Chapter 102: Smoke in the Desert
Yangguan, located in the northwest of China, is the throat of China's ancient land transportation and a must-pass pass on the southern route of the Silk Road. It has always been a strategic location that military strategists have fought for.
Back then in Tianshan, Zixuan and two other people accidentally rescued an elf elder who had been trapped for hundreds of years.
The elder left them a token, promising that if they needed his help in the future, they could come to the elves to find him, and he would do his best. He also pointed out the habitat of the elves.
According to the jade slips left by the elders, Yin Yue and the other two learned that the elves' secret habitat was in the desert west of Yangguan.
After hearing what Yin Yue said, Xiao Jing stood up with a strange smile on her face. She said, "Sister, are you planning to walk out with Fang Fang like this? Aren't you afraid of being suspected?"
As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly. Yin Yue and Hu Fangfang stood together, like a pair of twin sisters. If they looked at each other, it would be like looking at themselves in the mirror.
Over the years, Yin Yue has appeared in public as "Bai Zixuan" - either he transformed into Bai Zixuan's appearance, or his soul moved around in Bai Zixuan's body, so he has long been accustomed to his current appearance.
Just now, Hu Fangfang's physical body was placed in the formation to be nurtured, and her soul was placed in Bai Zixuan's body.
Now, both of them are Bai Zixuan!
There were two Bai Zixuans in the secret room, but if they went out together and were seen by others, they would be shocked and start to have wild thoughts.
When Yin Yue and Hu Fangfang heard Xiao Jing say this, they couldn't help but smile at each other.
Yin Yue actually remembered this matter before, but she forgot about it when she saw Hu Fangfang successfully take over the body just now.
She said a little embarrassedly: "I was too impatient!"
Yin Yue thought for a moment, then said to Xiao Jing and Hu Fang Fang: "Many people saw you and I coming in just now. I think I should turn into Fang Fang's appearance!"
"Fangfang, when the time comes, I will go out with Xiaojing in your image, and you can find a suitable reason to the outside world! You don't need me to teach you this, right?"
Hu Fangfang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Fangfang will understand!"
Yin Yue nodded, then silently recited a spell, spun her body, and a light blue halo suddenly flashed around her. In the blink of an eye, she turned into Hu Fangfang.
Xiao Jing looked at Hu Fangfang's body in the crystal coffin, then looked at Fangfang transformed by Yin Yue, smacked her lips and said, "Not bad! They look like they were carved from the same mold."
Yin Yue rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "The world is dangerous. If I can't even do this well, how can I lead you guys?!"
In the world of cultivation, monsters can transform into human form when they reach the early stage of Dan formation. When they reach the late stage of Dan formation, they can transform into even more things.
Yin Yue is now in the stage of transformation, so transforming into a new person is a piece of cake for her.
"Okay, we've done most of what needs to be done. We can go now!"
After Yin Yue finished speaking, she led the two of them out of the stone chamber.
As the three of them left the secret room, the underground returned to its former tranquility. On the thick stone walls, only layers of spiritual runes were faintly moving around.
Dozens of minutes later, Hu Fangfang was still staying in the manor to handle affairs, while Yin Yue and Xiao Jing left the Bai manor.
Of course, to outsiders, it was Miss Bai Zixuan who stayed in the manor, and she asked Xiaojing to leave with the housekeeper Hu Fangfang.
After Yin Yue finished dealing with things in Hangzhou, she immediately booked a plane ticket to Dunhuang City in northwest China for the same day.
Yangguan is located near the Gobi Desert in the southwest of Dunhuang City. After getting off the plane at the Mogao Grottoes Airport in Dunhuang, Yin Yue and her friend took a car to Yangguan. In ancient times, Yangguan was a transportation hub and a very prosperous place. Today, the former Yangguan City has long since disappeared, leaving only a beacon tower ruins standing on the mountain for future generations to pay tribute to.
On the south side of the mountain, there is an endless beach with sand dunes, sand ridges and gravel flat land between the sand ridges. Locals call it "Gudong Beach".
On the gravel flat ground between the sand dunes of Gudongtan, there are many ancient coins, weapons, ornaments, pottery fragments and other ancient relics scattered around, which are widely distributed and can be picked up at will. Therefore, the locals say that "if you enter Gudongtan, you will not return empty-handed."
In addition, there are still some remains of houses, farmlands, channels and other sites here. After the strong wind, these sites are clearly visible and eye-catching.
Of course, Yin Yue and Xiao Jing's destination was not here. They were not here to inspect the ruins or reminisce about the past.
However, according to the information left by the elf elders, if you go west out of Yangguan and head southwest for a distance, you will see a vast desert.
According to the elder named Dong Yuan, the elves' habitat is in the sea of sand.
Based on Yin Yue's understanding, the elves to which this elder belongs should be light elves, and they naturally would not really live in the desert.
Rumor has it that elves were born from the corpses of giants and absorbed the essence of the giants to become spiritual creatures. Those born on the side of the corpse facing the light are called light elves, and those born on the side facing away from the light are called dark elves.
Light elves are usually gentle, cheerful and enthusiastic, able to communicate with trees, flowers, fish and birds, and usually live in deep forests. Dark elves are irritable, calm and serious, and usually live in underground caves.
Yin Yue and Xiao Jing hired a taxi and drove along the way, seeing many travelers traveling together. They drove non-stop, passed Yangguan, and finally arrived at a town.
This town is called Sand City and is also known as the last area of human activity - beyond that is the desert.
At the southern end of the old town of Shazhen, there is a small river. On one side of the river is the city, and on the other side is a huge sand mountain. The desert is connected to the city, the oasis is accompanied by yellow sand, and the extremely high temperature is only one step away from the normal temperature... This is undoubtedly a beautiful and charming place.
The taxi driver had obviously been here more than once and was very familiar with the place. He obviously treated them as fellow travelers, and introduced the local customs and practices to them with great interest, starting from the sunshine. The sand city is unique, and it must be the only one in China.
According to him, Sand City is rich in yellow sand resources and people live on sand. This is the holy land of Chinese sand sculpture art, and a sand sculpture art exhibition hall has been built in the city. Every year, tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists come here to participate in theme activities.
Of course, this vast desert connects Dunhuang and XJ, and therefore has become the most mysterious and arduous route on the ancient Silk Road. It is still shrouded in a veil of mystery, so it attracts many brave Chinese and foreign explorers every year.
When they arrived at the Shacheng New District, the taxi driver strongly recommended that Yinyue and her friend go to a farm stay and visit the sand sculpture museum and other attractions in the new city area.
However, Yin Yue shook her head and told him to keep going. The taxi crossed the small river in the old town and stopped not far from the bridge.
The terrain here is relatively flat, with a small village and, in the distance, sand hills that undulate like waves. Human civilization seems to have come to an abrupt end here.
Looking up at the silver moon, the sky was cloudless and a red sun was hanging high in the sky. Smoke from cooking in the village rose, and the sounds of people and livestock could be heard faintly. This scene was a bit like "the smoke rises in the desert and the sun sets over the long river".
Under the driver's surprised gaze, Yinyue and Xiaojing took out some standard hiking and camping equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, moisture-proof mats, hiking shoes, GPS, compass, walkie-talkies, hiking clothes, etc.
"Now you should believe it, right?"
Yin Yue smiled and said to him, "We really want to experience the desert and we really want to hike through the desert!"
(End of this chapter)
