In a flash, three days had passed.
Ye Jingtang rode the Charcoal-Red Steed through the endless Sand Sea beneath the stars and moon, occasionally taking out the Thousand-Li Mirror to survey the unchanging desert scenery.
Since they knew the exact direction and wanted to save time, they had brought no carriages. All thirty-odd people traveled light on horseback, galloping toward Crescent Bay.
She Long and the guards kept Dongfang Liren and the others protected in their midst. Although the Empress Dowager looked delicate and frail, she had been born into a military family and was no poor rider. She rode a tall horse herself and even had the leisure to sneak a look at her book.
Hua Qingzhi, however, had difficulty with her legs and could not ride at all. Nor could she very well sit in Ye Jingtang's arms, so she sat rather awkwardly in Big Silly's embrace.
Big Silly was very tall, only a tiny bit shorter than Ye Jingtang, with an astonishingly full chest, and she always held her head high and her chest out. Slender Hua Qingzhi sat sideways in her arms and came face-to-face with the Fat-Headed Dragon whenever she turned her head!
A quick comparison made it seem bigger than her face. That oppressive presence was simply merciless.
Even after sitting there for several days, Hua Qingzhi still was not quite used to it. She could only keep her eyes fixed straight ahead on the Sand Sea, pretending to admire the scenery.
Dongfang Liren had maintained proper bearing since childhood; she was not deliberately puffing out her chest to overwhelm anyone. When they reached a poplar grove, she said,
"We're a little over thirty li away. Shall we stop for a rest?"
Ye Jingtang was not tired, but the horses behind him could not