Hou Dong spurred on his horse, leaving a cloud of golden dust in his wake. He narrowed his eyes and pulled up the black cloth hanging from his neck to cover his face, cursing under his breath. Finally, he reached the top of the dune and halted his horse.

His gaze roamed over the next stretch of the desert and picked up on a blotch of green in the distance. He couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. He certainly hadn’t expected things to turn out this way when he accepted the mission to escort the merchants’ caravan. Well, this wasn’t the time to complain. He’d bring it up later.

Hou Dong took the red flag out of his bag, tied it to the tip of his spear and waved, signaling his men accompanying the caravan. He glanced back and spurred his horse on again when they signaled in response, rushing toward the oasis in the distance. Ah, he couldn’t wait to look at something other than this blasted sand for a few hours!

With his goal in front of his eyes, he urged his horse to go faster and soon, the first breeze that wasn’t fucking hot caressed his face. His expression lit up and he leaped from his horse as soon as it reached the oasis.

Surveying it from up close, the place was bigger than he had thought. What had looked like a single palm tree with a shrub and a pool of water turned out to be several lines of trees with wide leaves that shrouded the ground in shadows, letting a few patches of grass thrive. It couldn’t be called lush but it was much better than anything he had seen in the desert so far.

Hou Dong pulled down the cloth covering his face and strode over to the pond filled with sparkling water. When he passed by the palm trees, he even discovered a hut on the other side. Hou Dong nodded to himself. It looked as if it had been built with sand but he didn’t care. This was a place where a man could rest well. "Haish, a pity that there’s still those merchants! They’ll probably hog it all to themselves." He didn’t really care about having a roof above his head. How often had he and his men slept under the stars? But not having to see the sand for a while would have been nice.

He shook his head and followed the slight slope down to the pond. Just when he wanted to crouch down and scoop up some water, he noticed somebody on the other side. "Oh?" Hou Dong straightened up again. The person was lying on the ground, not moving even in the slightest. His honey-colored hand was stretched toward the water as if he had wanted to get to the pond but never reached.

Hou Dong narrowed his eyes and circled the pond, keeping his eyes on the person and glancing at the surroundings. If this was a ploy to rob merchants … He certainly wouldn’t fall for it! He whistled lowly and his horse came trotting over. He grabbed the spear that was still hanging from the saddle and bridged the last gap between them.

The person on the ground still didn’t get up. Hou Dong turned his spear with a swift movement and poked him with the other end. He didn’t get a reaction. His brows shot up and he stepped closer, nudging the person with his foot instead. The person still stayed quiet. If this was a scheme to lure in victims, then this guy took his job rather seriously. Hou Dong glanced around and finally gave the person a shove, making him roll onto his back.

Hou Dong tsked. "What a waste!"

He crouched down and reached out to the delicate neck, feeling for a pulse. Ah, it wasn’t too late yet! He scooped the person up in his arms, his fingers clenching when the black hair brushed against the back of his hand. Ah, it felt like the finest silk. Letting this boy die would be a waste …

Hou Dong carried him over to the edge of the pond and scooped up some water. He moistened his lips first and touched his cheeks and brow to cool him down. His gaze couldn’t help but flit over the honey-colored skin. Mn, letting such a beauty die would be an affront against the gods that had blessed this god-forsaken desert with it in the first place.

He scooped up another handful of water and tried to make him drink. Unfortunately, the beauty remained unconscious and only a few drops managed to pass his lips. They probably hadn’t even reached his throat.

Hou Dong frowned and unwillingness welled up inside him. He had found this beauty before he breathed his last. There was no way he’d let him die right in front of his eyes!

He picked the beauty up and pressed him against his chest, giving a wry smile. "Sorry if you were saving your chastity for someone but you’ll have to bear with it." He scooped up another handful of water, taking it into his own mouth before he bent down and pressed his lips onto those of the beauty. The water flowed over and this time not a single drop was wasted.

Hou Dong pulled back and looked at the youth in a daze. Even though he had moistened the beauty’s lips first, they were still chapped. Who knew how long he hadn’t drunk anything? Hou Dong reached for the pond again, continuing to feed the water to the beauty in the same way. Their lips touched and their bodies brushed against each other when he moved. Hou Dong’s own throat felt dry and he couldn’t help but swallow a few mouthfuls of water himself. It didn’t help at all.

He glanced at the person in his arms and his free hand twitched. He hesitated but finally reached out and touched the beauty’s flat stomach, his fingers gently brushing over the light fabric of his robe. Mn, come to think of it … that was one thin robe …

"Hahaha!" The boisterous laugh of a merchant pulled Hou Dong out of his thoughts.

His lips curled in displeasure and he took his hand back, scooping up another handful of water and continuing to moisten the beauty’s skin instead. He took the time to touch his whole face, his own body trembling faintly.

The beauty’s face was as if carved from heated beeswax, clearly shaped but looking oh so soft. He felt the urge to slide his fingers over this skin to test whether every part was as lovely as the face he had touched.

Hou Dong forced himself to retract his hands when he heard the other people catch up and run over to the pond. He just carefully held the beauty in his arms and waited for the people to sate their thirst and leave. Shouldn’t those merchants want to rest in the house? Well, then please go and do so! He certainly didn’t want to have them around.

The merchants indeed went to drink first and replenished their water reserves. Unfortunately, they didn’t turn to leave afterward. Instead, they got up and stretched their bodies as if they had had a very difficult journey behind them with being accompanied by their servants and all.

Hou Dong’s brows furrowed. These guys! He had been unhappy originally because these bastards had failed to provide him with accurate information. Being disturbed while taking care of the beauty, he felt even angrier. He should ask for a hefty sum when they finished this journey. And if they refused to pay up, he would show them why nobody dared to mess with Hou Dong and his men!

One of the merchants finally pointed over at the house. "Let’s go and rest up. We can stay here until tomorrow morning."

Another one of them nodded. "Indeed. I wouldn’t have been able to take it any longer if we still had to continue through the desert for even an hour more."

Behind them, Hou Dong’s men showed disgusted expressions. They had also been there when these merchants came to negotiate with their Master so they had heard every word. The bastards had only said that they needed some men to escort them and their goods on their journey but the regular mercenary groups were all occupied and they had expensive valuables with them so they couldn’t trust just anyone. They hadn’t mentioned the desert and the price they had offered wouldn’t fit this kind of journey either.

If Hou Dong hadn’t always insisted that his men had to be prepared for every kind of situation, they might have died on this journey already. After all, they wouldn’t have had enough food and wouldn’t have been prepared for the bandits of the desert either. And these merchants still had the gall to say they couldn’t see the sand anymore? It really made them want to punch their faces once or twice!

The first few merchants finally left for the house and Hou Dong turned back to the youth in his arms, his eyes unable to leave the beautiful face. He wanted to reach out again and touch that skin, caress his cheek … He indeed reached out but he only brushed through that inky-black hair, giving a light sigh. Ah, this kind of temptation was too much for him. He was only a man, alright? You couldn’t present him with such a beauty and expect him to hold back, could you?

He pulled him a little closer, tightening his grasp around the youthful body. The beauty seemed to feel that somebody was close by. He inclined his head to the side and his fingers twitched, his hand reaching out to the person close by as if seeking for help. Hou Dong reached out and clasped that hand, squeezing it to reassure the beauty. The young man’s taut expression relaxed and he sighed, whatever thoughts he might have had seemingly coming to a rest.

Hou Dong couldn’t help but feel that it was a pity. Not that he didn’t hope the beauty could rest up a bit but … he really would have liked to look into his eyes. Couldn’t he open them for at least a moment? Which color would they be when he did? A light honey-color just like his skin? Or inky-black like his hair and the thick eyelashes? He really wanted to find out. He had to find out. He might go crazy if he couldn’t.

Hou Dong leaned closer, taking a deep breath. The beauty actually emitted a foreign smell. It reminded him of wood or maybe a spice, a deep, slightly rough smell that he wouldn’t have expected. It reminded him a little of the incense they were burning back in Hua country.

"Ah? What’s that?" Just when Hou Dong wanted to take another deep breath to enjoy the beauty’s scent, one of the merchants that had stayed behind to make sure that the goods hadn’t gotten damaged on the last part of the journey came over. His eyes lit up when he saw the slender body in Hou Dong’s arms. His gaze brushed over the dark hair that shimmered in the sunlight, the fine features of his face, and the graceful arch of his neck. The merchant’s lips split into a wide grin and he even rubbed his hands. "Hehe, Mister Hou, you wouldn’t have found this beauty here in the oasis, would you? Was he unconscious the whole time?"

Hou Dong didn’t deign to answer the question. Did this guy take him for an idiot? He hadn’t had a beauty with him when they started on this journey, had he? So where should he have found him if not here in the oasis?

The merchant didn’t mind his rude behavior. Wasn’t this guy just a warrior? It was normal for that kind of person not to know how to behave politely. They just didn’t have any manners. It was to be expected. He came closer and knelt next to Hou Dong, reaching out to touch the unconscious youth.

Hou Dong curled his lips in disgust. He wanted to pull the beauty away but where could he shift him to?

The merchant grabbed the youth’s arm, his fingers roughly brushing over the honey-colored skin. His grin got even broader. "What soft skin! Who would have thought with that color?"

Hou Dong harrumphed. Who would have thought? Please! Even though the beauty’s skin was slightly darker than the usual skin tone in their Hua country, it was obvious this wasn’t due to him doing hard labor and instead just because of him having lived somewhere else. Otherwise, his skin wouldn’t have been this even with that slight gloss to it. Damn, even after walking through the desert for an unknown amount of time, this youth still looked this beautiful! That definitely wasn’t what somebody looked like if they had to work outside every day.

The merchant didn’t take note of Hou Dong’s expression and continued. His hands brushed over the youth’s arm and then reached for his chest, jerking the fabric of the robe aside. He looked at the skin below the clothes and clicked his tongue. "Not bad! His skin tone is quite even."

Hou Dong’s expression darkened even further. Quite? He’d like to know where it wasn’t even! He wanted to push the bastard off but the merchant didn’t think of letting it be yet.

"Aiya, Mister Hou, don’t be like this! Let me appraise him further. I think I have somebody in mind that would pay a good price for him. I just need to check some more things."

Hou Dong tensed. Pay a good price? He couldn’t mean … "Mister Zai, what are you talking about?"

The merchant finally took his hands back and curbed his smile, even though the skin around his eyes still crinkled in happiness. "Well, obviously, we’ve found him here in the desert and saved his life. It’s only right that he belongs to us now, no? And he’s quite exotic too with that dark skin. Basically a rarity! A beauty like that … a lot of men would pay a hefty sum to own him."