Volume Three, Chapter 124: Mirage

After more than ten days, the group’s condition had deteriorated significantly. Those who had been deprived of water for a long time were already suffering from hallucinations.

Under the scorching sun, the party sat listlessly atop their camels. Suddenly, one man pointed ahead and shouted, "It’s a city! Emerald City has arrived! Hahaha! We’ve made it! Hahaha... *sob*..."

The man was laughing and crying in his excitement. It was clear he had been driven mad by the ordeal, and Yu Mu shook his head with a sigh. Yet, just then, another person chimed in: "It really is a city! Look, everyone—hahaha, it’s truly Emerald City..."

Hearing this, everyone lifted their heads. Sure enough, the faint, shimmering outline of a city appeared in the distance.

"We’ve arrived!"
"Hahahaha..."

The crowd was ecstatic, and even An Shu cheered with joy. Only Yu Mu spoke up with a stern warning: "This is not Emerald City. It is a projection—a mirage. Do not be deceived."

His words immediately drew the ire of the others. "What the hell do you know? Have you ever been to Emerald City? Have you ever even crossed this desert?"

"Er..." Yu Mu was momentarily speechless. He tried to reason, "Based on our travel time, we should only be approaching the center of the desert. How could we possibly reach Emerald City so quickly?"

"Hmph! Time calculations? We’re traveling day and night; how could you possibly keep track of time? I think you have ulterior motives and want us all to die."

"Exactly!" another person added. "I’ve noticed that among all of us, you two are in the best shape. Have you been hoarding water, hoping we’d die of thirst so you could steal our belongings?"

The group turned against him with accusations. Even Shi Dali cast a suspicious glance his way, and Yu Mu was so intimidated he dared not say another word.

Shi Dali swept a cold gaze over him and said, "Brothers, follow me. When we reach Emerald City, I’ll treat you all to three days of drinking. If not wine, then water—the purest ice-spring water from the Spirit Mountains."

"Yes!" the group roared in response.

Led by Shi Dali, the group was suddenly energized, cheering as they headed toward the phantom image, as if they could already see bowls of sweet, cool water laid out before them.

Yu Mu intentionally lagged behind. Before long, a sandstorm struck, and he immediately changed direction, heading back the way they had come.

"Yu Mu, why aren't we following them? Why are we turning back?" An Shu asked curiously.

Yu Mu sneered, "I told you, what they see isn't real. If we follow them, we’ll just be walking to our deaths."

"How do you know?" An Shu was even more puzzled.

"In my hometown, we call that a mirage. It’s an optical illusion caused by light refraction. It’s not Emerald City at all."

"Wow! You’re so cultured!" An Shu gazed at the eloquent Yu Mu with newfound admiration.

Yu Mu felt his face heat up; he was only able to fool a young girl from this world.

"Then what should we do?" An Shu asked, worried. "We have no map, and we’re on our own. What if we run into beasts or villains?"

Yu Mu spread his hands. "Even so, there’s no other choice. They’re already suspicious of us. If they realize it’s an illusion, their hunger and disappointment will surely make them turn on us. Besides, I remember the map we saw; I have a rough impression of it. We should be able to make it out."

***

An Shu felt reassured. "Then I’ll listen to you. Let’s go."

The two set off alone, venturing deeper into the desert.

Two days later, a lone camel silhouette sped across the vast, endless dunes. Crossing a ridge, An Shu suddenly let out a startled cry: "Ah! So many dead people!"

Yu Mu hurried forward. Sure enough, a large number of corpses lay exposed beneath the dune. The pair quickly dismounted to investigate.

These people were clearly a group of mercenaries and merchants. It was unclear who had committed such a brutal act, having not only looted the goods but slaughtered everyone to the last person.

After checking, they found that these people had clearly been dead for many days; there were no survivors.

Just as they were about to leave, Yu Mu’s nose twitched, and he asked in surprise, "Why is there a smell of wine?"

An Shu sniffed as well. "I don’t smell anything. Are you mistaken?"

Yu Mu’s expression turned grave. "I’m not wrong." He knelt and began to dig.

"What are you digging for? Even if there was wine, it would have all evaporated. Besides, don’t you still have plenty of wine on you? You’re such a stinky drunkard, not learning anything good at such a young age... Wait, there’s clothing!"

As Yu Mu dug into the sand pit, he first uncovered some rubble, then the corner of a garment. Upon seeing it, his eyes turned red, and he dug frantically.

An Shu, watching from the side, was stunned. "What’s wrong with you? You look so heartbroken. Don't tell me... Oh! It's Brother Earth Bear!"

With An Shu’s cry, the owner of the clothes was revealed—it was none other than Earth Bear, from whom they had parted not long ago!

His eyes were tightly shut, his mouth and nose filled with sand, looking as if he had been dead for a long time.

With a sorrowful face, Yu Mu pulled Earth Bear from the pit.

"Huh?"

While moving him, Yu Mu noticed that Earth Bear’s body wasn't as stiff as he had expected. He pressed his skin gently; it still had elasticity.

Could he still be alive?

Yu Mu immediately tore open the front of his shirt, revealing a horrific wound on his chest. It was half a foot long, matted with dried blood and fabric, forming a hard, crusty mass.

"Flush it," Yu Mu commanded. An Shu immediately shot a stream of water, slowly peeling away the filth and debris from the wound.

Once clean, they saw that the wound had scabbed over. Yu Mu reached out with a claw-like hand and, with a single motion, tore the healed wound back open.

"What are you doing?" An Shu was shocked by his inexplicable behavior.

Yu Mu ignored her. He observed the reopened wound. Blood began to flow slowly—very slowly, but it was not clotted.

***

Yu Mu was overjoyed. He pried the wound open to look inside. There was a four-finger-wide gash in Earth Bear’s heart, which had also scabbed over.

Yu Mu repeated his action, tearing the heart wound open, and instructed, "Flush away these scabs."

"Okay!" An Shu obeyed immediately, summoning a stream of water.

Once the blood scabs were washed away, Yu Mu focused intensely, using his healing technique to slowly repair the damaged heart. Under An Shu’s wide-eyed gaze, the wound on Earth Bear’s heart began to heal at a visible rate.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, the wound was completely sealed, leaving only a faint scar, as if it had been welded together.

"That is truly miraculous!" An Shu was dumbstruck.

Just as the heart repair was finished, it gave a weak beat. This time, even An Shu realized Earth Bear wasn't dead, and she let out a cheer.

"Flush out the dirty blood inside."

"Okay!" Having gained experience, their coordination grew smoother. Soon, the dirty blood inside Earth Bear was washed away.

An Shu controlled the water flow to clear the blood from his body. Yu Mu watched, admiring how she was even more thorough than a doctor. He felt a deep respect for her abilities.

This was their first time working together to save someone, and their synergy was unexpectedly perfect.

Yu Mu finished healing the external wound on Earth Bear’s chest, then sat cross-legged, placed his hands on Earth Bear’s chest, and channeled his Rejuvenation Technique to slowly mend the rest of his injuries.

An Shu sat nearby with her knees pulled to her chest, looking strangely at this guy who claimed to be a veterinarian.

Another meal’s time passed, and Earth Bear’s breathing became clear and audible; his heartbeat grew stronger.

"He’s alive!"

Though he had expected this result, Yu Mu couldn't suppress his joy. An Shu was filled with shock and admiration, and naturally just as excited—after all, this was the result of their joint effort.

As Earth Bear’s condition improved, Yu Mu withdrew his hands.

With all this commotion, night had fallen without them noticing. The temperature in the desert began to plummet, and a fierce wind picked up.

Yu Mu deployed his bamboo hat, placing it over the sand pit and shielding the camel inside as well. He then placed several light-crystals around the perimeter, turning the interior space as bright as day.

Inside, they were as sheltered as if they were in a house, with both the sandstorms and the bitter cold kept at bay. In the middle of this vast, desolate desert, it was a luxury beyond measure.