Chapter 379: Next Time, Definitely

Chapter 379: Next Time, Definitely

Su Youyue hurriedly nodded.

"This life, I never want to touch another cactus again."

She certainly didn't want to experience that again.

But now she had discovered that Toba Xiao eats soft and not hard, so next time, she would definitely use this approach against him.

After dealing with the thorns on her hand, Su Youyue got up to head towards the water source. However, as she looked up, she saw the pack of wolves that had finished drinking, all staring at her.

No, more accurately, they were staring at her and Toba Xiao.

Their eyes held no malice; instead, they seemed curious, much like a dog's expression when it’s intrigued by something.

A few even tilted their heads, looking somewhat dazed.

She couldn’t tell what they were curious about, but their current demeanor lacked any aggression, making Su Youyue find them somewhat... cute.

Not understanding, she decided not to think about it, after all, she wasn’t interested in guessing the thoughts of a few wolves.

After replenishing her water, she was about to look up when someone threw a few things at her feet. She looked down and saw several cactus fruits still rolling on the ground, leaving her momentarily puzzled as she glanced at Toba Xiao.

She had endured excruciating pain to remove those thorns; what did Toba Xiao mean by throwing these at her? Was he thinking of a new punishment?

As if reading her mind, Toba Xiao's face darkened: "They’re clean!"

Su Youyue looked down and realized that indeed, the fruits had no clusters of tiny, fuzzy thorns.

However, she still felt apprehensive about these fruits and didn’t really want to eat them.

But when she saw Toba Xiao's face getting darker, she quickly picked them up.

Who knew what crazy thing he might do next.

The red fruit opened to reveal a deep pink flesh inside, slightly sweet and juicy. While it wasn’t a heavenly fruit, in the desert, having fruit to eat was akin to tasting the nectar of the gods.

Su Youyue ate several in a row, feeling her strength rapidly returning. Just as she was about to eat the last one, she belatedly remembered Toba Xiao and asked, "Do you want some..."

No matter how much she disliked Toba Xiao, he had saved her this time, and if he didn’t recover his strength soon, the wolves might attack her out of anger if anything happened to him.

Unexpectedly, her kindness only made Toba Xiao’s face even darker: "No!"

Su Youyue was taken aback by his hostility, inwardly cursing him. If he didn’t want to eat, why be so aggressive?

Unbeknownst to her, the young man was also furious. He could see through her pretense; if she truly intended to share, she wouldn’t have offered the last piece.

The two fell into a cold war, neither speaking to each other.

Su Youyue recalled Toba Xiao’s childhood. Back then, she already despised this arrogant, self-centered, and disrespectful boy. Now that he was grown, he had become even more unbearable, reaching unparalleled heights of annoyance!

She wondered what kind of parents could raise such a scoundrel.

Seeing that Toba Xiao had no intention of moving, Su Youyue sat quietly by the water, gazing at the sky.

The wolves came and went around her, and she gradually grew accustomed to them, no longer as afraid as before. Instead, she pondered whether Erhei would grow up to have such a dull gray coat.

As for the white wolf, she dared not imagine it; Erhei was as black as charcoal.

The wolf pack seemed to have a plan. Suddenly, the wolves gathered and ran off in the same direction. Soon, even the white wolf circled around Toba Xiao and then ran away.

Su Youyue didn’t know what Toba Xiao planned and didn’t want to ask, so she continued to stare blankly.

Until a group of figures appeared on a distant sand dune, catching her attention. She stretched her neck to look.

Could it be Hu Sang and the others, led by the wolves, finding them?

She was still pondering when the group suddenly sped up, rushing toward the water source.

When they got closer, Su Youyue realized they weren’t Hu Sang’s group. Some rode camels, others horses, exuding a fierce bandit aura. Their curved knives crossed at their waists, and their bows and arrows swayed on their backs, clearly not a merchant caravan.

The word “sand bandits” flashed through Su Youyue’s mind, and she instinctively retreated, hiding behind Toba Xiao.

Women were rare in the desert, even in oases. Who knew what these ruthless sand bandits might do.

Seeing her hide behind him, Toba Xiao’s irritation eased slightly, but he quickly turned his cold gaze back to the approaching group.

Even from a distance, they had noticed the woman. Now that they were closer, how could they miss her? The leader’s eyes roamed unkindly behind Toba Xiao.

"Haha, what luck! To find a woman from the Central Plains in the desert."

"And a rare beauty!"

His men echoed his words, hooting like apes.

Despite hiding behind Toba Xiao, Su Youyue felt uneasy. The wolf pack had been gone for a while and probably couldn’t return in time. Toba Xiao’s arms and legs were injured today; how could he fight so many people?

Moreover, these sand bandits were seasoned fighters, far different from the weak soldiers of Great Shen, and there were more of them.

Amid the raucous voices, Toba Xiao’s voice was even more arrogant and domineering: "Tasha Nu, open your dog eyes and see who I am."

Enraged by this rebuke, the bandit leader reevaluated Toba Xiao, finally focusing on his face, his expression changing in shock and suspicion: "Toba Xiao?"

Toba Xiao didn’t respond, his blue-green eyes lifting in disdain, as if he stood at the pinnacle, like a deity, looking down upon mere mortals.

"This..." The previously excited bandits were like doused with cold water, fear flashing in their eyes. Even their camels and horses became restless upon hearing his name.

"Boss, it seems to be Toba Xiao..." Tasha Nu’s confidant whispered in his ear, "Should we retreat..."

Tasha Nu's heart sank, but he soon noticed Tuo Ba Xiao's severely swollen ankle. He narrowed his eyes, recalling the sandstorm that had just passed, and then examined Tuo Ba Xiao further, noticing that one of his arms was in an odd position, and he wasn't carrying the pair of scimitars that struck fear into every bandit in the desert.

His eyes slowly shifted, and suddenly he broke into a wicked grin. "Brothers, Tuo Ba Xiao is injured. The sandstorm just blew through, and those wolves are gone. Kill him, and from now on, our Mad Sand Camp will become legendary, renowned across the desert!"

As soon as he spoke, the other bandits realized what was wrong with Tuo Ba Xiao, and their breathing grew heavy and ragged.