Holding the beast skin map in my hand, I examined it carefully. It was completely different from the treasure map I had before.
The current beast skin map was very detailed, not only marking the locations but also clearly depicting the surrounding environment.
"Third Master, where did you find this map?" I asked.
Fu Kui smiled and said, "Mr. Xiang, you probably never would have guessed. This map was found on that nation-robbing thief."
"Hmm?" I was a little confused.
The corpse had already rotted beyond recognition. How could the map still be on him?
Fu Kui told me that they found the map among the nation-robbing thief's pile of bones. It looked like it had been hidden on him all along.
When they found the map, it was rolled up into a very small piece, as thin and long as a bone.
At first, they hadn't noticed the map. It was only later that Fu Honglang sniffed it and detected a different scent, which led them to the map.
I have to say, that Old Fu's nose is truly remarkable.
But then again, he is a Suozhe.
Every Suozhe possesses a power that surpasses ordinary people; this I already knew.
It's just that Fu Kui and the others didn't know, and even the usually proud Old Man Qu couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Fu's nose is truly..."
He trailed off mid-sentence, revealing an embarrassed smile.
I didn't need to think to know what the rest of his sentence would have been.
I imagine it was the sentiment of everyone else too. Old Fu's nose is indeed more sensitive than a dog's.
Before I knew it, it was past four in the morning. After everyone ate and tidied up a bit, they returned to their respective tents to sleep.
Around nine o'clock the next morning, Fu Honglang came to wake me. I thought we were about to set off, but only when he crawled into the tent did I realize he had something to tell me.
"Younger Brother Xiang, you've seen the beast skin map, haven't you?"
I nodded.
"How many chances do you think there are?" he asked.
"Brother Fu, chances of what?"
"Of finding that place."
I pondered for a moment, carefully recalling the general content of the map, and said, "I'm not too sure about that. It depends on Re Xiti."
"Him?" Fu Honglang gave a wry smile. "Then I suppose we should give up. Just now, I saw Third Master Fu go find him and ask if he could locate the place on the map. His reply was that the deepest part of the Pamirs he'd been to was where we are now."
This area was already a no-man's-land. Further in, it was even less likely to encounter anyone.
I didn't think Re Xiti was lying.
However, I wasn't worried about getting lost. Jin Qiaoyue had a satellite signal transmitter, and it was with that device that he had sent his location to Fu Kui, after which the helicopter found us.
Fu Kui is clearly a man who cherishes his life, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to get so many people to accompany him on this treasure hunt.
With such a person around, I felt quite safe.
"So, how do we proceed?" I asked.
Fu Honglang said, "Third Master intends to lead the way, so I don't have to worry about it."
"Does he know the way?" I asked.
Fu Honglang chuckled. "Young brother, you don't know this, do you? As far as I know, he was in the army when he was young, and a scout at that. It's said he even received commendations and medals. Otherwise, at his age, how could he still be so robust?"
Fu Kui was already over seventy, but he looked nowhere near seventy; at most, he looked like sixty.
Hearing Fu Honglang say this, I stopped worrying. It was best to have someone leading the way.
I went out for a smoke and then went back for a second sleep. By noon, Fu Honglang and Song Bing came to call me and Fatty.
We crawled out of our tents and began packing our things. After about an hour, we started distributing the packs.
Without horses, all the equipment had to be carried by people.
Fortunately, except for Fu Kui, we were all young and strong, so it wasn't too strenuous.
On the plateau, mornings and evenings were incredibly cold, but at noon, it was scorching hot, especially between one and two o'clock. With the blazing sun overhead, I felt like the UV rays were stripping my skin.
By around three o'clock, the temperature began to drop gradually. By sunset, we had to put on our padded jackets again.
After so many days out here, with no chance to bathe, it was impossible not to feel uncomfortable.
Forget bathing, we hadn't even washed our faces properly a few times. At night, washing our feet was done directly with sand, by rubbing our feet in the sand and finishing.
It was Fatty who taught me this trick. He said he grew up on construction sites as a child. Back then, when the country was just opening up, he followed his uncle to the construction sites. Every day, they washed their feet with coarse sand, rubbing them in it and covering them. Not only did they not get blisters, but their feet also wouldn't ache the next day.
This method worked well at first, but in the past few days, I'd clearly found it quite challenging.
Mainly because at night, the sand in this place became somewhat damp. Forget covering my feet, it was hard enough to rub them. If I were to cover them for ten minutes, I'd probably fall ill the next day.
Once it was completely dark, we found a place to camp. We gathered some firewood and lit a fire, and everyone began setting up tents and preparing food.
The reason we didn't travel at night was twofold: first, for safety, and second, to prevent our lighting equipment from running out of power prematurely.
Although we all carried small power banks, there were no places to recharge them nearby. Once the electricity ran out, it would be troublesome.
For four consecutive days, we traveled during the day and rested at night. My legs felt like they were no longer my own, and the soles of my feet were already worn raw.
The surroundings also became increasingly desolate. By the sixth day, everyone was exhausted. Fu Kui seemed unable to walk any further, so he decided to let everyone rest for two days to regain their strength before continuing.
"Master Xiang, how much longer do you think this will go on?" Fatty sat in his tent, looking dejected, hugging his legs and sighing.
"It should be soon. Judging by the terrain around us, it's somewhat similar to what's drawn on the map. We should reach our destination in the next day or two."
As I said that, I added, "I'll go ask Old Master Fu in a bit to see when we'll arrive."
Fatty nodded and leaned back into his sleeping bag. "Master Xiang, when we get back, you must get Guan Zhenwan to increase the pay..."
I couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Alright, alright. When we get back, I'll talk to him. You get some sleep for now, I'll be back shortly."
I stepped out of the tent, about to go find Fu Kui, when I saw Old Man Qu standing not far away, looking up at the stars of the Tianshan Mountains. He would take a couple of steps to the left, then a couple of steps to the right, and I had no idea what he was up to.