Chapter 85 Binding Han Xue, the Hong Family of Tianbei City

The group descended onto a vast desert.

Golden sand covered the ground, and the wind blew sand everywhere.

As the four walked across the desert, they soon encountered other travelers.

It was a caravan with many carriages, and the aura they emitted was not weak.

The sturdy man leading the group was stunned when he saw Gu He's party.

Two Dou Zongs and one Dou Huang? He selectively ignored Qing Lin, who was behind Gu He.

The strongest person in their caravan was only the Young Miss in the largest carriage, a Three-Star Dou Wang.

The man gripped his sword cautiously. Suddenly, he saw the group walking toward him.

He took the initiative to speak, "I am Han Chong! May I ask who Your Excellency is...?"

"Gu He of the Cloud Mist Sect from the Jia Ma Empire," Gu He said indifferently.

He looked up at the caravan's flag. "Are you the Han Family of Tianbei City?"

Han Chong cupped his fists heartily. "Exactly!"

"We are also heading to Tianbei City."

"Then we are traveling the same path!" Han Chong replied casually.

Suddenly, a sharp, clear female voice reached their ears. A woman dressed in purple robes stepped down from the most luxurious carriage.

The woman had willow-leaf eyebrows, skin like snow, and a tall, curvaceous figure. The only shortcoming was the slight coldness on her cheeks, and her beautiful eyes held a hint of sternness as she looked around.

"Why have we stopped?" Her voice was sharp and clear.

This was the Han Family's Young Miss, Han Xue, and the person in charge of this caravan.

Han Chong said to Han Xue, "We encountered experts from the Jia Ma Empire's Cloud Mist Sect. They are also heading to Tianbei City."

Han Xue raised an eyebrow. The Jia Ma Empire's Cloud Mist Sect? She seemed to have some impression of it.

As a daughter of a great Family, she had been learning about various factions since she was young.

The Cloud Mist Sect's Ancestral Master, Yun Potian, once had some fame on the Fighting Qi Continent and was a remarkably talented person.

The Cloud Mist Sect was also a major power in the northwest of the continent.

She didn't expect them to come to the Central Plains to train and wander now.

Gu He said to Han Xue, "Elder of the Cloud Mist Sect, Gu He!"

While speaking, he also summoned the low-presence System in his mind. "System, bind Han Xue as a strategy target."

[Ding! System binding...]

[The seventh strategy target has been successfully bound!]

[Character information updated!]

[Target: Han Xue]

[Beauty Rating: High (Can be improved)]

[Cultivation: Three-Star Dou Wang]

[Favorability towards the host: 0%]

Han Xue nodded indifferently. Facing this man who was stronger and older than her, she was polite yet neither humble nor arrogant.

"Han Xue of Tianbei City."

"I didn't expect to meet people traveling the same path in this desert," Gu He smiled.

The sunlight scorched the air, and the heat licked against their skin, feeling rather spicy.

Han Xue crossed her arms and frowned as if thinking of something, looking somewhat serious.

She suddenly thought about the fact that tomorrow's journey would pass through the territory of the Demon Snake Summer Pythons...

In this Northern Region desert, the powerful aura emitted by Gu He and the two mature women behind him made Han Xue feel tempted.

If they could travel together, the safety factor would definitely increase significantly.

"Elder Gu He, would you like to travel with our caravan? Our caravan has experts in cooking and camping; we are first-class at setting up camps and can provide you with a comfortable resting environment."

Han Xue pointed out their advantages sharply.

Gu He naturally had no objections, and after asking Yun Yun, he agreed.

...Late at night.

The moon hung high like a silver plate, and the faint, cool moonlight poured down like a blanket.

On a small sand dune in the cold, desolate desert, a bit of firelight and the bustling voices of people dispelled the surrounding eeriness.

Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian were making grilled meat.

The heat was controlled very evenly, and the seasonings prepared by Xiao Yi Xian made one's mouth water just from the smell.

Gu He drew a dagger, sliced a bit from the grilled meat on the rack, placed it on a plate, and handed it to Yun Yun and Qing Lin.

Han Chong had been chatting and telling raunchy jokes with his brothers. Smelling this fragrance, his appetite was whetted.

"Elder Gu He, what kind of seasoning is this?"

"I have escorted goods for many years and have been to many places, but I have never seen such fragrant grilled meat!"

Gu He swung his sharp dagger rapidly, cutting down slices of meat. The meat slices, red with clear marbling, looked like roses blooming on the plate.

"Take this to Han Xue."

Han Chong was stunned, then delighted. This was a sign that Gu He wanted to be on good terms with them!

"Alright!"

Han Chong carried the grilled meat Gu He had sliced and walked into Han Xue's tent.

When Han Xue saw who it was, she asked, "What is it?"

Han Chong explained the reason and then placed the fragrant grilled meat on the table.

Honestly, that aroma made even him unable to resist salivating!

A gleam flashed in Han Xue's eyes. She picked up her chopsticks and tasted a piece.

Hmm, not bad.

Then, she ate another piece.

Hmm, so delicious!

...Outside the tent, sprinkling seasoning, Gu He heard the System's notification sound.

[Ding! Favorability towards the host has increased by 10%. Current favorability is 10%!]

[Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward "One-time Soul Power Enhancement"!]

[Soul Power Enhancement: As the name implies, no explanation needed.]

As he ate, Gu He felt his Soul enter an arcane state, as if he had received a shot of adrenaline.

Countless Soul factors were placed in a vortex on the sea surface, rolling rapidly and finally merging together.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Xiao Yi Xian, who was right next to him, also noticed something.

How did her teacher suddenly seem to become stronger?

It wasn't referring to cultivation, but to the most critical point for an Alchemist in Alchemy—Soul Power.

Besides having a certain control over their own flames, an Alchemist's cultivation of the Soul Realm must also keep up.

The strength of the Soul can determine the upper limit of Alchemy.

Could it be that practicing grilling techniques can improve the strength of the Soul?

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the delicious grilled meat on the rack beside the campfire and decided to stop eating, learning from her teacher by turning the handle of the grill.

Gu He, seeing that there was still seasoning left that Xiao Yi Xian had prepared, did not urge her to make more, letting her play with the grill.

He didn't know what kind of ideological struggle his simple (stupid) student had gone through.

...Inside the tent, Han Xue had finished all the grilled meat on the plate, almost sticking out her crimson tongue to lick the plate clean.

"Chirp—" Just then, a gust of wind blew in from outside the tent fabric that was rolled up to serve as a window.

A messenger bird with the Han Family crest drawn on it descended from the distant horizon.

It flapped its white feathers and slowly flew onto Han Xue's table.

Han Xue untied the string holding the letter from its clear yellow bird leg and unfolded it bit by bit.

As her beautiful eyes swept over it, her pretty face instantly became extremely cold.

A flash of anger even darted across those beautiful eyes.

Han Chong had not left the tent immediately, so he also saw Han Xue's strange expression.

"What's wrong?"

"It's a letter from the Family. The letter says that the Hong Family is planning to make a move against our Family recently, and they want us to be careful."

Han Xue clenched her jade hands, her voice cold.

"That old immortal of the Hong Family wants me and my sister to marry Hong Chen together... But thinking about it, his ultimate goal is still to annex my Han Family and become the true overlord of Tianbei City!"

Han Chong was also extremely angry. "Do they really think our Han Family is easy to bully!"

The campfire on the desert illuminated the tent in a bright red hue.

Han Xue sat on the blanket, her eyes lowered as she fell into deep thought.