Chapter 45

A Sea of Dust

Although he said it in a frightening tone, he didn’t immediately carry out his threat. Instead, he waited for my response. Xi He, Su Su, and Xuanyue didn’t know what was happening and came over to thank him.

After some communication, we learned that he was also on his way to the Western Regions for important matters. Hearing this, the three of them were overjoyed and asked him to travel with us. To my surprise, he agreed.

So, inexplicably, we began to travel together.

That night, we set up our tents in the forest. I saw him standing far away from the campfire, looking at the wilderness. Feeling a mix of emotions, I approached him and tried to be friendly, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I’m not.”

“Are you hungry? My daughter and the others are grilling meat, you can come and eat with us.”

“No, thank you.”

His eyes were empty as he stared at the wilderness. For some reason, he seemed a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t want to ask him directly, so I changed the subject, “What’s your name?”

“Sha Hai.”

Finally, he turned around and looked at me through the holes in his mask. There was no emotion in his eyes. Although I could only see his eyes, I had lived for a hundred years, and I could tell that he was different.

Any ordinary human man, or even a young immortal, would not have such eyes. So, after careful thought, I came to a conclusion. This demon lord might have an attractive and slender body, and his jawline was sharp and handsome, but beneath his beautiful exterior, his soul was as old as Qin Shi Huang.

“I don’t like old men, no matter who they are,” I cleared my throat and said. “What were those two words again?”

“Yi Ni Xian Yi, Ru Chen Zhong Sha Hai,” he replied.

“A name as strange as that? It’s almost like he’s trying to bring back bad memories.” I forced a smile. “It’s a unique name. I’m Luo Wei, from the Suzhao clan of the Luo River. Nice to meet you.”

Sha Hai didn’t say anything else, but he continued to stare at me silently, making me wonder what he was thinking. I didn’t like his gaze. It made me feel awkward, and it felt like a tiny saw was constantly tugging at my heart. Could it be that demons could attack people with their eyes? Or was he perhaps a mind demon?

Just as I was trying to find a topic to continue the conversation, Xi He came over, “What, what, Mother, what were you talking about?”

She pronounced “Mother” so quickly that it sounded more like “baa baa”. It was quite impolite. But considering that my daughter always wanted to maintain her dignity in front of handsome men, I decided to let it slide. “Yi Ni Xian Yi, Ru Chen Zhong Sha Hai. That’s the demonic lord’s name,” I said.

Xi He, looking very grown-up, bowed to him, “So your name is Lord Yihai.”

“It’s Sha Hai,” he corrected.

Xi He smiled sweetly, “Oh! Why don’t you ask me my name?”

Something very strange happened. Xi He, who had been spoiled in the palace, often spoke to people in a condescending manner. Given Sha Hai’s temperament, he should have been angry or ignored her. Instead, he turned to her and said softly, “May I ask for the young lady’s name?”

Xi He smiled even sweeter and curtsied, “My name is Xi Lu, meaning ‘morning dew on lotus petals’.”

“It’s Xi He,” Xi He pouted, revealing her true nature. “Don’t copy me.”

I thought I was mistaken. Seeing Xi He acting spoiled, a faint smile appeared on Sha Hai’s lips, as if he had been teasing her.

A short while later, Su Su also came over. After greeting Sha Hai, he said to me, “Your Highness, it’s getting late, you should rest.”

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“I was just feeling happy after having such a close encounter with Your Highness. If Your Highness doesn’t like it, I won’t smile.” As he said this, the corners of his eyes were still curved up in a smile. He was already as beautiful as a flower, and this smile, combined with his snow-white skin and curly hair, made him even more stunning. Xi He had a soft spot for him, and it was definitely because of his appearance.

I frowned and said, “When did I have a close encounter with you?”

“Your Highness has a short memory. When we were in danger just now, Your Highness held me...”

Before he could finish, I quickly covered his mouth and glared at him, then pointed at Xi He with my chin. He blinked and nodded. But as soon as I let go of him, he crouched on the ground, clutching his stomach, and his delicate eyebrows furrowed. I asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t know why, but my stomach suddenly hurts a lot.” Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he didn’t seem to be faking it.

I heard Sha Hai let out a soft snort and left us. After that, Su Su really was in pain for the whole night. He couldn’t even walk the next day and had to turn into a lotus flower and be carried on Xi He’s head.

Speaking of Xi He, I was quite certain about Sha Hai’s attitude towards her after a few days. He treated me, Su Su, and Xuanyue all the same, with a cold and indifferent demeanor. However, he was exceptionally kind to Xi He, always willing to help her.

Once, we passed through a small town, and Xi He saw a pile of clay dolls and insisted that I buy them for her. I refused because we were traveling and didn’t need extra baggage. So, she started throwing a tantrum in the middle of the street, calling me a stepmother and saying that I had picked her up from the streets. This attracted a crowd of people who tried to persuade me to be kinder to her. I was so angry that I almost slapped her. But when we left the town, Sha Hai had bought all those clay dolls for Xi He.

Not only that, but whenever we encountered monsters or demons on our journey to the Western Regions, Sha Hai would always stand in front of Xi He to protect her. Even at night, he would sleep far away from us, but if there was any disturbance, he would appear beside us instantly, protecting Xi He first.

And the most telling thing was that Xi He also really liked Sha Hai. Within a few days, she had completely forgotten about me and became very attached to Sha Hai. She even neglected Su Su, who had always been by her side. Su Su was so heartbroken that he complained to me every day, feeling like a father who had lost his daughter to another man.

As a mother, I wouldn’t be jealous of my daughter’s affection for others, but I was worried. An adult man, especially a demon, being so kind to a young girl he had just met was not normal.

So one night, as we were camping by a waterfall, I followed Sha Hai secretly after he left. I soon caught up with him.

“What are you following me for?” he asked, his back turned to me.

“I have something to talk to you about,” I said.

“Go on.”

I walked up to him, looked him straight in the eye, and said in a deep voice, “I hope you don’t have any designs on my daughter. Otherwise, I will do everything in my power to destroy you.”

He was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. “You’re thinking too much. I have no such interest in Xi He.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve noticed how you’ve been taking care of her, and I appreciate it.”

I bowed to him and turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I looked down in surprise at his hand, and then was pulled closer, almost colliding with him.

“What are you doing?” I exclaimed.

“You’re right. As a mother, you’re smarter than anyone else, but as a woman, you’re incredibly foolish.” He said this without letting go of my wrist.

“What do you mean...?”

“You can see that I’m kind to Xi He, and I’ve told you that I have no interest in her. So why don’t you think about why I’m so kind to her?”

“I... I don’t know... let go.”

I struggled to break free from his grip, but he pulled me into his arms. He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against mine, his fingers trailing down my long hair, eventually reaching my neck. “You’re so foolish,” he murmured, then pressed his lips against mine.

I tried to push him away, but he held my wrists tightly, forcing me to endure his passionate kiss. The only other person who had kissed me like this was Yinze. Back then, whenever Yinze touched me, I felt like I was on fire. No matter how intimate it was, I always wanted more. I thought that kisses with different people would feel different, but this felt exactly the same. I didn’t understand. Was I too easy? Or had I been alone for too long? I felt like I wanted to continue.

But then I thought of Xi He and snapped back to reality. I bit his lip. He groaned and wiped his lips with his finger. “You’re cruel,” he said.

“Mr. Sha Hai, please respect yourself.”

He chuckled. “You were just touching my neck.”

“I didn’t!” My face turned red. I didn’t want to argue with him anymore, so I turned and ran back to our tent.

The next morning, Xi He and Sha Hai went to the river to catch fish. When she came back, she said, “Mother, Mother, Uncle Sha Hai is so amazing! He caught a fish just by reaching into the river like this!” She held up her hand, spreading her fingers and closing them together as if she were grabbing a fish. “He just grabbed it like this! I didn’t even need my fishing rod!”

“Oh,” I replied.

Xi He, oblivious to my mood, continued, “Uncle Sha Hai is so cool! I bet he has a really handsome face under his mask. I think he must be wearing a mask because he’s too handsome, and he doesn’t want to attract too much attention. Compared to him, Uncle Su is so useless. He’s a lotus spirit, but he’s afraid of fish...”

“He’s not a lotus spirit, he’s Su Lian!” Su Su said, his face turning red. “And I’m not afraid of fish, I just don’t like their taste. Xi He, you can’t forget all the things I’ve done for you just because Sha Hai can catch fish...”

I interrupted him, “I’ll deal with you later.”

Sha Hai had been listening to their conversation from a distance. When he saw that I was upset, he came over and handed me a grilled fish. I tried to avoid him, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. Fortunately, Xi He and Su Su didn’t see.

“Here, eat,” he said.

Xi He noticed the red marks on my wrist and asked, “Mother, what happened to your wrist?”

I quickly hid my wrist and said, “It’s nothing.”

Sha Hai sat down beside me and took the fish from my hand. He put it on the fire. I stood up and tried to move away, but he grabbed my hand again and pulled me back down. I had no choice but to sit back down, but I turned my back to him. Xi He said, “Mother, are you angry with Uncle Sha Hai?”

I didn’t answer. After a while, Sha Hai finished grilling the fish and handed it to me. “Here, eat.”

Xi He said, “Mother, your face is so red. Are you too hot? Sit farther away from the fire.”

I still ignored her. She persisted, “Mother...”

“Be quiet!” I snapped.

Xi He trembled and grabbed Sha Hai’s sleeve, crying, “Uncle Sha Hai, Mother is so mean! Waaaah...”

Sha Hai said, “She’s your mother, so it’s normal for her to be strict with you. You should listen to her.”

Xi He pouted and sat up straight, “Okay, but Uncle Sha Hai is also scary.”

Sha Hai nodded without hesitation, “Yes, I’m very scary.”