Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 46

"Mingzi, I always feel like there's something wrong with An Liman," the fat man whispered as he drove the camel closer to Hu Ming and Hu Bayi.

At this moment, in the desert, the fat man rode his camel, looking at Anliman who was leading the way, with some suspicion.

After all, from the very beginning when they entered the desert, this guy kept asking them, intentionally or unintentionally, if they wanted to go back.

There's definitely something wrong! the fat man thought. Hearing this, Hu Ming wasn't surprised.

Besides knowing some of the plot himself, the fat man also had an exceptionally keen sense for judging people, which was almost always accurate and rarely wrong.

"Miss Yang, could you tell me what you said to that guy Anliman at the end?" the fat man asked, looking at Yang Xueli behind him. Yang Xueli seemed to be in an unusual mood today, and she didn't refuse the fat man's request.

"nothing."

"It's just that I paid a small commission in advance to buy some things for Uncle Anliman's camels."

He said that camels need too much stuff and he didn't have enough money, so he asked me to give him some first.

After listening to Yang Xueli's explanation, the fat man understood.

"Hey, no wonder. I was wondering why this guy was trying to persuade us to go back even though we'd only been gone for three days. Turns out, he'd already gotten some money."

"Going back now, he's not at a loss."

"No, Mingzi, Lao Hu, I have to see this kid."

"Otherwise, I won't feel at ease!" With that, the fat man spurred the camel and followed closely behind Anliman to prevent the boy from escaping.

Hu Bayi and Hu Ming tacitly agreed to Fatty's decision; it was good that Fatty was keeping an eye on An Liman.

Bos Alten Lake...

This is the lifeblood of Guyasha Town. Upon arriving here, Anliman knelt down and prayed towards the lake with a devout expression.

Then Hu Ming and the others were allowed to fetch water. They filled the camels with enough water and headed east towards the rising sun, searching for the ancient Peacock River. They then traveled south along the river's course.

The rising sun casts its golden rays upon the desert, dazzlingly bright.

"Professor Chen, the name of this lake is very strange. Why is it called Bos-Alten Lake?"

It was Ye Yixin's first time in the desert. Standing in the vast and boundless desert, she was very excited and curious about everything. When she saw the poplar trees, she would ask them questions for a long time.

Seeing a sand dune, she would ask questions for ages; seeing a sand ditch, she would ask questions too. Anliman was thoroughly fed up with this young girl, and didn't even want to talk to her anymore.

The sheer energy of young people is overwhelming for the elderly.

Helpless, Ye Yixin could only ask Professor Chen.

"Little Ye," Professor Chen looked at Ye Yixin, his eyes filled with deep affection, like a grandfather's love for his granddaughter. He then patiently explained to her.

"Bos-Alten Lake means 'standing,' and it got its name because three mountains stand in the middle of the lake. In ancient times, this lake was also called the Fish Sea. It is the largest inland freshwater lake in Yan State. The Peacock River originates here and flows into the depths of the Tak-Arlama Desert." Professor Chen has a very good understanding of national geography; he knows it by heart.

"Oh~"

Anliman urged the camels to walk faster, and as soon as he spoke, the camels behind him quickened their pace. This impressive maneuver made Ye Yixin, Sadipeng, and Chu Jian envious.

After walking for a while, it was time to stop and rest. Anli whistled, and the fifteen camels stopped and lay down, which made Ye Yixin and the other two even more envious.

With nothing to do, the three of them tried to tease Anliman's camels, imitating him by whistling and shouting slogans, but the camels ignored them. Anliman looked at them with disdain, thinking, "If you can do it, I'll lose my job!" After a short rest, they set off again.

Walking across the vast desert, admiring its unique beauty, everyone felt wonderful.

Unable to contain his excitement, Ye Yixin began to sing, and Chu Jian and Sa Dipeng joined in.

"Our Western Regions is a wonderful place, with lush green grapevines, verdant grasslands, and horses galloping; our Western Regions is a wonderful place, with golden deserts..."

The fat man was infected by the three's singing and joined in, singing and laughing all the way. Seeing them having so much fun, Hu Ming couldn't help but curl his lip. How could the desert be a place to play? You'll be crying later.

Hu Ming and Hu Bayi exchanged a glance, both seeing the other's helplessness.

Playing on the edge of the desert can be relaxing, but going deep into the Taklamakan Desert is pure torture, and you could lose your life at any moment.

If you step into quicksand, you'll be swallowed up and suffocated by a mouthful of sand.

The group set off again, with Hu Ming and Fatty riding behind, leisurely smoking camels and seemingly in good spirits.

"By the way, Lao Hu, do you think she, an American, traveled all the way to our country and spent so much money searching for the Jingjue Ancient City, is just after all the treasures inside?"

Hu Ming frowned, dismissing the fat man's claim. He knew why Yang Xueli had come.

"Let's not even talk about whether she can find the Jingjue Ancient City. Even if she does find it, she'll be empty-handed. How will she take all the treasures inside? Take the tomb at Niuxin Mountain for example. The archaeological team has been excavating for several months and they still need to use trucks to transport the treasures."

At this point, his words became extremely confident. "The Taklamakan Desert belongs to our country, and the ancient city of Jingjue we found also belongs to our country. Does an American dare to steal our country's treasures?"

"Don't dare."

The two brothers were whispering to each other in the back. Yang Xueli, who was in front, glanced at them, turned around, and then turned to Hu Bayi, saying, "Mr. Hu Ming and Mr. Wang seem to be having a good time talking about something..."

He must have said a lot of bad things about her. Humph. Yang Shirley could easily guess that with the fat man's temper, he always disliked her and wouldn't hold back in saying bad things about her. And Hu Ming didn't like her either. However, she didn't care.

"They're just chatting idly, ignore them."

“Hmm,” Yang Xueli nodded gently, her beautiful eyes looking at Anliman who was leading the way. “Uncle Anliman is indeed a desert expert. You see, along this road, there are poplar trees, sand dunes, and ruins. Connecting these points together creates a living desert route.”

Hu Bayi said, "Well done, Shirley Yang. You're very observant. Keep observing." After saying that, he gave Shirley Yang a thumbs up.

Unbeknownst to them, their relationship had grown considerably during this time.

(End of this chapter)