Chapter 102: Tears Like Milan, White Hair Like Silver Sand

Translator: Tim Editor: Chrissy/Tehrn

The desert night was relatively cool, and the calm air almost made Ye Mo forget he was in the desert. However, unknown insects disturbed his sleep, preventing a restful night. Despite this, he felt energetic the next day.

The daytime sun's searing heat, however, felt like an oven, making him question if it was the same place. The rolling heat wave attacked him, even though it wasn't June. The weather was cool, but the desert was intensely hot.

The temperature seemed close to 45°C. He wondered if it would reach 100°C in June. Despite his mostly healed wound, Ye Mo didn't dare linger. The longer he stayed, the greater the danger. He needed to proceed with his business.

Although Ye Mo found "Luo Bu" on the map, he didn't plan to go there immediately. The map's route didn't lead there, but elsewhere.

After a day's travel, he saw a vast, empty space surrounded by dunes, sand rolling everywhere. Recognizing it from his research on the Taklimakan Desert, he knew it was Luo Bu Lake.

The daytime temperature neared 50 degrees, but Ye Mo endured it well; his cultivation made him more resistant than ordinary people. However, he only had nine bottles of water left and needed to find a water source quickly to avoid dehydration.

He hadn't planned to visit Luo Bu Lake first, but since he was there, he decided to look. The goatskin map marked "Luo Bu," after all.

Although it was his first time, Ye Mo knew this was perhaps the desert's most mysterious place, with many unexplainable events. His research revealed countless people had been lost here.

A well-known legend existed: before Luo Bu Lake disappeared, it was called Immortal Lake.

The wind god, to prevent his daughter Milan from being with the mortal Luo Bu, gouged out his eyes and broke Milan's legs, scattering them east and west, forever separating them.

Unable to see each other, their longing was like a sword, accelerating their aging. In one night, young Milan's hair turned white, and her tears formed a river, converging into a sparkling lake. This formed the legend of Luo Bu Lake.

Later, Milan's longing became a fatal illness. The night she died, the heavens changed, and the river dried. The beautiful Luo Bu Lake disappeared, leaving behind silver sand, said to be from Milan's white hair. This was the tearful story of Milan, her white hair, and the silver sand.

Standing at Luo Bu Lake, Ye Mo recalled this story. Before, he hadn't reacted much, but now, at the story's location, he felt its melancholy.

Separated by heaven, yearning like a sword. Was this like him and his master? He hadn't understood Luo Ying's feelings before, but now he did, finally understanding "separated by heaven, yearning like a sword."

While with Luo Ying, he hadn't paid attention, but after leaving, he realized he'd lost something. Reborn on Earth, he understood his low emotional intelligence. He hadn't understood Luo Ying's feelings, only that he liked being with her.

When danger came, Luo Ying's first thought was to take him away. Activating the teleportation rune, he felt a warm sensation on his neck. Now he realized it was Luo Ying's blood, spat out when she blocked an attack to save him.

Ye Mo hated himself. He only understood now, but even then, what if he had? Could he see Luo Ying?

If Luo Ying was still there, would she think of him? Like Milan's tearful story.

Ye Mo sat on a hardened dune, reminiscing about his memories with Luo Ying, completely immersed in the moment.

After an unknown time, he sensed danger. He moved quickly, but found nothing, as if his feeling was wrong.

Ye Mo frowned. His spirit sense clearly felt an attack, but a scan of the surrounding ten meters revealed nothing.

It was almost 11 pm, and he'd been there for hours.

Ye Mo decided to rest and find a fresh water source. His earlier feeling made him more alert.

Luo Bu Lake was dead silent and mysterious, but as a cultivator, Ye Mo wouldn't be affected, even sleeping in a graveyard.

He'd seen ghost cultivators before, but didn't believe in Earthly ghosts; without cultivation, souls dissipated after death.

Ghost cultivators were powerful cultivators who refused samsara after death, using artifacts to retain their souls to cultivate. Although they could become immortals, almost none reached that stage.

The silence was broken by a faint, distant shriek, which he dismissed as a desert animal.

Spirit chi was scarce in the desert, so Ye Mo couldn't cultivate, only resting beside a salt pile.

He'd only rested an hour when the feeling of ambush returned. Ye Mo took out metal nails and followed the "thing" that wanted to ambush him, though he couldn't scan it.

As if sensing his vigilance, the ambusher didn't move, simply watching.

Ye Mo knew his senses weren't wrong. Something was watching him patiently, outside his spirit sense's range.

He wouldn't lose a patience contest. He'd cultivated for over a year, so a few hours were nothing.

An hour later, the hidden thing seemed to think it was being too cautious. Who could discover it hidden in the sand?

It emerged, jumping towards Ye Mo's head at Mach 1 speed. But Ye Mo could dodge bullets, and with his focus, he easily evaded the attack, launching several nails.

A shriek, like a magnified mouse's cry, echoed. His nails hit their target, and Ye Mo punched at the dark shadow.

His killing blow missed, and the dark figure fled.

Ye Mo wouldn't let it escape. He chased, but after ten minutes, couldn't catch it. Seeing its speed, he threw two fireballs.

"Psh psh," The fireballs hit the sand, but the black figure disappeared.

Ye Mo felt numb. He didn't believe in ghosts, but this unexplainable event happened before his eyes. He saw his fireballs land, yet the figure vanished. He wasn't powerful enough to obliterate it.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. The screaming thing vanished, and everything was the same.

Ye Mo calmed down. It was too late to investigate that night. The next day, he realized he was lost. Ten minutes had passed, and he was completely disoriented.

He felt the seriousness of his situation. He hadn't carried his bag while chasing the dark figure. His supplies, including Silver Heart Grass seeds and Purple Heart Vine, were inside. Without them, and without water, he wouldn't last long, even as a cultivator.

He needed to return to find his bag. But he immediately rejected this. Returning might lead him further away, losing his bag forever.