Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Shortly after Han Lie and his team set off, the white deer Fuzhu followed close behind.
Like a silly roe deer, it trotted with cheerful steps, trailing not far behind Han Lie’s group. After running for nearly an hour, they reached a desolate, uninhabited forest.
Only then did it tilt its head back and let out a series of clear, rhythmic cries.
At that moment, the clouds churned, and two giant wooden pillars descended from the ink-colored rain clouds that accompanied the Fuzhu. Overjoyed, the Fuzhu didn’t dodge; instead, it proactively leaped forward. It was caught between the wooden pillars and carried into the clouds, vanishing from sight.
In the World in the Box, the rain suddenly stopped and the clouds dispersed.
Wang Chang, who was riding ahead, took a moment to look back with envy. “I want to go see the Divine Realm too.”
“That little deer truly has incredible luck.”
Because of this distraction, his horse nearly lost its footing in the wet mud.
At the very front of the team, Han Lie snapped his head around. As the leader of this temporary squad, Han Lie was well aware of the dangers of this journey. The usual “nice guy” look was gone from his face, replaced by a sharp glare. “Focus!” he barked.
Wang Chang was intimidated by him during missions. He quickly snapped out of it, gripped the reins tight, and focused on the path ahead.
Yunwu County was high in the west and low in the east. The southern part consisted of the vast Youyun Marsh, while the north was a massive expanse of desert.
Leaving Yunwu County City and heading north into the desert, it would take two days to reach the Chixia Region, an area dominated by red sandstone and gravel.
Of course, that was only in theory.
In reality, the horses couldn’t maintain a constant gallop, and Disaster Beasts frequently appeared within the Commandery.
There were Zishu, which looked like a cross between a rat and a rabbit, and the incredibly venomous Fei Yi-creatures with six legs, four wings, one head, and two bodies.
There was no end to the various Disaster Beasts, and they caused the group a great deal of trouble. Especially as they drew closer to the desert belt, they were forced to slow down and proceed with even greater caution.
Outside the box, rain was pattering down on the street.
On the desk beside Qin Ying sat a small, round Fish Tank meant for keeping turtles. The white deer Fuzhu was lying inside, rolling around happily while munching on pieces of pork jerky.
Judging by its attributes, the Fuzhu belonged to the water element and brought rain by nature; it should have some degree of suppression over the Hanba. Otherwise, those Yong Birds wouldn’t have attacked it in swarms.
The Fuzhu would be helpful to Han Lie’s operation, but it easily attracted Yong Bird swarms, which would cause trouble on the road. Therefore, Qin Ying had taken it out of the box first. She planned to send the Fuzhu back down to help once Han Lie and the others reached their destination.
When Qin Ying was a child, she had picked up a strange, bobtailed turtle in her backyard. After she had kept it for a while, the turtle mysteriously disappeared. Her grandmother, being sentimental, had kept the small Fish Tank all this time. Qin Ying had washed it clean to house the Fuzhu.
Qin Ying lined the bottom with some tissues and scattered a handful of dried nuts and a piece of jerky inside. The Fuzhu rolled around in bliss as it ate. In its excitement, thunder rumbled outside the window.
Qin Ying, who was scrolling through her phone while waiting for Han Lie’s group to travel, immediately shot it a warning look. “Behave yourself, or I’m confiscating the snacks.”
The Fuzhu nodded frantically, suppressing its joy. It poked its head out, curious as to why Qin Ying’s phone was making noise.
By nearly eleven o’clock at night in the real world, Han Lie and the others had entered the desert. The wind and sand here were intense, and the temperature was scorching.
Looking down from above, the desert was a layered landscape of countless shades of yellow. As the wind and sand swept past, Han Lie and his men, walking in their hooded cloaks, looked like tiny ants.
The wind and sand occasionally carried things with them-Disaster Beasts symbolizing drought, as well as the snakes, insects, rats, and ants native to the desert. They had to remain on high alert at all times, hacking down any Disaster Beasts that crossed their path.
After traveling for half a day, everyone was visibly exhausted except for Han Lie, who remained in relatively good condition. Qin Ying decided to let them rest to avoid the brutal afternoon sun. She scanned the terrain and, behind a sand dune they were about to pass, used a garden trowel to dig a small pit.
Then, she picked up a bottle of Scream, a sports drink she had specially bought.
This drink featured a unique nozzle that allowed water to be squirted out by squeezing the bottle.
This made it easy for Qin Ying to spray water into the small pit she had dug from outside the box.
She did all of this discreetly, ensuring Han Lie and the others didn’t see it.
She didn’t want a big-mouth like Wang Chang to see a stream of water falling from the sky and shout something stupid like the Supreme Deity was taking a leak.
Soon, a lime-flavored water puddle the size of a coin formed behind the sand dune.
Qin Ying took an ice cube from her coffee bag, placed it in a mineral water bottle cap, and set it inside the miniature dollhouse.
She hadn’t had time to cook dinner and was eating takeout, so she decided to share a bit with the five-person team.
A few grains of rice and a small portion of shredded scallion oil chicken were placed on a tiny plate inside the miniature dollhouse.
Then, using a wire to hook onto the tape handle she’d stuck to the roof, she lowered the dollhouse straight down, placing it right next to the lime-flavored water puddle.
Han Lie and his team had horses, so Qin Ying also prepared crushed wheat grains, fine sugar, and a piece of apple about the size of a thumb for those cute, miniature horses.
The Supreme Deity Qin Ying had personally ground them up with a manual grinder, working hard until they were just right for the horses to eat.
Worried the horses would have nowhere to rest, Qin Ying bought several small paper umbrellas used for cake decorations. She opened them and used clips to secure them into the ground next to the small puddle.
By the time she finished her setup, the five-person team had reached the vicinity of the dune.
“Brother Wu Er, do you smell something?”
Wang Chang craned his neck, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air.
Wu Er didn’t scold him this time, because he also smelled a burst of fruity fragrance.
Han Lie tilted his head to listen, then pointed to the sand dune ahead. “Everyone, let’s head there to rest and resupply!”
While it only took a slight shift of Qin Ying’s gaze, it took them over ten minutes to walk the distance.
When they finally rounded the dune to reach the leeward side, they saw it through the blowing sand-the Barbie-pink miniature house Qin Ying had placed!
Sitting there in the middle of the wasteland, the object looked incredibly bizarre and out of place.
Wang Chang, being the most carefree of the bunch, gave a cheer and led his horse toward the miraculously appearing green puddle.
He maintained some level of reason; after dismounting, he didn’t step directly into the puddle. Instead, he knelt by the edge and scooped some water into his mouth with his hands.
As the first person in the World in the Box to taste a lime-flavored drink, a brilliant light shone in the eyes of the scarred Wang Chang.
In comparison, Wang Chang’s horse lacked manners. It went straight for the small apple Qin Ying had left and took a big bite.
After one mouthful, it began licking the sugar granules-which were the size of stones to the horse-and happily stomped its hooves.
Wu Er’s face was hidden behind his hood. He took a deep breath and bowed toward the sky. “We thank the Supreme Deity for your grace.”
Han Lie’s gaze fell upon the Barbie-pink miniature house.
That delicious meat from last time had been the same color.
It seemed the Supreme Deity was quite fond of this color?
He made a mental note of it and called out, “Dismount and rest for one hour!”
The two men traveling with them, Cheng Xuan and Wang Fang, were veteran soldiers who had followed Han Lie out of Luoyang.
Having witnessed several miracles already, they had long since become believers of Qin Ying.
The group followed protocol, kowtowing by the edge of the sand pit before approaching.
They each drew some of the lime-flavored water. After drinking their fill, they joined Wang Chang in letting out a long, satisfied sigh.
When traveling through the desert, getting a single sip of water was the ultimate luxury, let alone water that possessed a sweet, fruity flavor they had never tasted before.
Once they had finished drinking, they first settled the horses under the strange paper sunshades.
Then, the five of them stood side-by-side in front of the Barbie-pink miniature house.