Time rewound to daytime. Just as Uncle Wu and Capricorn arrived at Shelter Cape, Jiang Junyi and Wan Qingyun were still walking in the boundless desert.
"Qingyun, did you leave a mark at Shelter Cape earlier?"
"I did. If Uncle Wu and the others go there, they'll see it at a glance."
Jiang Junyi nodded upon hearing this.
A meticulous man like Uncle Wu would surely do the same thing.
As long as there was a possibility of reuniting, neither side could afford to miss anything.
"Junyi, are you thirsty? Do you want some water?" Wan Qingyun asked with concern, looking at the sweat on Jiang Junyi's cheeks.
"It's fine, I'm not thirsty yet."
Jiang Junyi turned his head slightly and was startled to see Wan Qingyun's pale, cracked lips.
"Qingyun, why are your lips so dry?"
"Ah? The sun's too strong, it's normal," Wan Qingyun explained.
"No, you drink water immediately, I'll watch you drink," Jiang Junyi said sternly, his tone brooking no refusal.
"Alright."
Wan Qingyun opened the small bag on Jiang Junyi's back, and her eyes suddenly dimmed.
She took out a bottle of mineral water, opened it, tilted her head back to take a sip, and quickly put it back in the bag.
Wan Qingyun licked her lips, then said to Jiang Junyi, "I've drunk it, are you satisfied now?"
Jiang Junyi looked at Wan Qingyun's slightly moisturized lips, then nodded, "Physical strength is very important. When you need to rehydrate, you must rehydrate."
"Got it, you should also talk less."
As Wan Qingyun spoke, her small hand reached out to Jiang Junyi's mouth and pinched it shut.
"Walk steadily."
Jiang Junyi smiled helplessly and could only nod.
When they passed a small hill, Jiang Junyi placed Wan Qingyun in the shade.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll go check if there's any danger around."
"Okay."
Once Jiang Junyi left, Wan Qingyun scanned her surroundings and discovered several columnar stones.
She quickly picked them up and put them into her small bag.
Feeling the heavy weight, she finally revealed a satisfied smile.
"What are you smiling about?" Jiang Junyi asked curiously after he returned.
"Hmm? Nothing, I just feel like we're about to get out of here."
Jiang Junyi sat beside her and sighed, "I hope so."
After a short rest, the two continued their journey.
The sunlight showed no signs of weakening, still as scorching as ever.
No matter when they looked around, it was always a sky full of yellow sand, this dull and monotonous yellow.
At this moment, it had become their greatest danger.
By now, it wasn't just physical strength that was being consumed, but also mental exhaustion.
Jiang Junyi, who was walking fine, suddenly stumbled.
"Junyi!"
"I'm fine! The sand here is a bit soft."
Jiang Junyi steadied himself.
Seeing this, Wan Qingyun didn't care about anything else and took out the mineral water: "Drink some water."
"I'm fine..."
"No, drink some quickly!"
Wan Qingyun handed the water to Jiang Junyi's lips; she clearly saw that Jiang Junyi's lips were extremely cracked.
"I'm still good, save it."
Having walked this far, even with extreme caution in drinking water, there shouldn't be much left.
Wan Qingyun sighed in her heart, then put on a smile: "It's okay, we still have a lot of water."
Jiang Junyi turned his head, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Look."
Wan Qingyun patted her bulging bag.
"There's still some, hurry up and drink."
For a moment, Jiang Junyi was unsure; was he affected by the environment? He had thought that the water supply was running low.
"Then I'll drink a little bit."
Jiang Junyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With water, the situation was not yet so critical.
Wan Qingyun smiled slightly and handed the mineral water to Jiang Junyi's lips.
"Gulp."
Jiang Junyi was not greedy and only drank a quarter.
"That's enough. Even if there's more, we need to conserve it."
Jiang Junyi licked his lips, refusing to drink further.
"Mhm, mhm, be sure to say if you're thirsty." Wan Qingyun capped the bottle and put it back in her bag.
"Got it."
Jiang Junyi smiled. After rehydrating, his physical strength clearly recovered quite a bit.
Wan Qingyun tightened her grip on the small bag slightly.
With Jiang Junyi carrying her, the rate of physical exertion was unimaginable.
Even with the body of a martial artist, prolonged heavy load combined with exposure to high temperatures would eventually become unbearable.
About two more hours passed, and sandstorms began to pick up.
Wan Qingyun tightly wrapped her arms around Jiang Junyi's neck, as Jiang Junyi slowly advanced against the strong wind and raging sand.
Gradually, Jiang Junyi felt his body seemed to be losing strength.
"Thump!"
His knees buckled, and he knelt in the yellow sand, but he still supported himself with one hand on the ground and protected Wan Qingyun on his back with the other.
"Junyi, Junyi! How are you?" Wan Qingyun's voice was anxious and weak at this moment.
"I'm fine... it's just that the wind is really strong."
Jiang Junyi smiled, not wanting Wan Qingyun to worry.
Wan Qingyun scanned her surroundings, trying to find a place that could offer some shelter from the sandstorm.
Suddenly, she looked in one direction: a dark shadow stood in the yellow sand. Looking closer, it was the root of a dead ancient tree.
"Over there, Junyi, let's rest there!"
Jiang Junyi followed the direction of Wan Qingyun's finger and also noticed the dead tree.
"Okay."
He gritted his teeth, stood up with difficulty, and walked step by step towards the dead tree.
What seemed like a short distance took about thirty minutes to cover.
"Drink some water." Wan Qingyun took out the last quarter of a mineral water bottle from her bag, while she herself licked her lips.
Jiang Junyi didn't think much of it. He took it and started drinking.
He had to drink water now, otherwise, he probably wouldn't make it out of this desert.
"Did you drink, Qingyun?"
"Yes, I drank a little, it's enough."
Jiang Junyi saw Wan Qingyun's slightly moist lips and felt relieved.
Wan Qingyun took the mineral water and put it back in her bag.
There were still a few drops of water in the bottle.
The sandstorm intensified, making it difficult to walk.
Continuing forward in such an environment was tantamount to seeking death.
Wan Qingyun leaned on Jiang Junyi's shoulder, staring blankly at the sky full of yellow sand. For a moment, her vision blurred.
But soon, it returned to normal.
Jiang Junyi unfurled his Shadow Heart, providing a slight shield for the two of them.
An hour later, the sandstorm gradually subsided.
Jiang Junyi glanced at the sun, his heart sinking slightly.
Before dark, they had to find Shelter Cape, or a place large enough to accommodate them overnight.
"Let's go, we need to speed up."
"Okay..."
Jiang Junyi carried Wan Qingyun on his back and set off again. Anxious, he didn't even notice Wan Qingyun's weakness.
For the remainder of the time, Jiang Junyi followed the compass's direction, walking step by step.
From time to time, he would even experience blurred vision.
This was the mental exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to the desert.
Suddenly, Jiang Junyi's eyes lit up; amidst the yellow sand, a prominent sharp point was exceptionally striking!
He quickened his pace to Shelter Cape, and after setting Wan Qingyun down, he wanted to find something.
Regrettably, there was nothing here that could block the entrance.
Jiang Junyi sighed, sat down beside Wan Qingyun, and held her in his arms: "Tonight, we need to be careful."
"Mhm... Junyi, you must rest well..."
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