Since the treasure was set to appear in late May, they naturally couldn’t set off immediately.
Although they were confident they wouldn’t perish in the desert, spending less time there meant one less degree of danger.
After General Lei learned they were heading into the desert, he specifically sent a letter. It allowed them to find reliable people to buy camels and suitable accommodations once they reached the small town on the desert’s edge. If they needed a guide to lead them into the desert, they could also use this letter to find the best one available.
After spending about half a month in the border city making relaxed preparations, by late April, the three felt the time was right and prepared to head for the desert.
It was naturally impossible for them to simply walk there or use qinggong to fly across. However, horses couldn’t follow them into the desert, and although there were people recommended by General Lei in the border town, they couldn’t bring themselves to entrust their beloved steeds to a stranger.
So in the end, they left their prized horses at General Lei’s estate to be cared for and bought three ordinary horses to ride toward the desert’s edge. Horses always find buyers; they could just sell these three horses once they reached the small town at the edge of the desert.
It was still spring, but the closer they got to the desert, the more they felt the weather turning hot and dry. This was completely different from the climate near Zuimeng Island; except for the peak of summer, it was rarely dry there, even when it was hot. As for those living on the island, they had never experienced such dry heat, even in the height of summer.
Lian Li thought he wouldn’t adapt well to this kind of weather, but to his surprise, he handled it quite well. With his internal energy circulating slowly through his body, he felt like a self-regulating air conditioner; he felt the sun’s glare, but he didn’t feel particularly hot.
Although they hadn’t fully entered the desert yet, the ground beneath them was already covered in yellow sand. The small city on the desert’s edge was called a city, but in reality, it was only the size of a small town. The walls were built of stone, and there were no guards at the gate; naturally, there weren’t many people entering, and the town wasn’t very lively.
Most people who came here were in a hurry, arriving and departing quickly. Street stalls were basically just cloths spread on the ground with items displayed on top. Lian Li took a cursory look; most were dressed as merchant caravans from neighboring small kingdoms, along with some armed martial artists. Their attire varied, and many appeared to be warriors from other countries.
All three wore bamboo hats, a common sight here. The desert was windy and sandy; for now, they could get by with just hats, but once they entered the desert, they would need to wrap themselves tightly in cloth to prevent sunburn and keep out the sand.
The inns here weren’t particularly good, but the three didn’t mind; they traveled often, and sleeping in the open was normal for them. The inn was small with few rooms, so the three only took two rooms.
As soon as they entered the room, Lian Li couldn’t help but strip off his clothes. He shook his clothes vigorously, and soon, sand fell from them onto the floor. After shaking out his clothes, Lian Li sat on a stool, took off his shoes, and continued shaking them. Soon, all the sand in his shoes was gone.
Yun Huizhou was much the same. After cleaning the sand off himself, he saw Lian Li was already undoing his hair. Recalling how Lian Li had repeatedly touched his head on the road only to find more sand, Yun Huizhou decided to go out and ask for bathwater.
Bathing was a luxury here, but since the inn was operational, there was naturally water available. However, the cost of a single bath in this inn was enough to buy half a camel.
The three never lacked money, but after leaving the pass and heading toward the desert, they were in a lawless “no man’s land.” The local customs were savage and fierce, and horse bandits were common. Anyone who dared to come here relied on their own skill and ruthlessness.
Ordering water for a bath in this inn was like openly telling everyone that they were “fat sheep”—easy targets. They were certainly “fat,” but whether they were sheep or wolves would only be known after a confrontation.
Lian Li wasn’t aware of these implications, but Yun Huizhou knew them well. However, when he thought about how Lian Li wouldn’t have a chance to bathe once they entered the desert—and how even if he wanted to spend money then, there would be no water to buy—he felt that whether people saw them as targets was no longer important.
If anyone really tried to rob them, they would just rob them back. It would be even better if they attracted horse bandits; after killing them and selling their horses, they would save the money for camels. If they were lucky enough to find bandits riding camels, they would simply inherit them.
Moreover, he knew that the bandits’ treasuries held quite a bit of gold. Unfortunately, the bandit groups were large and had existed for decades, unlike the common mountain bandits of the Central Plains. Wiping out a smaller nest wasn’t impossible for him and Lian Li together, but it would take time, and they only planned to stay in the border town for a few days.
Otherwise, the gold from robbing the bandits could be used to build a large ship for Lian Li. He knew the boy had been eyeing Senior Uncle Xi’s large ship for a long time.
The water was soon delivered. Lian Li had completely undone his hair and was standing in a corner shaking it vigorously, dislodging a lot of sand.
Once his head felt comfortable, he beckoned to Yun Huizhou: “Come here, I’ll help you undo your hair and shake out the sand, then we’ll wash. Once we enter the desert, we won’t have the chance to wash unless we find an oasis.”
Yun Huizhou originally wanted to say that Lian Li should just wash and that he didn’t feel uncomfortable. But seeing the single bathtub in the partitioned area, he swallowed his words and obediently moved a stool in front of Lian Li. He sat with his back to Lian Li and let him undo his hair.
There was some sand in Yun Huizhou’s hair as well, though not as much as Lian Li’s. After Lian Li finished cleaning, he rested his chin on Yun Huizhou’s shoulder from behind and said, “Why don’t you take a bath too? Who knows when the next time will be.”
Yun Huizhou answered decisively, “Alright.”
Seeing him stand up, Lian Li thought he was going to ask for more water, but to his surprise, Yun Huizhou turned around, picked him up, and walked toward the partitioned area.
Lian Li didn’t struggle. They had been together for so long and had done everything more than once; he naturally knew what Yun Huizhou meant. Since they had been together, while they didn’t bathe together every time, it happened quite often.
