Chapter 89 The Spear of Courage Still Presses Forward (Part Twelve) Our Mission...
The scorching sun overhead baked the sand underfoot until it was dry and parched.
Xia Zhu imagined herself as a chestnut, being tossed and turned in iron sand until the outer shell cracked and crispy, revealing the soft, glutinous kernel inside, powerless to resist and surrender.
The teleportation point in the Yan Yan Kingdom is particularly cunning; it's not located in a bustling city, but rather in a vast, barren desert. This prerequisite seems to be a test of the legendary king's arrogance.
Travelers who cannot withstand harsh weather are not permitted to enter our territory.
The group had been walking in the desert for a long time. They hadn't expected this situation to happen, and as a result, they had run out of all the water they carried and still hadn't seen any signs of human habitation.
Ji Wuchou's power is solid ice that will never melt, and even if Ji Yinxiu's palm fire is used to burn it, it will be to no avail. Fortunately, he is set as a citizen of Yan Yan Kingdom, and his genes carry the code that makes him unafraid of the scorching heat, so he can also serve as an energetic pioneer.
According to Xia Zhu's observation, the prime suspect, Sirius, is indeed a very strange person. He has a magical beast mount, but instead of relying on it to travel, he chooses to travel on his own two legs, and he doesn't want it to carry too much luggage in such hot weather.
He hung the treasure chest-like leather bag on his body and struggled forward, step by step, through the sand pits. The little water he was given ended up in Miaomiao's mouth.
Even when she saw Ying Ya spread his wings to shield everyone from the sun, she jumped out indignantly and pointed at Miao Miao, saying, "Why is it that we are all native beastmen from the Beastman Kingdom, but Miao Miao can only make strange noises, while Brother Ying Ya can be so human-like!" Then she climbed onto Miao Miao and whispered some comforting words while lifting its big ears.
Xia Zhu had never owned a pet, but she could understand his feelings.
But Ying Huo, who always considered himself superior, was completely incapable of empathy. He sneered, still maintaining his elegance under the blazing sun.
"Since you despise this stupid dog for being a purebred beast, why not just find a beastman who can travel a thousand miles a day as your mount?" He naturally thought of the Zouwu he had left in the Ying family.
Even Xia Zhu couldn't help but cast a dissatisfied glance at him.
Ying Huo raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? 'Beast' refers to livestock and poultry, I wasn't insulting anyone."
Upon hearing his words, Sirius began to howl in pain, jumping up to cover Meow Meow's large ears to prevent it from hearing these hurtful words. He looked back at Ying Huo in terror.
"What kind of wicked landlord mentality is this?!"
Ying Huo frowned. "Isn't that right? Money can solve everything; buying an orc is a piece of cake. If you need it, I don't mind helping you pay this insignificant amount."
“Meow Meow is my friend!” Sirius shouted.
"Friend? It can't even speak human language, and it can't fulfill its duties as a mount."
Sirius lowered his head and gently soothed the panting cat who was struggling to breathe due to the heat.
"I don't need Meow Meow to do anything for me, I just want it to live happily." Sirius suddenly raised his head and looked at Ying Huo. "I'm curious, do you consider Miss Xia Zhu and the others your friends, since you can say something like that?"
Ying Huo was clearly speechless, speechless. His expression was as if he had just accidentally swallowed a fly. When he noticed that Xia Zhu had even stopped and turned back to look at him, seemingly waiting for the answer to the question, Ying Huo panicked for a moment.
He turned his head to look at the sandstorm not far away and said in a muffled voice, "It's just a matter of each taking what they need."
Feng Feng was about to retort that they hadn't taken any advantage of him, but then he suddenly remembered that they had indeed treated Ying Huo like an ATM along the way, so he kept quiet and continued on his way.
Ying Huo turned around, only to find that Xia Zhu had already walked far away, her white-gold robe billowing in the air, her back view exuding an indescribable determination. He suddenly felt a little scared, his heart feeling empty as if a sandstorm was blowing.
Only Sirius remained where he was, waiting for him.
The strange man looked at Ying Huo with a meaningful gaze, carefully analyzing the expression on his face, secretly feeling that he had won back some ground. Sirius, with a cheeky grin, moved closer to Ying Huo, repeatedly raising his eyebrows at him.
"Brother Yinghuo, I considered you all friends~ But now it seems you've hurt another good friend of mine." He clicked his tongue and shook his head, then led Miaomiao to chase after Xia Zhu and the others.
Leaving Ying Huo behind, he felt as if his brain was filled with mush.
"Yours" and "mine"—it all sounds so unpleasant.
Fortunately, the group entered the Iron City of the Yan Yan Kingdom before sunset. Since the main quest had changed to "forging the feathers of the Tianwen Bird into a feather robe", they immediately inquired after entering the city and learned that any blacksmith shop in the city could make feather robes.
Now things are much easier. After traveling for several days, I can finally take a good rest during the break from forging the feather robe.
Upon entering the city, they encountered a group of armored soldiers who were pulling at a woman wearing a headscarf.
The woman had a loud voice, wielding a fire poker in her left hand and a dustpan in her right, shouting incessantly as if arguing her case. A crowd of onlookers had already gathered, clearly not one to be easily bullied.
Although she showed no fear and was not particularly thin, she was still no match for five or six armed soldiers. Xia Zhu glanced at the crowd and suddenly remembered the side quest on Ji Yinxiu's parchment scroll.
She glanced back at the person beside her, and sure enough, Ji Yinxiu stared blankly ahead, her hand on the Xuanyuan Sword, her lips slightly pursed. That look reminded Xia Zhu of the fleeting glimpse she had once seen at Xuanyuan Hill.
"Since you won't obediently hand over the people as ordered, and you can't provide any extra grain, then come with us!" When the leading soldier saw that verbal persuasion was ineffective, he prepared to grab the woman, but she raised her slender neck and had a look of resignation to her fate.
"I'm not going anywhere! Unless you kill me right now!"
Seeing this, the soldiers could no longer hold back. They drew their swords from their waists, and before they could fully unsheathe their blades, they were knocked to the ground by another burst of brilliant sword energy.
The crowd scattered with shouts, and the woman stood there bewildered, watching the chaos unfold around her.
Xia Zhu was also dazzled by the golden light. When she opened her eyes again, she found that Ji Yinxiu was no longer beside her. "Do you want to learn swordsmanship?"
"What?" Lilia was startled awake by a cold voice. She turned her head and squinted as the scorching sunlight stung her eyes. The person who spoke was much taller than her, and she had to raise her hand to shield her eyes from the light in order to see his face clearly.
"Do you want to learn swordsmanship? If you learn swordsmanship, you might have the ability to fight back if you encounter a similar situation next time."
Lilia finally saw the person's appearance clearly. His voice was very similar to hers. At first glance, it was impossible to tell his gender, but he was incredibly beautiful.
She had never seen anyone with such an ethereal appearance.
After thinking for a few seconds, Lilia nodded resolutely and firmly.
They then split into two groups. Lilia led Xia Zhuyinghuo and Ji Yinxiu to stay at the best inn in the city, while the other four collected everyone's feathers, took them to a blacksmith shop, and made a deposit to have feather robes made.
“This is the best hotel in town.” Lilia led Xia Zhu and the others to a courtyard-style hotel. Ying Huo paid for the room and returned with a set of keys, handing them to Xia Zhu.
He seemed to be hoping to make eye contact with her, but Xia Zhu kept her head down, though she attributed this to the heavy hood on her head.
Just then, Feng Feng and the others returned, and the group was led by the hotel staff to their courtyard.
The layout of this shop is somewhat similar to a traditional courtyard house, with courtyards of various sizes situated on a small hillside. It is perfect for groups of adventurers traveling in groups. Of course, the service and environment are top-notch, and the prices are not low either. Such adventure teams often include a wealthy human.
"The forging shop owner said that the process of making the feather robe is complicated and will take at least ten days." Feng Feng remembered the boss's instructions.
Ji Yinxiu nodded silently, then said to Lilia beside her, "Within ten days, I will teach you a set of sword techniques. Although it is not as good as the famous sword masters here, it will be more than enough to protect yourself."
Lilia nodded excitedly.
Ji Yinxiu shifted her gaze away from her face.
"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, that's the first day. Thank you for finding us a place to stay today. Go home early."
"No, I should be thanking you. You saved my life and even taught me how to defend myself. I, Lilia, have lived most of my life and this is the first time I've been this lucky!"
The woman bowed generously to the group in thanks, then lifted her skirt and ran away.
Apart from Ji Yinxiu, who had a mission, the rest of the members were quite relaxed. Feng Feng made an appointment the night before, saying that they would sleep in until they naturally woke up the next day and then go for a stroll in the city.
But even as the sun rose high in the sky, their doors remained tightly shut, and the drowsiness was creeping from their rooms into the courtyard.
Only Ji Yinxiu got up early. As dawn broke, he practiced his sword and meditated in the still-sunlight. Realizing that his companions would surely sleep in after days of travel, he quietly went to the front hall to order "breakfast" for everyone in the afternoon. Then, he sat alone on a stone bench in the courtyard, using his Xuanyuan Sword to whittle a wooden stick, waiting for Lilia.
Fifteen minutes past eight o'clock, the woman who had been rushing around finally arrived. She looked like she had run all the way there, leaning on her knees and panting heavily. Her hair was damp with sweat and curled up on her forehead. Her face was flushed, and she looked to be in good health.
"I'm so sorry! I ran into some trouble after finishing my chores at home! I didn't mean to be late on my first day of class!" She kept apologizing to Ji Yinxiu, calling him "teacher" repeatedly.
Ji Yinxiu's face remained expressionless; she simply nodded, telling her it was alright.
"Oh, right, teacher! This is for you!" Lilia was so tired because she was carrying a big bag of potatoes on her shoulder. She generously placed the potatoes in front of Ji Yinxiu. "These are the biggest and best quality ones I picked out. I hope you won't mind."
Ji Yinxiu looked at the whole bag of red potatoes on the ground. Even if the team had seven people eating it three times a day, it would take them forever to finish it. He shook his head and said that he didn't need to give him anything.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lilia blushed and, hands on her hips, asked Ji Yinxiu if she disliked these country trinkets, saying that she would select some finer items to send over tomorrow.
Ji Yinxiu blinked, and finally reluctantly agreed to accept the potatoes.
"These are fine, no need to send them tomorrow, no need to trouble yourself." He thought for a moment and tried to force a standard smile, which he had learned from Xia Zhu. It was polite and courteous without being too frivolous. He didn't want Lilia to think that he disliked her things.
Although Ji Yinxiu and Xia Zhu were equally adept at social skills, one dared to teach and the other dared to learn.
"Alright, let's begin. Here, this is for you." Ji Yinxiu handed the whittled wooden stick to Lilia, who accepted it with both hands as if it were a precious treasure, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Teacher, you're so thoughtful! You even prepared the props for me! To be honest, before I left home, I was wondering if I should bring the fire poker from home! This is perfect! Thank you!"
intimate.
Upon hearing her praise, Ji Yinxiu couldn't help but feel a strange emotion. Her long, snow-white eyelashes completely concealed the turmoil in her eyes, so no one would notice.
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