The entire party moved one behind the other, maintaining a distance of at least fifty meters. Hao Qi and Zhang Heng were unbothered by this; in particular, after hearing what Hao Qi had said earlier, Zhang Heng had calmed down and simply followed along with the Su Family's procession. After leaving the port city of Salan, the troop entered the desert. However, because the desert here was close to the coast, it presumably received some rainfall, allowing a few desert plants to survive. As the party pressed on from morning until dusk, the Su Family found a flat patch of sandy terrain where they pitched tents and prepared campfires. When the smoke from the campfires rose into the sky, especially against the backdrop of the slowly setting evening sun, Hao Qi finally understood the artistic conception behind the famous line: "The straight smoke rises in the vast desert, the setting sun is round over the endless river." For a moment, the scenery before his eyes left him utterly dazed.
Nearby, Zhang Heng had worked himself to the bone pitching the tent. Seeing Hao Qi standing there in a daze, his anger flared. He walked up right behind Hao Qi, punched him in the back, and snapped, "Stop staring! Your Su Family maiden is still inside her tent packing her things. Why don't you just go into her tent and stare your fill?"
"Cut it out." Hao Qi let out a hearty laugh, scratching his head with a trace of embarrassment as he replied, "Miss Su and I are completely innocent... Don't look at…
Chapter 37