Chapter 1

Ye Liuxi sighed: "One cannot say it like that; in a place like the desert, no one would have expected it..."

Dingzhou tore open the package seal

Lamb, once it cools, always has a gamey taste that no amount of seasoning can mask. It is not like the lamb from Jiayuguan, which drinks the snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains and feeds on the herbs of the Gobi Desert. Its skin is crispy and the meat tender, and when paired with beer, there is not a hint of any gamey odor.

Xiao He previously partnered with Ding Zhou, who performed shadow puppetry. Xiao He handled publicity, reception, and materials all at once. Relying on the fact that it was a tourist attraction with a large flow of visitors, while it cannot be said to be highly profitable, it was sufficient for making a living.

Tourists gradually emerged from the street entrance, passing by the front of the car in small groups. Ye Liu Xi casually observed the various men and women, and finally raised an eyebrow, fixating once again on the scorpion at the corner of his eye in the rearview mirror

Xiao He also advised him: "Dong Ge, this glue on your face, over time, will really cause wrinkles. Nowadays, men also need to take care of their skin. What you are doing is not good for your skin, and it can easily lead to acne..."

In order to promote the shadow puppet business, Xiao He’s contact number has been prominently displayed on countless travel websites for many years, and it is also clearly printed on the tickets, making it a common occurrence to receive inquiry calls from tourists

She opened the door

Indeed

More than a year ago, Ding Zhou passed away due to illness. The sign indicating the theater was on "break" was hung for several days. To avoid affecting business, it was not publicly announced. After the matter was settled, Xiao He was contemplating how to broach the subject with Chang Dong, but unexpectedly, Chang Dong took the initiative to suggest that he could temporarily help out.

As it is now, with makeup in disarray and looking ghostly, it makes one feel uneasy at heart

The noise outside grew louder, mixed with Xiao He's apologetic voice. Ding Zhou sat there in a daze, suddenly reaching out to tug at his hair, pulling off his wig and tearing the layer of wrinkled vulcanized latex on his face.

Later, there was no more to say, as it would be of no use anyway. Another reason is that Chang Dong appears more normal when he pretends to be older; he can chat and smile. However, once he removes his makeup, his expression becomes so wooden that it is unsettling.

Ye Liuxi whispered, "I never expected..."

Recently, Xiao He took his prospective girlfriend and future father-in-law to the Mogao Caves for a trip. After visiting the caves, they explored the Yadan landforms, and after that, they visited the Han Great Wall, posting updates on social media one after another.

The ticket seller, Xiao He, was busy calming the impatient audience. Upon seeing Ding Zhou return, he hurriedly approached him. Before he could utter a word of encouragement, Ding Zhou spoke first, saying: "Refund the ticket"

Ye Liuxi

Xiao He observed that all the Yadan formations were the same: "Is this Devil City? This mound resembles a ship; could it be the Western Sea Fleet?"

After he called out "Hey" twice, he puzzledly handed the phone to Changdong, saying, "Brother Dong, it says... let you answer."

Ye Liuxi's voice carried a tone of sarcasm: "You didn't catch up, did you? Have you become so addicted to playing the old man that your legs are no longer nimble?"

The Western Sea Fleet is a famous attraction in the Yadan Devil City, where the wind-eroded formations are arranged like an army ready for deployment

Ye Liuxi hung up the phone

As time went by, Chang Dong's disguise techniques became increasingly lifelike, akin to the manipulation of shadow puppets, with a voice that was deliberately aged and deep.

I will show you a photo

Ding Zhou rushed out

Dingzhou Accident: "What is this?"

Ye Liuxi smiled as she moved quickly, stepping off the stage ahead of others. She opened her canvas bag and took out a sealed express envelope, handing it to Ding Zhou

Having finished writing, I tossed the notebook aside and leisurely took out the lamb skewers from the packaging bag, chewing on them at a relaxed pace

Ding Zhou also advised Chang Dong: "It would be good for you to find something to distract yourself, so you don't think about those unpleasant matters every day"

However, it must be said that the act of aging is primarily for business purposes. Once he adopts this appearance, he tends to keep it on without removing it, even dining and sleeping in makeup, reapplying it when it wears off

She stepped back

Ye Liuxi let out a sound of "huh" from her throat, tossed aside her eyeliner pencil, rummaged through her canvas bag to find a small notebook and a pen, flipped to the latest page, bit off the cap of the signature pen, and wrote in the notebook: The scorpion is drawn quite well

Refunds, ticket returns, and scoldings; Xiao He finally bowed and sent off the last customer

Ye Liu Xi laughed heartily

She stepped forward, brushed her fingers along the edge of the incense burner, and lifted it to take a look

She murmured, "What a puzzling woman."

Then hurriedly slipped into the backstage, calling out: "Dong Ge ... ..."

Xiao He is busy making money to marry a wife, too lazy to browse the internet, and indifferent to the news. He has never heard of anything called "Black Camellia" and finds Chang Dong quite strange: in the prime of life, a talented individual, not engaged in any productive work, spending the whole day in a lethargic state, not speaking a word for several days, and not stepping outside, resembling a real-life vampire afraid of the sun

Chang Dong took the call, and a woman's light laughter came from the other end

For a brief moment, the sounds within this room suddenly faded away, yet I could hear the distant echoes of: sandstorms raging, glaciers cracking, and the rumble of falling rocks

Ding Zhou's expression was indifferent: "People trusted him to be their guide, yet he relied on his experience and acted unilaterally. The consequences are so severe that I also think he deserves to die. I have seen the news; among the deceased, some had just become fathers. No matter how many times he dies, he cannot atone for his sins"

Xiao He felt a different kind of comfort in his heart, believing that Dingzhou had successors: Performing shadow puppetry does not require any formal training; currently, there are few professional audiences, many just come to watch the spectacle, and almost none appreciate the intricacies—Changdong can learn a few tricks and just muddle through the performance.

Chang Dong turned over the plaster face mold, purchased special effects makeup vulcanized latex, wigs, and fake beards for adhesion, transformed into an old man, donned the old clothes left by Ding Zhou, and even walked with a limp that was indistinguishable from Ding Zhou's

The noise is like the waves; as the night deepens, the waves grow higher

Dingzhou inexplicably: "Why should I chase after you?"

Chang Dong fell silent for a moment: "You mentioned wanting to find a guide, and now I have agreed."

Dingzhou is a bit impatient: Is this layer upon layer just a game with him?

I haven't been out of the house for so long that I've forgotten how crowded this street is. As soon as I stepped out of the alley, I nearly bumped into a tourist, stumbling and almost tripping. The stalls and shops were everywhere, even the center of the street was occupied, with shouts rising and falling, and camera flashes flickering in succession.

Upon closer inspection, it is a large envelope made of kraft paper

She actually did not go far, just nestled in a white minivan parked at the end of the street, with her passenger seat casually piled with food she had packed from the Hui Muslim Street: mung bean cake, pomegranate juice, yogurt, and about ten skewers of lamb wrapped in a plastic bag

Ding Zhou led her out, saying: "Miss Ye, you can only seek help from others. However, I would like to remind you that if you can avoid it, please do so. The desert is so dangerous; it is only the desert that bites, and there is no one who bites it. What is this 'desert monster'? Such a nickname sounds ridiculous."

Chang Dong asked: "Where do you think this is?"

Two years ago, Chang Dong, the nephew from Dingzhou, suddenly came to seek refuge.

No response

The photograph features a Yadan wind-eroded clay mound, captured in a medium-close view, resembling the bow of a ship. Atop it is a young woman, seemingly emerging from the clay, with a delicate appearance and a pale complexion. Her hands are clasped over her chest, akin to a mural or sculpture embedded in the ship's body. Her eyes are wide open and unfocused, while her long hair billows in the wind

Xiao He asked cautiously, "Dong Ge, what happened?"

Ye Liuxi said: "There are some things inside, take your time to look, be careful when unpacking, don't tear it. I will leave now, and once I exit the alley, I will head north. If you want to catch up with me, you need to run a bit faster"

Fortunately, something happened in the white envelope

It becomes somewhat unsettling after looking at it for a long time

After much effort to steady myself, I found myself surrounded by people, with faces and silhouettes bizarrely illuminated by the cutting lights all around.

In the corner of the offering table, a spider weaving its web was startled by the sound of voices, its slender legs moving swiftly, causing the silvery web to sway back and forth

Chang Dong, you have been useless for two years. Who knows if your tusk is still functional? Here’s the deal: I will give you one week. If you can find me, it will prove that you have some brains, and we can team up to do something. If you can’t find me, then you can continue living your life with your shadow puppets.

Xiao He took it over, glanced at it briefly, and said: "Oh, is this a PS or a still from a horror movie? It looks just like real."

Ye Liuxi slung the bag over his shoulder and gestured towards the envelope, saying, "That depends on you; if you want to pursue it, then pursue it; if not, then forget it."

What is going on?

The newly ticketed audience, growing impatient, saw the door open and rushed in with a clamor. Ye Liuxi moved against the flow of people and quickly disappeared from sight

Ye Liuxi felt a stir in his heart and tried to rely solely on his sense of touch to draw

Who exactly are you? What is going on with the photo?

No one has ever called him to reach Changdong, this is the first time for such a situation

The texture feels like a photograph, and he pulled it out

Chang Dong remained silent for a long time before speaking: "You went to Dunhuang for a trip not long ago, didn't you?"

While speaking, he turned the envelope around: it was not stamped, nor was there a label attached; it was merely used to hold something.

A hole was torn open, and a hand was reached in to rummage, pulling out a medium-sized white envelope.

What exactly is it? It feels weightless when lifted, and it is flat to the touch; it should be a piece of paper.

A layer of dust on the fingertip

Ye Liuxi snapped his fingers and brought them to his lips to blow on them: "You don't seem to mourn this nephew much."

Xiao He was overjoyed, but immediately after, he was bewildered by the outfit that Chang Dong wore when he came on stage

Hooking, prodding, smearing, turning, and collecting, in an instant, a small scorpion appeared at the tip of the line, its tail slanting upward, resembling the lingering grace of a phoenix in flight. Its two pincers were poised in a grasping position, one above and one below, as if ready to pluck her eyeball out at any moment

Do not rush to eat, lower the rearview mirror in the car, take apart the newly purchased generic liquid eyeliner, and start drawing eyeliner in front of the mirror

He pushed the door open and entered the room, facing the astonished gazes all around. He walked stiffly across the stage, made his way to the backstage, and entered his cramped bedroom, where he plopped down onto the bed.

Xiao He was not born with much curiosity, and gradually accepted that everyone has their quirks. Chang Dong was originally eccentric, so let him be. Moreover, seasoned craftsmen always appear more stable than young faces, which is convenient for promotion and beneficial for business

Where is Longcheng? Just as Xiao He was about to ask, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number

At the beginning, the technique was clumsy, and upon closer inspection, there were indeed flaws. However, he did not engage with the audience, merely hiding behind the curtain to manipulate the puppets. When the performance ended, no one paid attention to what the old man behind the curtain looked like. There were even audience members commenting, "This old gentleman is truly impressive, managing three shadow puppets by himself."

The human voice twisted like a snake, drilling into the eardrum. Some complained, saying, "Is this old man crazy?" Others urged, "Stay away from him, don't let him fall and cling to us.

Then Chang Dong began to play with shadow puppetry, learning to manipulate the puppets from Ding Zhou. He made the shadow puppets run, stand, sit, hold, roll, perform the somersault, and execute the backhand strike. Sometimes he also carved the leather himself, using a chisel to engrave star eyes, plum blossoms, and the ten-thousand-character pattern. The alcohol lamp heated the glue to melt it, allowing him to dye and apply colors while it was still hot

The hand is steady, not trembling. When it reaches the tip of the eye, it should have been a simple flick to finish the task, but the hand habitually slides outward.

Chang Dong murmured: "The Yadan landforms in the country are not limited to just the Devil's City. This one resembles the Dragon City more."

Dingzhou stood amidst the bustling crowd and shouted: "Ye Liuxi!"

The next sentence was swallowed back: Chang Dong sat there, his gray wig thrown aside, with some rubber on his face torn off and some still hanging, the fake beard in disarray, making him look bizarre and hideous, like a zombie with sagging skin.

However, there are also concerns. Ding Zhou is getting older and his health is poor, like the yellow, brittle leaves hanging on the branches in autumn, which could turn to yellow mud at any moment, further protecting the flowers.

Do you think I will answer you on the phone