Chapter 25: Mirage {Sandhart)

Chapter 25: Mirage {Sandhart)

Jiang Lei suddenly opened his eyes, but the dazzling sunlight instantly made him close his eyes subconsciously. When he opened his eyes again, the scene in front of him made him dazed.

He looked around, and as far as he could see, there were only rolling sand dunes, shining with dazzling golden light under the scorching sun. There were no trees, no rocks, no trace of life, only the wind blowing up the yellow sand and swirling in the air.

At this moment, it seemed as if he was the only one left in the world.

The scorching sun was baking the earth mercilessly, and the scorching heat waves penetrated his clothes and burned his skin.

The blazing light stung Jiang Lei's eyes. He raised his hand to block it, but wherever he looked, it was still the monotonous yellow and blue. Yellow sand, blue sky, nothing else

What's going on...why am I here?

His throat was dry and hoarse, and his eyes were painful from the dust.

Jiang Lei subconsciously tried to recall, but suddenly found his mind was blank. Not only the process of coming here, but also who he was and where he came from, all the memories seemed to be erased.

Confusion and bewilderment shrouded Jiang Lei's heart. He stared blankly at the golden desert, blinked, andtried hard to recall how he got here, but he couldn't remember.

"What on earth is this..."

Jiang Lei stood up suddenly, but felt dizzy because he was too hasty. He staggered a few steps before he could barely stand still, and a layer of fine beads of sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.

The sun was blazing, and the dry, hot air almost dried people out. Jiang Lei looked around, and all he could see was an endless desert, with not even a trace of life to be seen.

Jiang Lei frowned and muttered to himself: "What kind of place is this? Why am I here?"

A series of questions swirled in Jiang Lei's mind, but he could no longer find any trace of memory. Everything in the past seemed to be buried by the rolling yellow sand, and could no longer be found.

This strange situation made him feel extremely panicked. He hugged his head tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Who am I... why am I here..."

Panic and confusion swept over Jiang Lei, who looked around, the only thing he could see was sand, sand, and more sand.

He had no idea how in the world did he end up here nor he now know which direction to go. How long he could hold out in this harsh environment?

After searching like this for a while, he sat down, hopelessly looking at the yellow sand around him, feeling completely lost. A feeling of despair and loneliness came over him.

"How did I get here?" Jiang Lei muttered to himself, his mind was blank. He tried his best to recall, but could not find any clues about his identity and origins. His memory seemed to be evaporated by the scorching sun, disappearing without a trace.

He wondered if he was dreaming, or if he was dead and in hell. But even the hell should not be so barren and lonely, right?

But no matter which case, the feeling of losing all his memories and being trapped alone in this desolate desert almost made him collapse.

" This can't go on like this. If I keep waiting here for someone, I'm afraid no one will come and I will be dead if I am not by now." Jiang Lei made up his mind standing up with difficulty, "I will have to leave here and try to find someone who can help me."

After he sorted out his thoughts, he began to walk aimlessly in the endless desert regardless of anything.

Jiang Lei's steps were weak, he didn't know how long he had walked, nor where he was going. The feeling of dry mouth and tongue became stronger and stronger, and Jiang Lei's steps became weaker and weaker. He knew that if he couldn't find water, he might really die in this desert.

Just when he was about to despair and wanted to lie down and wait for death, a small shadow suddenly appeared on the distant horizon!

He could vaguely see the figure of a man in the distance. He was leading a camel, looming in the distortion of the hot air, like a mirage.

Jiang Lei was stunned. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, fearing that this was an illusion caused by dehydration. But the figure not only did not disappear, but became clearer and clearer.

The man was wearing a sandy robe and a white headscarf, and was walking slowly towards him, holding the bridle of the camel in one hand. He was a middle-aged man in a sand-colored robe, with a red belt inlaid with pearls tied around his waist and a sunshade turban on his head. His attire showed that he was a resident of this desert, and his every move revealed his familiarity with this desert.

When the man finally saw Jiang Lei's face clearly, he was shocked and an expression of incredible surprise instantly appeared on his face. His face lit up with joy and he quickly hastened his pace to meet him.

"Master! You are still alive!" The man knelt down in front of Jiang Lei, shaking with excitement,, "God has eyes, and finally let me find you!"

Jiang Lei was completely dumbfounded. This man, whom he had never met before, actually called him "Master!" What on earth was going on?

"You...you know me?" For a moment, Jiang Lei was stunned and subconsciously took a step back, he looked at the man in front of him in disbelief and asked stutteringly.

""Master, You...you really don't remember?" I am Huang Wei and you are our Master!" Huang Wei's face became even more painful when he heard this

"Master? Me?" Jiang Lei couldn't believe his ears. He shook his head vigorously, "But I don't remember anything, how could I...."

Huang Wei raised his head, his eyes full of awe and sadness, "It's all my fault for being incompetent. If I hadn't asked you to chase the escaped bandit alone that day, I wouldn't have..."

"Bandits?" Jiang Lei's eyes narrowed. "You said I disappeared while chasing bandits?"

"Yes." Huang Wei nodded, and then seemed to realize something, and quickly explained: "Master, why don't you let me take you back to the village. I can tell you everything slowly on the way. The weather here is hot, and you have been wandering in this desert for who knows how long..."

Jiang Lei was about to speak when he suddenly felt dizzy. He staggered and realized that his throat was dry and painful, and his lips were cracked due to dehydration.

"Master... Master!" Huang Wei hurried forward to support the staggering Jiang Lei, his eyes full of distress, "You have been walking under the scorching sun for who knows how long, you must be thirsty."

As he spoke, he hurriedly took a brown water bag from the camel's back. The water bag was not big, but it gave off a hint of cold air, and it was obviously a treasure specially used to store clean water in the desert.

"Master, drink some water quickly." Huang Wei handed the water pot to Jiang Lei, his voice choking with sobs, "It's my fault for not thinking carefully. I should have given you water right away..."

Jiang Lei took the water pot and felt the coolness in his palm. The pot was pure white like jade and even in this burning fire temprature, the surface of the pot felt cold to touch. He couldn't wait any longer to drink it up and he poured down the water in his mouth. The cold water went down his throat, moistening his dry body like nectar.

After drinking half a pot of water in one breath, Jiang Lei finally let out a sigh of relief, and his whole spirit was lifted. He wiped the corner of his mouth and returned the water bag to Huang Wei: "Thank you."

"Master, it's too polite to say that." Huang Wei shook his head quickly, and then seemed to remember something, with a look of pain on his face: "It's all my fault for being incompetent. If I hadn't asked you to chase the escaped bandit alone that day..."

Jiang Lei felt mixed emotions. Although he still had no impression of this person, he had no choice but to trust this stranger.

"Okay, I will come with you, you lead the way." Jiang Lei's voice was very soft, but steady. Since God had let Huang Wei appear in front of him, it might be fate's arrangement. Instead of waiting to die in this desolate desert, it would be better to follow this man back, maybe he could find some clues or regain his lost memories.

Huang Wei was immediately overjoyed and hurriedly brought the camel and helped Jiang Lei ride on it.

Huang Wei's face suddenly showed joy. He led the camel over, respectfully helped Jiang Lei onto it, and then turned over and sat in front. As the camel started to move, he began to tell the story.

"Master, you are not actually from our Sand Heart Tribe. Two years ago, our elders found you in the desert, seriously injured and unconscious. At that time, you were just like you are now, with no memory of the past..."

Jiang Lei listened quietly, but his heart was filled with ripples. It turned out that he had lost his memory once before? Now, was it the second time he had lost his memory?

"Later, you recovered from your injuries in our tribe. You stayed here to thank us for saving your life." Huang Wei's voice was filled with deep respect. "In the past two years, you have resolved countless crises for our tribe and even risked your life to protect our people. In our hearts, you have long been like a god..."

Jiang Lei was silent, his mood fluctuating. Was he really the so called master of these people? And if he really was, then what could have probably happened that he has fallen to this state where memory was erased and thrown in the blazing desert to die?

""Can you tell me more about your village? Jiang Lei sighed at his condition and continued to investigate, probably he could recall some of his memory through this.

Huang Wei looked back to glance at Jiang Lei and then continued, "Our village is called Sandheart and we are all members of Sandheart tribe. We have lived in this desert for generations. Master's name is Li Wei. You had no memory before and our old man gave you this name."

At this moment, the outline of a building appeared on the distant horizon.

"We're here. That's our Sandheart Village." Huang Wei pointed to the village in the distance, with a hint of pride in his voice, "Although it's not as good as a big city, everyone here treats you as their closest relative..."

As the distance shortened, Jiang Lei was surprised to find that it was actually a settlement consisting of many large and small buildings made of mud and rocks. Although it was simple, it gave people a sense of stability and peace.

"It's the master who has returned!" "It's really the master!" "Thank God for your blessing..."

Waves of shouts came from far away and swept in like a tide. The crowd burst into cheers, countless arms waved to the sky, and countless smiling faces blossomed with excitement and ecstasy.

Jiang Lei sat on the camel's back in a daze, dumbfounded, not knowing how to react. He was not expecting such a crazy scene, nor had he ever thought that he would receive such an exaggerated welcome.

Men and women, young and old, all ran towards Jiang Lei, their faces filled with ecstasy and excitement.

People had gathered around, scrambling to past each other and reach him with excited and happy expression.

"Master, if you return safely, we will ask for nothing more."

"These days, I can't sleep at night, I can't taste my food, and your image is all in my mind."

"Please, don't leave again. Without you, we are like lost lambs..."

For a moment, cheers and sobs intertwined. Countless hands wanted to touch Jiang Lei, but were afraid to disturb him. Facing this scene, Jiang Lei felt his scalp tingling.

Huang Wei stopped the approaching Villagers with a smile and said, " See, I told you all that I will bring back our lord. He was lost in the desert while pursuing that bandit leader and is exhausted. So, don't bother him much. Go away, go away". He waved his hand protecting Jiang Lei behind him.

The villagers respectfully understood Huang Wei's words. At this time, middle-aged man with a burly figure and a calm face walked out of the crowd. Although he was dressed simply, his gestures revealed an indescribable majesty.

"Elder Wei Xiang." Huang Wei quickly saluted the man, then turned to Jiang Lei and explained, "Master, this is the elder of our tribe, Wei Xiang."

Wei Xiang looked at Jiang Lei carefully, his eyes showing both joy and a hint of worry: "Master, where have you..."

"Great Elder." Huang Wei whispered, "The master...seems to have lost all his memories."

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of exclamations from the surroundings. Wei Xiang's brows furrowed deeply, but he quickly regained his composure and turned to a sturdy young man beside him and said, "Zhang Hao, take the master to rest. The master must be exhausted after wandering in the desert under the scorching sun for these days."

The young man named Zhang Hao responded immediately. From his rough hands and strong arms, it can be seen that he is a man who has been working hard for many years.

"Master." Huang Wei looked at Jiang Lei with a gentle smile on his face. "Zhang Hao is the most capable young man in our tribe. You can go with him to rest. I will report your return to the elders of the tribe."

Jiang Lei nodded and was about to follow Zhang Hao to leave when he suddenly felt something strange in the eyes of the villagers around him. The feeling was very faint, but it made him feel a little uneasy.

Especially the look in Wei Xiang's eyes when he looked at him. Under that joy and worry, there seemed to be something else hidden.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Hao asked cautiously when he saw Jiang Lei standing still.

Jiang Lei shook his head: "Nothing."

He followed Zhang Hao into the depths of the village, but was thinking secretly in his heart. These villagers were indeed very respectful to him, but it always gave him an indescribable sense of weirdness. It was as if... they were expecting something