3. The Place Where Devils Live

Wu Xie, Wang Meng, Li Cu, and another person named Ma Rila are riding in the same jeep. Li Cu finds that the name Ma Rila has many possible interpretations, some of which are quite amusing.

Along the way, Wu Xie starts talking about various topics, sharing some information that Li Cu should know. For instance, in this team, Wu Xie’s alias is Guan Gen. He is a travel writer, while Li Cu is his photography assistant for this expedition. Wang Meng uses his real name as his life assistant, and Ma Rila, who is of Mongolian descent, speaks several local languages.

They are traveling from Beijing with a total of three vehicles. In the front vehicle are several archaeology professors and their students, while the vehicle behind them carries representatives from the expedition’s investment partners. In front of the three vehicles is another vehicle from the local military providing assistance. The convoy of four vehicles has now entered a government-managed area, which is the Populus euphratica protection zone. Others are not allowed to enter here. They will not reach their destination directly because it is surrounded by large sand dunes. They need to find camels at the outpost; previously, Li Cu heard some soldiers say that the camels should be ready.

Wang Meng shares some basic knowledge with them along the way, though it’s unclear where he gathered this information from online. He mentions that the towering sand dunes are a prominent feature of the Badain Jaran Desert, with dunes generally ranging from 200 to 300 meters high, and the highest peak, Uzhumu, reaching 528 meters, making it the largest desert in the world. Between the tall dunes are over 140 inland lakes, referred to as “haizi” by the locals. Most of these lakes are saline, but there are also freshwater lakes, which are very rare, a mechanism that Li Cu finds puzzling. Surrounding the lakes are vast marshy meadows and salt marshes, which serve as important grazing and settlement points for herders.

Most of the herders belong to the Eruqi Mongolian ethnic group, which is quite an ancient nationality. Badain is the name of the discoverer of the desert, and when he entered this desert, he discovered 60 lakes; “Jilan” means “60” in Mongolian, so the desert is named “Badain Jaran.”

The haizi here is a miraculous landscape. Often, travelers’ views are blocked by the sand dunes, so when they climb over a dune, they see children surrounded by sand mountains, and the water appears azure blue, leading many to think they have encountered a mirage. Even during the windy and sandy season, the lakes, encircled by sand, remain crystal clear and are not buried by sand.

Many people may have seen an image in Microsoft’s operating system, depicting the undulating sand mountains formed by the wind blowing the sand, which rise and fall in an orderly fashion. Under different sunlight temperatures, they display shades of pale yellow, orange, and fiery red, dazzling in their brilliance. The wave-like sand patterns, influenced by light and shadow, create various beautiful designs. Some resemble the flying figures of Dunhuang, some the pyramids of Egypt, some human silhouettes or Buddha faces, some birds and beasts, some are figurative, and some abstract, as if they are part of a large art exhibition showcasing various styles. Among them, the Haizi of the child temple in the hinterland, along with Nuoertu and the surrounding sand mountains, are the most magical and beautiful.

However, the place they are heading to seems unrelated to any of this.

They are headed to a place called Gulongjing. It is said to be a very strange area, regarded by the local Eruite Mongolian people as a place where demons reside. According to the information Li Zu found, their purpose for this trip is archaeological and geological exploration. However, with Wu Xie’s appearance, Li Zu realizes that things are definitely not that simple. He wonders what fate awaits him.

The dry air makes the scars on his back itch unbearably. With the strange patterns on his back, the tomb raider mixed into the expedition team, and Wu Xie’s seemingly serious words, he feels that the connections behind these events will be very complicated.

After seven hours, they reach the outpost. With the help of local soldiers, they organize a caravan of camels, and locals join in to help guide them to the camels. As they mount the camels and begin to walk into the sand dunes, it is the first time Li Zu gathers the courage to ask Wu Xie a question.

“Why didn’t you come by yourself? Why are you following this group?”

“It just so happens that this group of people is also heading to Gulongjing, and they have government backing. If I don’t join their team, I could easily be seen as an enemy here, and I don’t want to confront the local military,” Wu Xie replies. “I’d rather be one of them; after all, I know much more than they do, and what I’m looking for doesn’t conflict with their goals. It’s better to have some support.”

“Is it really that simple?”

“Not exactly. To a large extent, what they are looking for is somewhat related to what I want. By following them, I also hope to protect them as much as I can. The place we’re going is very dangerous; if we go in without any knowledge, it’s easy to run into trouble.”

“So what exactly are you looking for? What does it have to do with the pattern on my back?”

“I’m looking for a woman,” Wu Xie says. “The pattern on your back is the last clue she left for me. The process is quite complicated, but once we reach the first campsite, I will tell you the general details.”

“Is she your lover?”

“No, we’re not very familiar. I just feel that what she has experienced is somehow connected to what happened to another friend of mine. If I can find out what happened to her, I might also understand what happened to my other friend.”