The caravan moved slowly forward, at a pace so lethargic it was maddening; for Hou Niao, who had already become accustomed to flying, it felt even more like torture, but he endured it, as it was a necessary process to experience.
As the sun set, the caravan would group the camels together, with people setting up simple tents within the circle; the desert experienced extreme temperature differences between day and night, and even in the heat of summer, the nighttime temperatures could nearly freeze, posing a great challenge to humans.
Of course, the crops that grew in such harsh environments were exceptionally sweet.
There was none of the dancing around the campfire that Hou Niao had imagined from scholar's fantasies; after such a hard day's labor, once camp was set and a simple meal eaten, everyone would go to sleep early, for there was still an early start for the next day's travel.
