Chapter 432 The familiar smell of rouge powder (5k big chapter)
The next morning.
The sky and the earth have just brightened, the sun has not yet completely jumped out of the horizon, and the desert still carries the coolness of last night. Taking advantage of the coolness, one person, one sheep, and three camels set foot on the road again.
The three camels asked curiously as they walked: "Taoist Master Jin'an, how do you know that the remains of the ancient river channel are buried in the yellow sand under our feet?"
Jin An held the rope of the goat, and the rope on the goat was connected to the three camels behind him. Jin An walked at the front, walking along the ancient river ruins invisible under the yellow sand under his feet, leaving their long string in the desert behind them.
footprints.
Ever since he took a sheep and three camels into the deep desert, Jin'an had walked all the way and never thought of riding a camel.
Fortunately, he has strong physical strength and quick feet.
The speed of traveling in the desert is no slower than that of camels, which are known as desert boats.
Jin An led the lead and said, "When I came out of my body last night to clear out those human-faced phoenixes, I was lucky enough to discover the ancient river ruins."
Little Sahafu asked curiously: "Master Jin'an, what is the soul leaving the body?"
Jin An answered: "Today's practice is divided into three realms. The first realm is Qi training, which Sakyamuni calls quiet meditation."
"The second level of realm is when Taoism cultivates the soul, and Sakyamuni cultivates the Dharma. As long as you can perform the night tour of the soul without the help of any external objects, you have entered the second level. Remember, if there is no assistance from external objects,
Forcibly cultivating the soul to leave the body before reaching the realm. The soul is so fragile that it can be burned by a candle in the world, and can be easily swept hundreds of miles away by a breeze outside the window. If the soul cannot return to the body within a limited time, it will become a physical body.
Necrosis, and finally becoming a lonely ghost."
"The third level is the day-traveling object. Sakyamuni is called the Dharma-conquering object. People who have reached this level are extremely capable. Not only can their souls leave the body during the day, but their souls can also pick up objects from the world and fight with swords. They are powerful people.
He can even take someone's head ten miles away on a clear day in broad daylight."
Along the way, Jin An continued to teach the three people various sutras and practice experiences in the "Secret Sutra of the Five Internal Organs".
The bizarre and bizarre world described by Jin An attracted the three people's attention, and they wished they could reach the third realm right away.
"Taoist Master Jin'an, what state are you in now?"
"Currently still in the second realm."
"Taoist Jin'an, you are so powerful in the second realm. We met so many demons along the way, and in the end they were all exorcised and killed by Taoist Jin'an. Taoist Jin'an, you must be the number one master in the second realm!"
…
"Taoist Master Jin'an, you only talked about the first three realms. What is the realm after you travel to Yuwu?"
"I don't know either."
"Is there anything in this world that the omniscient Taoist Jin'an doesn't know?"
"There are powerful hands behind the scenes who have put shackles on the world, and established the overall Feng Shui situation of the Four Symbols of Ending Heaven and Earth, imprisoning the beauty of heaven and earth, turning the sea into dust, artificially advancing the Age of Ending Dharma, and not knowing whether the mountain gods live or die in the mist. Only then will humanity have a chance to prosper.
, multiplied and multiplied to create today's prosperous age of humanity. The Four Symbols of the End of Heaven and Earth were beneficial and innovative. They artificially promoted the period of spiritual energy exhaustion and the end of law, and put shackles on the world. It not only imprisoned the most terrifying mountain gods, but also imprisoned the realm of humane masters.
Limits. Whether they are Buddhas or Taoists, people in later generations can only cultivate to the third realm of cultivation. The third is the limit, the third is infinite possibilities, and the third is the limit that cannot be broken through..."
These words were all words Master Shanneng once said to him, and now he just repeated them again.
The three of them seemed to understand. Only the younger Sahafu was more receptive to new things. He asked confusedly: "Then is the Four Symbols of Endless Heaven and Earth a good thing or a bad thing?"
"What is a mountain god?"
…
…
The sun rises higher and higher in the sky, so hot that the air is distorted and even the backs of people are distorted.
The deeper you go into the basin, the hotter it gets.
Only drought-tolerant desert camels can barely survive here, but if the temperature continues to rise so extreme, even camels may not be able to stand it.
However, this temperature is still within the acceptable range for San Luotuo, who practices the "Five Zang Secret Sutra", circulates the five elements in the body all the time, and gives birth to new life all the time.
Jin An and the others walked for a long time on the hot desert. After walking for a while after leaving Guchi Country, the sharp-eyed Jin An finally discovered an exposed river bed.
He looked delighted.
Run over quickly.
This exposed river bed is very narrow and shallow. People may inadvertently mistake it for an ordinary sand ditch and miss the only important clue to find Wuershi.
If Jin'an hadn't determined in advance that he would definitely find the ruins of an ancient dried-up river along this route, it would be easy to miss this small detail due to visual fatigue on this vast expanse of yellow sand.
"The team will stop for a moment."
In order to verify whether this shallow ditch was an ancient river channel, Jin An stopped his team and began to dig sand pits. A wider and wider river impacted the depression before his eyes.
"Sure enough, this is the huge river that once brought an oasis to the desert basin and bustling merchant ships!" Jin An reported the good news to everyone, and the team's morale was greatly boosted, and they accelerated their pace along this shallow ditch.
As we go deeper into the basin, this shallow river gradually becomes wider. Although it is still very shallow, it can be clearly seen that this once glorious ancient river is very wide and has nurtured brilliant civilizations on both sides.
However, they still could not measure how wide the ancient river was, because most of it was buried by yellow sand all year round, and both sides were covered with sand piles and high sand dunes.
If another few hundred years pass, the shallow ditch under their feet will be completely buried under the yellow sand.
"Taoist Master Jin'an, the sand here is flowing and is slowly swallowing up this ancient river." Old Sadiq said in a heavy voice.
Jin An nodded: "It should be the holy mountain of Guchi that has withstood most of the wind and sand. Haven't you noticed that since we left Guchi and got farther and farther away from Guchi, the terrain along the way began to change.
Changes have occurred, and the sand dunes are becoming less and less visible, and they are gradually turning into barren Gobi."
"The Holy Mountain of Guchi Kingdom is a small branch of the Kunlun Mountains. It was once used to block the invasion of wind and sand. In addition, there used to be ancient rivers in the desert basin. This basin has mountains, water sources, and oasis. It is like the depth of the desert and the
A treasure secluded from the world...I now somewhat understand why legends in the desert always regard the Kingdom of the Undead as the source of all underground rivers..."
Speaking of this, Jin An looked at Old Sadiq: "You are right, the desert is gradually crossing the mountains, slowly encroaching deeper into the desert, the desert has been expanding..."
Discovering the ancient river channel is one step closer to the Kingdom of the Immortal God. The morale of the team is high, and the atmosphere is relaxed along the way. It seems that even the temperature of the scorching sun above our heads has dropped a lot. They say that people feel refreshed when happy events happen, but Jin'an and the others are still
After three or four days of being out of spirits, I ran into big trouble.
Old Sadiq, who had followed a caravan when he was young and was most familiar with the desert experience, suddenly sniffed his nose, and immediately his expression changed drastically and he shouted: "I smell the smell of wind signals, and there is going to be a strong wind deep in the desert! Yes.
Very, very strong wind!”
The weather in the desert is extreme.
Just a moment ago, the sky was clear and clear, and the next moment, the sky suddenly changed.
Especially now is the winter when the situation is the most unpredictable and sudden, with all kinds of extreme weather emerging one after another.
The fact that Old Sadiq can specifically intensify very, very strong winds indicates that the scale of this storm will not be small.
Old Sadiq looked at Jin An anxiously: "Master Jin An, this storm will be very big. What should we do? Should we return to Guchi country now to avoid the limelight?"
Jin An solemnly confirmed again and again: "Old Sadiq, are you sure this storm will be big?"
Old Sadiq said with certainty: "Since I put on a camel skin and turned into a camel, I also inherited the camel's keen perception of the desert. I can smell it in the air. There will be a big storm soon."
Coming!"
Jin An pondered: "We are too far away from Guchi Country. It may be too late to return to Guchi Country now. We will definitely not be able to outrun the speed of the storm!"
"This is the river bed after the ancient river channel dried up. We can only bite the bullet and keep walking forward. We pray that the ancient river channel bed will go deeper and deeper so that we can find a place to shelter from the wind!"
In fact, he still hasn't said anything. There are many unknown dangers waiting for them on the road ahead. If they want to continue to go deep into the desert, they can only move forward and not retreat. Otherwise, they will think of retreating when they encounter danger, and they will never find it.
The Kingdom of the Immortal God.
Jin An pondered for a short time. Once he made his decision, the sheep and camels started running wildly in the desert, carrying a large amount of supplies on their backs.
Yellow sand rises to the sky.
A thick yellow curtain wall swept in with continuous rumblings. The edges of the thick yellow wall could not be seen at both ends, rolling and crushing all the way.
Although Jin An was mentally prepared, he didn't expect this big storm to come so quickly.
The wind speed is too fast.
The sharp whistling sound in my ears became louder and louder, like swords plowing the ground, and the continuous wall of sand and dust behind me got closer and closer.
By this time, it was difficult for the camels to walk in the strong wind. Even though they were carrying a lot of goods and their bodies were very heavy, they still could not withstand the power of nature. The three camels were staggered by the strong wind, and they could not even stand let alone walk.
stable.
Woo woo
Woo woo woo
The wind was still roaring in my ears, like thousands of fierce souls pouring out their resentments in my ears. What was even worse was that the wind was gradually getting stronger.
Jin An knew that if things continued like this, not only the three camels would be blown away by the strong wind, but even he and the goat would not be spared.
"Don't leave, just lie down on the spot! Lie down on the spot! Use the ancient river channel as a sand wall!"
But no matter how Jin An shouted, the camels and sheep could not hear his words clearly. Everyone's eyes and ears were blurred by the wind and sand. Their eyes were covered with yellow mist, their vision became very poor, and their ears were filled with the shrill sound of wind.
This is the first time Jin'an has encountered such a big storm in the desert.
According to this wind speed, ten sand dunes may have to be evacuated.
Fortunately, he was still holding the goat's rope in his hand. He covered his face with the scarf with one hand to prevent sand from getting into his nose, mouth, and eyes, while following the rope to find the goat.
In the sky full of yellow sand, there is a goat with thick horns and body hair. It is as strong and tall as a snowy mountain yak. It is frozen in the desert storm and actively acts as a wind-breaking wall to protect it from standing behind.
three camels.
This greedy fool has been eating and drinking Jin'an's various tonics on weekdays, and now he finally has a place to use.
Jin An approached a sheep and three camels, pointed at the river bed, and repeated it loudly several times. Only then did everyone understand what Jin An meant. The team braved the increasing wind and sand and struggled to cling to a stretch of water on the bank of the ancient river.
Lying down in the sand.
Although this ancient river is not deep, it is still possible to lie down alone to avoid the storm. At this time, everyone finally had a chance to breathe.
Especially the three old Sadiqs, even though they were only two or three feet away from hiding on the bank of the ancient river, they were already exhausted.
"Now is not the time to relax! This storm is too big. The sand in the ancient river channel has been rising. Sooner or later, we will be buried under the sand!" Jin An shouted loudly in the sandstorm without optimism.
At this moment, he was holding it tightly with both hands. The original sun protection hat had been blown away by the strong wind. The sand above his head was like a stone, hitting the person. Jin An didn't care, this strength couldn't hurt him.
, which is what made the three old Sadiqs suffer.
Looking up at the strong wind that not only showed no intention of stopping but was getting stronger, Jin An's head sank to the bottom, fearing that they would not even get past the center of the storm.
Jin An knew that he couldn't sit still and wait for death, otherwise he would be buried alive by the yellow sand sooner or later: "You guys stay here and don't move anywhere. I'll go look for other places that are better sheltered from the wind!"
The wind and sand were so strong that Jin An had just taken a few steps away when he could no longer see his back. Lao Sadiq and the others barely opened their eyes, but they could only see billowing yellow dust. They couldn't even find the directions of the southeast, northwest and northwest.
The wind and sand blew into my eyes and I quickly buried my head and closed my eyes.
Old Sadiq didn't know how long he stayed up. It seemed like a day, or like a year. Time passed very long, and the only sound left in his ears was the whistling wind. The world was so quiet that there was only one sound left. His body became heavier and heavier.
His body is being buried by yellow sand.
In this muddle-headed atmosphere filled with rumors, Old Sadiq didn't know how long he persisted. Suddenly he felt someone slapping his face and calling him. He opened his eyes with difficulty and was surprised to see that the yellow sand had buried him to the ground.
Half of his body...until he saw the familiar figure in five-color Taoist robes, his groggy head suddenly woke up and he could hear the sounds of the outside world again.
"I've found a place to take shelter from the wind! Follow me!"
Jin An dug the sheep and camels out of the yellow sand, then led the sheep and camels and trudged forward in the ancient river that was half submerged.
The place Jin An found was a hollow in the river washed out by undercurrents.
After the team hid in a cave on the river bank, the sound of wind in their ears was reduced by half, and they were finally able to take a breather. Only Jin An kept shoveling sand at the entrance of the cave with a shovel.
To prevent the yellow sand buried higher and higher in the ancient river channel from blocking the entrance of the cave.
This was the biggest storm that Jin'an had encountered since entering the desert. It lasted until around the middle of the night and finally subsided.
The one sheep and three camels that survived the disaster ran out to spread their hooves and stretch their muscles regardless of the cold weather in the dark night.
As a result, as soon as he ran out, there was an exclamation: "Taoist Master Jin'an, come quickly! There is a dead person here!"
When Jin'an walked out of the ancient river and landed on the shore, he saw a dead man on the deserted Gobi. The man fell in a pool of blood and had no breath at all.
"This man is wearing the clothes of the Western Regions. It's hard to tell that he is from the lineage of King Kangding or the great khan of the northern grassland tribe." Jin An knelt down and observed the dead man carefully.
Could die here.
The identity is not difficult to guess.
It's just a few waves of people.
"This man's limbs were blown off, his skull was smashed into pieces, and the blood under his body was splattered. He should have been crushed to death by the storm."
In order to find out as much as possible the identity of this person, Jin An endured the nausea of bloody flesh and blood and continued to observe the dead person: "Huh?"
"Why is this man's ears missing?"
Jin An frowned slightly.
After hearing Jin An's slightly horrifying words, the sheep and three camels that were trembling in the desert night wind and gathered around them all looked up at Jin An.
Jin An pointed at the bruised man on the ground and said, "Look, here is the head. Although the man fell to pieces, you can still vaguely make out some heads. There are no ears on the face facing upward."
"Wuershi!"
"Could it be that someone has already found the Wu'er family?"
Old Sadiq and the three of them exclaimed in surprise.
Jin An didn't say anything. He didn't dislike the disgusting corpse's clothes that were stained with flesh and blood, and started groping up and down.
There was nothing on this person that could prove his identity, and there were not many valuable things on him. The only most valuable thing was a few stacks of banknotes stained red with blood.
"This is a bank note from Datong Bank of Kangding State. Datong Bank is a bank jointly established by merchants from several prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River. There are branches in every prefecture of Kanding State, and its footprints are almost all over the country. Holding these banknotes can be used in various places.
The government can exchange silver freely." Jin An said thoughtfully.
"Since this man holds a Datong banknote, it seems that he is from the side of a certain prince in Kangding Kingdom. He should be a guide or translator found by the mountain guards. He himself is weak, so he was blown up by the wind and thrown into the sky.
Dead."
"If this person is really with those people from the Mountain Guards, there is a high probability that the people who find the Wu'er clan are those from the Mountain Guards."
Next, Jin An continued to search for more clues on the dead man, but this time he found no new clues. When Jin An stood up, looking at him in a certain direction in the night sky, his face suddenly became startled.
"What's wrong with Taoist Master Jin'an?"
The three camels also turned around to look, but saw nothing. The desert was as dark as ink at night, and their field of vision was limited.
"I thought I saw a flash of fire just now. You guys go back to the ancient river and wait for me. I'll find a high place and take a closer look at the area."
Jin'an leaps to the next high ground
This time he was finally convinced that there was indeed a fire swaying in front of him. Although it was far away and the fire was swaying in the dark night and flickering on and off, it was indeed a fire.
There is fire!
It means there is someone!
"You guys pack up and we'll be on our way immediately. I spotted the light of someone moving in front of us. Let's go over and have a look. Maybe they are the group of mountain guards who have found the Wu'er clan."
Old Sadiq and the others obeyed Jin An's words. Although they had just escaped a big sandstorm during the day and were exhausted, the team continued on their way.
It is not a good experience to travel in the desert in winter with biting cold wind.
Fortunately, there are great medicines issued by Jin'an, which can replenish blood and strengthen Qi, keep the body warm, and have strong yang fire, so I can go on a night journey on this cold night.
As it got closer, a tall black shadow gradually appeared in front of me, like a tall demonic shadow standing in the dark night and staring at every passerby, revealing a ferocious and dark aura.
It wasn't until I got closer that I saw clearly that the black shadow was actually a huge earth mountain about ten feet high. The earth mountain stood alone in the Gobi desert, like a wordless tombstone in a cemetery, desolate, lonely, and dark.
And on the side of the huge earth mountain, there is actually a village.
The village is surrounded by a low earthen wall. At this time, no one is guarding the low wooden wall, and the candlelight behind the earthen wall is flickering.
"This is……"
Even Jin'an frowned slightly. In the depths of the desert, which is dry and rainless all year round, are there really signs of living people?
The door of the village was not locked, and when Jin An tried to knock on the door, the door opened on its own with a creaking sound.
There seemed to be voices of people talking in the village.
Passed out through the door.
Jin An suddenly frowned and stood still.
"What's wrong with Taoist Master Jin'an? Is there really something wrong with this place?"
"I don't know if it's been too long, but I smell the familiar scent of Red Moon Rouge..."
"Rouge is only used by women. Is there an old friend of Taoist Jin'an here?"
Jin An shook his head: "She and I have been separated for too long. She left without saying goodbye that day and her whereabouts are still unknown. It shouldn't be such a coincidence... Come on, we'll find out as soon as we go in."