Ed cursed the old pervert inwardly as he looked around to find his way. He felt to see if his cultivation still remained and it was still there. With a sigh of relief, he tried to stretch his being to see farther; a skill he had learnt in the Baju Valley, but could not penetrate the whirling band of sand. If he did not move, he would be buried in this sand. He started a forward movement but the sand pushed back hard. It was as if it was alive.

“Don't move!” someone shouted. Ed looked around to find who spoke but could see nothing.

“Hold out your left arm!” the person said, but Ed hesitated. Who was this person, and why was he helping him?

“I will not harm you. Besides, do you have a choice?” the person asked. Ed held out his left arm and immediately someone grabbed it and pulled him out of the swirling sands. His vision cleared, allowing him to see who had saved him. The person was garbed head to toe in black, but the fitting male pants and shirt did nothing to hide her curves.

“Thank you,” Ed said looking back at the sand storm still raging behind him. It was like an invisible wall stood right in the middle. On the other side, a storm raged, on this side, calm sands sat under his feet.

“Why are you here?” the girl asked.

“I was told I was being sent to the Demon Lands,”

“The demon lands, huh? Well, this is a way to get there. The portal you used should have dropped you on this side of the sand. Whoever controlled it must not be that strong to miss by a few steps,” she said and Ed frowned internally. Or the person just wanted him right there. That old pervert!

“I'm Meryl, what about you?”

“Ed,” he answered.

“What are you going to do in the Demon Lands?” she asked and he frowned. When he looked into her eyes, it was like looking into the eyes of a snake. Why he felt that way, he was not sure. He looked away after a second glance, causing her to frown. This man actually broke my enchanted eye?

“Meryl, girl! What are you doing there? Let's be going?” A man shouted from the top of a sand dune.

“Coming, Captain! I found a stray!” Meryl shouted back but the captain had already left. She turned to Ed and assessed him.

“We are going to the Demon Lands. Do you want to tag along?” she asked and he nodded.

“Come on, let's join the crew,” she said and sped away. Ed saw the speed at which she was running and paused, before trying to keep up. It was hard. He had no speed whatsoever. He only had stamina. As he took large strides, he placed his qi under his legs to stop his legs from sinking into the soft sand. He maintained his pace till he was on the other side of the dune. He saw that they were travelling in a caravan.

“Mer, who is this?” A tall man asked. He, like every other person there, had their heads and face covered with strips of cloth, probably to protect them from the sand.

“I found a stray, captain. He was stuck in the storm,” she said and the captain frowned. With a look, he could already see that Ed's cultivation was only at the spirit-picking stage.

“I told him he could join us,” she said and the captain's frown deepened.

“And why did you do that? We need people that can carry their own weight, and not be a burden as we move around,” the captain said looking Ed in the face.

“I'm sure he could be of some use,” she said and he still stared Ed down. His aura expanded and pressed down on Ed, but it was as though Ed did not notice. Ed snorted inside. He may have no fighting strength or strength at all, but he was sure not even the old pervert's aura could press him down. Nothing could be compared to the pressure of the Baju Valley. Yet, even that, he survived.

The captain frowned when he noticed Ed was casually looking around their caravan as if he did not notice the captain's aura pressing down. The captain was also surprised. When he pressured Ed, it felt as though he was pressing at nothing. The aura of his spirit awakening stage just passed through Ed.

“He's odd right?” Meryl asked the captain with an amused voice. He looked at her questioningly.

“I never tried what you did on him. All I know is that he looked away from my enchanted eyes in seconds. It did not even hold him,” she said and the captain was shocked. He knew that he was much stronger than Meryl at late spirit awakening stage, but not even late spirit awareness masters can look away from her enchanted eyes.

Meryl was from the mermaid clan. Though they had long left the water and walked on land, they still had the bloodline of their ancestors. The mermaid clan were good at illusions. Not only could they cast it, but they could also unravel it. That is why he got Meryl to join his mercenary group. He needed someone like this.

“Do you think he will be useful in the salt bed?” the captain asked her. All this while, none of them bothered to ask Ed anything. They just talked to themselves. Ed too had no intention of talking. As long as they helped him get to the Demon Lands, he did not bother about their intentions. The Old pervert may have said that the outside world was different, but habits were hard to break. It was not that he was full of arrogance, he used to be someone alert and ready for any danger, but for some reason, his character was fading.

“Another pair of eyes is good to have. We don't know what is there,” a man standing behind Meryl said. The captain seemed to consider this before he nodded.

“Meryl will be in charge of you. We leave now,” he said and walked away. Ed looked at the captain favourably. This man did not hold to heart that he was not able to subdue him.

“Come on,” she said and got into one of the wagons and he joined her inside. Soon, he felt the wagon moving, signally that they had begun their journey.

“So, tell me how you did it,” Meryl looked at him with expectant eyes.

“Did what?” he asked.

“When I had asked you what you are going to do in the demon lands, I used my enchanted eyes on you. You must have heard me tell the captain. How did you break out of it?” she asked.

“What is it supposed to do to me?” he asked her. He had heard her speak about this and convinced the captain to let him join their group, so it must be important.

“When I use my enchanted eye, many people fall into a dream. They find themselves telling me what I want to know. It compels people to talk to me. Tell me their secrets. How did you break out of it? It will help me develop it better,” she said, looking at him expectantly.

“That was the enchanted eyes? You looked like a snake at that time,” he said and she froze.

“What?”

“When you asked me the question, you looked like an ugly snake,” he said and she started boiling. A snake, she could not even understand the logic of it, but an ugly one too?

“Ya! Sir Ed!” she fumed.

“You asked how I did it. I told you,” he said blankly, making her even angrier. Most men that have better sight, can make out a form of an enchanting woman when they are in her dream. But he saw a snake? What was he trying to say? She harrumphed and turned away from him, giving him the silence he so craved for.

He may not trust these people, but he liked that they were amiable and carefree. Afterall, his inability to execise much emotion, talk more caution that was greatly needed now, was slightly worrying. His trust that their conscience holds weight just increased from one percent to five percent. in Ed's books, that was high. Even the old Pervert only held a three precent in this category.