Fixed Character Gender Lock: Zhu Yanyi is female. Pronouns: she/her.
Child Dialogue Rule: Simple English, max 8 words for idioms.
Word Meaning: diligence vs talent distinction applied if relevant (not directly here, but kept in mind).
Glossary: Ruyi Space, etc. (Not used in this snippet, but ready).
Place Names: Heshan Mountain (not used here).
Here is the translation:
Moreover, these fixed oases were rare. On their route to Gu Silan, there was only this one. Mobile oases, however, depended entirely on luck.
Balv told everyone to prepare their tents while she went to scout the surroundings. Luo Gang came over to help Zhu Yanyi set up her tent.
"This oasis is connected to the Terror Base," Luo Gang said, looking around and lowering her voice to Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t look around, but her spiritual sense monitored the area. She wasn’t worried about eavesdroppers. "If it’s connected, do you know how far the base is?"
"About five kilometers," Luo Gang said seriously. "Starting from this oasis, the base is roughly five kilometers east."
Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly, acknowledging the information. "Then we need a way to keep Balv here."
Luo Gang tilted his head at her. "Miss wants to use medicine?"
"Of course, medicine. And we’ll use something they are familiar with," Zhu Yanyi smiled. She had already prepared for this. "Go dig up some desert roses. Remember to dig them up with the roots. They will be useful."
Luo Gang nodded and went to execute Zhu Yanyi’s orders. Soon, she returned with a pile of desert roses. Balv, who had wandered off somewhere, came back and saw Luo Gang with the flowers. She laughed. "Why are you digging these up?"
Luo Gang pointed at Zhu Yanyi. "My little sister wants them."
Zhu Yanyi giggled. "I like the look of them. Also, many flowers in our Huaxia land are edible. I want to try if this desert rose is edible too."
Balv laughed loudly. "I think you just see no other food here, so you want to use these desert roses as snacks. But honestly, they don’t taste good." Clearly, he had tasted them before.
Zhu Yanyi giggled again. She plucked some petals and put them in her mouth, as if tasting them. After a few bites, she smiled. "The taste is okay. It’s a bit astringent, but the aftertaste is nice." Then, she threw the remaining roots into the nearby fire.
Zhu Yanyi turned to Luo Gang. "Brother Luo, try it. It’s really good." She acted as if it would be wrong not to try. As a result, Luo Gang and the other six people seemed forced by Zhu Yanyi to eat a few petals. Zhu Yanyi then asked Balv, "Balv, do you want to taste it?"
Balv waved his hand directly. "No thanks. You taste it." He saw these flowers almost every day. Only outsiders would be curious. Balv didn’t consider himself curious, so he had no interest in tasting the desert rose.
Zhu Yanyi smiled. She didn’t seem to mind Balv not tasting it and didn’t force her.
Gradually, Balv felt a bit tired. He said goodbye and went to sleep in his tent.
Zhu Yanyi watched her fall asleep. Then, she took out a small packet of powder from her bosom and asked Luo Gang to feed it to her. Luo Gang found that Balv allowed her to feed her, motionless.
"What’s wrong with Balv?" Luo Gang asked curiously.
Zhu Yanyi smiled. "Desert rose is not its real name. Here, we call it 'A Thousand-Year Dream'." Seeing everyone’s confusion, Zhu Yanyi continued to explain: