Chapter 31: The Long Road to the West

Within a few days, the army team entered the territory of Baoding, passing through Lingshan. Ah Du seemed to hear the beautiful sound of Miss Li's piano and saw Princess Yuxiang's innocent smile! It has been more than half a year since he left Lingshan, and I don't know how they are doing now? Ah Du really wants to use his internal strength to break through the shackles, regain his freedom, and go to Lingshan Qingfeng Temple to meet them!

"The heavens will descend on the people, and they must first suffer their minds, strain their muscles and bones, and starve their bodies and ......skins." At this time, the Buddha's divine metaphor seemed to sound in his ears again! Adu cheered up, discarded all distracting thoughts, and went straight west! Adu and his entourage passed through Taiyuan, went to Xi'an, rested for a day, and then rushed to Liangzhou. This journey of eating and sleeping in the open, the hardships are only experienced by themselves. After Liangzhou, Adu clearly felt that the climate here was very different from that of the Central Plains. At noon, the heat wave was pressing, and the prisoners were sweating profusely and were sleepy! At night, the cold air hit the people, and the prisoners were shivering from the cold! Because of this, the march of the conscription team slowed down considerably. After a few days of arduous trekking, we arrived at Shazhouwei. General Luo, the general of Weimaobian in Shazhou, met with the jailers who were escorting the prisoners. This General Luo has a tiger's back and thick eyebrows and big eyes, and at a glance he knows that he is a tiger general! The jailer could not wait to hand over the official document to General Luo. General Luo took the official document and looked at it, but there was not a word written on the official envelope. General Luo felt very strange in his heart, so he opened the envelope, read it, and handed it to the jailer, saying, "This official letter is for Hamiwei!"

"How far is it from Shazhouwei?" the jailer hurriedly asked.

"There are still hundreds of miles. It's not easy for you to saddle up and sleep all the way. Rest here tonight, the old man should do his best to be a landlord, let you eat and drink well, rest for a whole day and then leave!" General Luo said. The prisoners' physical exertion had reached the limit, and when they heard that they had to walk hundreds of miles, they sat down on the ground one by one, sighing!

After resting for a day in Shazhou, Adu and his entourage replenished some water, grain and grass. General Luo also gave them some tents, saying: "This desert place has a huge temperature difference and wind and sand. After noon, the heat is so strong that it is not advisable to hurry, so you can rest in your tent to escape the heat, and at night you can also keep out the cold!" the jailer thanked the general and continued his march west with the prisoners.

The yellow sand is long and dusty. The army team struggled to move forward. Suddenly, one of the prisoners shouted, "Castle! There is a castle ahead!" and everyone looked up, and a castle was faintly visible, standing in the dust. "Hamiwei, it must be Hamiwei!" the jailers exclaimed excitedly, "We're here!" and one by one they rushed towards the castle. When you look closer, you can see what kind of castle this is, it is clearly a group of huge stones! These stones have been eroded by the wind and sand, and they have a variety of shapes. Some resemble reclining Buddha ghosts, some resemble city walls, carved pillars, and some resemble giants and various animals, lifelike!

"Devil's Town! This is the Devil's City of the Desert!" Adu sighed: "Nature's work is wonderful!" Suddenly, a gust of wind struck, carrying dust and sand, and it shook and rolled between the boulders, and it made a terrifying sound of ghosts crying and howling! Adu called the jailer and said: "Devil's Town often appears in the most evil places in the desert, and it is inaccessible to people. Are we on the wrong track?" the jailer looked up and said, "I don't know!" One prisoner was so disappointed that he lost control of his emotions and cried. Suddenly, the prisoner shouted, "Daddy, mother, you're here!" and struck his head against the stone, killing himself! The jailers quickly hid the corpse in the yellow sand, and ordered the team to leave the sad place at once.

The procession continued westward. Abdul Mudi noticed that a huge sand dune was blocking their path. The crowd stopped by the dunes. One jailer suggested to another, "It's a light wind, just the right place to rest tonight." When Adu heard this, he hurriedly said: "Don't spend the night next to the sand dunes, in case a strong wind blows at night, causing the sand dunes to move...... "Will such a big hill move? At night, the wind stops. Everyone happily stayed in the tent. Soon after, the exhausted people suddenly snored like thunder. Ah Du couldn't sleep for a long time, so he decided to go outside to breathe, and then find a quiet place to cultivate his true qi. Abdul quietly crept out of the tent, and a cold air hit him. Heaven and earth are silent, only a bend of the moon is unwilling to be lonely, passing through the thin clouds. The moon is the moon of ancient times, and people are ancient people, and Adu's heart can't help but feel a sense of homesickness! Unconsciously, Adu came to a depression. He decided to meditate and cultivate his true qi. I don't know how long it took, but Adu suddenly felt that a hurricane was carrying dust and sand, and it was about to roll over! Adu suddenly flew up and jumped out of the depression. "No! They are dangerous!" Ah Du exclaimed, ran his true qi, and ran towards the sand dunes! Helplessly, the dust and sand were flying in the sky, covering the sky and the moon, and Ah Du was suddenly disoriented and at a loss. When the morning dawned, the wind stopped and the blood-red sun rose over the horizon as big as a wheel. As far as the eye could see, Abdul could no longer find the dunes. A sense of foreboding struck Adu. He carefully inspected the surrounding desert and found a few wheels, a few ponytails, and a few human legs looming in the sand and rocks. The scene was terrible. "Is there anyone? Is there any living person?" said Adu, who was driven by his true qi, shattered the shackles, and howled madly as he struggled to dig through the sand and stones! Abdul silently hid them in the sand again. How small man is in the face of nature! Man cannot fight with heaven! Rest in peace, my companions!

Gone are his fellow travelers, no more chariots and horses, no more food and water! In the middle of the desert, Abdul was alone, in a desperate situation, and he was at a loss! Suddenly, the neighing of horses was heard in the distance! It was the voice of life calling, giving people courage and confidence. At last, a majestic white horse came into Adu's eyes. The white horse's graceful steps, flowing mane, and long ponytail completely conquered Adu! It was a wild horse! A wild horse without a reins! This is really an endless road! Adu jumped up and jumped on the horse's back! The white horse was startled, thinking that he had been attacked, so he kicked his hind legs, and his front legs were in the air, knocking Adu to the ground, and then running away! This is the hope of life, and it is a great gift from God to Adu! Adu thought while running his true qi and chasing after him like a fly!