The village chief stared blankly at the group without An Liman.
My goodness, An Liman had always returned by himself with his camels. Now, the camels and others had returned, but An Liman was gone.
After a moment of stunned silence, the village chief came to his senses, realizing that perhaps this was the time when the most people had returned.
"Uh, where's An Liman?" the village chief asked.
"Alas, Uncle An Liman cursed himself to death," the fatty said with a look of pity.
"What? Young man, you can't just say anything. Heaven will punish you if you speak carelessly. How could he curse himself to death?" an elder nearby couldn't help but say, his face full of disbelief.
He had seen strange people, but never anyone this strange.
"Elder, I hope the gods will bless you too." The fatty clasped his hands together and offered a prayer to the elder.
The elder was dumbfounded, feeling that something was not quite right.
"Uncle An Liman was attacked by monsters in the desert. We hid under a dead camel and managed to survive," Zhang Tian said. His tone was neither fast nor slow.
The village chief showed no surprise upon hearing this. After all, too many people died in the desert for various reasons, so this was not strange. He nodded at Zhang Tian, who provided a plausible explanation, unlike the fatty's absurd one.
"Alright, everyone, follow me back to the village. I'll take care of the camels. Since An Liman is gone, I'll notify his family," the village chief said. As for the truth of the matter, he didn't doubt it. Firstly, they were recognized archaeological experts, and he couldn't interfere. Secondly, even if they had framed them, he had no clues and could do nothing.
Zhang Tian nodded. After everyone dismounted and handed the camels over to the village chief, Zhang Tian followed the chief to the party secretary's courtyard. The off-road vehicle was still there, and Zhang Tian needed it to leave.
At this moment, while Zhang Tian and the others were not paying attention, the village chief waved his hand, and several people led the camels away.
Soon, they arrived at the party secretary's house. The courtyard was still full of grapevines, and by this season, the grapes had ripened. As they passed by other villagers' houses, Zhang Tian also noticed that many people had begun to dry raisins. Raisins were once a specialty of Xinjiang. To buy them in Beili, one had to pay a high price, and they were usually only available during the New Year.
"Boss, so many grapes. These grapevines are so fruitful," the fatty said, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
"I wonder what expression the party secretary will have when he learns that An Liman is dead," Shirley Yang murmured.
"There probably won't be much of a reaction," Zhang Tian said. Given the party secretary's personality, it would be strange if he had a strong reaction after seeing so many people die in the desert.
Indeed, when they saw the party secretary, his reaction was as Zhang Tian predicted—he showed no signs of distress. Instead, he was remarkably calm.
"I understand. I will report An Liman's matter to the higher-ups. It is a good thing that you were able to return safely," the party secretary said calmly, without much expression. "I heard you brought back a few camels, thank you very much."
Zhang Tian nodded and then looked at his off-road vehicle.
"Well, Comrade Party Secretary, if there's nothing else, we'll be going now. We didn't find anything on this trip," Zhang Tian said with feigned bitterness, his acting skills top-notch. Although the party secretary was not a bad person, Zhang Tian did not want to reveal anything about the Jingjue Ancient City.
"Mm-hmm, alright. But since you're here, let us offer you some hospitality. Take some raisins with you. Since you can't go back to Xinjiang, take these raisins home," the party secretary said, handing over a bag filled with raisins.
"Holy cow, Party Secretary, you're truly kind-hearted! Knowing we've never tasted authentic raisins, you're giving us so much. Thank you so much!" The fatty eagerly took the bag of raisins, a wide grin on his face.
However, Zhang Tian frowned slightly. Anyone with eyes could see something was amiss. After leading the villagers into trouble, the villagers were still giving them raisins. This was definitely not right.
"Boss, something's not right," Hu Bayi whispered beside him.
"I think so too," Zhang Tian nodded, then looked at the party secretary. "Then thank you for your kindness, Party Secretary. We'll accept them."
"If you have nothing else, Party Secretary, we'll be leaving now." As Zhang Tian spoke, the party secretary quickly stopped him.
"Uh, brother Zhang, I apologize, but there's something I need to tell you. A few days ago, we started construction to bring water to the village."
"So, the camels were tired, and we borrowed your car. Please don't mind. If it weren't for the sudden cut-off of water upstream for some reason, we wouldn't have borrowed your car," the party secretary said with some embarrassment.
The truth was out. No wonder the party secretary was being so polite. It turned out that was the reason. Zhang Tian felt a bit awkward. The water cutoff might have been his fault, which would be a sin. But did anyone in the village know how to drive? Thinking this, Zhang Tian smiled.
"It's alright, Party Secretary. Helping the village is the right thing to do. Alright, we'll be leaving now. Thank you for the raisins." With that, Zhang Tian led his companions towards his car.
Upon seeing his off-road vehicle, Zhang Tian was stunned. One of the bumpers was missing. It must have been hit. Since there were no repair shops in the village, it was left like this. The interior of the car was relatively fine, just a bit worn.
"It must have been a novice driver. Fatty, check the car," Zhang Tian called out. The fatty nodded and began his inspection.
A few days ago, there was a severe drought, and the village was critically short of water. Coupled with the insufficient number of camels, they didn't have enough water for the villagers. Moreover, for reasons unknown, the river suddenly stopped flowing, forcing the villagers to fetch water from elsewhere. Thus, they borrowed Zhang Tian's car. Fortunately, the water flow had now returned, and there was some water in the well.
"Boss, the car's bumper is broken, but everything else is fine. This bumper probably costs a few hundred yuan," the fatty said, trying to scare the party secretary. Hearing the mention of money, the party secretary's expression changed, and he didn't know what to say.
"It's alright, as long as the car is okay. Well, Party Secretary, we're leaving now. See you next time." Zhang Tian waved his hand, not mentioning the money. After all, it might have been his actions that caused the water cutoff, so asking for money would be unethical.
"Oh, right, young man. A few days ago, some people asked about your whereabouts. Do you know them?" the party secretary said, remembering something.
"Got it," Zhang Tian waved his hand, and the off-road vehicle soon left the village.
"Boss, we're low on gas. We need to refuel at the nearest place," Hu Bayi said, looking at the fuel gauge.
Zhang Tian nodded. He planned to refuel in the main city, but he was puzzled that someone had come looking for him. He hadn't told anyone about this trip; it was completely confidential. So why were people looking for him? Zhang Tian thought that it must be the Wang family. Only the Wang family had the resources to investigate such matters.
"I wonder how Young Master Tian Zhen is doing. I'm quite looking forward to it," Zhang Tian murmured, a smile appearing on his lips.
"Hmm, speaking of which, these raisins are quite delicious." The fatty stuffed raisins into his mouth, looking satisfied.
Unbeknownst to Zhang Tian, in a spectral space, a wisp of dark energy lay comfortably inside a coffin, the surrounding spiritual water seeming to nourish its essence.