118: Treasure Hunt

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. Instructor Ruo Lin’s gentle voice rang out, “Little Yuhan, are you free?”

Qing Lin, like a startled fawn, abruptly pulled back her hand, her small face flushed crimson. She frantically hid the comb in her bosom, retreated a few steps, and stood with her hands clasped, resuming her timid demeanor.

Mo Yuhan got up and opened the door.

Instructor Ruo Lin stood outside the door, her sky-blue robe spotless, her demeanor as gentle as ever, though a hint of solemnity that even the desert wind couldn't obscure lingered between her brows.

“Instructor,” Mo Yuhan stepped aside.

Instructor Ruo Lin entered the room, her gaze sweeping over Qing Lin, who stood with her head bowed and her small face flushed, but she didn’t ask further.

She looked at Mo Yuhan and spoke directly, “Little Yuhan, the intensity of the sandstorm has exceeded expectations, and it likely won't stop anytime soon. The longer the matter of the Reincarnation Grass drags on, the more variables will arise. I just discussed it with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, and they provided some important information.”

She walked to the table and sat down, motioning for Mo Yuhan to sit as well.

Qing Lin quickly and cleverly poured two cups of warm water, then silently retreated to the corner of the room, trying to minimize her presence, but her emerald green ears subtly perked up.

“According to a scout from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group who narrowly escaped a Snake-People patrol,”

Instructor Ruo Lin’s voice was very low, her expression serious, “the Snake-People Tribe’s current lockdown seems to be related to a major change about to happen within their tribe.”

“From the direction of the Holy City, unusually powerful energy fluctuations have been frequently emanating recently, suspected to be some ancient ritual in progress. And the Reincarnation Grass happens to be an important medium used by some high-ranking Snake-People during rituals to stabilize their souls and communicate with totems. This might explain why they are so nervous about the Holy City area, guarding it strictly.”

Mo Yuhan’s eyes narrowed, “Ritual? Medium?”

He keenly grasped the key points, “Does Instructor mean that the demand and circulation of Reincarnation Grass might increase during the ritual? It might even be taken out of the core area of the Oasis?”

“Not impossible.”

Instructor Ruo Lin nodded approvingly, a flash of wisdom in her eyes, “What is needed for a ritual must be transported and stored through specialized channels. If we can discover their material transport routes or temporary storage points… perhaps it offers a better chance than directly forcing our way into the Oasis.”

A glimmer of hope ignited in Mo Yuhan’s eyes, dispelling the gloom of the past few days. He immediately pressed, “Are there any specific clues?”

“No definite routes yet.”

Instructor Ruo Lin shook her head, “But Leader Xiao Ding mentioned that about two hundred miles northeast of Stone Desert City, there’s an ancient post station ruin half-buried by sand, code-named ‘Sand Fox’s Eye.’

The terrain there is complex, easy to defend but hard to attack, and it’s near the convergence of several hidden ancient paths leading to the Holy City area.

In the past, some secret operations of the Snake-People Tribe occasionally used that place as a temporary transit point. The scout who fortunately escaped back found the Snake-People’s unusual activities near Sand Fox’s Eye.”

She unfolded a parchment map, her fingertip pointing to a blurry symbol marked “Fox Head”: “This place isn’t too far from Stone Desert City, but it’s deep in the desert hinterlands, and the terrain might change drastically after the sandstorm. It’s worth investigating. Once the wind subsides a bit, we’ll set off.”

“Good!” Mo Yuhan nodded without hesitation, his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes.

Stone Desert City, this colossal rock fortress standing on the edge of the Tagor Desert, was currently being engulfed by a rare and violent sandstorm.

The sky was a murky yellow, fine sand whipped up by the gale, like billions of furious yellow wasps, howling and crashing into everything.

The sturdy rock city walls groaned dully under the continuous erosion of the wind and sand. The streets inside the city were deserted, only the wind and sand howled through the narrow alleys, and houses with tightly shut doors and windows resembled hibernating behemoths.

Inside the main hall of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, a bonfire blazed, dispelling the seeping cold and the acrid smell of dust.

Rough mercenaries sat around the fire, laughing loudly, their wine bowls clinking, their clamor almost drowning out the raging wind outside.

In a shadowy corner of the hall, Mo Yuhan sat quietly, out of place with the surrounding boisterousness.

Before him sat a steaming cup of coarse tea, his fingertips unconsciously tracing lines on the rough wooden tabletop.

After several days of rest in Stone Desert City, and contact with the two leaders of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, especially with his growing familiarity with Qing Lin.

A sealed memory fragment, like an ancient scroll blown open by the wind and sand, suddenly became clear in his mind.

Qing Lin… Azure Snake Three Flower Pupils. In the original work, it was she who led Xiao Yan to find the birthplace of the Heavenly Flame—the Azure Lotus Core Flame—which was nurtured deep within the earth.

The Azure Lotus Core Flame, this was an unparalleled marvel ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flames List, containing the terrifying power to incinerate mountains and boil seas, and it was also the supreme treasure countless Alchemists dreamed of.

However, it was a pity that Queen Medusa had already gotten there first.

Just then, an extremely faint sound of footsteps approached.

Mo Yuhan startled from his contemplation and looked up.

It was Qing Lin.

She stood timidly a few steps away, her hands nervously wringing the faded coarse cloth hem of her clothes, her head lowered, almost burying her small face in a non-existent collar.

Her characteristic emerald green pupils, under the flickering light of the bonfire, resembled two bottomless, dark springs. When she occasionally lifted her gaze, one could clearly see three extremely tiny, slowly rotating green dots deep within her pupils, emitting an eerie and mysterious glow.

“Young… Young Master…”

Her voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz, carrying obvious tension and unease, like a startled small animal, “The… the clean hot water you… you wanted… I placed it outside your room door…”

She finished speaking quickly, then wanted to flee immediately.

“Qing Lin.”

Mo Yuhan’s voice was deliberately made extremely gentle, carrying a calming power, as if fearing to disturb this fragile butterfly before him. He stood up and walked to her, not getting too close, maintaining a distance that made her feel safe.

“Thank you. The wind and sand are strong outside, don’t run around.”

Qing Lin’s body visibly relaxed a little, but she still didn’t dare to look into Mo Yuhan’s eyes, only nodding slightly. A few strands of dark green hair slipped from her thin shoulders, covering half of her face.

His heart stirred, a thought flashing like lightning.

“Qing Lin.” His voice became even softer, with a hint of gentle persuasion, “Can… can you sense some… special things? For example… particularly powerful auras? Especially in this desert?”

“Tell me, have you… recently… felt anything very far to the east of Stone Desert City?”

Qing Lin looked at Mo Yuhan’s clear, sincere black eyes, which held no disdain or disgust, as if drawing a faint but incredibly precious courage from them.

Qing Lin thought carefully, seemingly organizing her words. A sense of confusion and tremor, originating from deep within her bloodline, appeared in her emerald green pupils: “Just… just a few days ago… to the east… very, very far beneath the desert.

There was an… an incredibly powerful aura… that suddenly appeared… It… it felt… very terrifying… but… but…”

Her voice trailed off, carrying a sense of incomprehensible bewilderment, “But… it seems… it seems a little… a little like something… in my own body…”

Her small hand unconsciously pressed against her chest.

That powerful aura, subtly resonating with her bloodline—who else could it be but Queen Medusa, who was currently seeking the Azure Lotus Core Flame, preparing to break through to the Dou Zong realm with the power of the Heavenly Flame?

In the original work, it was Queen Medusa who took the Azure Lotus Core Flame first.

The opportunity was fleeting. It was a good time to search for a treasure while they were temporarily unable to move due to the sandstorm.