met free Chapter 278 1 Nothing Gained
Chapter 278 1 Nothing Gained
All that was there was endless yellow sand.
Occasionally, you can see some drought-resistant plants, low shrubs, or clumps of withered yellow grass.
There are also small animals unique to the desert, such as lizards and gerbils. They emerge from the sand and quickly disappear into the hazy sandstorm.
Not a soul to be seen.
The sun rises to its zenith and then slowly sets in the west.
As evening approached, the temperature began to drop.
"Qinghan" had no choice but to find a sheltered sand dune to sit down, take out a water bag from her spatial storage, and carefully take a few sips.
Then, "she" took out some dry food, hard jerky, and chewed it slowly with water.
As night fell, the temperature in the desert dropped sharply.
It's so hot during the day that it's hard to breathe, but at night it's so cold that it makes you shiver.
"Qinghan" huddled in a hollow of the sand dune, wrapped in a thin blanket, but still could not resist the biting cold.
She looked up at the starry sky above. The desert sky was exceptionally clear, with the Milky Way stretching across the horizon and countless stars twinkling in the sky.
So beautiful, so beautiful.
But she had no interest in appreciating it at all.
Where is Qinghan now? Can she also see this dreamlike starry sky? Is she shivering with cold too? Is she... still alive?
The moment this thought crossed Ao Shuang's mind, it felt like her heart had been clenched tightly.
He forced himself not to think about the worst-case scenarios.
The next day, the sun rose as usual.
Qinghan got up from the cold sand, stretched her stiff body, and continued on her way.
Today she changed direction.
The desert is too vast; we can't search in just one direction.
She headed northeast, deep into the desert, where some ancient ruins were said to be located, and perhaps Fugui'er would go there.
The daytime sun remained relentless.
The sandstorms continue to rage.
Qinghan's footsteps began to grow heavy.
This body was not his original form, and it lacked the endurance and stamina of a snow eagle.
Walking in the desert for a long time, lacking water, being exposed to the scorching sun, and being cold at night, has begun to drain the body's vitality.
But she can't stop.
At noon, she rested for a while beside a patch of low sea buckthorn bushes.
Sea buckthorn leaves are small, but they do provide a little shade.
She leaned against the sea buckthorn bushes, closed her eyes, and wanted to rest for a while.
But as soon as I closed my eyes, Qinghan's face appeared in my mind.
The last time I saw her, she was packing her bags, saying she was going away for a few days to collect some rare medicinal herbs.
"I'll be back soon." That's what she said then, as she ruffled Aoshuang's hair. At that time, he wasn't the Ice King yet; he was just a young boy who had just come of age.
"Take good care of Yuxue."
That was the last thing she said.
Then she left and never came back.
If he had insisted on going with her, if he had asked one more question, if...
No if.
Ao Shuang opened her eyes, her eyes slightly red.
He stood up and continued walking forward.
The sun began to set again in the west.
The second day of searching also yielded no results.
Qinghan's lips were cracked and bleeding, her face was covered with tiny cuts from the wind and sand, and her hair was disheveled and stuck to her cheeks.
My body was so exhausted that every step I took felt like walking on cotton, soft and weak, and I couldn't muster any strength.
But she persisted until it was completely dark.
Tonight, "she" found a cave.
It's not big, but it's big enough to hold a person and can block out the wind.
The cave was dry, with some dry grass on the ground, indicating that someone had been there before.
Qinghan went inside, checked around, and found no danger. She breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.
It's so cold.
The cold of a desert night is even more unbearable than a freezing winter.
It was an all-pervasive cold that seeped right into your bones.
"Qinghan" curled up in a ball, shivering.
She quietly took out a flint and some firewood from her spatial storage.
She piled the firewood together, picked up the flint and steel, and prepared to start a fire to keep warm.
The instant the flint struck, a bone knife was pressed against Qinghan's neck.
Cold, sharp, and carrying a strong killing intent.
Qinghan froze.
She didn't even notice anyone approaching.
The opponent moved very quickly and concealed their aura extremely well, only revealing it the moment they made their move.
The sparks from the flint went out, and the cave was plunged into darkness once more.
Only the faint moonlight filtering through the cave entrance could barely outline a blurry human figure.
The person stood behind Qinghan, the bone knife firmly pressed against her neck. With just a little force, he could sever her throat.
"Who?" a deep, wary voice asked.
This voice...
Ao Shuang's heart skipped a beat.
It's him.
Rich boy.
Qinghan remained still and silent.
She simply maintained her original posture, one hand still holding the flint, the other hand supporting her on the ground.
The person behind her seemed to be observing her as well.
A moment of silence followed, with only the soft breathing of the two people filling the air.
The person slowly circled around to "Qinghan," the bone knife never leaving her neck.
The moonlight shone in through the cave entrance and fell directly on the person's face.
A thin face, sunken eye sockets, tired eyes, and bluish stubble on his chin.
He is a rich and noble child.
But he was completely different from the wealthy boy in Aoshuang's memory.
The Fugui'er in my memory, although he always had a decadent and melancholy air about him, was at least neat, well-dressed, and had a light in his eyes.
The person in front of him was dressed in tattered clothes, covered in dust, with cloudy eyes. He seemed to have been drained of his energy, leaving only a weary shell.
Only those eyes lit up the moment they saw Qinghan's face clearly.
"It turned out to be you!"
Fu Gui'er's voice trembled with excitement, and the bone knife in his hand unconsciously loosened its grip.
He stared intently at Qinghan's face, as if afraid that the person in front of him would suddenly disappear.
Qinghan remained silent, only glancing at him with a calm and unwavering gaze.
Fu Gui'er took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably: "How did you escape? I thought you..."
He paused, not continuing, but the pain in his eyes said it all.
I thought you were dead.
I thought I would never see you again.
Qinghan lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and remained silent.
This reaction seemed to sting Fugui'er.
He gave a wry smile as the bone knife finally left Qinghan's neck, hanging limply at her side.
"You still hate me, don't you?" he whispered, his voice filled with bitterness. "I...I have nothing to say. In the end, I'm the one who wronged you..."
He took a step back and leaned against the cave wall, as if he had used up all his strength.