Borrowing Money

Seven days later.

There are no trees in the Gobi Desert, and not much to provide shade from the sun.

Yellow sand stretched out in waves, and tumbleweeds rolled along the ground, crashing into a toad.

Shen Gui did not walk fast.

He was unhappy, at least in his own eyes.

But it was a bit too much for Zhaoyue's short legs. After climbing over another low embankment, it couldn't hold on any longer and sat down on the ground with a thud.

"Young master, please take a rest."

Shen Gui stopped.

Zhaoyue took a couple of gulps of water to catch her breath before saying, "Young Master, aren't we going back? We haven't said goodbye to Yan Li and the others yet. I don't know if we'll ever see them again."

Separation is the norm in life; you'll get used to it.

"Quack?"

Zhaoyue paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

"It's better that we didn't have time to say goodbye, because it's the same as never saying goodbye."

"Who taught you that?"

"Do I need to teach you?"

Zhaoyue didn't understand, and feeling a little embarrassed by Shen Gui's gaze, she changed the subject.

"Oh right! That stubborn donkey hasn't been returned yet."

Shen Gui responded and continued forward.

Zhaoyue quickly took a step and stood upright on the Gobi Desert to follow.

"Hey, young master, wait for me!"

The two walked for another half an hour before finally revealing a section of earthen wall ahead.

The wall is not high, and various notices are pasted on it haphazardly.

Zhao Yue looked closer and sighed, "The security at the border is really not as good as in Beiyang. There are so many wanted posters that they can't be posted all the time."

It tore open a wanted poster, and the one underneath looked very familiar...

"Quack?" Zhaoyue recognized the wanted poster as belonging to the young master and quickly covered it up again. Feeling it wasn't perfect, she tore off the wanted poster next to it, licked it, and folded it on top.

An old soldier stood by the wall and shouted, "Hey! What are you doing, you little devil?!"

Feeling guilty, Zhao Yue turned and ran, quickly catching up with Shen Gui. Behind her, the old soldier cursed, "Do you even have a permit before running into the city!"

The human and the demon stopped after walking only a short distance.

This is a small post town.

A cloth flag hung above the doorway, with three faded characters written on it.

[Tea, grass, lodging].

Two streets, a well, a dozen or so mud houses, camels and packhorses tethered outside the town, the wind carrying the smell of animal dung and hay mixed together, a smell unique to the Gobi Desert.

Zhaoyue sniffed hard: "Young master, the smell of mutton fat is coming from a small shop on the street. I'll go take a look."

It ran into the store first.

"Shopkeeper, what do you have to eat?"

The man who was doing the accounting at the counter looked up and first saw a head covered in bumps, then two paws resting on the edge of the counter.

He took half a step back.

"A wild demon?"

Zhao Yue was indignant and turned around to ask Shen Gui for Zhao Yezong's guest elder token. She slammed it on the counter with a "bang": "What kind of eyes do you have? What kind of eyes do you have? I have demon status."

The man picked up the token, glanced at it, and then flipped it over to the back: "It really is."

"Doesn't it make you look good that a guest from outside the mountains comes to eat at your shop?" Zhaoyue raised her chin.

The man put the token back: "Pay first."

Zhaoyue shrank back, losing its confidence; it was now penniless.

It turned to look at the doorway.

Shen Gui just happened to walk in.

Zhao Yue coughed lightly: "Young master, this restaurant is alright. I tried it for you, and it's not a rip-off."

Shen Gui took out a few copper coins and placed them on the table.

"What do you want to eat?"

Zhaoyue immediately turned her head: "A bowl of mutton offal, two fried dough sticks, and a plate of salted radish."

The shopkeeper counted the copper coins: "That's only enough for a bowl of mutton offal and a flatbread."

Zhaoyue was stunned: "What kind of sheep is this? Did it grow up eating gold?"

"What's free in the Gobi Desert? Firewood has to be hauled from thirty miles away, and water has to be drawn bucket by bucket from a well. If you think it's too expensive, go eat sand."

Zhaoyue wanted to haggle, but Shen Gui put down another copper coin.

The shopkeeper took the money and called out to the kitchen.

Not long after, the mutton offal soup was served.

The rough earthenware bowl had a small chip, and a layer of oil floated on the soup. Zhaoyue looked at it with longing, but her hand only reached for the flatbread: "Young master, I ordered the mutton offal for you. I don't like to eat this stuff."

It tore off a piece and stuffed it into its mouth, hissing from the heat, but still couldn't bear to spit it out.

Shen Gui only asked for a bowl of water.

Seeing this, Zhaoyue broke off half a pancake and pushed it over, saying, "Young master, you should have some too."

Shen Gui glanced at the half-eaten pancake, which bore Zhao Yue's paw prints: "...You can eat it."

The shop was filled with travelers, chatting about interesting stories they knew.

Zhaoyue listened intently.

Nobody mentioned Juntun County.

No one said that anyone was walking on air.

Only one guy said that a thick fog had appeared in the neighboring county, and that it was very strange.

Zhaoyue wanted to interject and tell them that she had just returned from there, but she was stopped by a plate of mutton offal that Shen Gui pushed towards her.

Well, I can't refuse your kind offer, so I'll help you finish the mutton offal then.

After eating her fill, Zhaoyue started looking around, her expression somewhat awkward.

Shen Gui asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Yue's secret was discovered, and she scratched her head: "Young master, could I lend you ten copper coins?"

Before Shen Gui could speak, it added, "One month! I'll definitely pay you back within a month."

"Clang—", Shen Gui placed a piece of silver on the table without asking any questions.

Zhaoyue jumped off the table, clutching the broken silver pieces: "Young master, wait for me a moment~"

It ran and shouted, and with a few leaps it reached the outside.

Several small stalls were set up along the street in Yizhen, selling needles and thread, straw sandals, flints and dried herbs.

With a clear goal in mind, Zhaoyue went straight to a cloth stall, where pairs of cloth shoes were displayed.

The stall owner looked at the customer with suspicion, realizing he was a monster.

Zhaoyue didn't care about any of that. She jumped straight onto the stall and examined each pair of shoes, sometimes even reaching out to touch the loose threads, being more attentive than when catching insects in the field.

"Auntie, what kind of fabric is this?"

"What kind of thread is it? How many needles are used?"

"With such a thin sole, will it be durable?"

Zhaoyue kept asking questions, and the stall owner, considering the loose silver coins it was holding, patiently answered them.

After asking about almost every pair of shoes, Zhaoyue chose a pair of black cloth shoes.

The colors and styles are simple, but they are durable and resistant to dirt. The stitching is also more than thirteen stitches longer than other shoes.

"How much is this?"

The old woman tending the stall looked up: "Seven coins."

Zhao Yue bargained: "Your cloth has all turned white from the sun."

"You'll be less likely to attract thieves if you get a tan."

"The threads aren't even neatly joined."

"What do you know about this kind of sturdiness?"

Zhaoyue pointed to the top of the shoe: "It would be better if this part were a little rounder."

The old woman took the cloth shoes back from its hand: "Put them down if you're not going to buy them."

"Buy, buy, buy!"

Zhaoyue snatched the shoes back, handed over the silver, and watched the stall owner give her change. Only after confirming that everything was correct did she pick up the cloth shoes and run back.

It then realized that the young master was already standing under the eaves.

"Croak!"

Zhaoyue had originally intended to prepare her remarks at the door, but this incident instantly threw her into disarray.

The prepared compliments were reduced to a simple: "Young master, here's a pair of shoes for you."

Shen Gui looked at his shoes; they were already worn out back in Xindu County.

Seeing that Shen Gui didn't accept it, Zhao Yue continued, "I saw Old Master Yan making new shoes, and I thought of your worn-out shoes, but I don't know how to sew, so this is all I can do. Please don't mind, young master..."

"We really need a pair of shoes." Shen Gui took the shoes.

Clearly, buying the shoes wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision for Zhaoyue; the shoes fit perfectly.

"Let's go."

Shen Gui, wearing his new shoes, continued forward, with Zhao Yue following behind, as the sun gradually sank behind the earthen wall.

The shadows of the wall, people, and frogs overlap, imprinted on the summer dusk, as they journey further into the distance.

"Young master."

"What's wrong now?"

"Is that rat you're talking about hiding in the town ahead?"

"Um."

"Why didn't you fly in like you did before this time?"

"Don't worry, they can't escape."

Shen Gui paused for a moment and then said, "Your soul was too tense before, it needs to relax."

"Young master... are you concerned about me?"

"no."

"hey-hey."

Zhao Yue's lips curled into a wide grin that reached her ears as she followed behind, chuckling to herself.

This feeling was something it had never experienced since it was born.

very nice.