WOOY Chapter 19

The tent was filled with the sound of cursing. These people had long relied on the generator and electric lights and didn’t have any practical emergency equipment. Chang Dong didn’t think much of them and didn’t intend to share his camp lights.

Beams from a few flashlights darted around the large tent, and someone was banging on the generator’s metal casing. After a while, Hui Ba cursed,
“Useless! We’ll deal with it at dawn.”

Then he came over with a flashlight, “There’s still a long time till dawn. Are you continuing your journey tonight? If you don’t mind, rest here for a while.”

Due to the time zone difference, it dawned later here compared to Beijing time. Traveling at night in the desert was already dangerous, not to mention the fierce sandstorm outside.

Chang Dong got up and brought the ground mat and sleeping bags from the car. The tent was set up as a large communal sleeping area, with dozens of people lying wherever they found space. Despite the lack of formality, the distinction between men and women remained. He placed the ground mat in the corner, letting Ye Liuxi sleep against the side of the tent, while he slept beside her at a distance, serving as a barrier. Fei Tang was next to him.

After lying down, the noise gradually subsided. The communal sleeping area always had a bit of late-night chatter before sleep.

Fatty Tang, like a worm, wriggled his way towards Chang Dong with his sleeping bag. Suddenly finding himself in a nest of bandits, he felt deeply insecure.

Chang Dong turned his head, feeling Fei Tang’s breath almost on his face. Annoyed, he scolded, “Move over a bit.”

Fei Tang didn’t move at first, but after a while, he cautiously whispered, “Dong ge, do you think Sister Yexi has a significant background?”

“Hard to say, but I told you not to mess with her.”

Fei Tang said, “I think so too.”

For someone like Hui Ba, who had men, cars, and weapons, to treat her so politely made Fei Tang quickly abandon his idea that she was on the run with a stolen amulet. Moreover, it was clear Ye Liuxi already had a bad impression of him, otherwise, she wouldn’t have suggested ditching him during the robbery.

Initially thinking the no-man’s land simply lacked people, water, and meat, he now realized after a series of incidents that the journey ahead was fraught with uncertainty. The question was whether they could make it out in one piece.

A true hero knows when to bend and compromise.

“Is it too late if I start behaving well now?”

Fei Tang was indeed opportunistic to the point of practicality. Chang Dong said, “It depends on what you’re seeking. If you’re seeking a safe journey, then be honest. She won’t make trouble for you…”

As they were talking, Hui Ba suddenly said, “Oh, I forgot to mention, if you hear anything tonight, just pretend you didn’t.”

Ye Liuxi responded, “How can that be? What if someone steals something and drives off? Should I pretend I didn’t hear that either?”

Hui Ba was about to respond when a hoarse voice from the corner chimed in, “This place is creepy, especially on windy nights.”

Another voice chuckled and added, “It’s haunted.”

This was new. It was the first time they had heard someone talk about ‘haunting’ as casually as saying, “The sun will rise tomorrow.” Chang Dong sat up slightly, “What do you mean?”

They all started talking at once.

“When the wind is strong, you can hear it, wooing like a ghost’s cry.”

“Scared me to death, that sound was right above my head. Everyone, keep your eyes tightly shut, don’t open them, just pretend you can’t hear it. If you open them, it’s all over…”

Chang Dong said, “You live among the Yadan landforms. Isn’t this always the case? Because of the unusual shapes of the earthen mounds, when the wind blows, the airflow encounters resistance and creates strange sounds, similar to playing a flute or an ocarina.”

A moment of silence followed, and Hui Ba said, “Ah, trying to explain it to them…”

He knew his men too well. They were people who couldn’t make a living in the mainland and came here for hard labor, and some local herders. Many of them couldn’t read more than a few words. Scientific explanations were far less effective than ghost stories. Sometimes, even when they stole someone’s food, they would blame it on ghosts.

Someone objected, “I’ve seen ghost lights at night, and a flash of white light. Is that also caused by the wind?”

Chang Dong said, “This place is different from elsewhere. The soil here has high salt content and traces of phosphorus and potassium. Sometimes, with strong winds, these elements react, causing white lights to flash at night. This phenomenon is more common in the Bailongdui area…”

Ye Liuxi thought he was wasting his efforts and whispered, “Why bother arguing? They won’t listen anyway.”

Indeed, those people scoffed and didn’t appreciate his explanation. The hoarse voice spoke again, coldly, “I don’t know about your scientific explanations, but my family has lived here for three generations, and what we say is different.”

Chang Dong smiled, “What’s your explanation?”

“The Yadan landforms were originally a city. The people there did not respect the gods and were punished by heaven. The city turned into ruins, and the people were buried beneath the rubble. Their spirits hold a grudge and cry underground. When the wind blows hard, their cries can be heard… My grandfather said to close the door, keep your eyes shut, pull the blanket over your head, and sleep through it. If you don’t provoke them, they won’t bother you either…”

Chang Dong had heard this explanation before. Some books even mentioned it as a local legend. He didn’t want to argue further. Saying more would likely make these people complain: “Who wants to hear you ramble on? Just keep your eyes shut.”

He curled up in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. The wailing wind of Ghost City was something he had grown accustomed to, almost like a lullaby.

——

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but he was sleeping comfortably, the warmest he’d been in a sleeping bag, when he heard some movement nearby.

Normally, Chang Dong wasn’t this alert, but while on the trail, his nerves were on edge, especially when sleeping in unfamiliar places. There was a string in his body that naturally sensed disturbances.

He struggled to half-open his eyes and saw Ye Liuxi crawling out of her sleeping bag.

Groggily, he asked, “What are you doing?”

Startled, Ye Liuxi reacted and whispered, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

The sounds of snoring surrounded them, with everyone else sleeping soundly, making Chang Dong almost envious.

“Do you really have to go?”

Ye Liuxi thought his question was redundant: “Why else would I get up?”

Chang Dong sighed, rubbed his eyes, and sat up in his sleeping bag.

He couldn’t remember how long ago it was, probably around the early days of liberation, when a scientific expedition entered the desert. One night, a female team member said she needed to use the restroom and never came back. No one saw her alive or found her body.

Some speculated that she might have encountered a quicksand pit, and as she squatted down, she was sucked in.

Because of this, there’s an unwritten rule among those who lead expeditions: if someone needs to go to the restroom at night, they must go in pairs, especially female team members, to ensure no one is left alone.

Ye Liuxi didn’t know about the rule. Seeing him get up, she found it hard to understand: “Why are you getting up?”

“I’ll go with you.”

Ye Liuxi pressed his shoulder: “No way, I’m going to the bathroom, why are you coming along?”

It was a joke. If he went, she wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom.

“I’ll stand at a distance…”

“That’s still not okay. Go back to sleep.”

“Well, I need to use the bathroom too, is that acceptable?”

“No way”, she said, applying force to his shoulder, causing him pain, “I’ll go first…”

She suddenly stopped talking, her eyes fixed on the tent behind Chang Dong, her expression changed.

Chang Dong turned to look.

The other side of the tent was illuminated by a ghostly green light, drifting in clusters, not dispersed by the strong sandstorm.

The tent fabric gradually brightened, like an old movie screen.

Amidst the sounds of heavy or hoarse breathing, Ye Liuxi’s voice was barely a whisper: “What… what is that? Ghost fire?”

Ghost fire was not surprising. It was also known as phosphorescence. Wherever there were human bones, it might appear because bones contained phosphorus. It’s essentially a chemical reaction—something often seen in remote rural areas on dry summer nights.

But the question was, why was it only happening on one side of the tent?

Ye Liuxi suddenly gasped.

Chang Dong saw it too. On the empty tent screen, from bottom to top, appeared the silhouettes of a camel caravan, slanted in a long line, moving towards the top of the tent.

It wasn’t exactly a silhouette.

Chang Dong was too familiar with it. Although the bulky camels were just dark outlines, the riders were shadow puppets.

Judging by the translucency of the leather, it should be small yellow cowhide, repeatedly washed and polished, smooth and flat. The subsequent ironing and finishing must have been well done, as it adhered perfectly to the screen without any gaps or air pockets. It was meticulously detailed and brightly colored, with cowhide glue mixed with mineral and plant pigments, resulting in rich and vibrant colors.

The head, torso, and limbs were sewn together, making it very flexible. The puppet suddenly turned his head—if there were a puppeteer behind, it would be the wrist-flip technique—the eyes seemed to look at Chang Dong, and the eyeball inside the socket rolled.

Then the screen went completely black, all within five seconds.

Chang Dong froze, his mind buzzing.

Was it shadow puppetry? Yes, typical Shaanxi Eastern shadow puppetry, with smaller figures and intricate carving.

Maybe it wasn’t, which made sense, given that there were no faint shadows of the poles on the screen—what kind of shadow puppets could move on their own and even roll their eyes?

After a while, Ye Liuxi’s voice broke the silence: “Did I just imagine it? You saw it too, right?”

Chang Dong lowered his head, his chin brushing against her hair. He didn’t know when she had moved closer, or maybe he had moved closer to her.

Fear can make people instinctively seek company.

He didn’t speak for a while, finally letting out a heavy breath, hearing both her heartbeat and his, growing increasingly erratic. Their delayed reactions made them realize how scared they were after everything had vanished.

He whispered, “I saw it.”

The tent flap was suddenly lifted by the wind, and both of them simultaneously looked toward the door.

To withstand the wind, the tent door was made of heavy materials, often thick felt, with weights sewn into the bottom. However, sometimes the wind was strong enough to lift the corners.

Someone sleeping near the door grumbled impatiently and turned over.

Chang Dong asked, “Do you want to go out and take a look?”

—Close the door, keep your eyes shut, pull the blanket over your head, and sleep through it…

Ye Liuxi said, “… Let’s wait a bit.”

She reached for her knife from the side of her sleeping bag.

Chang Dong knew her foot wasn’t in the best condition to support her, so he half-supported, half-carried her, carefully navigating around the people sprawled on the ground—most of whom were still sleeping soundly. Sometimes, being too alert and perceptive wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

——

They lifted the tent flap and stepped outside.

Perhaps because the Yadan mounds were so dark, the open ground seemed to have a diluted whiteness under the night sky. The wind was not as strong as before. Chang Dong shone his flashlight around the tent, finding no footprints.

Ye Liuxi shivered, feeling uneasy. Looking back at the pitch-black tent, she suddenly felt that it was the safest place.

At least there were more people.

She said to Chang Dong, “Let’s go back.”

Chang Dong nodded, supporting her as they took a couple of steps back. Suddenly, he remembered something: “Do you still need to use the bathroom?”

She had forgotten about it, but when he mentioned it, she felt the pressure in her lower abdomen again.

Ye Liuxi looked at the menacing shapes of the Yadan landforms, internally conflicted. She clearly needed to go behind a distant Yadan to solve her problem, but after what had just happened, she didn’t want to take any risks.

“How long until dawn?”

Chang Dong checked his watch and estimated the sunrise time: “About two more hours.”

Ye Liuxi reluctantly said, “Let’s go back first.”

She decided to hold it for a while longer.