Chapter 11 Chapter Nine Wu Xie's Story (1)

The incident happened on a sunny afternoon in a Tibetan-style cafe by the Jiangnan River.At that time, Wu Xie's identity was not a tomb robber, but a photographer named Guan Gen.Of course, this was just a disguise to get into some archaeological projects, although he did study photography for a long time for it. The name of this cafe is "Kokexili". The walls are covered with Tibetan-style tapestries and curtains. The walls are inlaid with prayer wheels and several half-person-high Vajra statues. There is a large gilded incense burner in the corner. Tibetan incense is blowing out from the ground.This store has a strong Tibetan flavor both visually and in smell.

However, Wu Xie didn't particularly like it here.Outside the window is the Canal Gongtong on the banks of the Jiangnan River, and you can see some Chinese-style wooden buildings with cornices.Looking at the cornices of the Han Dynasty outside the window in a Tibetan-style cafe made him very uncomfortable. This may also be because he is a photographer and has an almost perverted extravagant demand for style coordination. However, apparently the hosts of the party didn't mind the abruptness. This is a party of seven people, two old critics, a publisher, a female writer, Wu Xie, and two reporters, all of whom count as local celebrities.The time for the party was set two months ago, mainly to plan for a new book about the desert that the female writer was about to start writing—in this era, writing is no longer a private hard work, and it is often when the writer begins to write. At the same time as the writing, the preheating of planning in various aspects has already started. Even, two months ago, she went to Badain Jaran to collect folk songs, which was hyped as a piece of news at that time.

The party started at nine o'clock in the morning and continued into the afternoon.In fact, Wu Xie didn't know what they were talking about. Publishers, writers, reporters, and photographers were all unreliable people, and they ran 1,200 miles away while chatting about topics. He didn't participate in many discussions. First, his work was very simple, and those plans had little to do with him. He could only be regarded as an obligatory observer here; On that female writer, because there is something unusual about this woman. Her name is Lan Ting, and she is a freelance writer, at least that's what it says on the business card she gave Wu Xie.

Few writers would give themselves a business card, which made Wu Xie very strange.However, the name was quite familiar to him.In recent years, this name has been appearing in various newspapers and newsletters, as if it is about those godly things, and it is considered a rising star.Wu Xie always thought that her name had something to do with Lan Ting Xu, so she was quite impressed. Lan Ting is quite beautiful, with long hair with natural curly hair and bohemian style of clothing. When looking at her with pity, she has a kind of ethereal beauty that is rarely seen, not at all like her tablemate's disheveled hair The two old ghosts.He knew quite a few writers, either ugly or disabled, but they were all men—it seemed that women writers and writers were two different things.

The reason why she attracted Wu Xie's attention was because she looked a little uncomfortable.The whole table chatted very relaxedly, laughing from time to time, but she remained calm and rarely expressed her opinion.Wu Xie found that her hands were subconsciously fiddling with her hair. Those who study photography must master a certain degree of psychology, and must be able to use language to control the emotions of models, and doing business in antique shops also requires this ability to observe words and expressions.Judging from Wu Xie's experience, such small movements are usually due to inner tension and anxiety.

But in this environment, what is she worrying about?It shouldn't be possible to be worried about whether the book will sell well, and if there is an affair with the publisher, it is impossible to be so nervous. Wu Xie couldn't help being a little curious, so he kept observing her.However, apart from this small gesture, she didn't show anything else. Then Wu Xie got tired.Writers have always had problems and eccentricities, Nabokov could only write on three-by-five-inch cards, Pope could only write with a crate of rotten apples next to it, and the Constitution says nothing about women Writers can't be nervous for no reason.So he was relieved, although her anxiety infected him a little bit.

A table of people chatted from the morning to the evening, and after dinner, there were several stages of results.Because it is a relatively mature team, the planning proposal was quickly decided upon further discussion. In the end, it was real chatting, without the psychological burden, they also relaxed, and began to have a romantic relationship.As night fell, there were more people in the cafe, and the atmosphere gradually became lively, and Wu Xie's spirits also rose, and as he talked, he talked about the desert. Wu Xie said that he likes deserts very much. He has been to several major deserts in China. At the end of 2007, he had the experience of traveling in the desert.At that time, he worked in the National Museum of Remote Sensing and Aerial Photography Archeology Center, and had a joint archaeological activity in Alxa League, covering the Badain Jaran Desert.It was a particularly interesting trip. Although the desert is uninhabited, it is a paradise for photographers.That kind of natural atmosphere makes it very tasteful to put anything there.At that time, the person in charge of the center said, "The desert turns boys into men and women into girls." Wu Xie said that he thought this sentence was wonderful.

At that time, he followed him all the way, almost running back and forth in the sand sea for more than a thousand kilometers, and most of the time he stepped on it with a deep foot and a shallow foot.I walked back and forth four or five ancient city ruins and took more than 2,000 photos. For more than two months, there was no noise or desire in my ears.That feeling, as if the whole person has been washed upside down, every pore is clean. Of course, this feeling disappeared as soon as I returned to the city. The body that had been purified for more than two months was re-polluted in just a few hours. I have to say that the city is ferocious.

Talking about this experience made Wu Xie very happy, and he talked a lot.The party lasted until after seven o'clock in the evening, after which everyone dispersed.At this time, something Wu Xie did not expect happened. At that time, it was decided how to carpool home: the publisher had a BMW 7 series, and he could take the beautiful writer back to the hotel; the two old men and the reporter were going to go clubbing; and Wu Xie was a little sleepy after chatting for a day, so he was going to walk back along the Jiangnan River Home, let the cold wind blow your face fire. In winter, the days are short and it gets dark early. At this time, the Jiangnan River is still quiet. He walked a few steps quietly, and suddenly heard someone calling him behind him.

"Teacher Guan." Looking back, it turned out to be that Lan Ting. "Why, your boss's car broke down?" Wu Xie asked half-surprised and half-jokingly. She smiled helplessly against the wind, and said a little shyly: "No, I don't want to take a car, I want to go for a walk with you, is that okay?" Lan Ting was quite tall, almost as tall as him, wearing a long dress under the street lamp felt a little thin, quite charming.Wu Xie looked up and looked behind him, the publisher's BMW had already started and drove away. If it was the age of innocence in college, Wu Xie would probably have thought that he was a murderer, but after a lot of experience, he knew that the plot in this kind of novel must be unreliable.What can be deduced is that she really doesn't want to take a car, and among the few people present at the meeting, he may be the most harmless, so she went to hang out with him.

But the subsequent development of the matter proved that Wu Xie's imagination was still too lacking. "From what you said just now, you have been in the desert for a long time?" Lan Ting asked proactively.Wu Xie nodded and said: "It's relatively long, two or three months, and it's relatively pure. We took the no-man's land, not that kind of tourist route, so it feels quite worthwhile." She hesitated for a moment, and said: "The Badain Jaran you mentioned is the place where I collected folk songs. I stayed there for three weeks, so I miss the things you said. But, listen to us The tour guide said that it can only be regarded as a small desert.” Wu Xie chuckled, remembering the panic they felt when a group of them got lost.Forty-seven thousand square kilometers, the third largest desert in my country, is indeed too small for a huge sand sea like the Taklamakan, but it is big enough for an individual. She continued to ask: "You guys are in Badain Jaran, did you go to a place called Gutongjing?" Wu Xie was a little surprised, she didn't expect her to ask about the place name. In Badain Jaran, he heard people mention that place again and again. It is a place that is a bit magical in the local area, and it is located in the no-man's land of Badain Jaran.The only explanation the locals have for this place is that it is best not to go there, it is different from other places.But why there is such a saying, no one knows. This kind of secrecy is not deliberately mysterious, it should be a habit handed down from ancient times.Generally speaking, for those who do archaeology, this habit should be respected.So they didn't go to Gutongjing. Anyway, what they found in that investigation was enough to support the topic of the next investigation. Wu Xie shook his head, smiled wryly and said, "Ashamed, we didn't have that place in our plan at the time. Although some of us wanted to take a look, our guide didn't want to take us there. I don't know why." "Your guide refused your request?" "Yes, you know that we are walking in no man's land. The guide is different from the general tour guide of the travel agency. He is the leader of the local adventure club. During the trip, he has the greatest power. He said that this place cannot be visited, and we cannot go there. refute." Lan Ting took a breath, looked at Wu Xie and said softly, "You are so lucky to have hired a good guide." He looked at her in surprise, and heard the implication: "Could it be that you went to that place?" She nodded, paused again, stopped and looked at Wu Xie: "Teacher Guan, I heard many friends mention you, saying that you are stable, reliable, and knowledgable about photography. There is something I have always wanted to find someone Ask, but don't want others to know, this matter is very important to me, can I trust you?" Wu Xie was a little baffled, and nodded dully: "What happened?" She hesitated for a moment before saying: "I encountered some strange things in Gutongjing."