Minna closed her eyes tightly and buried her head in her grandfather's arms, the wind howled in her ears like a wolf, the sand flowed at her feet, grass roots, mud blocks, gravel and other things hit her body and head, stinging all over her body, and the mountain rocks she used as a wind shield were shaky, as if they were going to be blown away by the wind in the next second. She grabbed her grandfather's arm and prayed in her heart that the storm would pass quickly.

God seemed to hear the cry of her heart, and it didn't take long for the wind to fade away, and slowly, the world returned to peace.

Minna opened her eyes carefully, raised her head slightly, glanced at the surroundings, and whispered, "Grandpa, the wind seems to have stopped." Xiao Tianjian's shoulders moved, and he also raised his head, his whole body trembled, and a pile of sand fell.

Minna saw that her grandfather's whole body was yellow and fluttering, as if he was a mud and sand man, and she couldn't help but laugh and tremble, but she also shook off a lot of sand and soil, it turned out that she was not strong enough, she was also a little mud and sand man. The grandparents and grandchildren looked at each other and laughed. The power of nature is indeed not to be underestimated, and they are in a particularly good mood for the rest of their lives.

It's just that Xiao Tianjian laughed so hard that he found that his back hurt for a while, and he couldn't help but gasp.

"I thought it was going to be blown away by the wind." Minna muttered to herself, and suddenly noticed her grandfather's abnormality, and hurriedly said, "What's wrong?" Is Grandpa hurt? Turning behind Xiao Tianjian, he saw faint blood marks on the back of his dirty clothes.

"It's just that it was blown by the gravel that blew over, and the flesh was wounded, it doesn't matter, while there is no wind now, let's hurry up to the mountain wall and talk about it, lest there will be another wind later, and we may not be able to fight again." Xiao Tianjian didn't take that injury seriously, but just urged his little granddaughter to leave quickly.

Although Minna was worried about her grandfather's injury, she didn't say anything when she heard him say that it didn't matter. She only noticed now that the horse was gone.

After the storm in the desert, the undulating sand dunes have completely changed, and the area at the foot of the mountain where the grandparents and grandchildren live is now full of sand and rocks. Without horses, the big and the small could only walk on their feet, and after walking down a kilometer, their shoes were scratched by gravel, and Minna also fell, but fortunately only the skin was broken.

Turning the mountain wall, the situation is very different. This mountain wall, in fact, is a prominent part of this mountain range, as if it has turned a corner, the area about half a kilometer wide at the foot of the mountain behind is not attacked by the wind and sand, it is no longer full of yellow sand, but a piece of dry mud and stones of different sizes, the slope is also a little more green, growing sparse weeds, although there are no trees, in the twilight, but faintly see sea buckthorn and cacti in the distance.

Xiao Tianjian found a flat ground and began to take off his shirt, the blood from the wound on his back coagulated, staining his clothes, he tore it off with his teeth and mouth, but instead tore open the wound that had healed, and he kept inhaling in pain.

Minna was distressed, and kept circling around her grandfather, but she didn't know how to help, and after being reminded by her grandfather, she suddenly gathered the water element, used the water balloon technique to clean his wounds, and then quickly applied hemostatic agents. Seeing that the bleeding from the wound gradually stopped, she felt sullen in her heart. The hemostatic made by the old magician Sennet can make her injuries completely scarred overnight, and the next day even the scar is gone, the effect is fast and good. But what she did by herself was barely able to stop the bleeding, and with a little force, the wound would crack open again, which was really useless. Looks like she needs to work a little harder.

Xiao Tianjian saw that his little granddaughter seemed to be very sad, so he persuaded: "It's okay, it's really a flesh injury, it will be fine in two days, Xiao Minna don't worry." Minna nodded, didn't say anything, just helped Grandpa change into clean clothes.

Xiao Tianjian felt much more comfortable on his body, but unfortunately his hair and face were still dirty. Ahead, the desert was still as far as the eye could see, but if they continued to walk along the foot of the mountain, they would have walked as far as they had come, and they would have reached the city of Encore. Unfortunately, the horses were gone, and they had to walk on two legs, and the water that had taken them for five days was gone, and only the storage in the ring was probably enough for two or three days. He couldn't help but regret that he had been careless, and that he should have put all the food and water bags in the ring.

However, he didn't expect to encounter such a powerful desert storm, although he had experienced it once or twice before, but the degree and duration were far worse than this one, so he didn't pay attention to it. Now, he even had some doubts that if Frido had let them go this path, could it be on purpose? The goal is to make them die in the storm.

It seems that we still have to teach that kid a lesson.

Minna didn't know what was going on in her grandfather's heart, but after learning about the predicament the two of them were in, she thought about it, and patted her grandfather's back very proudly, and said, "No problem!" We have come to the Snow Mountain and Nuojia before, are we still afraid of the desert? It's sure to go out smoothly! ”

Xiao Tianjian grinned, moved his body away slightly, and smiled: "That's right, so many hardships and dangers have come over, are you still afraid of this small desert?" ”

The grandfather and grandson rested for a while, ate something more, regained their strength, and at dawn, they set out on the southbound road again and continued on their way.

With no horses and no water, even if Minna could use water polo, their conditions were much worse than before. As soon as they come across a plant like a cactus on the road, they cut down a few and store them as a precaution. To reduce water evaporation, they try to move at night or on cloudy days whenever possible.

Sometimes, when they are on a journey at night, in order to overcome the physiological desire to sleep, they will focus on the stars in the night sky. In the wilderness where no one is around, the starry sky is also a good way for them to relieve their boredom.

Minna would tell her grandfather the stories she had heard from her mother, Winnie, and Marshall about the stars and the moon, and Xiao Tianjian would pass on what she knew about the constellations to her little granddaughter. Sometimes, some of the constellations he mentioned couldn't be found in the sky, and when Minna asked, he would fall silent and change the subject after a while. Minna couldn't understand why her grandfather was silent, and was often confused.

One night, Minna noticed that there were stars in the sky that looked like a big spoon, and told her grandfather about it as an interesting story. Xiao Tianjian was silent for a long time before he whispered: "This is the Big Dipper, and the tail end of the spoon handle points to another star, called the North Star, which points to the north." ”

Minna looked up at the star and tilted her head, "But the handle of the spoon is clearly pointing to the west?" ”

Xiao Tianjian smiled lowly: "Yes, here, it is pointing to the west...... And the spoon is also twice as big as seen on Earth......"

"Earth?" Minna heard an unfamiliar term, "What is that place?" Where is it? ”

"In a far, far away place, it's a planet, like the one we're on right now, but it's bigger than here, it's gravity heavier than here, and there are many, many countries...... There is a country called China, which is an ancient civilization with a long history, and there is ...... There is my home ......"

Minna's eyes widened: "Isn't Grandpa's home in the Yaluo Forest?" "Or is it the Eastern Continent? But grandpa seems to have said last time that his family wasn't there.

Xiao Tianjian chuckled: "The Yaluo Great Forest is just the first place I settled in after I came to this world, my real home...... It's in a small city in northern China......" he slowed down, and his whole body fell into memory: "I remember...... It was a three-bedroom house, my parents' house, with a separate bathroom and kitchen, and a small balcony, which was very nice at the time. My parents both work in state-owned enterprises, and although my family is not wealthy, I have not had to worry about food and clothing since I was a child. When I was a child, I was not in good health, and my parents sent me to my grandfather's house in the countryside to learn martial arts from my neighbor's uncle, and I didn't return to the city until I graduated from elementary school......"

Minna asked puzzledly, "Grandpa, what is a state-owned enterprise?" What is Elementary School? Why is it that there are so many words that she can't understand at all?

But Xiao Tianjian didn't answer her words, still recalling his past: "When I first entered junior high school, I was always playful, and my father beat me at every turn, but in fact, he often couldn't sleep all night because he was worried about me. My mother never scolded me, but always changed her ways to make me delicious food. I was ignorant at that time, and it only made them sad, and it wasn't until I went to high school that I started to study hard, and when I was admitted to university, they all cried with joy. But I don't know how to be considerate of them, I only play with my friends everywhere in college, play games, read novels, and never think about the future. After graduation, I couldn't find a job, and I didn't want to be angry, I went home cheekily, my parents asked me to be a small clerk, I was too hard, I went to other provinces to break through, and finally became a bodyguard with the kung fu I learned when I was a child, thousands of dollars a month, the company included room and board, and bonuses, I thought that I had money to spend, and I could have a beautiful girlfriend, but I didn't think about letting my parents enjoy happiness......"

"Grandpa, I don't understand ......"

"I'm really unfilial, am I?" Xiao Tianjian had stopped moving forward, with tears in his eyes, "If I had known, I would have disappeared from that world...... If I could go back, I would definitely ...... I will be filial to their ......"

"Grandpa......" Minna looked at Xiao Tianjian's tears in surprise, she had the impression that grandpa had hardly cried, why was this? Is it because of grandpa's mom and dad?

"You don't understand, do you?" Xiao Tianjian raised his sleeve to wipe his tears, turned his head to look at his little granddaughter, with a wry smile on the corner of his mouth, "It's okay, not only do you not understand, but no one in this world can understand at all!" The people here are completely different from me, they don't understand what I think, and I don't understand what they think. Sometimes I'm really going crazy. I tried to find myself a companion, but I couldn't find it! I don't understand why your grandmother Merry won't go with me, I don't understand why Mirabel thinks about the family in everything, I don't understand why Funoya keeps holding a shelf, I don't understand why Ziya is rich and powerful, why she still thinks about finding a rich and powerful man to rely on all day long! ”

He gasped for a few moments before continuing to mutter, "I don't understand what those ministers and nobles think, they are willing to give up and kick me away, even if they listen to me, they will gain great benefits; I don't understand why people here refuse to mine oil and iron ore in Wishar, but gamble and rob them; I don't understand...... Why would a man as shrewd as the Duke of the Underground be stupid enough to believe his nephew...... He could have been half of my confidant...... There are too many facts that I don't understand, but people in this world can't understand me either, I really ...... It's so lonely......"

Minna's nose was sour when she heard this, she really couldn't understand her grandfather's words at all, but from his tone, she could hear that he was very sad now. She couldn't help but hug his arm, tears flashing in her eyes: "Grandpa, don't be sad, Minna will accompany you, as well as Dad, Mom, Grandma Mirabel, Big Uncle, Big Aunt, Brother Beven, Sister Belle, Sister Manda, and Xiaola and his mother...... We will be with you, you will not be lonely, really ......"

Xiao Tianjian touched his little granddaughter's head and said with a wry smile: "Silly boy, this is different, what grandpa wants...... is someone who really understands me, if I can't go back to reunite with my family, at least ...... Let's have another one...... "He looked up at the starry sky, "I don't know how I got here, it seems that there was an explosion, and when I woke up, I was in the Yaro Forest." I've traveled across the continent in the hope of finding my way back and befriending the magicians who will work out a way to teleport to other planets...... It's a pity, after all, it's still delusional......"

He took a deep breath and sighed slowly: "It's ridiculous, I've been here for more than thirty years, but I still hope it's just a dream, maybe I will wake up tomorrow and find that I have only been in a coma in the hospital for a few days." I've enjoyed everything here, fame, wealth, status, beauty, power...... But in my heart, I hope that I am still the little clerk who receives a salary of two or three thousand yuan a month, and I can go home to accompany my parents at night, bubble in an Internet café with friends on weekends, find a gentle and virtuous wife to have children in two years, and be a dad with a handful of and urine...... When I was younger, I just thought that this kind of life was boring, but now, I would rather live this life than continue to be lonely here......"

He crouched down, choking up. Minna sniffed, squatted with him, and thought of how the adults comforted themselves when she cried, so she reached out and gently patted her grandfather's back, and whispered: "Don't cry, be good, don't cry......"

I don't know how long it took, when the starry sky gradually brightened, and the sun shone through the back of the mountain in the desert in the distance, Xiao Tianjian finally raised his head, and there were no tears on his face: "Grandpa actually cried, isn't it embarrassing?" Minna don't laugh at me, okay? ”

Minna nodded solemnly: "Okay." Then he said: "Grandpa, don't be sad, when you're in a bad mood, just say it, although Minna doesn't understand, I will always be with grandpa." ”

Xiao Tianjian smiled, touched his granddaughter's head, and looked ahead: "The sentimental time is over, but the road still has to go on." Let's go. ”

Minna nodded in agreement and followed her grandfather on.

Gradually, the food was almost finished, and only two scones remained, which had escaped because Minna didn't like to eat and didn't put them on horseback. Xiao Tianjian knew that he had to find a way to find food.

Luckily, they were on the edge of the desert, where he could find snakes, scorpions, sandworms, and the occasional bird or two, cacti and grass roots. Due to the delicate stomach of the child, and not long after Minna was poisoned, Xiao Tianjian was ruthless and gave all the scones to his little granddaughter, at most let her eat some sandworms, roasted birds or cacti, etc., and the poisonous snake grass roots were all owned by him.

Although he had dealt with those poisonous creatures in advance before eating them, due to the limitations of the materials, Xiao Tianjian was still slightly poisoned, his tongue was numb, his fingers were stiff, and his eyes began to see clearly, so he could only rely on Minna to show him the way. In order to keep the child from going in the wrong direction, he had to teach her some simple desert survival skills.

Minna felt tired and hungry, she hadn't eaten enough for two days in a row, grandpa walked slower and slower, she dragged it very hard, but she knew that she couldn't give up, if she gave up, what would grandpa do? He is a hero of the whole continent, and although he can cry, he cannot starve to death in the desert because he can't eat enough. What's more, without her grandfather, she doesn't know how to go home, she wants to go back to see her parents, just like grandpa will miss his parents, she also misses her family.

With this belief, Minna dragged her grandfather away for a long time, her throat was so dry that it was about to catch fire, and the sun above her head was about to roast her into charcoal, but she couldn't stop, grandpa was like this, I don't know how many days he could last, so he had to leave if he could.

Although Xiao Tianjian's mind was already a little blurry, he was quite clear in his heart, knowing that his little granddaughter was hard, so he left the water for her to drink. He calculated in his heart that the day should be almost up.

On the afternoon of the day when they were completely out of food, they finally met the living people they had seen for the first time since entering the desert. It was a small caravan from an oasis south of Wissha, intending to stock in Encore. Some of them also traveled together, so they warmly took in Xiao Tianjian and Minna's grandson, and brought food and water, and happily accepted a bag of gold coins.

Xiao Tianjian lay on the carriage used to transport goods, half-asleep and half-awake, enjoying a rare rest. Minna sat next to her with her feet straight, the few large blisters on her feet were scorchingly painful, but they were undoubtedly much more comfortable now than the pain she felt when she walked. She took small sips of water and ate the dried scones, which tasted less than those given by Frido, but at this moment, they were supremely delicious.

A man climbed into the carriage they were in, and a hoarse and deep voice came in: "Son, do you want me to see?" ”

Minna curiously reached for the curtain, only to see a terrible face, pale skin, a bare head, no eyebrows, red eyes, a flat nose, two nostrils one large and one small, and a mouth that could not be closed to reveal jagged yellow teeth. When this face smiles, even if the sun is just right outside, it makes people feel an uncontrollable chill in their hearts.

Minna gasped and immediately stepped back in fright. Xiao Tianjian heard the voice, opened his eyes, and when he saw that face, his eyes shot fiercely: "Tom Riddle!" How did you end up here?! ”

(Does it feel like April Fool's Day?) ）