Liu Dashao checked his watch. It was already past nine in the morning. He looked around. Everything was hazy and vast. If it weren’t for the camel tracks behind them, he would have thought they were stuck in chaos. It seemed they had indeed entered the Taklamakan Desert.
The scenery here couldn’t compare to the night view. Everywhere exuded an aura of death. The title “Sea of Death” was indeed well-earned.
It was already unbearably hot at nine in the morning. Looking up at the sky, all he saw was a reddish glow.
Everyone had taken off their thick cotton coats and changed into lighter clothing. Fan Debiao, with his excess body fat, was sweating profusely and suggested stripping down to his underwear.
Liu Dashao said to Fan Debiao, “Damn it, don’t forget there are ladies around. If you take off all your clothes, you might scare them. Besides, you’re supposed to be a feng shui consultant now. Watch your image.”
Hearing Liu Dashao’s words, Fan Debiao thought for a moment. To maintain his image in the eyes of the pretty girls, he endured the heat.
The temperature kept rising, so hot that even the camels didn’t want to walk anymore. Others kept drinking water nonstop. Seeing this wouldn’t work, Wang Feifei suggested everyone dismount the camels and dig a pit to rest in.
Fan Debiao agreed and willingly jumped off his camel. He grabbed a shovel and started digging. In one breath, he dug two or three meters deep. However, even with a depth of two or three meters, staying inside still felt like being roasted.
Fan Debiao said this wouldn’t work. If they continued like this, they’d end up like Beijing roast duck. He instructed everyone to climb out while he dug another one or two meters deeper.
This time, it was slightly cooler, but still sweltering. With such weather, walking during the day was impossible. After a brief discussion, everyone decided to rest during the day and continue at night. Thus, they would have to stay longer in the desert.
Fan Debiao said he would rather stay an extra month in the desert than walk under the scorching sun, or else he would be sunburnt before even reaching the ancient city.
At this moment, the old man Kelama, with a face full of anxiety, said, “Can’t we go back first?”
Suddenly suggesting such a thing, no one understood. The others exchanged glances and fell silent.
Wang Feifei asked the old man Kelama, “Old man, why do you want to go back?”
The old man Kelama looked up at the sky, his anxious expression unchanged, and said, “Look at the sky.”
Hearing the old man Kelama’s words, everyone poked their heads out of the pit and stared at the sky. Except for a few red clouds, there was nothing else.
Fan Debiao, puzzled, said, “What’s wrong with the sky? Did it get a hole in it?”
At this moment, Liu Dashao somewhat understood what the old man Kelama meant. When he was a child, elders at home often said, “Don’t go out if the morning sky is red; travel a thousand miles if the evening sky is red.” The appearance of red clouds in the morning was not a good omen, possibly indicating a change in weather. He quickly asked the old man Kelama if the weather was about to change.
The old man Kelama replied, “Yes, the wind will soon rise in the desert, bringing a huge sandstorm. We can’t go further. We won’t be able to get out if we go in.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces showed anxiety. Originally, the time for this expedition was limited. It would be unrealistic to go out and wait for the sandstorm to pass before coming back in. If they insisted on going in regardless, it would definitely be life-threatening. Now, they were caught in a dilemma.
Wang Feifei thought for a moment and asked the old man Kelama, “Old man, do you have a way to bypass the sandstorm and enter through another route?”
The old man Kelama said, “There is a way, but…”
Fan Debiao, disdainfully, said, “But what? If there’s a way, just say it. Don’t beat around the bush.”
The old man Kelama said, “The weather in the desert is controlled by the gods. Clear skies mean the gods allow us to enter, while strong winds and sandstorms mean they don’t. If we want to enter, we must ask the will of Hu Da, the great god.”
Fan Debiao, stunned for a moment, said, “Who is Hu Da? Let him come out so I can negotiate with him. If he doesn’t let us in, I’ll force him to let us in.”
Fan Debiao’s words made Liu Dashao very embarrassed. Obviously, it was a display of ignorance and lack of manners. He pulled Fan Debiao aside and whispered, “Dashao, the Hu Da they’re talking about is the chief god of the desert, the boss. The old man Kelama is just practicing superstition.”
After hearing Liu Dashao’s explanation, Fan Debiao imitated Liu Dashao’s tone and said, “So this old man is just playing with us, letting a god decide whether we can go in or not.”
Liu Dashao said to Fan Debiao, “Every place has its own customs. Seeking the gods is just for peace of mind and justification. Later, when the old man Kelama consults Hu Da, even if Hu Da says we can’t go in, we must let this old man state it.”
After listening to Liu Dashao, Fan Debiao nodded with a sly smile, seemingly misunderstanding his meaning.
Then, the old man Kelama took out a carpet from a large bag on the camel’s back and spread it on the ground. He knelt on both knees, crossed his hands in front of his chest, and prostrated his upper body on the ground, chanting, “Omnipotent Allah, Hu Da…” followed by a long string of incomprehensible language.
Seeing the old man Kelama acting like this, Fan Debiao found it extremely amusing and sarcastically said, “Wow, Hu Da again. If this Hu Da is so effective, why not ask him not to change the weather.”
Fan Debiao laughed a couple of times and was about to say something else, but it was obviously not going to be anything good. Liu Dashao quickly stopped him, “Damn it, can’t you just be quiet? If you insult Hu Da here, be careful the old man Kelama will fight you.”
After hearing Liu Dashao, Fan Debiao was a bit taken aback and asked, “Really? Is it worth it for Hu Da?”
Liu Dashao said to Fan Debiao, “Of course. From what I know, Hu Da is the only god in this area. These people value the honor of Hu Da more than their own lives. If you speak like this about Hu Da in a crowd, they might tear you apart.”
Fan Debiao was very surprised and said, “Wow, is it that serious?”
Seeing that Fan Debiao didn’t believe him, Liu Dashao said, “Damn it, if you don’t believe me, after we get out, go to the village of the old man Kelama and insult Hu Da and see what happens.”
After hearing Liu Dashao’s words, Fan Debiao was scared and shook his head, saying, “No, I can’t take that risk. I’d rather quietly look for ancient artifacts.”
Seeing Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao chatting for a long time, Wang Feifei, with a serious expression, said to everyone, “Don’t make noise. Let him concentrate.”
Seeing that Wang Feifei had given the order, Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao felt embarrassed to continue their discussion and made a gesture for silence.
The old man Kelama kept groaning on the ground for about ten minutes before slowly raising his body, seemingly having finished consulting.
After seeing that the old man Kelama had completed his ritual, Wang Feifei asked, “Old man, what did your god say?”
The old man Kelama said, “Just now, Hu Da prophesied. He said whether to go in or not is our choice. He won’t stop us nor help us, but the weather will still change.”
Fan Debiao said, “Wow, does this day even want people to live? Isn’t that damn nonsense? Whether to go in or not is naturally our choice.”
Wang Feifei didn’t make a decision immediately but called everyone to discuss. After a short discussion, everyone agreed to go in since the old man Kelama had a way to avoid the sandstorm.
At this point, the old man Kelama was very reluctant, saying the method wasn’t very reliable and there was some danger involved. He was old and didn’t want to take this risk.
After hearing this, Fan Debiao said to Wang Feifei that it seemed the old man wasn’t paid enough, and he was hesitating here hoping she would raise his pay. These days, old men were very mercenary.
After listening to Fan Debiao’s analysis, Wang Feifei thought it made sense. She promised the old man Kelama that if he led them in and they found the ancient city, she would pay three times the original price. As expected, the old man Kelama was just unhappy with the low pay. Upon hearing that he would be paid triple, he immediately agreed.
Now looking up at the sky, even though it was just past noon, the sky had already darkened. It seemed the storm was approaching.
Seeing they didn’t have much time left, Wang Feifei quickly asked the old man Kelama about his plan.
The old man Kelama said that when he passed through here before, not far ahead there was an abandoned ancient city. If they could reach the ancient city before the storm arrived, they could avoid this sandstorm.
After hearing the old man Kelama’s plan, everyone started to act. They climbed out of the sand pit and mounted their camels one by one.
The old man Kelama raised his whip and shouted “A you you you!” The camel team started moving. It seemed the camels sensed the approaching danger and quickened their pace compared to before.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage