Chapter 21 Chapter Twelve

We set off at midnight, and this was also the plan of Nianjia, a descendant of the self-proclaimed great traveler, to try to avoid the terrible heat of the desert at noon. Day and night are turned upside down the moment you step into the desert. As the hazy pre-dawn light fell over the land, we crossed the gravel belt and stepped on grains of sand as fine as pollen. A red sun slowly emerged from our right, and the dawn light shone in the endless sea of ​​sand in front of us. The shivering coldness of the desert night was replaced by the rapidly rising temperature. After a while, we were like poor animals in a steamer. Dahei stuck out his big tongue and breathed desperately. Only the thousand-mile camel and Feixue were still like that Leisurely, like returning to a familiar hometown.

The chatty Nian Jia and the other Pure Land people fell silent, looking forward with dull eyes. Time is getting slower and slower, and finally it seems to be completely still, and the sky and the earth seem to have not changed at all. All the scenes that continue to appear in front of us are just a repetition of the previous scene. Cairou's pretty face is shining, because at dusk yesterday, she finally got what she always wanted, my unreserved love for her. I feel a kind of joy and relief of being unshackled. I have tried every means to suppress my love for her, but suddenly, at the junction of the desert and the green field, in the afterglow of the sunset, in the snow and the In the sound of Dahei's play, I realized the ruthlessness of time and fate. If I can't grasp the moment in front of me, when all these are lost in the future, I can only spend it in regret.

So I went forward bravely like facing a big enemy, and told Cairou the truth in my heart. Before the sun rose to the middle of the sky, we camped and rested. We struggled against the heat of the desert in the special tents made in Nianjia. People and animals drank water and ate food. We continued our journey after noon, stopped to rest after dusk, and continued our journey after midnight. Stopping and stopping like this, after more than ten days, they marched into the hinterland of the desert. The foreground changes again. The simple and monotonous desert has finally changed. The flat fine sand has turned into a large plain composed of sandstone and gravel. With a long turban to protect his face, he crawled and bent forward, advancing inch by inch.

The never-ending journey is daunting to think about. The only consolation is that the sun, which reigns over the land, occasionally temporarily hides behind the dark clouds, making us less miserable from the heat. Four hours later we arrived at the end of the bald plain. The outside is no longer a flat sandy plain, but a dune that undulates like a woman's breast. , very spectacular. Turning my head and looking back, Lian Yunfeng rose up on the other side of the horizon like a small stone pillar, looking at our insignificant bug-like brigade in the desert, the wind gradually subsided.

Snapped! The front hoof of Cairou's empty mount went limp and fell to the ground weakly. With a shock in my heart, I stopped and shouted: Let's set up camp here! I knelt down and watched Cairou's horse foaming at the mouth, feeling a sense of powerlessness that I hated. When I looked up, I saw Cairou's pale face. Cairou bit her lip and said nothing. Nian Jia brought another Pure Land man over, and this Pure Land man named Ba Gangda inspected Cairou's horse. He muttered for a while, then shook his head and stood up. I said in a pure land language in a deep voice: What's the matter?

Nian Jia said: Ba Gangda is an expert in camels. He said that the horse was overworked and suffered from the heat, and could not survive. Cairou sat down weakly, put her arms around the horse's head, and pressed her pretty face into the mane of the horse's neck.With eyes closed, the well-defined and pretty side profile, people today feel a kind of sad beauty. We fell silent. Dahei came over and put his head into Cairou's arms. I turned my back and couldn't bear to look any further. We sat around the campfire that night, burning wolf dung and the last sticks from the rainforest, and we were all depressed.

Nian Jiadao: The 30 days starting from tomorrow will be the most dangerous journey, not only because of the unpredictable weather, sandstorms that come and go without a trace, but also because we will pass through the green lake in the desert where sand robbers live. Near the state, we must replenish water and rest there. I said, "It's not the first time you've passed that place. If the sand bandits wanted to move you, wouldn't they have done so long ago?" Nian Jia said: No one dares to go directly to Mozhong Lake. Fortunately, there are abundant water sources hidden in the ground of the oasis, so there are countless smaller oasis in a radius of more than a hundred miles outside Mozhong Lake. Several wells were drilled in some of these small green states, and it was through those wells that we were able to get supplies on the way. These wells were well hidden, and even the sand robbers didn't know about it, or had no time to pay attention to it.

Nian Jia paused and said: It was near one of the wells that we met the Great Head of State. Everyone had expressions of horror and grief on their faces. Cairou put her arms around Dahei, huddled together in a wool felt, against the freezing cold of the night, said softly: Is the Sand Bandit really that scary? Nian Jiadao: The scariest thing about Sand Pirates is that they appear like a storm in the desert. They appear suddenly when you least expect them, followed by crazy killings, looting, and adultery. The pure land people living on the edge of the desert are forced to move Going inland, the name of the king of the desert, Du Bian, can stop the babies of the Pure Land people from crying.

But I was thinking in my heart that although the Great Head of State is a half-human, half-mechanical monster as the witch said, but looking at his daily life and diet, he still needs to eat, drink, rest, and even have sexual desires, so he may not be able to Rush through this desert, otherwise why go to the well to find water.From this point of view, the chances of him staying near the only water source in the great desert to recuperate from his injuries are quite high. If this is the case, then the grievances between the two of us can be resolved before entering the pure land. But I'm afraid it's not like that.

In the end, the prophecy written by the priest of Mazu seven hundred years ago haunted the back of my mind like a ghost, because if the problem can be solved before entering the Pure Land, then I don’t need to enter the Pure Land where wars continue. The prophecies of Mazu priests will also come true. So if nothing can escape the hand of fate, I am destined to enter the pure land to experience this paradise on earth that has experienced thousands of years of spring and flowers, and then enters the tender winter, a beautiful country that only God can create . Only the great head of state can lead me into the pure land.

So it should be no matter what, I can't kill the head of state before reaching the pure land. This thought made me hate that prophecy. People should not know the existence of fate, and I am that victim now. Especially the sentence with endless sadness made my heart tremble even more. What would make me endlessly sad? Cairou Hill rose in my mind, the incense mound designated by Cairou to bury the bones, and a fear so strong that it made me groan across my heart. Picking Judo: Great Swordsman!Your face is ugly! I forced a smile and said: Maybe I'm a little tired.Turning to Ninga, he said: Trust me, when the Sand Pirates come, I promise they won't feel bad. Nianjia nodded desperately and said: I absolutely agree with that. With you here, I would like to meet those ghostly sand robbers for a while, but thinking of the pure land at stake, I dare not make extra troubles. Let those villains have a little more luck! This year, Nianjia has completely surrendered to my swordsmanship, because in his heart I am the holy sword knight predicted by the ancestors of Pure Land. I hate that prophecy, I hate why Mazu leaked the secret. Twenty days later, we were exhausted and lacked water and food, and we arrived at the first water well 40 miles away from Hubei in the middle of the desert. In the rolling yellow sand, there was an unbelievably small grassland with a radius of four miles. , with trees growing sparsely. When we got here, the terrain began to undulate, making it difficult for the sand grains covered by nothing to wreak havoc. The oasis is surrounded by some sandstone, small buttes and a hill made of huge rocks with a hat-like hill, which is impressive. Nian Jia waited for a chorus of cheers, rode the thousand-mile camel and hurried over. Feixue rushed out without waiting for my order, and set foot on the soft grass in a short while. The oily green of the plants is really an unparalleled visual enjoyment in the world. Without waiting for orders, the people set up camp, built a fire, and drew water from the well. Cairou walked up to me with a worried face, and said in a low voice: They are going to kill a thousand-mile camel to eat. I shrugged my shoulders, indicating that there was nothing I could do about it, and suddenly realized that Dahei was gone, and wondered: Where did Dahei go? Cairou frowned and said: I just wanted to tell you that Dahei is very abnormal. After drinking the water, not only did he not pester me for something to eat, but he also sniffed wildly, making a gurgling sound in his throat towards the mountain, as if there was something there. something terrible. My heart was shocked, as if I had captured a vague concept, but I couldn't describe it concretely. Cairou stared at me blankly. woof woof! Dahei yelled and walked over to me, threw his front feet on my chest, barked at me a few times, then walked towards the hat mountain, turned his head, and barked at me again. Suddenly, the vague shadow in my heart became clear. I know who Dahei found? Is the head of state. He's at Hat Hill. In fact, I had vaguely thought of this possibility before, because Dahei was able to follow Cairou to follow me that day, and naturally he could also lead me to catch up with the head of state, because Dahei is the only survivor of the bloody subordinates of the head of state. The smell of the head of state can be said to be familiar and profound. These thoughts flashed through my mind like lightning. I yelled: Feixue! Feixue gave up the tender grass on the ground and ran towards me. Get on the horse. Cairou rushed forward, pulled my waist leather and shouted in panic: Great Swordsman, where are you going? I said lightly: Go kill the Great Head of State. Cairou was shocked all over, and shouted: Take me with you! I smiled slightly, bowed my head and kissed her on the cheek and said: Cairou, I love you, you are the only sun that shines on my cold heart, I cannot let you suffer any harm, I promise you, Lante will come back alive Come by your side and make love with you at least once a night. Cairou let go of her hand and looked at me blankly, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. The whole thing happened so suddenly that she didn't know how to adapt and react. All of a sudden, he wanted to separate from her, and go to the promise of life and death alone. Others came over. Nian Jia shouted: Great Sword Master, no matter where you want to go, now is not the time, look! Point to the sky behind Hat Mountain. I looked in the direction of his finger. It was not past noon yet, but the clear blue sky over there turned yellow and dirty, and the dust seemed to have stopped. I was stunned and said: Sandstorm? Nianjia said: No one can find another person in a sandstorm. According to my estimation, the sandstorm will come here in less than two hours. If you walk in that direction, you will meet it sooner. I looked at Maoshan Mountain about three miles away, and said coldly: One hour is enough.Then he shouted to those Pure Land people: Pull Dahei for me! At that moment, two people hugged the big black tightly, trying to put a rope around its neck, but they didn't know that the big black showed two rows of white teeth, and they were so frightened that they let go quickly. I shouted heavily: Cairou! Cairou let out a mournful cry and ran towards Dahei. When Cairou put his arms around Dahei's thick shoulders and neck, Dahei stopped struggling, and whimpered at me, with a look in his eyes expecting me to take him with him. A horse belly. Feixue hissed to the sky, let go of his four hooves, and ran at full speed in the direction of Mao Mao Mountain. That's the only place in the vicinity where you can hide and recuperate. Feixue hadn't tried to gallop like this for more than 30 days. A cloud of dust and smoke was brought up behind the horse's stock, and it passed through the green state like a whirlwind, and set foot on the yellow sand. The sky became more and more gloomy, and in the gradually strengthening wind and the yellow dust rising from the sky, the sun lost its scorching power and seemed so helpless. Vision is getting blurred. When I stepped on the rock formation beside Hat Mountain, I saw the small half-skeletons of a few thousand-mile camels exposed on the sand, which made people naturally think of death and ominousness. Feixue ran faster and faster, and hat mountain was close in front of him. The whole mountain was almost composed of sandstone, and there was no grass growing, except for some needle-shaped desert plants growing in a few places where the sun could not be directly shining all day long. Ding! The witch's blade rang out as a warning from behind. I was ecstatic in my heart, the head of state is here. Braving the stronger and stronger wind, the speed of the flying snow decreased slightly, but it was still very fast. I looked back at the green state, and Cairou had disappeared into the dust all over the sky. I collected my mind, turned around, and ran around the foot of the hat mountain, towards the side where her back was facing the green state. I had a hunch that the Führer was there waiting for me. As soon as I rounded the corner of the mountain, I saw the Grand Führer almost immediately. He stood on a protruding boulder on the mountain, holding an epee that he probably snatched from the Shining Man in his hand, and he wore a black helmet and black armor, like a terrifying devil who had sneaked out of hell. In the strong wind, the armor flew. I jumped off my horse, drew out the Witch Blade, and shouted: Great Head of State! The head of state laughed wildly and said: Good!Rand, you have more class than your father. I patted Feixue on the head to signal it to go aside, but I ran towards the place where the head of state was standing. The head of state said coldly: Why do you come up! With a leap from the stone, he jumped onto another stone that was at least ten feet lower than where he was standing. When he landed, he pounced forward a little before standing still. Although this movement was slight, how could it hide it from me, he laughed and said: I didn't expect that your injury is still not healed to this day! A stern light flashed across the eyes of the head of state, and he said in a deep voice: Even if it's not good, I can still kill you kid. Looking up at the head of state more than ten feet above, this distance allows us to fight hand-to-hand when either side takes the initiative. I stopped and shouted against the wind: It's not that you don't want to escape, but you know that you can't escape Feixue's four legs, so you don't hesitate to fight with your back, right?big head of state.You have seen me coming. The head of state said: Yes!I saw Feixue and you, but I didn't fear you at all. The witch is dead, and no one in the world can stop me, and neither can you. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, carrying the wind and sand, making it difficult for people to open their eyes, but the Great Head of State stood still in the wind, but he was not affected at all. Without any further delay, I gave a wild shout and jumped up. The head of state let out a long roar, and the epee slashed at me head-on. I raised my sword to meet the grid, and I was very surprised, this sword has the potential to go and never return, so he is not afraid of my witch's blade. Before I finished my thoughts, a huge boulder shot towards my chest. When I realized that it was the head of state who kicked up the boulder, it was too late to avoid it. I turned around and faced the boulder with my shoulders, and fell down Go, while retracting the blade and slamming the hilt into the boulder. Snapped! The boulder was hit by the hilt of the sword, slowed down slightly, and hit my shoulder. With a muffled groan, I fell backwards. The pain on the left side was almost numb. With a bang, I fell on the previous rock, and then tumbled down the sand dune below, falling firmly. The head of state laughed and jumped down, the epee made a hissing sound, stabbing at me from every opening. I reluctantly rolled on the ground, avoiding him more than a dozen swords. Fortunately, his gait was a little sluggish, showing that he hadn't fully recovered from my sword strike. If so, I would have been killed by him in danger, if he didn't attack me The Witch's Blade has a deep taboo, and it killed me long ago. Ding! I resorted to an exquisite technique, and finally lit his epee. The epee swung away. The sandstorm blows more and more urgently, blowing the sand flying all over the sky, and the sand around me is swirling like a smooth slide, making people feel like they are in the center of a stormy sea. The Great Head of State yelled violently, and rushed over again, his eyes flashing fiercely. I didn't dare to open my mouth to yell, because if I opened my mouth, the sand would pour in, silently bouncing off the sand, dodging to avoid the sweeping sword of the Führer, and with a ding, the tip of the blade hit the Führer's epee again. The Great Head of State really had deep scruples about the Witch's Blade, he withdrew his sword and retreated fiercely, hiding in the wind and sand in the sky, leaving only a vague shadow. At this time, the surrounding area was completely submerged in the vast sea of ​​sand. I tried my best to stand still against the constant blowing wind. Trillions of grains of sand are constantly whirling and dancing, drilling into my clothes, stinging every inch of skin exposed outside the armor, invading my nose and ears, and fascinating my eyes. Suddenly I realized that the Führer was gone. A gust of wind and sand hit me, and I couldn't help closing my eyes. Ding! The Witch's Blade sounded the alarm. The instinct of the swordsman made me return to the back of the sword and chop. Clang! The tiger's mouth hurts. The head of state retreated sharply, leaving only half of the sword in his hand. I put the Witch Blade into my left hand, and braved the wind and sand to press forward, clanging and clanging, the head of state blocked more than ten swords in a row until there was only one hilt left. I was about to strike him again, a pillar of sand rose up in response to the head of state's kick, and rushed towards him, but I leaned down to avoid it, and the head of state had already retreated into the boundless wind and sand. He wants to escape. The sound of hooves sounded, and the psychic Feixue rushed behind. I hurriedly got on my horse, thinking that no matter how fast your head of state is, you will not be as fast as Feixue. At this moment, a faint barking sound came from the left side. My heart skipped a beat, isn't this Dahei's cry? Turning my head to the place where the sound came from, a black shadow in the wind and sand rushed towards me. Dahei appeared under the horse, with a scar on his head that was bleeding, barking at me. I forgot about the head of state, I picked up Dahei, hugged him in my arms, and rushed back to the oasis under the flying snow. Protecting Cai Rou is more important than killing the Grand Head. The wind and sand came and went in a hurry. When Feixue stepped onto the oasis, although the air was still filled with sand, the scenery was clearly visible, and I saw the tragic scene where my eyes were tearing apart. The oasis has been stained red with blood. All the pure land brothers who shared weal and woe with me fell into a pool of blood, but not a single camel was seen. I jumped off the horse with Dahei in my arms, and looked through the corpses one by one, my heart was burning with anger and grief. Finally I found Nianjia. He had at least ten wounds on his body. One arm was severed, but miraculously he was breathing slightly. I screamed wildly: New year! Nianjia opened his eyes feebly, and seeing me refreshed, he panted: I know you will come back, I know I screamed: Who did it! Nian Jia said: "It's the sand bandits. They took Cairou abducted. Hurry up!" I resolutely said: let me save you first Nianjia shook his head and said: I can't do it anymore, they took away the Zhenwu stone, please get it back for me, and send it to Lazar. The Grand Duke coughed violently, bleeding from his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. Nian Jia's lips trembled, I hurried down and heard his weak voice say: I am very happy, I died fighting for Cairou's voice interrupted. I held Nian Jia in my arms in grief, but I couldn't hold his lost life.His blood stained my robes red. Sand Pirates! If I, Lante, allow one of you to live in this world again, I will no longer be called a great swordsman. This hatred can only be washed away with blood. Feixue carried me and Dahei across the desert without getting tired. I have been chasing for three hours, but the vast yellow sand is still deserted, but I know that I am getting closer and closer to the enemy. I dare not think that something terrible will happen to Cairou, but I just force myself to keep it in my mind. Blank, except for one wish, is to catch up with the Sand Pirates and kill them all. The sun sank below the flat ground like a lead ball, and the weather became noticeably cooler. I ran towards a row of long sandstone mounds rising from the sand across the front, and the smoke from the kitchen was rising from behind the mound. Blood is boiling. Cairou!If you are still alive, I will rescue you, if you are dead, I will avenge you, wash away the insult you have suffered with their blood, and then take your bones back and bury them on Cairou Hill . Two big stupid spears came into my left and right hands, and I rushed up to the top of the hill, and when I went down again, it was the time for a bloody decisive battle.