They had been traveling for a day.
As soon as the camp was set, Xiao Yunsheng divided the men into groups, sending them off in turns to bathe nearby. It was a chance to repel the insects and snakes, and to wash away the day's exhaustion. Seeing men return in twos and threes, looking flushed and satisfied, Jiang Yue decided to wait until the area was less crowded to bathe herself, despite the unhealed wounds on her legs. She had asked, and this was the last spot where they would have access to a bath. Further north, water sources would become scarce; beyond the desolate deserts, there was only the treacherous, frozen ice of the Snow Region.
She returned to the tent to fetch a change of clothes and, seeing that Xiao Yunsheng had not yet returned, abandoned her plan to inform him. She walked to a remote water source at the edge of the village, one that hadn't been assigned to any group. She tested the water temperature, unraveled the cloth band binding her long hair, and cupped her hands to splash the water over her face. The warmth of the steam finally allowed her frayed nerves to relax.
Chapter 82