Brothers meet again - Part 1
Upon reaching the top of Mount Mazhatag, a fierce and dry wind immediately whips up from the north.
Standing atop the mountain and looking west, the mountain range stretches as far as the eye can see. To the east, the wide Hotan River flows below, its waters appearing calm and gentle to the naked eye. The north and south sides of the mountain, though both desert, present two completely different landscapes.
The sand dunes to the south are low and scattered. To the north, towering dunes are densely packed, constantly changing shape under the howling north wind. If the south side of the mountain is a lake with rippling water, then the north side is a surging sea, and those sand dunes are the fierce crests of the waves.
Even standing on a high point in the desert, Xin Ruien still couldn't see He Zi'an. Even if there was a "sea" ahead, she could only continue forward, hoping the desert would bring He Zi'an back to her side. Or, bring herself to his side.
Crossing the Mazartag Mountains and continuing north along the Hotan River, one encounters increasingly more tamarisk and saxaul trees. Tall trees, incongruous with the desert landscape, also begin to appear, their roots extending over sixty feet into the ground, horizontally intertwined, forming a community of shared destiny. As long as the mother tree's roots receive water, they can thrive indefinitely.
One tree, two trees... the tall trees eventually formed a continuous stretch, extending from the riverbed to both sides.
This is the confluence of the Yarkand River, the Aksu River, and the Hotan River. Starting from here and heading east, the poplar trees form a golden corridor, composing a song of life in the desert.
The sound of splashing water echoed from the poplar forest along the riverbank as two red deer chased each other through the trees, their ripples overlapping in concentric circles. Not far from Xin Ruien, the red fox stood upright on all fours, watching her without moving.
There was a flapping sound of wings in the blind spot. It wasn't until the birds took to the air that Xin Ruien could see that they were cormorants and gray cranes.
The red fox lowered its head again, shook its fur, and with light steps, quietly left the girl who had mistakenly entered its territory.
A red deer lay half-prone on the ground, rubbing back and forth. Xin Ruien approached slowly, her footsteps low, her right hand gripping the hilt of her longsword. She gathered her strength, about to draw her sword, when a slender hand grabbed her arm.
The thin man gestured for her to be quiet, indicating that she should look into the depths of the poplar forest. Several young deer trotted happily along and stopped beside the doe that seemed to be scratching itself, frolicking around it.
The man had a typical Han Chinese face, calm and peaceful, without any aggression. He was a merchant from Wenqu City, surnamed Shen, named Qichen.
"Although I'm from Wenqu City, I haven't been home for many years," Shen Qichen said with a smile.
"It's because of business that I have no choice," Shin Ye-eun thought to herself.
"Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants." Shen Qichen explained, "I'm the one my family dislikes the most; they might have already removed my name from the family genealogy."
Shen Qichen scratched his head, still smiling, as if he were talking about someone else's business.
At Shen Qichen's enthusiastic invitation, the two waded through the poplar forest and soon arrived at the caravan's temporary camp.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a strange caravan. It was clearly a merchant caravan from the Central Plains, yet its encampment was almost entirely made up of deep-set, sturdy-looking people from Central Asia. At least, they appeared to be from Central Asia.
Among these non-Han people, there was another, and only, girl with a friendly face. Xin Ruien could almost tell from her appearance that she, like Shen Qichen, came from the long-lost Central Plains.
The girl was squatting on the riverbank wiping her face. From a distance, Shen Qichen raised his arm and waved vigorously at her.
“But I have never regretted it.” Shen Qichen’s face was filled with a smile that was more joyful and emotional than before. “They all say that in the desert, you must learn to listen to the voice of the desert and follow the guidance of God. I believe that our meeting was also God’s arrangement. I left Wenqu City and left home just to meet Xi’er.”
This somewhat frail man appeared to be deeply affectionate and sincere.
“Wei Xi, what a beautiful name.” After exclaiming, Shen Qichen proudly introduced her to Xin Ruien: “Her name is Lin Wei Xi, and this is our second year together.”
"Gathering and flourishing, the Southern Mountain rises in the morning."
"Clouds rise and mist swirls, a rainbow appears over the southern mountains."
Shen Qichen led Xin Ruien to sit down in the open space in the center of the camp and asked, "And you, Miss Xin, why are you wandering alone in the desert?"
Xin Ruien thought for a moment and replied, "I got separated from my companion and have been looking for him."
Once inside the camp, Xin Ruien was able to observe the caravan members more closely. From their appearance, accents, and fluency in speaking, it was clear that the caravan members were born and raised in this desert.
Xin Ruien suddenly regretted her decision to follow the man. Perhaps his sincerity had moved her, causing her to misjudge the situation. Or perhaps the heat and hunger of the past few days had clouded her judgment and made her lower her guard. In any case, she regretted her decision.
Just then, a slender, fair hand holding a wrung-out towel was extended in front of Shin Ye-eun.
"We don't have any brand new face masks left in the group, so just use these to wipe your face." Lin Weixi had already returned from the shore and walked over to the two of them.
Shin Ye-eun looked up and saw a smile that could make anyone let down their guard.
"I must be filthy by now," Xin Ruien thought to herself. At that moment, she felt both an inescapable unease and an overwhelming sense of shame and embarrassment.
“We encountered bandits on the road.” Lin Weixi seemed to see through Xin Ruien’s worries at a glance and told her about the caravan’s ordeal. Lin Weixi sat down next to Shen Qichen, her voice sorrowful: “The members perished, leaving only Qichen and me.”
Shen Qichen put one arm around Lin Weixi's shoulder, also sinking into a state of sadness.
“It was a young hero named Mahamu who saved us.” Lin Weixi leaned on Shen Qichen’s shoulder.
“Even if I gave him all my treasures, I still couldn’t repay this kindness.”
“He was a noble man who asked for nothing in return,” Lin Weixi recalled. “He said he saved us simply by listening to the voice of the desert.”
The Hu guards carried three bowls of meat soup to the three men and set them down one by one. The guards, their faces full of piety, said in broken Chinese, "Here, everyone must listen to the voice of the desert."
“This is our chief guard,” Shen Qichen introduced. “We have rehired a guard team in the oasis, and they will escort us to the border of the territory.”
The head guard didn't linger; after putting down the soup, he immediately returned to his post and continued to perform his duties meticulously.
“I understand that feeling of being isolated and helpless,” Shen Qichen said. “So when I saw you, I decided to help you, even though I couldn’t hear the desert yet.”
"Miss Xin, you said you were looking for your companions."
A sip of hot soup. The warm, savory broth, along with the couple's sincere words, finally made Xin Ruien lower her guard.
“Mm.” Xin Ruien nodded.
Where did you get lost?
"Somewhere west of Lubo Town."
“Lubo Town?” Shen Qichen was somewhat surprised. “That’s south of the Mazartag Mountains. You mean you’ve almost crossed the entire desert.”
"Really?" Shin Yee-eun had no idea how far she had already walked.
"Yes!" Lin Weixi said incredulously, "You actually crossed the desert all by yourself."
Even so, Xin Ruien couldn't find even the slightest trace of He Zi'an.
"What do you plan to do next?" Lin Weixi asked gently.
“I don’t know,” Shin Yee-eun said honestly, “but I think all I can do is not give up.”
“That won’t do.” Shen Qichen’s tone suddenly became unusually harsh and firm.
Both girls looked at him at the same time.
"Miss Xin, do you have any trustworthy friends in the Central Plains?"
"Yes," Shin Rui-eun blurted out.
"You are all alone and do not know where your lost companions are. Continuing to search like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not only will you not get the desired result, but you may also lose your life in the desert."
"Then what should we do?" Lin Weixi looked at Shen Qichen. "Qichen, do you have any ideas?"
"You need to gather enough people to have any hope of finding him. If you're alone, you're not only wasting your own time, but you might also be jeopardizing his chances of survival."
Quicksand rushed into the poplar forest, rustling as the golden leaves rubbed against each other. Red deer frolicked in the shallows, red foxes scurried about silently, and cormorants soared into the sky.
This is the first time I've felt like I've heard the sound of the desert.
“Come back to the Central Plains with us,” Shen Qichen said.
*
Military camps have a standardized layout, and the patrol routes and times for the soldiers responsible for guarding them are also strictly regulated. Different military camps under the same commander operate with almost identical internal logic.
Here, there is a strict hierarchy and an unquestionable order.
Inside the camp, fully armed soldiers marched in circles along the predetermined route. This was the seventeenth time they had reached the bulletin board in the center of the camp that night; another squad of soldiers would come to relieve them on their thirtieth. In other words, only half the night had passed.
This bulletin board, located at the center of the camp, is a unique feature of this army's culture. It contains five square, neatly arranged sheets of paper. In every camp belonging to this army, every bulletin board has exactly five square sheets of paper.
The notice board did not display military announcements or articles conveying the leader's spirit. Instead, five portraits were arranged in a row from left to right on the wooden bulletin board.
Not only were the faces in the portraits lifelike, but the names of these portraits were also etched into the minds of every soldier.
Pei Jiangxi, the mistress of the Liuli Palace, is a bewitching woman who seduced Chen Changji into establishing the Buwang Pavilion.
Chen Changji, the rebellious son of the Chen family, established the Unforgettable Pavilion to protect evildoers.
The cripple, a man with a limp, murdered the former leader of the Beggars' Sect and his son, as well as Li Zizhan and Bai Jie, the leaders of the Northern and Southern Sword Sects.
The Bone Woman, a thin woman, appeared in Longting Town with a cripple. She is the murderer who killed Li Zizhan and Bai Jie.
Han Yizhi, a traitor of Yijian Mountain, stole 'Avalanche' from the mountain gate and covered the escape of the cripple at the Beggars' Sect meeting. He also has an unclear relationship with Liuli Palace and Buwang Pavilion.
The soldier slammed the butt of his spear heavily into the ground. "If I could, I would kill them with my own hands. To avenge Young Master Bai."
"Master Li saved our family. I'd be willing to die just to avenge him," someone immediately echoed passionately.
Once upon a time, the Northern and Southern Sword Sects were sworn enemies. Now, swordsmen from vastly different backgrounds see in each other a deep sense of kinship, as if they had known each other for a long time.
"If it weren't for the gang leader, I would have been lying dead in the street long ago."
This is what makes this army so special.
They were Li Zizhan's disciples, Bai Jie's followers, and one of the thousands of sons and daughters of the Beggars' Sect.
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