After Du Siwen rapped him hard on the head, Xu Qingtong said with a pained expression, "Senior Sister, what I just said was perfectly plain! I really did climb step by step from the seabed to the mountaintop, then swim up to the surface!"
Du Siwen stared at Xu Qingtong in astonishment and said incredulously, "You really climbed up from the seabed, step by step?"
"What did you think? Did you have a better way?"
Du Siwen patted Xu Qingtong on the shoulder and said, "Brother, you had it rough!"
"Senior Sister, the Teleportation Array is still nearly two thousand li from here. Without the Flying Boat to carry us, should we rest a little before traveling by sword?" Xu Qingtong asked.
Du Siwen had wanted to say that they should skip the rest and return as soon as possible. But worried that Xu Qingtong might not have the strength, she nodded and said, "All right! Let's rest before we go!"
The two sat in meditation for about two hours. Fully restored, Xu Qingtong set off with Third Senior Sister, riding their flying swords toward Cat-Ear Island.
The hour of the Rooster had passed. The sun had sunk beneath the sea, and the sky gradually darkened. Above Cat-Ear Island, two figures, a man and a woman, approached on swords.
They were none other than Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen, who had traveled for over eight hours to reach this place. They concealed themselves, leaving the island's villagers undisturbed.
"Senior Sister, this is Cat-Ear Island, where the Teleportation Array is!"
Xu Qingtong swept the island with his divine sense and found nothing unusual. The islanders all lived by rising to work at sunrise and resting at sunset. At this hour, they were eating dinner.
The two reached the ruined temple on