Chapter 129: The Stars Shine Across the Heavens, Not for the Sake of Waiting

Chapter 129: The Stars Across the Sky Do Not Shine Forever in Waiting

Staring at the system’s main interface, Ning Xiu’s expression darkened.

The number beside the ingots was still zero, which indirectly confirmed that Shen Sanqian was not dead.

By contrast, the number of blood crystals had soared, reaching more than two hundred thousand. The thousands of soldiers from Gathering Wind Town had naturally contributed greatly to that total. And this did not even include those buried beneath the drifting sands; otherwise, the number would have been even more terrifying.

Blood essence stones could not be used to increase one’s martial cultivation, and keeping them served little purpose.

Ning Xiu poured every last one into opening treasure chests. At least, the chests could still produce items of three-star quality, though the odds were pitifully low.

If quality would not do, then he could only make up for it with quantity.

He had hundreds of chances to open treasure chests!

It was still the same familiar system. If ordinary players could obtain good things so easily, why would anyone need to spend money?

At least the supplies that had once seemed useless were now proving valuable.

There was “Ji Xiangchuan’s Egg Fried Rice,” “Ren Yingying’s Roast Frog,” “Hero Island’s Laba Porridge,” “Li Xunhuan’s Bamboo Leaf Green,” and many others.

They completely solved his problems of food and water.

Only yesterday, Ning Xiu had even drawn a dish called “Moonlit Night at the Twenty-Four Bridges.” Yet paired with this sea of windblown sand, its flavor was truly beyond imagination.

He had also obtained quite a few pills. He had managed to gather an entire bottle of Shaolin’s Minor Elixir alone. Among them were also many strange poisons, including the two-star items known as “Yin-Yang Harmony Powder” and “Yin Soul, Yang Spirit.”

As for weapons, they had brought Ning Xiu a few pleasant surprises.

He had actually drawn a three-star famous weapon.

“Item: Everlasting Sword.”

“Type: Weapon.”

“Grade: Three stars, famous weapon.”

“Description: An immortal strokes my crown; I tie my hair and receive eternal life. This is a wondrous sword.”

Ning Xiu lowered his head and glanced at the long sword hanging from his waist. Its scabbard was worn, and the ribbon wound around its hilt was equally old. Judging solely by its appearance, it was inferior even to the iron sword that could be bought from a blacksmith for five taels of silver. Not the slightest trace of the murderous aura one would expect from a deadly weapon could be sensed from it.

Yet that was precisely what made the sword so terrifying. Ning Xiu knew all too well how sharp the blade concealed within that battered scabbard truly was.

Besides that, he had also drawn an “Azure Demon Hand,” which the system had likewise rated as three-star quality.

Unfortunately, he had not drawn a famous saber.

The Retaining Sorrow Divine Sword had originally served equally well as a saber or a sword, saving Ning Xiu a great deal of trouble. Now that Retaining Sorrow had shattered, he would probably have to carry both a saber and a sword from now on.

Compared with these items, the odds of drawing martial arts manuals remained extremely low. Still, even the lowest odds could not withstand Ning Xiu opening such a vast number of chests.

One- and two-star techniques were hardly worth mentioning. He had actually managed to obtain a three-star martial art.

“Item: Thirteen Swords of Death.”

“Type: Swordsmanship.”

“Grade: Three stars, superior first-class.”

“Description: The ancestral sword art of Yan Shisan. It can only be understood through intuition—take its spirit, and forget its form.”

In Ning Xiu’s eyes, the Thirteen Swords of Death and the Saint Spirit Sword Art belonged to the same category of swordsmanship. They would provide him with much to study and draw upon in his own path of the sword.

Only after playing a thousand melodies can one recognize music; only after observing a thousand swords can one understand weapons.

One day, Ning Xiu would walk a path of his own.

He lifted his head and glanced at the sky. The sandstorm had already dispersed.

The boundless yellow sand was gradually settling back to the earth, while above it, the stars filled the heavens.

The night was silent. A cool breeze swept past.

Ning Xiu lay upon the vast Gobi, gazing intently at the night sky. His heart was strangely calm. Since arriving in this world, he had not experienced such peace in a very long time.

At that moment, the entire sky seemed to be lit by stars, and something stirred within him.

If the way of the sword was like this night sky, should he embrace the entire firmament, or guard the brightest star in his heart?

There was no distinction between complexity and simplicity, no higher or lower—only different choices.

Ning Xiu still remembered the feelings that had arisen in him during his first night in this world, when he had looked upon the nightscape of Shouchun County. Back then, he had felt a melancholy sense that though the lights of ten thousand households shone brightly, that scenery did not belong to him.

Now, as he gazed at the stars filling the heavens, he had already come to understand.

The myriad fireworks and stars of this world did not shine forever in waiting for him. So what?

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

Just then, a melodious ringing suddenly drifted over from afar.

On a silent night, every sound was magnified.

Ning Xiu’s ears twitched, and he accurately determined the direction from which the sound had come.

He looked up and saw, five or six hundred meters away, a camel caravan slowly making its way toward him.

The ringing came from the bells fastened around the camels’ necks.

In the seven days since entering the great desert, this was the first time he had seen another living person.

Yet out of caution, Ning Xiu did not hurry forward. Only when the caravan drew closer could he finally make out its situation clearly.

There were more than a dozen camels. Apart from the one at the front, each carried at least two people. Every traveler wore a white robe and white head covering—the typical dress of desert merchants.

Heavy cargo hung from every camel.

To be honest, there were not many desert merchants who dared to cross the Death Desert. At the very least, there were almost none from Lingnan. Perhaps this group had entered the desert from another commandery, Ning Xiu thought.

Though the Death Desert was perilous, it also concealed immense wealth.

Take the Crimson Gold Scorpions found only here. If captured alive and brought back, they could be sold for a considerable sum. And if one happened upon one of the legendary treasures—such as the Twin-Life Flower, said to bloom only in the depths of the desert—and offered it to the imperial court, one could at least secure a lifetime of wealth and status.

The desert’s terrain, however, was exceedingly complicated. Without an accurate map, or a desert merchant familiar with its geography and weather, entering the place to seek riches was no different from courting death.

“Father, there’s someone up ahead.”

A clear young woman’s voice rang out.

At the very front of the caravan, Peng Wanli heard his daughter’s warning and gave a slight nod. He needed no reminder; he had already noticed the man not far ahead.

The man wore ordinary martial attire, with a battered iron sword hanging at his waist. His features were utterly plain.

However one looked at him, he seemed no more than a down-and-out wandering swordsman.

Yet the fact that he had appeared alone in the depths of the Death Desert was suspicious enough.

Peng Wanli raised his right hand. The men behind him understood at once and placed their hands on the hilts of the sabers at their waists, ready to attack at the slightest sign of trouble.

Such subtle movements naturally escaped neither Ning Xiu’s eyes nor his notice.

Yet Ning Xiu acted as though he had seen nothing. He walked a few steps forward and said, “My name is Ding Mu. I became separated from my companions several days ago, and now my food and water have run out. Might I trouble you to let me travel with your caravan for a while?”

“Ding Mu” was naturally an assumed name. His background and past had been fully fabricated in Ning Xiu’s mind moments earlier. Even the face he wore now was false.

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