Yue Guanchao narrowed his eyes and said: "If it wasn't an illusion, could it really be a demonic dragon in the desert? We didn't see any living creatures in the sandstorm just now. How did they hurt these livestock?"
Song Siyuan recalled the cattle and sheep carcasses they had just dissected. The blood in the blood vessels was still there, but it was like coagulated blood clots, with a texture like tofu and curdled fat.
No matter what is in the sandstorm, at least what they need is not blood, but some moisture in the blood. Only in this way can the blood clots in their blood vessels be explained.
Realizing this, Song Siyuan's eyes lit up, her face became serious and she said: "Could it be that some toxins in the blood caused these animals to die within half a day, or even after death, the blood completely coagulated, and the toxins in the body There is no moisture left.”
"What are you referring to?" Yue Guanchao looked at Song Siyuan. With her character, she would not just ask questions, but would often follow them with solutions or rough guesses.
He obviously guessed correctly. Song Siyuan nodded towards them: "I know that there is a kind of king snake venom. After entering the human body, it will quickly enter the aorta and branch blood vessels along the capillary channels. If this toxin does not come into contact with the blood, It is completely non-toxic, and there will be no danger even if it is drunk into the stomach. But as long as it is mixed with blood, within a few hours, the blood in people's blood vessels can completely coagulate, just like the blood clots we see. Likewise, a tofu-like or porridge-like blood vessel embolism is formed, causing death of the injured person."
"This process is completely irreversible. Even if serum is injected into the injured person, it can only prevent normal blood vessels from being damaged. The clotted blood will not restore and form blood embolism in the human body, which will accompany the person's life. If it is a treatment If not promptly, the injured person will die in pain due to blood clotting within a few hours.”
She paused and motioned for everyone to look at the cattle and sheep whose blood vessels had been cut: "The conditions in the blood vessels of these cattle and sheep are very similar to that of snake venom. What's more important is that many snake venoms in nature are caused by self-biting. The wound enters the capillaries and then reacts with the blood, endangering the safety of the injured person."
Song Siyuan's eyes lit up when she mentioned this: "I was wondering if there are some creatures in the sandstorms? They can lurk in the sand and bite living creatures to send toxins into their blood vessels. This is how we see Now, the biggest question is that there are no wounds on these cattle and sheep. Does this mean that these living creatures in the sandstorm have more sophisticated ways of harming living creatures, and can do so without being noticed? Put the toxin into the bodies of cattle and sheep.”
"It is indeed possible!"
Keli interjected: "There are no wounds on these cattle and sheep, which means that the creatures in the sandstorm do not attack people by biting. They can enter the body without going through wounds. I think they can only breathe. We have to look at the mouths of the cattle and sheep." nose."
Keli's words were a new direction. They lifted the heads of dead cattle and sheep and carefully observed the mouths and noses of the corpses. They could clearly feel signs of bleeding in the mouths and noses, as if the capillaries in the noses were broken and mixed with mucus. Solidified in the nose!
Yue Guanchao observed several more livestock carcasses and determined that the noses of the corpses all had such characteristics. Only then did he confirm that bleeding from the mouth and nose was not an isolated case, but a common feature that caused the death of cattle and sheep. Seeing the scene before him, Keli and Yue Guanchao Nodding, he confirmed his guess: "It seems that the murderer did enter the body of the cattle and sheep through their noses, causing the blood in their blood vessels to begin to coagulate."
"When this happens, it means that these things are very small in size and can leave wounds in the noses of cattle and sheep. At the same time, they can also release toxins into the body through capillaries. At the same time, they can also suck out the water in the body, and then He just escaped through the sandstorm without anyone noticing. If that's the calculation, could it be some kind of insect?"
Before they could come to the conclusion of the discussion, the old herdsman started to cry again: "What's the use of all this? My cattle and sheep are all dead. This is our family's ration for several years. We don't know what winter will be like." How to live?"
This old herdsman didn't care at all how his cattle and sheep died, nor did he want to know what killed them. He only knew that his family would have a hard time in the next year!
The Hotan Oasis is close to the mountainous areas, and the mountains are closed due to severe cold in winter. Often, the pastures have withered and shrunk since autumn. Even if we start raising these livestock again, they will have to wait until at least the next spring and summer to grow. Will they be able to endure it? It is not certain that we will survive this winter. Strange things happen frequently in the desert, and the old herdsmen cannot dig into the details. It is useless to know how the cattle and sheep died. How to survive this winter is the most important thing.
Yue Guanchao and the others originally thought that the Sand Charm Demon Dragon only existed in legends. Seeing these domestic animals die just like the legends, they became more certain that there was indeed some kind of creature in the sandstorm, but they didn't know what it was.
"Uncle, do you have a camel at home?" Song Siyuan asked. Most herdsmen in the Western Regions have camels in their homes, which are usually used to carry goods or to walk and rest.
The old herdsman didn't know what they were going to do. He wiped his tears and nodded to them with a slightly wary look in his eyes: "There are more than a dozen camels at home, and they are all used for daily stocking. They are not that strong."
"That's good. We have something to discuss with you. Let's go back to your house first."
After that, the old herdsman took Yue Guanchao and the others to the courtyard to the north of the grain drying field. After entering the courtyard, more than a dozen camels were all locked in the livestock shed. Their noses trembled slightly and they blew out hot air as they chewed the grass.
Yue Guanchao looked at the old herdsman: "Uncle, we want to rent your camels to go to Hongbai Mountain. Of course, we also know that Hongbai Mountain is in the hinterland of the desert, where the environment is the most harsh and dangerous. You must be afraid that the camels will go there after entering the desert. No reply, in order to show our sincerity, we can buy all these dozen camels. If we come back, we will return these camels to you, so that you can have money to buy new sheep herding cattle and horses, and we can also How about going to Hongbai Mountain?"
When the old herdsman heard Yue Guanchao's suggestion, he was obviously a little moved. No matter how good a dozen camels are, they can only transport goods at most, not as practical as dozens of cattle and sheep. The current situation is special, and all his cattle and sheep have died unknown. Not in vain, even the book can't be recovered, and it's useless to have these camels.
These dozen camels eat a lot every day and consume a lot of fodder. With all the cattle and sheep dead, he has no way to make money to feed these camels, so he might as well sell these camels to them and get the money We can also buy some more cows and sheep, so that the family can spend this winter peacefully.
When the spring and summer pastures come next year, the cattle and sheep will grow enough meat to be sold for money!
The old herdsman thought about it and realized that Yue Guanchao's proposal came just in time. As long as he sold the camels, he could buy the cows, sheep and calves first, and prepare food for the winter in advance. It was better than his family going hungry in winter. Now, when the winter is really unsustainable, their only chance of survival is to sell camels.
Since the camels will be sold sooner or later, it is better to deal with it now and sell all the camels at once!
After understanding this, the old herdsman no longer felt sad at all. He looked at Yue Guanchao and asked: "Young people, although it is our first time to see you, it is rare for you to care about me. I didn't know you were going to Hongbai." What is the purpose of the sacred mountain? It’s a waste of money to keep these camels in my hands. Why don’t I sell them all to you? I wonder what price you are willing to pay?”
Although Southern Xinjiang is far to the south, the price of camels is similar to that in Dunhuang. You can buy one for about 20 to 30 silver yuan. Yue Guanchao calmed down and said: "Uncle, you have suffered a disaster now, and we can't take advantage of it. If you are willing, we can buy all your camels for forty silver coins per peak."
"How much... how much? Forty oceans."
The old herdsman's eyes widened and he couldn't understand. Camels are not valuable livestock. In addition, the meat is inedible. They are basically equivalent to ordinary livestock such as donkeys and mules. Let alone thirty silver yuan, it is twenty. Silver yuan can also buy a smaller camel. Yue Guanchao gave it 40 yuan, and with a little more money, he could buy a horse. It can be said that it is much higher than the price of the camel in his hand.
"What? Uncle, if you think it's too little, you can raise a price yourself." Yue Guanchao saw the old herdsman's expression was abnormal and continued.
The old herdsman waved his hand: "I don't dare to have any opinions! I just think that the price you paid for a camel for 40 yuan is already considered a high price. This is a full fifteen camels, which adds up to a lot of money. My family After such a disaster, I am really anxious for money, but old man, I am not a greedy character, and the price you gave me is a bit too high."
Yue Guanchao thought it was something, but it turned out that the old man thought the price given to them was too high. He took a long breath and didn't want to change the price: "We also think that you are pitiful, uncle, so we have to pay a high price to buy your camels. These There are about fifteen camels, which can be sold for 600 oceans. If you are willing, we will pay you according to this. But there is one thing to trouble you. Before setting off, we have no way to keep them in captivity. We can only Please help us raise it for a while, and we'll pay for the fodder until the day we set off."
The old herdsman nodded: "That's for sure. I will definitely raise the camels for you to be fat and strong."
The transaction was facilitated and everyone was happy. Yue Guanchao and the others asked the old herdsman to sign a document, returned to the inn and took out a large sum of money. With the experience of Secret Orchid City, it was safer for them to buy the camel directly.
A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise. The old herdsmen thought that the death of their cattle and sheep was a disaster, but they never expected that they could sell their camels at a high price. The money was enough to buy dozens more cows, sheep and calves, and there was still money left over to improve their lives. I really feel that fate is unpredictable and God’s will plays tricks on people.
Yue Guanchao and the others received the receipt and were sent out of the courtyard by the old herdsmen with a smile. A few days after attending the Dragon Society performance, Yue Guanchao and the others packed up their things, and the day of departure soon arrived.
