Chapter 50

The waves, like a raging, monstrous beast, pounded the fragile boat with the force of a thunderbolt. The hull pitched violently, the wood groaning with an unbearable, creaking sound as if it might be torn to shreds at any second. Shen Mingyue’s palms were already blistered from the oars, layers of raw wounds stinging fiercely under the assault of the salty sea spray and dripping sweat. A tide of piercing pain surged over her in wave after wave. With every stroke of the oar, she had to summon all her strength, bite her lower lip, and force herself to endure the agony. In her arms lay Gu Jinghong, unconscious. Across his paper-white face, purple venom veins crawled like malicious vines, their hideous, terrifying patterns slithering relentlessly over his skin like the grasping claws of the Grim Reaper. His breathing was so faint as to be almost imperceptible, his vitality as weak as a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished in the churning tumult at any moment. Overhead, black clouds hung thick and heavy like a dense woolen quilt, completely blotting out the moonlight and plunging the surroundings into an ink-like darkness.