Chapter 447 — Natural Rivals
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The sun sank in the west, and a red disc of fire set the Flame Desert ablaze with crimson. Shen Mu stood upon Dragon Qilin's head, transforming his own vital essence into Vermilion Bird essence to temper flying sword after flying sword, deepening the rune-seals graven within each blade. He looked down; Xiong Qi'er had already hidden herself in Dragon Qilin's ear and fallen asleep.
There was no wind in there, and Dragon Qilin had covered its own ear-hole with its ear, guarding the little girl most securely. "Dragon Fatty is really quite something," Shen Mu praised inwardly. "This big lummox is tender-hearted after all.
Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills and Fire Element Divine Essence Pills really do taste foul mixed together.
Once we find a place to settle, I'll improve the flavor for him. " Dragon Qilin suddenly said, "Sect Master, there's an oasis ahead! " Shen Mu peered forward and indeed saw an oasis.
"I wonder if there's water there," he said.
"A whole day without a water source—I can bear it well enough, but I fear Qi'er cannot. " The Flame Desert was unbearably hot, with not a trace of moisture in the air.
Even with his Black Tortoise essence, Shen Mu could not conjure water. He had never worried about water before, but now with Xiong Qi'er at his side, he had no choice but to consider drink. After a moment, Dragon Qilin arrived at the oasis, where several snow-white sheepskin tents stood pitched by the lake, and some people dressed in Western Lands attire were building fires and cooking.
Dragon Qilin warily scanned the surroundings. "I wonder if Ban Gongcuo fled here," it said. "Sect Master, be careful. He took grave wounds; he shouldn't have gotten far.
" Shen Mu leaped down, lifted Dragon Qilin's ear, and carried out the sleeping Xiong Qi'er, saying with a smile, "Rest easy. With me here, even if he's nearby he won't dare approach. And if he dares come, it will be just the chance to finish him.
" The turbaned Western Lands foreigners throughout the oasis all turned to look at them, their faces changing greatly, yet none dared make a sound. Shen Mu glanced around and saw that these people were mostly men, weathered by wind and sun, their faces burned very red.
There were also some large two-legged yellow sheep in the oasis, and beside the yellow sheep were goods—most likely traveling merchants. For though the two-legged yellow sheep, strange beast that it was, ran very fast and bore heavy loads well, its gait was exceedingly bumpy; only merchants would choose such a beast to transport goods. Though riding a two-legged yellow sheep was a bit hard and a bit bumpy, it could carry more cargo.
"Elder, my little sister is asleep—might I borrow a tent? " Shen Mu came before an old merchant and asked.
The old merchant nodded hastily.
"Please, use it as you wish. " Shen Mu thanked him and carried her inside.
At night the desert was very cold, but fortunately the sheepskin tent kept in warmth, and there were also some thick wool blankets.
Shen Mu covered her well. Xiong Qi'er, half-asleep, clutched the blanket's edge with two small hands and turned over, smacking her lips twice—she was probably hungry, but she did not wake. Shen Mu walked out of the tent. The sun had already set, and the campfires by the lake crackled and popped.
"Elder, are you merchants from the Western Lands?
" The others looked at Shen Mu's expression and dared not speak.
The lead old merchant said hastily, "We come from a small country in the Western Lands, on our way to the Waste to do business. Is this elder brother from the Waste? " Shen Mu could not help but laugh.
Though he was a bit tall, he was hardly old enough to be called elder brother. The reason these people feared him somewhat must be the flame patterns on his face. That they judged him to be from the Waste was also because of the flame patterns on his face.
"I am indeed from the Waste, and I'm preparing for a trip to the Western Lands.