Hou Niao smiled. "Thank you for your kindness. Are you heading to Loulan City?"
The man in the lead glared at the boy, but there was nothing he could do. "Hello! I'm Sha Jia of the Sha Household in Loulan City. If you're going to Loulan, you can travel with us. If not, we can still offer you fresh water and a sand camel."
In the Binxu Desert, sand camels were people's only means of transportation, as well as an important measure of a person's wealth. Though common here, they were not so plentiful that people could give them away casually like cattle or sheep. But ordinary people who had lived here for years understood the benefits of befriending a cultivator. Whether that connection ever proved useful or not, it still forged a karmic bond.
That karmic bond could make cultivators treat mortals more kindly. Even if they lent a helping hand somewhere else, the significance was the same. If every child of the desert did this, then whenever danger struck, some passing cultivator would step in. This was their simple system of values.
Hou Niao accepted without ceremony. "I'm going to Loulan. Let's travel together, then."
The boy quickly led over an unladen sand camel. Caravans like this generally kept spare, unladen camels ready, just in case something unforeseen happened.
Hou Niao approached the caravan. Now that everyone could be certain he was not an undead creature in disguise, they naturally lowered their bows and blades and resumed their usual traveling formation.
Although the man wore ordinary inland clothing, he was spotless from head to toe. Sha Jia knew, of course, that he must be a Qi Ingestion practitioner. Such people possessed mysterious powers and therefore had no fear of the scouring wind and sand.
"Is this your first