducted a headcount, all were accounted for. Following that, loud cheers that could shake the heavens themselves erupted from the island.