Batugar is a shaman by training. Since he was born, he has lived in the ancestral temple with his master. Later, the master died on the way to find the death worm, and Batugar took the remaining thirteen wizards with him to become a new generation of great wizards.

Thirty years have passed, and only seven of the original thirteen wizards are now left, and except for Batugar, the remaining six are all over sixty years old.

Even Batugar is in his forties this year.

For thirty years, no shaman was willing to come to the Desert of Death. Perhaps by the time these seven wizards die of old age, there will be no more keepers in this desert.

When I heard this, I asked curiously, "Desert Guardian, are you suppressing the Death Worm?" This thing is also a kind of evil? ”

Zhang Wuren said: "If the death worm is not evil, there will be no evil in the world." This thing is very evil, if we encounter it, we must not be careless. ”

The legend of the Death Worm has been around for a long time, and it was later that the American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews published a book "Tracing the Footsteps of the Ancients", which can be regarded as the real announcement of the Death Worm in the eyes of the world.

The death worm is rumored to be a giant worm that lives in the Gobi Desert, probably between one and two meters in length, or even larger. This thing is blood-red all over its body, and it will spew deadly venom, and once it comes into contact with a human body, it will quickly corrode the flesh and blood of the whole body, and finally turn into a puddle of pus.

In the eyes of scientists, this kind of bug may exist, but it is not evil.

But only the real shaman knows that this kind of worm is actually the resentment of the dead.

As for where so many dead people and so many grievances came from in the desert where no one came from, even Zhang Wuren and He Zhonghua didn't know very well.

They guessed that it seemed to have something to do with some of the shaman's sacrificial activities, but what was going on was just speculation, and they couldn't do it for sure.

Anyway, it is an indisputable fact that the Death Worm really exists in the Death Desert.

There are not many dead worms, but this thing always tries to spread outward regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter, rain or shine. If you encounter a living person, you will be harmed, and the resentment that has been bred will turn into a worm of death, and so on.

The Desert Guardian's job is to stop the Death Worm from spreading. Day after day, year after year, they patrol the desert and stand by the dead. If you encounter a death worm, you will use means to suppress it and silently protect the outside world.

This is a group of forgotten guardians.

It is no wonder that Lao Zhang and Lao He prepared a lot of rice, flour, grain, oil, sauce and vinegar when they were in the Xilin Gol League, which were actually supplies for this group of withered shamans.

But I said that after I learned the identity of Batugar, I instantly respected him and the six wizards under him. At the same time, I also understood why He Zhonghua wanted the little shaman to replace Batugar.

They feared that without Batugar in charge, the ubiquitous Death Worms would literally leave the Desert of Death and enter the world of the living.

I held the steering wheel in my hand and looked at the two bosses sitting in the back row with their eyes closed, but I sighed slightly. If Batugar is like this, why shouldn't the two of them be like this? Aren't all those exorcists who suppress evil spirits like this?

Following the route given by the boss, the vehicle soon entered the desert area. In such places, the Wrangler's off-road performance played a great role, bumping along the steppe and semi-Gobi desert, and when the sun was about to set, we already saw a field of buildings built with rubble.

This is the Ancestral Temple.

Shamans worship their ancestors, and the shrines buried in the ancestral temples are the shamans who have guarded the desert for generations. Around the rough stone buildings, one hundred and sixty-eight stone statues stand representing one hundred and sixty-eight shamans who died in the desert.

When we arrived by car, three scrawny wizards were standing in the doorway, quietly watching us get out of the car.

The leading wizard had gray hair and a scruffy beard. Because he has been exposed to the wind and sun in the desert all year round, his face has many wrinkles, and he is swarthy and dark. Don't look good, but the eyes of the three wizards are bright and clear.

As a sign of respect, the three of us did not drive close to the ancestral temple, but stopped in the outer desert and walked over.

Zhang Wuren walked in the middle, He Zhonghua and I walked on the left and right sides respectively, and before the people got close, Zhang Wuren shouted: "Hebei Zhen Soul Person, Zhang Wuren, He Zhonghua, Zhang Wuxin came to visit the masters!" ”

His voice was so loud that not even the cold wind in the desert could blow it away. Hearing Zhang Wuren's self-introduction, the leading old wizard responded, and then nodded to us.

Zhang Wuren instructed: "Lao He, fourth, go to the car to move things, grandma's, the supply team only comes twice a year, and there are not many things delivered each time." The one who buckles the cord is not like a man. This group of old-timers has had a hard time. ”

Needless to say, I also know that this group of old people is actually having a hard time. They have yellow faces and thin muscles, and their faces are full of vegetables, and when they are old, they have ended up starving, which is really pitiful.

At that moment, He Zhonghua and I hurriedly returned to the car, shouldered people's backs, and carried the grain, oil and seasonings over in one go.

Because there were a lot of things to buy when I came, Lao He and I moved three times in a row before we finished moving. Over there, Zhang Wuren had already started talking to the leading wizard.

After He Zhonghua and I put down our things, we saw Zhang Wuren hurriedly coming and whispered, "I'm afraid it's not the right time for us to come." ”

He Zhonghua raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "What?" ”

"Batugar went on a desert patrol for three days to prevent dead worms from escaping the desert. According to their patrol cycle, it will take about half a month to twenty days before they can return. ”

Half a month? Lao Zhang and Lao He's gambling game will start in ten days, and after half a month, it is estimated that the daylilies will be cold.

He Zhonghua said: "Do you know the patrol route? We have a car, and it will be faster in the desert. ”

Zhang Wuren shook his head: "The patrol route is not fixed, and they will adjust the route according to the changes in the feng shui leylines. The shaman's leyline method is not the same as what we have learned, so I'm afraid it's hard to judge. ”

"But the old wizard promised to give us a divination, and show us a direction to find Batugar."

Wizards are good at divination, and everyone knows this kind of thing.

But shamans have been in decline for a long time, and there are actually very few wizards who really know divination, and most of them only know a scratch of the surface.

Zhang Wucan't help but worry that if the divination is wrong and the direction is deviated, it will delay us for a long time. You must know that we have been delayed for three days since we drove from the northeast.

That's why Zhang Wuren came to ask for our opinion.

He Zhonghua groaned slightly, and said, "Since you are here, you can't leave empty-handed, at least you have to find Batugar." But we can't waste too much time here. We set out overnight to find someone, and if we don't find it tomorrow when it gets dark, I suggest giving up Batugar and going to Uliangsuhai to find the little shaman. ”

Zhang Wuren said to me: "Fourth, what do you think? ”

I was slightly surprised, I didn't expect Zhang Wuren to ask my opinion. You know, they are nominally my bosses, but in fact they are like my masters. Most of my skills are from their churches.

I thought the two of them would make a decision, but I didn't expect it to be asked.

I said, "Lao He is right, since he is here, he can't go home empty-handed." At the very least, we have to find Batugar. One day and one night is enough time, and if the old wizard here divination is accurate, it should be in time. ”

Zhang Wuren nodded and said, "Okay!" Then we'll delay it for a day and a night. However, this desert can be dangerous at night, so we must be careful when we go in to find someone. ”

Now that the plan has been decided, we are not going to stay here any longer. After eating a little, let the leading shaman come and tell the direction of Batugar's patrol.

It's the first time I've seen a shaman divination, and I'm still thinking in my heart, I don't know if it's because the Yuan family in Shaanxi is a great diviner, or if the shaman's divination skills are clever.

If it was the Yuan family divination master, maybe I would still be able to understand it, but this old wizard came to divination, and I was really blinded.

Only Zhang Wuren and He Zhonghua watched with relish from the side, and their eyes did not blink.

Sometimes, observing the methods of other exorcists is also a way to improve yourself. After all, whether an exorcist is powerful or not, in addition to physical fitness, the greatest test is the reserve of knowledge.

But he said that the old wizard was very fast in divination, and in just a few minutes, he put away his divination tools. He sat cross-legged in front of a table and said in a hoarse voice, "The Great Wizard is in the Land of Worms, about seventy kilometers away from here. But I don't advise you to go over now. ”

Zhang Wuren raised his eyebrows and said, "What? Is there danger there? ”

The old wizard lowered his head and said, "The land of insect resentment is the birthplace of the Death Worm. There must be a Death Worm in that place, and there will be more than one. ”