Chapter 108: Another New Trick?
The wind on the Gobi Desert has always been unpredictable, arriving without a warning.
No, perhaps there are signs, but only professionals can catch them. Obviously, Lu Yibei was not a professional; she didn’t even know that the sound of the wind bell signifies something.
Before she connected Nanling Yaohua’s words with the sudden sandstorm, she thought the ringing of the wind bell was a warning of danger, just like a premonition.
Now, she suddenly realized that the true cause for the wind bell’s ringing should be the storm around Yumen Pass, serving a warning function that was merely incidental.
Very useful, but at best, it would be on the level of a card given away with snacks.
Although the cards can sometimes be more attractive, with people buying large amounts of snacks just to collect them, snacks remain the main attraction.
Lu Yibei braced herself against the fierce wind, climbing atop a towering wind-eroded rock, gazing in the direction where Dailin had fled, a wave of unease washing over her.
The wind was strong, countless small grains of sand swirling in the air, thickening the atmosphere like deep fog, leaving only gray and yellow in the world, visibility barely better than in the Shancheng when the Haze God descended with heavy fog.
In less than a minute, she could no longer see Dailin’s position.
Following that, after gazing at the swirling yellow sand for a moment, she noticed some of the Zhipianxian, which had been circling above Dailin and his companions, were still nearby, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Although her line of sight was hindered by the blowing sand, with the “navigation” of the Zhipianxian, she could still continue forward.
Now she felt like a blind beast filled with rage, temporarily losing her sight but able to rely on her “sense of smell” to track the scent of bl**d from her prey.
Tsk! At times like this, friends, colleagues, and romantic interests were all unreliable; only the Zhipianxian could not only send warmth to enemies but also provide a flicker of comfort to the heart when necessary.
“……”
On reflection, perhaps this sudden sandstorm was not such a bad thing?
I could use the perception of the Zhipianxian to continue tracking Dailin’s actions, but it was likely that my pursuit would be affected by the wind and sand.
This might just be my best chance to catch up with them!
While Lu Yibei pondered this, she sensed the location of the Zhipianxian and pressed forward through the wind and sand, allowing gravel and rocks to hit her armored body.
The sound of the wind roared like a giant beast, darkness fell across the land as small tornadoes zipped quickly to and fro, carving through the undulating hills and ravines, carrying away large amounts of gravel and scattering them into the sky.
Even the scattered stones on the ground trembled in the wind, shaking and rolling, just as the poem described, “A river of shattered stones as large as a soup bowl, scattered across the ground like stones in the wind.”
In such an environment, one’s perception of time would inexplicably become blurred.
Following the position of the Zhipianxian, Lu Yibei darted between rolling hills, head down in frantic running, initially thinking she could soon catch up with Dailin, but after an unknown amount of time, as dusk approached and the sun set along with the rising wind and sand, the sky began to change, and she noticed something was off.
Before the strong winds began to blow, the distance between her and Dailin had maintained at around two kilometers, slowly closing in.
After the sandstorm suddenly descended, through her perception of the Zhipianxian’s movements, she could see that Dailin and his companion’s speed had clearly slowed significantly due to the wind and sand.
However…
Why, after chasing for so long, could she not catch up?
That guy’s speed had slowed, while she was protected by Ling Tai Purification, her speed was barely affected.
A distance of about two kilometers should have been easy to catch up! What exactly was going wrong? Lu Yibei wondered.
Just as she was deep in thought, a large number of shadows suddenly slipped into her peripheral vision from a distance, flashing by with incredible speed.
Who are they? Lu Yibei was taken aback, quickly looking in the direction the shadows had passed but saw only a vast expanse of sand and dust.
Following that, staring blankly at the dust-covered wilderness for two or three seconds, she saw those shadows again.
This time, they were clearer.
In the distance, on the open plain, sand was being swept up into the sky by the wind, like rising smoke, numerous columns of dust intertwining as if they meant to tear this world apart.
Amidst the fragmented gray and yellow, dozens of human-like shadows moved together, writhing like worms.
What on earth are those things? Lu Yibei frowned, a sense of disgust bubbling in her heart.
Although she had seen many urban legends, the presence in front of her that had human forms yet acted in an inhumane manner still made her uncomfortable; by contrast, those uniquely shaped oddities were easier to accept.
It felt like being unafraid in a haunted house yet anxious due to a suspicious neighbor’s actions.
But…
Were those shadows urban legends? Local urban legends?
If so, was there a possibility of capturing one or two to help guide her and catch up with Dailin?
Local urban legends should have long since adapted to this severe sandstorm weather, probably having special coping strategies, right?
Lu Yibei scrutinized those shadows, deep in thought, but the next second, they vanished from her sight as if the fierce wind had scattered them, blending them into the sandstorm.
“Oh no!”
She whispered, just about to chase after them when a hand quietly reached from behind, applying a slight pressure to hold her in place.
Feeling the force on her shoulder, Lu Yibei instinctively turned her head to see a slender hand resting on her shoulder. She paused for a moment, and then a pale face slowly emerged from the wind and sand, followed by a soft voice whispering in her ear, “Qingyi Girl, I finally caught up with you.”
As she spoke, the fingers tightened, and the nails scraped against the thick armor, producing a sound that sent chills down her spine.
“…” Lu Yibei’s body stiffened, a chill creeping up her spine.
Indeed, Nanling Yaohua was beautiful; setting aside emotional factors, she could even be considered a unique existence among the women Lu Yibei had seen.
However, appearing suddenly like this, beauty turned into eeriness.
She recalled clearly that last night Nanling Yaohua had told her about “The Hundred and Eight Deaths of Trash Man Lu Yibei,” and just moments ago, she had exposed her identity in front of Nanling Yaohua due to the bell in her arms, leaving without even a word of explanation…
Heaven knows if Nanling Yaohua would take advantage of the emptiness all around to stab her!
Oh no, I’m still wearing Ling Tai Purification!
She probably couldn’t stab me… Lu Yibei thought quietly.
Ling Tai Purification is indeed the nemesis of the ax, the indispensable tool for flirting with girls, heartless and unfeeling, for home outings and travel!
However, a minute later, Lu Yibei suddenly realized that her worries might have been excessive.
Not only did Nanling Yaohua not want to stab her; she didn’t even ask why she had that bell.
“Were you just about to chase after those shadows?” Nanling Yaohua pointed towards the vast desert field filled with yellow sand.
Lu Yibei had already prepared a series of explanations, planning to muster the courage to sever her link with “Lu Yibei,” but upon hearing this unexpected question, she was momentarily stunned and only nodded after a while, “Yes, yes!”
“I-I was chasing those two members of the Solar Eclipse Society, and when the sandstorm suddenly arose, I thought of catching a couple of local urban legends to lead me.”
Hearing this, Nanling Yaohua shook her head, letting out a silent sigh, “You don’t understand anything and dare to run around in a storm?”
“Those shadows are projections from within Yumen Pass; they seem close but likely aren’t in the same space at all. If you go chasing after them, you might never find them and could easily get lost, making it even harder to catch up with those two.”
“Alright, follow me. I’ll help you track them!”
With that, Nanling Yaohua took the lead and dashed forward.
Watching her retreating figure, Lu Yibei furrowed her brow.
Strange, she didn’t ask why I had that bell, yet she wants to guide me?
So strange!
The more she acted like this, the more I wanted to explain myself. What should I do?
Is this yet another new trick? Lu Yibei thought.
