Professor Chen, the oldest among them, smiled and stated his purpose directly: "Old brother An Li Man, we are all members of the exploration team. We want to ask you to take us into the desert. We’d like to hire you as our guide. We can talk about the previous matters after we return from the desert."
“Enter the desert?”
An Li Man understood their intentions and lowered his head, remaining silent.
Seeing this, Professor Chen elaborated on their identities, introducing everyone to him and appealing to his reason and emotions.
After a while, An Li Man, holding his tobacco pouch, shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, no, it's the windy season now. Entering the desert, the heavens will surely blame us!"
Shirley Yang said, "Old man, as long as you're willing to take us into the desert, you can name your price. We'll pay whatever you ask."
Hearing Shirley Yang's bold words, An Li Man's eyes lit up. This old man was greedy.
Xu Lang observed the change in An Li Man's expression. As long as he was greedy, it would be easier to negotiate.
Hearing Shirley Yang’s words, the Fatty's eyes turned green with envy. He secretly complained to himself, "Back when we first came here, you didn't say that!"
An Li Man asked, "Wang Ba Wan, if I take them to the desert, will you return the camels to me?"
Wang Ba Wan replied, "Of course, we’ll return the camels to you. How can you take them into the desert without camels?"
An Li Man immediately smiled, "We are all friends. Between friends, entering the desert is no problem."
Professor Chen and Director Wang went to handle the procedures. After the procedures were completed, An Li Man's attitude changed slightly.
Xu Lang noticed this and guessed that the old man was playing dirty.
An Li Man stayed at the institute, feeding his camels, without mentioning entering the desert, only focusing on his dozens of camels.
Shirley Yang asked, "Uncle An Li Man, when can we enter the desert?"
An Li Man said, "Well, that depends on when my camels are full and well-fed. Don't you understand?"
Xu Lang lit a cigarette and smiled, "An Li Man, I have a suggestion. Let's buy all your camels now. After we return from the desert, we'll return all the camels to you. Also, we can help you settle the matter about taking foreigners into the desert."
In this era, camels were not expensive. An Li Man's entire camel herd, at most, would only cost a few thousand. Moreover, it wasn't in US dollars. Shirley Yang didn't care about such a small amount.
Seeing Xu Lang's inquiring gaze, Shirley Yang nodded and said, "After we return, the camels will be yours, and the money will be yours too. I'll pay you double the price, but I hope we can depart as soon as possible."
An Li Man’s hand, holding the fodder, trembled. Then he fell silent again.
Since An Li Man was playing dirty, they had to be dirtier. Only magic could defeat magic. Xu Lang had understood this principle a long time ago.
Stopping Shirley Yang, who was about to continue raising the stakes, Xu Lang smiled, "Fatty, it's up to you. We have to set off within three days at most."
The Fatty laughed, "Leave it to me and Lao Hu. You two go and prepare the necessary supplies. Don't forget about the gun thing, kid."
Seeing Xu Lang turn and leave, Shirley Yang quickly followed and asked, "Can that Fatty handle it?"
Xu Lang replied, "I know you've always disagreed with the Fatty. You two can't stand each other. Maybe the Fatty seems unreliable, but he is actually meticulous and has a good eye for people."
"Besides, the old man isn't refusing to go, he's just trying to get more money. He was already tempted."
"The Fatty values loyalty. His marksmanship puts even me to shame. Moreover, his strength and fighting skills are excellent. He's a comrade you can trust with your back. Lao Hu is a veteran who has seen battle. He’s proficient in various Feng Shui techniques and mechanisms. Everyone has their own strengths."
Shirley Yang curiously asked, "And what about you? What are your strengths?"
Xu Lang chuckled, "My strengths are my strengths, but I can't tell you now!"
Seeing Xu Lang chuckling, she guessed he wasn’t thinking good thoughts.
Shirley Yang continued to ask, "Old Xu, do you think we can find the ancient city of Jingjue?"
Xu Lang said, "Legend has it that the ancient city of Jingjue is the burial place of the Queen of Jingjue. The ancient city of Jingjue contains countless treasures. Many people dream of finding it, but I've never seen anyone who actually found it."
"Even if someone did find the ancient city of Jingjue, they might not be able to come back alive. So, whether we can find it or not is uncertain. Your notebook’s owner, Mr. Walter, should be the only survivor, but he’s already gone mad."
"All I can say is that if anyone can find the ancient city of Jingjue, it’s bound to be us. And even so, as of now, I still can’t guarantee that we will all return safely."
Shirley Yang asked, "Why? You're so certain that only we have a chance of finding the ancient city of Jingjue?"
Xu Lang smiled, "Of course, because we have Lao Hu, and the living map of the desert, and because I’m going with you.”
Shirley Yang didn't understand, but she chose to trust him. At least so far, Xu Lang had never disappointed her.
In the following days, everyone began to rest and recuperate. Lao Hu was still collecting two leather jackets locally. They were very effective at locking in body moisture. He gave one to Xu Lang, but the Fatty was too big for one.
Thanks to Professor Chen's efforts, they only managed to get a single air rifle, with extremely limited lethality. In the Fatty’s words, it could only be used to shoot birds.
Although the lethality was limited, it was better than nothing. After all, it was still useful for scaring people and animals.
Xu Lang wasn’t interested in such a weapon, so he let the Fatty play with it. Moreover, this guy’s marksmanship was extremely accurate. Even Lao Hu, a veteran who had served in the army for many years, couldn't match the Fatty's skills. This guy had been playing with guns since he was a child, basically growing up with them.
Xu Lang still carried his trusty sword and a flask of water. He decided not to drink this water unless absolutely necessary, keeping it as a last resort.
An Li Man selected twenty camels. Camels were more important than anything else in the desert.
On the day of their departure, the Fatty helped organize the supplies, asking as he moved them, "Old man, we're bringing so much bean cake and salt. Are we just going to eat these things all the way? Isn't that going to make us even thirstier?"
An Li Man laughed loudly, "My fat friend, you can eat if you want, but if you do, my camels won't have anything to eat."
Hearing the Fatty's words, Xu Lang’s mouth twitched. Where did he get the idea of letting people eat those things?
Camels need to replenish salt, hadn't the Fatty even looked into that? This guy’s brain circuits were truly unique.
With their supplies and camels ready, An Li Man also brought several large bags of yogurt soup, which was extremely hydrating. They set off early in the morning.
The morning desert air was fresh, and the gentle breeze felt comfortable. The scenery was beautiful. The endless expanse of yellow sand, under the sun's rays, turned into a golden ocean.
According to An Li Man's plan, they would start from Lake Bosten, go to the ruins of the ancient city of Xiye, then head south along the ancient riverbed of the Peacock River...
An Li Man's route planning was roughly the same as their previous plan.
“Didn’t Uncle An Li Man and Brother Xu say the desert is dangerous? Where is the danger in this desert?”
Chu Jian exclaimed, as it was his first time in a desert.
Xu Lang ignored Chu Jian. This wasn't even the outer edge of the desert. He'd have plenty of opportunity to teach this kid a lesson.
It was still early, and even in the outskirts of the desert, by noon, he hoped this kid would still be so carefree.