Chapter 47

Walking through the vast, boundless desert was actually pretty boring. For a short while, it felt novel, but once enough time had passed, everyone lost that sense of novelty and wilted like flowers under the blazing sun.

Everyone sat listlessly on their camels, half asleep.

"Whoa, whoa!" An Liman patted the lead camel to signal it to stop and lie down.

The whole caravan followed the lead camel, lying down and stretching their necks out to rest on the ground.

Perhaps because Jingjue Ancient City was getting closer, Yang Xueli had been in good spirits the whole time.

Everyone else was resting, but she was wandering around taking pictures with her camera.

Click!

Holding her camera, she took a picture of the two sand dunes a hundred meters away. She looked at the photo and nodded with satisfaction.

An Liman sat on a blanket and glanced at the energetic Yang Xueli. "That's Sacred Tomb Mountain. Two wind-eroded formations shaped like mushrooms, each over five meters tall, grow up there." Then he changed his tone, speaking with a hint of sarcasm. "Go on, take pictures, take pictures. While you're still alive, take as many as you can."

Yang Xueli stopped taking pictures and turned to look at An Liman in confusion.

"Uncle An Liman, why would you say that?"

Why put it that way?

An Liman glanced at Yang Xueli and Professor Chen's group. He found them rather amusing. Coming all the way into the desert to search for Jingjue Ancient City—weren't they practically asking to die?

"Miss Yang, if you make it back, you'll have done better than most. You've already made it this far." Listening to An Liman was quite a struggle; he had a habit of ending his sentences with "ma." Yang Xueli furrowed her brows. She sensed he was implying something, especially given the disdain in his eyes as he spoke.

It was a contempt that ran bone-deep.

He was nearly sixty and had been born in an age of turmoil. He hadn't received much schooling, so he had a profound misunderstanding of archaeology. He thought it was just digging up graves, no different from tomb raiding. In his eyes, they were just like him—though he had quit that line of work long ago, settled here, and found his own faith.

That was why he looked down on Shirley Yang and the others. The funny thing was, he needed money. Making a living was difficult in this day and age, and he was too old for hard labor. All he could do was earn a little by leading people into the desert.

But those who offered high prices to hire him for desert expeditions were almost always up to the business of digging up graves.

"This isn't the real desert. Once you pass Sacred Tomb Mountain and travel another two or three days, then you'll be in the real desert—and it's the black desert. Countless bones are buried there, all belonging to people like you!"

Having said all he wanted to say, An Liman took out his waterskin, uncorked it, and drank some of the horse milk wine inside.

Yang Xueli fell silent. An Liman hadn't exaggerated; if anything, he'd understated the danger. But did she think that would stop her? Impossible. She wasn't one to accept her fate.

She turned and looked at Hu Bayi and his two companions sitting in the sand. Suddenly, she felt reassured. No matter what happened, as long as those three were with her, she felt safe.

After all, none of them was ordinary. Even when it came to Fatty, Yang Xueli wouldn't dare claim she could beat him. She had undergone traditional training herself, and she was far beyond an ordinary person.

The other two were even more impressive. Could men who had survived on the battlefield be ordinary? They even knew the arts of divination and feng shui.

With those three around, Yang Xueli felt they had a good chance of finding Jingjue Ancient City.

"Professor Chen, is what Uncle An Liman said true?" Ye Yixin was sitting not far from An Liman and had heard him. Her face had darkened, and she turned to Professor Chen, hoping to find some reassurance from an elder.

Professor Chen looked at Ye Yixin, her face red from the sun, and his eyes filled with affection.

He said gently, "Yixin, life lasts only a few decades. It's over in the blink of an eye, and then we have nothing. So, as long as what we want to do is right, we shouldn't fear danger. That's the spirit of archaeology."

Hu Ming was sitting just a few meters away from them. Hearing Professor Chen, he tugged at the corner of his mouth. The old man sure knew how to talk—he was subtly brainwashing her!

That one short speech made Ye Yixin nod firmly, the fear in her eyes giving way to a renewed fearlessness.

Seeing her like that, Hu Ming couldn't help thinking, Brainwashing successful.

Everyone had their own duties. Sa Dipeng and Chu Jian were responsible for checking the supplies. Whenever the camels rested, they unloaded the supplies from their backs, then loaded them back up before setting off again. It was hard work.

At night, Hu Bayi, Fatty, and Hu Ming took turns keeping watch, while Hu Bayi usually led the group.

Yang Xueli and Ye Yixin took care of everyone's meals, while An Liman led the way. Wherever he said they should go, they followed.

Professor Chen was getting on in years, so everyone treated him like an elder and looked after him. Nobody complained about it, after all, Professor Chen was very old, and as a scholar, he was frail.

Hu Ming had resigned himself to it by now. From Hu Bayi and Fatty's attitude, he knew those two were absolutely determined to go and take a look inside Jingjue Ancient City.

Fatty thought about the treasures in Jingjue Ancient City every day, while Hu Bayi was completely smitten with Yang Xueli and kept hovering around her.