Outside the Yumen Pass, there are 36 countries in the Western Regions. Further west, you can reach Tocharo, Persia, the Great Food Country and other Middle East regions. At this time, the Tianzhu Kingdom was still under the rule of the Ring of the Sun Dynasty.

According to the "Ninth Uncle" of the Earth Binding Spirit, the legendary Great Kui Kingdom should be hidden somewhere at the junction of today's Zhu Kingdom, Tocharo, and the Great Food Country, and is a secret primitive country, hidden by dense jungles.

Lu Xin doesn't know much about the cognition of the Western Regions. I only know that the current countries of the Western Regions are still in an unstable state. The Tianwei of the Tang Emperor has not yet shocked the Quartet, and Li Shimin has not yet received the honorific title of "Heavenly Khan". The Tang Dynasty, which has been in Zhenguan for three years, is actually not strong. Lu Xin didn't know much about the history of the Tang Dynasty, but he also understood that the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks would change everything. If the Tang Dynasty can successfully destroy the Eastern Turks and defeat Jieli Khan. Then the prestige of the Tang Dynasty will truly make the countries of the Western Regions submit.

"The master said that at present, most of the land in the Western Regions is under the rule of the Great Desolate God Sect. The other half is in the sphere of influence of the polytanic sects. And according to Yan Qi's recollections, the Great Kui Kingdom is a forbidden place for many tantric sects. It's not easy to find it. ”

Walking on the endless desert with one person and one horse, Lu Xin is boring. Although this journey, there is a little bit of young flesh and strength. But he is not blindly rushing forward, analyzing the situation and avoiding risks is a must-do homework. But two days later, because there was no map, Lu Xin was lost in a desert area. It was only then that he realized what a terrible thing impulsiveness could be.

After tossing and turning for a long time and changing direction more than ten times, Lu Xin met a camel team. Although the Silk Road was opened up after Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty, the policies were different because of the different national strengths of each dynasty. Coupled with the intrusion of minority regimes such as the Turks and Tuyuhun, there were not many merchants who dared to take the Silk Road to the Western Regions. At this time, the Tang Dynasty had not yet completely opened up the Western Regions, and had not set up the Western Regions Protectorate, so it was impossible to protect the safety of merchants along the way.

The owner of the caravan was a middle-aged businessman named Wang Hai from Taiyuan Mansion in Hedong Province. By reselling silk and porcelain from Jiangnan, they exchanged high-quality jewelry and animal skins from the countries of the Western Regions. Sometimes, I will buy some dancing girls from the Western Regions and bring them back to Chang'an to sell them at a high price. This is legal in Datang.

Through chatting with Wang Hai, Lu Xin learned that the next stop on the Silk Road was Loulan.

The ancient kingdom of Loulan is still a very fascinating place in modern society. The traces that have flowed from ancient books and legends have always been talked about by historians and ordinary people. One of the most mysterious is the sudden disappearance of the Loulan Kingdom.

According to the historical records of later generations, the ancient kingdom of Loulan was established around 176 BC and suddenly mysteriously disappeared in 630 AD. The minority regime that once flourished on the Silk Road, an ancient civilization that has continued to develop for more than 800 years, has disappeared quietly? Strangely, the fall of the Loulan Kingdom did not leave a single word that could be used to explain the reason for its disappearance. This is obviously abnormal for an ancient civilization that has developed for hundreds of years.

If a small country hidden in the deep mountains and old forests suddenly disappears one day, it is understandable. A closed place, where no outsiders come and go, is destroyed by a natural disaster, and it is a matter of an instant. For example, large earthquakes, mudslides, fires, etc., the terrifying destructive ability makes it too late for people to react, let alone leave any evidence. However, since the Western Han Dynasty, the ancient kingdom of Loulan has always been an important city on the Silk Road, located at the hub of the Western Regions, which is equivalent to a transit point to countries in the Western Regions. Why did such a lively place, where a large number of merchants haunt, stay, and come and go all year round, suddenly disappear without leaving any trace?

If it is said that after more than a thousand years, future generations cannot find relevant evidence in the ruins of Loulan Kingdom. Then the Tang Dynasty at that time, as well as the countries around Loulan, should also have some records. The disappearance of a neighboring country will inevitably affect all countries in all aspects. Even if it is passed on by word of mouth, it can leave some clues in history. But the strange thing is that almost all historical records do not mention the reason for the disappearance of the ancient kingdom of Loulan.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty Zhenguan was three years old, in 629 AD. Lu Xin didn't realize that the ancient country of Loulan he was about to go to was at the last moment before it disappeared.

"Lao Wang, how long will it take to get from here to Loulan Kingdom?"

In the endless desert, the weather is hot and dry, and there is no life. Occasionally, only a lone eagle flew by, disappearing in the direction of the sunset, indescribably desolate. Lu Xin had been following the camel caravan for three whole days, and he still didn't see the city and the large-scale oasis belt. At this time, it was already the fifth day since he left Dunhuang.

Although Lu Xin can use his mana to travel quickly, he doesn't have to be afraid of the dry heat. But he didn't know the route, and in this vast desert, there was still nothing he could do.

"Well, I'll see."

Wang Hai nodded and began to look around. After a while, he dug out a rag from the sand not far away, and wrote some words on it. Wang Hai looked at it twice, and then buried the rag back.

"This place has gone west to Yangguan for more than 900 miles, and then to the southwest for less than 200 miles, is the border of Loulan. It was not early, so we found a place to camp and rest for the night before we hit the road. ”

Wang Hai is the only person in charge of the camel team, and he said that no one will object to resting in place, and Lu Xin is naturally no exception. Although he was in a hurry to find the Great Puppet Kingdom, after all, he had to ask for others, and it was difficult to make any more requests.

The night in the desert is very cold. In such a deserted place, it is terrible to spend the night alone. Lu Xin has not slept well since he left the Fengdu Ghost Domain. Although there are tents for camel caravans, they will not be disturbed by the wind and sand, and they still can't sleep.

The caravan consisted of twenty-eight people, all but four Turkic horse wranglers, all of whom were Han Chinese. Wang Hai has been traveling to and from the Silk Road for many years and is very experienced, but he sleeps soundly.

Whoosh, whoosh......

Suddenly, Lu Xin, who was awake, heard a sound of footsteps coming from the southwest. He turned over two times vigilantly, and five seconds later, sure enough, he saw a large group of black shadows showing their heads on the sand dunes not far away. Under the moonlight, this group of uninvited guests all held knives in their hands, glowing with a chill.

"There are robbers in this kind of place? Odd. ”

Secretly thinking in his heart, Lu Xin pretended to sleep and did not choose to startle the snake. The group quickly touched it and rushed to the largest tent with great experience.