The expanse before them was nothing but yellow sand, with undulating dunes stretching endlessly. A gust of wind swept through, churning the airborne sand into a swirling mass that stung the eyes.
This was the great desert, though they were not yet in its depths. One could only imagine how vast and unending the deep desert, as described in tales, must be.
After that person left, only the four of them remained.
Qin Jiujiu had not been in the original text. Gazing at the boundless desert, she felt a sense of unease and turned to ask the system, "What kind of monster will it be this time?"
System: "..."
As expected, she was overthinking. But it was strange that no matter how she tried to recall the subsequent plot, she couldn't remember anything, as if it simply didn't exist in her mind.
All that remained in her memory was a single thread: in this great desert, the male and female protagonists had finally confirmed their feelings for each other and were about to be together, only to have their happiness ruined by the villain. This was immediately followed by the destruction of the Xie family, causing the emotional turmoil between the protagonists to escalate.
Qin Jiujiu shook her head. This was perhaps a common trope in countless novels, where at the critical moment, they could never be together!
They had arrived here in the early morning, and it was now midday. The sun was scorching. Qin Jiujiu felt her throat dry and her eyes struggled to stay open. She picked up the waterskin from her waist, which Xie Jing had given her, and found it empty.
She turned to Bai Qianluo, "Sister Bai, do you still have water?"
If she had known the desert was this vast, she should have filled her Qiankun Bag with water.
Bai Qianluo noticed Qin Jiujiu's pale complexion and glanced up at the sun. She asked with concern, "Jiujiu, are you feeling unwell? Would you like to rest for a while?"
In truth, they didn't know the exact location of the desert's depths. They had just been walking forward. After walking all morning, it was now the hottest part of the day. While the martial artists and cultivators could endure it, Qin Jiujiu was an ordinary person and was indeed at risk of heatstroke.
Bai Qianluo handed her waterskin to Qin Jiujiu and then walked to Xie Yun, who was leading the way. "Chenzhi, let's find a shady spot to rest for a bit!"
Xie Yun agreed and went ahead to scout for a shaded area.
Bai Qianluo intended to return to Qin Jiujiu's side, but as she turned, she saw Xie Jing, who had been walking at the very back, now beside Qin Jiujiu. He had taken off his light blue outer robe, revealing a moon-white robe underneath, making him seem to shimmer in the sunlight.
Bai Qianluo smiled slightly and then turned to follow Xie Yun. "Chenzhi, I'll go with you!"
Xie Yun's gaze fell upon the two figures not far behind, and he understood immediately. He smiled and said, "Then Miss Bai can scout ahead with me!"
After the two left, Xie Jing's gaze remained fixed on Qin Jiujiu, but she was feeling unwell and didn't notice.
Qin Jiujiu only knew someone was standing beside her; it wasn't Bai Qianluo. This person was tall and slender. Too lazy to look up, she only looked at the shadow on the ground, which was cast very short.
Suddenly, her head was covered by something, and a familiar fragrance enveloped her. The scent, uninhibited, filled her nostrils, bringing her considerable comfort.
"Second Young Master Xie?"
She looked up to see Xie Jing, dressed in white.
Standing in the light, he looked like a deity descended from the heavens.
Qin Jiujiu was momentarily stunned, then made to take off his robe from her head. But one of his hands landed on it first. "Don't move!" His voice came from above. Qin Jiujiu didn't understand; was he asking for her help to take off his robe?
After all, the desert was terribly hot!
He placed his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving.
Xie Jing fiddled with the robe on her head for a moment before releasing his hold. "Don't move recklessly, or else..."
Qin Jiujiu felt the robe on her head being spread out evenly, blocking the sun. Was he shielding her from the sun?
Even now, standing beside him, she felt the air around them was cool. His body temperature didn't seem to change despite the heat, so he wouldn't feel hot.
So, this robe, was it intentionally taken off to shield her from the sun?
"Are you shielding me from the sun?"
She was straightforward and wouldn't keep questions to herself.
"What else?" he countered.
Qin Jiujiu looked at his placid face and felt something different in her heart. This person didn't seem so bad...
Xie Jing took the empty waterskin from her waist and the one from Bai Qianluo in her hand. He handed her his own, which was full. Qin Jiujiu was perplexed.
It was fine if he took her empty one, but why did he take Bai Qianluo's as well?
Was he jealous? Because she drank Bai Qianluo's water?
Xie Jing: You really are a genius!
Seeing that Qin Jiujiu didn't take his waterskin, Xie Jing explained, "This one is full. Do you want to drink?"
He meant that he hadn't touched this bottle of water and was asking if she wanted it.
Qin Jiujiu shook her head. She had just drunk more than half a waterskin and her stomach was full of water. She couldn't drink anymore.
Xie Jing's face suddenly darkened, clearly showing displeasure. "It seems Miss Qin dislikes my water?"
Qin Jiujiu: How could I? I don't!
So, she still took the waterskin from his hand and took a sip, tilting her head back. She had initially intended not to touch it with her lips, but then she remembered Xie Jing had specifically said the water was full, implying he hadn't touched it. Perhaps he had other water?
"Second Young Master Xie, do you have any other water? I'll drink this then?"
Xie Jing: "Of course I have water... You don't think I wouldn't drink water for you, do you?"
Qin Jiujiu was somewhat speechless. He always spoke sarcastically, capable of suffocating someone.
In her panic, she drank directly from the spout.
Xie Jing tied the empty waterskin to his waist. Qin Jiujiu thought she would just throw away the waterskin she had used, but he hung it on his waist, which she found a bit puzzling.
However, on second thought, it was his possession, and she had no right to question it.
She could only ask, "Second Young Master Xie, do you still want this water?"
Xie Jing chuckled and took the water from her hand. "Of course I do..." He then took a large gulp.
From Qin Jiujiu's angle, she could only see his Adam's apple moving up and down, and droplets of water slowly trickling down his chin, glistening under the sun.
She exclaimed in shock, "You... this water..." I've already drunk from it.
She saw Xie Jing looking at her with a calm expression. Fine, he was the one with the germophobia; it was she who drank first!
Qin Jiujiu seemed to want to say something but stopped, then suddenly lowered her head. Xie Jing saw her flustered look and his lips curved upwards. She was becoming more and more like that ugly rabbit!
Qin Jiujiu looked into the distance, and two figures appeared in her line of sight: Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo had returned.
"Jiujiu, Xiao Jing, there's a tree ahead. Let's rest there for a while before continuing our journey!"
Xie Yun glanced at Xie Jing, then at the robe covering Qin Jiujiu's head. He realized something and a smile appeared on his face. This boy was not bad! He was finally making progress!
He looked at Xie Jing with approval. Qin Jiujiu, however, suddenly remembered the robe on her head and wanted to take it off and return it to Xie Jing. She heard Xie Yun say, "Jiujiu, no rush. The sun is harsh now. You can take it off when we reach the shade. Xiao Jing won't mind!"
Then he naturally walked to Bai Qianluo's side. They exchanged a look and walked ahead.
Qin Jiujiu: What just happened?