On the other side, Liu Meng was whispering something in Qi Yun's ear, when they saw Mamati quickly running over.

"Boss Qi, there's a discovery over there. We've dug up a box!" Mamati shouted loudly.

"Really, let's go and take a look," Qi Yun replied, and hurriedly walked towards the dune.

When they arrived, Ai Shan was standing beside the sandpit, with a complex expression.

Qi Yun glanced at him nonchalantly, then focused his eyes on the old wooden box in the pit.

The box contained a pile of shimmering jewelry, evidently valuable.

"Oh my God!"

Ah Li and Zhong Rui, behind him, couldn't help but exclaim at the sight.

Qi Yun crouched down, picked up a few pieces of jewelry to inspect them, then asked Liu Meng to go to the car to fetch a bag and pack them all up first.

Upon hearing this, Liu Meng quickly ran to the car, and soon returned with a canvas bag.

Once everything was packed, Qi Yun picked up a folding shovel and said, "Dig further down in this area, and be gentle with your movements."

After hearing the instructions, everyone resumed their work, moving carefully.

As time passed, the sun gradually set, and the areas beside the dune were filled with skeletons and old wooden boxes.

Apart from the initial box of jewels, two other boxes contained ivory, crystal stones, and plant powder that had long been weathered beyond recognition.

Although the harvest was considerable, these were not Qi Yun's main targets.

"There's another box here!" Zhong Rui exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, everyone halted their movements and quickly gathered around his location.

Qi Yun rushed over, and saw next to Zhong Rui, a partially buried box with one corner exposed, its material similar to the wooden boxes discovered earlier.

He crouched down and carefully cleared the sand around it, then cautiously opened the box.

Inside was a pale yellow, already tattered brocade fabric, wrapped around a rectangular object.

Qi Yun's breath caught; he sensed this might be the Qingnang Book he was searching for.

His hands trembled slightly, as he gently picked up the pale yellow brocade, which had weathered severely, seeming ready to crumble with any exertion.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and slowly unfolded the brocade.

Once the brocade was fully opened, a somewhat damaged ancient book appeared.

The book's cover was deep brown, with aged leather, devoid of writing or any other markings.

Qi Yun's heart pounded wildly; the object before him was likely the Qingnang Book that had vanished thousands of years ago!

He refrained from easily flipping the cover, fearing it would be damaged.

Instead, he asked Zhong Rui to return to the camp to fetch a piece of clothing from his suitcase, then gently wrapped the ancient book and handed it to Liu Meng for safekeeping.

After completing this task, his gaze returned to the wooden box, which contained another booklet with the words "Passage Document" written on it.

It seemed it was likely the passage documents for this caravan, functioning similarly to modern-day passports.

The booklet's pages were yellowed, appearing extremely fragile, ready to shatter at a touch, so he carefully wrapped it with clothing as well.

"Continue digging in this area, see if there's anything else beneath."

The group heard this and picked up folding shovels to disperse around, continuing the excavation in the surrounding area.

By nightfall, apart from some skeletons, no other discoveries were made.

Qi Yun instructed everyone to return to camp, while he stayed behind to bury the skeletons back in the pit.

Then he lit three cigarettes and inserted them into the dune, bowed, and whispered softly in his heart, "Sorry for the disturbance."

Returning to camp, the group lit a bonfire and sat around discussing the day's findings, their eyes full of excitement, except for Ai Shan, who appeared slightly troubled.

Qi Yun sat by the bonfire, took the hot water Mamati handed over, took a sip, and said, "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. I've decided to give each of you an extra five thousand yuan when we return!"

Upon hearing this, the group's faces lit up with joy, and they all thanked Qi Yun.

Zhong Rui immediately shouted, "Generous boss!"

Ah Li grinned broadly, showing a mouthful of large white teeth, nodding repeatedly, "Boss Qi, you're so generous! If you ever have work again, just call us!"

Only Ai Shan forced a smile, barely moved by the corners of his mouth, then lowered his head, staring at his toes with a wandering gaze.

Mamati noticed his companion's anomaly and changed the subject, asking Qi Yun, "Boss Qi, shall we head back tomorrow morning, is that alright?"

"Sure," Qi Yun nodded, "everyone rest well tonight, and once we're out, I'll treat everyone to a good time!"

"Alright!"

"Thank you, Boss Qi!"

"..."

After dinner, everyone returned to their tents to sleep. Liu Meng carried the valuable items in a bag with him, even when he went to the toilet.

The next day, at dawn, the convoy set off.

By afternoon, the last backup fuel tank was exhausted.

Qi Yun looked at Mamati and asked, "Is Beck coming to meet us?"

Mamati continued to refuel the tank and nodded, "Yes, I contacted him before we departed this morning, he's already on the road."

The convoy set off again and didn't reach the planned location until after eleven at night, with the fuel tank nearly empty.

Mamati opened the car door and frowned slightly.

Beck should've arrived earlier given his route was closer than theirs, but there was no sight of his vehicle at the scene.

Qi Yun also came outside the car, frowned at the desolate desert ahead, and asked, "Hasn't Beck arrived yet?"

Mamati looked serious, shook his head, "I haven't seen his car, he should've been here long ago, and the satellite phone can't reach him."

Qi Yun felt a sinking feeling in his heart; in this uninhabited desert, anything could happen.

Beck's continued absence added a shadow to the already weary group.

"Let's set up camp and rest, I'll try to contact him later," Mamati suggested.

There was no other choice, so everyone nodded and began setting up tents and lighting fires.

Dinner was simply some instant noodles, and after eating, everyone crawled into tents to rest, except for Qi Yun and Mamati, who stayed by the bonfire.

Qi Yun added wood to the fire and asked, "Still can't reach him?"

Mamati sighed, picked up the satellite phone to try again, but heard only the cold busy tone.

He shook his head helplessly, "Still can't reach him."

Qi Yun stared at the pitch-black desert, his brow tightly furrowed, feeling the wind and sand swirl painfully against his face.

"Could something have happened on the road? Perhaps the car got stuck in a sand pit, or had a breakdown?"

Mamati nodded in response, "It's possible, let's wait another night, if we still can't reach Beck tomorrow, I'll find someone else to come to us."

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