Earth NPCs

Autumn in the Northwest was different from the subtle, gentle autumn of the South. It was passionate, unbridled, and even solemn.

The north wind sweeps the earth, snapping the dry grass; snow falls in the eighth month in the northern sky.

Looking as far as the eye could see, a vast expanse of pale yellow filled the horizon. The grass was withered and yellow, and the entire land seemed to be draped in a dark coat.

—Autumn's yellow had its own layers.

First came the broomcypress in the bushes, looking like pom-poms, their entire bodies a heavy yellow like wheat. Next was the pale yellow dodder, wrapping itself in large patches over dead shrubs like spiderwebs. Then came the vast plains, where golden corn and bright red peppers were laid out to dry...

Finally, there were the slender, dark brown willow leaves on the branches, dried to a crisp, adding a touch of bleakness to the autumn wind.

The Gobi Desert was even more desolate.

There were no signs of human life, no settlements, only a vast, boundless desert that seemed to merge with the sky. A layer of white frost coated the low vegetation on the ground. In the morning glow, a few desert poplars could be vaguely seen in the distance.

Nan Zhi's avatar Ma Jiu, wearing the Azure Sea Sky Garment, walked across the vast Gobi. The stony ground lay beneath her feet, and before her was the boundary line between day and night.

She wore a loose, green, gauze-like outer robe. Unlike common styles, it was extremely oversized, almost completely enveloping Nan Zhi in a layer of jade-tinted green.

As the north wind howled, her wide sleeves fluttered loudly. From afar, she looked as if she were about to ride the wind and ascend to immortality.

She walked unhurriedly, yet she always managed to reach her destination before the light swallowed the twilight.

Like the giant of old who chased the sun, she pursued the morning light, bidding farewell to the night.

As she passed a certain stretch of the Gobi, Nan Zhi suddenly stopped and looked up at a giant rock towering over the desert, a hint of joy appearing on her face.

“As expected, purple gold red iron ore can be found in the real world too.”

The place where she stopped was a concave section of the Gobi. Scattered sparsely within the hard, exposed yellow earth were thumb-sized, light purple stone fragments.

—It was precisely the ore needed to refine the Green Beetle Needles, though the quantity was indeed a bit small.

Nan Zhi was not discouraged. She used the Earth Mud Art to carefully turn over the surrounding earth again, collecting a total of about a dozen catties of purple gold red iron ore.

She had walked on this vast Gobi for three days, using her divine sense to carefully survey every place she passed. Finally, she had something to show for it.

“The spiritual energy is returning to the real world, but I wonder how long it will take for cultivation resources to fully recover.”

Nan Zhi hid the collected ore away, then patted her wide sleeve. “Thanks for leading the way. Once we find enough materials to refine the Green Beetle Needles, we'll go back.”

“Zhi zhi? Zhi zhi!”

Corn poked its tiny head out from her sleeve, twitching its wet nose. Its beady black eyes blinked twice, and it pointed a small paw in a certain direction.

“Zhi zhi zhi zhi! Zhi zhi zhi!”

“I heard it too.”

Nan Zhi frowned, stuffed Corn back into her sleeve, and squinted. Her divine sense swept over layers of sand dunes and rocky terrain, catching sight of a scene in the distance.

The branches of the tall desert poplars reached toward the sky. When the wind blew, the leaves rustled loudly, sounding like someone clapping in the desert.

—That was why in some places, poplar trees were also called “ghost trees.” If one stood in a poplar forest in the middle of the night, even a slight breeze would make the rustling sound overhead like applause, sending a shiver down one's spine.

“Vroom—vroom—vrooooom—”

The rear wheels of a black Jeep were trapped in the sand. Its engine roared and growled, seemingly trying to break free of its constraints, but it was all in vain.

The Jeep was not alone. Noticing their companion in distress, three G-Wagens roared down from a nearby sand dune, pulling up one by one under the desert poplars.

Nan Zhi: “...”

How did she manage to run into people while just going out to collect some ore?

One had to know that this was the deep interior of the Tengger Desert and Badain Jaran Desert no-man's-land, bordered by Mengnei to the north and Xiaoning to the south. Even off-road enthusiasts only dared to circle the outskirts; rarely did anyone set foot here.

When she lived in Qingmeng Mountain, she ran into people searching the mountain.

Now that she had come to the desolate Gobi in the great Northwest, how could she still run into people?

Were the people of Great Xia really just Earth NPCs?

They just spawn everywhere.

Nan Zhi couldn't help but take a few more glances, then chose to bypass the convoy and continue her search for ore.

...

“Vroom!”

Under the desert poplars, the Jeep sank completely into the sand. Giving one last unwilling roar, it completely stalled.

“*****!”

The young man driving jumped out of the vehicle and couldn't help but curse:

“I'm seriously done! What kind of trash place is this? The route the lead car took is absolute garbage too. We barely started driving, and we're already stuck.”

The people from the other vehicles in the convoy also got out. They circled the Jeep, laughing mockingly:

“Are you even up to this, Lyu Dongfang? Even Hu Manni, who just started, isn't dragging us down as much as you are. And you still dare to brag about crossing Lop Nur in the future?”

“Don't bother with it. Just leave it here. If you want it, call someone to tow it out later. If you don't, just abandon it and ride with us.”

“Yeah, we have important business when we go back this time. Don't drag us down, Lyu Dongfang.”

“Young Master Lyu, tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Me, dragging you down? You guys were clearly the ones who purposely gave me the wrong route, causing my car to break down. Stop pretending to be big shots now.”

The young man called Lyu Dongfang was about twenty-three or twenty-four, with dyed green hair. Hearing this, his expression soured, and he retorted with a fake smile:

““In your dreams! If you guys hadn't complained that the trial hadn't started yet and were bored, insisting on messing around for a few days, would I have been bored enough to run out to the Gobi with you?

““It's just a car. What's there to be attached to? I'll just leave it. I admit my skills are lacking, but when the trial actually comes, just don't complain that I'm being too ruthless.”

As soon as he said this, the eyes of the other young men and women flickered, and they remained silent.

They weren't supposed to be here in the first place.

In a few days, it would be the agreed-upon time for their families. They were supposed to be in Xiaoning, preparing for the official trial.

—But to seek a thrill, they had snuck out, hired a local guide, and driven into the Gobi.

A young girl with a ponytail walked over to mediate, pulling him aside and whispering:

“Lyu Dongfang, why are you arguing with them? Save the tough talk for two days from now. If you really get into a fight now, what are your chances of winning?”

““If it weren't for Grandpa's instructions to get the things inside the Imperial Tombs, I wouldn't bother hanging out with these idiots.

““Just watch. Things are chaotic now, but these guys still think it's like the past, when their families could seize resources just by sweet-talking or selling off their daughters.”

Lyu Dongfang curled his lip in disdain.

“I heard that the woman surnamed Qin who suddenly burst onto the scene is also coming. These fools probably won't even get selected.”