WOOY Chapter 7

After receiving the call, Chang Dong hurried downstairs.

From a few meters away, he saw Fatty Tang with his hands over his head, squatting by the half-open car door like a convict, his luggage bag at his feet. Ye Liuxi leaned against the car, looking very impatient.

When Fatty Tang saw Chang Dong, he shouted hoarsely, “Dong Ge, tell her I’m with you! You’re the one who told me to search her car! Tell her!”

As he wailed, he kept winking desperately at Chang Dong.

A few days ago, Chang Dong had used Fatty Tang’s connections to check the surveillance videos, and now he had to repay the favor sooner than expected.

Chang Dong stopped about ten feet away from Ye Liuxi and nodded, “Yes, he’s with me.”

Ye Liuxi raised her chin slightly, with a deliberately surprised smile, “I thought you were an honest man. Turns out you can do shady things too… So, what did you find?”

The last question was directed at Fatty Tang, and it was accompanied by a kick. Fei Tang¹= Fatty Tang. I will use both names so it doesnt get repetitive fell to the ground, but didn’t dare to scream in pain. He crawled away on his hands and knees, but continued squatting.

Chang Dong apologized to Ye Liuxi, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just wanted to find out who you really were. I went too far, and I promise it won’t happen again.”

His straightforward admission left Ye Liuxi with no room to press further. After a moment, she smiled.

“It’s fine, we’re still getting to know each other. Working together always starts with some friction. I’m not one to hold grudges, but, Chang Dong…”

She added meaningfully, emphasizing each word, “Don’t let there be a second time. I don’t have much respect for the law.”

 

——

Fatty Tang followed behind Chang Dong, initially too scared to speak. Once he felt Ye Liuxi couldn’t hear them anymore, he started cursing under his breath, spouting all sorts of obscene and profane words.

After entering the room, his eyes darted around, taking in everything. “Dong Ge, I just arrived. Your place is big. How about lending me the sofa to sleep on, so I don’t have to find another place?”

Chang Dong replied, “You’ve just arrived, you haven’t even looked for a hotel, but went straight to rummaging through someone’s car. You’ve got your priorities straight, huh.”

His tone was unfriendly, causing Fatty Tang to feel a chill. He had heard about Chang Dong’s reputation; the term “Desert Fang” was definitely not used to describe someone kind and gentle.

His mind was racing, trying to figure out how to explain everything properly.

“Actually, it’s like this, Dong Ge. I won’t hide it from you. That Ye Liuxi, didn’t she stay in Xi’an for a while? Her ways aren’t clean; she swiped my friend’s stuff, valuable stuff.”

Fatty Tang’s friends dealt in antiques and collectibles, so when he said it was valuable, it must be worth a lot…

“My friend, his stuff wasn’t exactly legal, so he couldn’t report it to the police. He offered a reward, saying whoever helps him get it back won’t get less than 100,000 yuan. Honestly, I should thank you—if you hadn’t gone to Qi Liuhai to check the surveillance, I wouldn’t have found out it was related to her.”

“Dong Ge, you know my business hasn’t been good these past two years. I opened a shop and ended up in debt… Don’t stand in the way of a brother making some money, okay?”

Ye Liuxi swiped the goods, the owner offered a reward, and Fei Tang wanted the money. This really had nothing to do with him, so Chang Dong nodded, “Fine.”

Fatty Tang was delighted but knew there was more to come—

“But in the coming days, I need her help. I don’t want any additional trouble. Whether you’re looking for the goods or settling the score with her, delay it, don’t interfere with my plans.”

Fatty Tang quickly nodded, pausing cautiously, “Dong Ge, I know you got the car out. Are you planning to head to the Gobi Desert? Is Ye Liuxi… coming too?”

Chang Dong affirmed with a hum.

 

Fatty Tang’s heart pounded, “Can you take me along? I can’t rest easy without keeping an eye on her…”

Chang Dong responded, “That’s not the only reason, is it?”

He opened the toolbox, took out a chisel, and began sharpening it on a whetstone²photo 1. Over the past two years, he had developed a habit of sharpening tools in the evening; it helped him relax.

Fatty Tang was caught off guard by the question, but since he had been seen through, he no longer felt the need to hide, “Going on a trip like this, nobody wants to return empty-handed, right, Dong Ge?”

Whether there’s treasure to be found in Ye Liuxi’s car remains uncertain, but with a heart set on riches, one must be prepared for anything.

Chang Dong’s route overlapped significantly with the ancient Silk Road, passing through either deserted areas or deserts. Not to mention those buried ancient city ruins—over the past thousand years, many merchant caravans were buried in the desert due to sandstorms, along with valuable goods. Any piece found today would be worth a fortune; if he could find one or two…

This wasn’t just daydreaming. Every year, teams go into the desert hoping for luck. Although Loulan Ancient City now has a cultural preservation station and the Xiaohe Cemetery is also protected, it doesn’t mean he couldn’t have some luck and stumble upon a Loulan Ancient City No. 2 or a deluxe version of Xiaohe Cemetery, does it?

 

Dreams are necessary—what if they come true?

“I don’t take on freeloaders or people who don’t contribute. If you want me to take you along… what can you offer me?”

Fatty Tang replied without hesitation, “Brother Dong, just name it. I know the rules—either pay or work, I won’t just tag along for free.”

Chang Dong nodded, testing the edge of the freshly sharpened blade with his thumb, “What did you find in her car?”

Needing his help, Fei Tang responded eagerly, “All sorts of things. A stove, pots, bowls, even melons. The woman sleeps in the car. The bed is a folding board that can be put down. There’s a pair of boxing gloves under the bed. Oh, and a leather mask…”

Chang Dong paused his movements, “A leather mask?”

“Yes, just a piece of soft leather, folded in the glove box. I thought it was something else. When I shook it open, I saw it had two eye holes and a mouth cut out. It startled me…”

 

……

 

In the early hours of the morning, around two or three a.m., Chang Dong got up to use the bathroom. After washing his hands, instead of returning to his room, he inexplicably found himself at the curtains, lifting them slightly.

The parking lot outside revealed that Ye Liuxi’s parking space was already empty.

Chang Dong pondered as he let the curtain fall back into place.

In the desert, there is a plant called red willow³photo 2 , used for stabilizing sand. After blocking the sand, it looks like a mound, not very tall, only about a meter square. However, few people know that its roots are thick and dense, extending over 30 meters underground.

Ye Liuxi gave him the feeling of a red willow. As long as it didn’t concern him, he didn’t want to delve into her background, because he didn’t know what immense secrets might surface.

Perhaps he should remind Fatty Tang that some people are better left alone, even if you cross paths with them.

——

The next evening, Chang Dong retrieved the car and intentionally took a detour to the dirt road entrance, intending to let Ye Liuxi know that he was ready to depart.

His version of “ready” meant he had made a list detailing what to bring and whom to contact for support—since the town was too small to even buy a satellite phone, he planned to purchase everything on the way. As for the heaviest consumables like food and drink, he would load them at the supply point closest to the Gobi Desert.

To his surprise, Ye Liuxi wasn’t there. Her spot was occupied by an elderly couple. When Chang Dong inquired, the old man replied, “She went to work somewhere else today.”

What work was she doing this time?

Chang Dong called Ye Liuxi, and she answered quickly. It was very noisy on her end, and she sounded busy. She replied, “I’m on Desheng Street. If you need something, come over. If not, let’s talk later,” and then hung up.

Chang Dong took out the newly purchased city map and found Desheng Street in the “Recommended Places” section. Surprisingly, it was a four-star rated spot, described as “Naji’s most popular food and cultural street” and “a must-visit.”

 

The wording was almost identical to the version for Hui Min Street, probably because the editor switched jobs and came here.

Chang Dong decided to go there for a meal.

When he arrived, he found it was just a bustling snack street. It was dinner time, and many tables were set up outdoors. The most popular businesses were barbecue and small hot pots, with vendors pushing large barrels of apricot juice through the crowd.

As for Ye Liuxi, she was very conspicuous—she was grilling skewers.

The barbecue grill was blazing, and those skewers—newly placed, needing to be turned, oiled, or seasoned—she handled them all without any confusion.

Chang Dong sat at an empty small table and ordered some barbecue and a bottle of beer. When his order was delivered, Ye Liuxi glanced over, and Chang Dong nodded at her as a greeting.

He admired her a bit; every time he saw her, she had a new job, each one vastly different from the last. He could believe that she was a master of all trades.

As the meal was almost finished, Ye Liuxi finally had a moment of free time. Chewing on a grilled flatbread, she approached him, “Looking for me?”

Chang Dong stated matter-of-factly, “The guy you saw yesterday is Fatty Tang. He’ll be joining us on the route—I asked him to rent a four-wheel-drive off-road vehicle. This way, we’ll have an extra vehicle for supplies, making it more secure.”

Ye Liuxi replied, “Alright.”

She casually picked up the chili powder shaker to add some spice to her flatbread as she spoke.

 

“We’ll enter from Dunhuang. If the journey goes smoothly, we should be out in four days. I’ll arrange the support team before we enter the Gobi Desert. We’ll check in with them at designated times each day, reporting our GPS location. If we lose contact for 48 hours, they’ll start a rescue mission.”

Ye Liuxi responded, “Sounds good.”

“One more thing, Dragon City is larger than half of Shanghai. It looks pretty much the same in all directions. It’s easy to lose your sense of direction inside. Why are you so confident you can accurately find Kong Yang’s location?”

Ye Liuxi gave him a sideways glance, “Doubting me?”

 

Chang Dong took out the list of items he had prepared and drew a map on the back, “It’s not that I doubt you, but at least give me a general direction. This way, I can plan the route in advance and avoid unnecessary detours.”

He showed the map he had drawn to Ye Liuxi.

“The general shape of Dragon City is a slanted triangle. Many people have been there, but they all follow the paths of their predecessors, getting in and out quickly. The main route runs diagonally from the southeast to the northwest…”

He drew a curved line through the center of the map.

“And this route—every year, many teams drive through it. If Kong Yang’s body was nearby, it would have been found by now, so you must have went deep into Dragon City’s interior.”

“Along this route, there are three reference points. Here is a Han Dynasty beacon tower, now just a dirt mound; here are two large gasoline barrels filled with sand, marked with a direction indicator in red paint, set up as a marker by a 1970s archaeological team; here is a hundred-meter trench, filled with camel skeletons—where did you deviate from the safe route?”

Ye Liuxi looked at it for a while and indicated the area between the beacon tower and the gasoline barrel marker: “Here.”

Chang Dong frowned, “This area has a lot of salt crust, the road is tough.”

Ye Liuxi shrugged, “That’s why those who have gone into Dragon City haven’t found your Kong Yang. If the road was easy, it would have been discovered already.”

Chang Dong put away the list and placed the payment under the seasoning canister, “Tomorrow morning, 4:30 a.m., outside Naji Town, we meet at the Qianjin Bridge.”

The Qianjin Bridge is more than ten miles west of the town. The riverbed has long dried up, leaving only the bridge.

Ye Liuxi, surprised, asked, “Why meet at the bridge? Can’t we meet in town and go together?”

“No.”

“Isn’t 4:30 a.m. too early? Do we really need to hurry that much?”

 

“It’s necessary.”

Ye Liuxi found it amusing, “Can’t you explain why?”

“I’ll tell you when we meet tomorrow.”

 

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  = Fatty Tang. I will use both names so it doesnt get repetitive
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