After three days and three nights of trekking, we finally arrived at Yumen Pass.
I have heard before that Yumen Pass was the most powerful pass in the Han Dynasty. During its heyday, thousands of famous soldiers guarded the border here to defend our Chinese people against foreign invasions!
Since all the forces in the Western Regions at that time had to pay tribute to our great Han Dynasty, the most important tribute they paid was Hetian jade. Some of the jade stones were even inlaid on the city gate, so it was named: Yumen Pass!
It's a pity that today, most of the majestic Yumen Pass has been destroyed, and China is also in a state of turmoil.
Only a broken wall is left, telling us in a low voice its former pride...
Seeing that Yumenguan was so deserted, I felt a little nervous: "Are there really people living here?"
Diaoye just replied: "Just follow me."
After saying that, he jerked the reins in his hands and got to the front of the team.
Under the leadership of Mr. Diao, we found a circle of circular earthen houses in Yumen Pass. Many houses surrounded a shaft. It looked strange from a distance, but it could indeed withstand most of the wind and sand.
I asked Mr. Diao: "Does the Desert Boat live here?"
Mr. Diao nodded.
When we got off our horses, we immediately discovered that there were many camels kept in these round houses. Yin Ling'er said excitedly: "Oh my God, these camels are actually alive. I finally saw a live camel."
At this time, an old man with a thick northwest accent walked out of the house: "Hey, what are you talking about? Is the camel raised at home still dead?"
This old man is very old and has a white beard on his chin.
Wearing a colorful Xinjiang hat on her head, there is a big golden earring hanging on the left ear.
And he is the one who is called the "Ship of the Desert" in Diao Ye's mouth: Ayim Khan.
Ayimhan and Diaoye seemed to be very familiar with each other. Even though Diaoye was wearing a big-headed doll mask, he was still recognized.
"Today the clouds were lined up and the desert birds were calling back and forth. I knew it was Allah telling me that a distinguished guest was coming to chat." Ayim Khan opened his mouth.
Diao Ye didn't talk nonsense to him. He immediately pulled him aside and whispered instructions while pointing his finger outside the pass.
Gradually, I clearly noticed that the smile on Ayimhan's face disappeared, replaced by a deep fear!
He waved his hands repeatedly and said: "No, no, I can never take you to that place, you will die, everyone will die!"
Diaoye changed his tone of warning this time, but Ayimhan still refused to compromise: "Even if you kill me, I will never step into the Desert of the Dead."
After that, he picked up the hammer and continued to nail the wooden boards in the yard.
"Please go back, you are no longer welcome here!"
That look was obviously angry, which made me very curious, why is Ayimhan unwilling to come out of seclusion?
Why is he so secretive about the place called the ‘Desert of the Dead’? I would rather offend Mr. Diao who roams across Mobei.
Lao Jiang seemed to know some details. He told me in a low voice: "The so-called 'Desert of the Dead' is actually a branch of the Alxa Desert. It originally had no name, but as more people died, it was gradually adopted by the locals. It’s called the ‘Desert of the Dead’. Legend has it that there are countless souls of the dead floating in this desert, and there are sobbing ghost cries every night. Anyone who sets foot in the Desert of the Dead will not end well!”
Dawu and Xiaowu beside Xiang Wanli said disdainfully: "Do you Qilin believe this kind of nonsense to deceive children? The cries of ghosts in the desert are just a natural phenomenon caused by the sound of sand."
Lao Jiang couldn't help but sneer: "Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. If they see a tiger, they will urinate in a pot."
Diao Ye was still trying to persuade Ayimu Khan, but to no avail.
He put down the hammer and said: "The 'Desert of the Dead' is a forbidden land in the hearts of the herdsmen. I will not take my camel team to die, no matter how much money I pay."
After speaking, he pointed to an earthen house on the left, his eyes full of sorrow: "Did you see that house? That's where my son lives. It has been empty for many years."
I suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise: "Is it because of the Desert of the Dead?"
Ayimhan took a deep breath: "That's right! Many, many years ago, my son was bewitched by foreign devils and served as their guide into the Desert of the Dead..."
As he spoke, he pointed to a white camel in the camel pen: "Did you see it? This is the descendant of the camel that my son rode. It has grown so big now, and my son hasn't come back yet."
Hearing his words, all of us had mixed emotions. We also knew that we were not qualified at all to force an old man who was nearly 70 years old to follow us on an adventure.
Lao Jiang discussed with Diao Ye and asked Ayim Khan to sell us a team of camels, and forget about the guide.
Ayim Khan was so proud of Diao Ye that he agreed happily and said that he would lend us the camel without paying a penny.
"How can this be done?" We all expressed our refusal.
However, at this moment, a wailing baby suddenly came from the earthen house. The sound became louder and louder. It hurt our eardrums and gave us a creepy feeling.
This was accompanied by the old lady slapping the child and coaxing him.
I looked at Ayimhan in surprise: "Is this your grandson?"
Ayim Khan blushed: "This is my newborn son, God bless you."
All the young people present looked at Ayimhan in shock, mixed with a trace of inexplicable envy.
Lao Jiang whispered in my ear: "This man can still carry a gun and go into battle at the age of seventy. He must be strong..."
I didn't answer, but continued to listen to the crying in the room, and I felt that the crying was getting weirder and weirder. It's not the kind of intermittent crying that takes a break, but continuous crying, which can even be said to be heartbreaking...
No, this is not normal!
I was keenly aware of something, grabbed Ayimhan's hand, and asked him what was going on.
Ayimu Khan was startled at first, and then let out a heavy sigh: "Ba Langzi is quite capable. My baby cries more than others when he is born. He makes miserable wails at night. Originally, it only lasted for an hour at most. , and then the crying time became longer and longer, and I would cry like this again and again during the day and into the afternoon.”
"I've searched all the doctors here but they can't give a prescription. They just said that it will be better when he grows up. But if he keeps crying like this, whether he can grow up is another matter."
"Later, a monk who traveled here told me that the so-called Night Crying Man, Ye Crying Man, cries until the light of day. He cries during the day and into the night, and the spirits of the dead wander by. My doll is cursed, and he can see The soul of the undead passing by Yumenguan will follow the soul. As he cries more and more time, from night to morning, from day to night, the soul will be gone, and he will never come back. …”
Ayimhan wiped away his old tears and said: "I make a living as a guide. I took countless groups of people into the desert and Qilian Mountains decades ago, and I unknowingly broke countless rules set by God. Maybe this is God’s punishment for me? My previous son went into the Desert of the Dead and never came back, and this son can’t be saved either.”
After that, Ayimhan picked up the hammer again and continued to pound nails. Only then did I realize that he was building a small coffin!
Apparently it was for that doll.
I turned my gaze to Lao Jiang, and Lao Jiang was also looking at me. The tacit understanding between master and disciple may often only require a look.
I immediately walked over and asked Ayimhan if he could let me and Lao Jiang see the baby with our own eyes. Because our masters and disciples are all proficient in some medical skills.
"You just invited doctors from the northwest. What if the doctors from the Central Plains can save me?"
Ayimhan was obviously hesitant. Unexpectedly, the old lady in the room opened the door and handed the doll to us: "If you don't let our family die, you will be a benefactor like heaven."
Lao Jiang and I looked at each other and immediately started to check the child's eyelids, tongue coating and other places, but found nothing abnormal. However, the little face was very pointed and looked malnourished.
Also, his heartbeat was very fast, almost several times that of an ordinary child, and his belly was bulging.
I pressed it with my hand, and the child immediately let out a more painful cry, which broke the hearts of Ayimhan and his wife!
But this also gave me new enlightenment. The child’s belly was bulging and full, as if there was a pile of food that had not been digested for a long time.
I looked at the old lady who was wiping away tears: "Can the child eat and drink normally?
The old lady had a very confused expression on her face: "The baby is too old to eat anything and can only drink milk. It's strange that he drinks half a bucket of camel milk every day, which is better than the two of us. Maybe it's because the child cries too much. You need nutrition.”
At the end, the old lady added something herself.
Lao Jiang couldn't help but shook his head slightly: "Ignorance!"
I immediately planned to take off the child's clothes and inspect it in depth. Ayimhan looked a little angry and did not want me to do this. Lao Jiang explained for me: "The doll is 100%25 not cursed. This is your only hope."
The old lady quickly pulled Ayim Khan aside. Even though Ayim Khan was extremely tough when facing us, he was really a coward in front of his wife.
I untied the child's clothes and found that there was nothing wrong with his front face, except that he was a little thinner than ordinary children, with ribs exposed. It seemed that nutrition was only supplemented in the belly.
But when I saw his back, I suddenly found a green crawling mark!
The traces were speckled, as if many thin feet had stepped on them at the same time, which looked particularly scary!
