A Wandering Youth

Глава 51

The man looked at Shuiying and me laughing, then grinned and laughed too. The bandits looked at us in confusion, then suddenly burst into laughter. This made me find the bandits somewhat endearing.

As the sun began to set, we learned from the loud conversation of the bandits that we were almost at their camp.

This made me a little nervous. What would the bandits do to me and Shuiying once we arrived at their camp?

"Do you think they kidnapped us because of the ancient city?" Shuiying asked me.

“I don’t know. It’s possible. If this Kurada is related to Sasha, he would know why we came to the desert. Besides, it doesn’t make sense that they don’t want the goods and only want to kidnap two women.” Shuiying and I analyzed.

"Yes, you're right. I just took a look, and the bandit leader is indeed wearing the ring you mentioned."

"Of course, never underestimate a writer's observation skills."

"Regardless of the situation, we need to consider what to do next."

"Let's take it one step at a time. Hopefully, they're not such unambitious bandits who want to kidnap two ugly women to be their wives." I expressed my concerns in a lighthearted tone.

"Well... it's hard to say."

VI. Cooperating with bandits

The so-called campsite turned out to be nothing more than a few broken walls with a few tents supported inside. Some basic necessities were placed between the tents, and several local women were busy cooking.

Were these women all stolen? I looked at them curiously.

As the sun began to set, the temperature in the desert started to drop sharply, and a chill began to creep up on us.

Our camels were led by the bandits to the other side of the broken wall, while we ourselves were led by Kurada to a large tent. The tent was very simple, with a bed on one side made of grass on the ground with bedding on it, and a wooden board on the other side with some daily necessities, including an enamel mug and an enamel bowl.

As we were looking around, someone else walked into the tent, carrying my and Shuiying's luggage.

"You guys rest here for a bit, we'll go out for dinner later," Kurada said, and went out with the person who brought the luggage in.

Shuiying and I exchanged a glance and quickly checked our luggage. We found that nothing was missing, and even the guns we had prepared were brought back to us untouched.

what the hell?

I don't understand why these guys aren't afraid that Shuiying and I will go out with guns and fight them to the death.

“It seems our guess was correct,” I said, looking at Shuiying.

“Yes, what should we do if they ask us to take them to the ancient city?” Shuiying looked at me anxiously.

"Hehe." I chuckled somewhat sinisterly. "There's not much we can do, so let's just take them!"

"Take them there?" Shuiying looked at me, puzzled.

“Yes, take them.” I put away my playful expression and seriously analyzed the situation with Shuiying. “First, if we don’t take them, we won’t get there, and we might anger them and they might… Second, taking them means we won’t run into other bandits; third, we might not find them, and even if we do, we might not be able to dig them up quickly; fourth, judging from their appearance, they’re only after the valuables in the ancient city, which doesn’t conflict with our goals; fifth, I think we really have no way to escape, so what other choice do we have?”

"Sigh..." Shui Ying sighed, "After all this talk, your last point is the real highlight."

As they were talking, Kurada got up and said, "Let's go out and see the desert sunset."

Shuiying and I followed Kurada out of the tent. The sun was about to set below the horizon, its color a golden-red, and the surrounding clouds were also a golden-red, creating a contrast with the yellow sand stretching as far as the eye could see.

I was captivated by this breathtaking view. Although I had seen desert sunsets before, I had never felt anything like this before.

Suddenly, a city came into view!

The city was entirely built of stone. From a distance, you could see two particularly tall buildings. One was probably a huge complex, like a palace, and the other was a slender, tall, domed tower, just like the one in my dream.

"I'm back, Xilan," I murmured involuntarily.

"What did you say? Ziyue?" Shuiying gently patted me.

"What? What did I say?" I looked at Shuiying in confusion.

“You said you’re back, Xilan.” Shuiying looked at me with some concern.

“Yes, Shuiying, look where the sun is setting, that ancient city has appeared!” I murmured, feeling a mix of emotions. I had an irresistible feeling for that ancient city, but at the same time, I was filled with immense fear.

"Where?" Shuiying asked in confusion.

“Right there, where the sun sets.” As I said this, I looked again, and the ancient city had already become blurry, gradually disappearing into the sunset.

"There's nothing there!" Shuiying stared blankly at the place where the sun was setting.

"What did you just see, Purple Regency? Oh, excuse me, may I call you that?" Kurada turned to me and asked.

“The ancient city of Xilan,” I said.

"Sile? You mean you just saw Sile?" Kurada asked anxiously.

“It’s Sila, not Sile,” I corrected her. Suddenly, a question popped into my head: Shuiying and I had been speaking in our native language, so how could Kurada understand us? “You understand Chinese?”

“I know a little bit.” Kurada laughed. “My nanny when I was a child was Chinese, and she taught me some Chinese.”

I feel a little dizzy. How much of what I said to Shuiying did he actually understand? The desert night is very cold.

Shuiying and I sat inside the tent, while Kurada sat at the tent entrance. Although he didn't say anything, I believed it seemed Shuiying and I would have to share a tent with him for the night. He let Shuiying and me sleep on the existing beds in the original tent, while he himself laid out some dry grass at the entrance and then just sat there.

Shuiying and I sat in silence. After we learned that Kurada could understand Chinese, we stopped discussing our views on the matter.

“The moon is so round tonight,” Kurada said, sitting on the hay by the door.

I became intensely curious about Kurada. How could a bandit in the desert of such a country understand both English and Chinese? Understanding English isn't too strange, but understanding Chinese is quite unusual.

"May I play the harmonica?" Kurada didn't turn around, but he was asking for my and Shuiying's opinions.

"Whatever," I said indifferently.

Kurada played a tune that felt incredibly familiar to me, but I'm sure I'd never heard it before. I'm actually musically illiterate; I know absolutely nothing about music.

Kurada plays the harmonica very well, so I couldn't help but walk over and sit on the hay next to him.

"What song is this?" I asked Kurada after he finished playing.

“I don’t know, I just made this up randomly. I don’t know why the melody feels so familiar.” Kurada turned to look at me. “I gave this piece a name myself, ‘My Love Returns.’”

“‘My love is back…’ I murmured, and then I vaguely heard that voice calling me again: ‘Welcome back! Ali Duoduo Na!’”

I stared blankly at the desert under the moonlight, and the voice made me clearly feel that it came from the west.

“Purple Promise, I want to discuss something with you.” Kurada had been looking at me the whole time.

"What is it?" My heart skipped a beat. A robber wanted to discuss something with me? What kind of thing was that? Tell me. But judging from his tone, he didn't seem to be deliberately messing with me. What could he want to discuss with me? Something related to the ancient city?

"Yes, that's right. I heard you're going to Sile, oh no, I mean Sila. I've always wanted to see that ancient city, and I'd like to go with you. Is that alright?"

"Ha, so this is what you wanted to do by kidnapping us? You finally said it." Shui Ying said sarcastically from behind.

"This...it was my fault for bringing you here in this way, but I think I really can't think of any other way to get you to agree to take me to Sila."

"Then why do you need to discuss it with Ziyue? If you force us at gunpoint, do you think we'd dare not take you?" Shuiying pressed on relentlessly.

"Was it Sasha who told you we were going to find the ancient city of Sila?" I asked him casually.

"Yes, but how did you know?"

“That night you bumped into me in the corridor on the third floor of the hotel. You reached out and pulled me back. I noticed a strange ring on your left index finger, and that's when I started paying attention.” As I said this, Kurada took his hand out to look at his ring, then laughed. “Later, I saw the same ring on Sasha's hand, also on her left index finger. This way of wearing rings is a bit strange, but for two people to wear the same ring is even stranger. At first, I thought it was just a trendy way of wearing jewelry, but seeing you in the desert today, I know I was wrong. It's understandable for Sasha to wear trendy jewelry, but for a bandit to do the same is ridiculous. So, I'm sure this ring is some kind of symbol, and there must be some relationship between you and Sasha that we don't understand.”

“You’re very clever. I thought you wouldn’t notice such a small detail. It seems I underestimated you.” Kurada laughed. “Sasha is my sister, my half-sister.”

I paused for a moment, then turned to look at Shuiying, who also looked completely bewildered.

"This is a bit hard to explain, but since I have nothing to do tonight, I might as well tell you slowly." Kurada paused, as if thinking about where to begin.

“I think Sasha probably told you that her father, who is also my father, is American, and her mother is a local. My father, Ryan Johnson, I still don't know why he came to this country; he's always refused to say. He fell in love with a woman in this country, Sasha's mother. Sasha is as beautiful as her mother. I guess my father is a man who likes beautiful women. My father and Sasha's mother had Sasha. My father and Sasha's mother lived in this country for a few years, but later my father's father called them back to America. After returning, he married my mother under the arrangement of his family, and that's how I was born. Before I was five years old, my father never came back to this country, nor did he ever see Sasha again.” Sasha and her mother... until one day he received a letter from Sasha's mother before her death, asking him to take good care of Sasha. So, despite my mother's objections, my father came to this country and took Sasha back with him. Sasha lived in America for several years and received an American education, but she always longed for her mother's country. You probably wouldn't believe it, but my mother didn't like Sasha very much because Sasha often reminded her that her husband didn't love her. But strangely enough, Sasha and I always had a very good relationship. Sasha would often tell me the legend of the cursed city—Sila. I always longed to find that cursed city; I don't know why, but I had a feeling that I would definitely see the legendary cursed city.

Shuiying and I remained silent, listening to Kurada's story.

As I looked at the desolate desert, I had a feeling that Kurada was telling me an ancient story, just like the legends my grandmother used to tell me at night when I was a child.

“When Sasha was in America, she used the legend of the Cursed City to bewitch many people, including my father’s student, Mr. Brad, whom Shuiying knew. He later came to this country with Sasha when she was only twenty years old. They came to this desert to search for the Cursed City, but they both returned empty-handed. I came to this country a few years ago to see Sasha, and I was also captivated by the legend, so I stayed and vowed to find the Cursed City. That’s why I became a bandit, so I could have more time to run around in the desert. But over the years, I’ve become familiar with almost every part of the desert, but I still haven’t been able to find the Cursed City. It’s hidden somewhere beneath the desert, and I’m destined never to see it. Until recently, Sasha received a message from Brad, saying that we were coming to find the Cursed City. From Brad’s message, we learned about Ziyue’s strange dreams and her perception of the city, so I thought that I must find the Cursed City with Ziyue no matter what. I believe that Ziyue is a being in the Cursed City, and she will definitely find it.”

I believe Kurada's words. I don't know why, but I feel there's no reason not to believe him.

"Hmph, so it was Brad who betrayed us. I'll teach him a lesson when I get back!" Shuiying said to me with dissatisfaction.

"Ha, you can't entirely blame him. He also wants to see this legendary cursed city. He even asked me to protect your safety in this country."

"Hmph, the weasel is wishing the chicken a Happy New Year!" Hearing Shuiying say that, I wanted to laugh again, but I held it in.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. That night, we went out to dinner with Sasha, and when we came back, we found that our luggage had been touched. And you just happened to have been on the third floor. Could that be a coincidence?"

"I just wanted to go in and see if there was any information about the ancient city," Kurada said, lowering his head in embarrassment.

"Hmph, not only a robber but also a thief!" Shui Ying said without any mercy.

"So what did you find?" I asked jokingly.

"We didn't find anything." This robber was actually quite honest.

He seemed a little embarrassed about that incident, so I changed the subject. Anyway, we didn't lose anything that night. "Kurada is a local name, isn't it?"

“Yes, that’s the name Sasha gave me after I came here. She said it’s the name of a legendary hero. My American name is Chris Johnson.”

I didn't know what else to say. Looking at the somewhat furious Shui Ying, I smiled and said, "A highly educated bandit, ha, I've encountered all sorts of trouble on this trip."

"Don't be angry. If you don't want me to come with you to find the Cursed City, then I won't go. I'm already very happy to know that the Cursed City can be found." Kurada scratched his head, and at that moment I felt he was like a child who had made a mistake.

"Ha, you make it sound so nice. You drove our guide away, and now we can't do without you. There are only two of us girls in this desert, and we don't know how to navigate. Do you want us to die in the desert?" I glared at Kurada, unaware that my last words almost became a prophecy.

"Then, then, what do you suggest we do?"

"You have to agree to a few conditions, and then we'll agree to let you go with us to find Cursed City." I looked at Shui Ying; she didn't object.

"Okay, go ahead." Kurada agreed readily, which is the kind of man I like.

“First, you are responsible for our safety. Whether or not the Cursed City is found, you must ensure that Shuiying and I leave the desert and this country safely.” I looked at Kurada and said slowly.

"Of course, no problem!"

"Secondly, during the search, you must listen to us. If we tell you which direction to go, then go in that direction."

"Of course!" Kurada rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Third, if, and I mean if, we can find Cursed City, I hope you can help me fulfill my wish. As for the valuable things in the city, I won't compete with you for them."

"Ziyue, I protest! The third rule is unacceptable! How can we let the bandits take things from the city?" Shuiying shouted.

“Shuiying, this is someone else’s country. It’s not our responsibility to protect historical sites and artifacts. Don’t forget why we’re here.” I said calmly to Shuiying, “Even if the robbers don’t take the things, they will eventually disappear. In a country like this, who do you expect to protect these historical artifacts?”

"You're right." Shui Ying looked somewhat dejected.

"Ha, you really think I'm a ruthless robber! Fine, I am a robber, but I would never steal anything from the ancient city, I swear." Kurada raised his right hand earnestly.

"I believe you!" I smiled, not knowing why I said that. But it was true, I was starting to believe Kurada now. At least he and Sasha didn't seem like bad people to me. Although bad people don't have markings on their foreheads, and they don't necessarily have a bad face, I still trusted my gut feeling.