After laying out the alloy plate, Professor Man spread his arms, leaned forward, and lay on the alloy plate. At the same time, he moved his legs slightly from side to side in the quicksand, allowing water and sand to seep into the vacuum area that had been squeezed out.
"Professor Man, how...how did you do that?"
Zhuang Rui and the others stood around, watching Professor Man pull his legs out little by little as if by magic. They were all wide-eyed, completely unable to understand how he did it.
"Let's talk outside..."
Professor Man gently shook his head. At this moment, everyone could see his action clearly. The yellow sand around Professor Man's body, which was originally moist and somewhat sticky, became noticeably softer and looser under Professor Man's action.
It took Professor Man a good half hour to finally get out of the quicksand and stand up with Zhuang Rui's help.
Although Professor Man appeared relaxed during the process, once he stood on solid ground, everyone could see that his legs were shaking uncontrollably, and his face was pale, clearly indicating that he had suffered a significant internal shock.
"This...it's out already?"
Erdan had witnessed the power of quicksand swallowing camels, so he found it hard to accept that Professor Man had so easily escaped it. He muttered to himself, "This... if only I had known this would happen, Da Mao and Er Mao wouldn't have died..."
"You brat, get out of here. Even if you fell in, let alone a camel, you'd be lucky to stay calm..."
After taking a sip of water, Professor Man felt a little more refreshed and jokingly scolded Erdan.
Professor Man felt a chill run down his spine. When he first fell into the quicksand, his legs felt like they were bound by a thousand-pound weight, dragging his body down. If it had been someone inexperienced, they would have struggled desperately, and the outcome would have been obvious.
"Teacher Man, can we get out of trouble just like you did just now?"
Mengzi was most concerned about this issue. He was begging for food in the desert and might encounter quicksand at any time. If he could learn Professor Man's skill, it would be a life-saving ability.
Professor Man nodded and said, "Yes, the first thing to note is that when you fall into quicksand, lean your body back as much as possible. If you fall headfirst, even a god can't save you... The second thing is to do what I just did: don't panic. Be gentle and move your feet lightly in the quicksand. This will relieve the pressure on your body and allow the sand to loosen gradually..."
Although it was Professor Man's first time getting stuck in quicksand, his theoretical knowledge was quite extensive, and combined with his previous experience, he could be considered a quicksand expert. He then shared some of his insights with Mengzi and Erdan.
After Professor Man and Mengzi finished talking, Zhuang Rui said, "Professor Man, I've found a suitable site over there. Why don't you rest for a bit, and we can go over this afternoon..."
"Found the site? Let's go take a look..."
Professor Man waved his hand. He worked in the field for many years and was in relatively good health. After resting for a while, he had recovered.
Arriving at the spot where Zhuang Rui had planted the flag, Professor Man squatted down and observed carefully for a while. Using a wooden stick, he parted the quicksand about two meters away from his body and said, "Xiao Zhuang, look, you can't tell the difference on the surface, but if you part the sand, there are still some differences..."
"Yes, there is a difference. We both used a clumsy method just now..."
Zhuang Rui took a closer look and found that the yellow sand beneath the surface of the quicksand was slightly damp, unlike the dry yellow sand on the ground. In fact, there was no need to use stones to probe the way; a stick would suffice.
Professor Man shook his head after hearing Zhuang Rui's words and said, "This is early morning. If it were noon, it probably wouldn't work..."
It hardly rains in the desert. After a few hours of intense sunshine, even the yellow sand on the surface of the quicksand becomes very dry, which is why Professor Man made that statement.
"Well then, let's get going as soon as possible..."
Having spent several days in the desert, and now with hope of finding the ancient temple ruins, Zhuang Rui didn't want to delay any longer. He immediately said, "Teacher Man, you sit on the camel and rest. I'll scout ahead..."
"Brother Zhuang, let me do it..."
Peng Fei snatched the wooden stick from Zhuang Rui's hand. This scouting mission was dangerous. If someone accidentally fell headfirst into the quicksand, even a god couldn't save them.
"Go, go, you follow behind me..."
Zhuang Rui snatched the wooden stick away in annoyance. If Peng Fei led the way, who knew when they would be able to get around this quicksand area.
After some arguing, Zhuang Rui finally won the job of scouting by threatening not to bring Peng Fei along in the future, and took the lead.
Walking in the desert is like stepping on a sponge, with each step sinking deep and sinking shallow. Fortunately, Zhuang Rui has spiritual energy that can restore his strength, and it still took him nearly five hours to get around this area of quicksand.
"Look, there's an oasis ahead..."
Peng Fei had followed Zhuang Rui for a while, but he couldn't keep up and rode a camel. From the camel, he could see farther than Zhuang Rui and was the first to see a patch of vegetation ahead.
The appearance of vegetation indicated that soil had appeared in the sandy area ahead. Professor Man quickly called out to Zhuang Rui, "Zhuang, it's alright now. Hurry up and get on your camel to rest..."
Dr. Ren and the others had some understanding of Zhuang Rui's physical abilities, but as they watched him walk along the way, Professor Man and the others were still amazed. Being able to walk continuously for five or six hours in the desert without stopping was almost beyond the limits of human physiology.
"It's alright, Teacher Man, let's rest here tonight..."
As Zhuang Rui approached the vegetation, he discovered that there were several poplar trees growing around it, which humans call "living for a thousand years without dying, standing for a thousand years after death, and remaining undecayed for a thousand years after falling."
Perhaps because of the presence of a water source, these not-so-tall poplar trees still have green branches and have not died.
"Well, I didn't expect to find such a desert oasis so close to the northern Gobi Desert. It seems we still haven't done our job properly..."
As an important plant for desertification control, Professor Man has a deep understanding of poplar trees. After a cursory glance, he determined the underground conditions and said, "There must be a water source within four meters here, and it's drinkable..."
Protected by its root system, the poplar tree can live comfortably as long as the groundwater level is not lower than 4 meters. However, when the groundwater level drops to 6 to 9 meters, it can only put on a brave face and become listless.
If the groundwater level drops further, the poplar trees will have to leave this world, fulfilling the proverb that they will remain standing even after they die. Therefore, if you see rows of fresh or dried poplar trees in the desert, you can tell that there used to be a water source there.
Chapter 1111 Ancient Temple (Part 1)
After resting for a night, the group rode their camels northward the next morning. According to Mengzi, the ancient temple should not be too far away.
Leaving this small oasis, the view is filled with yellow sand again. However, perhaps because it is close to the northern Gobi Desert, small stones can be seen on the ground from time to time, probably swept up from the Gobi by the strong winds.
Perhaps due to the windy location, the group struggled to ride their camels, and their clothes were stained with yellow sand, leaving only one color.
If a photograph were taken, even if they were said to be caravans from the Silk Road more than a thousand years ago, it would probably be impossible for outsiders to tell the difference. Of course, cameras were necessary in that era.
"The wind is much stronger here, Zhuang Rui. If we still can't find the temple ruins by tonight, let's go back..."
Just as Dr. Ren finished speaking, a gust of sand swept in and rushed into his mouth, causing him great discomfort. He quickly picked up his water pouch, drank some water, and spat it out.
"Alright, senior brother, if we still can't find it today, we'll go back..."
Although somewhat unwilling, Zhuang Rui knew that after nearly a week in the desert, apart from him, Professor Man, and two tour guides, everyone else was basically exhausted. If they stayed any longer, something might happen.
Especially Xiao Jia, who is usually very energetic, somehow caught a chill last night and developed a low-grade fever this morning. Luckily, they had medicine with them, otherwise they really didn't know what to do. Compared to the safety of the archaeological team members, the site itself was not so important.
Zhuang Rui wasn't sure if he could find the ancient temple ruins today. In any case, the results of his spiritual energy survey showed that there were no man-made ancient sites within a radius of more than ten kilometers.
Given their speed of travel in the desert, they could only cover a few dozen kilometers a day at most, and it was highly likely that they would return empty-handed.
Dr. Ren knew that Zhuang Rui had high hopes for this desert archaeological expedition. Seeing his helpless expression, he said, "Zhuang Rui, it's okay if we don't find it this time. When I get back, I'll apply for funding from the university to set up an archaeological team specifically for that ancient temple site. We can come back again..."
"It's alright, Brother Ren, there will be other opportunities in the future..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand, saying it wasn't about money. Even if the research institute set up a dedicated archaeological team, the funding wouldn't be much; at most, they could just have more complete personnel.
After a few words of casual conversation, Zhuang Rui and Dr. Ren both shut their mouths. The sandstorms in the desert were too strong; if you opened your mouth, you would be drinking the wind and getting a mouthful of sand along with it.
Around noon, the group used their camels to form a small archway, ate a simple meal, and continued northward. Turning back today was definitely out of the question; they hoped to find a sheltered spot to rest and have a meal. ...
In the afternoon, around 10:00 PM, the sandstorm subsided. To conserve the camels' energy, everyone except the sick Xiao Jia dismounted and continued on foot.
"Brother Zhuang, it's all my fault. Why did I have to get sick now of all times..."
Sitting on the camel, Xiao Jia knew he was the one who was slowing down the archaeological team, and he was in a bad mood. He was now insisting on walking.
"Everyone gets sick sometimes, don't be ridiculous. There are no doctors in this desert. What if something happens? How am I supposed to explain this to your family and school?"
Zhuang Rui stopped Xiao Jia. He was the leader of the archaeological team, and he would be held responsible if anything happened to the team members. No matter how important the archaeological work was, the safety of the team members was more important.
"I'm not even as good as Xiao Lei, she's not even..."
Xiao Jia was very dissatisfied with himself. Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped and stared blankly ahead.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"
When Zhuang Rui saw that Xiao Jia had stopped talking, he quickly asked with concern.
"No...no, Brother Zhuang...there's a huge forest ahead..."
Riding on his camel, Xiao Jia had a better view and immediately remarked, "This forest is so strange; there isn't a single leaf..."
"No leaves?"
Zhuang Rui followed Xiao Jia's gaze with suspicion and looked ahead. Sure enough, he saw a withered yellow forest in the distance, just as Xiao Jia had said, with bare branches and twigs.
"Poplar forest? That's a dead poplar forest..."
Zhuang Rui immediately realized what was happening and shouted, "Everyone, get on the camels! We can camp up ahead..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, everyone looked up and spotted the poplar forest ahead, their faces showing surprise and delight.
On a journey through the desert, people are often silent. In this boundless desert, even a single tree in the distance, let alone a poplar forest that is hailed as one of China's ten most enchanting and captivating landscapes, is silent.
More than ten minutes later, the trotting camels finally reached the edge of the poplar forest. Everyone was shocked by the sight before them. Everywhere they looked, there were dead poplar trees, some lying on the ground, and some still standing tall and straight. Their strange shapes shocked everyone's vision.
Vast stretches of dead poplar trees stand naked in the desert, their withered branches struggling to reach for the sky, as if desperately pleading for something. Beneath the trees grow some red, yellow, brown, and green desert vegetation, like the rich and intense colors in an oil painting, extending towards the horizon.
"I never expected to find such a large poplar forest outside of the desert ruins of Jingjue, Loulan, Heicheng, Juyan, and Tongwan..."
Although it wasn't the first time Professor Man had seen a dead poplar forest, he was still captivated by the tragic scene before him. A sense of sorrow and desolation permeated the lifeless forest, a feeling that seemed to emanate from distant ages. "These trees have only been dead for a few decades. What a pity, what a pity..."
Professor Man dismounted from the camel and stroked the dead poplar trees with his hands. Unlike the tall protective forests in Xinjiang and other places, these desert poplar trees were relatively short, but their role was no less than that of those poplar trees that were more than ten meters tall.
Everyone was immersed in the magnificent scene. Zhuang Rui even released the spiritual energy in his eyes to sense the life force within the death. However, to his disappointment, there was no trace of spiritual energy left among the rows of withered poplar trees.
"Hmm? This is... the ruins of an ancient temple?"
When the spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes extended forward for more than a hundred meters, he suddenly froze. He discovered that behind the poplar forest, there was a rather large building. Just by touching some stone steps and wooden doors, Zhuang Rui could feel a rich spiritual energy.
Compared to the legendary ancient temple ruins, the breathtaking poplar forest before them clearly held a greater attraction for Zhuang Rui. He quickly coughed to bring everyone's thoughts back to the present and then said, "Professor Man, with such a large area of poplar forest here, could the ancient temple have been built nearby?"
Before Professor Man could answer, Mengzi interjected, "Brother Zhuang, it's nearby, it must be nearby. The old folks in town say that this place used to be lush with trees, and the temple was very popular with worshippers. It must be here..."
Buddhism was introduced to China from the Western Regions, and temples were built along the ancient Silk Road, but most of them disappeared in war and desert.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in and take a look..."
Zhuang Rui and his group's main purpose was to find the ruins in the desert. After hearing Mengzi's words, even the sick Xiao Jia started to shout.
Nakagawa, who had remained silent the entire way, lowered his eyelids after hearing Yan Xiaowei's translation, preventing anyone from seeing the gleam in his eyes.
In this withered poplar forest, some trees still lay fallen, making it difficult for camels to enter. After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui said, "Alright, there shouldn't be any danger here. Everyone go in and tie the camels to these poplar trees..."
"Xiao Zhuang, you guys go ahead, I need to stay here and observe the situation of the dead poplar trees..."
Professor Man stopped Zhuang Rui. He was an expert in desertification control and was extremely concerned about these phenomena related to desertification, but he didn't care much about things like ancient temples.
"Teacher Man, please be careful, we'll head over now..."
Zhuang Rui couldn't care less about Professor Man at this moment. Besides, they were deep in the desert, so as long as nothing like the Scorpion King from Western mythology came along, there was no danger.
After tying up the camels, everyone carried some water and food, while Zhuang Rui took an entrenching tool, and the group entered the poplar forest.
"My God, this...this is the small temple you were talking about?"