Feng Guoting asked: "In my eyes, all the scenes are the same. How do I know that we are going in the right direction?"
Lin Zhuang said: "First of all, we must rely on the stars to locate our position, and there are specific signs along the road, because we must not go the wrong way. As long as we deviate from the correct route, we will be doomed. The water we carry is only enough for us to reach the oasis. ˇč Literature Bar:wxbaˇč"
The sun began to climb towards the middle of the sky. Under the merciless rays of the sun, all objects near and far seemed to have lost their substance and became dazzling. The condor flying across the courtyard also flew into the account and perched on the arms of the courtyard. The Kumtag Desert is gray and confusing, extending flat and flat to the bottom of the sky.
Thinking of the "noon ghost" described by Lin Zhuang, even though it was extremely hot, everyone still felt a chill in their hearts.
After the sun goes down, the temperature drops sharply, making people and horses shiver with cold. As they set off into the desert, strong winds rolled up the sand and hit them head-on. The feeling of being invaded by the sand in all directions was really uncomfortable, but it was better than a cloudless sky with the sun spraying fierce flames on the earth. , the sand grains reflect the scorching and dazzling sunlight of the day. This harsh environment has consequences, causing humans and horses to suffer from "sand blindness."
It was hard for the three of them to imagine that an oasis could appear in this place without any life or hope. According to Lin Zhuang, it was due to the strange phenomenon of underground rivers rising to the surface during the spring and summer floods. In autumn and winter, the oasis would disappear. Without a trace, the plants in the oasis turned back into seeds hiding under the wind and sand waiting for another spring. This road to the plateau, which is hidden deep in the desert, is not well known. Even if it is known, no one dares to break in. Only the Tubo people who know the time and location of the oasis can dare to travel back and forth along this route. However, even the Tubo people are not 100% sure, because the oases will migrate with the underground rivers, so the two oases are called the "Big Ghost" and the "Little Ghost" respectively. Finding them requires a bit of luck and an awareness of moisture. Keen senses. Lin Zhuang has extraordinary abilities in this area. Therefore, he was sent to this secret route to meet them.
Long Ying and others are not worried about not being able to find an oasis. Long Ying possesses a demonic seed. As long as he walks roughly the right way, the source of water will definitely not be hidden from his spiritual sense. What makes them even more reassured is that the condor flying in the sky can detect it. Any place that is different within a hundred miles.
They led the horses forward step by step, surrounded by mist. When the wind and sand stopped for a while, Lin Zhuang looked up at the sky and discerned the stars in the sky from the gaps that were not covered by the wind and sand. Among the horses, only Xueer still looked relaxed and content. Follow Long Ying without any involvement, following suit. Although Lin Zhuang's Tubo horse is shorter than theirs, it shows its hard-working physique in the desert environment.
Before dawn, a strong wind suddenly blew up, and the yellow sand rolled in with the wind. Fortunately, everything was tied firmly before entering the desert. Otherwise, anything that is not fastened will be blown away. Under the raging wind and sand covering the sky and covering the night, it will be difficult to move even an inch, and everyone will be huddled together. Protecting the horse in the middle, all you can do is ask God to let the wind and sand pass as soon as possible.
The sky finally dawned, but in fact it was not much different. What we saw was still a sandstorm. It dominates everything, and the only difference from night is that in addition to the wind and sand, there is also the heat wave of the desert. The sun was weak even under the sandstorm.
They lost the sense of time. After an unknown amount of time, the sandstorm finally stopped and everyone finally returned to the world.
The four people cheered and screamed strangely, Xueer looked up to the sky and neighed, and the condor that Feng Guoting was most worried about landed on his shoulder safely. Only those who have been through the sandstorm just now can understand how precious it is to drink another mouthful of water alive.
They camped and set up tents to rest, and used the white cotton cloth given by the wives of An Tian as sleeping mats. This roll of cloth was more than three feet long, thick, soft and heat-resistant. Fortunately, they did not think it was too heavy and threw it away.
Lin Zhuang has rich experience in the desert. He first wets the forage and feeds it to the horses, then serves them to drink water, and then wipes the horses' bodies with a wet cloth to keep them cool.
Lin Zhuang said: "In the desert, the water in the horse's body will evaporate quickly, the blood will become thicker, and it will suddenly die when it cannot flow, so it needs to drink a lot of water during the day."
Wan Renyu said: "We should bring some camels."
Feng Guoting looked around and asked with lingering fear: "How long will it take to find the 'big ghost'?"
Long Ying smiled and said: "Don't make a mistake and find the 'noon ghost' that Lin Zhuang said."
Wan Renyu said: "Thank you for being in a joking mood." Xuan You sighed: "I will never forget this journey."
Lin Zhuang said happily: "Because Master Ying is not an ordinary person. When the sandstorm was causing evil just now, I felt that Master Ying's power protected the horses and calmed them down. Otherwise, they would lose their temper and go crazy."
Long Ying smiled and said: "Lin Zhuang is indeed a man of the right principles."
Lin Zhuang smiled and said: "So every time the prince goes out, he takes me with him."
"The wind passes through the court" continuesHe said: "How many days are left?"
Lin Zhuang cast his gaze into the depths of the desert and said, "It should be enough in five or six days."
Everyone was speechless. One night was already so difficult, and five or six days were really hard to figure out how to survive. Kumtag, which is much smaller, is already so terrifying, and Taklimakan, which is several times larger, is really not what it is like.
After the sun went down, they continued their journey. Unexpectedly, after seven days of walking, there was still no sign of the oasis. Even Lin Zhuang had a grimace on his face, hoping that the oasis had just moved its location instead of disappearing.
By the night of the ninth day, they began to run out of water, and on this night, things finally turned around.
It's night, the desert is dead silent, the sky and the earth are still, but the night sky is unusually beautiful. The moon is big, round and far away. The desert in front of us is no longer flat, but tall and spectacular tower-shaped sand dunes, standing on the waves of the vast sea of ??sand. on the ground, forming an undulating surface. Lin Zhuang told them a reason that they heard back. This kind of sand dune is a special type of sand accumulation formed by the combined action of multiple wind directions. It has edges on three sides and the top surface is in the shape of a minaret. Some people call it "a minaret". mound".
From a distance, they look more like the undulating breasts of a fair lady, but when you step on them, this beauty disappears. The slope on the windward side is very solid, and the sand is packed tightly and tightly, while the other side is very loose. If you take the wrong road and pick the wrong slope, the moment you step on it, the sand will immediately flow and sink into your knees and thighs. If it were during the day, you will definitely be burned immediately.
The horses became very nervous and hesitated to move forward when they reached the top of the slope. Half-coaxed and half-forced by them, they slowly raised their hooves and walked reluctantly. For fear that they would roll down the hillside and sink into the loose sand, the entire load of the horses was borne by them. In this case, no light skills would work, and they could only support themselves step by step.
After midnight, we finally left the sand dune formation behind. Unexpectedly, we were surrounded by a gravel plain, but both the man and the horse were exhausted and could not move forward.
There are still endless sand dunes in the distance to the left and right, but to the south is a solid sandy and gravel ground, like a Yangguan Avenue leading to a mysterious place.
Long Ying said: "I feel the water."
Lin Zhuang closed his eyes, opened them after a while, frowned and said, "I can't smell it!"
Feng Guoting became energetic and said, "This is easy." He pursed his lips toward the sky and let out a musical whistle. The condor circled and flew southward according to Feng Guoting's gesture.
Everyone became nervous, having water or not having water was the difference between life and death. If no oasis is found before sunrise, all horses except Snow will die when they see the sun.
The condor turned into a large black spot, suddenly circled rapidly, performed its unique aerial dance, then rushed downwards and disappeared.
Everyone was so crazy, making a strange scream, led the horse regardless of everything, and ran to the Eagle.
The oasis kept expanding in front of us, and the surrounding environment was extremely changing. Many weathered giant rocks with strange shapes appeared. Rows of poplar trees appeared in front of us. There were also various strange desert animals and plants in groups. Birds soared in the sky, and the air became moist. It was almost a mirage. Otherwise, how could there be such a wonder in the hinterland of the desert?
Xueer took the lead and ran, followed by the horses. Longying and others also spread their body skills and ran towards the "big ghost" like a race with the horses.
At the core of the huge oasis, there is a lake with a length of thirty feet, a green and blue lake, shimmering under the moonlight. The men and horses jumped into the water at the same time. No matter how ice-cold the lake was, fortunately, surprisingly, the lake still retained the heat energy it had accumulated during the day. It was as warm as spring, making them feel comfortable.
Lin Zhuang shouted: "This is a hot spring lake, thank God."
Long Ying and others had long noticed that the lake was filled with mist, and streams of steam lingered in the air, like fairy mist. However, all he thought about was water, and he had no time to think about whether the lake was cold or hot.
There is a lot of green around, and this oasis should be no less than fifty miles in length and breadth. Covered with tender grass and wild flora and fauna, it is an incredible and otherworldly place.
After enjoying themselves for a while, the four people left the hot spring lake wetly. At this time, the sun rose. While the horses were leisurely eating fresh grass on the grassland, everyone came to the height of a green hill and looked at the southern front in the shade of the trees. road.
More than ten miles away, the grassland was replaced by strange rocky areas. The weathered rocks and rocks are in various shapes, like tables and platforms, and some are even like humps. They gather and disperse irregularly, forming a colorful stone forest, intermittently. Extend to the south.
Lin Zhangqiang breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Success! This strange area is called the 'Avenue of the Gods'. It stretches for hundreds of miles and leads to another oasis. Walking further south for dozens of miles, you can reach the sparse forest area at the foot of the Altyn Mountains. , never get lost again.ˇ±
The condor flew down and landed on the horizontal trunk of the poplar tree behind them, casting its sharp eyes towards the south.Feng Guoting said: "Isn't the oasis at this location before? Why haven't I heard you mention such an easy-to-recognize shortcut?"
Lin Zhuang replied: "The oasis may be the intersection of two underground rivers. When the rain is heavy, the underground river water rises to the ground to form an oasis. When the underground river changes its course, the oasis also changes its position. The last time I entered the desert via the Shinto, The big ghost is sixty miles away from here."