Chapter 103: Yellow-Clothed Woman

Translator: Tim Editor: Chrissy/Tehrn

Ye Mo calmed himself and stopped searching for his bag, instead sitting down. He needed to be calm; any anxiety might lead to another wrong decision. He never would have believed he could get lost after chasing someone for only ten minutes.

The Taklimakan Desert was said to be a bewildering formation, and now it seemed true.

Though he hadn't slept all night, Ye Mo felt alert. His only concern was his bag.

At dawn, Ye Mo returned to where he’d hit the black shadow with a fireball the previous night. He was amazed to find the burn marks gone. There were no tracks in the sand; it seemed the marks had simply been erased by the wind.

Ye Mo didn't want to waste time. The sun was scorching. Finding his bag was crucial; losing his life was not an option.

Although a cultivator, he was only in the 2nd stage of Chi Gathering and wasn't sure how long he could endure the sun. He couldn't achieve Pi Gu [1] and couldn't go without food for a week, much less under these conditions.

After studying his surroundings, he calculated a direction using the sun and set off. A little over ten minutes later, he stopped. His direction was clearly wrong; if it were right, he would have found his resting place from the night before.

Returning again, he made a surprising discovery: the place seemed different. However, the sand looked the same, making it impossible to be sure.

While not panicked, Ye Mo knew the situation was serious. He'd previously had a compass and other tools, but now he had nothing and was lost.

He knew desert travelers usually carried GPS devices with precise coordinates, but he didn't. He'd assumed his cultivation would suffice, but he was wrong. Even if he'd bought a cheap GPS, he likely would have left it in his bag.

Ye Mo felt trapped in a formation.

He wasn't unfamiliar with formations; he knew many and could set up hundreds given the materials. However, this location didn't seem entirely like a formation.

Ye Mo sighed, wishing he had storage equipment so he wouldn't have lost his bag.

He stopped running back and forth, finally choosing a direction and leaving. Being lost, there was no point in staying.

For two days, Ye Mo saw no signs of humans or animals, nor any water sources. Under the scorching desert sun, a normal person running as he was would have perished. Even Ye Mo felt he couldn't continue; a few more days and he'd be consumed by the desert.

After three days and four nights without food or water, Ye Mo felt his Chi wither, yet he couldn't cultivate there.

On the fifth day, lips cracked, Ye Mo abandoned his search for water. Unfamiliar with the desert, he didn’t know where to find it. Without water or people, he was in grave danger. But continuing his search risked death from sunstroke. He longed to be in the 3rd stage; his current power was too weak.

Just then, he noticed the sand beneath his feet moving slowly. The speed was minuscule; without spirit sense, he wouldn't have noticed. Focusing, he saw all the sand flowing toward a single point beneath his feet, yet no sand accumulated there.

“No buildup meant the sand was disappearing underground… disappearing underground?” Ye Mo was startled. An empty space beneath him implied a sinkhole. He dared not remain. He was already exhausted; a sudden sand whirlpool would mean certain death.

But as he prepared to leave, the sand beneath him began to spin. He felt hollowness beneath his feet and started to sink.

Ye Mo knew if swallowed by the sand, he would die. He jumped, flying about five to six meters.

But the suction remained, and he had nowhere to land.

A few days earlier, he might have escaped with a burst of power. Now, he could only watch himself descend. Even using his Chi to the maximum, he could only slow his fall.

His Chi was insufficient for movement.

Ye Mo sighed, expecting to die in the desert. He thought of Luo Ying’s smile and voice, and Ning Qingxue's words that night: “The things I left in the garden are for Ye Mo.” He was stunned.

Just as he accepted his fate, he felt his waist tighten as a white strand of cloth wrapped around him. Stunned, but seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the strand. As he pulled, he felt another tug and was flung upward.

He landed on the hard sand; the white strand retreated.

Ye Mo was astonished. This person's ability surpassed even the Hu Qiu he'd met. Who was she? Ten meters away stood a woman in a pale yellow dress, her face covered by a cloth. Her eyes were clear and vibrant, serene.

A woman in a dress in the desert? If Ye Mo weren’t a cultivator, he’d have thought her a goddess, but he knew better. Though he couldn't see her face, her bearing was striking.

The pale yellow dress remained still under the sun, like an eternal goddess. Yet, the backpack behind her indicated she was an explorer, not a goddess.

Her hair was slightly messy, but the few loose strands added to her ethereal appearance.

Seeing her, Ye Mo was reminded of his master, Luo Ying. He unconsciously called out, “Master!” In that instant, he felt love for her, the first woman he'd loved besides Luo Ying. Even with Luo Ying, his dependence had developed later.

The woman observed his disheveled appearance and lack of possessions. Hearing his “Master,” she frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Ye Mo regained his senses, realizing she was no ordinary woman; she wouldn't be in the desert dressed like this. He looked at the whirlpool, now gone.

Knowing she'd saved his life, he apologized for his impoliteness, saluting and saying, “Thank you, Sister, for saving my life.”

“Sister?” The woman seemed surprised by his address. Seeing his near-death experience, and guessing his bag was lost, she remained silent, producing a bag of water and biscuits, which she tossed to him.

Ye Mo caught them, but didn't drink immediately. Saluting again, he said, “Thank you for the water. If I, Ye Mo, survive, I will repay you.”

The woman watched, silently noting his strangeness. He was clearly dehydrated, yet didn’t gulp down the water. He remained calm, speaking politely.

The woman simply watched. Ye Mo didn't mind; she obviously didn't live in the city. He'd thanked her, so he opened the bag and drank a little over ten mouthfuls, carefully pouring it, not drinking directly from the bag.

She hadn’t drunk from the bag herself. Ye Mo's measured drinking surprised her. Despite his thirst, he only drank a small amount. His self-control was remarkable.

Even more surprising, he returned the water bag.

The woman frowned. She wouldn't take back a gift, especially one he’d drunk from, however indirectly. Yet, she wondered if he'd planned to return it from the start, explaining his careful drinking. In the desert, without water, he was returning the bag?!