Chapter 240 - The Harsh Dry Lands

"You seem familiar with this."

"Lu Wen taught me when I have to infiltrate a brothel. She told me that the best way for male to come in without the need to be the customer would be by becoming the hair stylist."

"So, you practiced a lot."

"Yeah. I borrowed Yan's head for a long time," Yang Xian replied. His lips curled up when he thought of those days. "He's annoyed because everyone directly assumed he's a woman when I change his hairstyle. We have a good laugh back then."

Wei Liuying chuckled when she imagined Shi Yan wearing women's hairstyle. He had feminine face, so if he was also wearing women's hairstyle and clothing, no one would be able to guess that he was actually a male. 

However, Yang Xian's sentence also bring question to her. "Why don't you practice with Shi Lu Wen's hair?"

Yang Xian paused his movement for a moment. He chuckled. "Haven't you heard that the only man who'll be allowed to touch a woman's hair would be their husband?"

Husband?

The word sent realization to Wei Liuying. Her mother did mention about it before that males were not allowed to touch a woman's hair if they were not married. However, the thought had long flown out of her head since Wei Liuying was used to act as a male. She furrowed her brows.

"You're already touching a woman's hair, Yang Xian."

Yang Xian's eyes lit up when he heard how Wei Liuying called him. He laughed. "If you want to, I'll marry you in the future."

"No."

"Instant rejection? Am I really that bad?"

"You're too black bellied and hard to guess. If I have to stay with you, I'll have to guess what kind of thoughts you have in your mind every single time."

Pushing the hairpin in, Yang Xian finished. He reached out his hand and grabbed Wei Liuying's chin lightly and raised it slowly. Their eyes were looking at each other at close proximity.

"I can say the same thing to you, Lady Ying. You're also an expert at hiding your real thoughts."

Wei Liuying pursed her lips and pushed Yang Xian's hand away. "It's necessary for survival."

"I can say the same."

Yang Xian walked out of the carriage then looked back at Wei Liuying. His dark iris seemed to be piercing deep into her body. "But if you want me to be honest with my feelings when I'm with you, I'll do that."

Wei Liuying stayed silent in the carriage as she watched Yang Xian's figure walking away. She felt her mind was pushed into a large swirl without any chance to get out.

'Why is he….?'

Wei Liuying opened her mouth slightly yet no words came out. She felt strange that she wanted to know what Yang Xian was thinking. Even though at first it was nothing more than an effort for her survival, has it gradually grown to something more?

She didn't understand it either.

"We'll depart now!"

The yell telling them about the departure halted Wei Liuying's thoughts. She sighed and corrected her position while looking at Yang Xian, who came to close the door and led the horse, from the corner of her eyes.

Yeah, she didn't understand.

The carriage closed and the horses began to pull the carriages. Shi Yan was staying at the front while Wei Liuying and Yang Xian were in the middle. The two of them no longer talked after that conversation.

It seemed as if they were careful.

Careful to not destroy the fragile relationship they have as master and disciple.

Wei Liuying opened the curtain and looked out to the dry lands. This was the first time she went to the dry lands by using carriage. Previously, she would be riding on top of a horse and stayed just right behind the commander, ready to help him whenever it was necessary.

'As I thought, I prefer to stay on top of horses.'

The horses were not moving at high speed. They needed to make sure that they were not too fast because they would not want to damage the goods they brought along. When it was lunch time, the carriages stopped.

"Miss, it's time to eat."

"Shall I come out?" Wei Liuying asked.

Yang Xian was silent for a moment. "Master Shi wants to talk with you. He's waiting in his large carriage."

The carriage that Shi Yan used was also one for travel and items. Because of that, the carriage was excessively big. It was big enough to allow them to sleep inside the carriage if it was necessary.

"I'll see him."

Wei Liuying opened the carriage and saw Yang Xian's hand. Internally, she felt that he continuously breaking the rules. After mulling for some time, she could remember some of the etiquette that she learned back in the past. One of them was the fact that the only person who could escort her out of the carriage like this was supposed to be her husband.

Well… she might need to start forgetting the fact that she was a noble lady or Yang Xian's action would be completely unacceptable.

Her hand touched Yang Xian's hand as she walked out of the carriage. The harsh dry lands wind slapped to her face, bringing along the cold air.

"It's cold."

"Winter will be coming soon. This is already the end of autumn, so the temperature will continue to drop," Yang Xian replied.

Wei Liuying nodded. It might be a bit hard to imagine snow in the dry lands, but the dry lands here was not completely made of sand. There were still grass and dirt on the ground, making it more similar to dry plains.

In any case, the rivers would freeze, so they could only get water from heating up the ice.

"Speaking of which, I didn't see any river nearby."

"There are rivers, but the size is much smaller than Huang River. There are also some small oasis and the likes but the distance is quite far from here," Yang Xian replied.

If the location of the water was so far, would they be fine when trying to survive in this place? Wei Liuying was not totally sure how they could gain water so easily, but maybe they have their own way to store water efficiently. That way, they would be able to survive without the need to make the trip to take water over and over.

Still, to be able to live in this kind of temperature… she had to applaud them.

Not everyone would be able to live in this harsh condition.