Inherited 100 Million - Chapter 16

[Enemies defeated: 2/10]

With two desert bandits down in the blink of an eye, Xue Yizhuo felt there was no need for her to intervene.

Judging by the build of the three Cheng brothers, it was clear that they were skilled fighters. But Xue Yizhuo hadn’t expected them to be so exceptionally good, holding their own against a superior number of enemies without falling into a disadvantage. Cheng Er’s martial arts skills were the most impressive. In a moment of distraction, Xue Yizhuo saw another bandit fall to his sword.

The system counted all of them as if she had defeated them. Xue Yizhuo stood on the sand dune and silently gave herself a round of applause.

Old Li shakily made his way up the dune.

“I can’t believe there are still desert bandits active at this time,” Old Li said with a sigh.

Xue Yizhuo replied, “They’re a bunch of desperadoes. They probably don’t care about the sandstorms.”

They stayed on the sand dune, waiting for the three Cheng brothers to finish off the bandits and join them. The three brothers returned with the woman they had just saved.

The woman recognized Xue Yizhuo as the person in charge of the group. She walked up to her and was about to kneel in gratitude, but Xue Yizhuo quickly held her up. “No need to be so formal. Where are you from, and why were those bandits chasing you?”

The woman wiped her tears and sobbed. “I was traveling with my husband for business, but I never expected to encounter desert bandits before we even left the desert… The caravan… only I am left alive!”

Zhong Meng was a little moved. He said in a low voice, “It’s not easy trying to make a living at this time of year.”

After giving out the reward, the system went back to being silent and didn’t give a new quest. Xue Yizhuo looked at the woman who was trembling in the cold wind, then at the scattered bodies of the bandits on the slope below. It was clear that they couldn’t just leave her there.

Xue Yizhuo thought for a moment, then looked up at the woman. “You can travel with us for now. We’ll drop you off once we reach a safe place.”

The woman thanked her profusely. Xue Yizhuo waved her hand and told Cheng Sao to take care of her.

After nightfall, Zhong Meng and the three Cheng brothers took turns standing guard.

To scare off any wild beasts, the bonfire wasn’t extinguished, and several tents were set up around it. Xue Yizhuo and Old Li didn’t have to squeeze into the tents and could rest in their carriages.

Xue Yizhuo tossed and turned on her small bed, unable to fall asleep.

She had slept for too long during the day, so she wasn’t tired at all at night. After a few more restless turns, Xue Yizhuo simply sat up from the bed.

Xue Yizhuo grabbed the cloak next to her pillow and wrapped herself up tightly before opening the carriage door and jumping down. The moment the door opened, she felt a sharp night wind. The desert night wind was dry, as if carrying rough grains of sand. It hurt her cheeks when it scraped against her face.

Cheng Da, who was sitting by the bonfire on guard, heard the noise and looked over. When he saw Xue Yizhuo, he was so surprised he almost called out to her.

Xue Yizhuo put a finger to her lips, signaling for Cheng Da to be quiet.

Cheng Da nodded obediently and turned his head back to face the bonfire.

Xue Yizhuo had only intended to wander around, but she hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t be the only one unable to sleep that night. A few steps away from the camp, she saw a person sitting in the sand with their back against a sleeping camel, staring blankly at the bright moon in the sky.

“The wind is a little strong,” Xue Yizhuo said as she sat down beside her, hugging her knees and looking at the moon with her. “Aren’t you cold?”

The rescued woman’s clothes were no longer presentable. Cheng Sao had given her a set of her own, but they were still a little thin for the night.

The woman slowly shook her head. “The camel is very warm.”

“Mm.” Xue Yizhuo nodded in agreement. The camel’s body was warm, and it was very comfortable to lean against.

“What are your plans for the future, miss?” Xue Yizhuo asked casually.

“…Plans?” The woman was stunned, a hint of confusion in her eyes. “I should go home, I suppose. Even if I’m the only one left, I must go back.”

She said this, but her voice was full of a lack of confidence.

Xue Yizhuo could understand. Her husband was dead, and everyone else in her caravan was dead. Only she was left alive. When she returned home, would she be met with the joy of her family, or would she face doubt and blame from others?

Xue Yizhuo didn’t point this out. She only said, “I’m going to Great Yan on this trip, and when I get there, I’ll have some supplies, like the camels, that I won’t be taking with me. You can see if you need anything then. It should be enough for you to get home.”

“Thank you, miss,” the woman said. “However, my home is in the Yangsuo Desert, and we might be able to pass by it.”

“Huh?” Xue Yizhuo sat up straight. “There are people who live in the desert?”

They could still see scattered residences on the outskirts of the Yangsuo Desert, but as they went deeper, they hadn’t seen any sign of human life for a long time.

The woman used the stars to orient herself and pointed to a spot. “My home should be right—”

The rest of her sentence was covered by a loud shout.

Xue Yizhuo’s expression changed.

It was Cheng Da’s voice. He had just shouted—

“The sandstorm is coming!!!”

Xue Yizhuo looked in the direction the woman had pointed. A sandstorm was sweeping toward them, covering everything in its path. Under the night sky, it was a vast, dark mass that instantly blocked out the stars, like a raging tsunami in a sea of sand, or a stampede of a thousand horses.

The woman was terrified, staring blankly at the sandstorm hurtling toward them.

The fierce wind lifted Xue Yizhuo’s hood. This was the first time she had seen such a sight. In front of the sky-obstructing sandstorm, a person was like a single mustard seed, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape. The sandstorm was moving at a frightening speed. There was no time to get back to the camp.

“Hide behind the camel!” Xue Yizhuo yelled at the woman, who was almost frozen with fear.

As if a thunderbolt had struck, the woman snapped back to her senses. The startled camel made restless grunting noises. The woman hid behind one of the camels, gritting her teeth and clinging to it tightly.

Xue Yizhuo lost sight of the woman.

She hugged the camel tightly to keep herself from being swept away by the sandstorm. The wind and sand quickly made it impossible for her to open her eyes. Xue Yizhuo could only feel the sand constantly hitting her body, with nothing but the loud roaring of the wind in her ears.

Xue Yizhuo couldn’t see another person or hear another sound.

The sandstorm raged on for who knows how long.

When everything became calm again, Xue Yizhuo opened her eyes and found that she was half-buried in the sand. Her companion was the camel she had held on to. Getting out of the sand, Xue Yizhuo shook the sand off herself and looked around in a daze.

“Old Li? Cheng Sao? Guide Zhong?”

Xue Yizhuo called out several times but got no response.

The bonfire was gone, the carriages were gone, and the tents were gone too. The shape of the sand dunes had also changed after the sandstorm. Xue Yizhuo couldn’t even tell if she had been blown away or if Old Li and the others had been blown to another location.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

A series of violent coughs erupted not far away.

Xue Yizhuo quickly pulled herself out of the sand and walked over, sinking into the sand with every step. She saw that the person lying on the sand and coughing was the same woman who had hidden behind the camel with her.

Xue Yizhuo went over and patted her back. The woman grabbed her wrist and asked while coughing, “Miss Xue, are you… cough, cough… are you alright?”

“Slow down,” Xue Yizhuo said, patting her back. “I’m fine.”

The woman looked up at her. “Where are the others?”

Xue Yizhuo: “…”

Xue Yizhuo: “I have some bad news. We’ve been separated from the others.”

The woman looked around. Her already pale face turned even whiter. Most of their supplies were in the carriages, and now they only had two camels. The woman forced herself to stand up and checked the supplies. She was devastated to find that one of their water skins had been torn by a rock during the sandstorm. They only had one bag of water left.

Xue Yizhuo, who had a hundred million bags of water in her inventory, couldn’t feel the despair the woman was feeling.

The woman’s expression suddenly became resolute. She solemnly handed the “last bag” of water to Xue Yizhuo.

Xue Yizhuo accepted it with a blank expression.

“Miss Xue,” the woman promised. “I will definitely get you out of here safely. My home is up ahead, and there will be supplies once we get to the city!”

Xue Yizhuo didn’t know why the woman was speaking with such solemnity as if she was entrusting her life to her, so much so that Xue Yizhuo had to take her seriously.

“Wait,” Xue Yizhuo suddenly remembered an important detail. “Are there cities in the Yangsuo Desert?”

The woman looked at her strangely. “Of course. The Country of Lotus is very famous, even outside the Yangsuo Desert.”

…The Country of Lotus?

Xue Yizhuo’s expression instantly froze.

“Are you talking about… Guque?”

The woman nodded vigorously. “I am from Guque.”

Xue Yizhuo: My smile is slowly fading.