After passing through two **** mountains, there is a desert that cannot be seen in front of you.

The sun is very bright, shining in the desert, and every grain of sand is like a lens, making people dizzy. There is huge silence around it, so quiet that time has frozen.

The desert is like the sea. Walking into the desert is like walking into the sea. The storm on the sea will tear people apart in an instant, and the sunlight in the desert will slowly evaporate people. However, for the sake of the swallows and the third uncle, I walked in without any hesitation. Behind me, the sound of shoes rubbing against the sand came. Looking back, I saw the leopard and the black and white beggar following.

We followed one by one, lowered our heads and walked forward. There was no sound, and there was a huge yellow around us, which was swelling and painful in our eyes. We were like an old cow, pulling a cart full of wheat bundles and climbing the hills with difficulty. Every step we took would be closer to the cool threshing ground wrapped in shade. We could only walk, hopefully. If we stopped, the heavy wheat truck would pull us down and we could never get up again.

As we walked, the sweat quickly wet the clothes and the clothes became as heavy as armor. I unbuttoned and tried to take off my clothes, but was stopped by the white beggar.

Bai Beggar said: "If you take off your clothes and don't use a bag of cigarettes, your skin will be cracked from the sun."

But I was so uncomfortable that I was shining with the hot sun, and countless flames were running around in my body, so I slowly walked behind them. The leopard said, "Don't fall behind." I said, "No."

Walking behind them, I quietly took off my clothes and felt much more relaxed.

However, it didn't take long before the skin was as painful as a knife. I rubbed this piece, and the other part was in pain again. I was like a boy carrying a broken bucket, always trying to cover the hole in the wall of the bucket with my palm in vain.

At dusk, the sun rolled down the white horizon in the distance, and the weather became colder, and the surroundings quickly became dark. Because we were worried that we would get lost in such a dark night, we had to stop under a sand dune.

That night, I didn't fall asleep until midnight. My skin, which was exposed to the scorching sun during the day, was like a cracked bulge, and like a dry land. Every inch of my skin was tearing and painful.

I just fell asleep when I was suddenly awakened by the leopard. In my hazy feeling that thousands of troops were whistling by, and countless horses with hoofs were trampling on my eardrums. Before I understood what was going on, the leopard pulled off my clothes, wrapped them on my head, and hugged me and lay down.

Countless grains of sand hit my back like whips, and I realized that the sandstorm was coming. There were storms on the sea and sandstorms in the desert.

I don’t know how long it took, the tranquility between heaven and earth gradually returned to the point of rest. We stood up with the sand all over our bodies, and then we found that our lower body was buried in the sand. In the sky, a full moon was like a brand new washbasin, and the slender clouds around the moon were like running water.

The dust storm passed, and we rested our heads on the dunes and continued to fall asleep.

When I woke up, it was already bright. A few dozen meters away, leopards and black and white beggars were surrounding me, discussing something. I walked over and suddenly saw a brightly colored turban on the ground between them. A swallow spreading its wings and flying was embroidered with black silk thread on the turban.

This is the swallow's turban.

Since a sandstorm can blow the swallow's headscarf over, it means the swallow is nearby or walking past nearby.

In the four seasons of the north, the wind direction is very regular, with southeastern winds in summer and northwest winds in winter. Last night the sandstorm came from the southeast, so the swallows must be in the southeast.

What will be in the southeast direction? Why do they go to the southeast direction?

We continue to chase southeastward.

I was rushing to catch up with me, and I drank no drop of water left in my carry-on water, and I had already finished my beef jerky. By noon, we were hungry and thirsty, our throats were dry and smoked, and we didn't even have the strength to move our Adam's apple. I looked into the distance, not knowing how far ahead or how far I needed to go. My eyes were covered with yellow sand. How good would these sand be if they were wheat flour steamed buns. The horizon in the distance was floating like a flowing river. I thought I could suck that river dry in one breath.

Climbing up a sand dune, we could no longer support it, and we all sat on the hot sand. Suddenly, camel bells from afar, and a long line of camels appeared.

This is a group of camels.

Camel tourists are people who accompany camels and walk through the desert.

I stretched out my arms to the group of camels and wanted to shout, but I couldn't say a word. I rolled down from the dune. When I rolled under the dune, I didn't have the strength to get up. I stretched out my limbs and lay flat on the ground. Under my body was sand like iron, and I felt that I was about to be burned into a stream of blue smoke.

Two people in the camels ran over, and they picked up the water bags and poured them into my mouth. I was like a sapling on the verge of death, suddenly moistened by raindrops, and my curly leaves stretched out and my lower waist was straightened.

A few drops of water pulled me back from the brink of death.

We came to the team of Camel Guests, and we unexpectedly met the Third Division here.

The third uncle was seriously injured. He was not only injured by arrows but also by knife wounds. He was dying and lying on the empty beach and was almost dead. A group of eagles hovered in the sky, preparing to rush down and peck at his body. Camel tourists happened to pass by here. They drove the eagles away and saved him.

This group of camel tourists had dozens of camels. They traveled between Jiuquan, Gansu and Zhangjiakou, Chahar, and transported Zhangjiakou's freight to Jiuquan and the medicinal materials from Jiuquan to Zhangjiakou. On the way, they walked almost all desert areas. They had to go from Jiuquan to Zhangjiakou, first through the Badan Jilin Desert, then the Ulan Buhe Desert, along the edge of Daqing Mountain and the edge of Hunshandake Sandland before they could reach Zhangjiakou.

The third uncle said that there were several people chasing them, some dressed in beggars' sects, and some dressed in vendors. Starting from Gerile Village, these people appeared behind. Yan Zi went outside the yurt where they lived and eavesdropped on them, and heard that they were sent by Lao Tong to reconnaissance masters, and they repeatedly said Lao Tong's name.

I said, "Why are you an old friend again?"

The third uncle asked: "Who is Lao Tong?"

I said, "Laotong is a Japanese man named Honda Jiichiro. This man is very bad. He used to be a Japanese spy, but now he is a leader in the Japanese army. He seems to be a specialist in reconnaissance."

The third uncle said: "They want to find the master, and we cannot take them to the master. The person who stole the big diamonds fled to the north. The north is sandy land, with no people for hundreds of miles. If he is not familiar with the terrain, he will die. If this person fled there, it means that he is familiar with the terrain. There is only the armed force of the master in the sand, so the one who stole the diamonds is likely to be the master's people. Yan Zi and I, together with the person who stole the big diamonds, are probably not the opponent of this group of people. As soon as I discussed with Yan Zi, I planned not to go north and turn to the west to lead the group of people into the desert."

I asked anxiously: "Where are the swallows?"

The third uncle gasped heavily. The leopard helped him up, patted his back, and whispered: "Speak slowly, speak slowly."

The third uncle continued, "There is a cemetery in the west of Gerile Village. We walked into the cemetery and deliberately let the group see it. As expected, the group of people no longer faced north, but turned to the west and followed. There was a stone house next to the cemetery. We picked up the surrounding stones and pieced them into a pile, creating the illusion of resistance. The group came to the front of the stone house and did not dare to attack rashly. Yanzi and I took the opportunity to open a hole in the back wall of the house, crawled out, and escaped into the cemetery. We walked a long way and looked back and saw that the group of people walked into the cemetery. They couldn't find us. They were furious and followed from behind."

I asked, "What happened later?"

The third uncle said, "We have introduced this group of people into the desert step by step. They always thought they would be able to catch us soon, but they found that they would not catch up after chasing us for a long time. I have lived in the grassland for many years and are familiar with this environment. Swallows have practiced martial arts since childhood and are agile. This group of people wanted to give up chasing, but they were unwilling to give up chasing because they had been chasing for so long, and there was still a long desert to go back. Also, their footprints were buried by wind and sand. Even if they went back, they might get lost and lost in the desert, just a death. In this way, we led the way in front not far and near, and they chased behind them, all the way to a valley."

"We saw a Japanese body in the valley," the leopard said.

The third uncle said, "After I arrived at the valley, I was going to set up an ambush and kill these bitches. I asked the swallows to walk in front and we met in front. There was a dark river dozens of miles ahead. When I arrived by the river, everything was fine. I could swim. Even if the swallows couldn't, I could cross the river with her. I hid in a pile of sedge grass on the side. After those people came, they didn't know that there was someone lying in ambush in the sedge grass. They walked over in a big way. I pointed at the last person and shot an arrow, which penetrated his neck."

Seddenes, I know, this is a plant that grows in the desert saline-alkali land. It is tall, slender, dense and dense, and has extremely tenacious vitality. Do you think it is dead, its stems are dry and withered, and the roots are dug down, and it turns out to be soft, and it is still alive. Only this plant is found in the desert saline-alkali land.

The third uncle continued, "After the person walking at the end fell, the person in front had not noticed it yet. I drew my bow and arrow and aimed at the second person walking at the last. Originally, this arrow would have sent him to the west, but after I shot the arrow, the man bent down, took off his shoes, and knocked out the sand in his shoes. As soon as he bent down, the arrow did not hit him, and landed on the sand. After the arrow fell, the man let out a pig-killing howl. Everyone in front found it, and turned around, and then he saw a companion's corpse on the ground, which penetrated his throat with an arrow."

I was secretly shocked when Uncle Third Master was really clever. Unexpectedly, after leaving Dabie Mountains, he wandered on the grassland and actually practiced this good archery technique.

The third uncle said: "Although they knew that I was hiding in a large area of ​​sedge grass, they did not dare to act rashly, worried that the next person who penetrated his throat would be himself. Through the stems of the sedge grass, I saw them all lying on the ground and looking around nervously. They didn't know the specific location of my hiding. In this way, it quickly ended until dark. After it was dark, I could evacuate."

The Third Division's Adam's apple was shaking up and down. A camel guest with a bald head took a sip. The Third Division took a sip and continued: "That night, the moon was hazy and unsightly. I crawled slowly in the clams and gradually moved away from the group of people. I probably stayed away from their sight. I stood up and walked forward a few steps. Unexpectedly, these steps exposed my whereabouts. The temperature in the desert was very high during the day, and it looked bare and there were no animals. In fact, many animals hid in the cave. The cave was very cool and the sun could not shine. At night, these animals came out to find food. Because they had never seen people, they were not afraid of seeing people. That night, there were several nests of gerbils in the clams. I stepped on it and stepped on a nest of gerbils. The gerbils squeaked and fled in panic, and the screams exposed my whereabouts."

I listened quietly and felt a little worried about the third uncle.

The third uncle said, "As soon as the gerbil shouted, those people immediately surrounded me and shot arrows at the direction where I was. An arrow was rubbing my cheek and flew over. I didn't feel any pain. The group chased me over with screams. I lifted my long legs and ran away, throwing them behind. They feared my archery skills and did not dare to chase them too tightly. I ran down the sand dunes and saw their backs set against the starlight in the sky, one, two, three, four, a total of four. I guess I only need four arrows to send them to the west. However, after reaching my right hand to my shoulder, I was shocked. I just crawled forward in the cliff grass, and all the arrows fell into the grass. I regretted it at that time, and I wanted to slap myself in the face.

"After the four people ran down the dunes, I had no arrows, so I could only turn around and run away. But at this time, the moon appeared from the clouds, shining on the desert like day. They looked at my back and shot one arrow after another. I was powerless to fight back.

"Later, I ran to a cliff, and they chased me to the cliff. The cliff was so deep that I could not see the bottom of my head, and I felt the wind rushing up from my feet. I had no weapons in my hand, so I could only compete with them with a bow. However, I was not the opponent of the four people. One man stabbed me on the shoulder with a short knife in his hand, and I held him and rolled down from the cliff, losing consciousness."

I asked again: "Where is the swallow?"

The third uncle said: "I don't know, if we run separately, the swallow may have escaped. There is a dark river dozens of miles ahead. The swallow may be born by the dark river to drink water now. The swallow is so smart and has rich experience in the martial arts world. Don't worry."

I felt a little relieved after hearing what the third uncle said.

The bald camel guest said, "The night before yesterday, we were sleeping under the cliff. After dawn, we were about to get up and found two people falling under the cliff. One was the third uncle and the other was the Japanese. The Japanese neck was broken by the bowstring and drooping bloodily. Obviously, they could not be saved. The third uncle was still breathing, so we poured the golden sore medicine on his wound, fed him a few sips of water, and he woke up and came here with us."

I asked: "Uncle Third Master said there were four Japanese, one died, and three were left. What about the three Japanese?"

The bald camel guest said, "We haven't seen it."

There are three Japanese in the desert, and there are also swallows alone. Will the swallows meet them? The third uncle has lived on this land for a long time. He knows that there is a dark river ahead, and these Japanese spies have been immersed in the grassland for a long time. Don’t they know that there is a dark river ahead? If they all go to find the dark river ahead, will they meet swallows?

My heart began to tighten again.

The camels came from the underground river, and their water bags were filled with river water. The leopard asked the black and white beggars to stay and take care of the third uncle, and then took me to the desert to look for swallows. The camels gave us two water bags filled with water, as well as a few small pieces of jerky. When they came here from Gansu, they didn't have much dry food.

Leopard and I set off.

The Dark River is in the west, and we also walk along the west direction. After we encounter the Dark River, we can find swallows. As for the three Japanese, they have been hungry in the desert for a few days. Even if they drink the water from the Dark River, they are not the full leopard and my opponent.

After walking for about two hours, we suddenly saw a row of leather shoes footprints on the sand, coming from the northeast. These footprints were deep and shallow, and they were obviously left by a cripple.

A cripple will never walk into the vast desert alone for no reason. There is a reason why a cripple enters the desert; there is a reason why a cripple walks from the northeast to the southwest; there is a reason why a cripple wears leather shoes.

The northeast is where we fight with Lao Tong; the southwest is that underground river. Lao Tong has been a spy on the grassland for many years, and he also knows that there is a underground river that can save lives to the west.

This desperate cripple wearing leather shoes will only be an old friend.

Mars popped up in front of my eyes. I remembered the miserable situation of Master Zhuan being cut off by Lao Tong. The flames in my heart ignited. I wish I could pounce on him now, bite Lao Tong's meat piece by piece, and throw it to the eagle above the desert to eat.

Following the footprints left by my old couple, we rushed to catch up.

After chasing for a few miles, we saw a cigarette butt and a cigarette box left on the sand. The cigarette box had two words "Yipeng" printed on it. Under the two words were two planes, and there were several white clouds beside the plane. This box of cigarettes was from Japan. At that time, Chinese cigarettes had Laodao, Laogu, Shuangxi, Hardmen, etc., but there were no "Yipeng" cigarettes.

This is the cigarette butt and cigarette case left by Lao Tong.

We chased forward again, and suddenly we saw a few more lines of footprints on the ground, and several lines of footprints were combined together, one deep and the other shallow, as well as the footprints of men wearing leather shoes and cloth shoes.

Lao Tong and the three Japanese people got together.

There are four Japanese people, and we are two, but we are not afraid at all. On the sand, the Japanese are getting smaller and smaller, and their footprints are also tilted. Obviously, these four Japanese are supporting them with their last strength. We believe that we will catch up with them in no time.

I chased after a while and saw two skeletons on the roadside, and the fresh bones shone pale under the scorching sun. There were a few vultures squatting on the collapsed poplar trees in the distance. They were motionless, just like scars on poplar trees.

The two Japanese fell down and they were eaten into skeletons by vultures.

Two more Japanese were left, one wearing leather shoes and the other with different footprints. The old couple is still alive.

Chase and kill Lao Tong!

There is Lao Tong in front of us, and our pace has accelerated. We don’t know how far the Lao Tong has walked, but it will definitely not be too far, because there are still footprints left by Lao Tong in the desert. Maybe we will be able to catch up with Lao Tong tonight.

The leopard lifted its foot and walked forward. I held the handle of the knife around my waist and followed with a small step. The knife was very sharp and had a curve. It was given to me by a bald camel guest. You can tell at a glance that this kind of scimitar was produced in the Western Regions.

However, at dusk, suddenly the sky was dark and the sandstorm came again.

The leopard and I used a knife to dig a deep pit on the sand and then jumped down. We bent down and hid our whole body in the deep pit. The strong wind passed over our heads, tugging our hair and our collars, trying to pull us out of the pit, like pulling two radishes. We squatted down deeply, holding our arms, like two radishes holding our arms, preventing the strong wind from being pulled out.

My ears were filled with the sound of wind and sand. In the dark world, only sand was flying, hovering, and shouting. Human life seemed extremely small and helpless here, and it was as small as a leaf falling on the branches.

I was thinking about Swallow, where is she at this moment? Can she escape this raging sandstorm?

In the second half of the night, the sandstorm was quiet and the moonlight was clear. We pulled ourselves out of the pit. Looking from all directions, it was as flat as the sea, as the calm waves. The desert was shining with moonlight, as bright as the moonlight shining on the water.

The leopard found the North Star in the sky according to the method Bai Beggar said, and then we continued to walk westward.

There is a dark river to the west. As long as you find the dark river, you can find swallows and may find old colleagues. However, between family affection and hatred, I choose family affection. As long as I can keep the swallows alive, I am willing to do anything and can even give up my love for him.

In my heart, I have long regarded swallows as my relatives. Deep in love, it is not love, but family affection.
To be continued...