Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 124 Always Collecting Debts

Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Always Collecting Debts

The intense heat was testing everyone’s will. Everyone was struggling under the relentless sun, and some even felt heatstroke setting in. Everyone had underestimated the harshness of the desert.

Lu Yi complained, sticking out her tongue, "I know this is a desert, but can’t the heavens be a little kind, perhaps send down some rain?"

Everyone shared the same sentiment. If a downpour were to happen, the desert would be like paradise. But rainfall in the desert was rare. Ouyang Jin, who had only experienced it a few times, discouragingly urged Lu Yi to give up such unrealistic dreams. This infuriated Lu Yi to the point of almost kicking Ouyang Jin off his camel, thinking he was a guide who lacked any ability to boost morale.

A day had passed since they left the ruined city, Gu Fan felt they had traveled a great distance. He asked Ouyang Jin how much longer it would take to reach the capital of Qianye Country.

Ouyang Jin confidently replied, "If all goes well, we should reach there by tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, Professor Luo was enthralled. This was the dream he had pursued all his life. If he really could find the capital of Qianye Country, he would have no regrets in his life.

However, Ouyang Jin injected a dose of realism, "Professor Luo, I know you sincerely want to find the capital of Qianye Country. But just like that ruined city, the capital of Qianye Country might also be buried beneath the desert sands. We can’t possibly excavate it with only this shovel."

Indeed, this was a serious concern. Professor Luo had to consider it, then he smiled and said, "If the heavens allowed us to accidentally discover that ruined city, it must be helping us. So, let’s keep moving forward. We can cross the bridge when we get there."

Gu Fan was slightly taken aback by this optimistic view. He saw Professor Luo holding his tired body up and moving forward, and Gu Fan began to realize that perhaps only such optimism could sustain him towards his lifelong goal--especially when he was so close to it that the prospect of returning empty-handed would be unbearable.

Just as Gu Fan was admiring Professor Luo, Lu Yi suddenly yelled out, "Look, everyone, look!"

"What, what, is it the ancient Qianye Country?" Everyone was jolted awake, following Lu Yi’s pointed direction, they saw mountains appearing in the sky, surrounded by a patch of greenery, with a variety of animals moving about.

At first, everyone was perplexed. Why were there mountains in the sky and animals on them? Very soon, they understood from Ouyang Jin’s explanation -- it was a mirage.

Jie couldn’t help but exclaim, "I didn’t expect us to witness a mirage. This trip is truly worth it."

Everyone agreed with Jie, especially Gu Fan who was most fascinated. He asked Ouyang Jin, "Brother, you have traveled to so many places, do you know where it is?"

Ouyang Jin shook his head to indicate that he had never seen such a scene. There were mountains, plants, and animals, surrounded by desert. Could it be another oasis?

Gu Fan didn’t allow a mere mirage to consume his thoughts. The heat of the sun, causing him to sweat profusely, didn’t allow him to focus. He only hoped to reach their destination quickly.

After a day’s journey, the sky darkened. Everyone dismounted their camels and started to set up their tents.

Just as Lu Yi was jumping off her camel, she suddenly sank into the ground. She was immediately flustered, shouting for help.

"Not good!" Gu Fan, who was nearest, acted quickly, grabbing Lu Yi who was still sinking. She was heavier than he had thought, so she continued to sink despite his grip.

At this moment, Jie and Xu Haowen came over. Together they helped Gu Fan pull Lu Yi out of the sand, which required a great deal of effort.

"Saved!" Lu Yi lay on the ground, panting heavily. She thought she was about to fall into an abyss and felt lucky to have survived.

"What happened?" Su Hui approached, puzzled. The place where Lu Yi had sunk seemed strange. She sank very quickly initially, as if the sand below was empty and provided no resistance. If Lu Yi had not managed to grasp the edge, she might have vanished straight down.

Su Hui brought a shovel and started to dig. It’s true. The shovel sunk deep into the sand with one motion, proving Su Hui’s suspicion. The ground beneath was hollow.

Soon after, Su Hui had finished digging and found a well surrounded by some damaged wooden planks, which Lu Yi had stepped on and broken.

Everyone cooperatively cleared out the planks and investigated further. They found a dried-up well, puzzled as to why it would be located out here.

Regarding this, Professor Luo started explaining, "When people dig wells, they generally search for groundwater. Clearly, this region must have an abundance of it, which is why someone dug this well."

Hearing the words "underground water," Gu Fan perked up, then quickly asked, "Professor Luo, are you saying that the oasis we encountered earlier was because of underground water?"

Professor Luo nodded, "Exactly, it was due to the underground water."

Afterward, Gu Fan promptly unfolded the ancient map. He had always wondered why the capital of Qianye Country was built far from two water sources—the lake in the east and the river in the west.

He had once speculated that there could be underground water beneath the city of Qianye Country. Observing the well now, it seemed his guess was close to the truth. If this well was used to extract underground water for Qianye City, could it mean they had already arrived?

Gu Fan’s assumption seemed logical, but Ouyang Jin shook his head. According to the map—and assuming it was authentic—they should reach their destination by the following day, given their current pace.

While the group trusted Ouyang Jin’s professional opinion, they couldn’t afford to overlook any potential clues. Therefore, using the well as their focal point, they began to dig with their shovels, hoping to unearth something else.

After a long stretch of digging, all they found was more and more sand. It appeared to be merely a random well dug by the side of the road. Professor Luo supposed that it was intended as an additional water source on the journey.

Regardless, after a full day’s travel, followed by hours of digging, everyone was exhausted. They all retreated to their tents for some much-needed rest.

The setup was as before—Gu Fan, Du Jun, Xu Haowen took the first half of the night watch. They kept an eye on their surroundings while quietly chatting.

Gu Fan first asked Ouyang Jin to mark their approximate current location on the map—that is, where the well was located. They couldn’t afford to overlook any discoveries.

Then, he asked Ouyang Jin about the underground river. He learned that there might not just be one underground river beneath the desert, and their current position was likely to the south of the ancient Qian Ye city.

An underground river likely lurked beneath the oasis, but as the oasis was to the east of Qianye City, the underground river likely flowed from east to west, passing through the ancient Qian Ye city. Therefore, the well should have been on the east, not the south.

Having heard this, Gu Fan swiftly sketched on his notebook. There was a river to the south, along with a well. Could there be a correlation?

There was a lake in the east of Qianye City, which indicated the presence of an underground river. Meanwhile, the discovery of a river and a well in the south suggested that someone had searched for an underground river there. Gu Fan postulated that an underground river flowed from the east to Qianye City, and another one from the south to the city. This meant that two underground rivers were converging beneath Qianye City, providing an abundant water source.

Ouyang Jin thought Gu Fan’s hypothesis was plausible and admired his imaginative mind.

"Perhaps there’s another way to find Qianye City." Gu Fan pondered. In his contemplation, it was time to switch shifts. With that, he stopped thinking and quickly returned to the tent to wake up Lu Yi for the shift change.

"Oh God, can’t you be a bit flexible? Can’t you let me sleep a little longer?" Lu Yi complained as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. He admitted to being slightly envious of how the women always seemed to receive preferential treatment, wherever they were.

"Well, in that case, you should reincarnate as a woman in your next life." Gu Fan jested, urging Lu Yi out of the tent. Left alone, he quickly fell asleep due to exhaustion.

After about two hours, Gu Fan was awakened by loud arguing. The first voice he heard was Lu Yi’s: "Babe, you owe me two hundred yuan. With the accumulated interest, it’s quite a bit already. After rounding off the decimal points and fractions, and then giving you a 10% discount, you now owe me three hundred yuan. Considering how generous I’ve been, why don’t you just pay me back right now?"

Then came Lin Xi’s reply: "Why should I? Do you have an IOU? You didn’t mention any interest when you first lent me the money. I used your money for the group’s benefit, to accrue karma and ensure our safe journey. So, if you want your money back, you should be asking everyone."

Lu Yi immediately objected: "That’s not fair. You used my money for the group without asking everyone’s permission beforehand."

"Well, I’m asking now. Those against it, raise your hand. There we go, unanimous! I don’t have to pay you back." After hearing Lin Xi’s reply, Lu Yi let out a frustrated howl, showing no consideration for those who were sleeping.

Truthfully, Lu Yi had been trying to collect his debt for the past few days, but Lin Xi had refused to pay. His attempts to recover his money served as somewhat of a running joke, injecting some light-heartedness into the serious business of their journey.

As Lu Yi was about to continue his relentless pursuit of his debt, Su Hui interjected: "Whoever interrupts my sleep again is asking for trouble! Aren’t you aware we have to set off again tomorrow?"

Intimidated by Su Hui’s assertiveness, Lu Yi decided to button up, although he was still secretly upset.