On the highway, Zhong Rui was driving, Chen Wei and Duan Pingyu were sitting in the back row, silent, while Qi Yun was chatting with a man in his thirties next to him.

The man's name was Zhan Hongbo, he was Wei Xueming's doctoral student. He wore black glasses, had a scholarly appearance, and spoke very politely.

As Wei Xueming had said, Zhan Hongbo indeed had a deep understanding of the culture of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions and told Qi Yun a lot about the history of the Ancient Loulan along the way.

At six in the afternoon, after ten hours of long-distance travel, the group finally arrived at Ruqiang County Town.

As the largest county in China, its area was as large as two Zhejiang Provinces, but the population was only a few tens of thousand, so much so that the empty streets were devoid of people.

Qi Yun's group met with Mamati at a repair shop in the town, where he was making final preparations for several vehicles.

"Boss Qi." Seeing Qi Yun get out of the business vehicle, Mamati came up to greet him.

Qi Yun nodded to him: "How are things going on your end?"

"All arranged, ready to go anytime," Mamati replied concisely.

"Okay, then let's rest for a night in the county and set off early tomorrow morning." Qi Yun glanced into the repair shop, "Where are the two guides you found?"

"Lao Tu! Da Ming!" Mamati turned to shout into the shop.

Soon, two middle-aged men came out.

"This is Boss Qi, my old employer," Mamati introduced them, then turned to Qi Yun, "Boss Qi, this is Lao Tu and Da Ming, both very experienced guides."

"Hello, Boss Qi!" the two greeted Qi Yun with a smile.

Qi Yun nodded lightly, his gaze sweeping over their faces.

Whether intentionally or not, this time Mamati didn't find his fellow countrymen, but two Han Chinese.

Lao Tu appeared older, probably in his forties; years of exposure to the elements had turned his skin a deep brown.

The other, Da Ming, seemed about the same age as Mamati, with a sturdy build, his muscular chest visible beneath his short sleeves.

Judging by their appearances alone, they both seemed honest, but appearances can be deceiving, as Qi Yun vividly remembered from his last experience.

"Let's find a place to have a meal together," Qi Yun said with a smile.

...

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, the group left the county, heading east.

This time there were a total of five vehicles, all modified Wranglers, four of which would go deep into the desert, while the other waited on the edge, ready to provide support.

Due to the increasing number of tourists in Jiang Province in recent years, many historical sites have been developed into tourist attractions.

This includes the ruins of Loulan Ancient City.

From Ruqiang County Town to the ruins of Loulan Ancient City is more than 200 kilometers, and this route is not a desert route but a provincial road, leading straight to the scenic area.

But Qi Yun's destination this time was not near the scenic area; instead, they would go nearly another 200 kilometers into the heart of the desert.

Three hours later, the convoy reached a T-intersection, with the famous scenic spot of the Loulan Ancient City ruins to the right.

Driving the lead car, Mamati slowly stopped by the roadside. He picked up the professional navigation equipment and turned to look at Qi Yun sitting in the back: "Boss Qi, we'll be entering the desert section in two kilometers ahead."

"Plan to reach the first camp 80 kilometers away by 9 PM."

Qi Yun nodded, then opened the door to get out, stretching lazily.

Today's temperature wasn't very high, but it was still 32 degrees. This temperature might not feel very hot elsewhere, but in the desert, it was another story.

The hot waves, carried by a light breeze, made one feel parched.

In the sunlight, even the distorted heat waves were visible.

Qi Yun took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and walked over to the Wrangler behind, asking Zhong Rui, who was driving: "How about it? Want Brother Wei to replace you?"

Zhong Rui grimaced and shook his head: "No need, I want to experience driving in the desert for a while."

Qi Yun chuckled and didn't say more.

This time, there were a total of four vehicles going into the desert, but Mamati's team had only three guides. Originally, there was another driver specifically for driving, but after discussing with Qi Yun, they decided to let him stay in Ruqiang County.

Because going deep into the desert was full of uncertainties, and every extra person meant consuming additional supplies. Anyway, Chen Wei also had rich driving experience, so they let him drive.

After a short break, the convoy set off again. After driving for another ten or so minutes, Mamati, driving the lead vehicle, left the provincial road and turned into the boundless sand dunes.

Zhan Hongbo lowered the car window and pointed to the distant, faintly visible dunes: "Brother Qi, over there is the outskirts of the Loulan Ancient City ruins. Those Yardang landforms you see might have been the fortress walls in ancient times."

He had been to this site for research before, so he was very familiar with it.

Following Zhan Hongbo's pointed direction, Qi Yun looked over and saw the distant Yardang landforms under the sunlight, displaying a peculiar earthy yellow, the wind-eroded mounds undulating like natural barriers.

"It's truly nature's artistry," he couldn't help but sigh.

"Indeed," Zhan Hongbo adjusted his glasses, his tone carrying a hint of professional rigor, "the formation of these Yardang landforms took at least ten thousand years of wind erosion. According to research, in ancient times, Loulan Ancient City relied on these terrains to build their defense systems."

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