In the vast desert of Yu State, human presence is sparse, and even in years of great famine and rampant banditry, not many people make their way to this place.

To return to the border of Great Chu, one must cross the vast and boundless desert and Gobi.

The teleportation portal opened by the Fire Master was intentionally located in the most desolate part of the desert, to avoid detection by Nalan Xuance's "Iron Curtain." Although it was only two hundred li (approximately 62 miles) from Qu River, the journey was exceedingly difficult.

Xie Xuanyi walked for four straight hours without rest.

Deng Baiyi had already reached Foundation Establishment, and for her, traversing the desert was not a difficult task, especially with the protection of the "Tao Realm," sheltering her from intense sun and fierce winds. These four hours were merely tedious, not arduous.

However, she truly did not expect that the sword-carrying young man behind her would persevere the entire way without uttering a word.

With the "Martial Arts Divine Embryo," Xie Xuanyi placed pressure on Spring Breeze Wild Grass, not wishing for the youth to walk too comfortably. However, he wasn't completely merciless. While the Divine Embryo exerted pressure on the umbrella sword, he used his clothing to block most of the wind and sand, his Divine Thought constantly focused on Chu Guo.

The young man's mind and willpower were both excellent.

Previously, while practicing swordsmanship in Taoyuan Back Mountain, Xie Xuanyi had taken notice.

Very few people could endure practicing the repetitive motion of splitting stakes for many days on end without growing weary.

"Alright."

Xie Xuanyi stopped walking, looked up at the sky, and said, "We should be arriving soon."

"Arriving soon?"

It was as if Chu Guo had received a pardon; the tightly wound string in his heart relaxed slightly.

But following Xie Zhen's line of sight,

The young man felt a wave of disappointment.

All he could see ahead was more wind and sand, just desert, still desert.

Where was this 'soon'?

"You don't think we're nearly at Great Chu, do you?"

Xie Xuanyi spoke indifferently, "We've walked for four hours and covered only thirty li (approximately 9 miles)."

The young man took a deep breath, rubbed his cheeks, and without a word, prepared to continue forward.

"There's no need to walk any further."

Xie Xuanyi continued, "Yu State gets extremely cold at night. We should find a place to rest... There's an 'inn' nearby where we can stay the night."

"An inn?"

The young man froze, puzzled. There's an inn in such a godforsaken place? He hadn't seen a single soul during their four-hour walk!

"Come with me."

Xie Xuanyi set off deeper into the desert on his own.

...

...

Whistling winds turned into a tornado at the end of the desert, where a small inn could be vaguely discerned through the sandstorm. It was built of earth and stone, with two stone walls constructed around it to withstand the sand. From a hundred paces away, one could faintly hear the neighing of horses, the sound of camel bells, and the buzz of voices.

"There actually is an inn."

Chu Guo stared in astonishment; although he was a native of the Li Country, he was completely unaware of these things.

As for Deng Baiyi, she also showed a surprised expression.

During the time she followed Tang Fengshu, Deng Baiyi visited many places.

But that journey was more about "social niceties" and couldn't really be considered "wandering the worldly society."

After all, Tang Fengshu was the Master of World Pavilion, and wherever he went, disciples from his sect were there to serve. If troubles arose, a word from him was enough to eradicate them immediately. Just having his identity on display meant that in all the regions and cities of Great Chu, everyone who saw him had to show some respect. Even if Tang Fengshu didn't inform anyone about his leisure trips, his fame was too great, his status too high. Even if he kept it to himself, people underneath would take the initiative to offer hospitality. As long as word got out, the County Clerks in charge of the affairs in the area, upon hearing the news, would do their utmost to present their "respect," ensuring a tranquil and safe journey without issue.

Approaching the inn, the sand and dust gradually subsided.

The stone walls emitted waves of green-cyan light.

"Screen Array?"

Deng Baiyi raised an eyebrow and whispered, "The owner of this inn seems to be an Array Pattern Master, but his skill does not appear to be high, looking just like a 'Qi Refining Master.' If his skill were stronger, he probably wouldn't need to use such low-level and inferior formations to block the sandstorm."

Xie Xuanyi chuckled and remained silent.

"Mr. Xie, are you really going to stay here?"

Chu Guo leaned against the stone wall, took off his straw shoes, shook out the half jin of sand accumulated inside, and said cautiously, "I heard Old Zheng say that Yuan Province is full of refugees and Yu State is full of desperados. Staying here might invite trouble... I still have the strength to move; why don't we continue forward?"

"Let's rest here."

Xie Xuanyi said indifferently, "What trouble could possibly arise from just spending the night?"

Chu Guo was at a loss for words.

He picked up the umbrella sword again and silently followed behind Xie and Deng, bewildered; the umbrella sword originally felt as heavy as a thousand jin, now it felt as light and fluttery as a feather.

"Sirs, are you here for a short rest or a longer stay?"

Past the two walls.

A young man dressed in green with white cloth draped over his shoulder came bounding towards them with a smile, while subtly scrutinizing the newcomers.

"We'll stay, and have something to fill our stomachs," Xie Xuanyi stated calmly, "no need to look any further, there are only three of us."

The inn's server was momentarily taken aback, realizing that this young man in black was the leader of the three, and immediately bowed and scraped, trying to ingratiate himself, "To cross the great desert is no simple feat; may I ask the hero your name, and where you hail from?"

"Surname Xie."

Xie Xuanyi said casually, "From Qian State, these two are my attendants."

Deng Baiyi, Chu Guo: "???"

"I see... One glance and I can tell the young master has the air of a nobleman," the young servant remarked with some tongue clicking, yet still flattered them and opened the doors of the inn for the three guests.

Warmth rushed to meet them.

Both Chu Guo and Deng Baiyi were somewhat stunned because neither had ever seen such a scene; after walking for four hours through a desert without a trace of human life, to find an inn's main hall teeming with people was a shock. However, these people didn't look friendly, confirming Chu Guo's earlier saying, "Yu State is full of desperados." Knives, swords, spears, and clubs were visible everywhere. These fellows were either draped in thick straw capes or bared their upper bodies, revealing scars all over.

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