Without the trail markers along the way, it took them some time to return to the camp. From a distance, there were only the vehicles—no one in charge of the kitchen. Chang Dong was taken aback, hurried a few steps closer, and then realized that the kitchen staff had curled up beneath the vehicle, asleep, still unaware. Chang Dong felt a bit guilty. When he had left the day before, he had locked the car door, fearing the staff might get disoriented and fumble around inside. He hadn't expected them to stay overnight. Clearly, the wind had been strong that night, and the staff had felt cold, with nowhere else to go, so they had settled beneath the car. Even without consciousness, the instinct to seek warmth when cold remained. He woke the staff, opened the car door, and immediately checked the satellite phone—signal recovery was now stable, and Fei Tang had clearly made several calls. Chang Dong then dialed back to Fei Tang, exchanged a few words, and turned to Ye Liuxi, "Let's go. We'll talk outside." — The SUV’s fuel held strong, carrying us all the way onto the provincial road and beyond before finally sputtering out. After it died, we waited about thirty minutes by the roadside, and then Fei Tang’s car sped up to join us. Chang Dong had been rolling around in the dust with Ye Liu in the west sand dunes these past days, so used to seeing each other’s disheveled appearances that he didn’t find it remarkable anymore. But now, with Fei Tang arriving—dressed neatly, his hair perfectly combed to one side—his worn and dusty look stood in sharp contrast. Chang Dong brushed off the dust and sand from his shirt collar, realizing that at this moment, what he needed most wasn’t supplies, but a hot shower. Fei Tang did indeed show a bit of savvy—his very first words upon approaching were, “Dong, I’ve tried calling you several times, even at different times—would it be the same as last time?” “Yes.” “Is everything all right?” He suddenly widened his eyes: Huh? Aside from Ye Liu, where did another person come from in the car? Changdong pulled the head chef down, and Fei Tang's jianbing yángtāng turned out to be for nothing—he simply couldn't recognize the man: "Who is this person?" "The one who lost a tooth... Have you been in the main tent long enough to have made a few acquaintances?" It wasn't exactly a close friendship, but there had indeed been exchanges of phone numbers so they could maintain business connections later. Changdong had anticipated this all along, and Fei Tang felt a bit embarrassed: "I know a couple of people." Changdong breathed a sigh of relief: "Just keep in touch with him and see if he has any fellow villagers or friends back home—try to get him back to his roots." "With the issue of the stove attendance settled, Chang Dong lifted a spare oil barrel from the Fei Tang truck and asked Fei Tang to carry it to the roof. He then attached a hose to the barrel and, at the other end, used his mouth to suck out the oil. Just as he was about to draw it out, he quickly covered the hose opening with his finger and inserted it into the fuel tank opening—many modern vehicles have anti-theft mechanisms at the fuel tank inlet that only allow fuel nozzles to fill the tank. Since his truck often operates in remote areas without access to fuel nozzles, he had removed this device to enable the use of the siphoning method whenever needed. Meanwhile, Ye Liuxi showed Fei Tang the composite photo taken by the aerial drone: 'It looks like a road, with shadowed coffin platforms on both sides. What do you think it resembles?' Fei Tang felt his scalp go numb; he swallowed hard. 'Shadowed coffin platforms on both sides?' 'Yes, on both sides.' Fei Tang was relieved that it was daytime, far from the Bai Long Dui, and only required to view the photo rather than be forced to see the actual structures in person. "This isn't obvious at all. Just a single road—no beginning, no end, no reference point." Ye Liuxi said. "You don't have imagination? Just think of this road as being isolated, not comparing it to modern roads. Think back to the Han or Tang dynasties. What would such a road resemble?" Fei Tang couldn't help but hesitate. He stared at the photo. "Well... this road—there were imperial express roads in the Qin dynasty, with trees planted every three zhang. But back then, they didn't build raised platforms either... The shadow coffins haven't had any bodies buried. If the shadow figures were to stand up..." Suddenly, he said aloud, "It reminds me of the Sima Road." Chang Dong paused, holding the glue tube tightly, and asked, "What is the Sima Road?" Fei Tang replied, "Dad, you really don't know this—aren't you at least living in a major city like Xi'an? Have you ever visited the Qianling Mausoleum?" "No." "Fei Tang was at a loss for words. After a moment, he sighed: "That's exactly where Wu Zetian and her husband were buried together—once you enter, there's a road called the Sima Dao, or the Sacred Way, leading to the tomb, over four kilometers long. On both sides of the road, there are many stone figures, known as stone Gongzhong. Oh, by the way, there are ten pairs of them, totaling twenty. When talking about Gongzhong, Fei Tang became enthusiastic: "In ancient times, both emperors and ministers often placed stone Gongzhong at the entrances of their tombs, distinguishing between civil and military officials—civil officials carried scrolls, military ones held swords. I've even seen an introduction about this at the Shaanxi Museum. These shadow puppets are lying inside the coffins. If they were standing up, they'd be truly living Gongzhong figures." Chang Dong said: "Stone Gongzhong makes perfect sense—stone statues are durable and resistant to wear and tear, able to withstand centuries of wind and rain and remain intact. But to create a shadow Gongzhong, dressing it in fabric and just placing it there—how would it survive for Chang Dong looked at Ye Liuxi, and their eyes met, each thinking the same thought. If it truly was Sima Dao, with the road leading to the tomb, then wouldn't the Jade Gate Pass itself be a vast tomb? — Chang Dong decided to temporarily withdraw for a few days. First, they had been on the move constantly these days and needed some rest; second, they now had some experience and lessons learned, so when they returned, they’d better bring along some tools. When she heard this, Ye Liuxi didn’t hesitate: "Then can I go and fetch the car?" Most of her assets, including that old minivan, were still stranded in the Kumtura Great Desert. Chang Dong’s one sentence shattered her dreams: "No—along the Halu Road all the way to Hami, in either direction." Of course, they could also withdraw to Luo Bu Town, but Hami was much larger and had far more supplies, and it bordered Inner Mongolia and Gansu, making access and egress much more convenient. Ye Liuxi sighed, settled back into the副 driver’s seat, and pulled out the money from her bag, counting it carefully. Less than seven hundred. I don't know how many days we'll stop in Hami—accommodation, meals, plus some purchases… Chang Dong focused on driving, occasionally glancing at her, and then paused to say, “Once we reach Hami, I’ll cover your lodging expenses.” “Why?” “You’ve never stayed in hotels before—you’ve always traveled in the car. I asked you to leave the car in the desert.” Yefu Xi thought for a moment and replied, “That’s not necessary. If I stay in the hotel, I’ll spend more on lodging, but I’ll save on fuel costs, which will offset it. Still, you should have a meal with me every day—preferably one with meat.” Chang Dong glanced at her sideways. “Why?” “Every time you enter the Baidong Range, don’t you need to donate my blood? Blood donation actually pays you.” “Alright, then we’ll have lunch together from now on.” Yefu Xi nodded, turned her gaze to the window, and watched the undulating ridgelines of the Gobi mountains, just a hand’s width apart from the low-lying cloud masses. With that, her budget became much more comfortable. Chang Dong opened a narrow slit in the window beside him—just when the day was warmest, the breeze felt perfectly pleasant. —— By afternoon, they arrived in Hami and checked into a hotel. The accommodations weren’t expensive, and the value for money was quite good. Chang Dong had originally been worried, thinking he might have to share a room with the head chef. But when Fei Tang came to find him, he said they’d made contact and the chef’s hometown connection was actually based right in the city, near the jade market. Chang Dong could go there to sell the new stones he’d just picked up and, in the process, arrange for the chef’s accommodation. That was great—finally, he could enjoy some peace and quiet. After sending off the chef, Chang Dong took a long, refreshing shower with hot water rushing over him. When he stepped out, he found the kettle wasn’t working—after half an hour, it still hadn’t boiled. He called the front desk, and they apologized immediately, promising to replace it right away. Less than five minutes later, someone knocked at the door. Chang Dong was fully immersed in his shaving foam, so he opened it casually. Ye Liuxi stood at the door, holding Chang Dong turned off the electric shaver and looked at her for a while: "You've found another job, have you?" "Part-time. Starting tomorrow, I'll take care of the rooms on this floor and stop by to deliver a pot of water to you." She walked straight in, went to the bathroom, filled the water kettle, plugged it into the outlet, then Chang Dong shaved, rinsed off the foam from his face, and dried himself with a towel. After a while, the steady hum of the kettle began. Ye Liuxi neatly put away the old kettle and, as she was leaving, suddenly remembered something: "If you need to do laundry, there's a washing machine on the ground floor—public use. You'll find detergent and liquid soap there, though you'll have to operate it yourself." — Chang Dong washed and hung his underwear and socks inside the house himself, while the larger garments were placed in laundry bags and brought down to the laundry room. The laundry room was located in a rather remote spot. After asking the front desk, they learned it required entering the work area and turning a corner down a corridor—likely due to poor planning during the hotel's initial construction, leaving this awkward The lighting was dim, with only one top-loading washing machine in the room, a few stacked plastic chairs by the side, a small table in the corner holding detergent and liquid soap, a few magazines, and an indoor clothes rack where a few work uniforms hung. Changdong loaded the clothes into the machine and pressed the automatic wash setting, adopting the previous guest's 45-minute cycle. Calculating the time, he thought it would be more convenient to go out for a walk and return once the clothes were done—on the way, he could also head up to his room. He stepped out of the hotel. When summer arrived, there would be a night market here, lively and competitive with Hui Min Street and Dunhuang's night market. But now, the air was dry, and after walking several blocks, the streets remained quiet and still. He came across a fruit stall still open, bought some grapes and fragrant pears, and the owner kept recommending watermelons: "You can even sell just one slice, sweet and fragrant, or have it peeled into chunks, packed in a box with toothpicks for easy eating." Changdong bought a box. Back at the hotel, checking the time, he realized there were still seven or eight minutes left—now he felt restless and didn't want to wait anymore. He could just turn off the washer and manually wring out the clothes. As he turned the corner down the corridor, he suddenly spotted Ye Liuxi. She was sitting on a plastic chair, holding a laundry bag of clothes, intently watching the clothes tumbling inside the washing drum. Her freshly washed hair was damp and smooth, with water droplets still sliding off the tips. Actually, there wasn't much to admire—white detergent foam hit the glass and was quickly swept away by the next cycle of agitation. The last time he had seen her in such a focused, quiet state was when she was simmering soup. Ye Liuxi, once she settles down, seems especially lonely. Changdong, on the other hand, prefers her to be more lively. He walked over, took two plastic chairs, sat one for himself, and placed the other beside the fruit he had bought. "Have some fruit," he said, then gestured toward the washing machine, "My clothes are almost done." Ye Liuxi hummed softly, plucked a cluster of grapes from the vine, carefully peeled off the skins of each grape one by one, and then bit into them. The lights were dim, and the washing machine’s gentle, monotonous rolling rhythm provided a steady background. Chang Dong had finished washing the clothes and hung them on the drying rack. She wasn’t used to the touch-screen interface, so when asked, she had chosen the 15-minute quick wash cycle without wanting to wait too long. After all, it wasn’t a long time, so Chang Dong stayed with her until the end. As they stepped out, passing by the front desk, Chang Dong glanced through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the parking area and instinctively remarked, “Fei Tang hasn’t returned yet.” Ye Liuxi nodded and said, “Probably has made it rich.”