As soon as we stepped into the desert border, we were greeted by endless stretches of yellow sand. The temperature was unbearably hot and very dry.
Fortunately, this is not a no man's land. The physique of monks is far better than that of ordinary people, and they can endure this harsh environment.
There are several inns operating on the eastern desert border and among a huge bush, and the prices are not expensive.
The three of them chose a nearby inn called Hulu to stay.
The business in the Hulu Inn was not very good and it was very quiet. There had been no orders for several days. It was only after receiving Song Minghui and the four others that they became lively.
In the first few days, several people were not used to it at first, as they had never lived in the desert.
They first prepared water, food and other supplies, and after getting familiar with the environment here, they began to inquire with the innkeeper about the caravan's trade route.
Due to the sparse number of customers in the store, there was only a traveling monk and an ascetic monk who came in these days. The shopkeeper was very leisurely, chatting with Song Minghui and the other four.
The trade route is not a secret here, and you will get the answer once you ask about it.
On the eastern border of the Yanhuang Desert, there is also a town called Dongsha Town, which means the eastern desert area.
It is said to be a town, but in fact there are less than 500 residents, and the size is negligible. It was just a name that a few inns came up with in order to facilitate memory and attract caravan customers.
In Dongsha Town, there is only one commercial road that connects to the depths of the desert. It has the same name as this inn, also called Hu Lu.
Speaking of the Hulu Business Road, the shopkeeper mentioned some recent events on the business road, mostly after-dinner conversations about the origin and development of the business road.
Among them, the Sandstorm Beast's attack on the caravan was also mentioned.
When they learned that a sandstorm beast had indeed appeared and attacked a caravan, Song Minghui and the others knew they were in the right place.
"May I ask the shopkeeper, when did this Sandstorm Beast attack occur?"
Zhang Nianchuan asked.
The shopkeeper was a bearded man who spoke very standard Zhongyuan dialect. He answered with a kind smile on his face.
"That happened more than a month ago. The matter was quite serious. There were about twenty or thirty people in the entire caravan. I heard that they were all from Qi State and were foreigners. Unfortunately, they all died tragically at the mouth of the Sandstorm Beast. ."
Having said this, the shopkeeper hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but ask.
"I see that the three of them are dressed in extraordinary ways. They seem to have come from afar. They don't look like ordinary cultivators. Could it be that they are children of a family or a sect passing through here for training?"
"I advise you not to go deep into the Yanhuang Desert. The sandstorms and some sandstorm beasts there are very dangerous. It is not easy to travel and the scenery is very boring."
"I am Zhang Nianchuan, a disciple of Qingshan Sect in Lushan County."
"This is my fellow disciple, Senior Sister Song. These two are Senior Brother Lin and Senior Brother Chu."
Zhang Nianchuan introduced briefly.
"Qingshan Sect..."
The shopkeeper murmured to himself. This was the first time he heard about this sect and he didn't ask any questions.
No one talked much about the Qingshan Sect.
As the conversation continued and the Sandstorm Beasts were mentioned in depth, the four of them decided to take the initiative and set foot on the Hulu Trade Road to search for the group of Sandstorm Beasts.
After staying in the inn for more than ten days, a group of merchants called Datong Caravan arrived. Zhang Nianchuan and the four of them requested to go with the caravan on the grounds that they were not familiar with the route.
The leader of the caravan is a young monk named Zhang Sihong, whose cultivation level is at the third level of Qi training. When he learned that the four of them, Song Minghui, came from a sect, and their cultivation levels had reached about the fifth level of Qi training, they felt that they could get along well with each other during the chat. , and agreed immediately.
Recently, I heard the shopkeeper mention in the inn that a sandstorm beast had attacked the caravan in the Hulu caravan, which also made the members of the caravan vigilant, fearing that they would be attacked by a sandstorm beast.
Now he can have four sect monks accompanying him. If he is really attacked by a sandstorm beast, he will always have someone to take care of him.
After obtaining the caravan's permission, Song Minghui and the four of them set off together.
Before setting off, Senior Sister Song couldn't help but give Lin Han and the others a warning out of worry.
"It is true that we came here to eliminate demons this time to complete the sect's mission, but as disciples of Qingshan Sect, we cannot bully these caravan people casually, and we must not disgrace the sect's reputation."
Zhang Nianchuan nodded: "Senior Sister Song reminded me that I will pay attention."
Lin Han smiled coquettishly: "No, no, senior sister, don't worry."
Chu Qin said nothing, but nodded.
In this way, after only one night, everyone had breakfast in the inn and set off early.
The Datong caravan was transporting a batch of textiles this time, produced in Guangde County, and was to be transported to Longjiang County on the western border of Chu State.
Longjiang County is a border area, bordering Qi State, and its textile industry is very backward. Every year, textiles are collected from all over Chu State to fill the market.
Guangde County's textiles are well-known throughout the country, which has benefited the Datong Chamber of Commerce.
Businessmen have always been driven by profit.
"The three of us are from the Qingshan Sect. After all, we are from the same hometown."
"I was born in Lushan County since I was a child. I am a local of Guangde County. I have heard the name of Qingshan Sect for a long time..."
Zhang Sihong was very talkative and knew how to avoid the important and ignore the easy. He did not mention a word about the decline of the Qingshan Sect and almost kept talking along the way.
Chu Qin and Lin Han talked very little, mostly asking questions and answering questions. Fortunately, Zhang Nianchuan and Song Minghui had the potential to be talkative, and could talk to Zhang Sihong naturally.
After traveling for two days, the two parties got along more and more harmoniously. Zhang Sihong also mentioned some interesting things that the caravan encountered in the past, and talked about the local customs and landforms, and the trading history.
Along the way, Song Minghui and the others also saw various strange scenes in the desert.
For example, small sandstorms, quicksand, gravel circles, etc.
The desert is solitary and the smoke is straight, the sun is setting over the long river.
At first, the desert scenery seemed to the four of them to have a unique flavor.
In this way, it was calm for several days, until one-third of the distance of the Hulu Commercial Road was completed. On this day, something happened in front of the caravan.
"No, it's Sandstorm Beast!"
The attack came very suddenly. A member of the caravan who was walking at the front let out a cry of surprise and was frightened when he recognized the Sandstorm Beast.
Following his shout, the mortals in the caravan suddenly became confused.
After more than a year, the Datong caravan was once again attacked by a sandstorm beast.
There are more than a dozen sandstorm beasts in this group. Their bodies are as long as bulls and their appearance is similar to lizards. They are reptiles.
There is no higher-level Sandstorm Beast King among them, their intelligence is extremely low, and their overall combat effectiveness is between the third and fourth levels of Qi training.
After being attacked and the caravan in chaos, Song Minghui and the others would not just sit idly by and watch.
It just so happens that the attacker is the target Sandstorm Beast, and it will be a while before we take action now.
"Do it!"
Zhang Nianchuan took the lead, slashing out the green bamboo sword in the air, erupting with a bright and rich green sword light, facing a sandstorm beast that had recently been killed.
