Stepping onto the ground of the Tibetan region, gazing at the clear blue sky that almost filled his vision, Zhang Qiling felt a peculiar sense of rebirth.
He and Hei Yanjing had bickered their way through the journey for various bizarre reasons; it was a testament to their control over their strength that the car hadn't fallen apart.
The two parted ways to prepare their gear, but when they reunited, Hei Yanjing had brought along an old Tibetan man.
"Here, a guide~"
"It costs five hundred for one trip, I found him, you pay the money~"
He hadn't taken off his sunglasses the entire way, so Zhang Qiling couldn't discern his expression.
Zhang Qiling had no objection to paying, but...
This old man didn't seem to have a credit card machine with him.
Silently taking out the card, which was laden with money but almost unusable, Zhang Qiling and the bewildered old man exchanged glances.
Seeing this, Hei Yanjing suddenly remembered something and grinned.
"Alright, I forgot you don't have cash!" he said, feigning annoyance as he pulled out a wad of red bills and stuffed them into the old man's hand, then cockily snatched Zhang Qiling's card.
"I'm so kind, I'll cover it for you first~"
"But this card of yours, you'll leave it with me as collateral for now~"
"What if you run off without paying me after we come out~"
Zhang Qiling: ...I think you're the one who'll run off with my card.
Pulling his hood lower to shield himself from the intense Tibetan sun, Zhang Qiling ignored Hei Yanjing, implicitly agreeing.
Hei Yanjing let out a "heh" laugh, humming a tune as he pocketed the card and began conversing with the guide in Tibetan.
"You said there's a small temple on the edge of the forbidden zone where we can rest?"
"Mmm... yes, a temple..."
The old man's voice was hoarse and indistinct, punctuated by dry coughs.
His eyes occasionally darted towards Hei Yanjing's pocket.
"...I can take you there, it's very safe."
"Hey, mute, what do you think?"
Zhang Qiling was listening intently when Hei Yanjing suddenly turned and said something to him out of the blue.
The sentence was in German. The old man, not understanding, looked blank, but Hei Yanjing seemed to assume Zhang Qiling also spoke German.
...Although he did.
Zhang Qiling knew Hei Yanjing was asking if he thought the guide was problematic. In fact, regardless of whether the guide was problematic, they would use him anyway, so there was no need to answer.
Besides, Hei Yanjing likely already had his own considerations.
So, Zhang Qiling merely glanced at him before lowering his head to organize his gear.
As expected, Hei Yanjing didn't press further, giving a low chuckle and gesturing for the guide to lead the way.
Through their earlier struggles, the two had already ascertained each other's capabilities and weren't overly concerned about a potentially problematic elderly guide.
—
Of course, basic precautions were still necessary.
The small temple was situated on the edge of the forbidden zone, in a vast desert.
Zhang Qiling leaned against the decaying, dry wooden doorframe, holding the Black Gold Ancient Sword, staring blankly at the sky, while his peripheral vision kept tabs on the old guide tying three camels outside.
These three camels were brought by the old guide out of insistence, but in reality, camels weren't needed for such a short distance.
Hei Yanjing thought the same as him, grinning as he approached and offered to pay the old guide for two camels to use for scouting ahead.
As expected, the old guide hastily refused.
He said these three camels were his family's gods, his family deeply respected camels and would absolutely not sell them.
Zhang Qiling saw from a distance that as Hei Yanjing listened, his mouth stretched into a grin, revealing a row of white teeth. He looked quite sunny, but it was clear his mischievous intentions were already uncontrollable.
After a moment of silence, he hugged the Black Gold Ancient Sword tighter and turned away, leaving the stage for Hei Yanjing's performance.
...Then, that night, the three camel gods began to vomit and have diarrhea.
It wasn't fatal, but they likely wouldn't be able to run fast and would have to rest there for the night.
The old guide, however, acted as if the sky had fallen, almost furiously grabbing the camels by their necks, urging them to stand up quickly. Now, they weren't the gods his family had worshipped for so long.
Zhang Qiling stared intently at the old guide, just about to intervene if he acted suspiciously, when he suddenly heard a strange rustling sound!
Zhang Qiling's gaze instantly shifted to the outside of the door. Under the moonlight, the flat desert was as bright as snow, but from beneath it, massive, millstone-sized spherical objects suddenly emerged!
With a sudden scream, the old guide, terrified by the sight, scrambled in a panic towards a corner of the dilapidated temple to hide.
Hei Yanjing stepped forward and kicked him, pinning him to the ground, unable to move.
"What are you running for, hmm?"
With a flip of his right hand, a completely black gun was pressed against the old guide's head.
"What do you know? Speak!"
The old guide was so scared he almost peed himself, crying out incoherently.
"Ghost Map Ants, they're Ghost Map Ants!!!"
"Without the camels, without the camels, none of us can escape!"
"We're all going to die!!!"
At this moment, as if in response to the old guide's cries, the spherical objects on the desert erupted violently. Sand and soil flew everywhere as they swarmed forward densely!
Their pitch-black carapaces bore what looked like a skull's grimacing face, and their six legs climbed rapidly, green liquid dripping from their mandibles!
These were indeed a group of ants larger than millstones!