As if Ye Tiancheng's strong anticipation had taken effect, the sun soon set, and the temperature indeed dropped significantly. Due to the darkness, it was difficult to travel with headlights in the desert, so Ye Tiancheng made a decisive move.
"Let's stop here. There's a cluster of cacti nearby, and the scenery looks good. We'll make this our temporary resting place for today."
"I think this is great too, Brother Ye. Then I'll set up camp. Once I've decided on a place, I don't change my mind easily."
With the decision made, they stopped discussing and focused on saving time to set up the tents.
After the tents were up, they immediately needed to set up the stove to provide a fire source for cooking. There were many things to do, and no time to waste.
Soon, the stove crackled to life, and Fatty began to cook with gusto. No matter how much he had evolved, even starting to slay demons, it was only when he was cooking that he truly felt alive, as if he had found his true self.
"Brother Ye, no matter what I do, I've realized that what I love most is cooking. Only cooking makes me truly feel that I am a vibrant existence in this world. When you praise my cooking, I feel a great sense of accomplishment."
Ye Tiancheng could understand Fatty's words completely and deeply grasped the meaning of "dedicate yourself to your work."
"Then it seems I'll have to open a restaurant for you in the future. I feel that when you were running your restaurant, driving my beat-up pickup truck, you were living a truly happy and joyful life."
They still hadn't found Lin Xue.
The future felt full of unknowns. This situation wasn't exactly smooth sailing, but the casual conversation between the two brothers helped alleviate much of their anxiety and prevented them from worrying about trivial matters.
"Brother Ye, this is dried beans that I've stir-fried with some preserved meat. I believe you'll really like it. Although I didn't use an electric rice cooker, the rice I steamed in the large iron pot is perfectly separated, and even more fragrant. Please do me the honor of eating a bit more later."
Ye Tiancheng wasn't worried about this. Whatever Fatty cooked, it always suited his taste. Ye Tiancheng was quite a picky eater, but he always gave a thumbs-up to Fatty's cooking, finding no fault with it.
"I'll eat it all, you can count on that. Although I'm usually picky, I always love what Fatty makes and never leave a single bite."
After they finished cooking, they sat down to eat at a makeshift wooden table. During the meal, they suddenly realized someone was missing. Fatty usually felt that the three of them—Ye Tiancheng, Lin Xue, and himself—were accustomed to being together, like a triangle: one to command, one to lead the charge, and one to provide support. It was a very stable relationship. Now that one person was missing, they felt incomplete, and things just didn't feel right. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Brother Ye, you might think I'm being sentimental, but I truly miss Xue'er. I don't know where she is now. If the curse was transferred to her, what fate would Miss Xue endure? The more I think about it, the more twisted and distressed I feel."
Hearing this, Ye Tiancheng also felt a pang of sadness. He had deliberately tried not to think about it, but even with many bad guesses in his heart, Ye Tiancheng had to appear strong in front of Fatty. He couldn't break down and cry in front of his brother; that wouldn't be the attitude of an elder brother.
An elder brother should guide his younger brother, not run away or do anything else when trouble arises. That would be quite ungentlemanly. He should try to think positively to boost morale.
"Fatty, your Sister-in-law Ye suffered that fate because she was an ordinary person. If she weren't ordinary, she wouldn't be so tragic. Lin Xue has spiritual energy protecting her. Her current level has surpassed Golden Core and reached a tier that I cannot estimate. I believe the curse's damage to her should not be so severe. We shouldn't worry unnecessarily. Everything is not as bad as we imagine. I believe Xue'er, she always plans things well. She must have found a place to resist the curse. By the time we find Xue'er, perhaps everything will be resolved."
As Ye Tiancheng explained to Fatty, he was also comforting himself. He knew deep down that coincidences like that didn't happen. If Lin Xue could handle it with ease, she wouldn't have chosen to disappear. Everything that was happening now was definitely problematic.
However, Ye Tiancheng dared not dwell on it. Overthinking would only complicate things. He tried his best to simplify everything, and Ye Tiancheng was unwilling to believe that things could truly be so bad.
After eating, Ye Tiancheng was responsible for cleaning up. Of course, Fatty wasn't idle either. The tents were up, but there were still some minor details for Fatty to take care of. In any case, Fatty couldn't stay idle.
"Brother Ye, I've already arranged the bedding. Everything is going smoothly. Rest assured, and we'll get up early tomorrow to travel. This way, during the hottest parts of midday and afternoon, we can set up camp and rest whenever needed, mainly to avoid the scorching sun."
Fatty was becoming increasingly adept at strategic planning. Previously, Ye Tiancheng had to worry about everything, but now it seemed less necessary. Fatty handled things so well that Ye Tiancheng didn't have to bother much.
"Alright, let's rest first, no matter what. The air during the day felt like fire, and it was so hot that my head is starting to ache. You should get some sleep first."
Even though the night was cooler, there wasn't a breath of wind. The air felt stagnant, as if frozen in place. Ye Tiancheng naturally felt stifled. In such a situation, he just wanted to fall asleep quickly, otherwise, he felt uncomfortable all over, though he couldn't pinpoint why. That feeling was indescribable; he just wanted to escape.
"Brother Ye, you sleep first. I'll patrol around our campsite. I have a feeling there's some movement nearby, and I don't know if something is causing trouble. So, I'll try to slow things down. Being careful never hurts."
Fatty's words made sense. As a brother, Ye Tiancheng should have gone with him to investigate, but he was simply unable to control the pervasive feeling of discomfort, which even led to extreme drowsiness.
"You go investigate. If there's any problem, tell me immediately. I can barely hold on; I'm too sleepy and need to rest."
When a person is tired to a certain extent, they can't think of much else. They just want to wrap themselves in a soft blanket, relax their tight head, and then, with their whole body no longer tense, they can fall asleep peacefully.
"Okay, you sleep. Brother Ye, too many things have happened recently. Both mentally and physically, I hope you can get some rest."
Ye Tiancheng nodded and went into the tent to sleep. The blankets Fatty prepared were indeed to Ye Tiancheng's liking. As soon as he got into bed, he felt comfortable all over and could finally sleep soundly.
However, Ye Tiancheng hadn't slept for long before he heard Fatty softly calling his name. The voice was quiet, as if trying not to disturb Ye Tiancheng's peaceful slumber, but the tone was urgent, clearly hoping Ye Tiancheng would respond quickly.
Waking from his sleep, Ye Tiancheng felt a bit disoriented, but hearing Fatty's urgent voice, he suddenly realized something must have happened.
"What is it? Fatty, what's wrong?"
"Nothing much, but when I was exploring over there, I discovered some moving points of light, like small fireballs. I suspect that the high temperature and stifling air in this desert are related to those small fireballs."
Based on Fatty's description of the "small fireballs," Ye Tiancheng couldn't discern much. He needed to see them for himself before making a final decision.
"Then I'll go with you to take a look."
"Okay, let's go quickly. It's really strange. At first, I thought it was some animal on fire, but then I realized they were just small, lifeless fire clusters that are now roaming everywhere."
With the explanation clear, Ye Tiancheng didn't need to ask further. He quickly followed the direction Fatty pointed to investigate the so-called fire clusters.
As soon as Ye Tiancheng arrived, he noticed something unusual. Even though the fire clusters had no life, they looked too strange, constantly moving around and hopping as if something was directing them.
"No, there's dark energy!"
Upon discovering the dark energy, Ye Tiancheng immediately unleashed a wave of true energy to counter it.
The fire clusters that were hit by Ye Tiancheng's true energy scattered, turning into specks of light and then disappearing.
"Ouyang Xunuo, it seems he's still not letting us go. Since he's causing trouble again, I won't let him have his way so easily this time."
As Fatty was enraged, the bracelet on his wrist flashed with a sinister cold light, and he picked up his shovel, striking the fire clusters without mercy.
Fatty's strength was quite good. The fire clusters struck by the shovel quickly dispersed into points of light and then vanished.
"Fatty, striking these dark energies is very beneficial for your cultivation. This is your opportunity; seize it. Consider it practice and eliminate all the fire clusters in this area for me."
Fatty had already intended to do so, and with Ye Tiancheng's direction, Fatty had no further reservations. He simply chose to solve the problem with brute force.
"That bastard Ouyang Xunuo, he's already provoked me. I don't need to hold back anymore. This scoundrel uses such insidious methods; he doesn't deserve any respect from me."
After speaking, Fatty began to strike the fire clusters, a somewhat terrifying glint in his eyes throughout the process.
For a moment, Ye Tiancheng almost didn't recognize him, but he felt it was normal. Although violence was not advisable, for those who pushed too far, there was no need to show any mercy.
Ye Tiancheng stayed by Fatty's side, providing cover. He didn't rush to act because he didn't want to steal Fatty's chance to break through his demonic nature. He wanted to leave this good opportunity for his good brother.