Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After an unknown amount of time, the man seemed to have looked enough. He extended his tattooed left arm slowly and deliberately, saying concisely, “Fu Xun.”

Qu Yixian calmly reached out, lightly grasping his fingertips. “Qu Yixian.”

Fu Xun nodded, acknowledging he understood.

Then, he glanced sideways, his gaze passing over Qu Yixian to the Land Cruiser behind her, and asked, “Where’s the toolbox?”

“Over here.” Qu Yixian led him to the trunk.

The toolbox had just been used and hadn’t been put away yet.

Fu Xun casually picked up the wrench resting on the toolbox, grabbed a flashlight, and slid under the vehicle.

The right front shock absorber of the Land Cruiser was not only broken but also slightly leaking oil.

He bit the flashlight between his teeth and brushed the fresh scrape on his forearm with his fingertips. From this, he could reasonably deduce that the Land Cruiser’s shock absorber had broken under excessive stress while crossing the sand ridge. The vehicle’s body sank under its own inertia, scraping the underside on the ground.

Repairing it was simple—just replace the pair of shock absorbers.

The problem was the uninhabited area—no villages ahead, no shops behind, just wind and sand and the Gobi. Where could he find replacement shocks?

Qu Yixian waited by the car. She saw Fu Xun emerge from under the vehicle and hadn’t even asked, “Can this car still be saved?” before he tossed the wrench back into the toolbox and looked up at her.

Removing his sunglasses, his eyebrows and eyes were sharp and deep. At this moment, he showed no emotion, but his gaze carried an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Qu Yixian was slightly dazed, the odd feeling in her chest intensifying.

…Why did this man seem so familiar to her?

Fu Xun didn’t know what she was thinking. Seeing her hesitate, he paused briefly and asked, “You still want this car, right?”

Qu Yixian glared. “…Of course!”

He nodded, going along with her, “Then leave it here.”

The result was roughly what Qu Yixian had expected, so she didn’t feel disappointed. Compared to losing the car completely, a temporary separation was easier to accept.

But the car couldn’t just sit on the sand ridge. Even though July wasn’t the season for sandstorms, the wind in the desert was still unstable.

Qu Yixian meant they should drive it down the ridge first.

After that, it would definitely require someone to tow and repair it. Otherwise, driving back to Dunhuang on this bumpy, uneven road could break the frame halfway. Whether the axle would survive was a matter of luck, but the tires would certainly be shredded by the corrugated sand.

By then, the car would be truly wrecked.

Repairing it would be possible, but the cost might equal buying a new Land Cruiser.

Since Fu Xun was here, he would be the one driving the car.

Qu Yixian naturally had no objection.

One principle of desert rescue is that during the process, the rescuer holds absolute authority, and the vehicle being rescued must cooperate fully to get out safely.

Although this wasn’t an officially reported rescue, it didn’t stop Qu Yixian from following the principles.

Once the Land Cruiser started again, the engine roared. The four-wheel drive, with its deep tread, dug into the sand ridge, creating a groove. The dust it kicked up was carried by the wind for several meters.

This stretch required caution more than speed. Fu Xun was careful, driving down along the deep tread tracks in the sand, just as Qu Yixian would have.

Qu Yixian followed for a while, and seeing that the most dangerous section had been passed, she felt most of her tension release.

She intended to overtake and wait at the bottom of the ridge, but her eyelid twitched—someone was watching her.

A chill ran down her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced left—on the shaded side of the sand ridge, a nondescript sand pit lay recessed.

The soil of the pit was darker than the surrounding sand, shaped like a sprawled-out adult. At first glance, it looked like a body lying in the sand, emanating a grim chill.

Maybe it was the courage from walking alone at night, but initially, Qu Yixian felt a bit intimidated. Once she realized it was just a sand pit with a strange shape, a spark of curiosity arose.

Almost at the same time she decided to investigate the sand pit, the Land Cruiser halted at a bend in the ridge.

The window rolled halfway down. Fu Xun, holding the steering wheel, glanced sideways at her: “Where are you going?”

That’s strange…

Qu Yixian didn’t know how he had guessed she wanted to walk over to the sand pit. Her eyes drifted over to it again, and she didn’t hide anything from him: “There’s something going on over here.”

She wasn’t sure how deep Fu Xun’s relationship with Yuan Ye was, or how much he knew about rescue work, and for a moment she hesitated whether to explain in detail.

Fu Xun simply got out of the car.

When he reached her, he looked up at the sand pit.

The sand ridges here ran one after another. The sand pit’s location was perpendicular to where the Land Cruiser had stranded when the shock absorber broke—like a cliff within the ridge.

Because of the large drop to the highest point, it had formed a ring-shaped shaded side, hidden among the towering ridges. Like a valley, rugged on all sides, it was concealed in the depression.

If not for a chance observation, Qu Yixian would never have noticed it.

Seeing him approach, she weighed her words and explained, “Earlier this morning, a tourist got lost in the desert trying to avoid paying the entrance fee…”

Fu Xun interrupted her: “I know.”

“Go take a look.”

“Wait…” Qu Yixian followed, “You know… you already know everything?”

Fu Xun met her gaze without the slightest hesitation, producing a shield to cover himself: “Yuan Ye already told me.”

Qu Yixian shot him a look, not believing it.

A few years ago, she had met Yuan Ye on a graduation trip. Later, because Jiang Yuan disappeared, her life path changed, and she stayed in the northwest.

She had many friends, and Yuan Ye was particularly special to her. After all these years together, their social circles were clear to each other. She had never heard Yuan Ye mention Fu Xun.

Qu Yixian could tell Fu Xun was no ordinary person.

Someone like Yuan Ye, who couldn’t keep a secret and would boast wildly after two drinks, couldn’t possibly know such a formidable figure and keep it hidden.

Still, she was tactful and knew this wasn’t the time to question it, so she didn’t expose him.

When they reached the pit, Qu Yixian made a more direct assessment—the sand pit was just large enough for an adult to lie down.

She found the best spot for photos.

No backlighting, complete frame, a place where the camera could focus and allow her to adjust the angle—experience accumulated from years guiding female tourists in the northwest desert.

Fu Xun remained expressionless. Once she had framed the shot, he used his phone’s rangefinder to measure the area of the sand pit.

After estimating the size, he crouched down and rubbed the sand grains in the pit between his fingers.

The sand was still cool, clearly not exposed to the sun for long. Judging by the surrounding terrain, this was one of the few shaded areas in the desert, except for several hours of direct sunlight at noon.

While Qu Yixian took photos, she noticed Fu Xun’s familiarity with the work. He didn’t hide anything and generously shared what he knew.

“The missing tourist’s surname is Xun, twenty-five years old, just graduated from graduate school. Height about 1.75 meters, wearing a blue standard shell jacket, carrying an army-green backpack. He was among the first batch of independent tourists to reach Yumen Pass today.”

“He got off at the provincial road under construction leading to Yumen Pass, bypassed the scenic area to avoid paying, and walked across the desert. Before losing contact, he got lost, had no water, and his phone ran out of battery.”

These details roughly matched Fu Xun’s deductions.

He lifted his chin, signaling Qu Yixian to look at the footprints around the sand pit: “He’s physically fit, decent stamina, walks quickly. If my assumptions are correct, that last call before he went missing was made from here.”

Qu Yixian glanced at him curiously. Without holding back, the words slipped out: “You used to be in the Marine Corps, didn’t you?”

“Intelligence work?”

Fu Xun rarely smiled; his facial lines were sharp and rigid.

He lifted his gaze slightly from under the cap, his deep eyes scanning her with an oppressive force.

Since the words were already out and not taboo, Qu Yixian wasn’t intimidated and met his gaze.

Fu Xun looked at her for a few seconds and casually said: “No.”

Not in intelligence work… does that mean he’s not even in the Marine Corps?

His answer was vague, paired with a distant, emotionally cold posture. Qu Yixian quietly rolled her eyes and wisely chose not to press further.

——

Fu Xun deliberately joined in the search, checking the surrounding area thoroughly. Unfortunately, the wind and sand on the dunes had covered everything; even if there were footprints, after three or four hours, they would have long been buried by shifting sand.

Apart from the sand pit, no other signs of activity were found.

Rare as it was to have a breakthrough, Qu Yixian was even more reluctant to leave.

She leaned against the front of the G-Class, thinking about how to persuade Fu Xun to accompany her in the search.

The cigarette pinched between her fingers had been twirled for a long time. She gazed into the distance, waiting for the Land Cruiser to come down the last steep slope, brushed off the fine sand on her clothes, and approached him.

Fu Xun had just parked the car at the windward side when he saw Qu Yixian approaching with a clear intention.

She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, leaned against the car, and skillfully blocked his path.

Then she pulled out a cigarette from the pack, held it between her lips. Her eyebrows lifted slightly, the corners of her eyes raised, giving him a faint, teasing glance, and asked, “Smoke?”

Fu Xun understood this posture perfectly—it was clearly a stance meant for negotiation.

He leisurely looked back at her, unmoved.

Qu Yixian only realized she had no lighter after holding the cigarette in her mouth. Seeing that he wasn’t smoking, it conveniently saved her from the embarrassment of her failed pretense.

She naturally tucked the cigarette behind her ear and asked him, “What’s your plan this trip?”

Most people taking the circuit route were tourists. A small number were there for development, research, or charity work.

Qu Yixian had initially thought Fu Xun was a retired Marine, but since he denied it, she felt he seemed to be traveling for similar purposes as herself.

The thought lasted only a moment before she dismissed it.

Driving a modified G-Class on this route—his family must own several mines?!

The wind was picking up, and the sand rattled against the Land Cruiser.

Fu Xun lowered his cap to block the wind.

Half of his face was hidden in the shadow beneath the brim, the exposed lines of his face sharp and cold, giving him a particularly indifferent expression.

Qu Yixian met his gaze, gradually finding it hard to maintain composure.

Fu Xun gave off a strange feeling.

Familiar, yet distant and cold, like an observer who had somehow penetrated her life at some unknown point.

Time ticked by, and just as Qu Yixian thought he wouldn’t respond…

Fu Xun averted his eyes, his Adam’s apple rolling slightly, and said in a calm voice: “This trip… I’m here looking for treasure.”