Chapter 40: Ghost Swimming in the Sand
Chun Tian followed Kouyan Ying through the pack animals, brushing sand from the backs of the burdened horses. The sky in the sandstorm was as dim as night, and just a step away, she could no longer more than a hand’s distance from her face. Through the swirling haze, she caught sight of Li Wei and Grandpa Kouyan standing together, speaking in low tones as they watched the drifting curtain of sand. Not far from them, several Hu merchants were busy tallying their packs. Some stood with arms crossed, muttering hurriedly in their native tongue.
Chun Tian didn’t understand the Hu language, but seeing the tension in their expressions, she asked Kouyan Ying, “Are they arguing?”
Kouyan Ying cast a cursory glance and shrugged nonchalantly. “A couple of their packs got blown away by the sandstorm. Those bundles were worth quite a bit, they’re heartbroken over the loss.”
A sharp gust of wind sent grit flying into Chun Tian’s eyes, itching unbearably. She winced and could not help reaching up to rub them. “Who knows how long this sand rain will last.”
“Sandstorms are strange like that,” Kouyan Ying replied. “Sometimes they stop suddenly. Other times they drag on for three or five days. What we’re seeing now isn’t even the worst. My grandfather once said there are times when a freak gust will whip up from the sands and fling a person or animal into the air. There are often black sandstorms in the Moheyan Desert, but as long as we don’t stray into alkali flats, we’ll be alright.”
He was speaking quite earnestly, but then his gaze flicked to the side and his voice dropped. “Those two, Huang Sanding and Guo Pan, they’ve been hanging around the caravan being overly helpful. They look a bit too eager, don’t they?”
Chun Tian followed his gaze. Huang Sanding and Guo Pan had just emerged from behind a tall ridge of stone. Seeing the others busy, they came forward to assist with tending to the pack animals.
She knew that Li Wei was usually courteous to others, but he had hardly spoken to these two men over the past few days. Chun Tian herself wasn’t especially sociable, and with the need to maintain proper distance between man and woman, she had exchanged no words with the two. Kouyan Ying’s remark now made her pause. “They seem rather pleasant looking though,” she said.
Despite his somewhat disheveled appearance, Guo Pan carried himself with a gentle refinement. His features were delicate, and his manner mild. Now, approaching them with a smile, he said, “This Moheyan Desert is quite something. These two friends must’ve been startled earlier.”
He drew a bit closer to Chun Tian, and she caught the scent of sandalwood mingled with dust. She nodded faintly and quietly took a few small steps back.
Kouyan Ying, his bright blue eyes staring at Guo Pan, grinned. “I was nearly buried alive in the sand, but Uncle Guo still looks perfectly composed.”
Guo Pan laughed easily and chatted with Kouyan Ying a while longer.
Just as Chun Tian was about to step away, Guo Pan finished speaking and turned toward her, gently taking the reins of her horse. “The young lady doesn’t seem to talk much.”
Chun Tian feigned a shy smile, nodding slightly. Guo Pan brushed the sand from his sleeve and smiled with gentle warmth. “The Young Lady doesn’t seem to be from Hexi. Your surname is rather uncommon too, are you from farther east?”
Chun Tian nodded. “I am.”
Guo Pan looked surprised. “Yesterday I was speaking with Li-xiong. He’s young, but his knowledge is vast. There’s not a place in the Western Regions and its twelve cities he doesn’t seem to know. I admire him greatly. In a few days, we’ll reach Yiwu. It’ll be the Buddha’s birthday then, and the city will be holding a temple fair with processions through the streets. You two must come with us, to drink a little wine and watch the Hu’s whirling dance. Has the Young Lady seen one before?”
Not quite sure how to reply after hearing him mention Li Wei, Chun Tian hesitated, then said, “I saw a few performances when I was little, I barely remember them.”
She had no wish to linger, nor to speak too long with a grown man. Quickly she found an excuse and slipped away in haste.
Guo Pan watched the girl’s retreating figure and smiled, shaking his head.
Chun Tian was just looking for a place to sit when she saw Li Wei approaching. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. Seeing only her eyes exposed from beneath the layers of cloth, Li Wei said, “Go rest. This sandstorm won’t be stopping anytime soon. We can’t travel tonight, just stay close and don’t wander.”
She nodded, just settling onto a felt mat when the cries of livestock broke out behind her. The Hu merchants were speaking rapidly as they moved among the pack animals.
“What are they saying?” she asked.
Li Wei sat beside her and took a sip of water. “They’re clearing the sand from the horseshoes. We’ve passed through a lot of alkali flats these past few days. With all that weight on their backs, it’s easy for poisoned sand to get lodged in their hooves. If it’s not cleaned out in time, the animals won’t survive the journey.”
Chun Tian gave a small nod and fell silent for a while, listening. Then she murmured, “Their tea smells so good. Where is it from? Tea from Jiangnan is delicate and light, while those from Sichuan often have cypress or ginger mixed in….Could this be from somewhere further south like in Guangdong or Guangxi?”
Li Wei gave a quiet chuckle, his dark eyes lighting up. “You remembered something?”
“It reminds me of that caravan I followed in Red Ravine Valley. Their packs had the same sweet, fragrant smell, with a faint bitter note beneath.”
Li Wei shook his head, then pulled a feathered arrow from his quiver. With its tip, he began to trace characters in the sand.
Two characters, etched by the sharp arrowhead, emerged clearly on the soft earth. She looked at it carefully.
大黄 (Dàhuáng)
“Rhubarb root?”
“This caravan also slipped out of Hexi in secret. To avoid the patrols at the Ten Beacons, they chose this risky route. Otherwise, they’d never have hired a Kouyan guide,” he said, voice so low it nearly vanished into the rain of sand. Chun Tian couldn’t read his expression clearly, but his tone was quiet. “In recent years, to tighten control over the Western Territories and resist the Turks, the court has forbidden the private trade of rhubarb. Up north, it sells for a tael of gold per ounce, it’s incredibly precious. Where there’s profit, there are always men willing to take risks. The caravan you met in Red Ravine Valley was likely smuggling rhubarb too, and someone else seized their chance and took it by force.”
Chun Tian recalled the events and felt a chill creep through her limbs. “Then…” she asked, rubbing her cheek in distress, “What should we do?”
“Just pretend we don’t know,” Li Wei sighed. “It’s nothing more than a chance encounter, we’re not in a place to interfere. And after all, rhubarb is medicine. Who knows how many herders’ lives it might save?”
Elsewhere in the caravan, Huang Sanding had found Guo Pan among the pack animals. After a few quiet words, the two began inspecting their packs. They soon realized their water was nearly gone, not enough for another full day’s travel. Exchanging a helpless glance, Guo Pan pressed his lips into a thin line, then gestured behind him, instructing Huang San Ding, “Try asking them again for water. We must make it to Wild Horse Spring.”
“Understood.” Huang Sanding made his way among the Hu merchants, smiling slowly as he spoke. “Brothers, my companion and I are running low on water. Would any of you be willing to spare half a skin?”
The merchants exchanged glances, then shook their heads with faint apology. “Huang-xiong, forgive us, we’re nearly out ourselves. But once we reach Wild Horse Spring, there’ll be a fresh supply.”
Huang Sanding bowed respectfully. “Thank you all. One of our skins was torn in the chaos, please, if any of you could spare even a little, we would be most grateful.”
As he spoke, he slowly revealed a small handful of sese pearls.
The sandstorm had raged the entire day, the fine grit scouring every face raw and red, leaving all exhausted. By evening, the wind finally died down a little. But as night fell, the cold wind rose again, scouring the land with dry sand. Overhead, the sky turned a strange violet-grey, moon and stars nowhere to be seen.
The camels lay quietly on the ground, while the mules, less tolerant of wind and sand, let out occasional uneasy cries. In the dim light, the desert lay cloaked in a pale haze, thick enough to blot out one’s own hand. The Hu merchants dared not press forward, and had no choice but to make camp.
Chun Tian curled beneath a felt blanket, listening to the wind clawing at the stone walls. Suddenly, before her eyes, she saw dim green lights, like ghostly eyes watching in the dark, silently observing the strangers who had trespassed into their domain.
“Make way, make way–” came indistinct, broken whispers, as though rising from beneath the earth. A moment later, a strange clack-clack-clack, like wooden clogs striking stone, echoed through the gorge.
“What is that sound? It’s so strange,” someone whispered.
“They’re walking,” said Old Kouyan quietly, his eyes shut.
“Who are they?”
It was Kouyan Ying’s voice, light with amusement. “Why, the desert ghosts, of course.”
A chill swept down Chun Tian’s back. Her scalp tingled. She turned quickly and silently mouthed, “Li Wei.”
Li Wei shifted closer, sensing her trembling with fear. He pulled his blanket over her shoulders and drew near. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just foxfire1 and the wind.”
She nodded and burrowed beneath the blanket, curling up beside him. Outside, the wind keened like drawn strings stretched to their breaking point, or swelling like thunder rolling through the desert.
Seeing her sleep fitful and uneasy, Li Wei reached through the layers of blankets and gently patted her shoulder until her breathing steadied into sleep.
The sandstorm lasted a full day and night. The following morning, the sky stretched high and clear, windless and still. The heavens were a deep blue, the rising sun fierce and bright, not a cloud in the sky. Beneath its light, the golden dunes glittered peacefully and tranquilly, as if nothing had ever disturbed them.
Chun Tian had stirred several times in the night, half-awake, as though hearing distant sounds. But the sleep had been steady enough. When she finally emerged from the blankets, Li Wei was gone. Looking around, she saw everyone gathered in silence, their faces unreadable, their expressions heavy.
She stepped forward, but Li Wei quickly intercepted her. His face was grim. “Don’t go over there.”
She glimpsed a pair of black boots lying in the sand. Confused, she asked, “What’s going on?”
Huang Sanding was dead.
His face was dark and blue, lips cracked, no wounds, no blood. But his body was stiff, his posture contorted, drag marks visible at his feet, as though someone had pulled him inward, while he struggled to crawl the other way.
Chun Tian stared, stunned. “ Dead?”
Kouyan Ying exhaled. “You think the desert ghosts took him?”
“Likely,” someone murmured. “The sand spirits were out last night, Huang-xiong must’ve crossed their path.”
Last night, the storm had been so loud and chaotic that no one noticed anything amiss. This morning, a Hu merchant stumbled upon the body while relieving himself and screamed in shock.
Guo Pan, realizing Huang Sanding was missing, came running to check. Seeing Huang Sanding was lying stiffly on the sand, it seemed he had passed away a while ago and collapsed in grief beside his companion.
“Huang-xiong, Huang-xiong, we walked this far together. From Jinzhong all the way to here, through life and death, you always looked out for me, how could you leave like this…”
“There’ve been tales,” someone muttered. “Perfectly fine people waking in the night, walking right out into the sand, collapsing miles away. They say it’s the desert spirits calling them, dragging the living to their demise.”
The group offered him what respect they could. With no firewood, they hastily dug a shallow grave and buried him under sand and stone.
Li Wei had kept Chun Tian from approaching, he feared she’d be frightened. She was unsettled, while Kouyan Ying continued his chatter, bouncing from thought to thought.
Seeing the tension in her furrowed brow and pale lips, he tilted his head and smiled. “Scared of the dead?”
She had once seen the Yellow River rise in a silent whirlpool, dragging beasts and men alike to the depths before they could cry out. The locals had called it the work of river ghosts. She had also lived through the slaughter of a caravan by Turkic raiders. But still, she was a girl raised in a sheltered life. So she countered, “Aren’t you scared?”
He touched the corner of his lips where a grin lingered. “Once you’ve killed someone yourself, it’s hard to be scared anymore.”
After the storm, the desert was eerily quiet, almost dazzling in its beauty, heatwaves shimmered, blurring the golden dunes like melting glass.
But the sandstorm had cost the caravan two days. By now, they should have reached Wild Horse Spring.
The Hu merchants had traded half a skin of water to Huang Sanding just yesterday. Their own rations were now dangerously low, barely enough for another day or two. Chun Tian’s water pouch was also nearly empty. Li Wei quietly swapped his own for hers.
With the storm, the death, and the fatigue, the caravan felt worn down to the bone. Everyone bore a shadow across their hearts. Ahead still lay two or three more days across the saline flats.
Footnotes:
- Foxfire: is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood, often mistaken for as a supernatural occurrence ↩︎
TN: Hi everyone!! Hope everyone is well and that spring is treating you all well ❤
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