Danger Loomed

"Professor Chen, have something to eat. Wash your hands first." Ye Yixin lifted the large water bag, ready to pour some water for Professor Chen to wash his hands. These days, they washed their hands before every meal. Wang Yang hadn't said anything about it, though; after all, they'd passed plenty of riverbeds and lakes along the way where they could replenish their water.

But now that they'd reached Sacred Tomb Mountain, finding more water would be difficult. From here on, every drop was precious.

Hu Ming knew just how much trouble these bookworms could be, so he'd already stashed more than a dozen buckets of water in his storage space.

"Xiao Ye, you all need to conserve water. You don't want to die of thirst in the desert," Hu Ming reminded them.

"It's fine, Big Brother Hu Ming. We still have plenty of water!" Hu Bayi came over and shook his head. He'd just warned Chu Jian and the others, but they'd given him the same excuse.

Plenty? Hearing Ye Yixin say that, Hu Ming fell silent. She was the kind of girl who had a great figure but no brains. Whatever. Let them do as they pleased.

After a brief rest, they set off again. Like an ancient Silk Road caravan, they crossed the vast desert, climbing dune after dune, trekking across stretches of sand and skirting one sandy ravine after another. They owed it all to the camels, known as the ships of the desert.

Camels had a remarkably keen sense for danger in the desert. They could avoid quicksand and poisonous insects, making them indispensable for desert travel.

That day...

The eastern horizon was awash with dawn clouds, vibrant and breathtaking. Yet their color was bloodred, as if soaked in blood. Just looking at them filled people with dread.

Still, Yang Xueli and the others were captivated by the bloodred clouds.

Yang Xueli took out her camera and snapped a picture of them.

"Old Hu, look! It's like the light of dawn was painted by God's own hand. Oh, God, the sight you've created is mesmerizing." Yang Xueli pointed at the clouds, her voice trembling with awe.

Hu Bayi came to stand beside her and looked up. The bloodred clouds really did look like something only the hand of heaven could have painted.

"These are the most beautiful and mysterious clouds I've ever seen. You can hardly find a sight like this anywhere but in the desert." Yang Xueli took a few more pictures. Even in the desert, you needed luck to witness such a beautiful display.

Hu Bayi didn't reply. His brow furrowed; he had a bad feeling again.

"Old Hu, beautiful things often hide danger behind them."

Hu Ming came over and spoke up. Turning his head toward Hu Bayi, he said, "There's a saying: 'When dawn clouds appear, don't set out; when evening clouds appear, you can travel for miles.' It means that when clouds like these show up in the morning, you shouldn't go out. A sandstorm is coming."

Hu Bayi nodded and turned to pack up. He decided to trust Hu Ming. He wouldn't joke around at a time like this; Hu Bayi knew what kind of person he was.

Yang Xueli still wasn't convinced. "Is there really going to be a sandstorm?"

"Stay here by yourself and wait. Then you'll get your answer." Hu Ming turned around and spotted Sa Dipeng and Chu Jian dawdling as they loaded the supplies. "Move it! The sandstorm's coming. If you keep dragging your feet, I'm leaving without you."

Sa Dipeng and Chu Jian stared at Hu Ming, confused. Hu Bayi had suddenly told them to pack, and now Hu Ming was saying a sandstorm was coming.

"Big Brother Hu Ming, is a sandstorm really coming?"

Hu Ming ignored them and shouted to the Fatty instead, "Help load the supplies! Tie everything down tight, or it'll bounce off when the camels start running." He hurried over to help, too.

The five of them quickly loaded the supplies and tied them onto the camels' backs. Just then, An Liman spread a small blanket on the ground, knelt on it, and began to pray devoutly, muttering in some unintelligible language.

Seeing this, Yang Xueli started to panic and hurriedly called for Professor Chen to mount a camel.

The bloodred clouds looked as if they had stained the whole sky with blood. They even bathed the desert in red, turning the sand bloodred and lending everything an eerie air. Beyond the dunes, the wind began to rise.

Whoo—

The wind howled like ghosts and wolves as it swept in, sending yellow sand flying everywhere.

The desert weather was unpredictable. Whether their luck was good or bad, Hu Ming and the others had run into a sandstorm.

An Liman turned deathly pale. He looked badly shaken. He rolled up the blanket in a few quick movements, his legs pumping like pistons as he dashed to the lead camel and swung himself onto its back.

He slapped the camel hard, his face stricken with panic. With a snort, it rose to its feet and took off at a gallop.

"Run! The sandstorm's coming. It'll bury you in the sand!"

An Liman was decent enough to call back to the others, but there was no need. Everyone was already on their camels, clutching the humps for dear life as the animals galloped after the lead camel.

Whoo—shhh—

The wind and sand swept over them, stinging like needles. The sandstorm hadn't fully hit yet; this first blast was still relatively mild.

Even so, sand filled the air, and visibility was terrible beyond five or six meters.

Luckily, everyone wore sand goggles and headscarves, with their faces wrapped up tight. They didn't have to worry about the sand whipping directly into their faces.

Whoosh—

The wind and sand showed no sign of letting up. The camels panicked and galloped wildly for several hours, bouncing everyone on their backs until they could barely catch their breath. Hu Ming and the others were all right, but Ye Yixin and Professor Chen, who were frail, couldn't take it. They felt as though their whole bodies had been shaken apart.

At last, the wind and sand began to ease. As their leader, Hu Bayi was worried that Professor Chen and the other scholars couldn't withstand any more jolting, so he told the Fatty to stop An Liman.

The old man knew that the camels were nearing their limit after running for so long. He felt sorry for them, so he had the lead camel stop.

At last, everyone could catch their breath.