The boundless desert—that desolate sea of sand—was all a monotonous color at a glance. It was as if mother nature had instantly solidified the surging billows and raging waves—making them motionless forever.
A series of firm and clear footprints were left in the vast sea of sand, and the heat of the scorching sand freshened their minds through their feet. As Shi Shuiyue and her companions traveled through the boundless sea of sand, they suddenly caught a glimpse of a cluster of trees. They should be willow trees, which meant that they were getting close to Yuehua City.
A strong gust of wind suddenly blew in the desert. As particles of sand flew in the air and the sky became dark, Shi Shuiyue had no choice but to stop walking.
“Be careful, Sect Master!” Muqing supported Shi Shuiyue’s shoulders, and Mulan also stopped to wait for the sandstorm to pass.
“It’s okay.” Shi Shuiyue broke away from Muqing’s hold and tidied up her clothes, which had become messy because of the wind. Then she looked up at the boundless desert and said, “This place shouldn’t be far from Yuehua City. Let’s hurry and continue on our journey.”
Muqing and Mulan voiced an agreement.
The journey was a bit quiet and boring. At this moment, Muqing seemed to have remembered something. She extended her hand to push Mulan and asked curiously, “Your father actually didn’t come along?” Didn’t he always follow her everywhere?
Mulan glanced at her, and then nonchalantly said, “He fainted from the medicine that I got from Sect Elder Fei Di, so I reckon that he’s probably still asleep right now.”
Muqing: “…” She was a little skeptical about whether she was really his biological child.
At this time, the Hundred Poison Sect—
Tang Yu was currently lying on the floor in disheveled clothes with a wine bottle in his hands as he muttered about something.
With a little handkerchief in hand, Xiao Feng looked at Fei Di with tears in his eyes, “Waah–waah–waah—Sect Master, how can you be so cruel ah?! You actually left me alone in the sect—how can this lowly one continue to live ah?!”
Fei Di, who was currently concocting poison, had an indifferent expression on her face.
Seeing that Fei Di was ignoring him, Xiao Feng cried even harder, “Waaahhhh—-Sect Master, you left so hastily that you haven’t even finished handing over all matters regarding the sect. If something happens to you outside, then who should manage the affairs in the sect ah?!”
Fei Di continued to be indifferent.
With the wine bottle in his arms, Tang Yu unconsciously flipped over and smacked his lips.
“Waah–Waaahhhh—Sect Master…”
“Shut up!” Fei Di couldn’t stand it anymore and hollered.
Xiao Feng was stunned for a moment. Then he burst into tears and rolled on the ground while crying, “Waah–Waaahhhh—Sect Master, look at them! They’re bullying your little sweetheart while you’re not home! I can’t live anymore!!!”
A speechless expression gradually appeared on Fei Di’s face. She put the spoon in her right hand into the pot and threatened Xiao Feng, “If you dare to make another sound, then I’ll test my poison on you!”
Everything went silent in an instant.
Fei Di breathed a sigh of relief and could finally practice medicine in peace.
Xiao Feng, on the other hand, pitifully bit on his own little handkerchief.
‘Sect Master, quickly come back ah!’
“Achoo–achoo–achoo!” Shi Shuiyue suddenly started sneezing.
“Sect Master, what’s the matter? Do you have a cold?” Mulan looked at Shi Shuiyue and asked in concern.
Shi Shuiyue shook her head and said, “I’m fine. Maybe someone is talking about me.”
Muqing: “…” She quietly took a look at the sun above her head.
‘Mulan, can you be more sensible when speaking? You’re asking if she caught a cold on such a hot day?’
‘Shouldn’t you ask if it was a heatstroke?!’
Mulan: ‘You’re the one who’s not making sense! Who the heck would sneeze due to a heatstroke!
The group of three continued on their journey.
“Sect Master, this is a rare item that I brought from a merchant I met on the road. I think it’s supposed to be a compass. I brought it for you to play with. You can relieve some boredom on the road. The merchant told me that the needle always points to the north, which is quite strange. It’s pointing to the north yet it’s called a ‘needle pointing to the south’…” Before Ning Wu left, she left a small box that resembled a yo-yo to Shi Shuiyue.
“We’re here.” Shi Shuiyue suddenly said as she looked at the compass, which had already stopped moving, in her hands.
When Muqing and Mulan, who were walking with their heads down, heard her words, they raised their heads and saw a grand-looking stone archway. There were traces of years of erosion on the archway, and only the characters ‘Yuehua City’ were still in place.
The archway was completely surrounded by a stone wall, so one could only enter through the archway and then request permission to enter Yuehua City.
The condition for entering Yuehua City was very simple, which was to check if one had any diseases. All those who were ill were not permitted to enter. This was something that Shi Shuiyue could understand. After all, Yuehua City was an enclosed city. If someone was sick and infected everyone, then it wasn’t possible for this city to receive help in a short period of time.
“So creepy—why are there so many bones piled up here?!” With a disgusted expression, Muqing used the sword in her hands to push away the bones that were blocking their path. The hollow bones had no ability to resist and were blown along with the sand. After a while, they were buried in the sand again, as if they had never appeared before.
Shi Shuiyue pulled on the scarf around her neck to cover her mouth, and then said in a muffled voice, “Those should be bones of people who had come to seek help but suffered from diseases, and also those who got sick in the city.” For the bones to be so carelessly thrown in front of the archway, the lord of the city must also be quite carefree.
When Muqing heard her words, the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but twitch, “Seriously?”
Mulan glared at Muqing and said, “Why are you just standing there? Quickly go knock on the door!” After she said that, she turned to Shi Shuiyue and asked in a gentle voice, “Sect Master, do you want to drink some water?”
Shi Shuiyue shook her head and said, “No need.”
Muqing: “…”
‘You’re giving preferential treatment ah! Mulan, can we still play together happily?!’
Nevertheless, Muqing didn’t dare let Shi Shuiyue continue standing in the sandstorm. She hurried forward and knocked on the mottled door while shouting, “Hey! Can someone open the door?!”
After a while, a small window opened on top of the door and revealed a dark face.
Shi Shuiyue: “…” What was this?
Muqing was also stunned and asked, “Who are you?”
There were a pair of big, bright eyes on the dark face. He took a look at the three of them, and then retreated inside and closed the small window.
Shi Shuiyue: “…”
Muqing: “…”
Mulan: “…”
‘Hey, wait! Come back ah! Can’t we have a proper talk?!’
Just as the three of them were stunned, the door suddenly opened and revealed a small, dark face.
“You guys can enter.” He said.
Thus, the three of them walked inside.
The interior of Yuehua City was completely different from the outside environment. There were endless howling of sands outside the city walls, but on the inside, it was peaceful and quiet. The shouts of vendors on the streets, sounds of children playing together, and the voices of people bargaining made Shi Shuiyue think that this place was just like other ordinary towns and cities.
“Hey, aren’t you going to check if there are any diseases from the outside? Why did you let us in so casually?” Muqing lifted up the child, who was dark from head to toe, and asked him curiously as she looked at him.
The child struggled, and upon seeing this, Muqing let him go.
“It was the City Lord who told me to let you guys in!” After saying that, the child glared at Muqing and then ran away.
“This kid!” Muqing was so angry that she almost ran after him to spank him.
“City Lord? Sect Master, do you know the lord of this city?” Mulan grasped this key information and looked at Shi Shuiyue, who also looked confused.
“I don’t know him.” Shi Shuiyue shook her head. The novel never mentioned who the City Lord of Yuehua City was, so there was no way that she would know him.
Mulan couldn’t help but frown upon hearing her answer. She muttered, “Then what intention does this City Lord have…”
Shi Shuiyue tilted her head and thought for a moment, but there really wasn’t any recollection of this person in her mind.
But…
“Mulan, let’s go eat first. I’m kind of hungry.” Shi Shuiyue rubbed her tummy—she had only drank water in the past few days.
Mulan also came back to her senses. She looked at Shi Shuiyue and immediately agreed. The two of them could suffer hardship, but they couldn’t let their sect leader suffer.
The group of three randomly found an inn to stay at.
Inside the residence of the City Lord of Yuehua City—
“My Lord, I have let them in.” If Shi Shuiyue and the others were here, they would recognize that this child was the one who opened the door for them.
“Mhm.” As if it was a Persian cat that had just woken up, a soft voice sounded from inside the room, “You can leave.”
The child hastily agreed. When he left, he stealthily raised his head to look at the room.
Creak
A gust of wind suddenly blew and opened the door to reveal the person lying on the chaise lounge.
The person on the chaise had skin so fair that even women would envy him. It was tender and delicate like the most excellent quality of mutton-fat jade. His long and dense eyelashes were slightly curled up, and he had a pair of eyes that were as clear as crystals. The corners of his eyes were slightly raised and looked very entrancing. His pair of peach blossom eyes had an extremely beautiful sense of charm. He had rouge-colored thin lips and a straight nose bridge. His beautiful black hair flowed down the side of his face and into his clothes. The bright red robe was pulled open to the chest, and thus revealed a surface of fair skin.
“Ha—” He suddenly let out a soft chuckle, and the corners of his mouth raised up unconsciously. He supported his chin with the hand that was on the armrest as he looked out the door, as if he saw the person who he had been dreaming of.
“Shuiyue, long time no see.” He murmured.
“Achoo!” Shi Shuiyue, who was eating, sneezed again for some unknown reason, and startled Muqing and Mulan, who were across from her.
“Sect Master, did you really catch a cold?!” The corner of Muqing’s mouth twitched.
Shi Shuiyue rubbed her nose and gloomily said, “Maybe someone is thinking about me.” Who was so crazy to bother her while she was eating…
——
“Thank you very much!” Ran Shu was extremely grateful to the person who helped her find a house, so she quickly thanked him.
The man who was thanked by her felt a little shy, and a blush appeared on his handsome face as he said, “Miss Ran, no need to be so polite. I live in the Mu Estate next door, so feel free to find me if you have any problems.”
Ran Shu smiled shyly and said, “Then, thank you!”
“You’re flattering me…”
Ran Shu looked at the seemingly large house in front of her, and she couldn’t help but hum a tune. It turned out that the housing prices in the ancient times were quite humane!
The man watched Ran Shu enter the house, but he was still somewhat reluctant to leave.
A short and chubby man stood next to him. He wiped his sweat and looked at the man. Then he hesitantly said, “Young Master Mu, about the remaining money…”
The man’s expression changed. He looked at him and faintly said, “Go to the Mu Estate and ask the steward for the money.”
“Yes–Yes…”
The dumpy man sent the man away with a smile. Seeing that the man had left, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. The expression he had earlier was really scary. However, when he thought about the price at which he sold the house, the dumpy man wished he could just give that man a kiss.
‘This Eldest Young Master of the Mu Family is indeed a nouveau riche. He actually spent so much money on a girl—tsk-tsk.’ The chubby man inwardly thought.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152