Chapter 4 Chapter Three Is Man's Fate Determined by Himself or by God?

The gale came suddenly, and there was no sign of it beforehand. If there was any, it was just a strangely large group of rats. The speed of the forward rolling increased rapidly, which may have been pushed by the airflow before the gale came. .But people's senses are dull, and they can't even feel it. However, even if he felt it, he knew that there would be such a terrible strong wind blowing half a stick of incense earlier, and it would not be any different from the sudden strong wind now. Because the wind is too strong - what blows over is not like a wind, but like a mountain, pressing forward with overwhelming momentum.

By the way, perhaps another warning sign in advance of the approaching big storm is also provided by those large clumps of rats stacked three feet high. The mice, all of a sudden, were rolling, and flew towards the sky, flying very high, making piercing screams, so that for a moment, the mice did not look like mice, but like groups of bats. How could a mouse fly into the sky?The eyes of the entire camel caravan were attracted by it, and a few experienced people were about to issue the most severe warning when the strong wind broke out from behind them. Therefore, the entire camel team, most of the camels, did not even have a chance to lie down, which made the losses particularly heavy after the storm.Only four camels remained.

The reason why the four camels were able to stay was all thanks to the most experienced old guide—the one who later, when Pei Siqing started killing camels, he strongly opposed it.The old guide didn't look at the rolling mouse group like others, nor did he look at the flying mice, but bought a very short time, so that the four camels fell down in time. He knew that a huge disaster would happen immediately. The mice did not fly into the sky by themselves, but were rushed into the sky by the air current. This air current is like the undercurrent in the sea, invisible and intangible, but it can sweep up many things. go to heaven.

The mice understand this very well, the reason why they suddenly clump together is to deal with this kind of air current - if they are still scurrying around, every mouse will be swept up into the sky.However, if they form a ball, when the outer layer is swept up into the sky one after another, the inner one may escape the catastrophe and escape from the sky. Pei Siqing realized this later. What he thought of was that even rats know that it is better to sacrifice a part, and keep a part, than to sacrifice all. Moreover, they did not see rats vying to become the part that could save their lives. They just It naturally formed a ball.

What would happen if it was a large group of people? Of course, humans cannot be compared with rats. Rats are just rats. If a thousand or ten thousand rats die, a rat is still a rat.But people are people, and human life is at stake. When Pei Siqing later thought of "human life is at stake", he further thought, is the fate of a person determined by himself or by heaven? He led such a grand camel caravan, and after setting off from Chang'an, he also bathed and burned incense, worshiped before the gods, and chose the auspicious day for departure.However, there was this big storm.

If he set off one day earlier, or one day later, he would naturally be able to escape. Did he choose this moment, or did God have such a big storm waiting for him long ago, making it impossible for him to escape? Of course, it was a later matter to think about this kind of problem later. At that time, I didn’t even have time to think about it. There was really no time. Everything happened too fast. First, amidst the screams of a large group of mice flying into the sky, there was a burst of sounding hollow, but very violent booming sound from behind, as if everyone was in the hearth of a furnace, listening to the sound of people Like burning.By the time everyone turned around, the big storm had already arrived.

The strong wind alone may not be so terrible. The terrible thing is that the big storm happened in the desert, so it brought up all the sand particles that could be blown up, and gave each sand particle a powerful force. An endless, huge yellow mountain, with a deafening sound, just pressed down like this. The four camels fell down a split second before the event. Including Pei Siqing, there were about twenty people beside the four camels, they also naturally swooped down. Some hugged the camel's legs, some The camels were pulled by the tail, some by the camel's head, in short, they were all fixed around the four camels—like a big group of rats, forming a whole.

And all the other people are not so lucky. When the big sandstorm is overwhelming, the first thing they think of is to be with the camels - that is very natural, in the desert, No matter what happens, you can't go wrong with a camel. Therefore, all the people pulled the camels around them, some hugged the camel's neck tightly, some hugged the camel's reins, and some tightly pulled the camel's hard wooden saddle. But everyone forgot that the camels didn't lie down, they were running. Before such an unprecedented storm, the camel's survival instinct in the desert seemed to have disappeared!

All the camels suddenly galloped and scurried around, just like the group of mice that was moving rapidly just now, all of a sudden, they were completely submerged in the violent wind and sand, and they didn't even make a cry—there was a call, Can't hear it either.Have you ever seen a thin paper burnt by fire?As soon as the flames rolled, the thin paper turned to ashes. No one knows where the two hundred and eighty-four camels and more than one hundred and twenty people were swept away by the storm. Perhaps, they were crushed under a layer of sand tens of feet deep, or they were swept away. When they go up to the sky, they will be crushed by billions of sand grains in the sky, or they will be rolled out thousands of miles away, or even rolled into the Tianxiang Kingdom. One.

Four camels and twenty people miraculously survived. At the beginning, they not only felt the sand pressing down on their bodies, but also felt the sand rushing up under their bodies. Swing right, like a boat in a rapid! They were indeed on a rapid sand current, and the wind would cause a torrent at sea, as well as sand waves and sand currents in the desert. The sand waves surged from the desert, raising the place where they were lying tens of feet higher, which prevented them from being covered by the pressed sand and preventing them from being buried under the sand. The sand flow brought them at an extremely high speed, pouring into unpredictable directions.The difference between a sand flow and a river is that where the river flows, where it circles, and where it flows for thousands of miles is determined by the terrain.But the sand flow is determined by the wind.If the wind blows to the north, it will flow north, if it blows to the west, it will flow to the west, the wind is a whirlwind, and the sand flow will spin around.Therefore, it is always tailwind.

Although the speed of the sand flow is not as fast as the wind speed, but because it flows with the wind, it naturally reduces the pressure of the storm to a certain extent. This is also the main reason why the four camels and twenty people finally survived after the storm passed. reason. Big storms come as soon as they say they come, and stop as soon as they say they will stop.As soon as it stopped, everyone felt nothing at all.The first to regain consciousness was naturally Pei Siqing, because he had a profound foundation in martial arts. Pei Siqing's feeling was that when there was a big storm, he seemed to be thrown into a big furnace, and the fire kept burning around him.So when he found that he was not burned to ashes, that his limbs and body were still together, that he could still feel the light when he opened his eyes, that he felt thirsty in his throat, and that his body was tingling, he was really stunned for a while. I don't know what happened, and I don't know what kind of situation I am in. Then, he suddenly understood, he understood that he had escaped the catastrophe and did not die in the great storm. He wanted to open his mouth to yell, but he couldn't make any sound. Only then did he realize that his mouth was full of sand.The sand not only filled his mouth, but seemed to be stuffed all the way down his throat.He vomited first, then vomited, but couldn't get the sand clean. Moreover, he didn't see things as soon as he opened his eyes, he just felt the light and a tingling pain, and there was sand under his eyelids, he had to rub his eyes carefully to wipe out the tears that gushed out, Only then can the sand in the eyes be slowly squeezed out.When he could dimly see the situation in front of him, all the people he saw were spitting sand from their mouths, and the four camels were shaking their necks and breathing heavily, and in the breath they emitted were also mixed with with lots of sand. Only then did Pei Siqing see that half of himself and everyone else, as well as the camel, were buried in the sand. His clothes were only strips of cloth and his bare skin.But it was red and swollen, the scars caused by the fast-blown sand grains. At this moment, Pei Siqing thought of his dagger first.He struggled hard enough to free himself from the sand, and the trousers on his lower body were almost shredded, but the dagger at his waist was still there. He put his hand on the dagger, let out a long breath, and spit out some grains of sand.At this time, he was also swaying around, and a person stood up and said to him in a hoarse voice: "Don't even spit out all the saliva, every drop of water can save lives." It was the old guide who spoke.The old guide's words made Pei Siqing know that the storm was over, but the shadow of death still hung tightly over their heads. He managed to gather his composure, and then asked in a voice Shade couldn't believe, "Where are we?" The old guide slowly shook his head: "I don't know!" Pei Siqing's heart sank, and he asked again: "What do we have left?" When they set off from Chang'an, they not only brought enough clear mountain springs, but also enough fine wine, not to mention all kinds of grains and all kinds of meat marinated so fragrant. At this time, Pei Siqing wanted to know what was left of them, which was very important, concerning their life and death. The old guide didn't answer immediately, but just looked around, and Pei Siqing followed suit. At this time, all the people were already trying to stand up, without exception, they were naked, some of them were even naked, the strong wind tore away everything, even the remaining A large piece of the mane of each of the four camels was ripped off. Except for more than 20 almost naked people and four camels, there was almost nothing left, and the only thing left was probably his dagger! What's left? He lowered his head to look at the dagger, the various gemstones on the sheath were dazzling in the sun.In Chang'an, any one of them can be exchanged for food and drink that a person can eat and drink in ten years, but here, one drop of water cannot be exchanged. Pei Siqing saw the person who had struggled out of the sand and was staggering towards him and the old guide. He asked the third question: "Where are the others? Where did they go?" The old guide didn't make a sound, but just pointed to the sky. What he meant was very clear. Only God can answer this question. Pei Sixia just escaped from the dead, and he was able to ask these three important questions at once, which shows that his composure is very good.At this time, he was standing, with the setting sun slanting in the west, on his left, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the right.He didn't say anything, but everyone around him buzzed in agreement. He pointed to the east, indicating to go back to Chang'an. They set out from Chang'an and headed west. Under the current situation, naturally they had to go back to Chang'an first.At this time, judging from everyone's expressions, they are still quite optimistic. Although they have lost everything, the old guide and Pei Siqing are still there. They are very experienced people in the desert, and they will definitely make breakthroughs amidst setbacks This can be seen from the way they look at Pei Siqing. Pei Siqing was not so optimistic. The reason why he felt that the situation of his group was very dangerous was not because of his experience of crossing the desert, but because he saw the fear that the old guide was trying to hide from the eyes of the old guide—— However, if he is trying to hide his fear, it means he feels real fear. Pei Siqing, who is a martial artist, naturally understands this very well.He has seen many martial arts figures who are eager to become famous come to challenge him, and when facing him, there is this kind of expression on his face. He likes to see this kind of expression very much, because he knows that no matter how strong the enemy's martial arts are, they can even beat him, but as long as this kind of expression is shown, as long as he expresses real fear in his heart, then, This person is doomed. Now, why is there such an expression in the eyes of the old guide?Did the old guide have a premonition, or did his experience tell him that something was wrong? He likes the old guide because the past two times, not without accidents, they almost fell into a manhole with floating sand, and they also experienced storms - naturally not as strong as this time, every time, the old guide shrugged easily , Then, he took off the sheepskin bag at his waist, drank a few sips of wine, as if nothing had happened, just like walking on the streets of Chang'an. But at this time, his movements were also a bit abnormal. When Pei Siqing watched him, he saw his hands trembling. Pei Siqing also saw that the sheepskin bag on the old guide's waist was still there. Shi Zheng untied it and pulled out the plug. This is the drinking action of the old guide that everyone in the camel team is used to, but the next thing the old guide does is a bit frustrating. The old guide removed the stopper and brought the mouth of the sheepskin bag closer to his mouth, but he didn't drink any alcohol. Suddenly, with a flip of his wrist, the spirits in the bag poured out and landed on the ground. On the sand, there was no trace at once. Then, the old guide raised his head, although his voice was hoarse, but on the surface, he looked very calm, and he said: "I don't know when we will find a source of water. If there is no water, drinking will burn people to death." His words made many people They all nodded vigorously. The words "I don't know when we can find the water source" are naturally extremely terrifying in the desert. But, at the time, it wasn't that scary. After the old guide finished speaking, he also pointed his hand to the east. He led one camel, Pei Siqing led another, and handed over the other two camels to two reliable people. Those who lead camels know that in today's situation Under the circumstances, it is not the people who lead the camels, but the camels who lead the people. When people look for water in the desert, they only know that there is water when they see oasis and water. A camel’s ability is much higher than that of a human. It will stop on a desert that looks the same as other places, and then plan with its hooves. , Dig out a hole, it seems that there is nothing special. However, this particular pit, after an hour or two, would be filled with water seeping out very slowly.Moreover, the water must be very clear, and it will never be salty or bitter. When four camels and about twenty people started to travel eastward, the wind was calm and the sand was calm on the desert, and the setting sun sank further west, making the shadows of the people and the camels extremely long. They all walked very slowly - walking on the soft sand, not only could they not walk fast, but every step they took was more strenuous.The old guide had already warned everyone before starting to walk: don't talk, so the procession was surprisingly quiet. Compared with the mighty and vigorous scene when they set off, it was almost day by day. Pei Siqing looked back, and what was in his mind Yes: This is the journey of death, and it seems that there is no other way to go but to die. So, he sneaked up to the old guide, lowered his voice very low, and asked, "Why are you afraid?" The old guide's body trembled. It seemed that he wanted to deny it, but he shook his head for a while, but he didn't move. After a while, he said, "Because I've never heard of such a violent storm." He hadn't even heard of it, and certainly hadn't experienced it.Pei Siqing raised his eyebrows, and the old guide said again: "There is such a storm in the desert. It must not be the first time we have encountered it. I have never heard of the reason for such a storm. It is because I have seen this kind of storm before." People are all dead, and no one will live to meet others and tell the horror of this storm." When he said this, Pei Siqing already understood what he meant: they would not be able to leave the desert alive, and they would not be able to tell others about their terrible experience. storm. Pei Siqing was silent for a moment: "We have no hope of escape?" The old guide shook his head very slowly, and said in a very slow voice: "Who knows? People's lives are not their own, and they are all in the hands of God." Pei Siqing didn't argue with the old guide, but he was obviously not convinced. He raised his thick eyebrows suddenly, with a heroic look, and he showed a formidable expression, and his hand spontaneously pressed down on the dagger at his waist. superior.At this moment, he looked up at the sky very naturally. The sunset glow all over the sky is changing from bright red to purple, and the weather is myriad. The sky stretches all the way until the end of the sky.Pei Siqing couldn't help being very discouraged: the sky is so big.No matter how proud he is, no matter how sharp his dagger is, how can he fight against the sky?Even if he can stab hundreds of times in the sky, what damage will the sky have? He quickly lowered his head, stopped looking up at the sky, lowered his head, and walked forward step by step. After it got dark, it started to get cold. All they had on their bodies were strips of cloth that had been torn apart by the strong wind. The fluttering strips of cloth certainly couldn’t resist any chill, so the old and the weak, Muscles began to appear on the skin, making the exposed body look extremely ugly.The deeper the night, the thicker the chill, and every gust of wind blowing up is like a sharp knife cutting the skin. If it is a well-fed and well-drinked body, it may be easy to resist such a chill. At worst, taking a few sips of strong wine can also make the body feel as warm as a fire. But now everyone is hungry and thirsty, how can they resist the ravages of the cold? The old guide came to Pei Siqing's side, his voice was too low to hear: "Take a breath." Pei Siqing nodded: "Okay, I'll leave before dawn tomorrow. It's neither cold nor hot in the morning, so it's best to hurry." So, the four camels fell down, and all the people squeezed their bodies, leaning on the camels as much as possible.In this way, there will be a little warmth that can at least sustain life. In such a situation, the importance of camels became apparent. A camel could at least provide warmth to at least six or seven people who leaned on it. Therefore, Pei Siqing didn't think of killing the camel until three days later. At that time, Already six or seven people, because of old, weak, hungry and thirsty, fell in the desert and never got up again. It was their first night in the desert after the big storm. Pei Siqing didn't sleep, but closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of "gulu" and "gulu" coming from the camel, listening to the sound coming from his stomach. The sound of "gulu", "gulu". He thought about Chang'an, about his wealth, about all the treasures in the treasure house in the mansion, about his children, and about Rou Niang. Rou Niang is his wife, but not the mother of his children—this is not a strange situation, and it is not surprising that Rou Niang is very young. She was only fifteen years old when he married her three years ago . Pei Siqing will never forget that night, when he moved the candle close to Rouniang, Rouniang's expression--a pair of big eyes looked at him full of remorse and doubt, a fifteen-year-old girl looked at a healthy, healthy girl in her prime. A majestic rich man, so her gaze is like a deer that has fallen into the hands of a hunter. Pei Siqing gently held her face in his hands, trying to comfort her, but he didn't say anything. He just patted her tender cheeks and told her: "Don't be afraid, every woman is like this." Yes, marrying me is already the best thing, you will gradually know." He didn't know if Rou Niang understood, he thought, she should understand.It's been three years, of course Rou Niang understands. He reached out and pressed the dagger at his waist again, and sighed secretly, that was another story, that story, even the forbidden zone in his heart, not only did he not let people ask, but he also didn't let himself think about it. At this time, he secretly made a decision, if there was really no way out and he had to die in the desert, then before he died, he must think about this matter again. Then, somehow getting over it, it was almost dawn. After going through day after day, night after night, people kept falling down. After three days and three nights, Pei Siqing finally killed the first camel, and told the living people in a voice that could not be hoarse: "Slow down, Swallow bit by bit." In the desert, there is no material for making fire, but the camel meat, which is old and tough, can still support human life. Another three days and three nights later, the second camel fell to the ground. When the third camel fell to the ground, Pei Siqing yelled, "Where is the water source? Where is the water source? Where are we?" While yelling, he grabbed the old guide's shoulder and shook it vigorously, making the bones of the old guide's whole body make a clear "cracking" sound.