Chapter 243 - Ji’s Second Murder (1/2)

Suddenly, something was put on Ye Xiaoxian’s head, protecting her face from some of the sand. She opened her eyes slowly. Only then did she realize that the person in front of her was Tarico. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat that looked like a southern bamboo one and was tough enough to give some protection from the sand. Since the hat was not that big, it could hardly protect both of them. Without hesitation, Tarico held her tightly in his arms. She didn’t resist it.

Amid the raging sandstorm, he created a small coc.o.o.n around them where she could feel his warmth and caring. In such a situation, she didn’t feel offended. It was purely for protection. It was just like an accident she once confronted when she started her career as a cook. With a lack of qualifications, she had to work in an ordinary restaurant where fire safety was neglected. There was once a fire in the restaurant and she was trapped inside. When she was almost choked by the thick smoke, two firefighters rushed in, found her, and escorted her out. Such physical contact was unavoidable in saving her and made her feel warm.

Now, she thought of Xiao Baozhu again, hoping that Tarico could help her also. But she couldn’t speak and had to wait. Slowly, the wind weakened, the impact of the sandstorm softened and her vision began to clear. She was still held in Tarico’s arms. Feeling that the sandstorm had abated, she had a glance at him and found he was also looking at her. His eyes were burning with affection. Unlike a firefighter’s, they were mixed with other emotions beyond care.

Stunned, she took a step back subconsciously. But he didn’t look away and instead gazed at her with greater pa.s.sion. She suddenly realized something. Squire Liu had once hinted that if she wanted to marry, Tarico would be a good choice. Had he seen Tarico’s special feelings for her?

As the howl of the wind continued to lessen, she heard someone spit the sand out of their mouth. A man then shouted, “Are you all right?”

She also began to spit out sand.

The camels moved, shaking off the sand before standing up slowly. Then, Ye Xiaoxian saw a few men rise one after another. After the last gust of wind, the people’s faces became clearer. Ye Xiaoxian began to look for Xiao Baozhu. Seeing Baozhu half-buried in the sand, she hurried over to pull her out.

Fortunately, Xiao Baozhu wasn’t hurt. She was just a little terrified. After spitting out the sand, she threw her arms around Ye Xiaoxian. “Sister Ye, I thought I was going to die here.”

“Don’t be afraid. The wind in the desert is just like this. Everything will be fine. Look, you’re all right, aren’t you?”

Xiao Baozhu asked, “How is Uncle Tieshu now?”

They began calling out to Xiao Tieshu loudly. Soon, the saw him emerge with a dirty face and sand all over. It took him a long while to shake the sand off. The rest of the people also stood up one by one, coated in sand. Eventually, the wind stopped.

Ye Xiaoxian took off her cowhide bottle and gargled with water. Xiao Baozhu followed suit. Although it was a little extravagant, they would feel very uncomfortable if they didn’t rinse the sand out of their mouths. The others also gargled before gathering slowly together.

Ye Xiaoxian then counted heads. Thankfully, none of them were missing.

Except for Ji. “Where’s Ji?” she asked.

The others shook their heads and said they hadn’t seen him. Tarico also couldn’t find him. That wily old fox must have slipped away in the sandstorm. With his rich experience, he could deal with such a storm easily.

Ye Xiaoxian pointed at the front and said, “Look, the sand dune was there. Ji asked us to hide behind it, but it’s disappeared now.”