Pound's sword didn't let go, he glanced north, and his whole eye seemed to pop out. In his line of sight, the hill appeared. It wasn't a desert dune, it was a hill made of solid earth and rock. Although the color was similar to sand, the heavy silhouette that had fallen from the grinding of history, and the faintly visible black dots, indicated that there were people there, and that the cave had been carved out.

Pound turned around excitedly and said loudly: "It's here!" It's here! ”

The crowd behind stirred up the joy of seeing the fruits of victory, and the devotion of being born again. Pang Tong suddenly felt that his whole body was filled with a sense of liberation, and he fell into a deep collapse.

Motivated by joy, they quickened their pace. Stepping onto the cracked earth, the surface of the ground that had not yet been sandified. The hills here resemble small castles, most of which have rounded mushroom-like tops.

A star in the vastness of the desert. The natural architecture here has a tough exterior and is not as easy to subvert as the sand dunes. The army approached, and out of the shadows came the white-robed men of the black caverns that covered the mountain, armed with bows and arrows. They weren't trying to come in an ambush. Their numbers were far inferior to Pang Tong's army, and they were trembling and at a loss. Outside the cave is a road carved out of the mountain, but now, the aborigines here do not dare to take half a step. The army is like a great snake that winds its way through the parched land.

"Is this the Five Lights Cave?"

Like a lizard about to be dried in the sun, Pang Tong looked up at the people in the cave. And the people in the cave watched them.

"Traitor!"

Someone's words were very intense. Cursed at the man named Valla. The aborigines here don't have a good impression of him.

Pang Tong felt the strange atmosphere of tension. After all, they are outsiders, and they come with tens of thousands of heavy troops, and anyone who sees them will be afraid. He decisively ordered people to communicate with these aborigines.

The soldiers waved their hands in a gesture of friendship and shouted: "We are not here to occupy here, we are just passing through, we want a little water." ”

With such a momentum, he shouted in the Five Lamp Caves for a long time. Finally someone dared to come and talk to them. The man, who was almost fifty years old, was taken to Pang Tong's mount. Pang Tong turned over and dismounted, smiling politely.

The man's swarthy face was covered with fine lines, and his eyes were as blue as the sea. He wore a white loara that looked like a loaf around his head, and a white robe, similar to Nawalra's.

Pang Tong said: "We are from the Central Plains passing through here, and we hope to come here to buy some water and food. We'll go. ”

The man looked at him nervously, his brows curled up in a defensive manner. He said, "My name is Salu, and I am the old man of the cave here, and everyone listens to me. There are only more than 10,000 of us, and we are no match for you. Please don't disturb our lives here. We will supply water if we want, but food can be a bit of a hassle. ”

Pang Tong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I am Pang Tong, the leader here. It would be nice to have water. ”

In the dry climate, Salu seems to be dried out on the surface, but there is an infinite amount of moisture flowing inside. He should be full of energy inside. He said to Pang Tong: "That person brought you in, we don't want to see him." This is a guy who takes money as his life. As far as his actions are concerned, he has already violated the clan rules. You shouldn't be here, either. ”

Pang Tong looked up and saw a woman standing in the cave on the nearest hill on the right, wearing a cap and a cloth mask, and her whole body was buried under the arms of her clothes. The woman seemed to sense the distant man's gaze, and retreated in horror into the cave.

Pang Tong sighed: "It's a miracle that there are still more than 10,000 people alive in such a place. ”

The army was encamped on solid ground, and white tents were covered with five lantern caves. The aborigines from high above overlook the sight they had never seen before. Pang Tong walked on the circular road, followed by Dian Wei, Pang De, and ten followers. He came to a mountain-like fortress, and a dark cavern opened to him sincerely. The straight figure of Salu, the leader of the Five Lanterns Cave, who was leading the way in front of him, entered. It's cool inside, and in the light of the sun, this small cave inside is reassuring. Inside, dry walls, dust on the floor, and some wooden furniture sit. Everything seems very old. On a small square table, a large earth-colored bowl is filled with coffee-colored mushrooms.

Pang Tong sat down on the stones of the bed that had protruded from the wall, and Dian Wei and Pang De stood on either side. And Salu sat opposite. The man's face was full of sorrow, and it was a look that dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.

Pang Tong was very interested in this kind of people who existed in such a dangerous place, but still survived. He asked, "I wonder why you live here?" ”

Salu looked at him warily, lowered his head, and sighed: "What happened hundreds of years ago, no one can remember the specifics, it seems that it was to avoid war. What can be remembered, by word of mouth, is that we were once a strong people with a kingdom of our own. But there was still a threat from a powerful enemy. Then he fled to this side. We all believe that somewhere in the northeast there is our homeland. A native land hundreds of years ago. ”

Pang Tong said with great interest: "It's really a historical relic, it should be a very beautiful place." ”

Salu shook his head and said, "It's just a legend from hundreds of years ago. ”

"It's not!"

A man stood at the entrance of the cave, blocking out some of the sunlight and pulling his long shadow into the cavern. It was Varla, his expression agitated, and he walked in and said loudly, "That place must exist, and we must be convinced that we can return to that homeland!" ”

Salu stood up and said fiercely to him, "What else would you do but be delusional, even if you persist in such a nonsensical thing, it will be in vain." See the money-eyed man! He gave a look of contempt.

But Valla approached without hesitation, only five feet apart, like two wolves about to fight.

"I can go to that place if I have the money. I could buy a lot of camels, form my little army, go there, go in search! ”

Valla spoke his ideals.

But Salu still shook his head insistently and said, "Ridiculous! As if to bury his opponent's thoughts completely, his voice was thorough and could not be refuted.

But it was under this pressure that Varla continued: "People who don't have ideals will always stay here, and they don't know what an oasis is. Always guard a pool of mercy, and sooner or later the water will be greedily drunk by you. You won't know that your existence has any meaning, and it seems to me that you are no different from the worms in the dark caves! ”

Salu reached out in exasperation and grabbed the clothes on his shoulder blades. Valla's face was wrinkled and his body was a little up, but his face didn't change at all.

Salu shouted, "I have to get you out!" ”

At this moment, the sound of commotion outside came up. Then, as a man galloped in, he was a soldier.

"My lord, it's a bit of a mess down there, and everyone is scrambling to get water."

Pang Tong turned his head to Salu and said, "Where is the water?" ”

Salu pointed down and said, "Underground." ”

In a hillfort to the north, people crowded there, and outside the large black hole, women with headscarves or masks poured water for drink. The local men were busy carrying the water out from the inside. Those who held their heads high, they held their water bags in their hands. They are very urgent. Others took bowls and asked for water on the spot and drank it. The hungry look, the violently agitating Adam's apple, these people are close to the limit. Pang Tong took a sip of water with a water bag, and he wanted to say, "If you have a new life." ”

He walked towards the mouth of the big hole, and though many wanted water, they had to make way for him. He walked along a path between the walls of people, reached the entrance of the cave, and watched as it was pitch black, and the locals kept coming out with two buckets on their shoulders. There was not enough light inside, but when inside, some red points of light gathered together to form a net that covered the cavern. It was a flame in an iron basin on the ground, and Pang Tong thought it was very strange, and when he looked over, it turned out to be kerosene burning. He suddenly felt incredulous, and said to Salu, a local on the side, "How can there be kerosene?" ”

Salu didn't seem to be amused by his reaction, but said calmly, "The underground here is very magical, and there are many things we didn't expect. ”

Pang Tong nodded. They went deeper and started a descent downhill. The temperature began to drop. Compared to the earth swept by the heat above, the world inside the underground rock formations is soothing. The floor and the walls began to get moist, and the air became humid. Pang Tong and the others went deeper and deeper, and those who carried the flat burden were still busy. Deeper into the area, even if there was a flame shining here, there was still a deep darkness, and Pang Tong saw people fetching water on the shore, which was the source of water for the mysterious underground. It's incredible, this is the dark river in the desert. For the first time, Pang Tong witnessed the miracle beneath the rock formation. Bare, slippery stones, bizarre. In the distance, beyond the reach of the flames, there was a terrifying darkness there, as if an unknown creature was entrenched there.