However, they had previously been on Zuimeng Island, where the bathing pools were large and never felt crowded no matter how much they fooled around.
But now they were in an inn with only a single bathtub. Furthermore, water was a difficult resource to obtain in these parts, so the tubs were made as small as possible.
In any case, once Lian Li entered the tub, there was very little space left for Yun Huizhou.
If Yun Huizhou wanted to get in, he could only stand; there was simply no room to sit down.
If he insisted on sitting, he would have to sit on Lian Li.
Lian Li looked up at Yun Huizhou, who was standing beside the tub, and said quite seriously, “Why don’t you sit on me?”
After two years of practicing martial arts, Lian Li’s skills had reached an above-average level in the martial world.
He was no longer as thin and weak as before, but he was naturally small-boned. Even if someone of the same height and weight stood next to him, he would still look like the thinner one.
In Yun Huizhou’s eyes, Lian Li’s small frame looked as though it might break if he applied just a little too much pressure.
Of course, Lian Li wasn’t actually that fragile now, but he still gave off that impression.
Since Yun Huizhou was half a head taller than Lian Li, it was naturally impossible for him to sit on the younger man.
He thought for a moment, then tucked his hands under Lian Li’s armpits and lifted him up.
Lian Li said, “If you don’t want to sit on me, you can just say so. Why do you have to pick me up?”
He grumbled, but he didn’t struggle.
Once Yun Huizhou lifted him, there was finally enough room in the tub for Yun Huizhou to step in and sit down.
Then, after stepping into the tub, he lowered Lian Li back down, letting him sit on his lap.
***
The next day, Lian Li and Yun Huizhou left the inn, carrying their letter of introduction to find the person General Lei had recommended to buy camels and the necessary supplies for entering the desert.
Halfway there, Lian Li suddenly reached out and tugged on Yun Huizhou’s sleeve.
Yun Huizhou habitually took his hand and asked, “What is it?”
Lian Li looked at him suspiciously for a moment and whispered, “Even I noticed it; surely you haven’t failed to realize?”
Yun Huizhou gave Lian Li’s hand a gentle squeeze and said, “It’s exactly as I expected.”
“Why?” Lian Li asked, leaning in closer to Yun Huizhou.
“Water is expensive here. We were targeted the moment we asked for bathwater yesterday,” Yun Huizhou explained. After speaking, he put his arm around Lian Li and quickened their pace.
The small town wasn’t particularly large, and there weren’t many people. To shake off the person following them, the two of them had to put in quite a bit of effort.
Once they had lost their tail, they found the person General Lei had recommended.
With the letter of introduction in hand, the man readily agreed to sell them camels. However, before they left, he still felt the need to say something.
“Renting camels is much cheaper than buying them. Won’t you consider renting instead?”
Yun Huizhou shook his head and said, “Our time in the desert won’t be short. We can’t guarantee that every camel we take in will make it back out, so it’s better to just buy them outright.”
The man had only asked one more question out of respect for General Lei.
Seeing their firm attitude, he didn’t say anything more. They simply agreed that in five days, everything would be ready, and they could come back for the supplies then.
As the two left and approached the vicinity of the inn, Lian Li discovered that the person who had been following them—after losing them earlier—had actually returned to stake out the area near the inn.
He frowned, feeling a bit unhappy, but said nothing.
Yun Huizhou saw his pouting lips and knew he was upset. He reached out to flick Lian Li’s lip playfully before pulling him quickly into the inn.
Once they were inside their room, Lian Li pulled his hand away from Yun Huizhou’s and sat on the bed. “You don’t seem like the type of person with such a good temper. They clearly see us as fat sheep and are looking for a chance to slaughter us.”
Yun Huizhou sat on a stool, drawing his blade and placing it on the table to wipe and maintain it.
Hearing Lian Li’s words, he gave a faint smile and said, “Wait a little longer. There’s no rush.”
Lian Li looked at him skeptically, but knowing that Yun Huizhou was no pushover, he waited patiently.
Island Master Nan was naturally aware that people were watching them, but he didn’t care.
The “wait” Yun Huizhou mentioned lasted for two days.
On the third day, just after the two had finished lunch and rested for a while, Yun Huizhou suddenly spoke up. “Do you want to get some exercise to help with digestion?”
Lian Li’s mind immediately went to the gutter. He pushed open the window to check the sky and saw that it was only about one in the afternoon.
Thus, he said reservedly, “Daytime debauchery isn’t very good.”
Yun Huizhou was stunned that Lian Li’s thoughts had strayed in that direction.
Then, he let out a somewhat helpless laugh.
He said, “I didn’t mean that kind of exercise.”
Seeing his reaction, Lian Li realized his head was full of “yellow waste” and had misunderstood. His face flushed slightly, and he tried to act composed as he asked, “Then what exercise are you talking about?”
Yun Huizhou said, “Do you remember those people watching us? They are horse bandits.”
Lian Li instantly grew tense. To be honest, in his mind, horse bandits were far more brutal than mountain bandits.
He didn’t know where this stereotype came from, but he simply felt that horse bandits were much more vicious.
“Then won’t it be quite a hassle?” Lian Li asked.
The horse bandits’ lair was in this region, so they were certainly more familiar with the desert than they were.
If they were targeted by horse bandits, the danger level would increase significantly once they entered the desert.
Yun Huizhou nodded. His attitude wasn’t as casual as it had been when dealing with mountain bandits. He said, “Therefore, we must resolve this trouble before we enter the desert.”
“Otherwise, if they strike after we’ve obtained our supplies and camels, it will be a problem if the camels get hurt.”
Lian Li nodded and said, “Then let’s go settle those people watching us right now. It’ll be good to move around and help our digestion.”
The two took their weapons and two bundles stuffed with a few sets of old clothes. After informing Island Master Nan, they left the small town and headed out.
They didn’t have a specific destination; they simply walked aimlessly through the desolate landscape.
About half an hour later, they heard the distant neighing of horses.
“They’re here,” Yun Huizhou reminded him in a low voice.
As the sound of galloping hooves drew closer, Yun Huizhou and Lian Li turned simultaneously toward the source of the noise.
They saw several small black dots rapidly approaching them from the distance.
The wind and sand were somewhat heavy. Lian Li narrowed his eyes slightly to see the black dots more clearly.
There were about forty of them. Compared to the mountain bandits he had seen in the Central Plains, who couldn’t even manage a full set of weapons, this group of horse bandits was quite well-equipped.
Among these forty or so people, every single one had a horse and held a blade.
With a loud clamor, they all rushed forward and surrounded the two of them in the center.
Looking at their movements, Lian Li knew that the biggest difference between these men and those mountain bandits was that every one of these forty men possessed martial arts skills.
