Chapter 1354: Setting Sail

"Two hundred thousand." The village chief hesitated, and Liu Ruxi tossed out another price.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." The village chief felt a bit embarrassed; after all, for them, going out to sea was as routine as a daily meal.

A single trip for two hundred thousand—this money was practically falling from the sky, and he felt too ashamed to keep asking for more.

"I'll assign two crew members to you. Both of them have been to the deep sea and are very experienced, but where are you planning to go?" the village chief said. "Too far out in the sea is not allowed."

"Not very far, just a few dozen nautical miles. Just have the boat stocked with fuel and maintenance tools, and prepare fresh water and food. As long as you drop us off, they can return," Chen Yu said.

"That's fine, no problem," the captain said.

Soon, an oil tanker was prepared. The hull was not too large, but it was relatively new, and the ones operating the boat were a father and son.

The father was named Zhang Dezhong, and one of his legs was slightly lame. According to him, he had encountered a storm while out at sea, and the boat had capsized, injuring his leg.

The son was named Zhang Qiang. He didn't talk much, but he was a pragmatic young man.

Zhang Dezhong was very talkative. He could earn quite a bit of money from this trip, so he was in high spirits.

"Mr. Chen, are you going out to sea for a vacation?" After starting the boat, Zhang Dezhong asked.

"Not exactly," Chen Yu smiled and said, "There are some things to take care of. Just follow the direction of this compass; it's about a few dozen nautical miles."

"After you arrive there, you can return. Wait for me to contact you before coming back."

"Alright, not a vacation? Then it's an expedition?" Zhang Dezhong laughed. "In the direction you pointed, there is a small island a few dozen nautical miles away."

"But we generally don't go to that place."

"Why don't you go?" Chen Yu asked.

"It's eerie. Because we can't catch any fish there, and there's always a gloomy feeling. We all feel that place isn't very auspicious, so under normal circumstances, we don't go there."

"Has anything strange happened in that place?" Chen Yu asked.

"I haven't heard of anything like that, because we all live off the sea, so we fear the ocean," Zhang Dezhong said. "Generally speaking, we only go to places we frequent."

"It is said that it is the place where the Sea God lives. If ordinary people go there rashly, it is disrespectful to the Sea God," Zhang Dezhong said.

Chen Yu nodded slightly. He looked at Zhang Dezhong's leg: "Was your leg injured?"

"That's right. Once, while out at sea, I encountered a storm. When the boat capsized, I was pierced by wood splinters, and I drifted in the sea for a day and a night before being rescued."

Zhang Dezhong sighed and said, "My life was saved, but this leg was completely ruined."

"I can actually heal your leg," Chen Yu said.

"Really?" Zhang Dezhong looked at Chen Yu, both surprised and delighted.

"Of course, sit down," Chen Yu said.

Zhang Dezhong hurriedly sat down. His mood was a bit agitated; his leg made movement inconvenient, and he had long since stopped daring to go out to the deep sea.

Moreover, people like them who made a living by fishing usually did manual labor, and his leg prevented him from doing many jobs.

If his leg could be healed, that would truly be wonderful; he would be able to be like a normal person again in the future.

After he sat down, Chen Yu reached out into the void, a surge of Original Power lifted, and then his right hand tapped into the void repeatedly.

Zhang Dezhong only felt several waves of heat striking his leg, and then a surge of heat poured into his limb.

Immediately after, the injured meridians in his leg slowly healed.

A moment later, Chen Yu withdrew his hand and said, "Stand up and try walking a few steps."

"Okay." Zhang Dezhong nodded. He slowly stood up and tried to move his leg.

Upon trying, he couldn't help but be both surprised and delighted. His leg landed firmly, and the old injury was completely healed. Now he could walk on the ground just like a normal person.

"I'm healed, my leg is actually healed!" Zhang Dezhong walked back and forth on the boat in surprise.

He stomped his feet, and the piercing pain from before was gone. He stopped his steps and said to Chen Yu gratefully, "Mr. Chen, thank you so much. I don't know how long this ailment in my leg has plagued me."

"If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have had to live with this crippled leg for the rest of my life."

"It's nothing, just a small effort. Since we met, it's fate," Chen Yu smiled and said.

"Mr. Chen, Little Aunt Liu, I'll take you there for free this time." Zhang Dezhong was also an honest man; he knew how to repay kindness.

"That won't be necessary. Brother Zhang, you are taking such a big risk to take us out to sea, so it's only right to accept some money," Liu Ruxi said. "It's also only right that we help you out."

"Mr. Chen, you and Miss Liu are truly good people. You two must be very happy as a couple," Zhang Dezhong laughed.

Liu Ruxi's face flushed slightly. She did not refute it, but couldn't help but secretly glance at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu gave a wry smile. Seeing Liu Ruxi's expression, he knew what she was thinking.

The sky was clear, and slight ripples appeared on the sea surface. Everything before them seemed very pleasant.

It wasn't that Liu Ruxi had never been out to sea, but her mood had never been like this before.

If it weren't for saving He Yi and her aunt, she would have really liked to enjoy herself here properly.

"What are you thinking about?" Looking at Liu Ruxi sitting at the bow of the boat, Chen Yu couldn't help but ask.

"I was thinking, why didn't I know how to enjoy life before?" Liu Ruxi murmured. "All this time, I have been working hard and making money."

"But in the future, I might have to say goodbye to this kind of life completely, and yet, I haven't even enjoyed it properly."

"You can still do it after you awaken," Chen Yu smiled. "Your consciousness won't disappear; it's just that you'll have the memories of another person."

"That's not the same," Liu Ruxi sighed slightly and said. "Having someone else's memories inexplicably appear in your own consciousness—no matter how you look at it, that's not a good thing."

"That depends on how you think about it. If you can let it go, then you won't feel there's anything wrong with it," Chen Yu smiled slightly.

"People, living in this world, the most important thing is one's state of mind," Chen Yu said. "Sometimes, what looks like an insurmountable obstacle to you is actually not a big deal."

"It mainly depends on how you think. If you can let it go, there is almost nothing in this world to worry about."

"Thank you," Liu Ruxi smiled slightly. "Even at a time like this, you can still persuade me and comfort me."

"I'm not comforting you, just letting you ease your mind," Chen Yu said. "Life is short, why make things difficult for yourself?" Liu Ruxi nodded thoughtfully.

They continued moving forward, and it remained calm and peaceful, but the seawater in this area had turned deep blue.

And beneath that sea area, it was as if some deep-sea behemoth were hiding there.

If someone had thalassophobia, they would probably be shivering with fear here.