Deep Taklamakan Desert

"Mingzi, that An Liman fellow, I always feel like something's off about him," Fatty said quietly, urging his camel closer to Hu Ming and Hu Bayi.

At this moment, in the desert, Fatty rode his camel, watching An Liman lead the way ahead, filled with suspicion.

After all, this guy, ever since they entered the desert, had been constantly, intentionally or unintentionally, asking if they wanted to turn back, if they wanted to turn back.

There's definitely something wrong! Fatty thought. Hearing Fatty say this, Hu Ming wasn't surprised.

Besides himself knowing some of the plot, Fatty's intuition about people was exceptionally sharp; it was almost always accurate, rarely wrong.

"Miss Yang, what did you and this An Liman fellow talk about in the end? Can you tell me?" Fatty asked Yang Xueli, who was behind him. Today, Yang Xueli seemed to be in a particularly talkative mood, and she didn't refuse Fatty's question.

"Nothing much."

"Just paid a little commission in advance, to buy some things for Uncle An Liman's camels."

"He said the camels needed too many things, and he didn't have enough money, so he asked me to give him some first."

Hearing Yang Xueli finish, Fatty understood.

"Heh, no wonder. I was wondering why this guy kept trying to persuade us to go back, and we haven't even been out for three days. Turns out, he already got some money."

"If he goes back now, he won't lose out."

"No, Mingzi, Old Hu, I have to keep an eye on this guy."

"Otherwise, I won't feel at ease!" With that, Fatty urged his camel to follow closely behind An Liman, just in case the guy tried to escape.

Hu Bayi and Hu Ming tacitly agreed to Fatty's decision. It was good to have Fatty watching An Liman.

Lake Bos Alteng...

This was the source of life for Guyasha Town. Upon arriving, An Liman knelt before the lake, praying with a devout expression.

Only then did he allow Hu Ming and the others to fill their waterskins. They loaded enough water for the camels and, with the rising sun, headed east to find the Ancient Peacock River, following its course southward.

The morning sun cast a dazzling golden glow on the desert.

"Professor Chen, this lake's name is so strange, why is it called Lake Bos Alteng?"

It was Ye Yixin's first time in the desert. Experiencing the vast, boundless desert firsthand, she was very excited and curious about everything. She would ask questions for a long time about the poplars, the sand dunes, the sand gullies. She asked about everything. An Liman was utterly annoyed by this young lady, too lazy to even talk to her.

The energy of the young people was simply too much for the elderly.

Helpless, Ye Yixin turned to ask Professor Chen.

"Little Ye," Professor Chen looked at Ye Yixin, his eyes filled with deep affection, like a grandfather doting on his granddaughter. He patiently began to explain.

"Bos Alteng means 'standing' in Mongolian. The name was given because three mountain islands stand in the middle of the lake. In ancient times, this lake was also called the 'Sea of Fish.' It is Yan Country's largest inland freshwater lake, and the Peacock River originates here, flowing into the depths of the Taklamakan Desert."

Professor Chen was extremely knowledgeable about national geography, almost to the point of reciting it from memory.

"Oh, oh~"

An Liman called for the camels to speed up. As soon as he spoke, the camels behind him quickened their pace. This impressive maneuver left Ye Yixin, Sa Dipeng, and Chu Jian in awe.

After walking for a while, they stopped to rest. An Liman blew his whistle, and the fifteen camels stopped and lay down, which made Ye Yixin and the other two even more envious.

With nothing else to do, the three tried to entertain An Liman's camels, imitating his whistling and shouting commands, but the camels ignored them. An Liman saw this and looked at them with disdain. If they could do it, wouldn't he lose his job? After a short rest, they set off again.

Traveling across the vast desert, admiring its unique beauty, everyone was in high spirits.

Ye Yixin couldn't contain her exhilaration and began to sing, and Chu Jian and Sa Dipeng joined in.

"Our Western Regions are a good place, with green grapes and green grasslands, horses galloping. Our Western Regions are a good place, with golden deserts..."

Fatty was moved by the singing of the three and joined in with a loud voice, singing and laughing all the way. Seeing them having so much fun, Hu Ming couldn't help but curl his lips. The desert was not a place for play. There would be times when you'd cry.

Hu Ming and Hu Bayi exchanged a look, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Playing around the edge of the desert could relieve stress, but venturing deep into the Taklamakan Desert was simply torture. Not only that, but it could cost them their lives at any moment.

If they stepped into quicksand, they would be swallowed whole, suffocating to death with their mouths full of sand.

The group set off again. Hu Ming and Fatty rode their camels leisurely in the back, smoking their pipes, seemingly in good spirits.

"By the way, Old Hu, you think she, an American, traveled all this way to our country and invested so much money to find Jingjue Ancient City. Is she perhaps greedy for the treasures in Jingjue Ancient City?"

Hu Ming frowned and dismissed Fatty's suggestion. He knew why Yang Xueli was here.

"Let's not even talk about whether Jingjue Ancient City can be found. Even if it is found, how could she take the treasures out empty-handed? Look at the Great Tomb on Niuxin Mountain. The archaeological team has been excavating for months and still needs trucks to haul the treasures."

At this point, his tone became extremely confident. "The Taklamakan Desert belongs to our country, and finding Jingjue Ancient City also belongs to our country. How dare an American steal our country's treasures?"

"She wouldn't dare."

As the two brothers were whispering behind her, Yang Xueli, who was in front, glanced back at them. She turned her head and then tilted it towards Hu Bayi, saying, "Mr. Hu Ming and Mr. Wang seem to be chatting happily... "

They must have been talking about her behind her back. Hmph. Yang Xueli could guess with a little thought. Fatty's temper was such that he always found her displeasing and wouldn't stop badmouthing her. And Hu Ming didn't have a good impression of her either. However, she didn't care.

"They're just chatting nonsense, don't mind them."

"Mm," Yang Xueli nodded slightly, her beautiful eyes looking at An Liman, who was leading the way. "Uncle An Liman is indeed a desert expert. See? All along the way, poplars, sand dunes, ruins, a few scattered points form a vivid desert route."

Hu Bayi said, "That's good, Shirley Yang. You're observing very keenly. Keep it up." After saying that, he gave Shirley Yang a thumbs-up.

Unknowingly, their relationship had grown much closer during this time.