Chapter 2133: Chapter 1995: Helai? (2)
Accompanying us was hydrological geology expert, Expert Zhang.
Expert Zhang has been researching Lop Nur for thirty years. Yesterday, Lop Nur disappeared, overturning Expert Zhang’s understanding. After returning, he retrieved various satellite images, repeatedly comparing them, and discovered that the "big ear" shape of Lop Nur had indeed vanished. What was once saline-alkali land has now been completely covered by desert.
"Ants moving mountains, such a skillful technique," the Young Taoist said, looking at the yellow sand beneath his feet.
"Did you almost start digging yesterday and then a sandstorm suddenly arose?" Mr. Zhao asked Song Xiaodong.
"Yes."
Mr. Zhao nodded and took another shovel from the warrior beside him, digging a pit in the sand.
A yellow cloud immediately rose in the northwest direction.
It wasn’t a cloud, but yellow sand whipped up by the wind.
The Young Taoist laughed and said, "Interesting."
"Keep digging," Mr. Zhao commanded.
The group of warriors continued to dig, and the excavated sand began to feel damp.
"Lop Nur actually hasn’t dried up, and the Tarim River hasn’t stopped flowing; it’s just turned from a surface river to an underground river," the Young Taoist said.
"That’s why the aura of that opera singer is so heavy," Mr. Zhao commented.
"Sect Leader Song, this matter will be entrusted to you at Dragon Gate. Every twenty years, change the silver needles for the opera singer," the Young Taoist said to Song Xiaodong with a half-smile.
Chapter 1996 Reasoning
"Soon, it’s already sung up to the Ming Dynasty," Mr. Zhao nodded in agreement.
Song Xiaodong said nothing.
After digging for a while, the contact with the ground suddenly made a "clang" sound.
The bottom of the original Lop Nur Lake was buried under a meter of yellow sand.
The shovel touched the thick salt crust of Lop Nur.
"Keep digging."
The warriors broke through the salt crust, revealing sandy soil beneath.
It was already ten in the morning, with the blazing sun overhead. After breaking the salt crust, a cold, damp air surged from below.
The Young Taoist grabbed a handful of the soil excavated by the warriors, dabbed a bit with his thumb, put it to his mouth, tasted it, spit it out, and said, "That direction!"
The direction the Young Taoist pointed was precisely the direction from which the sandstorm came, the northwest.
"Master, there’s a sandstorm ahead," Zhao Ruonan had to be responsible for the safety of the soldiers he brought.
"The Young Taoist can call the wind and rain, what are you afraid of?" Mr. Zhao pointed at the Young Taoist walking in front.
"You just want me to die of old age so you can inherit my five-element flag," the Young Taoist said to Mr. Zhao without turning his head.
The sandstorm surged towards Song Xiaodong’s group like a tsunami.
Unfazed, the Young Taoist drew his Golden Sword and slashed from top to bottom.
Only to see a golden light from the sky to the ground, drawing an extremely fine but very dazzling golden line, splitting the oncoming sandstorm in two, leaving Song Xiaodong and the others caught in between as it rushed past on both sides.
The sensation was very wonderful.
One meter away was the dim and lamentable flying sandstorm, within one meter was sunny and calm, bright and windless.
They walked a short distance on foot, and the Young Taoist stopped, plunged the Golden Sword into the sand, and said to Zhao Ruonan, "Dig."
The sandstorm stopped, the sky was clear, the sun was high, as if nothing had happened.
The warriors began to dig again with grunts.
This time the pit was large and deep; beneath the dry sand was damp sand, beneath the damp sand was damp grayish soil. Digging further, they suddenly uncovered a pitch-black piece of wood.
"We hit something!"
"Be careful!" the Young Taoist directed.
Continuing to dig, finally revealing the full view.
It was an ancient ship, in the shape of a Dragon Boat, but already decayed beyond repair, with a dozen mummified corpses on it, the fabric of their clothes disintegrated beyond recognition.
By now it was noon, the temperature near forty degrees, but in the sandpit, the young warriors were all shivering with cold.
Mr. Zhao, the Young Taoist, the Old Taoist, Song Xiaodong, Zhao Ruonan, Sun Yiyi, and Chu Xianling all descended into the pit.
"General Zhao, the sacrificed warriors fell victim to this thing," the Young Taoist said, kicking the Dragon Boat.
The wood of the Dragon Boat was as hard as stone.
"Burn it!" Zhao Ruonan ordered.
The Young Taoist seemed to watch amusedly as Zhao Ruonan spoke, "Go ahead and burn it."
A young soldier picked up a lighter, flicked it several times, but it only sparked, with no flame.
The young soldier shook his head.
Several other young soldiers also took out lighters, but none could ignite a flame.
Dozens of soldiers, not a single working lighter.
A quick-thinking soldier took out a box of matches and struck one.
As it struck, it made a "sizzle" sound, and the match snapped.
On the second strike, "sizzle," the match head ignited, smoking, but the matchstick wouldn’t light.
The entire box of matches was used up, not one could be lit, littering the ground with burned-out matchsticks.
Seeing this, Zhao Ruonan got a bit angry and told the soldiers, "Pour gasoline."
The young soldiers brought over a barrel of gasoline and poured it on the Dragon Boat and the dozen or so skeletal remains.
Another soldier took out a lighter, attempting to ignite the gasoline.
Gasoline ignites with just a spark, no flame needed.
But as the lighter’s sparks landed in the gasoline, they vanished silently as if landing in water.
"Master, I lost more than ten soldiers, and the director of the Cultural Relics Protection Station was devoured by the marching ants, leaving no remains. I can’t let this go," Zhao Ruonan told the Young Taoist.
"Revenge is your business, I’m merely here to vanquish demons and uphold justice," the Young Taoist replied, without even lifting an eyelid.
"Master, it’s a matter of over a dozen lives. Even if not for revenge, we need to give their families an explanation," Song Xiaodong said to the Young Taoist.
Upon hearing this, the Young Taoist said nothing, drew his Golden Sword, and stood it upright at the hard ship’s rail of the Dragon Boat.
