Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 954 - 593: The Man in the Straw Raincoat

Chapter 954: Chapter 593: The Man in the Straw Raincoat

Their gazes intertwined for a moment amidst the swirling sand and dust,

Then,

"Snap!"

Xu Yuan’s hand was abruptly flung away from Tianyan’s frigid gaze.

Sure enough, I couldn’t hide it from her...

Xu Yuan lowered his eyes, silently sighing in his heart.

His last remark was actually intended to provoke the lady before him.

"Sister"...

What sister?

Not related by blood, nor on good terms, what kind of relationship could it be if they claimed to be sisters?

In this extraordinary Imperial era, polygamy or polyandry was not uncommon.

Xu Yuan had anticipated that Tianyan would get furious, scold him shameless, or even lash out at him.

By drawing Tianyan’s full attention to the matter before soothing her, apologizing to Su Jinxuan would seem trivial.

And that was exactly Xu Yuan’s desired outcome.

The dispute between Tianyan and Su Jinxuan was the perfect opportunity to break the ice.

The apology would carry a dual significance.

Firstly, it would console Su Jinxuan about the incident itself, and secondly, it would send a signal.

Now, Ran Qingmo, Tianyan, and Su Jinxuan’s relationships with him were like lotuses blossoming with him at the center.

Centered around him, yet not intersecting.

Like a friend of a friend.

This almost fatal incident would not elicit an extreme reaction from the ladies when Tianyan apologized, but instead, it would gradually instill a subtle sense of crisis amongst the three women within the carriage.

Because this compromise was reached with him as the pivot.

Because this was the first occasion other than quarrels and fights for a positive connection named resolution between the two lotus petals.

Regardless of the reason or how minute the effect, as long as it was positive, that was enough.

The hardest part is always the beginning, and this marked the start of breaking the ice.

Xu Yuan didn’t expect the journey through the Great Desert to be peaceful.

With this experience, as long as everyone went through adversity together and formed bonds, the isolated "lotus petals" would transform into a connected Pentagram. Even if some hostility remained, the ice would be thoroughly broken, and subtlety could follow thereafter.

But regrettably, his plan was nipped in the bud.

Xu Yuan was confident he could deceive many people.

Ran Qingmo, Su Jinxuan, and even Li Qingyan, but he was uncertain he could fool the lady before him.

Even if there was a hint of regret towards Su Jinxuan, Tianyan would absolutely not apologize.

In the silence,

Xu Yuan was preparing to say something to ease the atmosphere, but then he suddenly heard a faint mosquito-like voice emanating from under her red lips into the carriage below.

"Su Jinxuan... My earlier actions were wrong, I apologize."

"....."

A spontaneous surge of complexity in his heart made Xu Yuan’s eyes widen slightly, but he soon grinned with delight.

Because this was a whispered message.

Patting the dust-soaked fabric of his clothes, Xu Yuan plopped down next to Tianyan.

Tianyan remained silent, hugging her legs and gazing into the distance.

The two sat quietly on the roof of the carriage amidst the rising sandstorm.

Not knowing how much time had passed,

Tianyan’s slightly mocking voice suddenly reached Xu Yuan’s ears:

"Are you satisfied now?"

Xu Yuan responded with a grin:

"Actually, I would have preferred to see you apologize to Su Jinxuan in person."

"You really have no shame."

"Why am I shameless? Isn’t this way more sincere?"

"You think I don’t know what you’re up to?"

"...."

A moment of silence.

Indeed...

She had seen right through him.

Xu Yuan, with a smile, shifted his rear end slightly closer to the girl.

Seeing this, Tianyan moved a bit further away, frowning.

Xu Yuan chuckled and continued.

Tianyan clenched her fist slightly tighter but did not move again

Because one more shift, and she would have to go under the carriage.

She glared at him:

"Xu Yuan, will you ever stop?"

Xu Yuan spoke righteously:

"Am I not checking your injuries?"

Tianyan’s elegant brows rose, her delicate and beautiful face displaying disdain, she was about to scold him when her expression suddenly turned triumphant, purposely raising her voice:

"Aren’t you afraid that Ran Qingmo will be jealous with you being so close to me?"

Ah, women.

Xu Yuan laughed inwardly, having already anticipated the behavior of this temperamental Saintess, and without hesitation, he replied:

"My cultivation is too weak; I can’t remotely probe a Primordial expert like you. I need to do a thorough check before I can give you the appropriate Elixir Medicine to treat your injuries."

With that,

Xu Yuan shifted the topic abruptly, not giving her a chance to speak, then turned back to business:

"However, you must have sustained these serious injuries after separating from Su Jinxuan, right?"

When the topic turned serious, Tianyan fell silent for a moment, not indulging in any more romantic sentiments, and faintly responded:

"Mm... yes."

Whether it was Su Jinxuan’s version of events or Tianyan’s own recount, she had only exhausted a great amount of Origin Qi; she had not sustained any injuries herself.

But just now, when Xu Yuan probed her meridians, the severity of her injuries startled him.

Xu Yuan’s brows furrowed tightly, and he lightly tapped on his crossed knees, his voice slightly cold:

"Who injured you? Are there other forces in the Qianji Gorge?"

Tianyan shook her head, speaking softly:

"None of those, I was pursued and caught up by Lady Wan after shaking off Su Jinxuan."

"Lady Wan?"

Hearing this, Xu Yuan was startled, his voice slightly urgent:

"Although Lady Wan is weakened due to giving birth to the Ghost Infant, she is still a Saint Level Ghost. How did you escape from her alone?"

He and she had indeed achieved the glorious victory of capturing a Semi-Saint and Transcendent Mortal alive in their Primordial state, within the Enchantress Divine Illusion Realm, but that was with the help of the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed, a whimsical and nonsensical spirit item.

And the gap between a Semi-Saint and a true Saint Level had been keenly experienced by Xu Yuan himself on the body of the Barbarian King.

Tianyan hesitated for a moment, then said in a somewhat puzzled low voice:

"I... was actually saved by someone."

Xu Yuan’s eyes flashed with uncertain surprise, and he tentatively asked:

"Who?"

Tianyan’s lips pursed slightly, and confusion also appeared in her beautiful eyes:

"A middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, probably has Transcendent Mortal Cultivation, but... I don’t know him."

...

...

...

Southern part of the Great Desert.

The sand blows until it shrivels; birds cease to fly.

Under the scorching sun, a series of dunes stretches towards the horizon.

This tranquil scenery unique to the Great Desert seemed devoid of life, until a palm-sized black scorpion emerged from the sand, greedily breathing in the scorching air from the ground, finally adding a bit of change.

But in the next moment,

A broken grass boot that seemed to appear out of nowhere directly stomped on the protruding head of the black scorpion.

"Crack—"

The shell cracked, splattering a bit of black blood upon the yellow sand.

This was a middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat, his straw raincoat creased with sand and dust, carrying a wrapped bundle on his back, looking travel-worn.

After moving the grass boot away, the man with calloused hands lifted up the scorpion.

Looking at the barely alive creature, the man in the straw raincoat slightly curled the corner of his lips:

"Heh, actually a sun-drunk scorpion, lucky me."

With that, he shook off the sand stuck to it, and without being fussy, removed its head and tail and then directly threw the still-writhing scorpion into his mouth, crunching noisily on it.

After swallowing it completely, the man in the straw raincoat spat the sand residue from his mouth towards the dune, slightly disgusted, and mumbled:

"Damn disgusting, next time it’s better used for brewing alcohol."

While speaking,

The man took out a jug from the package behind him, guzzled a few mouthfuls to wash down the bitterness in his mouth, and continued to walk deeper into the Great Desert.

In the boundless desert, the man in the straw raincoat walked nonstop under the scorching sun for half an hour before he gradually slowed down.

But he didn’t stop to rest; rather, he looked up at the Sky Dome with a helpless expression.

Under the blue Sky Dome, at some point, a figure in a black robe appeared.

Looking at each other for a moment,

The figure in the black robe cheerfully descended in front of the man in the straw raincoat, preparing to pat his shoulder:

"Long time no see, eh? Still continuing your grueling foot pilgrimage?"

The man in the straw raincoat recognized the man in the black robe but seemed not to like him much, raising his hand to ward off the approaching palm:

"Don’t fucking plant a mark on me."

The man in the black robe just shrugged without getting upset, laughing as he said:

"How else am I supposed to find you when you appear and disappear like a ghost if I don’t plant a mark?"

The man in the straw raincoat pressed down on the bamboo hat atop his head to block the light, his tone showing impatience:

"If you have something to say, say it; if you have a fart, let it out."

Seeing this, the man in the black robe didn’t beat around the bush and straightforwardly said:

"We’ve found that bug; we need..."

"Not available, not going, scram."

With that, the man in the straw raincoat walked past the figure in the black robe without looking back, continuing on into the depths of the Great Desert.

The man in the black robe stood still, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly turned around and called out loudly:

"That’s what Mu Shanhai wants, give it some thought, will you?"

The man in the straw raincoat’s steps faltered slightly:

"Mu Shanhai?"

The man in the black robe spoke in a jovial tone:

"Yes, even if you don’t give me face, you should at least give face to your old man.

"I’m right, aren’t I, young master Mu?"