WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 60 Landing

Somehow, Hongse managed to keep the sand out of their faces, something all of them were highly appreciative of. When they left the well, they had already embraced a few hours of the night, and now they had been travelling for way over four hours.

Wei Ying was worried about the Sisters and their cultivation; since this was purely an experimental trip and a new way of travelling, how long to go before any of the Sisters became tired?

Still, it was Dunshi who caught his eyes as the giant began to fidget. Wei Ying was wondering why when he happened to look towards the East and saw a pale glimmering at the edge of the horizon.

"Hongse! HONGSE! LOOK!" He pointed in a panic because he'd realised the source of Dunshi's agitation: it was nearly sunrise.

"See if you can spot anywhere to shelter him!" She shouted back.

Both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying looked towards the ground, but nothing except the rolling dunes lay before them and behind them. Nothing else stirred in that bleak desert, just the shifting sands and their precarious rising and falling. It was a barren world that expanded in all directions, and for all its prettiness, the harsh reality of their situation was a burden on all of them.

Just then, Hongbaoshi yelled and pointed at some mystifying shapes down below.

Wei Ying strained his eyes, trying to see what they were, and it looked like the Sisters had better vision than him because Hongse was making for a fast landing. For a few seconds, they hovered just above the ground until she got her bearings, and then Wei Ying was glad to feel the solidity of the ground beneath his feet. That same relief was upon all their faces, but there was no time to lose; daylight was fast approaching, and they still had to investigate the shapes they had seen from above.

Hongse had made them land right next to them, and now Wei Ying was trying to walk quickly towards them, but his feet kept sinking into the sand. Lan Zhan summoned Bichen and grabbed him so they could get the job done faster.

They settled down by the mouth of the strange structure. Wei Ying had no idea what to make of them....

"I got it!!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Do you remember Lan Zhan, that summer we were new students in Gusu? We found that termite nest? This is exactly like that... but so much bigger."

"Mn. Wei Ying is right."

Wei Ying put his hand on the rough surface of the walls. It definitely felt like a mix of mud and leaves or a weird mix of sand, hardened by the hot sun.

"What kind of termites made these...and just how big were they?" He said in awe, looking around. "At any rate, it seems that these are abandoned, hopefully, so Dunshi can rest. I only hope the ones that built this structure are not the type that come out at night..."

The nest really was huge, with many openings at the top of the roof but only in the front section and Wei Ying guessed this was for air flow so that whoever lived inside these would not suffocate, and a steady supply of air would flow.

"I think we have no choice now, he had better get in here quickly." Wei Ying went back to the mouth of the structure and yelled, waving.

They were already on their way, having decided to bet upon whatever they found; Dunshi needed immediate help.

Finally they were all safely ensconced within the weirdly shaped caves.

Hongse was able to set up a campfire at the mouth of the opening, and luck was on their side. The wind blew the smoke away from them and she was able to build a hearty fire.

Rumi and Li XiWang fell asleep straight after eating, while the adults sat around for a while.

Wei Ying stared into the fire, feeling more tired in his own mind than just physically. Long distance travelling took its toll on not just the body but the mind as well.

"Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan whispered close to his ear.

Wei Ying shook himself out of his reverie and smiled at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh...it's nothing that a bit of normal living won't fix." He assured him.

"Mn?"

"I mean..."Wei Ying sighed heavily. "I guess I just miss the daylight..is all. And ice cream...bizarrely, but I think it's because of where we are right now. I miss watching the sun rise..."

"When did Wei Ying ever watch the sunrise?" Lan Zhan inquired with a snort.

"Okay, you're right, I made that one up, but my point is...ordinary stuff. I miss it, that's all." He sighed heavily again into his bowl of congee.

"I know what you mean." Hongse said, watching him over the fire.

She was sitting opposite him.

"All of this travelling at night, and seeing everything washed out in muted colours...I miss the daytime." She murmured.

"And flowers." Chihong added.

"And the blue sky with wispy white clouds." Xinghong said, grinning at her sisters.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I mean." Wei Ying replied, snuggling closer into his side.

Lan Zhan smiled kindly at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"It is good to acknowledge feelings. One must not deny feeling what is felt."

He watched Wei Ying finally succumb to the exhaustion of their labours, his eyes closing as they became heavy with sleep. Lan Zhan covered him with a blanket and kissed his forehead before joining him in the land of slumber.