Assistant General Nie glanced at the sun, raised his hand to stop the team, and let everyone take a rest.

Manbao got off the cart and twisted her waist, feeling in a good mood.

Bai Shan got off behind her and casually put the veil hat on her. He also looked around and sighed, "It’s really hot. We had to wear cloaks when we set out this morning, and now we can’t even wear light jackets."

Manbao nodded, kicked the sand at her feet, and said, "Because of them, I suppose."

Looking at the vast expanse, it seemed that they were the only group of people. Initially, it wasn’t noticeable, but after a night and half a day, everyone’s mood was somewhat affected.

Manbao leaned against the carriage, looking into the distance, and said, "Staying in such a place for a long time indeed makes one feel lonely."

This was different from the grasslands. The prairie was vast, and it might take a long time to meet a herdsman. But the prairie was green, with wild sheep, wolves, rabbits, and other animals, and there were eagles in the sky. But the desert was different, except for a few small reptiles that could only be spotted after a thorough search, there seemed to be no living creatures between heaven and earth.

The steward checked the food and water and reported, "Young Master, Miss Man, our food and water will only last us for one more day."

Manbao came back to her senses and asked, "Didn’t they say there’s an oasis over a hundred miles ahead? Why haven’t we seen it yet?"

Bai Shan also felt they had been traveling for a long time, but Assistant General Nie said, "We haven’t even traveled a hundred miles yet."

Bai Shan was incredulous, "Are we this slow?"

Assistant General Nie replied, "The carriage is a bit slow in the desert, sir. By the time we reach Yumen Pass, we might need to acquire a few camels."

Both Manbao and Keke perked up, then nodded reservedly, "Acquire them!"

Bai Shan noticed her restrained excitement and said to Assistant General Nie, "We’ll discuss it when we reach Yumen Pass. We’ll go buy them then."

Assistant General Nie was accustomed to it by now. These young masters and misses seemed interested in everything and liked to try things personally if they hadn’t seen or done them before.

Zhou Liru began to worry, "Will we reach our destination before nightfall? It’s taking us a full day and a half to cover under a hundred miles; isn’t that too slow?"

Her heart was a little uneasy, so she whispered to Manbao, "Little Aunt, we’re not lost, are we?" She looked quite frightened and anxious.

Bai Erlang and Liu Huan happened to overhear, and they shivered, looking at Manbao with pale faces.

Manbao: "...Bai Er, what bizarre books have you been showing Liru?"

Bai Erlang shivered, "It was nothing, just a travelogue written by a traveler about his journey to the West, comprising tales he heard along the way. Eight of the ten stories are about how people got lost and died in the desert or how they discovered new oases or gem mines, but... most of them died."

Liu Huan also saw it, "Some people even fell into scorpion pits and had their bones gnawed clean."

Even Bai Shan was startled and quickly looked at Assistant General Nie, "Assistant General Nie, we aren’t lost, are we?"

Assistant General Nie didn’t want to bother with them, yet he still said, "Young Master Bai, there’s only one road across this vast desert, how could we get lost?"

Bai Shan pondered, "I didn’t see any wheel tracks along the way, how can we be sure the path we’re taking is a road?"

Assistant General Nie: ...

A soldier nearby couldn’t help but chuckle, "Young Master Bai, rest assured, we can tell whether it’s a road. Although it looks like all sand at a glance, seeming the same, the road we’ve traveled on is different from other sandy areas. If you don’t believe it, stomp your foot here and then stomp it further down, the sand you’ll encounter is not the same."

Even Old Master You came over to reassure them with a smile, "Gentlemen, rest easy. Many have traveled this road, and this desert isn’t vast—just this patch. Beyond this lies the Suzhou boundary, entering Shazhou, where there’s more Gobi and grassland and less desert. So, this road is quite obvious, and we will not deviate."

He said with experience, "Only in such vast deserts, once you venture in deeply, can you possibly get lost."

He paused and added, "You gentlemen are headed to the Western Regions and at that point will have to cross a vast desert. That’s when you need to be cautious. It would be best to hire two guides by then."

Manbao and Bai Shan exchanged a glance and noted it down in their minds.

After resting briefly and replenishing food and water, the journey continued.

Thinking of reaching the oasis, everyone sped up once back on the cart.

The convoy passed two sand dunes in succession, and when they reached the highest point of a dune, a town suddenly appeared in front of them, prompting even the soldiers to let out low cheers.

Manbao lifted the curtain to look out, delighted, "It’s indeed an oasis!"

Bai Shan squeezed over to take a look, and the two of them immediately deserted the chess game they were halfway through, asking Daji for a horse to head there themselves.

Seeing them take a few guards and ride off on their own, Assistant General Nie’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing, dutifully escorting the convoy forward slowly.

Even Yin Huo rode a horse to accompany them. Although it seemed close, after descending the hill, they ran for a full two quarters of an hour before arriving.

There was a large lake with lush green grass at the shore, dense woods on one side, and rows upon rows of houses on the other.

There were no city walls or city gates; the convoy could enter from any side.

However, once inside, they could only travel around the lake. Bai Shan and the others reined in their horses up ahead, looked around, and finally chose to enter the side with the densest houses.

The streets inside were made of mud, simply very smooth. As soon as they entered, they saw people setting up stalls, and the people immediately looked up towards them.

A young man’s eyes lit up, and he threw down what he was holding and rushed up before anyone else, "Honored guests, are you looking for accommodation? My house has a courtyard, a large courtyard—"

Others similar to him also rushed up, including women, directly blocking the way and recommending their houses.

Not only were Manbao and the others startled, even their horses were uneasy, stamping a few times.

Daji immediately led the guards to block them.

Manbao, still recovering from the fright, glanced at the extending street, and asked, "Don’t you have inns here?"

"No!" The surrounding people replied in unison. A young man said loudly, "Miss, we don’t have inns like in the Central Plains, but actually, our houses are just like inns, available for guests. They’re very clean. You won’t believe it until you see it."

Manbao didn’t believe it. There were inns even on the road; how could this oasis, clearly a transit place, not have inns?

However, she glanced back, seeing the convoy still distant, she was in no hurry to decide. So, after exchanging a glance with Bai Shan, she simply dismounted, saying to those who gathered around, "No hurry, no hurry, the day is still young; we’re not in a rush to sleep. By the way, is this a city or a town?"