A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

It is indeed a very good thing to encounter cacti in the desert, especially for people who are short of food and water. In fact, the Du family army has never lacked food and water since they met the old general, but the experience of lacking food and water for a long time still affects them.

A group of people madly rushed into the cactus forest, followed closely by the Du family. This cactus forest was truly vast. As far as the eye could see, there were endless cacti, tall and large, most of them taller than a person's head. It was so cold here at night, how could the cacti survive? Was this an ordinary cactus? Du Shuangshuang's curiosity piqued again, and she wanted to investigate.

With a single, sharp movement, they chopped the cactus cleanly. Then, they expertly removed the densely packed spines, carefully peeled the skin, and scooped out a piece of tender, juicy flesh. Without hesitation, they began chewing. Instantly, their faces lit up with an expression of utter intoxication, unable to extricate themselves from the delicious taste.

Seeing this, Du Shuangshuang couldn't help but wonder, "Is it really that delicious?" Filled with curiosity, she followed their lead, painstakingly digging out a piece of cactus flesh and gently biting into it. Instantly, a wondrous flavor spread throughout her mouth. The juice was incredibly rich, refreshing like a spring, with a subtle sweetness. The flavor was completely different from ordinary cactus, rather similar to the legendary ginseng fruit, offering an unprecedented taste experience.

However, for Du Shuangshuang, the delicious taste wasn't the most important thing. As soon as she swallowed the cactus flesh, she felt a gentle, warm current flow through her meridians, through her flesh, and finally onto her skin. The sensation was incredibly comfortable, like being bathed in the warm spring sun, a feeling she longed to immerse herself in forever. At the same time, she felt a palpable surge of strength, the fatigue from the long journey vanishing. Most importantly, she felt as if her physical strength had increased slightly, though she'd need to eat more to see the full effect.

Even the camels nearby seemed to sense the cactus's magical properties, scrambling to nibble on it. Du Shuangshuang pondered the scene, "Perhaps this isn't just any ordinary cactus, but some rare and special spiritual plant, perhaps even a precious treasure. However, I've carefully reviewed all the jade slips I've read, and I've never found any mention of this plant. Could it be a mysterious treasure unknown to the world?" Du Shuangshuang's gaze grew increasingly intense at this thought.

Having tasted its benefits, everyone started harvesting cacti. "We're so lucky! We've never seen so many cacti before. Dozens at most would be too many, and they haven't grown this big."

"That's right! If we could have come here earlier, we would have chosen to settle down here without hesitation. Looking back, if we could have come here earlier, perhaps we brothers could have survived longer." The person who said this had tears gradually moistening in his eyes, and tears flowed uncontrollably. The other people around him felt sad when they heard these words, and they all raised their hands to wipe away the tears from the corners of their eyes.

"If...if I had come across this place earlier, Zhuzi wouldn't have starved to death!" the man said, choking with sobs, pounding the ground with his hands, as if this could ease the pain in his heart. When the people around heard this, endless sadness and regret appeared on their faces.

"If we had met them earlier, Ergou and the others wouldn't have risked going out in search of food and never returned." Someone else added tearfully, their voice filled with longing for their lost brothers and self-blame. Everyone remained silent, but everyone knew in their hearts that those brothers who had left would never return.

Du Shuangshuang could hear suppressed sobs as she worked on the cactus. She didn't know how to comfort these brave men who had sacrificed their lives for the cause. They were all strong men, yet they also had a soft side.

Only a small path was cleared on the perimeter, and a cleared area inside was cleared for camp. While the cactus wasn't very sturdy, judging by its growth, it hadn't been attacked by monsters. Furthermore, it could block the monsters' sight, making it a bit safer here.

The new members of the Du Family Army didn't have storage bags. Even the previous guards only had two who had received identity cards from the sect and received a portion of the sect's supply. Du Shuangshuang took out all the storage bags she had, counting them, there were quite a few, a total of 26, and gave them all to them. Second Uncle also took out his extra storage bags and shared them among them. But no matter how they tried, there weren't enough storage bags for everyone, so they had to share one.

At night, the monks arranged a night watch. Because everyone has spiritual awareness, they can observe the situation outside at any time and anywhere, which is more suitable for night watch. The night was peaceful and everyone slept well.

The next day, everyone continued to fight against these cacti in order to collect all the storage equipment in their hands. Du Shuangshuang even planted some in the spiritual medicine garden and spiritual beast space of the Duobao bracelet. What they wanted was sustainable development!

This vast cactus forest, though seemingly desolate, was actually quite safe. The group had been here for over a month, during which time they had engaged in a large-scale cactus harvest. They saw that more than half of the once lush and thriving cactus forest had been taken away.

Everyone's storage bags were filled to the brim, and some even simply carried several huge cacti on their backs. When their own bags were full, they began to help the old man, Uncle Du, and Du Shuangshuang.

While it wasn't clear exactly how many cacti Uncle Du had received, Du Shuangshuang knew her bracelet was already overflowing with a mountain of cacti. Furthermore, remembering the magical belt she'd found in the secret realm, Du Shuangshuang gave it to the old man without hesitation. The old man, upon receiving it, was naturally overjoyed and hurriedly stuffed it with cacti. Even Du Shuangshuang couldn't say exactly how many he'd stuffed in. However, it was certain it was certainly substantial, as so many people enthusiastically helped the old man cut and process the cacti. Perhaps the one who had reaped the most bounty this time was the old man.

They were happy and had a great harvest, but Chu Yue regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. It had been more than a month, and there was no news about Du Shuangshuang and her group. Most of the people who had been separated before had returned to the team. Could it be that they had encountered some accident?

He wanted to go out and look for someone, but where could he find them in such a vast desert? It was doubtful whether he would ever come back if he went out alone. Ultimately, after everyone's persuasion, he didn't go, but some people did go anyway.

"You're still half-dead here. That little girl's missing, and you still don't pull yourself together? In this desert, if you leave the main group and run into something, you might not survive. The main group is still frantically rushing forward because someone has provoked fire ants. If they stop, it will cause trouble for the entire group, so no one will wait for them, let alone go looking for them." Luo Bing Zhenjun couldn't help but irritate the half-dead junior. She had originally planned to accept this person as her last disciple, but whether she could accept him or not depended on whether he could survive and whether he would be crippled. If she could cheer him up, she would even take the others away from the group to look for him.

The man lying on the Thunder Leopard with lifeless eyes finally responded. He rolled his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "What happened to her?"

"We were attacked by desert monitors and fire ants at night, and everyone scattered and fled. They haven't returned to the group yet."

"I'm going to find her!" he said as he was about to get up.

"Okay! Eat these things first." Zhenjun Luo Bing took out two pills and asked him to swallow them. He also gave him some water to drink. The man who had been listless before finally regained some energy and spirit.

True Lord Luo Bing couldn't help but sigh! After communicating with the sect's higher-ups, he took Su Yichen and the other two away from the team.

The two dodged the fire ants and headed back to search. In the vast desert, they had no idea where to look. They only knew they were most likely behind, but the area behind was so vast, where could it be?

Along the way, they didn't see any figures or traces. The two of them kept wandering around in the desert, searching, and even met people from several other sects, but still couldn't find Du Shuangshuang.

For more than half a year, they had covered nearly a hundred miles of the original route, but still hadn't found Du Shuangshuang and her group. They could only move forward, hoping to hear from her when they returned.

At this time, Du Shuangshuang and the others were being chased by a group of fire ants. It wasn't their fault, as they didn't see any fire ants. However, one fire ant had fallen behind and was hiding under a rock. The camel accidentally stepped on it and crushed it to death. At that moment, a red gas spread out and rushed directly towards the camel, inadvertently contaminating the people on the camel.

"It's terrible, run!"