"This person approached deliberately, and his purpose is unknown." Xi Yunting's voice sounded faintly.
Chen Xiao stood up in surprise and said, "But didn't Big Brother say before that he appeared directly in the camp?"
"It is true that Yan Hai showed up in the camp. It was not accidental, but intentional." Xi Yunting's handsome face was a little unclear in the shadows, but Chen Xiao found his eyes without looking for them. "Tang Daoyou stepped forward to negotiate on his behalf, but he didn't show any surprise. It seemed that he knew that Tang Daoyou was not a real child, but a cultivator. He wanted to make up for this flaw later, but it made it even more obvious."
Chen Xiao nodded slowly and said, "He has probably been following us from a distance since this morning and knows something about us. The only place where he can keep an eye on us is near Greystone City." Except for a short break at noon, they were on the road all the time. The only part from the checkpoint to the outside of Greystone City was the part where they walked slowly.
Xi Yunting pressed him back onto his shoulder and said, "Being on guard is not a long-term solution. Now we can only wait quietly until Yan Hai reveals his intentions. Don't worry, Xiao, with Big Brother and Fellow Daoist Tang taking turns to watch over him, nothing will happen."
The temperature difference between day and night in the wilderness is huge. It is so hot during the day that it is roasting people, but at night the temperature drops so much that people are almost shivering. There are outsiders with unknown intentions, so Chen Xiao doesn't care about anything. He directly takes out the stall and wraps it around himself, then shrinks into Xi Yunting's arms.
Xi Yunting stroked his back with his hand, and a source of heat spread along his back to his whole body. Chen Xiao soon fell asleep in this warmth.
When he got up again, it was time to hand over to Xi Yunting. With Tang Ru by his side, Chen Xiao was on duty safely until the early morning.
Xi Yunting did not fail to start his morning exercises at the usual time. At this time, Yan Hai also stood up. He seemed to be curious about the whereabouts of Xi Yunting who left alone, so he came to Chen Xiao and asked: "Where did you go so early, Brother Xi? Did you go to find water?"
Chen Xiao certainly didn't want him to disturb his elder brother's morning exercise, so he smiled and said, "No. Daoist friend Yan, come and help me and prepare breakfast."
As a temporary companion who was sharing water, Yan Hai had no choice but to help Chen Xiao build the fire pit, light the fire, prop up the rack, hang the kettle on it and start boiling water.
After getting ready, Chen Xiao returned the position of head chef to Tang Ru. Seeing that everything was fine, Yan Hai started the topic again. He said, "Are you also here to hunt sandworms when you come to Su Xuan Xiao Tian Jing this time?"
Temporary practitioners do not ask each other about their purpose, but that does not mean they cannot tell others about their purpose. Yan Hai took the initiative to bring it up at this moment, just to use the small talk to get Chen Xiao to tell him their purpose.
Suxuantian Realm is very barren, which means that the spiritual energy here is not abundant, and there are fewer practitioners and ferocious beasts. There are no large beasts living in the desolate wilderness. Only the giant sandworms that can only be found in dry, hot and sandy places have some value.
The meat of sandworms has a very high energy content and is said to be one of the main ingredients for making medium-quality training rations. Most of the trainees active in Suxuan mainly hunt sandworms.
Tong Nuonuo came back after washing up and continued, "We are not here for the sandworms. We heard in Taizhen that a weapon refining master came and Su Xuan lost contact. We are here to look for him."
Yan Hai's expression suddenly became strange: "Are you here to find a weapon refiner?"
Chen Xiao and his team were certainly not looking for a weapon refiner. This was just a unified statement made by the four of them before they set out. Even the target weapon refiner was a fabrication.
Tong Nuonuo was relatively simple, and he was the only one among the four who didn't know that Yan Hai had a problem. Seeing that the excuse they had thought of before had caused Yan Hai to react like this, he almost revealed his flaws out of nervousness.
Tang Ru walked by with a soup pot and stepped on him inadvertently. Tong Nuonuo took a breath and gritted his teeth silently: "Yes, Daoist Yan, if you know any news, please let me know."
Yan Hai said solemnly: "You don't know since you just arrived, but there are several weapon refiners who died of unknown reasons in Su Xuan's side recently. I think the weapon refiner you are looking for is likely to be in danger."
Fortunately, Tong Nuonuo was quick-witted and was able to respond smoothly after the initial surprise. He said, "Thank you for telling me, Daoyou Yan, but I want to see the person alive or the body dead. We can't just go back home without seeing anything."
Yan Hai nodded and said, "That's as it should be. Could it be that you have accepted the bounty mission from Zhishitang?"
Tong Nuonuo pulled the corner of his mouth. It was really difficult for him to make up lies one after another. He regretted coming over to talk to Yan Hai. If he had known that Yan Hai had so many questions, he might as well let Chen Xiao continue to deal with them.
He evaded the question by asking, "Why did those weapon refiners that Daoyou Yan mentioned die?"
Yan Hai frowned, a complex expression flashed in his eyes. He said, "I only saw it once by chance. I avoided it because I was afraid of being affected. It seems that someone is specifically targeting weapon refiners in Su Xuan. That group of people is large in number and very powerful. Even as a weapon refiner, I couldn't hold on for long and was killed."
Tong Nuonuo became curious about this matter. He asked, "Were these weapon refiners targeted? Did they die in the same place?"
Yan Hai shook his head: "Not really. These people are secretive and just wander around in the wilderness. If you accidentally encounter them and don't avoid them in advance, you will probably lose your life."
If Chen Xiao didn't know that this person had bad intentions, he would have believed what he said. But now Chen Xiao only suspected that Yan Hai was targeting their intentions to deceive them and was trying every means to achieve his own goals.
After this conversation, Chen Xiao became more alert to Yan Hai. Maybe the gang he was talking about, wandering in the wilderness and killing weapon refiners, was none other than himself.
If that's the case, Yan Hai is not alone, he must have accomplices.
After breakfast, they continued on their way. They were still far away from their destination, the Southeast Mountains, and Chen Xiao was not afraid that Yan Hai would discover their true intentions.
It was not known whether it was luck or misfortune, but that evening they found a large pond in a sunken basin. Chen Xiao was already used to the gray and white mixed with yellow and green tones, but suddenly a touch of silver-blue appeared, which quickly caught his attention.
"There's water!" Chen Xiao shouted, and then was caught off guard by a mouthful of choking hot air.
Tang Ru's voice sounded a little muffled: "We saw it."
In this endless wilderness, water is the symbol of life. The bushes around the pond are obviously denser than other places, and there are even a few dry, leafless trees growing around it. There are some animals drinking water around the pond, including wild boars, wild goats, wild deer, foxes, and jackals.
The sudden appearance of Chen Xiao and his companions caused the wild goats and deer to scatter, while the other animals stopped drinking water and craned their necks to look at them.
Tong Nuonuo cheered and rushed over the gentle slope impatiently. He opened his cloak, waded into the water, and happily splashed the water on himself.
Tang Ru also seemed to be relieved, and followed Tong Nuonuo without stopping, and walked to the water's edge. Chen Xiao and Xi Yunting looked at each other, and then said to Yan Hai: "Friend Yan, we finally found a pond, you should reserve more water."
Yan Hai smiled and nodded: "Yes, I am grateful for your help along the way. Otherwise, I don't know when I would be thirsty. I have used a lot of your water in the past two days, why don't you take this opportunity to replenish it as well."
Chen Xiao said, "That's not necessary. We have plenty of water right now. Daoist Yan, please help yourself."
Yan Hai paused and said nothing more. He took out the water bottle from his bag and filled it with water from the pond.
Now Chen Xiao was almost certain that this pond was part of Yan Hai's plan. He deliberately pretended to be in a state of distress and lack of drinking water, so that as long as he was accepted as a temporary companion, he would have to consume extra water.
Helping fellow practitioners who are short of water in the wilderness is a piece of cake for any practitioner who has just come to Suxuan. Consumable water must always be replenished, and this is when there is an opportunity to carry out a hidden attack.
Maybe Yan Hai didn't expect that he would accidentally reveal his true identity as soon as they met, causing Chen Xiao and the others to be on guard.
——Except Tong Nuonuo.
Tong Nuonuo soaked in the water, and it was not enough to just cool down. He scooped up some water from the pond with both hands and took a sip. He tasted it and said, "The water tastes a little bitter, maybe there are minerals seeping into the soil."
After he finished saying this, Tang Ru, Chen Xiao and Xi Yunting watched him gulp it down.
Tang Ru held his forehead and cursed inwardly, "Stupid!" If it tastes bitter, why do you still want to drink it! Can't you just spit it out? !
Yan Hai laughed and said, "Most of the water sources in the wilderness are like this. Some are very slippery, some are very astringent, and some are salty. There is very little sweet water."
Tong Nuonuo was completely unaware of the powerlessness of his companions and waved to Chen Xiao: "Xiaoxiao, do you want to come down and cool down?"
At this moment, it was still uncertain what the problem was, so Chen Xiao naturally did not dare to take risks. He shook his head and said, "Not now, let's talk about it before the break."
Tong Nuonuo looked at his slightly red face, feeling a little strange, and nodded hesitantly.
Tong Nuonuo is less experienced than his companions, and is not very sensitive to details and changes in the atmosphere. But this does not mean that he is really stupid. When Chen Xiao behaved in a wrong way, Tong Nuonuo immediately noticed the abnormality.
They camped by the pond that night. When Chen Xiao suggested using the water they brought to boil water for dinner, Tong Nuonuo did so without saying a word.
Yan Hai finished his own drink, wiped his mouth and threw the bowl to the ground. He changed his sincere and straightforward appearance in the past two days and said coldly: "I originally wanted to send you off quickly, but I didn't expect you to be so tactless. I'm sorry if you don't accept my toast."
Tong Nuonuo was shocked and angry: "What do you mean?!"
Yan Hai raised his head and laughed: "This means that this is where you will be buried!"
As he laughed, the surroundings changed and twisted. The pond, dense bushes, and sparse woods disappeared. A gust of wind and sand swept past, leaving only a shallow mud puddle on the ground. At the edge of the basin, more than 20 people appeared and silently surrounded them.
Xi Yunting frowned, "It turned out to be an illusion."
Chen Xiao was startled and immediately stood up and stood with Xi Yunting. Tang Ru took a fighting stance.
Tong Nuonuo looked at Yan Hai, then at the mud puddle. The damage caused by the deception of his senses was too great, and he was immediately angry!
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