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墨書 Inktalez
As midnight approached, the temperature in the desert dropped even lower, almost like winter. The wind howled outside, stirring up sand that struck against the canvas tent with a sound like rain pattering.
Bai felt as if he were in an oven, yet the night had turned so cold. The harshness of the desert climate was beyond imagination.
Fortunately, there was a tent to shield them from the wind. Inside, they built a fire to keep warm and took a swig of strong liquor, enough to fend off the chill.
In such conditions, everyone endured their first night in the desert. On the second day, they packed up the tent early, loaded their supplies, and set off again.
The situation was much like the previous day; the heat was unbearable, driving one to madness.
The Guide continued to act strangely, frequently glancing around or stopping to stand atop a dune and gaze into the distance.
This state persisted for a full three days.
On the third day, the Guide spoke little. However, the Camel Drivers could no longer bear it; one by one, they complained and hurriedly climbed onto their camels to continue their journey.
They were not Qi Masters and could not compare their stamina to Lu Chen and the others. After about three hours of walking, they were exhausted and looked haggard.
Of course, Lu Chen and his companions continued on foot. The twelve Bear Demon Death Warriors did the same and showed no signs of giving up for now.
That evening on the third day, everyone had just finished their rations and was preparing to make up for lost time on the road.
At that moment, the Guide looked up at the sky and said, "A Desert Storm is coming."
As he spoke, his expression revealed fear mixed with something else—something strange that was hard to define.
Upon hearing this, most people stopped, holding their breath and pricking up their ears to observe their surroundings, carefully capturing every subtle movement.
Indeed, at that moment, the wind in the air had picked up, even the sand on the ground was being blown into the air.
"What should we do now? Should we quickly find a place to take shelter from the rain? A Desert Storm sounds terrifying," Princess Zhulan said to the Guide.
Seeing this situation, everyone remained calm. Especially Lu Chen and the others, who maintained composed expressions and steady breaths, showing no signs of fear.
They were all top-tier Qi Gong Masters, with a mindset that was not comparable to ordinary people. Regardless of the circumstances they faced, maintaining composure was essential. If one could not remain steady and lost their footing, that would truly be the end.
As for the Guide and the ten Camel Drivers, although they were not Qi Masters, they were seasoned men who frequently traversed the desert and had rich experience.
Upon hearing that a Desert Storm was approaching, none of them showed any intention of continuing forward; instead, they all stopped. The ten Camel Drivers gradually dismounted from their camels, unsure of what to do next.
The Guide swallowed hard and said, "I have been observing the climate in the desert these past few days and paying attention to changes in wind direction. Today, we finally encountered it. Everyone stay calm; if we huddle close to the Camel, we will be safe."
Lu Chen and Princess Zhulan exchanged glances but said nothing.
Then, the Guide knelt on the ground and bowed towards the depths of the desert while murmuring incantations as if praying.
However, he was not praying to the three great ancestors of Central Plains or to Buddha; he was praying to the Desert God for safety.
This was similar to how coastal fishermen would worship the water god before heading out to sea, hoping to avoid encountering strong winds and rough waves.
The Guide believed that the sudden storm in the desert was the Desert God expressing displeasure at the arrival of strangers, thus unleashing his wrath.
The crowd ignored the Guide's actions and stood in front of the Camels as instructed by him and the Camel Driver, waiting for the storm to arrive.
Sure enough, before long, the winds in the desert grew fiercer. The sound was a constant buzzing, and sand was swept into the raging wind, swirling like a vortex in water or like wild vines, blowing in clusters everywhere.
Soon after, the twenty-eight Camels seemed to possess a spirit of their own, obediently lying down on the ground without moving.
At this moment, they all sensed the danger. No matter how much they were scolded or threatened with rewards, they remained completely still, like large stones.
In less than half a moment, the wind and sand suddenly intensified, reaching a level that could only be described as violent.
The Guide stopped praying and hurriedly ran to sit in front of one Camel, burying his head in its fur, which looked quite comical.
However, no one laughed at the Guide's actions; the Camel Drivers did the same.
As the storm raged on, sweeping across the mountains and plains with fierce winds and sand that obscured visibility, people dared not open their eyes or mouths. If they did, wind and sand would rush in.
Others followed the example of the Guide and Camel Drivers, burying their heads in the fur of their Camels. This way, they could avoid having sand blown into their noses and mouths while still being able to breathe freely.
In this hazy situation, everyone felt sand blowing against them from time to time, starting from their feet as if trying to bury them.
But after a while, a strong gust of wind blew through and scattered all the accumulated sand away.
In such a situation, continuing on the journey would pose the danger of losing direction, being unable to find the way, and not being able to see the surroundings clearly. Most importantly, there would be no guarantee of safety for the people, as they could be blown away by the wind and become separated from their teammates, which would be extremely dangerous.
Therefore, relying on the Camels is the safest option, as each Camel weighs over a thousand pounds and is incredibly sturdy; they are like moving fortresses that can be depended upon.
The Desert Storm had been blowing for several hours, and its intensity had finally begun to lessen.
Everyone gradually stood up, counting heads and checking supplies to see if anything had been swept away by the storm. After inspecting from front to back, they found everything intact, with nothing missing.
Before long, the Camels also stood up one by one from the sand, shaking off their bodies to rid themselves of all the sand.
At this time, it was already quite dark; with hands outstretched in front of them, they could not continue on their journey and could only set up camp right there, build a fire pit, and rest for the night.
The next morning, as dawn broke with a grayish light, everyone gradually woke up. Upon stepping out of their tents, they discovered that the terrain had changed dramatically, leaving them momentarily stunned.
It turned out that the strong winds from yesterday had altered the landscape. If they had not been sheltered behind a moderately sized Dune from the fierce winds, they might have been buried alive.
The ten Camel Drivers began to pack up the tents and unload supplies. The Camels had not eaten for several days; one of the Camel Drivers took out a cloth bag and fed them some barley grains and wheat straw, which was sufficient for now.
Princess Zhulan gathered Lu Chen and Tu Youdong together and took out an exquisite Copper Tube from her bosom, about a foot long.
From Princess Zhulan's expression—her delicate brows furrowed—it was clear she was cautious; without needing to guess, one could tell what was inside.
Princess Zhulan lifted her slender white fingers and removed the stopper from the Copper Tube, pouring out a waxy yellow parchment made from sheepskin.
This parchment is the map drawn from the grasslands to the Red Moon Desert, obtained by Sun Zizhao from Young Master Ming and secretly handed over to Princess Zhulan. It is of utmost importance, as can be seen from Princess Zhulan's expression.
Princess Zhulan first examined it herself, then compared it with the surrounding situation, but seemed to find nothing, wearing a worried frown.
Then, Tu Youdong took the parchment from her hands and looked at it, but said nothing.
At this moment, Tu Youdong handed the parchment to Lu Chen. When Lu Chen received it, he felt it was soft and pliable, like holding a piece of thick fabric, but without any rough texture; it was very smooth and delicate.
Lu Chen unfolded the parchment and saw only a few rough lines drawn in blood, along with some blood spots and wavy lines. It was something that most people would find hard to understand.
The map was drawn by a Qi Master who was a member of the expedition team that entered the desert. Due to encountering an indescribable super storm, most of the team went missing.
This person barely escaped thanks to his own bravery; without ink or brushes, he used his blood to draw the map.
Given the urgency of time, the roughness of what was drawn is understandable.
Lu Chen couldn't decipher it and had no choice but to call over the Guide after much deliberation.
As soon as this person saw the lines drawn on the parchment, he furrowed his brows tightly and began to lick his lips repeatedly, appearing deep in thought.
After a while, he nodded; he could roughly understand this map and assured that there would be no mistakes.
However, upon reaching their destination, he seemed somewhat reluctant to proceed. The Red Moon Desert was known for having the harshest environment in that area of the desert, and there were some circumstances he hesitated to disclose.
Princess Zhulan only asked him to be the Guide when she arrived, and the destination was somewhat different from ordinary places. The man hesitated several times, considering the price, before finally agreeing.
His commission was the highest, totaling twenty taels of gold, equivalent to two thousand taels of silver. At the time of the deal, Princess Zhulan paid eighty percent upfront.
The ten Camel Drivers had a commission of only fifteen taels of gold, which was a quarter less than this Guide's, but that was unavoidable.
After some back and forth with Princess Zhulan, the man opened his mouth again to demand a fifty percent increase in his commission before he would agree to go; otherwise, he would not leave.
Looking at his demeanor, it was clear he was the slick type, skilled in calculations and adept at raising prices on the spot.
In the end, with no other options, Princess Zhulan could only reluctantly agree. However, this was merely an empty promise for now; she insisted that payment would only be made after the task was completed.
If he insisted on escalating matters to a breaking point, he would find it impossible to claim even the remaining twenty percent of his commission.
The fellow fell silent for a moment but ultimately had no choice but to agree. Both sides took a step back, allowing for business to proceed.
Finally, the negotiations were settled. At this point, the Camel Drivers had finished loading their supplies, and everyone set off again toward the Red Moon Desert.
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