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Early the next morning.
The first part of the journey was still done by Xiao Yan on foot. It wasn’t until the afternoon, as he neared the patrol range of a major tribe, that he finally stored away the Heavy Xuan Ruler into his storage ring, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
From this point forward, Wei Yang would be the one leading him onward.
"It’s still daytime, and it’d be difficult to sneak in with you right now. We’ll wait until nightfall," Wei Yang said as he took the map from Xiao Yan and studied it carefully.
"Fine by me. That gives me half a day to properly rest." Xiao Yan stretched lazily. Without the pressure of the heavy ruler, he felt incredibly light and relaxed. He smiled contentedly.
"If we’re gonna rest, then let’s do it here," Wei Yang said, his finger landing on a green oasis symbol on the map—the closest one to their current position.
"Uh... That spot’s a little too close to the Snake-People Clan, isn’t it? Seems easy to get discovered. Maybe we should just find a spot nearby to lay low instead?" Xiao Yan glanced at the green dot, then at the blood-red marker not far from it. The distance between them was at most a few dozen li. He hesitated.
"I’ve been eating sand for half a month now—my whole body reeks. I want to wash up." Wei Yang replied bluntly.
"Too bad there’s only one oasis in this 200-li radius." He shrugged. "Unless you want to go two hundred li farther to another one. That one’s safer. You fly fast, anyway."
Xiao Yan offered a suggestion, "We could go to the farther one, it’s safer—"
Wei Yang tossed the map back to him, glanced sideways, and said dismissively, "Relax. I’ll screen us with my soul power. As long as you don’t stir up any big commotion, we won’t get found."
"I’m not wasting time flying all over. We’re resting at that oasis." Wei Yang made the call without hesitation.
"Well, you’re the boss." Xiao Yan shrugged.
Since Wei Yang wasn’t worried, what was there for him to be anxious about?
Besides, he wouldn’t mind a bath either.
"Let’s go!" Wei Yang grabbed Xiao Yan, and with a flash of motion, the two turned into a blur of light and vanished into the horizon.
Looking at a map is like chasing a mirage—what seems near can actually kill you from exhaustion.
What looked like a short distance on the map was still several dozen li away in reality.
Luckily, Wei Yang was in charge of travel. His speed was outrageous, and Xiao Yan got to experience what it really meant to travel like lightning.
In just ten minutes or so, they saw a splash of green emerge at the edge of the desert horizon—an oasis.
Wei Yang, still carrying Xiao Yan, released his soul perception, sweeping through the surrounding area. Sensing no signs of snake-people nearby, he sped straight toward the oasis.
As they approached, the suffocating heat of the desert was replaced by a cool breeze. Both of them took deep breaths, enjoying the refreshing change.
Wei Yang did one final sweep with his soul sense, and finding no danger, dove into the lush vegetation with Xiao Yan, both of them vanishing from sight.
A crystal-clear stream trickled through the dense greenery, flowing quietly beneath the foliage.
The sound of splashing water echoed gently.
Occasionally, soft sighs of contentment could be heard.
Pushing aside some brush, discarded clothes lay in a pile by the shore, giving off a strong scent of sweat and dust.
Inside an irregular, round stream pool, both Wei Yang and Xiao Yan were soaking in the cool water, faces full of relaxation.
Wei Yang leaned against the pool’s edge, resting the back of his head on a smooth, flat rock. He closed his eyes slightly, taking in the earthy fragrance of wildflowers and grass. Letting out a long breath, he sighed, "Only after spending so long in the desert can you truly appreciate how refreshing and luxurious it feels just to have a proper bath."
The cool water seemed to wash away all the irritations in the heart.
Xiao Yan reclined on the opposite side, scooping up a handful of water and splashing it on his face. He sighed with satisfaction, "Yeah... it’s rare to get a bath in this scorching desert."
Stretching comfortably, he lazily kicked out a long, hairy leg—so long it reached across the pool and brushed against Wei Yang.
Wei Yang instantly became alert and kicked him back. "Hey! Watch it! Your leg’s in my territory. I’m not into guys, alright? Back off."
"As if I am!" Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and quickly retracted his leg. "I’m a straight-up man’s man!"
"Pfft. Then I’m 24K titanium-plated," Wei Yang snorted.
"Well, I’m a 98K sniper rifle!" Xiao Yan fired back instinctively.
And then—both of them froze.
The atmosphere turned oddly silent.
They stared at each other, eyes wide.
"You..." Wei Yang said cautiously.
"No way, you—" Xiao Yan’s voice trembled, staring at Wei Yang in disbelief.
Then excitement hit him like a wave.
No wonder Wei Yang’s tone of voice always felt a bit... off.
Wei Yang’s speech had subtle differences from the people of this world—certain expressions and phrasing felt oddly familiar to Xiao Yan, though he hadn’t thought much of it until now...
"You say it first." Wei Yang narrowed his eyes.
Soul perception quietly spread outward, covering the nearby area.
At the same time, Wei Yang’s gaze casually swept past the ring on Xiao Yan’s finger.
Xiao Yan instantly understood. He blinked in acknowledgment.
Yao Lao probably wouldn’t be so bored as to secretly peek at two grown men taking a bath.
Still, better to be cautious. Some things... shouldn’t be said too plainly.
"Why don’t... you go first?" Xiao Yan asked cautiously. This was the greatest secret buried in his heart—no one knew.
"Hometown," Wei Yang said, spitting out two words.
Xiao Yan’s body trembled. His lips moved, and he softly followed up, "Meets hometown."
"Two eyes," Wei Yang gritted his teeth.
Xiao Yan’s eyes widened, and he slowly enunciated, "Full of tears."
"Damn!" Wei Yang let out a breath.
"Damn!" Xiao Yan echoed with the same breath of relief.
They both visibly relaxed at the same time.
Now came the real confirmation.
"How many stars on the red flag?" Wei Yang wiped some water from his face.
"Five!" Xiao Yan answered without hesitation.
Xiao Yan countered, "System?"
"Socialist!" Wei Yang responded.
"So am I." Xiao Yan grinned.
Wei Yang also broke into a grin.
Their eyes were a little red now, glistening with hidden emotion. They looked at each other with expressions full of complexity.
Their hearts swelled with emotion.
This was a real hometown connection.
An overwhelming and invisible warmth flooded their chests.
It was like meeting a fellow soldier in a foreign land—but even deeper.
Because this wasn’t just another country...
This was another world.
"I arrived in 2014," Xiao Yan said, smiling.
"2023 for me," Wei Yang replied, also smiling.
"Heh, guess I’m the older brother then," Xiao Yan grinned proudly.
"By that logic, I’m born in ’90," Wei Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... I’m ’92," Xiao Yan smacked his lips in defeat. "Alright, fine, you’re the big bro."
"I always was," Wei Yang said matter-of-factly.
"You also... reincarnated from the womb?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.
"Nope. I took over at age six," Wei Yang rubbed his temples. "Totally random. Woke up one day like—boom."
"I was from the womb," Xiao Yan splashed water on his face, giving a bitter smile. "Also totally random."
"Ahhh~" The two of them looked at each other, fell silent for a moment, then sighed in unison. "There’s no going back~" Content originally comes from n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
Inside the storage ring.
Yao Lao opened his eyes, feeling oddly confused. He furrowed his brow slightly. What the heck are these two little punks talking about while bathing?
Though he wasn’t peeking at them deliberately, he would occasionally and subconsciously pay attention to what was going on outside.
Earlier, while casually observing the outside world like usual, he’d heard the two of them chatting in some strange, incomprehensible way.
Stuff about 2014, 2023... then ’90 and ’92... He couldn’t understand a word.
Some kind of childish guessing game from the kids of Wu Tan City?
"All grown up, and they’re still playing kids’ number games. Immature! And saying they ’can’t go back’? What, reminiscing about childhood? Well... I suppose it makes sense. Growing up is painful. They’ll come to understand that eventually," Yao Lao chuckled helplessly, then shook his head and closed his eyes again, choosing not to bother anymore.
With Wei Yang around, Yao Lao didn’t need to worry about Xiao Yan’s safety.
Might as well take the chance to rest properly.
These old bones were still working day and night.
Raising a disciple is no easy task!
Yao Lao let out a sigh full of emotion.
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