Looking at the camel in the small courtyard, Fatty patted his stomach.
"Damn, boss finally has camel meat to eat."
Fatty blinked.
If Fatty ate the means of transportation before he went, it would be truly outrageous.
"What are you thinking, Fatty? We can't be so reckless, that's our means of transportation."
Hu Bayi said quickly, Shirley Yang couldn't help but want to laugh.
Zhang Qilin glanced at Fatty, remained indifferent, and simply moved a little further away from him.
Walking ahead, Zhang Tian looked inside the house. An Liman cherished his camels, so he was usually at home when they were.
Entering the courtyard, Zhang Tian saw a short, dark-skinned man.
An Liman, a cowardly, greedy, and avaricious man.
The Book of Jingjue Ancient City recorded that he had attempted to escape several times, but surprisingly, he was also a man of strong religious faith.
Several times, he knelt on the desert, hands clasped, looking at the sky and praying.
Regarding An Liman, Zhang Tian's only intention was to have him as a guide.
If he were to lead them into the ancient city, it would be harder than climbing to heaven.
And Zhang Tian finally understood why the village secretary sighed.
After An Liman received tourists, he would secretly run back. This led the village secretary to believe that every time An Liman returned.
Those people were dead.
That was why the village secretary sighed and looked at them with complicated eyes.
Zhang Tian shook his head. Zhang Tian had no intention of getting too close to people like An Liman. Even if he ran away himself, he had to leave the camels behind.
Entering the courtyard, Zhang Tian had a smile on his face.
"Oh, guests are here, please come in."
An Liman's eyes lit up when he saw Zhang Tian and his group, and he quickly invited Zhang Tian into the courtyard.
An Liman's courtyard felt a bit simple, the kind that didn't have a grapevine but had a large fence.
An Liman was a cunning old man, looking thin and small, like an old grandpa.
Upon seeing Zhang Tian and the others, he walked over directly.
His speech carried the strong aroma of Xinjiang grilled lamb skewers.
"Grandpa, you must be sixty years old, right?"
"Can you even be a guide? Aren't you afraid of being blown away by the wind?"
Fatty looked at An Liman, with his white beard and wrinkled face, he wouldn't believe he was less than sixty.
"Ah, what are you saying, young man? I'm only thirty years old this year."
An Liman's voice, carrying the scent of grilled lamb, came out.
Everyone was shocked.
This old grandpa, with white hair and a white beard, was actually only thirty years old?
Even a dog wouldn't believe it!
"Fatty, do you believe him?"
"No."
Fatty shook his head repeatedly.
An Liman rolled his eyes and said no more. These guys had already left a bad impression on him.
"You gentlemen, are you here to..."
An Liman looked at Zhang Tian and the others strangely.
These people were truly strange, coming here and not discussing business, but first inquiring about his age.
One might think they were introducing him to a date.
"Yes, we want to go to the desert and need a guide. We heard from the village secretary that you are a well-known guide in the area, so we wanted to invite you to be our guide."
Zhang Tian said.
His voice was not loud, and as he spoke, his gaze was fixed on An Liman's eyes.
One could discern a person's mood from their eyes.
An Liman was pleased to hear that there was business, but he still maintained a somber expression.
After all, having been a guide for so many years, An Liman had already figured out that as long as he acted serious, those fools would think he was very capable.
"Well, I've lived in this desert for thirty years and have seen all sorts of storms."
"However, the desert has strong winds and sand, and it's extremely easy to get lost. The danger is too high."
An Liman said, clearly trying to inflate his worth.
It was rare to find someone who could inflate their price in a place like this.
Zhang Tian smiled and didn't expose him.
He wasn't short of money anyway.
"Then, Uncle An Liman, how much will it cost for you to take us into the desert?"
As he spoke, An Liman held up five fingers.
"Heh heh, I'll take ten gold coins to guide you into the desert. If you need to ride my camels, it will be an additional two gold coins per person."
An Liman was indeed an old hand, and his methods of ripping people off were ruthless.
He saw Zhang Tian and wanted to strip him bare.
"Of course, but that's under the condition that you take us to our destination."
Zhang Tian said, and An Liman smiled.
"Haha, you can ask around. I, An Liman, was the first person to traverse this desert."
"That year, my camels got lost in the desert, and I found them all by myself, and the camels saved my life."
"We relied on each other."
An Liman said, affectionately stroking the camel beside him.
"Boss, Fatty suspects that this grandpa has a special fondness for camels."
Fatty said from the side, and Zhang Tian kicked him hard.
What strange things were in this guy's head.
"Alright, Uncle An Liman, if we go to the Jingjue Ancient City, do you have a way?"
Zhang Tian began to probe.
An Liman did not show much surprise when he heard it was about the Jingjue Ancient City, remaining as usual.
He had seen too many people go to the Jingjue Ancient City, but how many had succeeded?
These people were undoubtedly going to their deaths again.
He just needed to lead them out, and then he would sneak away.
The rest would be up to them to fend for themselves. This trick always worked, and no one could expose him.
"Jingjue Ancient City, I've heard of it. It's a beautiful and magical kingdom, and its people are as strong as oxen."
An Liman said, with a hint of pride on his face.
He knew more legends and religious stories than ordinary people.
"You know about the Jingjue Ancient City?"
Shirley Yang asked softly.
Did this old grandpa know about the Jingjue Ancient City? Didn't that mean he might also know its location?
"Yes, but I've never been there, nor have I seen it. The interior of this Black Desert remains a mystery."
An Liman seemed to be able to read Shirley Yang's mind, and he spoke directly.
After he finished speaking, Shirley Yang frowned slightly, then looked at An Liman.
"Uncle, do you know the route to the Jingjue Ancient City?"
Shirley Yang asked, a little anxious.
An Liman smiled when he saw this.
"Jingjue Ancient City, to find it, legend says you must travel during the wind season."
"Only when the strong winds blow away the sand and clear the mist can the shadow of the ancient city be seen."
"If it's not the wind season, it's basically impossible to find the ancient city. Of course, this is what I heard from others."
An Liman said, looking around, appearing a bit profound.
"Boss, it might be a formation."
Hu Bayi said from the side.
Zhang Tian nodded. The probability of it being a formation was high, but it wasn't the wind season right now, was it?