After receiving the phone call, Chang Dong hurried downstairs. From several meters away, he saw Fei Tang clutching his head, luggage bag at his feet, sitting like a convict by the side of the half-open car door, while Ye Liuxi leaned against the vehicle body, already growing increasingly impatient. Seeing Chang Dong, Fei Tang seemed to see a long-lost relative, and in a hoarse voice cried out, "Brother Dong! Tell her quickly— I'm with you! It's you who made me flip her car! Tell her!" He kept pressing his eyes into Chang Dong's as he cried. A few days ago, he had helped Fei Tang secure access to the surveillance footage, only to find that the debt he owed was being repaid so swiftly now. Chang Dong stopped about ten feet in front of Ye Liuxi, then nodded, "Yes, he was with me." Ye Liuxi slightly raised his chin, a touch of deliberate surprise in his smile, "I still thought you were a straightforward person. It seems you're capable of doing something less than admirable too... What exactly did you find?" "The last sentence was directed at Fei Tang, and as she spoke, she kicked him hard. Fei Tang tumbled to the ground, unwilling to complain about the pain, and crawled away on his hands and knees, still crouching. Chang Dong apologized to Ye Liuxi: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so abrupt. I just wanted to find out who you really are. I've gone a bit overboard—promise I'll do better from now on." His straightforwardness left Ye Liuxi with no room to make a point. She paused, a gentle smile playing at her lips, and actually laughed. "It's all right. We're not very familiar yet. When working together, friction is natural. I'm not someone who holds grudges. But Chang Dong..." She paused, emphasizing each word: "Please don't let this happen again. I don't have much sense of legal formality." — Fei Tang followed behind Chang Dong, initially silent. As he judged that Ye Liuxi had stopped listening, he began to mutter under his breath, cursing all sorts of things—'thief, damn it!', 'wet you north!', 'waste of goods!', and even the After stepping into the room, he scanned the space with wide, eager eyes: "Dong, I've just arrived. Your room is quite spacious—could you spare me a sofa to sleep on? That way, I won't have to hunt for a place to rest." Chang Dong replied: "You've only just arrived, yet you're already making a fuss about the hotel—clearly, you've prioritized people over logistics." His tone was not warm, and Fei Tang felt a sudden jolt in his chest. He'd heard enough about Chang Dong's demeanor—'Shā Liáo' wasn't a term used to describe someone approachable. Fei Tang thought quickly, trying to find the right words to make his response polished. "It's actually like this, Dong. I won't hold back—Ye Liuxi used to stay in Xi'an for a while, didn't she? She's not exactly on the straight path—she took my friend's goods, solid, high-value pieces." His friends were all in the antique and antiques business, so when he said "solid," it clearly meant high value. "My friend, however, didn't get his goods through official channels—difficult to file To be honest, I still owe you a big thanks—without you going over to the long, straight haircut counter to check the surveillance footage, I never would have realized this was connected to her. "Bro, as you know, my business has been struggling over the past two years, and I've even taken on debt just to keep my stores open... Please don't hold up my chances of making it big." Indeed, the case wasn't directly tied to himself. Chang Dong nodded, "Alright." FAT Tang felt a surge of relief, yet he also sensed there was more to come— "But over the coming days, I'll need her help. I don't want any complications. Whether you're retrieving the goods or settling accounts with her, please delay things—don't disrupt my schedule." FAT Tang quickly nodded, pausing thoughtfully, "Bro, I know you've already pulled out of the garage—aren't you heading out to the Gobi Desert? Is Leaf Liu Xi going too?" Chang Dong gave a brief affirmation. FAT Tang's heart raced: "Could you possibly bring me along? I just don't feel at ease unless I'm watching her closely..." Chang Dong replied, He opened the stage box, took out a chisel, and carefully sharpened its edge. Over the past two years, this had become a habit—every evening, he felt uneasy unless he polished and carved something. Fei Tang was momentarily taken aback by his questions, but since his intentions had already been revealed, there was no point in hiding anything anymore: "I've come out here, who wouldn't want to make the most of it? You know what I mean." Whether treasures could be found in Ye Liuxi's car remained uncertain. With a heart set firmly on money, he had to be prepared for two possible outcomes. Changdong's route overlaps significantly with the ancient Silk Road. Along this path, either the land is still uncharted or it's desert—besides the buried ancient city ruins, countless merchants and camel caravans have been buried by sandstorms over the past thousand years, along with their valuable cargo. Today, just one such item would be worth a small fortune. If he could recover even a few of them… This isn't just dreaming. Every year, people form teams to venture into the desert hoping for luck. Though Loulan City now has a cultural heritage station and the Xiaohe Cemetery is well protected, how often does someone stumble upon the No. 2 site of Loulan or the luxury version of Xiaohe Cemetery? Dreams still need to be held onto—what if they come true? "I run this route without companions, without people just eating free meals. If you want me to bring you along, what can you offer me?" Fei Tang replied without hesitation: "East Brother, just let me know your request. I understand the rules—either money or effort. I won't be taking it for granted." Chang Dong nodded, running his fingertip along the freshly sharpened blade to test its edge: "What did you find in her car?" With something to gain, Fat Tang responded enthusiastically: "All sorts of things—everything you could think of. A stove, a pot, a basin, and even some melons. This woman sleeps on the floor of the car, with a foldable platform that can be lowered down. There's a pair of boxing gloves under the bed, and oh, by the way, a piece of leather—like a face." Chang Dong paused mid-motion: "A leather face?" "It's just a soft piece of leather, folded neatly in the glove compartment. I thought it was something else at first. When I unfolded it, I saw two holes punched through it, forming a mouth—started to gasp when I saw that." ... At around two or three in the morning, Chang Dong got up to use the restroom, washed his hands, and was about to go back to his room. But somehow, by instinct, he walked to the curtain and gently pulled it aside. The parking spot where Ye Liuxi's car had been was now empty. Chang Dong paused, then settled the curtain back in place. In the desert, there's a plant called red willow, used for stabilizing sand dunes. After the sand is held back, it appears like a mound, not particularly tall—only about one meter in height and width. Yet few people know that its root system is thick and densely packed, extending deep underground for over thirty meters. To Ye Liuxi, he felt much like this red willow: as long as things didn’t directly concern him, he didn’t wish to delve into her deeper matters, for he had no idea what vast secrets might be stirred up. Perhaps he should remind Fei Tang that some people, even when passing by, will keep their eyes straight ahead and make every effort not to disturb them. To Ye Liuxi's surprise, her stall had been taken over by an elderly couple. When Chang Dong asked about her, the old man replied, "She went to work at another location today." What kind of work? Chang Dong called her, and she answered promptly. The line was noisy—she was busy—and after saying, "I'm at Desheng Street; come by if you have something to discuss, otherwise we'll catch up later," she hung up. Chang Dong flipped out the new city map he had just bought and found Desheng Street under the "Recommended Destinations" section. It was marked with a four-star rating, described as "the most popular dining and culinary street in the city," and "must-visit." The wording was exactly the same as that of Hui Min Street—likely because the editor had transferred over. Chang Dong decided to go there for a meal. Upon arrival, he found it was just a moderately lively street of local snacks, bustling during lunchtime, with many outdoor tables set up. The busiest spots were barbecue and small hot pot stalls, with vendors pushing large buckets of apricot water moving between them. As for Ye Liuxi, she stood out clearly—she was busy grilling skewers The grill is blazing, and yet she manages perfectly—neither disorganized nor rushed, whether the skewers are new, need flipping, require oiling, or need seasoning. Chang Dong settles at an empty small table, orders a few grilled items and adds a bottle of beer. When his order is sent over, Ye Liuxi lifts her head and glances this way; Chang Dong nods slightly as a greeting. He's quite impressed with her—each time he sees her, she's already switched to a new role, often one entirely unrelated to the previous one. He truly believes she's a master of all trades. By the time their meal nears completion, Ye Liuxxi finally finds a moment of quiet, comes over to him with a bite of grilled bread. "Looking for me?" Chang Dong says, listing off the points. "The one you met yesterday is Fei Tang. He'll join us on the route—I've asked him to rent a four-wheel-drive SUV so we can have an extra vehicle for supplies, making the journey more secure." Ye Liuxi replies, "That sounds great." As she speaks, she reaches for the chili powder container and adds a bit of seasoning to her grilled bread. "We'll enter from Dunhuang. If everything goes smoothly, we should be out in four days. Before we even reach the Gobi Desert, I'll secure a backup team and maintain regular contact with them—daily check-ins with GPS coordinates. If we lose contact for 48 hours, we initiate rescue procedures." Ye Liuxi said, "That sounds good." "Also, Longcheng is larger than half of Shanghai—its east-west and north-south extents are quite uniform. Once you're inside, it's easy to lose your sense of direction. How can you be certain you'll accurately locate Kong Yang's position?" Ye Liuxi glanced at him sideways. "Are you doubting me?" Chang Dong pulled out a list of items he'd prepared and sketched a diagram on the back. "I'm not doubting you—I just need you to give me a general direction so I can plan my route in advance and avoid unnecessary detours." He showed Ye Liuxi the diagram. "Longcheng's overall shape is roughly a slanted triangle—many people have visited, but they typically follow established routes, entering quickly and exiting just as fast, mostly moving along this diagonal line from southeast to northwest..." He drew a curved line through the "And this route is traveled by numerous teams every year. If Kong Yang's body were located nearby, it would have been discovered long ago. Therefore, your visit must have taken you deep into the heart of Longcheng." "There are three key points along this route. Here, the Han Dynasty beacon tower remains—only the earth mound is left. Here, there are two large gasoline drums filled with sand, with red paint markings indicating direction, established by an archaeological team in the 1970s. Here, there's a trench stretching a hundred meters, filled with camel skeletons—where exactly did you deviate from the safe route?" Ye Liuxi studied the scene and pointed between the beacon tower and the gasoline drum markers. "Here." Chang Dong frowned. "This area has a lot of salt crusts, making the roads difficult to navigate." Ye Liuxi shrugged. "Therefore, the teams entering Longcheng never noticed your Kong Yang. If the roads were better, they would have found him already." Changdong folded the list and pressed the meal bill under the seasoning pot: "At 4:30 a.m. tomorrow, outside the flag town, we'll meet at the forward bridge." The forward bridge is located ten miles west of the town, and the riverbed has dried up, leaving only the bridge behind. Ye Liuxi was surprised: "Why meet at the bridgehead? Can't we gather in the town and walk together?" "We can't." "Isn't 4:30 a bit early? Do we really need to rush that much?" "Yes, we do." Ye Liuxi found it amusing: "Can't you explain why?" "We'll tell you when we meet tomorrow."