Wu Gen rode his horse and walked dejectedly on the road to the Xiang army camp.

Mo Xin brought a message from Zhang Yuan and ordered him to rush back to the camp and carry out the mission. Zhang Yuan did not explain clearly what was so urgent, but asked Mo Xin to guard the beacon here instead of Wu Gen.

Naturally, Mo Xin didn't want to come. Huangzhong Ridge had always been a dangerous place in the camp that was rumored by word of mouth and could not be suppressed by others.

But military orders are hard to disobey, and I have been trembling all the way here. Only when I saw Wu Gensheng in full swing did Mo Xin feel relieved.

Thinking that the full moon night was still far away, Wu Gen left the bell behind and rushed to the camp.

It is almost the end of the year, and everything around us is depressed and lifeless.

Frost and ice blocked the road along the way, and the thin horse beneath him fell several times, knocking Wu Gen to his knees.

"Good luck and good fortune, nothing is forbidden." Wu Gen muttered as he walked into the camp, his right eye twitching along the way. This was not a good sign.

We walked to Zhang Yuan's residence by familiar means. As soon as we met, Zhang Yuan said: "Please pack up quickly and follow me to Feiguan."

Wu Gen said with a sad face: "My Lord, these days I have been working hard to live in isolation to protect our territory of Zhao. Why was I suddenly recalled? I am really worried about my humble position. Please let me go back."

Zhang Yuan didn't talk nonsense and threw a piece of silver over, "If ordinary servants and officers spoke like this, the matter would have been cut off long ago.

As the New Year is approaching, according to military regulations, we have to go to Feiguan to pay homage to the martyrs. I think you are usually very resourceful and cunning, so you are suitable for this trip. In addition, as the New Year is approaching, there are many rewards in the camp, which will just compensate you for these days.

Hard work. Go away and set off tomorrow."

Wu Gen stuffed the silver into his arms and said with a cheerful smile: "Captain, did you tell me earlier? I will definitely fight to the death and follow you to death."

"You crow's mouth, what do you say about death during the Chinese New Year? Get away." Zhang Yuan pretended to fight, but Wu Gen quickly slipped out with a smile.

After a night's rest, Zhang Yuan led three people, each with a powerful horse. Only Wu Gen drove a carriage with sacrificial objects on it, and hurried westward out of the camp gate.

Except for Wu Gen, the other four people were all middlemen. Along the way, the four people ignored Wu Gen and discussed the sacrificial matters on their own.

From the conversations between several people, Wu Gen heard that the so-called abandoned pass he went to this time was located in the desert, and he did not know what year it was built.

However, there has always been a rule in the army. During the Qingming Festival and the end of the year, soldiers from any country must send people to worship and are not allowed to attack each other. It's just that the places where they worship are different.

It was originally a routine matter, but for some reason this year during the Qingming Festival, none of the people who sent out sacrifices returned. Later, the army sent people to investigate and found that these people had died in the waste pass, with distorted faces, but no scars on their bodies.

After searching carefully, no clues were found, so the matter was dropped. As the New Year was approaching, the army needed to send people to offer sacrifices again, so Zhang Yuan was asked to lead the team there.

For three days in a row, there were no waves on the road. The further we walked, the more desolate the surroundings became. The ground was full of dark brown gravel, which meant we had reached the edge of the desert.

The five people camped and rested in a sand willow bush, which was also the last supply point before entering the desert.

The four of them gathered around the fire and chatted. Wu Gen wandered around boredly. It was annoying to see him wandering around, so Zhang Yuan threw a bottle of wine over and let him relieve himself outside. It was extremely cold at night in the desert and there was no warmth.

I'm afraid I won't be able to survive even one night with my belongings.

It was late at night and several people had fallen asleep. Wu Gen had boxed outside for a while and was about to return to the camp. Suddenly, he felt a chill in his heart and slowed down his pace.

A black crow sat on the poplar tree outside the camp. Its dark red eyes looked like a ghost in the night.

This sudden appearance of a crow gave Wu Gen a rather bad feeling. It is said that in this desolate place, where birds are extinct and people are gone, the sudden appearance of a crow really revealed something fishy.

He reached out and picked up a stone and slowly approached the poplar tree.

The crow was staring at the camp, feeling the threat behind him, and turned to look at Wu Gen. When he saw the stone in Wu Gen's hand, the crow was not afraid, but tilted his head and looked at him playfully.

Wu Gen felt a little frightened in his heart. He always felt that the crow had read his mind, and the hand that was about to throw stopped.

A man and a bird looked at each other, and the atmosphere was a bit strange. After a long confrontation, Wu Gen suddenly became violent and shot the stone at the crow on the tree like an arrow. At the same time, without looking, the knife in his hand was slashing behind him.

Wu Gen's shooting skills have always been very good. He grew up in a village, so he has developed this skill very well. He can not only hit the target with every shot, but he can make perfect shots within ten steps.

The crow seemed to have seen through Wu Gen's movements. It grabbed the branch with its claws and turned around in a circle, avoiding the stones, and stood firmly on the branch again.

The knife struck the ground heavily, but there was nothing unusual. Just now, he had a feeling that there was an inexplicable danger lurking behind him, so Wu Gen suddenly took action.

"Quack." The crow made a sound that sounded like a sneer, fluttering its wings and flew away.

Wu Gen stared at the sky and returned to the camp silently.

Zhang Yuan was standing in front of the tent with a knife in hand. When he saw Wu Gen arriving, he asked, "What's the matter?"

Wu Gen looked back and said, "It's a strange bird, it's late at night, it's a bit evil."

"Be careful, we are about to enter the Huangquan Desert. It is not peaceful there. If anything goes wrong, please alert us in time." Zhang Yuan ordered and walked into the tent.

The next day, the five people packed up and walked into the desert.

As soon as they entered the desert, the new wind was fierce and the sand and gravel were raging, blocking the sky and the sun. The five people trudged through it with difficulty, and even the horses were unwilling to move forward.

The strong wind had been blowing for two days, and it finally calmed down. The scene in front of me almost completely changed. The sand dunes were rolling up and down, and the original landmarks could no longer be found.

Zhang Yuan has been in the army for many years and is quite familiar with this. He looked at the sun and continued moving forward with a few people. After only five miles, his horse suddenly became restless.

These horses are all authentic Sanshan horses from the Zhao Kingdom. They are very tame and have excellent endurance. For some reason, they did not listen to their master's orders today and turned around to leave.

The five people comforted him gently, and finally had to dismount and lead him forward. But such an abnormal thing cast a shadow on everyone's minds.

After climbing over a tall sand dune, the five people stood on the top of the dune, all of them opening their mouths wide.

Under the setting sun ahead, a huge ship was sailing slowly in the sandy sea in the distance. The ship was completely black, and there was a circular ring on the tall mast.

The hull was in tatters and dilapidated, with large and small mottled scars on it. The dark windows on the cabin were like eyes, staring coldly at the five people on the sand dunes.

"I didn't expect the legend to be true." Zhang Yuan muttered to himself.

"What is that?" Wu Gen felt that something on the ship was attracting his attention, so he asked.

"Ghost ship, it is said that there is a ship sailing on land in the Huangquan Desert, carrying the souls of the undead who unfortunately died in the desert to the underworld." Zhang Yuan swallowed, "It is said that anyone who can see the ghost ship may encounter misfortune."

When he said the last sentence, Zhang Yuan's face looked a little gloomy.

The other three people all had ashen faces. They did not expect to encounter such an ominous thing during this sacrifice.

Wu Gen silently looked at the ghost ship going away, and inexplicably, a burst of sadness suddenly surged in his heart.

Under the setting sun, the dilapidated hull of the boat plowed through the sand and gravel, chasing the sunset all the way to the west. In the wind, there was a faint and ethereal song.

"Let's go." Zhang Yuan said in a deep voice.

A few people made up their mind and walked down the sand dune to continue moving forward. The atmosphere was much duller than before.

After walking for a few more days, I didn't encounter anything strange, except that the original yellow sand turned darker.

In the early morning, a few people had finished eating and were preparing to move forward. Suddenly, Zhang Yuan exclaimed, "Here we are, we finally arrived at the abandoned city."

On the distant horizon, there is a winding low hill, stretching across the desert like a long snake. The sun is full of sunlight, and the low hill is coated with a touch of bright red.

A few people pursed their chapped lips and headed towards the low hill.

Walking closer, Wu Gen found that the low hill was very regular, with bulges at regular intervals. When he dug up the sand with his hands, he revealed a broken stone city wall.

This endless stone wall is actually built artificially. It has been invaded by wind and sand all year round and is hidden under the sand dunes. The protrusions are the beacons where soldiers are stationed.

Looking at the endless city wall, Wu Gen was horrified and speechless. How many people and lives would have to be used to build such a magnificent wall.

Zhang Yuan looked solemn and led everyone to salute from a distance. No matter who built these walls, as a soldier, the senior guarded the desolate pass and split the desert. Such actions are worthy of the respect of future generations.

After walking along the city wall for half an hour, passing beacons one after another, a black spot appeared in the distance, which looked very eye-catching in the uniform desert.

Zhang Yuan looked happy, "That's Guancheng, and the sacrificial hall is in it."

After walking for so many days, they finally arrived at their destination, and the five of them couldn't help but feel a little excited.

When he got closer, Wu Gen discovered that this was a pass close to the city wall. Although most of it had been covered by yellow sand, the majesty of the original place could still be seen. According to regulations, this pass

The city can accommodate at least ten thousand people.

Walking into the deserted Guancheng City and stepping on the uneven sand dunes, Wu Gen felt a little heavy in his heart.

Under the sand dunes, there should be the barracks where the troops were originally stationed. The huge Guancheng was finally unable to withstand the changes of the years and turned into a pile of ruins.

A tall building stands in the middle of Guancheng, with a majestic pavilion and flying eaves. Although half of it has been covered by yellow sand, the original momentum can still be seen.

This high hall was obviously built later, otherwise it would have been submerged by sand and dust.

When they arrived at this place, Zhang Yuan asked Wu Gen to unload the sacrificial objects from the cart. There were three animals, a giant candle, an incense stick, and a large bundle of white grass.

According to military laws, servants could not enter. Wu Gen had to stay outside, while Zhang Yuan and others entered with sacrificial objects.

Wu Gen did not know the specific sacrificial process and was not allowed to participate, so he just hid in the car and was lazy. Ever since he saw the ghost ship, he had been looking bleak and taciturn.

After waiting in the car for a long time, still no four people came out, so Wu Gen had to prepare dinner first.

At night, the fierce wind howled in Guancheng. The wind blew through the sand and rocks, like a woman wailing and wailing. Wu Gen hid in the car and took a nap. In a daze, he vaguely saw a woman's face shaking in front of his eyes.

Huoran stood up, and Wu Gen was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. This ghost place was so evil that even if he had stayed in Barren Tomb Ridge, he would feel a little scared.

Seeing that the four of them still hadn't come out, Wu Gen simply sat up and waited in the car all night.

The sky was getting brighter, but there was still no movement among the four of them. Wu Gen could no longer bear it, got up and walked to the Xiangtang.

There was a strong wind in the desert, and the sand had already poured into the Xiangtang. It was dark inside, and there were waves of coldness.

Sliding down the gentle slope of the sand dune, Wu Gen reached the high hall.

It was quite spacious inside, dozens of feet long, and there were murals on the walls. With the sunlight coming in, Wu Gen looked at the contents of the murals.

On the murals, there are all mighty generals, leading thousands of soldiers, rushing towards the surging black mist.

In the black mist, all kinds of ferocious ghosts and monsters are swarming out. Some are of unknown height, and the mountains beside them are as straight as a mound. Some are like water, rushing forward like a rolling river.
To be continued...