Chapter 126: The Secret of the Oasis

  Hu Qiema was slightly stunned, then picked up the teacup in front of her again, brought it to her lips and took a light sip, staring at the tea water with her eyes shining under the moonlight, without any intention of speaking.

  Yang Yu Xi frowned: "If you don't tell me, I won't help you."

  Hu Qi Ma seemed to have anticipated Yang Yu Xi's words, her response was cold and devoid of any warmth: "A threat?"

  Yang Yu Xi shook his head, his calm voice floating in the night sky: "It's not a threat, it's just that I and you, as people from big families, are different. I don't have so many family interests, I only have my own conscience. And your way of doing things has exceeded my bottom line. If you can't give me a reason for doing this, I won't be able to explain it to my own conscience, and I won't be able to give an account to Dong Er."

  Yang Yu Xi's eyelids drooped, his long eyelashes covering his pupils, and Huo Qi Ma couldn't see the expression in his eyes clearly.

  After a moment of silence, Hu Qiema put down her teacup and began: "This matter started from a year ago."

  Pausing for a moment, Huo Qima continued: "A year ago, I left the Ba tribe and searched many places but couldn't find you. Then I came to the Western Desert and arrived at this oasis. And then I was surprised to discover that although the villagers here are not good at cultivating their minds, each person has some unique abilities, the most striking of which is..."

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ's eyes suddenly lit up with a sharp light: "The body of every adult is much stronger than that of ordinary people, almost as strong as those of my Ba Zu people."

  Yang Yu Xi heard this, her eyebrows gradually furrowed.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ glanced at him and said: "Moreover, apart from this, everyone has some small abilities, although not strong, but very peculiar."

  "What's this little ability?" Yang Yu Xi came with interest.

  "You've been in contact with that Winter child the most, right...?" Huo Qiema's eyes had an unspoken implication.

  "Huh?" Yang Yu Xi's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, then after a moment of thought, her eyes widened in surprise and she blurted out, "I met him in the desert, the desert terrain and sandstorms seemed to have no hindrance on him at all, instead they made his speed even faster!"

  "Right!" Huo Qiema nodded, "Dong Er's ability is to be immune to the sand and can control it to a certain extent, although this control is still very weak."

  Yang Yu Xi's mind once again conjured up Dong Er's figure disappearing into the sandstorm with ease, and asked: "But why?"

  "This is also the reason why I'm curious, and because I couldn't find you for a while, so I chose to stay and investigate." Huo Qiema's eyes had a faint glimmer of fire.

  Yang Yu Xi read something from Hu Qi Ma's eyes and her expression changed, shouting sternly: "You actually used the villagers as test subjects!"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ's eyes were dull and didn't have a single ripple: "I'm also helping them to better obtain powerful strength."

  "Preposterous!" Yang Yu Xi's face turned red with anger, "What's the difference between killing someone and saying you're helping them transcend?!"

  "Nature has its differences." Huo Qiema's expression didn't change. "At least the people I've taken in for experiments really have become stronger."

  Yang Yu Xi didn't speak, his face gloomy as he stared at Huo Qi Ma, a chill surging in his eyes.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ let out a soft sigh and said in a peculiar tone, "The strength of those sturdy men isn't strong? Although it can't compare to yours and mine, but compared to before, it's become much, much stronger."

  "Huh?" Yang Yu Xi's face changed again, her mind racing quickly, and she exclaimed, "You mean those Great Hans are the original villagers?!"

  "Not bad." Hu Qi Ma nodded.

  Yang Yu Xi's heart was shaken, but she still forced herself to remain calm, staring at Huo Qi Ma's good-looking face, and said word by word: "Then why don't the villagers recognize them? And what about those big men, where are the women?"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ said faintly: "First, answer your first question. Because their faces have been remade by me, and their memories have been sealed, they have become a new life form, with me as the leader of a group of subordinates. Otherwise, do you think I came out from the Bá Zú alone, where would I get so many subordinates?"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ noticed Yáng Yǔ Xī's disbelieving gaze and said, "Don't look at me with that kind of eyes. Although changing one's appearance and sealing memories isn't a simple matter, for the Bá Zú who have been passed down since ancient times, it's not a difficult task either."

  Yang Yu Xi slightly lowered her head and said: "What about the second question?"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ smoothed his hair and said, "This makes things even simpler, I didn't rob any women."

  "You're lying! Where's Dong Er's mother?" Yang Yu Xi questioned.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ raised her head, then lowered it again, and only said: "That woman didn't die either, I just took her away to be my maid."

  Yang Yu Xi was speechless, this Hu Qi Ma is really strange, actually thinking of a maid plaything, but turning around to think also makes some sense, after all Hu Qi Ma is a girl, staying with a group of sturdy iron tower-like men will inevitably be somewhat awkward.

  It was a long time before Yang Yu Xi spoke again: "Then... didn't anyone in the village die?"

  "Yeah." Huo Qiema nodded indifferently, her eyes fixed on the dark night sky.

  Yang Yu Xi let out a sigh of relief, rolled her eyes and thought to herself: This Hu Qi Ma is really something else. She endured the villagers' immense resentment without offering any explanation, her inner strength must be extraordinary. The Yang family is still the Yang family after all, even if they've fallen on hard times now.

  "Then I'm willing to help you, can you unseal them and send them back?" Yang Yu Xi asked again.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ tilted her head, looking somewhat lazy: "Alright, anyway my task is to find you, and once I've found you they'll naturally let me go back. However..."

  Yang Yu Xi frowned: "But what?"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ said: "Don't you wonder why they are so gifted?"

  Yang Yu Xi suddenly remembered this, and his mind was also full of doubts. After a moment, he asked Huo Qi Ma: "You've done a year's research, and you've also made their powers stronger, shouldn't there be some breakthroughs?"

  "Yes." Hu Qiema nodded.

  "So, what's the reason?" Yang Yu Xi stared intensely at Huo Qi Ma.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ smiled slightly and said slyly: "Guess!"

  Yang Yu Xi glared at her with a bad temper and then fell into deep thought.

  If Huo Qima really has a breakthrough, she will definitely take action, and this action will not be small, and she should already know it.

  So what did Hu Qi Ma do that could be the reason?

  Yang Yu Xi's mind flashed through all the things Huo Qi Ma had done.

  Killing... no, I should say helping villagers enhance their strength, although this method of enhancement is hard to accept.

  What else is there besides this?

  Monopolize water sources!

  Yang Yu Xi's mind flashed with a brilliant idea and he blurted out: "It's lake water!"

  Huǒ Qímǎ looked at Yáng Yǔxī with some surprise, seemingly astonished that he could think of the key to the problem so quickly. Huǒ Qímǎ nodded slightly: "That's right, it's that lake water. After repeated research, I found that the people in this village have been drinking this lake water for generations, so their genes have been modified by the lake water. Although this modification is very small, with the accumulation of time over several generations, a certain effect has still been produced, which is the special ability of the villagers."

  "So you restricted the water source in order to study it better?"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ nodded: "Not bad! And after my one-year research, this matter has reached the final juncture, so I need your help to complete this last link. After completion, I will release all villagers."

  "It sounds interesting, okay, I'll agree with you." Yang Yu Xi nodded in response, then he thought of something and asked, "But what's the purpose of doing this? Is it just to enhance the villagers' strength? This doesn't conform to the principles of a large clan!"

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ's gaze was somewhat displeased, and the tone of Yáng Yǔ Xī's latter half sentence sounded somewhat disdainful. However, she didn't bother to dwell on this matter; after all, for any major power, the highest principle guiding their actions is always self-interest - this cannot be denied.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ said to Yáng Yǔ Xī: "Yes, I indeed have another purpose."

  "Tell me about it." Yang Yu Xi showed a very interested expression.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ said: "You know, when I just left the Bá Zú, my 'Bù Miè Bá Tǐ' had not cultivated the second layer of beast body. The entire Bá Zú, except for Lǎo Zǔ and a few elderly, no one had cultivated into a beast body."

  Yang Yu Xi understood the implication behind Huo Qi Ma's words, and his eyes suddenly became serious: "You mean to say that the lake water here helped you break through into the second layer?"

  "Yes." Hu Qi Ma nodded.

  Yang Yu Xi furrowed his brow and pondered, "If it's really like that, then your enthusiasm for this matter can be explained. If it's really like that, it's indeed worth studying carefully!"

  "Hmm, so..." Huo Qiema stood up from her position and extended her right hand to Yang Yu Xi, "Nice doing business with you."

  "It was a pleasure working with you." Yang Yu Xi also stood up, smiled and shook hands with Huo Qi Ma, then let go, he said, "So what have you come up with?"

  Hu Qi Ma said: "The secret is hidden at the bottom of the lake, where there seems to be something that has been seeping out its power for thousands of years, causing a qualitative change in the lake water, making it have some effect on changing human physique."

  "So you're saying we should dive in and see what's going on?" Yang Yu Xi raised an eyebrow.

  "It's not bad, but the lake bottom is clearly dangerous. I'm not confident in my own strength, so I've been trying to boost the villagers' power. In the end, it was all just to get them to accompany me into the water, but it's apparently not enough. The strongest one among them is that big guy who fought you - a mere dust particle compared to the heavens."

  "So you want me to go down with you now?"

  "Yes, and I think it's beneficial for you too, after all, you've also cultivated the 'Indestructible Body'."

  Hu Qiema turned around, looking straight at Yang Yuxi, "And if you're not willing, then I can only have that big fellow accompany me down instead. With his strength, going down would be certain death, and I believe that's something you wouldn't want to see."

  "Why?" Yang Yu Xi sneered, if Huo Qi Ma thought Yang Yu Xi was that kind of good person, then she was wrong.

  Huǒ Qí Mǎ glanced at Yang Yù Xī a few times, and what she said made Yang Yù Xī immediately stunned.

  "Because that big man is Dong Er's father."