Chapter Eighty-Five: Wishful Thinking

Ning Xianyu landed headfirst into the sandpit, mouth full of grit. Xuan Yuan Tunhan, quick as ever, had leapt aside the moment she began to fall, and now stood elegantly to one side, watching her scramble out on all fours. She shook the sand from her hair and glanced over at Xiao Huai.

He remained standing, utterly unruffled, unlike her bedraggled state.

Xiao Huai hurried over to help her up and said, “Most places where treasures are hidden are protected by barriers. The book didn’t specify what kind, but I suppose this flight restriction is one of them.”

Ning Xianyu looked out at the endless desert, then down at her boots, now overflowing with sand, and felt a pang of regret.

“Maybe we shouldn’t bother going,” she suggested.

She truly had no desire to trek across the desert just to fetch a stone.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan, apparently having anticipated her reaction, twitched his whiskers and snorted, “Spineless.”

She was indeed spineless, and she didn’t care.

Xiao Huai, ever considerate, said, “If you dislike such hardship, Senior Sister, why not wait here? I can go on alone.”

He even solemnly took out a small embroidered pouch. “If I don’t return, please use this to set up a cenotaph for me. Even if no one mourns, I wish to leave something behind in this world.”

With that, he bowed to her with tragic dignity and turned to leave.

Watching his somber figure, Ning Xianyu couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah, to be young.”

So full of spirit, so unafraid of death.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan meowed, “Aren’t you going?”

If he remembered correctly, she was only seventeen or eighteen, much younger than Xiao Huai—in mortal years, she was in her prime. And seeing Xiao Huai so brave, shouldn’t she run after him to fight side by side?

But Ning Xianyu shook her head. “No, the sand is hot, dry, and dirty. I’d rather soak in a hot spring and eat fruit.”

There was an oasis not far away, with hot springs. She wanted to bathe and rest, thoroughly exhausted from their journey.

Just as she was about to lie down, Xuan Yuan Tunhan suddenly raised a paw and gave her a sharp kick.

“Ah…”

She landed next to Xiao Huai in a perfect ‘wild goose descending on flat sand’ pose, startling him so much he nearly drew his sword.

“Senior Sister, what brings you here?” Xiao Huai asked politely, being the honest soul he was.

Brings her here? As if she’d come by choice!

Ning Xianyu, exasperated, dug herself out of the sand once more.

“I thought it over and decided I can’t let you go alone. If something happened to you, how would I answer to Elder Bu Jiao?”

She brushed nearly three pounds of sand off herself and declared with bravado, “Let’s go.”

The great demon insisted that she come, so she had no choice. But since she was here, she was determined to claim the divination stone; otherwise, this trip would be in vain.

The great demon scurried over and jumped straight onto her head. After a while in the sun, he found it too hot and leapt down, insisting she put on a hat. Once she did, he nestled in her arms, perfectly shaded.

He certainly knew how to enjoy himself.

The demon in cat form was heavy, and after a while Ning Xianyu’s arms grew tired. She glanced at Xiao Huai.

“Don’t worry, Senior Sister,” he said with a smile. “I’m a man, I’m not afraid of the sun.”

Who was worrying about him? He was flattering himself. She’d hoped he would carry the demon instead!

With a sigh, Ning Xianyu kept walking, demon in her arms.

They walked like this for half a day before a sandstorm suddenly arose ahead, clouds of sand swirling up and bearing down on them. They quickly raised their spiritual energy barriers, but within moments everything turned a blinding yellow—nothing was visible.

Sheltered by their barriers, they didn’t feel the sting of sand on their faces, but the overwhelming yellow around them was oppressive nonetheless.

Unable to make headway, they simply sat down to wait out the storm.

But the demon’s voice echoed in her mind: “You can’t stop. Keep moving.”

“How are we supposed to go on in this?” Ning Xianyu grumbled.

“The one beside you knows the way. Go, now.”

She turned to Xiao Huai. “Let’s keep moving.”

He agreed and led them forward. To her surprise, he really did know the way—extraordinary, considering the circumstances. Was he a living compass?

The sandstorm didn’t let up, even after an hour. Clearly, this was no natural storm but a formation, meant to guard the stone.

Ning Xianyu felt she was doomed to cross paths with stones: first the Blood Source Stone, now the Divination Stone, and soon the Three Lives Stone. Was this book she followed some kind of geological adventure manual?

Even worse, the sand began to erode their barriers.

Xiao Huai’s was the first to fail—his cultivation was only at the Golden Core stage, and his spiritual power was weaker. Soon, his barrier had a gaping hole. Ning Xianyu saw him struggling, already half-buried in sand, his head and face completely covered. The sand clung to him, and no matter how he brushed at it, it wouldn’t come off.

Before long, he was nearly encased in sand, one side of his body lost under a growing crust. Soon, he’d be unrecognizable, transformed into a sand figure.

Ning Xianyu quickly pulled him into her own barrier. The sand dropped away, and Xiao Huai managed a grateful smile. “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

“It’s nothing,” she replied, but worry crept in. “If this keeps up, my barrier will be eroded too.”

Surely the great demon wouldn’t abandon her?

Xiao Huai suggested, “Perhaps I should turn back. It would be less strain on you if you went on alone.”

Ning Xianyu quickly grabbed his arm. “If you go, who’ll guide me?”

She was utterly lost now, with no sense of direction. If Xiao Huai left and she was left with only the demon, she’d rather die right there.

He could only smile awkwardly. “I meant to guide you, but I’ve just become a burden.”

“Save your breath,” she said. “Let’s hurry.”

As cultivators, they moved swiftly, yet even after six hours, they hadn’t escaped the sandstorm.

Just as frustration threatened to overwhelm Ning Xianyu, the scene ahead changed. Through the sand, she glimpsed a patch of brilliant blue, swirling and alive—a stunning color.

“We’re almost out! Wonderful.” She pulled Xiao Huai forward, nearly dropping the demon in her haste; he clung to her clothes in annoyance.

And then, just as the sand vanished, her barrier suddenly shattered.

Before she could rebuild it, a surge of seawater swept over them, and in an instant, two people and a cat were submerged.

Could it be that they had to pass through formations of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth to claim the stone? This stone was truly too precious.