Chapter 24 The First Rain

At that moment, I was confused and thought that I was about to die, and I had already accepted my fate in my heart. I thought that death was like this, that was not bad.

Just like this consciousness, I don’t know how long this confused state lasted. Slowly, I felt something slapped my face. This feeling was very far away, but it became clearer little by little.

Then the perception began to revive and I gradually regained consciousness. At first, I just felt my body back vaguely, but later I began to wake up and gradually felt about the surroundings.

The first thing I felt was the coolness, very coolness. Walking along the Devil City, the mental depression and low clouds made people feel very frustrated. The coolness around me was particularly comfortable, as if it was immersed in a bathtub with ice water.

Then I found that the feeling of chapped lips was gone, and the lips were cold, as if there was a cold thing drilling into my mouth. I licked it, licked it again, and then I found that it turned out to be water!

Is someone saving me? I was ecstatic and my body had already reacted. I sucked desperately, using my greatest strength to move my lips, bit by bit, and felt a coldness begin to enter my internal organs.

After drinking the water, I fell asleep again. At the moment of losing consciousness, I seemed to hear a few familiar voices talking. I couldn't hear clearly and had no strength to pay attention. I instantly lost consciousness.

I woke up again and felt that I had been sleeping for a long time, and all kinds of perceptions came back together. My hearing and touch, my strength began to recover, and my consciousness became more and more clear. Finally, I finally opened my eyes.

The first thing that caught my eye was a rough face, very familiar. She was smiling at me.

When I saw this face, I immediately felt something was wrong, and I couldn't think of why I felt this way. Who is this? I closed my eyes and thought for a while, searching for the faces of those Tibetan drivers. Is it the one who drives 876? No. The one who drives the water truck? No.

After thinking about it, I couldn't figure out which one this person was in the team. Then I was shocked and immediately realized why, it was not right. This is not the person in the team, this is... huh? Isn't this face Wang Fatty?

My mind tightened, ah? Fatty Wang? Why did he appear here? It's impossible? He has returned to Beijing.

Am I dreaming? Are I hallucinating?

I opened my eyes again and still had the familiar fat face, with a slim face full of hawks, which was a little older than when I was in Beijing, and I just stared at me and got closer.

I closed my eyes again. It felt abnormal, no, it was impossible for Fatty Wang. Even if I dreamed of him, I wouldn't dream of him.

I gritted my teeth hard and opened my eyes for the third time. At this time, my mind was already very clear. When I saw that it was Fatty Wang. He lit a cigarette and turned his head to say something behind him. My ears were not clear, and I couldn't hear clearly what he was saying. Then, I saw another person poking his head over, which was very familiar. It turned out to be Pan Zi.

What happened? I frowned. I thought to myself, did I not enter the Gobi Desert at all, or was in Hangzhou? Everything before was my dream?

When we recall what we encountered, a large number of memories surged up. We encountered sandstorms, cars broke down, people disappeared, shipwrecked in the mound... Everything is very real. It is absolutely impossible to dream.

At this time, my ears returned to hearing. I heard Pan Zi say, "Mr. Little Third Master, how do you feel?"

I bowed my back hard. I wanted to sit up, Panzi came up to help me. I sat up and breathed a sigh of relief, and saw what was happening around me. It seemed like a cave with a bonfire inside. I saw several sleeping bags and equipment thrown around. It was pitch black outside the cave, and it was obviously already evening.

At the same time, I saw the oil bottle sitting next to the campfire, cooking something, while Aning was lying in a sleeping bag on the other side, and had not woken up yet.

I gradually realized that I was not dreaming. "What's going on?" I massaged my temples and asked Pan Zi, "Why are you here? I'm not dreaming, right? Am I dead?"

"It's not that I died, it's almost dead." The fat man said to the side, "If it weren't for your fat man, I wouldn't have seen this thing, then you are already stinking at this time."

I watched the fat man playing with a few copper coins and knew it was Aning's mark, but I still couldn't figure it out.

"Then why are you here?" I said strangely.

"We have been following your team." Pan Zi said, pointing to the Muyou Bottle, "You don't know, actually, after you entered the Gobi Desert, the Third Master's team immediately followed. Every camp site, this guy left a mark to guide us, so we kept the gap with you and were always behind."

"What?" I didn't understand Pan Zi's words at once, "Sign? Behind us...he..."

Pan Zi said: "This is the plan of the Third Master. This guy and Hei Xiazi were arranged by the Third Master to cooperate with the foreigner, with the purpose of getting into the team. Because the Third Master said that things have come to this point, it is impossible to figure out Jude Cao's real purpose by himself. He can only use this method, just like Jude Cao's way back then, to break into the internal situation. I really didn't expect that you would have also gotten in. If I had known this, I would have invited you directly."

I was still a little confused. It took me a long time to understand Pan Zi's words: "Wait, what, my third uncle? Are you saying that my third uncle has planned all these? Then... you?"

"We have been ready in Golmud, and our people in Dunhuang have been preparing for nearly half a month. As soon as your team set off, we followed behind. At that time, the guy left a message and told us that you were in the team. Third Master was shocked. Third Master, you are really, didn't Third Master tell you not to be muddy water anymore? Why are you still here?"

I took a breath and suddenly felt very weak. Damn, I thought to myself that this time I really didn't expect that...that black glasses came all the way to take care of me like this...it seems that my third uncle is still the face...

Pan Zi continued: "You are inside, the third master has to worry about your safety, so let the black guy point you. The show is very big this time. Jude Cao is still a chess game, thinking that he would get rid of the third master this time, but he didn't expect that we had planned it long ago."

"What about my third uncle?" I looked around and didn't see the shadow of my third uncle.

"The Third Master is behind us, and it's a little short of the way. This time we came a lot of people, and it's hard to follow. Fatty Wang and I played the vanguard and made the way in front. We kept following you, and then left marks for the Third Master along the way. But I didn't expect that something happened to you when you got here."

At this time, my thinking became clear. I suddenly remembered that when I had a long conversation with Men Youping that night, he said that he was standing on my side so that I didn’t have to worry. So that’s what it meant. It turned out that this was the third uncle’s plan.

I really didn't expect this. It seems that the old fox is really an old fox. I really don't have the qualifications to fight with Uncle San.

"You are also lucky. We have been following you, otherwise you will have dried up now." The fat man next to him said, "You have the physical condition and want to do this business. I think you should really make a good deal on your small business when you go back."

I asked Pan Zi: "Why did he come too?"

Pan Zi said that the guys from Changsha all went to other people's houses. Now the third master has brought new recruits again, but he has not had enough experience, so he invited him to support the scene, which is also an old price.

The fat man said, "What? You still don't like me? Tell you, I'm carrying it back."

I waved my hand quickly and my heart suddenly felt relieved. Uncle San’s people were like family members, my own. I don’t have to be wary of everything. And I’m used to working with these people, knowing their abilities, and the happiest thing is that Man Oil Bottle is really standing on our side, so everything will be fine.

Just now, the fat man was feeding me water. I gradually recovered my strength and took a few sips by myself. They didn't let me drink too much, saying that I should slowly replenish my water.

I looked at Aning without reaction. I didn't know what was going on. I asked Pan Zi if she was fine.

Pan Zi said: "Don't worry, your good looks are better than you. I've woken up once, and now I've eaten something and slept again. This is not a desert, you just fell into a coma after being dehydrated and unconscious. It's not sunburn. Just add some salt water and sleep more."

Pan Zi teased me, probably because I saw that Aning and I were not well-dressed, so I didn’t have the strength to refute him, so I ignored it. Although my body was a little weak at this time, I was already very energetic. I got up and ate something, asked what hole was this, and how did they find us at that time.

Pan Zi told me that this place is still in the Devil City, in a cave on a rocky mountain, which was discovered by the fat man. After something happened, Zhaxi and his friends fled to the place where the car broke down. They waited for us for a long time but didn't come out. Zhaxi thought that Aning and I would not see the Arabian stone pile, and now they don't know if we were killed or lost.

Immediately, Menyoubob sent a signal to them with a mirror. They rushed up and left the black glasses to take care of the rest. Menyoubob brought Pan Zi in to find us.

When I asked how they found us in such a big place, Pan Zi said that this place was a bit weird. The order of these stone mountains seemed to be designed, and they just followed their feelings. In fact, the route of the land was exactly the same as that of us. Finally, when I saw Aning's mark, I found us all the way and fell on the sand.

When I talked about this, I was still scared and nodded quickly: "Indeed, this place is so damn that I can't get to the point of no matter how I go, but I'm not going back. I don't know what's going on." I suddenly became nervous again, thinking that we are still in the Devil City, so why can't we still not get out?

"We are not as stupid as you. We keep marks all the way, so don't worry." Pan Zi said.

The fat man also said: "The marks I made are all such large stones, which can be seen one kilometer away, and I can also see the reason why I can't get out."

"Oh." I asked with relief, "Why is that?"

Pan Zi said, at the beginning, we didn’t know if the fat man was powerful, and he really saw it. Let me tell you the truth. We are no longer the original devil city. It is at least 150 kilometers away from the original devil city. This is a huge Yadan landform group, composed of more than a dozen small devil cities, with the Gobi in the middle. All devil cities are connected by rocks and mountains, connected by head and tail, forming a huge devil city chain link. You just follow this chain, which is 3,600 square kilometers. Can you walk out?

I shook my head: "It's impossible, how could it be such a coincidence? I just found a direction and kept walking without any deviation?"

The fat man said, "You don't admit that you are stupid. Which direction you are going in is designed by someone else. That's because there are many stones in this devil city. These stones are placed very carefully. They often bypass a rock mountain. There are many stones on one side. There are few stones on one side, but because the stones are messy, you can't tell which side is easy to walk and which side is difficult to walk in an instant. It feels similar, but subconsciously, you can tell the direction of the few stones.

Choose that direction in a conditioned manner, and as a result, you have been walking in this Devil City, the direction others have designed for you. And. Almost every intersection is like this. Even if you make a wrong judgment, you will still have countless opportunities to be corrected next. This trick was very ordinary in ancient times. There was a very simple land name for the working people, called Qimen Dunjia. "As he said that, he looked at the Man Oil Bottle, "Brother, am I right?"

Mon Oil Bottle looked up at us, ignored him, and looked at the fire. It seemed that he was worried.

I laughed and said, "When did you understand Qimen Dunjia?"

The fat man said that you don’t know a lot, and he looked very proud of his expression. I thought to myself that this guy was learning and selling it now. He took back the topic and asked the fat man: "Then do you mean that someone in this Devil City uses these gravels to make a fool of himself?"

The fat man nodded: "That's the case. But if you encounter a stupid formation, you will definitely find it if you encounter someone who is stupid or has a very careful observation. It's been a year since these stones, and it is estimated that this place was a battlefield at that time. Queen Mother of the West should be a master of numerology, and these stones are used for defense."

Speaking of this, Aning's voice came from the sleeping bag. She said softly: "You are wrong. Queen Mother of the West is simply the creator of Qimen Dunjia. When Huangdi got the divine book of Earth and Heaven. It was given to him by Queen Mother of the West. When it comes to Qimen Dunjia, she is the ancestor."

It turned out that this woman was not sleeping, and we were all shocked. I immediately remembered the legend of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Girl, and was shocked. It is true. The legends and some historical records of that year all said that Huangdi unified the Central Plains at that time and received strong help from the Queen Mother Kingdom of the West.

Thinking of the ancient ship again, I thought it must have been a shallow lake in the past. These rocks were exposed on the water surface, and the rocks underwater would strand the ships. Then the boatman would choose places with fewer reefs to travel, making it easier to get lost. This may be the reason why the Queen Mother Kingdom of the West has not discovered it for so many years.

Thinking of this, my eyelids suddenly twitched and I said to Pan Zi: "Are you saying that the Devil City here is a ring?"

Pan Zi nodded and I asked, "How did you know?"

Pan Zi shook his head: "This is what our guide said. What's wrong?"

I excitedly drew a circle in the sand: "You don't know, I've read Wen Jin's notes. She said that Queen Mother of the West was protected by an invisible city wall. Others could not see this wall, but when they touched it, they would inevitably turn back. Here, thousands of years ago, it should have been water, which means that there was a water belt here, similar to a moat, surrounded by a circle. If we assume that this protective belt was unable to enter others and protected the "invisible city wall" of the ancient city of Queen Mother of the West for so many years, then Queen Mother of the West should be within this circle, that is, in the middle of this devil city circle."

After I finished speaking, everyone looked at me indifferently, as if they were looking at a fool.

I was seen for no reason and spread my hands and said, "I'm wrong?"

Pan Zi patted my shoulder and said, "My third master, you said that we have guessed it without reading Wen Jin's notes. However, if the situation was really that simple, then the ancient city of Queen Mother of the West would have been discovered long ago. This is the Qaidam Basin, not Takramakan. Although it is rarely visited, it has been subject to countless geological investigations. Therefore, if the ghost town is here, the situation must be very special. It is likely that it will be buried under the Gobi Desert, or it is in a situation where others are difficult to discover. You think you can see it there, which is very stupid and naive."

When I thought about it, I asked them, what are their plans?

Pan Zi said that they originally planned to follow Aning's team and arrive at Tamutu, but now there is such a big accident here. However, according to the decisive master Zhuoma, walking with the ancient riverbed for two more days in the west of this devil city is the rock mountain pass where she and Wenjin's team were separated, and the road to the next place. The decisive master Zhuoma didn't know him anymore. He planned to go there to rest after we recover and wait for the third uncle's team. After that, he planned to walk down the river channel, because the ancient city must be near the river channel, and the team that was back then must have walked like this, and we can try our luck.

I said to Pan Zi: "But when the ancient river channel reaches this section, it has basically been mixed with the Gobi, and I can't see clearly at all."

"Don't worry, that's it." said the fat man. He pointed to the dark outside.

We were at the bottom of the hole and didn't know what he meant, so we walked out. As soon as we reached the entrance of the hole, a cool and damp breath suddenly came to our face, and then I heard a very familiar voice.

It was pitch black outside and I couldn't see what was going on, but I was very familiar with this situation. However, for a moment, I couldn't believe what I thought of.

When I walked out of the hole and was hit by water droplets on my face, I realized that I thought to myself, fuck it. It was raining outside.

But how is this possible? This is the Gobi Desert, and it may only rain a year, and it is definitely not this season.

I walked back and said, "What the hell is going on? Why does it rain?"

Pan Zi said, "Mr. I have to thank this rain, otherwise you will become a salted fish if you can't wait for us to come. When we found you, the rain had already started to fall. Now there is water outside and we can't walk out, otherwise we will carry you out. It's not comfortable to stay here. After the rain, the old river will definitely be full of water and will flow downstream. Even if we can't see the river, the water can know it, so don't worry."

At this time, I thought of what the decisive master Zhuoma said to me: Time is coming soon, if you miss it, you can only wait for another five years. I thought to myself, is it referring to this rain?

The more I think about it, the less reliable it is. But seeing that the Man Oil Bottle didn't say anything, there should be no problem, and I feel much more at ease.

After that, I went to rest. This time I didn’t sleep well. When I woke up the next day, I once again thought I was dreaming.

In this cave, we rested for two days, and Anning and I were both healed. Aning was familiar with the fat man. She didn't say anything, but she suddenly became very cold to me. Maybe she thought I was arranged by Uncle San and deceived her.

I didn't care. I almost died and I was still worried about this. On the third day, we set off. Following the mark, we walked to the water in the ankle, walked in the rain for two days, and walked back outside first to meet with the black glasses. The people outside were already desperate, and when they saw us coming out safely, they couldn't believe their eyes.

Pan Zi rested for another day outside, and he suggested that I stay here and wait for my third uncle to arrive before deciding whether to come in.

However, at this time I felt that I had no face to see my third uncle, and the message from the decisive master Zhuoma made me determined to find Wen Jin. In fact, we didn’t have much time left, so we insisted on playing the pioneer with Pan Zi.
To be continued...