Hou Jingshu spent most of her time at sea cultivating. She still hadn’t reached the Asura Realm, but she felt like she was getting close. Her bottleneck had weakened several times throughout the passing days. She was sure she could break through soon. All she needed was an appropriate catalyst, a push that forced her to exceed her limits.

The days passed. Wu Yong never overcame his motion sickness and spent most of his time either sleeping or vomiting over the edge of the ship. Zheng Yawen was watching over him while Yin Wuhan guarded Hou Jingshu.

The captain and his crew treated Hou Jingshu well, like she was a famous noble from a powerful clan. The captain had even given up his room for her—or tried to. She had declined. Hou Jingshu was not relying on her family name, and she didn’t want to be treated differently, though she did appreciate his attempts.

It wasn’t long before they finally saw land.

“So that’s the Qing Province,” Hou Jingshu murmured as she stared at the land in the distance. “It’s more prosperous than I had imagined.”

“That’s only because you’re looking at the city,” Zhen Yawen told her. She stood next to Wu Yong, who looked green in the face as he leaned over the railing. “Shāméiguī is the most prosperous city in the Qing Province. It’s the largest port city and therefore gets the most commerce. And the reason for it is that.”

The woman pointed toward something in the distance, and Hou Jingshu narrowed her eyes to look. It was…

“An oasis?”

Indeed, an oasis, one of such massive proportions that it was almost half the size of the city. Several channels flowed from the oasis through the city, gracing the entire city with fresh water.

Water, particularly the drinkable kind, was the most powerful resource in the Qing Province. There were several oases located throughout the province. The people who controlled one or more oasis were the people who held all the power of the people.

Many of the oasis, including the one here, was owned by the Mercenary King. He was the most powerful figure in the Qing Province. Hou Jingshu heard he was at the Deva Realm, which was considered the pinnacle of cultivation among the weaker nations.

“That oasis is massive. The channels spread across the entire city, allowing plants to grow, people to drink, and provides many other uses,” Zheng Yawen explained. “Since water is the most important resource in this desert, the city of Shāméiguī, which has an abundance of it, is obviously the most prosperous.”

Hou Jingshu nodded. She found no fault in the woman’s logic. It did make her wonder why this city was not the capital. It made more sense to her to make the most prosperous city the capital, but she understood that her way of thinking was consistent with the Shang Kingdom. Who knew what the people of this land thought.

It took several hours for them to dock at the port. Wu Yong was the first to get off. He’d had more than enough time on the boat. The poor man was nearly in tears as he sank to his knees and thanked the gods for their blessing.

Hou Jingshu tried to pay the captain for their passage, but the man shook his head and pushed her hand, which contained several gold coins, away.

“You saved my crew. We would have never made it to Shāméiguī had you not been onboard. I would be considered an ungrateful cur if I accepted payment now.”

That’s not true. It’s because we were on board that you were attacked.

Xu Yu had certainly attacked their vessel because she was on it. He was obviously only after slaves, so he would have no doubt let the ship pass had she not been present. Then again, it was hard to tell what that man would have done. Perhaps he would have attacked anyway.

“I understand. If you’re not comfortable accepting payment, then I won’t force you. Thank you for your hospitality up to this point,” Hou Jingshu said with a bow.

“Not at all. I was happy to have you aboard my vessel,” the man said, returning her bow.

It was late afternoon, which meant they would want to find a place to stay. They waded into the bustling city, which had far more people than even Hǎiyáng City.

What really stood out to Hou Jingshu was the difference in architecture.Instead of white walls and red sloping roofs, buildings here were made from limestone and were toned in varying shades of brown. Most of the roofs were flat. Only a few places contained actual tile roofs, but the roofs were shaped more like bulbs. Another large difference was the animal deity statues. The Shang Kingdom worshipped the Seiryuu, but the Qing Province worshipped Byakko, and so there were a large number of tiger statues located in front of inns, on roofs, and even in the city squares.

It was late evening by the time they found a place to stay. The inn was not the best, but it wasn’t the worst. Hou Jingshu and her companions ate and drank at the attached tavern, which was filled with rowdy customers laughing, singing, and getting drunk. She hated the stench filling the air. The smell of unwashed bodies and alcohol was heavy enough to overpower the scent of her food, but she put up with it and quietly left for her room after they all finished eating.

There was only one room left at this inn, which meant she would be sharing it with Wu Yong and Yin Wuhan, but there was little she could do about that. Fortunately, there were two beds. Hou Jingshu would share one with Zheng Yawen, while Wu Yong and Yin Wuhan shared the other.

“We should plan our route now that we’re finally here,” Hou Jingshu said.

They were sitting on the two beds. Between them was a table, which they had moved from its place against the wall. A map sat on the table. Zheng Yawen, more or less their navigator now, pressed an index finger against the map and drew a curving line across it.

“Our destination is the White Tiger Sect Ruins, which are located here. It’s about one month’s travel. We can’t travel in a straight line since there are no oases on our path, and we’ll need to stop at several to replenish our water and other supplies. Our first destination will be here. Shui is a tiny oasis, but it’s the closest one to here. Then we’ll travel north until we reach Shuimei. It’s larger than Shui and closer to the ruins. Our final destination before reaching the White Tiger Sect Ruins is White Tiger City. It’s only a day away from the ruins. We’ll rest the night there and continue on to our final destination. Any questions?”

Zheng Yawen looked up as though expecting several. Wu Yong raised a hand.

“Just one. I’ve heard that getting into the White Tiger Sect Ruins requires a pass. Do we even have one?”

Raising an eyebrow, Zheng Yawen said, “Do you think we would have come all this way if we didn’t?”

Wu Yong blushed a bit, but Hou Jingshu didn’t blame him for his question. She had never revealed the pass to him.

“We have a pass,” Hou Jingshu summoned the pass from her storage ring. It was a token. She had four of them. “Zhou Lihua found these in the Zhou Family’s store house. They were going to be auctioned off, but she convinced the branch leader in the Imperial Capital to part with them.”

Hou Jingshu would never forget her friend’s kindness. It was thanks to her that she could travel to the White Tiger Sect Ruins in search of a cure for her father’s illness. She would always remember how much help her friend had offered and wondered what she could do to repay that kindness. She would have to think about it carefully.

“So that’s what the passes look like,” Wu Yong murmured as Hou Jingshu stowed the passes back in her storage ring.

“We’ll need to be careful. We can’t let anyone know we have these passes,” Zheng Yawen said.

Everyone nodded. If someone knew they had four passes for the White Tiger Sect Ruins, they would be ambushed by any number of powerful cultivators who also wanted to enter.

“Anyway, it’s getting late now. We should get some rest. It’ll be in our best interest to leave early tomorrow morning,” Yin Wuhan said.

Zheng Yawen nodded. “We’ll want to get as early a start as possible to avoid as much of the heat as we can.”

This room didn’t have an attached bathroom, which was a luxury in the desert, so everyone had to do their nightly rituals in the company of everyone else. Hou Jingshu did not like being surrounded by these people as she brushed her teeth and washed her face with a bowl of water. Even after getting under the covers and laying down, she felt uncomfortable, knowing there were two men in the room.

However, there was little she could do but grin and bear it.

“Can you not sleep, Your Highness?” asked a soft voice.

Hou Jingshu looked left to see her bodyguard. Zheng Yawen lay on her back, eyes closed. She looked like she was sleeping.

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“I know you are restless, but you should try to get some sleep.”

“How are you so calm? You realize we’re sharing a room with two men.”

Zheng Yawen’s lips curved into a smile. “Yes, I am aware. But I am used to this. When you join the Shang Kingdom Imperial Army, you are essentially giving up your womanhood. I’ve slept and bathed alongside many men since joining.”

“You mean they’ve… seen you naked?” Hou Jingshu was shocked.

“You shouldn’t be so surprised. That’s what it means to join the army. You become brothers and sisters in arms, sharing trials and tribulations with your fellow soldiers. What need is there for modesty?”

“I guess… the army really is different from what I am used to,” Hou Jingshu murmured.

“Very different, but that is not a bad thing. Anyway, if you’re having trouble sleeping, the best thing to do is take deep breaths as you tense and relax your muscles. Counting can also help.”

Hou Jingshu did as Zheng Yawen suggested. She tensed her shoulders and took in a deep breath, then slowly relaxed them as she expelled the breath. She continued doing this as she counted. One. Two. Three. Six. Twelve. She got all the way to one hundred before she fell asleep and began dreaming of a strong young man with dark hair, equally dark eyes, and a kind smile.

She woke up the next morning to Zheng Yawen shaking her. Wu Yong and Yin Wuhan were already up and had left the room so she could freshen up and get changed. They had a quick breakfast in the tavern before leaving.

It was still early enough that most people weren’t awake, but there were more people than she thought there would be. She realized after a moment of thought that it was because this was a desert. Even with an oasis and all this water, it was still hot. Getting up earlier to start your day before the heat became a problem was the best, most logical thing a person could do.

They hired a carriage driver to take them to the edge of the city. Several such transportation services were offered. The one they used was a horse drawn carriage that trotted down the street at a sedate but quick pace. Hou Jingshu stared at the many people leaving their buildings to get their day started, but soon enough, all of that disappeared as they reached the city gates.

“So this is the Qing Desert,” Hou Jingshu said as she and her companions stood before what seemed like an endless stretch of sand dunes.

“Yes. This is the real Qing Desert,” said Zhen Yawen.

“This is more like what I imagined the desert to be,” confessed Hou Jingshu.

“We should head out before it gets too hot,” said Yin Wuhan.

“I’ll take point,” Wu Yong offered.

Yin Wuhan hummed. “Then I guess I’ll take the rear.”

“I’ll stick close to her highness, then,” said Zheng Yawen.

Hou Jingshu let them decide on their formation. She only had one thought in her mind as she stared at the endless stretch of sand before her.

Hold on, Father. I will do my best to find a cure for you.