The three of them walked for quite a while before finally spotting a bonfire in the distance.
Xuan Jiu narrowed her eyes to take a closer look. So this was what Wu Sansheng’s message had meant.
If she couldn't even figure something like this out, she might as well just take down her shingle and go out of business.
Not far away, Xie Yuchen and Heixiazi were beating the back of a horse.
After jumping down, Xie Yuchen exchanged a glance with Xuan Jiu, and the two of them simultaneously began walking north.
Only Heixiazi was left standing there with a face full of question marks.
"Want to know? Five hundred," Xie Yuchen said, holding up five fingers.
"What?! You want five hundred just for that? Are you highway robbery?!"
Xuan Jiu stood to the side, folding her arms to watch the show.
"Lord Hei, you could just ask me! It won't cost you five hundred here. Given our relationship, I'll even give you a one-percent discount, bringing it down to 499! Fair to child and geezer alike, and a completely honest price!"
"You two are teaming up to bully an old man like me. Five bucks, tops!"
"Besides, teammate, are you bad at math? A one-percent discount on five hundred should make it 495, right?"
Xuan Jiu instantly snapped, "You dead blind man, how dare you mock me! Do you still want to know the reason or not?"
Xie Yuchen turned and walked away, leaving two bickering elementary schoolers pecking at each other in place.
——
"We've been walking for so long. It's nothing but desert after desert, and we're entirely out of water."
Xie Yuchen licked his chapped lips. It was simply too hot.
"Looks like we're all going to die of thirst right here."
Xuan Jiu wasn't having an easy time of it either; she was drenched in sweat but didn't dare take off her clothes, otherwise her body's moisture would evaporate even faster.
Heixiazi pulled out a dagger and gave it a flick. "Don't worry. With Lord Hei here, I won't let you die."
With that, he turned around and huffed and puffed, sticking his rear end up in the air as he started digging for roots.
"Lord Hei is giving a live demonstration. I wouldn't normally share this with just anyone."
"This is camel thorn, the most common plant in the Gobi. Its roots are an absolute treasure; the camels in the desert eat these..."
Taking advantage of the cover provided by his pack, Xuan Jiu pulled three bottles of water from the Qiankun Ring.
Feigning that the water had come out of her backpack, Xuan Jiu handed a bottle to Xie Yuchen.
"Considering how long old Hei has lived and how well-read I am—why, back in the day, I even studied abroad..."
Clasping their arms across their chests, the two of them exchanged a smile, drinking their water while watching Heixiazi dig up roots.
That's what Heixiazi got for mocking her math skills earlier—she was a very vindictive person.
After struggling for a long time, Heixiazi finally managed to pull out the camel thorn.
Just as he was about to turn around and flaunt the fruits of his labor to the other two, he saw them standing there with their arms crossed, drinking water while watching him dig up camel thorns.
"Well, well, you two ungrateful little wretches! Who do you think Lord Hei has been busting his gut for this whole time, and you're just standing there laughing at him?"
"I am seriously angry! If people don't lose their tempers, do you all just take them for fools?"
Xuan Jiu raised an eyebrow and nudged Xie Yuchen's arm. "Hey~ Master Hua, look at that. Lord Hei says he spent all this time digging camel thorns for you—isn't that practically saying you're out... I mean, that you're a camel?!"
"......"
Xie Yuchen: Don't think I can't tell which two words you're holding back.
"Little girl, don't try to frame me. I didn't mean anything like that."
Xuan Jiu stopped teasing Heixiazi and tossed him the bottle of water from her backpack.
Jokes were jokes, but they still had to give him water.
Xie Yuchen smiled and was just about to call for the two of them to set off when he noticed the sand suddenly shifting in one direction.
Before the three of them could react, the quicksand dragged them right in.
A cloud of dust instantly filled the air. Xuan Jiu only had time to cover both her own and Xie Yuchen's nose and mouth.
Feeling the hand covering his face, Xie Yuchen hurriedly pulled Xuan Jiu tightly into his arms to prevent the two of them from being separated by the quicksand.
"Cough, cough—"
"Blind man, you're not just a jinx, you're a walking disaster. You almost gave Master Hua a burial in the sand for real this time."
The opening they had fallen through was now completely blocked by quicksand, meaning heading back the way they came was out of the question.
Relying on the leverage of Xie Yuchen pulling her up, Xuan Jiu got to her feet and brushed the sand off herself.
"I must say, Master Hua, you've been wearing this white windbreaker ever since I first met you. How on earth does it never get dirty? Is this some kind of legendary high-tech product?"
"Tsk tsk, the head of the Xie Family really lives up to his reputation. This is what you call the joy of being wealthy. Who would've thought Master Hua is actually quite the neat freak."
With a mischievous itch in her fingers, Xuan Jiu rubbed the dirt she had touched onto Xie Yuchen's clothes.
The Snow Mei Niang had just been turned into a dirty bun.
"Get those dirty hands away! Don't wipe that on me."
Seeing the vein twitching on Xie Yuchen's forehead, Heixiazi quickly pulled Xuan Jiu away before she could keep tugging on the tiger's whiskers.
"You really don't know any better, do you, girl? Our Master Hua just likes to keep things clean. Isn't that right, Master Hua?"
Xie Yuchen: How am I supposed to beat up this old blind man and this little divine swindler?
The three of them continued walking forward.
Heixiazi sniffed the air. "This smell is like an abandoned pipeline. Judging by the taste, I'd say it dates back to the Republic of China era."
Xie Yuchen said sarcastically, "Judging by you, your eyes might not work, but your nose sure is sharp."
"Lord Hei's eyes—the darker it is, the clearer he sees."
The darker it was, the clearer he could see? Xuan Jiu had found that a bit odd before.
No matter whether it was day or night, Heixiazi never took off his sunglasses.
She believed people shouldn't go around prying into each other's secrets without reason, but whether it was Wu Xie and Little Brother, or Xie Yuchen and Heixiazi, after spending these past few days together, she could tell they were all good people.
"Blind man, your... eyes..."
"It's fine, minor issue. Lord Hei can handle it."
Xuan Jiu didn't press further. Once this trip was over, perhaps she could bring the blind man back to get them checked out.
As they continued walking, a sticky droplet suddenly dripped down—
Xuan Jiu hurriedly called out, "Watch out!"
"What the hell is that?" Heixiazi was startled.
With quick reflexes, Xie Yuchen pulled Heixiazi back a step and carefully inspected the liquid on Heixiazi's hand:
"The color isn't very dark, so it shouldn't be petroleum. It's sticky, almost like some kind of animal—body fluid."
With that, he frowned in disgust and stepped back another half-step.
"Look at you, Mr. Expert again."
Seeing the look of disgust on Xie Yuchen's face, Heixiazi purposely thrust his hand right in front of him, getting right up in his face:
"Since it's so gross, do you want to share it with me?"
Xuan Jiu looked at Heixiazi acting up again, still lacking the dignity appropriate for his age:
"Our Master Hua is simply well-traveled and knowledgeable. Since Lord Hei has lived so long, how come you don't even know what this is?"
"At your age, not only do you love to boast, but your mind is also impure."
Heixiazi said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "Oh? I was just making a little joke with Master Hua. How come Miss Xiaojiu is getting all worked up first?"
"You!"
Xuan Jiu didn't even know why she had spoken up in the first place, and now that Heixiazi had called her out directly, she had no idea how to retort.
Seeing Xuan Jiu's flushed, huffy face, Xie Yuchen stepped in to smooth things over: "Stop talking nonsense, blind man."
He gave a feigned cough, handed Heixiazi a handkerchief, and swiftly changed the subject———
"Aren't you grossed out? Wipe that stuff off your hand first."
"Quite the perfectionist, aren't you? Then do you still want this gross handkerchief?"
Heixiazi didn't pursue the previous topic any further. He took the handkerchief, wiped his hand, and then thrust it right beside Xie Yuchen's face.
"Keep it." Xie Yuchen turned his head away in disgust.
"Are you sure—"
"You're the one who said so—"
Suddenly, the blind man flicked the handkerchief, sending it flying straight onto Xuan Jiu's head.
Xie Yuchen swore he heard the highest soprano note in human history—
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
"You dead blind man, I'm going to fight you to the death!!!"
"I really didn't do that on purpose. Who told you to stand behind Master Hua? You only have yourself to blame for standing in a bad spot."
Xie Yuchen hurried to hold back the erupting Xuan Jiu, trying to prevent World War III.
Why did this blind man always manage to make Xuan Jiu so angry, leaving him to play peacemaker on both sides every single time?
That soprano note was simply too high; his eardrums were about to shatter.
Didn't the blind man say his ears were even sharper? So why wasn't he deaf yet?