The two best horses of the Golden Sand Gang pulled a cart along the desert.

Li Sushang leaned against the edge and began humming a tune in high spirits.

[Raksha! You should stop your sorceries. It’s very refreshing to feel the wind blow across your face every once in a while.]

The fast moving cart drew up a strong wind, leaving Sushang’s braids flowing through the air like two dark rivers.

On the other side, the Raksha shielded himself with an invisible air barrier. [\s]

In the domain created by the relic [Void Archives], the man’s hair remained unmoved, as was his expression.

 [Are you not hot?]

[Yep! But that’s how deserts are.]

[...Mhm.]

 The Raksha was about to shield the girl too, but stopped as he heard her response.

[Are you mad? Oh sorry. It’s just… That carriage you conjured was a bit...]

While Sushang wasn’t so shocked by the tricks the Raksha pulled the day before,

she couldn’t say the same now.

The carriage was round and bumpy, and the bright orange color stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Raksha had said that this was a western specialty called a [pumpkin] as he grinned at it.

 Li Sushang was embarrassed. She’d rather walk than ride that kind of carriage.

[Besides, aren’t you injured? You probably shouldn’t be casting magic right now…

Just sit tight!]

Sushang was truly concerned for the remnants of the Raksha’s Ki.

However, the Raksha appeared to harbor a heavy grudge against the wind.

Even if he agreed to ride this scrappy carriage, he was determined to remain as elegant as possible, his hair undeterred from its place.

[...If you’re so powerful, how were you captured?

I don’t get it.]

[Captured? I was invited to be that Eagle’s guest.]

[...As a guest?]

 Li Sushang blinked. [...A guest in jail?]

[It’s a strange place indeed.]

 The Raksha stroked his chin, deep in thought. [But that Eagle told me: [Everything here is mine, and you can give everything that is yours to me. Please, come out of the carriage and follow my servants. No need for formalities.] …Is that not an invitation?]

[...You seem to have a misunderstanding with the Shenzhou language.]

Li Sushang scratched her head.

[Who talks like that normally? What’d he actually say?]

[This place is mine.

You’re mine too.

Get out

and follow them.

Don’t try anything funny.]

 The Raksha imitated “Eagle’s” voice with frightening accuracy.

[... Raksha, your interpretation was quite… kind.]

[That’s not my problem… Your language is too complicated.]

 Li Sushang stared at the man, raising an eyebrow. Was he playing her for a fool? He’s pretty and all, but he didn’t seem like one to play by the rules.

[Geez, it’s so dangerous to talk to you.

It’s like everything you say is a trap waiting for me to embarrass myself.]

[Why don’t you tell me more about the Schicksal Sect?]

[Huh?]

 The Raksha’s pretty face slid off his palms and hit his wrist with a dull thud, causing him to shoot up and rub his eyes:

[No no… That takes too much brain power.]

[Aye.]

 Li Sushang’s face was full of disappointment.

[Then give me a few days to think it over…

and then I’ll tell you about it.]

[But it’ll be a while before we get home. It’d be so boring if we didn’t say anything.]

 The Raksha fell silent for a few moments:

[Why don’t you tell me a story? How about that Celestial?

I remember you saying that: you were well established with Phoenix?]

[That’d be my mom and my master. I… I haven’t actually seen the Celestial before.]

Sushang tried to remember.

[Really, I’ve never seen her before. Neither my parents nor my master brings her up very often.

Everything I know about Master Phoenix comes from my wet nurse.]

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