Dream King

Chapter 44

In the end, the fat man prevailed, finishing his noodles first. He then got up and pushed Hao Aiguo, who was sitting by the pot, aside. While serving himself noodles, he sarcastically remarked, "If you want to eat, you can cook your own! Didn't we already distribute our rations when we entered the desert? This pot of noodles was all cooked using Master Mo's supplies. It was Master Mo's, the water was Master Mo's, the pot was Master Mo's, even the stand was set up by Master Mo. What right do you have to spout nonsense here? You're shameless." After saying that, the fat man, Wang Kaixuan, picked up his noodles and started slurping them down again.

The fat man's words made Hao Aiguo's face turn red and then pale. In the end, Professor Chen couldn't stand it anymore and handed him the half-eaten noodles. Ye Yixin did the same, but after the fat man's words, Hao Aiguo was too embarrassed to accept them. So, with a livid face, he silently returned to his original seat, picked up the water bag from the ground, and silently began to eat his dry rations.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone sat around the fire chatting when Anliman suddenly told them that even if they survived the storm, they might not be able to escape the attacks of wild beasts in the desert, casting a shadow over the faces of the archaeological team.

Suddenly, Ye Yixin screamed. When everyone rushed over, they discovered that there were white bones buried in the sand in front of Ye Yixin. However, none of them were ordinary people, and they quickly calmed down. After all, which of those who did archaeology hadn't seen a few corpses and skeletons?

Hu Bayi then told Professor Yang that after this great storm, they might be in the heart of the Black Desert. He also subtly pointed out that Professor Chen was old and might not be able to survive with them. He suggested that they send Professor Chen back first after the sandstorm stopped. However, the elderly Professor Chen frankly said that he was born for archaeology, which ultimately dissuaded Hu Bayi from sending Professor Chen back first.

Shirley Yang, who had been quietly observing Hu Bayi, suddenly called him aside and praised him for doing a good job, saying he was more than qualified to be the captain of the archaeological team, and hoped that he could boost everyone's morale.

Hu Bayi looked at the members of the archaeological team. Except for Fatty and Mo Mo, everyone else looked dejected. So he turned around and called on everyone to sing a song. Unfortunately, everyone was too exhausted to sing. Hu Bayi had no choice but to sit down and tell them his story of being a soldier. He wanted to tell them that as long as they could overcome their fears and weaknesses, they would definitely be able to win.

Just then, Anliman interrupted everyone again, raising a practical question: when will this sandstorm finally pass?

By this time, it was completely dark outside. Everyone had been exhausted after a long day, so they all laid out their beds on the floor to rest. To Mo Mo's surprise, Ye Yixin laid out her bed next to Mo Mo's. Mo Mo smiled slightly and didn't say anything. Just then, Hu Bayi called Wang Kaixuan to bury the pile of bones. After all, although no one was afraid, it was still uncomfortable to sleep in the same room with a pile of bones.

Mo Mo estimated that they would find the stone statue soon, and sure enough, less than a minute later, Hu Bayi and his companion dug up a large, black rock. The others, who hadn't gone to sleep yet, curiously gathered around. Hu Bayi continued digging through the sand, and three or four minutes later, the head of a giant-eyed stone statue carved from black stone appeared. Professor Chen examined it carefully and recognized that the statue was exactly the same as the giant-eyed stone statues he had seen in many places in Xinjiang. This giant-eyed stone statue is also a mystery in the archaeological world.

Just as everyone was about to dig out the stone statue to take a look, Anliman came out and stopped them, saying that this would offend the gods and that digging it out rashly would cause the gods to punish them. However, Momo knew that there was a nest of desert man-eating ants under the stone statue.

After a day of hustle and bustle, everyone was exhausted. After the shifts were assigned, those who weren't on duty rested. Among the group, Mo Mo was in the best spirits and physical condition, so it was decided that Mo Mo and Wang Kaixuan would take the shift from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. Mo Mo naturally had no objections.

After assigning the night watch, Mo Mo found that his makeshift bed was already laid out. When he saw Ye Yixin lying next to him, he immediately understood. As for why Ye Yixin was being so obvious, Mo Mo didn't quite understand. Although he had taken good care of her along the way, and Ye Yixin also had feelings for Mo Mo, it shouldn't be so obvious. However, when Mo Mo saw Hao Aiguo's jealous gaze, he immediately understood.

After all, Ye Yixin was not only one of only two in the team, but also the only girl among Professor Chen's students. Moreover, Ye Yixin was gentle, kind, sweet, and lovely, with a pair of big, watery eyes. She always looked like a pure little girl, like a well-behaved girl next door, making people feel no pressure at all. She was also delicate and sickly, which made people feel an urge to stand up and become a hero to protect her forever. So it was only natural that she would be especially likable.

Facing Hao Aiguo's jealous and slightly resentful gaze, Mo Mo once again elegantly ignored it. After all, the two were not on the same level at all. If Hao Aiguo had behaved himself, Mo Mo might have been able to save him later, since he was among the first to die in the group.

After lying down, Ye Yixin fell asleep as soon as she saw Mo Mo. After an unknown amount of time, Mo Mo felt a soft, delicate body embrace him. He opened his eyes and saw that it was indeed Ye Yixin. Perhaps it was because the night was too cold, and driven by instinct, Ye Yixin hugged the warm Mo Mo tightly, and then showed a sweet smile. Seeing this, Mo Mo covered Ye Yixin with his blanket, and then turned around and hugged her in his arms.

About two or three hours later, Mo Mo felt someone approaching her, so she opened her eyes and found it was Fatty. Knowing it was her turn to keep watch, she carefully separated Ye Yixin's hands that were tightly holding her, covered her up, and then went to keep watch.

The night passed by little by little. When Hu Bayi was woken up by An Liman's noise, Mo Mo had already been watching the commotion for a while. Mo Mo also noticed that the desert army ants underground were quite agitated after being roasted by the fire on the ground all night. Now that Professor Chen and the others had dug out the stone statue blocking the ant nest, these desert army ants would probably swarm out soon.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 93 The Escape in the Desert, the Great Tomb in the Well

Hu Bayi was a little confused after getting up. He shook his head and asked Mo Mo, "What happened? Why is it so noisy?"

"Professor Chen and his team dug up all the stone statues while Anliman was out checking on the camels. Now Anliman is making a scene, saying they have blasphemed the gods and will definitely be punished. He insists that Professor Chen and his team bury the statues back and kowtow to them as an apology. But Professor Chen and his team are obviously unwilling, so they are arguing," Mo Mo said with interest.

"You just stand there and watch? Honestly, you didn't even try to persuade them." Hu Bayi complained, then went over to continue mediating. Finally, with Hu Bayi's comforting words, An Liman gradually gave up, muttering that he had offended the gods as he walked out.

Professor Chen discovered many esoteric Buddhist scriptures on the unearthed stone statue, and he was delighted to record them and study them back home.

Meanwhile, Shirley Yang was wiping her pistol. Hu Bayi asked her with concern if she had rested well last night. However, Fatty did not call him aside to warn him as he would in the original story, telling him not to let his guard down.

Two or three minutes later, Anliman walked back from outside dejectedly, saying that the sandstorm had finally stopped. Just as everyone was preparing to pack up and leave, many desert army ants that would devour people to the bone gradually appeared on the ground. Everyone panicked and hurriedly fled. At the place where the stone statue had been dug, the fine sand began to churn and piles of ants broke out of the ground.

Anliman took the opportunity to abandon everyone and escape. Hu Bayi told Wang Pangzi to chase after him, while Mo Mo pulled Ye Yixin and ran out, kicking the fire to scatter the army ants' path and allowing everyone to escape successfully. However, after they escaped, they found that Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang were missing.

Just as everyone was worried, Shirley Yang caught up, took the tear gas canisters from Fatty, and ran back, instructing Fatty to keep an eye on Anliman and lead everyone to wait for them ahead.

A few minutes later, Shirley Yang and Hu Bayi helped each other walk towards the group. Fatty Wang Kaixuan saw this and ran over from a distance. At this time, Hu Bayi's eyes were watering from the tear gas and he was unable to walk. He had to rest for a while and take stock of the supplies. Five or six minutes later, the group set off again.

Mo Mo and his group once again trekked through the vast, endless desert. After walking for two or three hours, they stopped to rest. However, due to losing a lot of water during their escape, the team was now severely short of water. Of course, this did not include Mo Mo, as all his belongings were still there.

When Hu Bayi saw Shirley Yang sitting on the ground exhausted, he handed her his water, unexpectedly showering everyone with a dose of PDA.

Mo Mo handed the water bag to Ye Yixin, then looked at the vast desert. Just then, Fatty Wang Kaixuan suddenly rushed over to settle scores with An Liman for his escape. The two then got into an argument, and the hot-tempered Fatty was about to make a move, but Hu Bayi stopped him. The atmosphere in the group suddenly became heavy.

Finally, Professor Chen broke the awkward silence by asking An Liman how to find a water source. An Liman pointed out that everyone had gone in the wrong direction. He told Hu Bayi, who was studying the route map, that it would take at least three days to replenish their water supply at the original location, and their water supply would not last more than a day. Although Mo Mo still had plenty of water, no one dared to touch it.

At this point, a team member suggested that if all else failed, they could kill the camels. Anliman, who was standing nearby, looked grave and very worried. Hu Bayi, seeing this, comforted him, saying that they would try their best to return and would not kill the camels. Anliman looked at him and sincerely bowed.

Then Anliman led everyone back. After walking for most of the day, Anliman pointed out that they could find the well after passing the sand dunes ahead.

Many years ago, Anliman had been to this area. When he was tired and thirsty, a white camel that shone with light appeared and led him to water. That's why Anliman valued the camel so much.

After crossing the sand dunes, Anliman suddenly pointed to the yellow sand not far away and shouted excitedly that the ancient city ruins with water sources were below. Hu Bayi noticed that Anliman's expression was getting strange and asked him why. Anliman said that too much time had passed and he dared not be sure if there was still a water source there.

Hu Bayi was worried when he saw the tired expressions on everyone's faces due to lack of water, but he felt inexplicably relieved when he saw Mo Mo's calm expression.

The group finally arrived at the place Anliman had mentioned, and Anliman knelt down again to worship the sand cave in front of him.

Anliman said there was a well inside the sand cave. Mo Mo, Hu Bayi, Wang Pangzi, and Shirley Yang went in one after another. Professor Chen and the others waited anxiously outside. Suddenly, a deafening gunshot rang out from inside the cave. Then, Wang Pangzi rushed out in a panic, fell to the ground panting, and couldn't speak.

Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang followed slowly out. It turned out there was a large water source inside. Fatty Wang was joking with everyone, and the gunshot just now was because Fatty Wang was startled by a rabbit and fired it randomly.

Just then, Mo Mo came out carrying two sand rabbits, saying that this was his dinner for tonight. The others could help themselves if they wanted to eat, as there were still a few more inside. Everyone, relieved that they had just had a scare, went inside to get water. Some even confidently declared that they would catch more rabbits than Mo Mo for dinner. Hu Bayi went over to thank An Liman, and the two then gave each other a friendly hug.

When everyone came out after fetching water, Mo Mo had already processed the wild rabbit and taken out seasonings from his backpack. Shirley Yang also took out dehydrated vegetables, which were precious at the moment, and cooked a pot of vegetable soup for everyone. Seeing this, Mo Mo cut two rabbit legs into the soup, turning it into rabbit meat and vegetable soup, which would better replenish everyone's energy.

As for the group that had just been so confident, they only managed to catch one rabbit. Mo Mo shook his head upon seeing this, told Hu Bayi to get angry, and then called Fatty to go back inside. As for why there were rabbits here, and even zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) could appear, what was so strange about a few rabbits appearing in the desert?

With Mo Mo's help, tonight's dinner was even more sumptuous. Everyone sat together, eating and chatting happily, dispelling the last trace of gloom.

In his excitement, Fatty Wang was about to reveal what happened between him and Hu Bayi when they went to the cemetery at Niuxin Mountain, but Hu Bayi stopped him in time. Mo Mo looked at Shirley Yang, who seemed to be deep in thought, and smiled slightly, thinking to himself that Shirley Yang probably already knew that the two of them were hiding something.

After they finished eating, Ye Yixin pulled Mo Mo aside and asked him to tell her about his experiences. So Mo Mo told Ye Yixin some folk tales and strange stories. If Mo Mo had told these things to another girl, he would have been ridiculed and wouldn't have been able to win her heart. But the girl he was talking to was Ye Yixin, who was an archaeology graduate student and was very interested in these kinds of things.

Just then, Hu Bayi ran down the hillside, took out his compass, and began to study the starry sky. He pointed out that there should be a large tomb under the well where water had just been drawn, but because the terrain of the desert was too varied, he was not too sure. He wanted to know Mo Mo's abilities, so he looked at Mo Mo.

Mo Mo knew there was indeed a tomb below, but he didn't figure it out by sight. After all, he had read the original novel. So he looked at the stars above his head, nodded, and pointed out that, based on the shape and terrain of this place, the tomb should be that of a king or nobleman.

After hearing this, the members of the archaeological team excitedly turned on their flashlights and peered down into the well. Shirley Yang stood at the well's edge and listened for a while before saying, "There's the sound of flowing water down there. There should be an underground river."

Hu Bayi thought for a moment and prepared to go down and take a look first, but An Liman stopped him, accusing them of digging up ancient tombs in this way, which was no different from tomb raiding.

Despite Professor Chen and others' explanations, An Liman still couldn't understand their so-called protective archaeological research.

Hu Bayi secured the rope, and Shirley Yang silently handed him her pistol. With the help of the others, he descended into the well alone. Hanging at the bottom of the dark, dilapidated well, Hu Bayi saw a staircase and an ancient, carved door on one side of the well wall, his face lighting up with delight. He quickly climbed back up and told everyone what he had seen. After some discussion, the group decided to explore the tomb the next day.

Mo Mo knew that they were finally arriving at the Jingjue Ancient City. In the original story, Ye Yixin also began to dehydrate at this time, eventually dying from excessive shock. However, this time, with Mo Mo by his side, he would not let this lovely and kind girl leave.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 94 The Ancient City Named Jingjue in the Desert

The next day, Mo Mo and Hu Bayi's group went down to the bottom of the well. Professor Chen pointed to the animal skin on the door and said, "This was used in ancient times to seal the door of a tomb to prevent moisture from entering." Then he asked Hao Aiguo to do it.

After Hao Aiguo carefully peeled off the animal skin from the stone door, Hu Bayi and Wang Pangzi put on gas masks and together slowly pushed the stone door open.

Mo Mo and his group, carrying flashlights, slowly entered the dark and silent tomb chamber one after another. Ye Yixin, whether out of fear or excitement, tightly gripped Mo Mo's hand. Suddenly, sparks flickered, and the candles used for illumination around the tomb chamber lit up one after another on their own.

Professor Chen reassured everyone not to panic, explaining that the oil lamps spontaneously combusted because they contained white phosphorus, which ignites upon contact with air.

As the candlelight illuminated the tomb, it gradually became clearer. Ye Yixin was horrified to discover that many dried-up corpses were tied to the stone pillars along the way. She couldn't help but gag. Mo Mo, seeing this, hugged her and gently patted their backs, comforting her. Shirley Yang, however, calmly pointed out that these should be slaves or prisoners who were buried alive with the deceased. This should be a sacrificial hall. It was just strange that there were no coffins in this tomb.

Fatty Wang pulled Hu Bayi aside and complained that there was nothing in the tomb. Hu Bayi was also puzzled, because according to the auspicious celestial signs he observed last night, there should have been a large tomb. As the two were whispering, Shirley Yang asked them suspiciously what they were talking about.

Unwilling to give up, Fatty Wang's eyes lit up when he saw Mo Mo comforting Ye Yixin. He ran over and said, "Master Mo, besides Old Hu, you're the only one here who understands feng shui and magic. Could you show me the way?"

Seeing that Ye Yixin was alright, Mo Mo stood up and walked around the tomb. Then he pointed out the stone cover mechanism that had tripped Fatty in the original series. Fatty immediately ran over and started digging, but Hu Bayi stopped him. After all, such a large tomb would definitely have traps and mechanisms, and with Fatty's carefree personality, he might accidentally cause a big problem.

However, Mo Mo knew there were no traps here. A few minutes later, the group worked together to lift the loose stone cover and were surprised to find that there was another layer below the tomb chamber.

Everyone gave Mo Mo a thumbs up, but the fat man said nonchalantly, "Don't you know who we are? Do you think our Master Mo is a pushover?"

Then Hu Bayi led the way, with Mo Mo bringing up the rear, and the group descended into the tomb one after another. Once down there, Hao Aiguo excitedly walked at the front, saying with great enthusiasm, "This is the burial style of the ancient Western Regions peoples."

This also explains why Hao Aiguo was the first to die in the group. After entering the tomb, he rushed ahead of the professionals without even confirming there was no danger. Such recklessness, coupled with a bit of arrogance and a reluctance to follow instructions, might not normally pose a significant risk in everyday life. However, he was an archaeologist, and in this dangerous place where a moment's carelessness could be fatal, this flaw was arguably the most fatal. Fortunately, there was indeed no danger here; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have died outside the Jingjue Ancient City, but right here.

After descending, the group discovered a square coffin. Professor Chen noticed that the murals around it depicted events related to the ancient city of Jingjue and speculated that this was the tomb of Prince Gumo. He explained, "Gumo was one of the small kingdoms in the ancient Western Regions and a vassal state of Jingjue. It was required to pay a large amount of gold and silver to the Queen of Jingjue. The murals depict Prince Gumo, the incarnation of the Sun God of War, infiltrating Jingjue alone to assassinate the Queen, only to discover a shocking secret. Unfortunately, things started to become incomprehensible to me from this point on."

Looking at the abstract and profound mural, Shirley Yang speculated, "This painting probably depicts a person who saw the true face of the Queen of Jingjue and then vanished into thin air. The Queen of Jingjue was actually a female demon."

Fatty Wang found it hard to believe and said, "Isn't this a bit too unrealistic? People just disappearing out of thin air."

Shirley Yang said, "I once saw a legend from the Western Regions at my father's place, and everything in the legend is closely related to what is recorded in this mural."

Hu Bayi also spoke up, saying, "The assertion that the Queen of Jingjue's gaze can make a living person disappear into thin air is too unscientific."

After listening, Shirley Yang glanced at Hu Bayi and said, "There is a little boy in America who also has similar special abilities. Scientists have found that this is because his brainwaves are different from ordinary people, which generates the power to move objects."

The fat man still couldn't believe it, so he looked at Mo Mo and said, "Master Mo, do you believe it? I certainly don't."

"I don't know if the Queen of Jingjue can make someone disappear with a single glance, but the world is full of wonders. It's quite simple to hide oneself and be undetectable by using some kind of divination or mystical methods. Moreover, there are too many mysterious forces in this world, such as zongzi (rice dumplings)," Mo Mo said calmly.

After hearing this, Fatty Wang Kaixuan shuddered, then swallowed hard and whispered to Hu Bayi, "Old Hu, why don't we go back? After all, that Jingjue Queen is too strange."

"What's there to be afraid of? Chairman Mao said that all demons and monsters are paper tigers. Fatty, light the candles and open the museum!" Hu Bayi said boldly.

However, before the fat man could even take out the candles, Professor Chen firmly stopped him, saying that such precious tombs must be submitted to the state for application and can only be opened after state approval.

With Professor Chen's intervention, the fat man could only dejectedly hide in the corner and draw circles.

Suddenly, Professor Chen spotted a corner of the mural and excitedly asked Shirley Yang to open her notebook, because he discovered that the mural depicted the Zaglama Valley, which was recorded in the notebook. This meant that they were not far from the ancient city of Jingjue.

Just then, Chu Jian, the archaeological team member who had stayed on the ground to guard Anliman, also came down. Hu Bayi and Wang Pangzi left first, citing the need to prevent Anliman from escaping. After all, they had many archaeologists, and Professor Chen wouldn't allow the museum to open, so they were useless down there. Mo Mo also left, since he wasn't interested in these things. He came mainly to explore the mysterious power of the Jingjue Kingdom, and he became even more interested after seeing the characters used for sacrifices in the Jingjue Kingdom, because Mo Mo discovered that these characters could actually trigger a peculiar power.

After Mo Mo and the other two got to the ground, they found that An Liman was indeed sleeping and had not run away.

Professor Chen and his team spent the entire day making records in the tomb. They didn't leave until evening, and when they did, they carefully glued the animal hides tightly to the stone door before leaving.

Upon seeing this, Mo Mo thought to himself, "Professor Chen is indeed a true archaeologist. He genuinely wants to bring those lost civilizations back to the world."

The next day, the archaeological team set off again. After walking for half a day under the scorching sun, they stopped to rest. Shirley Yang and Ye Yixin wanted to go behind the sand dunes to relieve themselves. Hu Bayi noticed this and gave them a whistle to warn them to be careful, as there were too many hidden dangers in the desert.

About five or six minutes later, Shirley Yang's cries for help came from afar. Mo Mo remembered that Ye Yixin had stepped into the tomb of the Wei-Jin period family burial stone tomb. So he quickly ran towards the source of the sound. By the time Hu Bayi and the others arrived, Mo Mo had already rescued Ye Yixin.

Just as Mo Mo was quietly comforting Ye Yixin, Hu Bayi was also carefully questioning Shirley Yang about what had happened. Mo Mo also voiced his suspicions. Finally, Ye Yixin said that she seemed to have stepped on a stone first before sinking into it.

Recalling Shirley Yang's mention of the stone grave, everyone quickly ran to the spot and began digging.

After several people dug and cleaned the tomb, Hu Bayi carefully observed it and discovered that the tunnel had been breached by a small-scale directional blast using military explosives. This was confirmed after they descended to the bottom of the tomb. They found Soviet explosives inside, and that this family burial stone tomb from the Wei and Jin dynasties had already been completely looted.

After emerging from the tomb, Professor Chen said nervously, "These tomb raiders are also searching for the Jingjue Ancient City, and they've already gotten ahead of us. In order to prevent the Jingjue Ancient City from being damaged, we must hurry on our way and stop them."

The next day, Hu Bayi persuaded An Liman, and the group continued on their journey. Mo Mo thought that Ye Yixin's health problems had started from here, but this time it wouldn't be the same, because Mo Mo had already added some medicinal powder to her water. It was estimated that her health condition was now the best among those besides Mo Mo's.

The group continued forward, but after a while, Anliman stopped and said, "I can no longer see the direction of the Zidu Dark River. I can't go any further. If we go any further, we might get lost in the desert and never be able to get out."

Shirley Yang refused to stop after hearing this, and Hu Bayi knew he couldn't persuade her, so he had to ask everyone to stop and rest for a while.

After resting, everyone set off again. Along the way, Shirley Yang noticed that her compass had been spinning non-stop for quite some time. Hu Bayi said that his watch hadn't moved for a while either. The rest of the group looked at their watches and said that their watches had also stopped.

Anliman anxiously told everyone that they had already left the coverage area of the Zidu Dark River, and if they went any further, he would not be able to return.