Travellers in the Desert
The escort Mu Yu came across was a commercial transportation escort. The group of forty or so members were normal folks without much cultivation to speak of. Joining them were twenty camel fiend beasts that pulled the carriages made from shade fir and could fit six people inside easily. The wood plank they set up over the top of their carriages kept the nasty sun off them. Unfortunately, it didn’t prevent sweat glistening on their tanned muscles. None of them wore garments on their torso due to the heat.
“Clearwater Cliff is right up ahead. Keep your heads in the game. We’ll get a long rest once we reach Clearwater Cliff,” a burly man shouted.
Hot weather meant faster onset of fatigue and slower reaction times. As a result, the unknown individual who appeared out of the blue caused them to frantically halt and feel extra apprehensive. The lanky young leader vigilantly asked, “We are Clearwater City’s Mu Clan’s escort. Can we help you?”
“Mu Clan?” Mu Yu cracked a smile because he shared the same surname and requested, “Sorry if I caused any misunderstanding. I just wanted to ask if you could lead me to Clearwater City as I am lost.”
The leader, who was a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, found it bizarre to meet a young cultivator on the ground since cultivators usually flew through the desert. He was in a dilemma since he couldn’t let his guard down around the stranger but couldn’t just refuse.
“A-Lai, what’s the matter?”
A middle-aged man adorned in opulent clothing, who was a Golden Core Realm cultivator, hopped off a carriage.
“Master, a young man I do not recognise says he is lost and wishes to travel with us,” A-Lai turned around and explained.
The man ran his eyes over Mu Yu and smiled. “This on is Mu Rongxuan, a member of Clearwater City’s Mu Clan. Are you also heading to Clearwater City?”
Mu Yu flashed his pearly whites and replied, “Yes, I am. I have no sense of direction, so I was hoping you could point me in the right direction or let me travel with you.”
Since Mu Yu’s cultivation was only at Foundation Establishment Realm, Mu Rongxuan lowered his guard somewhat and suggested, “I see. You are not the first person to get lost on their first time travelling to Clearwater City. I presume it is your first time? Stick with us.”
Mu Rongxuan let Mu Yu onto his carriage, reasoning, He’s a polite kid, but there’s no way we can tell for certain if he really is lost or not. He’s a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator while the others are only Qi Condensation Realm cultivators. I need to personally keep an eye on him.
The teenage boy inside the carriage instinctively shuffled back to protect the teenage girl, who bore a striking resemblance to him, as soon as he saw Mu Yu enter. Mu Yu got the cold shoulder when he tried to greet them.
“Dad, why are you letting a stranger into our carriage?” the boy asked.
Mu Rongxuan signalled for his son not to speak using his eyes and gave Mu Yu a smile. “Sorry about that. This is my son, Mu Hao, and my daughter, Mu Xin. May I ask what your name is?”
“My name is Feng Mu.”
There weren’t many people on Third Continent who carried the surname “Mu”. Thus, Mu Yu opted to use a fake name.
“Hello, Brother Feng Mu?” Mu Xin giddily greeted.
Mu Hao reproached his sister behind him, “Xin, stop being so friendly to every stranger you come across. We don’t even know his background.”
“Mr. Mu, may I ask if your ‘Mu’ surname is the same ‘Mu’ as in ‘wood’?” inquired Mu Yu.
Mu Hao jumped in and proudly stated, “That’s right. ‘Mu’ as in ‘wood’, which is the same ‘Mu’ as True God’s disciple, ‘Mu Yu’!”
“You sound proud,” Mu Yu remarked, hiding his urge to laugh.
“Obviously. He’s True God’s disciple and my idol. His surname is so much better than your lousy surname…”
“Hao, put a sock in it!”
Mu Hao grumpily turned away.
Mu Yu couldn’t name a reason to be angry with having a fervent fan. He turned to Mu Xin and smiled, “Hello, Mu Xin.”
“Hmph!” Mu Hao, thirteen-year-old Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, snorted.
“Brother Feng Mu, where are you from? What are you here for?” Mu Xin queried.
“I come from Mist City. I came here to find someone, but I got lost. I boldly stopped your carriage to ask for help when I spotted you.”
“Oh, so you lack a sense of direction!” Mu Xin was all smiles.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Why didn’t you just give him a map, and send him on his way, Dad?” Mu Hao inquired.
“Hao, mind your manners. Sorry, Feng Mu. It’s always nice to have another friend,” Mu Rongxuan expressed, trusting his instincts that there was more to Mu Yu than what met the eye.
“I do not mind. To be honest, I do have a map, yet I still ended up getting lost.” Mu Yu hiked an eyebrow directed at Mu Hao and added, “I do not mind what kids say.”
“Who are you calling a kid? I’ll have you know I’m thirteen years old this year. I’m an independent man who can hold his own weight.”
“Shall I call you ‘Big Kid’, then?” Mu Yu teased.
“Show some respect! Dad, how can you let some so haughty and potentially dangerous into our carriage. We need to throw him off.”
“Shut it, Hao. I keep telling you that it’s better to have another friend than another enemy when you venture into the world. That’s not the behaviour of an adult.”
“After I grew up, I wanted to go back to being a kid. Why do you want to grow up? You don’t realise how blessed you are, do you?” Mu Yu chimed in, actually speaking seriously. It was no secret that he genuinely felt that the emotions and ordeals adults had to go through was burdensome.
Mu Rongxuan lowered his guard a little more for he took a liking to Mu Yu’s honesty.
“Whatever!” Mu Hao retorted.
“Mr. Mu, may I ask about Sikong Qiwen? I have heard a lot about him recently. Is Sikong Clan a big clan in Clearwater City?”
“Hick from the sticks. Who cares about Sikong Qiwen? Mu Clan h-”
“Hao!” Mu Rongxuan exhaled deliberately.
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