In two more days, they would exchange hostages with the Devil Race.
This hall master from a prestigious orthodox school had no illusions: what he had done was kidnapping. In those circumstances, rescuing anyone with nothing but the spells and scriptures he had learned at the Highest Clarity School was utterly impossible. Who would have thought that what finally proved useful was his experience of ambushing and abducting people on Poyang Lake with Ju Ying all those years ago? Now he was searching the Southeastern Sea Frontier for a suitable place to exchange hostages.
"This island won't do either. There's an undercurrent beneath that waterfall's deep pool leading out beyond the island, but how could such a passage escape the Demon People's eyes?"
Determined to escape through the water, the Four Seas Hall Master rejected yet another seemingly suitable island and continued flying toward the next one within sight.
By now, the red sun that had been hidden among the clouds had leaped out of the rosy banks in the eastern sky and was slowly moving toward a position above Xing Yan's head. As the sun over the sea approached its zenith, it turned golden, casting patches of light over his arms, tanned a reddish brown.
An island easy to defend and difficult to attack, with an inconspicuous waterway for escape, was truly hard to find. After spending two mornings inspecting hundreds of islands without finding a single suitable one, Xing Yan could not help growing anxious. Standing above the wind-tossed waves, he watched the sun climb toward the middle of the sky, still unable to set aside his worries about the hostage Qiong Rong was guarding. In a moment of distraction, he plunged into the water with a splash and swallowed a great mouthful of seawater.
What rotten luck!