He said, “I think the place is very likely this oasis.”
He looked around and continued, “Oases are rare in the desert, and this one is unusually large. I think we should spend the coming time searching this oasis thoroughly.”
Lian Li glanced at the lotus, then at this oasis that was exceptionally vibrant amidst the desert. “Alright. Usually, the environment surrounding a supreme treasure is somewhat different from its surroundings. I think this oasis fits that rule.”
The two quickly finished eating and began to scout the surrounding area, using the lake as the center and extending outward.
In the desert, one didn’t need to worry much about wild beasts; instead, one had to be careful of scorpions and snakes. Those two things were venomous, and it would be troublesome to be bitten by them.
They didn’t return to the lakeside until the Hour of the Rat to exchange information.
Unfortunately, neither of them found anything unusual. The transparent lotus remained the same, with one petal being exceptionally bright red.
Yun Huizhou rested his hands behind his head and said, “If all else fails, we’ll just wait here. We’ll find it once the treasure emerges and an anomaly appears. Surely no one is closer than we are.”
Hearing this, Lian Li’s initial anxiety was somewhat relieved.
He moved closer to Yun Huizhou and lay down to rest.
However, he slept very fitfully that night.
When his chest grew hot again, he woke up instantly.
He took out the transparent lotus but had no heart to observe it; instead, he kept recalling the dream he just had.
His complexion was truly poor. Yun Huizhou was startled, thinking he was sick, and immediately reached out to feel his forehead.
Finding his temperature normal, Yun Huizhou’s heart eased slightly, and he asked worriedly, “Did you have a nightmare? Why do you look so pale?”
Yun Huizhou’s voice snapped Lian Li back to his senses. He blinked somewhat unnaturally, then nodded. “I had a bad dream, but dreams are the opposite of reality. This proves we’re definitely going to encounter something good.”
Seeing that Yun Huizhou wanted to press further, he immediately brought up another topic. “Get up quickly. This oasis is much larger than we imagined; there are still many places we haven’t checked.”
After saying that, he stood up and walked toward the lake. Even his washing was much faster than usual, as if he were truly in a hurry to finish scouting the oasis.
After washing up, he headed toward the opposite side of the lake. Yesterday, they hadn’t scouted that side, only the path they had come from; they hadn’t gone in any other direction.
Yun Huizhou sensed something was wrong, but he couldn’t understand why Lian Li was like this after waking up. Was that nightmare really that terrifying?
Thinking this, he also sped up his washing and ran a few steps to catch up with Lian Li.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Lian Li suddenly hold up the transparent lotus and look at it with a solemn expression.
“What’s wrong?” Yun Huizhou walked over and asked softly.
Lian Li pointed at the lotus, then turned to look at the lake. “The direction has changed.”
Previously, no matter how they turned in place, the lotus had pointed steadfastly in one direction. Now, after Lian Li walked from one side of the lake to the other, it had shifted.
But whether before or now, the red petal of the transparent lotus was always pointing toward the lake.
The good news was that they had found the exact coordinates and didn’t need to search the entire oasis.
The bad news was that the coordinates were the lake; they might have to go into the water.
Lian Li knew how to swim from before. Although he hadn’t swum in a long time, after arriving at Drunken Dream Island, Yun Huizhou had frequently tossed him into the lake while teaching him Qinggong.
Therefore, his swimming skills had been fully recovered.
As for Yun Huizhou, having grown up on Drunken Dream Island, he had started swimming as soon as he could walk; his prowess in the water was extraordinary.
Thus, entering the lake was not a problem for either of them.
Yun Huizhou immediately said, “I’ll go down and take a look.”
Lian Li didn’t stop or dissuade him. Although he could swim, Yun Huizhou’s water skills were indeed much better than his, making him the best candidate to go down.
The two came to the lakeside, and Lian Li handed the transparent lotus to Yun Huizhou. “Take this down with you. Maybe it will react.”
The lotus would stay red for one ke—that is, fifteen minutes—and now less than five minutes remained.
If the lake wasn’t deep, it would be enough for Yun Huizhou to make a round trip.
Yun Huizhou nodded, stripped off his clothes, wrapped the lotus in a cloth, used Qinggong to fly to the center of the lake, and dove into the water.
Lian Li also rose into the air, staring at the spot where Yun Huizhou entered the water. He saw Yun Huizhou dive several meters down in a short while, like a nimble fish.
The water was very clear. He kept his eyes on Yun Huizhou’s figure from mid-air, watching his shadow grow smaller and smaller, and couldn’t help but frown.
This lake was too deep; Yun Huizhou was still diving further down.
Although he knew that martial artists had long internal breath—especially a top expert like Yun Huizhou, for whom holding his breath for ten or twenty minutes was no issue, and who could stay underwater for over a shichen if he practiced specialized aquatic techniques—the scene still made Lian Li feel a bit panicked. He wasn’t sure exactly how long Yun Huizhou could stay submerged.
Looking at the lake water, he suddenly remembered a saying: Clear water is shallow, green water is deep, and black water is an abyss.
The lake as a whole looked very clear, but looking down from mid-air now, he realized the center was green—and a rather dark green at that.
This was enough to prove that the lake was several dozen meters deep.
After nearly twenty minutes, he finally saw Yun Huizhou’s figure reappear and float upward.
Soon, Yun Huizhou emerged from the water. Seeing Lian Li in mid-air, he also soared up, reached Lian Li’s side, took his hand, and they landed on the shore together.
“Are you alright?” Lian Li asked with concern as soon as they landed.
Yun Huizhou casually picked up his outer robe to wipe the water off his body and replied, “I’m fine. It’s just that the lake is indeed quite deep, and it’s a bit too dark down there; many places are hard to see clearly. However, once the lotus entered the water, it stopped being hot to the touch. Moreover, the red color began to spread toward the other petals. Unfortunately, before it could spread for long, the time was up and it turned transparent again. I’ll take the lotus down again at noon.”
Lian Li used a clean handkerchief to dry Yun Huizhou’s hair. Only after Yun Huizhou finished speaking did he respond, “And you? How do you feel?”
Yun Huizhou paused, turned to look at him, and then laughed. It wasn’t his usual roguish grin, but a particularly brilliant smile, like a happy large dog.
He said, “The water below is a bit cold, but with internal energy, it doesn’t have much of an effect. Besides, the time wasn’t that long.”
