Hearing the adventurers' talk, Nian Jiaojiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Grandma, what is this Great Insect? And the venomous scorpion, are they really that formidable?"
Upon hearing Nian Jiaojiao's question, the junior sister driving the carriage also looked at Qiu Hezi with curiosity. She had not cultivated through the path of literature, so she did not need to undergo imperial examinations. As such, after her talent was discovered, she was brought to the miscellaneous studies sect and rarely descended the mountain.
Qiu Hezi explained, "A Great Insect is a very large insect. Venomous scorpions are poisonous; be careful not to get pricked by them."
Nian Jiaojiao: ...
Fortunately, the head of the Qiu family knew his aunt's expressiveness in this regard and immediately added, "Great Insects are black beetles that are 2 to 3 meters long. They have many feelers, crawl quickly, and live in the desert. They often charge out of sand pits to attack pedestrians, making it difficult to evade them. Venomous scorpions are also about half the size of the normal scorpions we see, and their color is dark purple. If a person is pricked by one, their face will immediately turn purple and blue, and they will foam at the mouth and die."
The junior sister driving the carriage couldn't help but worry, "We are going to the royal city, and this desert is the only way. This is too dangerous." She knew that Senior Sister Qiu was usually stingy, so how could she suddenly be so generous? Qiu Hezi was unaware that her junior sister was currently criticizing her in her heart. She glanced at the two and said, "I took Mother's calligraphy." But the junior sister still murmured, "If a scorpion accidentally blinks, the person is gone." Nian Jiaojiao was also a little worried. After all, she had never been poisoned before and didn't know if she would develop an immunity to the venomous scorpion's sting. She still had five handsome male consorts at home! Qiu Hezi saw that neither of them had an appetite and put down her chopsticks, saying, "It seems you still haven't fully grasped some common cultivation knowledge. From the moment we break away from the mundane, our bodies are different from ordinary people. Poisons like those of venomous scorpions cannot kill us." She didn't say the latter part: although they couldn't be killed, they would suffer greatly. Hearing this, the two were somewhat relieved. The head of the Qiu family also comforted them, "We'll stay close to Aunt. We won't get out of the carriage until we leave the sandbar, and nothing will happen." The two exchanged glances and nodded. At this moment, Nian Jiaojiao made up her mind: She would rather die than get out of the carriage! ... After the group finished their meal at the tea house, they found a place to resupply their dried food and water skins. Once everything was ready, they returned to the carriage and set off again. Sandbar. The entire sandbar was almost entirely covered by desert. Most of the desert was sparsely populated, with sand castles piled up. Of course, there were oases on the sandbar, but they were few and far between. The largest oasis was the administrative capital of the sandbar. Nian Jiaojiao sat in the carriage and lifted the window cloth on her side with her arm to look out. Under the fiery sun was endless gravel, and further in the distance were undulating sand dunes, stretching continuously like a yellow ocean. As the carriage ventured deeper, the temperature inside the carriage kept rising, and the continuous heat waves in the air made breathing feel very uncomfortable. There were almost no people on the road. The carriage sped up to its maximum, kicking up a gust of sand as it passed. "Wh-what is that?" An adventurer exploring in the distance noticed the movement and looked up in the direction of the carriage. But they could only see a blurry, massive sand shadow. Years of adventuring had taught the adventurers to stay far away from the trajectory of unknown sand shadows. At this moment, inside the carriage. Nian Jiaojiao looked at the three faces covered in sand and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect the sand to blow in." Because the calligraphy was affixed to the carriage, as long as the direction of travel was fixed, no one needed to drive it from the outside. The junior sister also took the opportunity to hide inside. The carriage windows had now been boarded up, making it difficult for sand to blow in. Qiu Hezi expressionlessly wiped the hot sand from her face and said, "It's nothing." However, as soon as she opened her mouth, a few grains of sand entered her mouth. She calmly took out a handkerchief and cleaned the sand from her mouth. Taking her as a negative example, the head of the Qiu family and the junior sister wisely did not speak, focusing all their attention on cleaning the sand from their bodies. This journey lasted for two days and two nights before they stopped. "We've reached the administrative capital of the sandbar. We'll get down to rest for a night, resupply some food, and then continue on our way," Qiu Hezi said. Even though they were cultivators, they felt quite uncomfortable after staying in the carriage for so long. Moreover, Qiu Shu, who had not yet begun cultivating, was also in the carriage. "Fortunately, we didn't encounter the Great Insects that the adventurers mentioned on our way," Nian Jiaojiao said. The head of the Qiu family, however, lamented, "Yes, it's a pity we didn't see Aunt display her skills. In fact, there are many monsters and strange insects in the desert, not just the Great Insects. I suppose they feared Aunt's might and none appeared." Qiu Hezi shook her head. Why did she choose to make her the head of the Qiu family in the first place? Seeing that they were indifferent, Nian Jiaojiao's fear of the unknown species lessened. In fact, from her past life to the present, Nian Jiaojiao was fearless, except for two things. First, crawling insects. Second, insects with many legs. (Because she had mild trypophobia). The Great Insects perfectly possessed both these characteristics. Moreover, they were an enlarged version! ... Sandbar Administrative Capital. The city walls of the administrative capital were built from irregular yellow stones, giving a sense of wildness and grandeur. Walking on the streets, Nian Jiaojiao felt as if she had entered a foreign land. The attire of the pedestrians here was very revealing. Women's clothing was relatively simple, with camisoles paired with cropped lantern pants. Of course, there were various styles and designs of camisoles: some were one-shoulder, some were off-shoulder, and some were halter tops. Everyone's entire arms were exposed to the air, and the necklines of the camisoles were low, allowing a clear view of their cleavage from above. Men were even more daringly dressed. Their tops were cool; although not as much skin was exposed as women's, their shoulders were still bare. The styles of their lower garments were more diverse. Some men wore short skirts, while others, though wearing long skirts, had light and thin fabrics, with slits on the sides that reached their thighs. As they walked, glimpses of what was underneath were tantalizingly revealed, making them even more eye-catching than the former. The junior sister, who had the least "experience," had not taken her eyes off the men's legs since entering the city. My heavens, where is this? Is this paradise? Qiu Hezi felt embarrassed seeing her junior sister's mouth agape, looking as if she was about to drool. Nian Jiaojiao also subtly widened the distance between them. Their party's distinctive clothing also attracted everyone's attention. As the four of them were women, they were mostly noticed by the men of the sandbar, who pointed and gestured at Nian Jiaojiao and the others, occasionally covering their mouths and chuckling.