In three days, Lan Xinhui's condition has obviously improved, and the sand scorpion king sent by the old guide and his wife has indeed had a miraculous effect on the woman's illness. Seeing that Lan Xinhui was fine, Wang Yuan also relieved himself and decided to take a look at the salt lake.

The old guide had already returned to the countryside of Yazhou three days ago, and Wang Yuan asked him to prepare all the things for entering the desert such as camels, clear water, dry food, tents, etc., in Yazhou, and wait for him in Yazhou. According to the requirements of the old guide, Wang Yuan only chose Gongsun Lan to accompany him, and no one including the personal guards was allowed to accompany him. This is to avoid being discovered by the Tibetan soldiers and horses in Bison City, and the fewer people there are, the easier it is to hide their tracks. Gongsun Lan is the best partner, even if she encounters a small group of Tibetan soldiers and horses, Gongsun Lan can help herself solve the crisis.

In addition, this matter should be top secret for now, and Wang Yuan didn't want the idea of wanting to fight the salt monopoly to spread all over the city. Therefore, even if it was Song Jiangong, Liu Dehai, Liu Jun and other confidants, Wang Yuan did not tell them the real reason for leaving Chengdu this time, but just told everyone that he wanted to go out to relax, and explained that they should perform their duties and manage the affairs of Jiannan Road. Although everyone was a little confused, no one cared about the affairs of the handsome, and everyone was busy enough with their own affairs, so they didn't think much about it. It's just that Liu Jun asked a few words, but he didn't get an answer.

On the morning of the fourth day of the eighth month, bidding farewell to his wife and concubine and newborn daughter, Wang Yuan and Gongsun Lan left Chengdu for Yazhou. The horses of the two were very fast, and after dark they arrived at the small village where the old guide and his wife lived in the south of Yazhou. After spending the night in the village, the trio set off for the desert border the next morning. The old guide was very well prepared, because this time the distance was very long, so he borrowed four camels to carry water bladders, dry food and tents and other supplies, which was enough for this round trip. Before entering the desert, the old guide took the trouble to repeat the matters to be paid attention to when entering the desert, and his expression was very careful about this trip.

After crossing more than 20 miles of the Gobi, it officially entered the desert area. Although he had the experience of entering the desert once, when he stepped into this sea of death again, Wang Yuan still felt a little unbearable. In August, as summer draws to a close, the desert is so hot that the desert surface is like an endless oven, and the sand and gravel are flying in the wind, making it impossible to breathe. Forever a mixture of sweat and grit, it's like walking in hell.

Wang Yuan and the old guide could still wear a hat to shade the sun, and open a thin jacket to dissipate heat, but Gongsun Lan suffered. It was the first time she had seen the harshness of the desert land, and she had wrapped her whole body tightly in order not to resist the sand and the fear of tanning, and even wore a veil on her face, so you can imagine how harsh the heat she endured. From her heavy gasps, you could tell that she was in great pain.

Wang Yuan regretted a little, maybe he shouldn't have brought Gongsun Lan with him, and let a woman suffer like this, it was really unbearable. But Gongsun Lan didn't even have a word of complaint, and the tenacious and quiet character she had cultivated for a long time made this woman seem to be as weak as a willow without wind and rain, but in fact she was full of resilience.

Because it was the beginning of the month, the moon had not yet shone, and it was dark at night, so the strategy of resting during the day and hurrying at night could not be implemented. As a last resort, in order to avoid the midday sun, the three of them had to take the road at dawn, and when the sun rose fiercely, they would find a shady place in the dunes to rest. In the evening, when the heat had subsided, he hurried again until the sun had faded and the night was thick and he stopped to rest again. In this way, there are only about four hours a day to travel, and the remaining eight hours are either resting in the scorching heat of the tent or looking at the sand in a daze with boredom. And this irregular work and rest also greatly affected the physical strength of the three of them, making them all exhausted. The atmosphere was also very dreary.

In order to break this dullness, during the break, Wang Yuan said something strange to Gongsun Lan and the old guide to relieve their boredom and relieve this dull and hopeless atmosphere.

"There is a thing called a mobile phone, two people each hold one, dial answer, far away from thousands of mountains and rivers, can hear each other's voice, clear, as if talking in front of their eyes. Now, if there is such a thing, I can talk to the daughter of our family, even if it is good to hear her cry. ”

Wang Yuan leaned on a pillow raised by the hot sand, biting a dry grass in the desert in his mouth, and said such words with a smile. The old guide was stunned, and a smile overflowed from the corner of Gongsun Lan's mouth, for Wang Yuan's nonsense behavior, Gongsun Lan was already used to it. Once again, Wang Yuan also told himself that there is a kind of box in which villains can sing, dance and act, and people are immersed in the outside of the box. Gongsun Lan almost ignored Wang Yuan's nonsense on weekdays, but now she has nothing to do, knowing that Wang Yuan is looking for a topic to relieve her boredom, and she doesn't let go of a few words.

"Are you talking about the Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Technique? I've only heard that there were strange heroes in ancient times who knew this secret technique, but in fact, even I don't believe it, but you believe it. ”

"It's not thousands of miles of sound, it's technology. It's a mobile phone. A square box of this size. Got it? Wang Yuan gestured.

Seeing that Wang Yuan was serious, Gongsun Lan finally smiled, and turned her head to tidy up her long hair that was somewhat dry and baked by the sun.

"Hand chicken? What kind of chicken is that? Can it be domesticated? What is technology, and can you eat it? How come these things that the big man said, I have never heard of them in my life. What square boxes can talk to each other? Isn't that a youkai? The old guide was stunned.

"Uncle, don't listen to his nonsense, if you hear too many of these words, you will go crazy." Gongsun Lan said with a smile.

Wang Yuan sighed, looked at a flying insect crawling around on the top of the tent that was not afraid of the scorching heat, and said to himself: "There is a thing called an airplane, which can sit in it for hundreds of people and fly over a hundred miles of land overnight. If only there were planes, we wouldn't have to have to trek through the desert. It will not take an hour to get from Yazhou to Salt Lake. Hey, that's a pity. ”

The old guide's face changed, and he said to Gongsun Lan: "Gongsun girl, the handsome seems to be hot and poisonous, if it really doesn't work, let's quit the desert, the old man can't afford this responsibility." The hot poison on the brain needs to be cured immediately, otherwise it will become an idiot. ”

Gongsun Lan couldn't help laughing, waved her hand and said, "Don't worry, uncle, I will cure heat and poison, you go back to the tent to rest for a while, and you will be handsome for a while." ”

The old guide left with a worried face, Gongsun Lan looked at Wang Yuan and said: "Where did you come from so many strange ideas, the people around you just listened to it, wouldn't this old man go crazy when he heard it?" Come, wipe your face, drink some water, close your eyes and sleep, there are still a few hours before the evening, although it is hot and difficult to sleep, but you must also take care of your spirits, don't talk nonsense. ”

Gongsun Lan handed over the wet silk scarf, Wang Yuan covered the wet silk scarf on his face, reached out and groped to grab Gongsun Lan's hand and put it on his chest, closed his eyes and rested. Gongsun Lan sighed, crossed her legs and closed her eyes to meditate.

After five days of hard walking, we approached the confines of Bison City. Since the last incident in which the Tubo soldiers in Bison City encountered the Tang Dynasty soldiers and horses, the defenders of Bison City have significantly strengthened the frequency and scope of vigilance patrols. Fifteen miles away from Bison City, Wang Yuan and the others almost encountered a small group of camel cavalry. If you don't find it in time and hide behind a sand dune, I'm afraid you will encounter it.

The three of them were more careful, and the old guide showed his experience as he made his way around the desert north of Bison City. He tied a large bundle of dead branches in the desert to the tails of the last two camels, so that after the three of them had passed, the branches behind them swept away the footprints of the horses and camels, which was absolutely effective in concealing their whereabouts. Otherwise, it is very likely that although the person is not discovered, the footprints of the patrolling camel cavalry will still be pursued, causing great trouble.

It was already the tenth day of June, and the new moon was lit up at night, although not bright enough, but it was enough for the old guide to discern the direction. So the three of them walked from the evening to the setting of the moon in one go, walked an oblique angle along the north side of Bison City, and went straight to the salt lake. The next morning, after another hour of walking in the morning light, and after climbing over a sand dune, the three of them finally saw the endless salt lake in the desert.

The entire salt lake is so vast that from a distance, miles around the lake are wrapped in a layer of white, reflective hard shell. In the sunlight, the light reflects like a giant mirror. In the middle of the lake is a pool of white water, shining with piercing ripples. The whole salt lake lies as silent as a dead desert. There was not a trace of green on the lake or its shores, not a single grass or tree, nor a single living creature, but on the white hard shell of the beach, you could see the white bones left by the animals, and the huge hollow head lying on the ground, dead for an unknown number of years.

"It's finally here, and this is it." The old guide breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "Find a place to camp, eat something and drink some water, and then we'll go and have a good look." ”