"Tianmiao! Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me, for saving all of us, thank you!" Cheng Luo jumped up, vigorously waving at Tianmiao who was floating mid-air.
Tianmiao smiled faintly, waved back at Cheng Luo, and then vanished into thin air.
Cheng Luo wanted to say something else, but the next moment, the scenery changed suddenly, and she was no longer in the same place.
Opening her eyes again, Cheng Luo found herself riding a camel, at the campsite where they had spent their first night entering the desert.
Professor Wu and the others were all standing around her. Even the camels they initially brought into the desert were all present.
"Did we have a dream?" Cheng Luo dismounted the camel and murmured.
"No, it was not a dream!" Assistant Wang flipped open his sketchbook, excitedly saying, "Look at my drawings, they’re all here!"
"Not a dream, of course not a dream!" Professor Wu also said excitedly, "It’s all here, everything I’ve recorded is here!"
Cheng Luo also went through her backpack, and when she saw a toy that had decayed greatly, she was stunned.
This toy was given to her by a little child who had fallen when she dreamt of the Imperial City.
Clutching the toy, she could not tell for a moment if she had dreamed of the Imperial City or truly traveled back a thousand years to the Imperial City.
"But, where is Zhou Qiang, where is Zhou Qiang?" Professor Wu realized Zhou Qiang was not present and frowned, "Could Zhou Qiang’s plunge off the cliff not be an illusion?"
"This..." The emotions of everyone cooled instantly, and for a moment, everyone’s spirits sank.
They all set out together, but returned with one person missing.
"Also, what about the guide?" Professor Wu noticed Que Qiu was also gone.
"Que Qiu, I think Tianmiao will send him back. It’s just that his route is different from ours. As for why, Tianmiao probably has her own reasons." Cheng Luo answered.
For a moment, everyone’s feelings were mixed. They finally decided to camp here for the night and set off for the town the next day.
...
Cheng Luo rode on a camel, looking into the distance, suddenly excitedly said, "Look, ahead, the town is right ahead, we finally made it out!"
Everyone became excited and shouted joyfully, "We’re back, we’re back! We finally came back alive."
"But, Senior Zhou Qiang..." Cheng Luo’s voice suddenly dropped, "We have come back alive, but Senior has forever remained in this desert."
Everyone who was just excited suddenly felt their spirits cool down.
Yes, Zhou Qiang stayed behind in the vast desert, alone.
Lonely, solitary.
They couldn’t even bring back his remains.
Professor Wu sighed, unsure how to explain this to Zhou Qiang’s family.
The group’s spirits sank as they quietly made their way toward the town.
Just as they were about to reach the town, a figure quickly ran toward them.
"Professor, professor, Cheng Luo..." The figure came closer and waved excitedly at them.
Who could it be?
The group was puzzled; they didn’t know anyone else in the town.
As the person ran closer and they saw clearly who it was, everyone was stunned.
It was Zhou Qiang!
It was actually Zhou Qiang! The Zhou Qiang who had fallen in the Ancient Tomb in the desert!
"Senior, senior, is that you!?" Cheng Luo looked at the person in shock.
"Zhou Qiang? You’re, you’re not dead?" Professor Wu dismounted the camel, looking at the person with confusion.
"Are you a person or a ghost?" The other assistants dismounted their camels, asking in fear.