noveldrama
Chapter 372: Hu Guang
Chapter 372: Hu Guang
Chapter 372: Hu Guang
Translator: Cinder Translations
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The middle-aged male cultivator composed himself, replacing the shock on his face with a warm smile.
"Please, friend, come in! It is a rare fortune to encounter a human in this endless desert."
As he spoke, he opened the door to the house.
"Thank you for your invitation," Song Wen replied as he stepped into the stone house.
Inside, the decor was extremely simple.
There was a bed, a mat, and a stone table, with nothing else present.
Despite the bare furnishings, the bed was adorned in an ostentatious manner, which felt quite out of place.
The stone bed was intricately carved with dragons and phoenixes, gilded and silvered, and was covered with luxurious beast pelts.
"In this endless desert, where resources are scarce, my humble abode is quite simple. I hope you can forgive me," the middle-aged male cultivator said.
Song Wen, uninterested in the room's layout, asked, "May I ask your name?"
"My surname is Hu, and I go by the name 'Guang.' How shall I address you, friend?" the middle-aged cultivator replied.
"Pleased to meet you, Hu Guang. My name is Wei Ding," Song Wen introduced himself.
"Hello, Friend Wei!" Hu Guang clasped his hands in greeting.
As they spoke, Hu Guang moved to a corner of the room, raised his hand, and lifted a stone slab to reveal a well.
A humid vapor wafted out from the well.
At the same time, a faint spiritual energy also emanated from it.
Song Wen, hovering in mid-air, noticed that a slight spiritual energy was dissipating within the blue stone house.
What surprised him was that the spiritual energy was actually coming from the well.
"The desert is indeed barren, and there is little to offer my brother. I can only provide you with this well water, which contains some spiritual energy and is quite clear and sweet. I hope you can overlook it," Hu Guang said.
Suddenly, a large bowl appeared in his hands.
The bowl was nearly a foot in diameter, resembling a soup basin.
A stream of clear water shot up from the depths of the well and fell into the bowl.
Song Wen accepted the bowl Hu Guang handed him and licked his cracked lips.
"Thank you."
Without hesitation, he tilted his head back and drank the water from the bowl.
"Brother Hu, could I trouble you for another bowl?"
After finishing one bowl, Song Wen seemed to be extremely thirsty and felt that it was still not enough, prompting him to ask again.
He had even changed how he addressed him from "Friend Hu" to "Brother Hu."
A glimmer of delight flashed in Hu Guang's eyes.
"If you would like another bowl, of course, it's no trouble," he replied.
With another wave of his hand, another stream of well water rose and fell into the bowl.
Song Wen similarly drank it down without hesitation.
"Burp!"
After downing two bowls of well water, Song Wen felt satisfied, letting out a hearty belch.
"Thank you, Brother Hu! I didn't expect this well water, rich in spiritual energy, to be so sweet and refreshing. My greed has embarrassed you, brother."
Song Wen's expression was a bit awkward.
Hu Guang chuckled, "If this were the outside world, this bowl of well water would naturally not catch your eye. However, in this endless desert, rarity makes it precious. If Friend Wei likes it, you can take some well water with you when you leave."
At that moment, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Before Hu Guang could respond, two female lizardmen pushed the door open and entered on their own.
The two female lizardmen clearly did not expect another person to be in the stone house.
They stared blankly at Song Wen, then glanced at Hu Guang.
Then, they walked straight towards the stone bed.
As they leaned onto the bed, their tails raised, revealing...
Hu Guang's face suddenly flushed red.
He pointed at the door and shouted angrily, "Get out!"
The two female lizardmen looked at Hu Guang with fear, got up, and cautiously backed out of the stone house.
Hu Guang's face was filled with shame as he glanced at Song Wen, attempting to speak several times but unable to utter a word.
Realizing something, Song Wen finally understood why the stone house was so sparsely furnished, yet the bed was so elaborately designed.
Initially, he had thought Hu Guang simply had a fondness for sleeping, but he had not expected the bed to have another purpose.
"Ahem."
Song Wen lightly cleared his throat.
"Friend Hu, can you communicate with the lizardmen?"
Seeing that Song Wen did not bring up the matter of the female lizardmen, Hu Guang's embarrassment eased considerably.
He shook his head, "I cannot. The lizardmen are of low intelligence, no different from beasts; they have not developed language or writing. Communication between us can only occur through simple gestures."
"I see. I have another question that I'm curious about, and I hope you can clarify for me. Why do these lizardmen obey you?" Song Wen inquired.
Hu Guang replied, "These lizardmen are not yet wise and are rather foolish. After I arrived here, I helped them establish a settlement, and under my guidance, their tribe gradually grew. As a result, they began to follow my lead."
"Why did you come to this place, Friend Hu?" Song Wen asked.
"That is a personal matter, and I cannot answer," Hu Guang replied.
Song Wen nodded, not pressing further on this issue.
He shifted the conversation and continued asking, "What's special about the clear water you provided the lizardmen?"
Hu Guang's gaze flickered slightly.
"There is nothing special about it; it is no different from the well water you just drank," he said.
Song Wen raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Is that really the case?"
"Absolutely no exaggeration!" Hu Guang insisted earnestly.
Song Wen nodded, not delving deeper into the matter.
"You have likely been in this endless desert for a number of years, right?" he asked.
"A few years, indeed," Hu Guang responded.
"Have you heard of the 'Soul Concealment Jade'?" Song Wen continued.
A flash of shock crossed Hu Guang's face.
"Soul Concealment Jade? Did you venture deep into the endless desert to search for this item?" he asked.
"Exactly. Have you seen any traces of this treasure in the endless desert?" Song Wen replied.
Hu Guang shook his head, "What ability do I have to know about the Soul Concealment Jade? If you are looking for its whereabouts, you could head southwest. About five thousand miles to the southwest, there is an oasis."
"A large tribe of lizardmen lives in that oasis, and among them is a third-tier lizardman king. The lizardman king possesses high intelligence and can communicate; perhaps he knows the whereabouts of the Soul Concealment Jade."
Song Wen had chosen to escape into the endless desert partly because it lacked spiritual energy, making it unlikely for high-level cultivators to venture deep into the sands.
The second reason was the unique spiritual item of the desert, the Soul Concealment Jade.
Song Wen had come across a record about the Soul Concealment Jade in a book within the Beastmaster Sect's library.
The Soul Concealment Jade had the remarkable ability to shield a cultivator's soul aura.
If Song Wen could obtain a piece of the Soul Concealment Jade and wear it on his person, no one would be able to use the Soul Lamp to determine his location.
However, the descriptions of the Soul Concealment Jade in the texts were quite brief.
Song Wen only knew of its existence in the desert, but the texts did not provide detailed accounts of where it originated.
During their first meeting, there was no particular bond between Song Wen and Hu Guang.
Even though Song Wen's continuous questioning felt like an interrogation, Hu Guang answered all without concealment.
Despite this, Song Wen still appeared somewhat dissatisfied.
The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by an icy expression.
"Friend Hu, it seems you are hiding something."
Hu Guang's expression darkened.
"Friend Wei, why do you say that? Considering that we are both human, surviving in this endless desert is not easy. I have shared everything upon our first meeting, yet you do not trust me."
Song Wen countered, "At least regarding the clear water the lizardmen drank, you did not tell the whole truth. It's obvious that you added something to that water."
Hu Guang's face remained impassive, showing no signs of nervousness.
"I merely helped the lizardmen to strengthen their tribe," he claimed.
"Ha! Helping the lizardmen? Then why did you poison my well water?" Song Wen pressed.
(End of the Chapter)
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