Danger Approaches

"Professor Chen, please eat something. Wash your hands first." Ye Yixin picked up the large water bag, preparing to pour water for Professor Chen to wash his hands. For days, they had washed their hands before every meal. Wang Yang hadn't said anything, as there had always been riverbeds and lakes along the way to replenish their water supply.

But now that they had reached Sacred Tomb Mountain, replenishing their water source would be difficult. From this point on, water was extremely precious.

Hu Ming knew how unreliable these bookworms could be, so he had already stored over a dozen barrels of water in his personal space.

"Little Ye, you all need to conserve water. Don't end up dying of thirst in the desert," Hu Ming reminded them, seeing this.

"It's okay, Brother Hu Ming, we still have plenty of water!" Hu Bayi, who had walked over, shook his head upon hearing this. He had just reminded Chu Jian and the others, and they had given the same reason.

Plenty? Hu Ming fell silent upon hearing Ye Yixin's words. This girl was the type with a good figure but no brains. Fine, do as you please.

After a short rest, everyone continued their journey. The group, like an ancient silk caravan, traveled through the vast desert, crossing dune after dune, treading over patches of sand, and navigating around sandy gullies. This was all thanks to the camels, known as the ships of the desert.

Camels had an extremely accurate sense of danger in the desert, able to avoid quicksand and venomous insects. They were simply indispensable for desert travel.

One day...

The eastern horizon was painted with a vast expanse of morning glow, the clouds displaying a multitude of colors, breathtakingly beautiful. However, they were a blood-red hue, as if soaked in fresh blood, instilling fear at the sight.

Yet, Yang Xueli and the others were captivated by this blood-red cloudscape.

Yang Xueli took out her camera and began photographing the clouds.

"Old Hu, look over there! It's like a divine hand painting the rosy clouds. Oh, God, the scenery you've painted is mesmerizing," Yang Xueli exclaimed, her voice trembling as she pointed at the clouds.

Hu Bayi walked over to her side and looked up. Gazing at the blood-red clouds, it truly appeared to be a scene painted by the hand of the heavens.

"This is the most beautiful and mysterious cloudscape I've ever seen. It's hard to witness this anywhere but in the great desert," Yang Xueli said, taking a few more photos. To see such a beautiful cloudscape, even in the desert, required luck.

Hu Bayi, however, remained silent. His brow furrowed; he had a bad feeling again.

"Old Hu, beautiful things often hide danger behind them," Hu Ming said, walking over. He glanced at Hu Bayi. "Morning clouds don't go out, evening clouds travel a thousand miles. This means if such morning clouds appear, you shouldn't go out, as a sandstorm is coming."

Hu Bayi nodded and turned to pack their belongings, preparing to leave. He chose to believe Hu Ming; he knew Hu Ming wouldn't joke about this. He understood Hu Ming's character.

Yang Xueli still seemed skeptical. "Will there really be a sandstorm?"

"You can stay here and wait for the answer yourself," Hu Ming said, turning away. He saw Sa Dipeng and Chu Jian slowly packing supplies and shouted, "Hurry up! The sandstorm is coming. If you dawdle any longer, I'm leaving without you."

Sa Dipeng and Chu Jian were startled and looked at Hu Ming in confusion. Hu Bayi had suddenly told them to pack, and now Hu Ming was saying a sandstorm was coming.

"Brother Hu Ming, is a sandstorm coming?"

Hu Ming ignored them and directly yelled at Fatty, "Help me pack the supplies! Tie them down tightly, or the camels will shake them off when they run." He then ran over to help.

The five quickly packed the supplies and tied them onto the camels' backs. At this moment, An Liman spread a small rug on the ground, knelt on it, and prayed devoutly, muttering in some unknown tongue.

Seeing this, Yang Xueli became a little flustered and quickly urged Professor Chen onto a camel.

The blood-red clouds seemed to dye the sky like blood, casting a red glow over the desert. The sand instantly turned blood-red, exuding an eerie atmosphere everywhere. A wind began to pick up from the direction of the dunes.

Whoosh~

Like a ghost's wail, the sand wind swept in, kicking up dust and sand everywhere it passed.

The desert weather changed unpredictably. Whether their luck was good or bad, Hu Ming and his group had encountered a sandstorm.

An Liman's face turned pale, clearly terrified. In a few swift movements, he rolled up his rug and, as if his feet were chained, scrambled towards the lead camel and mounted it.

He vigorously patted the camel, his expression filled with panic. The camel stood up with a grunt and bolted, its four hooves flying.

"Run! The wind is coming! It will bury you in the yellow sand!"

An Liman, still showing some loyalty, shouted back at everyone. But there was no need for him to shout; everyone was already on their camels, clinging tightly to their humps. One by one, the camels followed the lead camel, galloping away.

Whoosh~ Swish swish~

The wind and sand swept in, hitting everyone like needles, causing sharp pain. The sandstorm hadn't officially arrived yet, but the preliminary wind and sand were still relatively small.

Yet, it was already a sky full of sand and wind, with visibility reduced to about five or six meters.

Fortunately, everyone was wearing sand goggles and had their heads wrapped tightly with scarves and bandanas, so they weren't afraid of the wind and sand hitting their faces.

Whoosh whoosh~

The wind and sand never stopped. The frightened camels galloped desperately for several hours, bouncing the people on their backs until they were breathless. Hu Ming and the others were fine, but Ye Yixin and Professor Chen, with their weaker constitutions, couldn't take it. They felt as if their entire bodies were falling apart from the jolting.

Finally, the wind and sand subsided. As the leader, Hu Bayi worried that the intellectuals like Professor Chen couldn't endure the continuous bumping, so he asked Fatty to signal An Liman to stop.

The old man knew the camels were nearing their limit from the continuous running. Out of concern for the camels, he had the lead camel stop.

Everyone could finally catch their breath.