The two rested for a while before setting out again.
Jiang Shouzhong originally planned not to let the woman carry him any longer, but the injury on his back was too severe. After walking for a bit, the pain beca unbearable, and he had no choice but to lie on her delicate back.
Fortunately, the sun wasn’t too scorching at the mont, making walking manageable.
However, it didn’t take long before they realized the severity of their situation.
They were lost.
Xiao Lingqiu was sowhat familiar with the map of Nanjin Country, but that was only from a bird’s-eye perspective.
Truly being in this vast desert, she initially managed to roughly discern directions based on boundary markers, but as they walked on, it was like they beca headless flies, wandering aimlessly in the boundless sands.
"Uh, do you think we can even make it back to the cave now?"
Jiang Shouzhong asked.
Xiao Lingqiu pressed her lips together and remained silent.
Jiang Shouzhong saw a hint of panic in her eyes. He wiped the sweat from her forehead and consoled her, "Don’t worry, as our cultivation gradually recovers, we’ll eventually make it out."
Xiao Lingqiu shook her delicate head. "You don’t understand the cruelty of the desert."
Cultivators are still human.
And humans are incredibly insignificant in the face of nature.
Let alone their current condition—even Saintly Ascension level cultivators, once they lose the ability to control their flying sword, could end up trapped and dying in the desert. There were real cases of this happening.
But what’s even more terrifying than just being lost is the desert’s unpredictable and extrely harsh weather.
Especially the sudden sandstorms.
With bad luck, they could last anywhere from several hours to several days.
And wouldn’t you know it—just as Xiao Lingqiu was filled with growing unease, her gaze unintentionally fell into the distance. Her pupils abruptly contracted, and fear rapidly spread across her face.
In the far horizon, an overwhelming wall of yellow sand surged like an enraged beast.
From a distance, it looked like a moving desert tsunami, sweeping toward them with devastating power.
Jiang Shouzhong’s expression also changed.
"Fuck, our luck can’t possibly be this bad," he cursed.
By this point, running was already too late. Xiao Lingqiu scanned their surroundings and spotted a sunken rock not far away. She quickly carried Jiang Shouzhong and hid beneath it.
The two tried their best to conceal their bodies.
The wind and sand slashed through the air like countless tiny blades, producing an ear-piercing sound.
Even while hiding behind the rock, they could still feel the painful strikes of sand grains hitting their bodies. The raging sandstorm swept overhead, carrying flying debris with it.
The world around them quickly descended into chaos.
Jiang Shouzhong held the woman tightly in his arms, shielding her.
Xiao Lingqiu initially wanted to break free, but as she experienced the solid warmth of the man’s chest, her panic inexplicably gave way to calmness.
She hesitated for a mont, then gently wrapped her arms around the man’s waist.
The sandstorm lasted for a long ti. When everything finally quieted down, the two, who had just brushed past the gates of death, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Brushing off the thick layer of dust covering their bodies, Jiang Shouzhong spat out a mouthful of sandy saliva, realizing for the first ti that night had fallen.
Above them, the stars dotted the sky, and the moon shone like silver.
The golden desert, now illuminated, appeared to be coated with a layer of white salt.
But as the night grew deeper, the desert’s temperature plunged, and the cold began to creep in.
Hunger, exhaustion, injuries—and now, biting cold... Neither of them could continue traveling any further.
Jiang Shouzhong simply used his flying sword to dig out a pit behind the rock. The two curled up in this makeshift shelter, trying to stave off the cold while waiting for the dawn.
"Maybe we really are going to die here," Xiao Lingqiu murmured.
Jiang Shouzhong pulled the woman’s delicate body closer, trying to share their body heat. "Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here."
"I’m sorry," Xiao Lingqiu suddenly said.
Jiang Shouzhong was stunned. Looking down at the woman, whose beauty couldn’t be fully concealed even after being battered by the sandstorm, he asked in confusion, "Why are you apologizing?"
"Am I... too temperantal?"
Though a thin layer of sand covered Xiao Lingqiu’s face, her bright eyes still shone as she gazed at him.
Well, yeah, you are... Jiang Shouzhong thought to himself, but in the end, he decided to save her so face:
"I think you’re fine—unique, really. After all, you’re a tough prairie woman. Being soft and gentle would feel out of character—having a bit of a temper suits you, just like Miaomiao. Both of you are very distinctive."
Hearing the man’s obviously perfunctory words, Xiao Lingqiu curled her lips into a sneer. "Hypocrite."
She pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as she whispered, "Actually... you’re a good person."
Hmm?
This hasn’t even progressed to that point, and she’s already handing out the "good guy" card?
Jiang Shouzhong teased, "Does this an you’re about to say, ’But we’re not right for each other’?"
Xiao Lingqiu shot him a sharp glare.
Jiang Shouzhong sighed, leaning down to catch the fragrance of her hair:
"Whether we’re right or not doesn’t matter anymore. If we do die here, we’ll at least be a pair of lovebirds buried in the sa grave. That’s what people will think when they find our bodies."
Buried in the sa grave...
Xiao Lingqiu’s expression turned a little dazed.
She looked up at the man’s handso face and thought back on all their experiences together. For so reason, her heart felt inexplicably heavy and stifled.
There seed to be an unfamiliar emotion jamd at the tip of her heart.
She couldn’t put it into words.
Seeing her so downcast, Jiang Shouzhong assud she had resigned herself to despair. Smiling, he said:
"I was just joking; don’t take it seriously. We will definitely get out of here. Tell you what—I’ll tell you so jokes to keep your spirits up, so you don’t lose hope and, you know, think about suicide."
"Suicide?"
Xiao Lingqiu scoffed, as though hearing the most ridiculous joke ever. "Don’t worry, I’d never give up so easily. And don’t waste energy on jokes; save your strength for tomorrow’s journey."
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