Mo Xie nodded, then shot Zhao Chenying a meaningful look and gave her a wicked grin.
"But I'm curious too. How did you know about the Heaven and Earth Fire Calamity? I thought only locals in Dunhuang knew about it."
Everyone turned to Zhao Chenying, their expressions tinged with suspicion.
"Why are you all looking at me...? Of course I did some research before coming here."
Zhao Chenying clearly was not much of a schemer. Under their stares, she grew nervous.
"Someone from our Zhao family has probably been here before. My cousin must have heard about it from someone in the family."
Zhao Chenying was his cousin, after all, so Zhao Manyan offered an explanation on her behalf.
"Mm, I think so too. Let's rest here, everyone."
Mo Xie nodded and looked away from Zhao Chenying as he addressed the group.
Time passed, and night deepened, though it was not very dark around them.
The crimson earth became a backdrop for a beautiful sky studded with brilliant stars. Such a sight, both magnificent and lovely, could probably only be seen firsthand in Dunhuang.
Mo Xie spread a blanket over the slope of a dune and lay down comfortably, hands behind his head as he gazed up at the night sky.
After dinner, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and a few others grew restless and decided to pick a fight with the White Sand Demon Soldiers in the River of Lost Sands. Zhao Manyan wanted no part of it, but Xu Zhaoting dragged him along anyway.
Worried about them, Zhou Min and He Yu followed. Zhao Chenying went too, of course, leaving only Mo Xie and the two women at camp.
Little Thunder romped around nearby, clearly fascinated by the unfamiliar surroundings. Little Snow disliked the scorching heat and refused to