Young Master Liu drew a sharp breath, thinking that this Kelama was truly a massive fan of Hu Da; he actually dared to bring up a baseless legend to save everyone. Thinking of this, Young Master Liu smiled and shook his head.

Young Master Liu pondered for a moment, and a flash of inspiration struck him: the 'Touch' exists in this world, that much is true. This old man Kelama also claims the origin of the 'Touch' is Hu Da. Could it be, could it be that Zhang Jiao of the Taiping sect is the true god they worship? Even if not, Zhang Jiao and Hu Da must be related somehow. If Hu Da originates from the desert, perhaps the reason these bugs fear his blood is because he cultivated Zhang Jiao's Scripture of Supreme Peace and Pure Doctrine?

"Where is the origin of Hu Da?" Young Master Liu asked Kelama with great urgency.

Kelama replied, "Of course, Hu Da, being a god, must originate from Kunlun Mountains. However, the very earliest origin should be deep within the Taklamakan Desert."

Hearing Kelama say this, Young Master Liu felt he understood much more. In their local legends, the 'Touch' was created by the Hu Da they worship, while in the mainland, it was Zhang Jiao. There must be some connection between the two. Since Hu Da originated in the heart of the desert, perhaps the Golden Ancient City is home to Hu Da’s descendants, or maybe Zhang Jiao himself hailed from the Golden Ancient City. It seemed the clues regarding the break point at Bodhisattva Mountain five years ago might be discoverable in the Golden Ancient City.

Was this all the arrangement of Heaven's will? From the very beginning, Young Master Liu was destined to go to the Golden Ancient City. Thinking this, Young Master Liu felt both startled and overjoyed. Does such a thing as destiny truly exist in this world?

Through his recent deductions, Young Master Liu began to look forward to the ancient city, wishing he could rush there immediately. Young Master Liu glanced behind him at the sleeping bags; everyone else was sound asleep, so he dismissed the thought.

For the rest of the time, Young Master Liu asked Old Man Kelama some things about the ancient city. Old Man Kelama said he had never been there and didn't know the general situation, only that the ancient city was the oldest discovered in Xinjiang to date, dating back to the Han Dynasty, roughly.

Before coming to the desert, Young Master Liu had roughly looked up data on the ancient city, but he hadn't studied the exact era in detail. Wang Zhicai and Wang Feifei hadn't mentioned it either. Only now, hearing Kelama, did he learn that the Golden Ancient City was first established during the Han Dynasty.

"Han Dynasty?!" Young Master Liu started internally. The Yellow Turban Rebellion led by Zhang Jiao was precisely at the end of the Eastern Han. Could it be, could it be... However, thinking it over, it seemed unlikely. Who would abandon the pleasant landscapes of the mainland to run off to a place like the desert?

But both Hu Da and Zhang Jiao were connected to the 'Touch,' and Hu Da certainly couldn't be real. Therefore, the 'Touch' must be the product of some person or tribe in the desert. Perhaps these people lived during the Eastern Han period, meaning the three Zhang Jiao brothers must have visited the desert, or perhaps Zhang Jiao himself originated from that people or tribe, in which case the Taiping Jing also came from this desert.

Thinking this, Young Master Liu smiled and shook his head. At certain moments, people like to fixate on one narrative and can't twist their thinking, just like Old Man Kelama, no matter what Young Master Liu said, kept linking everything back to Hu Da.

Seeing Young Master Liu silent for a long time, Kelama said to him, "Have you remembered your past life?"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu felt a surge of anger. He had no kind words for him. Kelama was the guide; he was just an ordinary team member. Frankly, Fan Debiao was of a higher standing than Young Master Liu, so he refrained from cursing him, lacking the mood anyway. Young Master Liu shrugged and told him to go back to rest too.

Just as he turned, he heard a scream coming from the direction of the sleeping bags. Hearing the sound, Young Master Liu was certain it was Wu Bai. The kid was too timid; perhaps he saw a lizard or something and was stunned. Young Master Liu didn't pay much heed and slowly walked down with Kelama.

Suddenly, a strange thump came from the sleeping bags, followed by everyone inside scrambling out, then a burst of chaotic gunfire.

Fan Debiao frantically patted the sleeping bags and the camels, stomping his feet in agitation. It seemed he hadn't found what he was looking for, then cursed loudly, "Damn it, we didn't even bring a single bottle of insect repellent into the desert!"

Since Young Master Liu was a little far from the sleeping bags, he couldn't clearly see what had panicked them so much. Hearing Fan Debiao searching for repellent, he figured they had encountered some strange bugs, but definitely not the 'Touch.' If it were the 'Touch,' everyone would have already jumped into the pond; why would they be firing guns?

Kelama knew the desert well, so Young Master Liu asked him if there were any man-eating insects or the like in this desert.

Kelama shook his head, saying that the animals frequently sighted in this desert posed little danger, and even less so the insects.

Though Kelama didn't know what they were encountering, Young Master Liu was sure they were in danger. He mustered his courage, took a deep breath, braced himself, and approached with Kelama.

When they got within a few meters, their tongues went numb. They saw several red specks circling in the air, about six or seven at a rough count. Young Master Liu knew this thing intimately—damn it, weren't those the Red Scabies Kings? Young Master Liu almost shouted out loud.

Those Red Scabies Kings swooped down at anyone they saw. The sleeping bags nearby were burned with several large holes. Wang Feifei aimed her pistol and fired a few quick shots, but the Red Scabies Kings moved incredibly fast, and Wang Feifei missed every time.

Young Master Liu and Old Man Kelama sprinted to Fan Debiao and the others' side. Wang Feifei, holding a sporting pistol, quickly asked Kelama what the things flying overhead were when he approached.

Old Man Kelama stared intently at the Red Scabies Kings, unable to name them for a long time.

Young Master Liu moved closer to Wang Feifei and told her, "Feifei, these things are the same bugs everyone found at Bodhisattva Mountain five years ago. Jackson must have told you." She nodded after hearing Young Master Liu, a fresh layer of terror settling on her face.

Fan Debiao, fighting off two by himself, finally managed to reach Young Master Liu’s side after much struggle and said, "Brother, we’ve really had the worst luck in eight lifetimes. Why does this thing, along with the 'Touch,' seem to be hunting us? No matter where we go, we run into them."

"Yeah, yeah," Jackson had also managed to fight his way over at some point.

Then came Wang Feifei, Wang Zhicai... Soon, everyone gathered together. Young Master Liu inwardly cursed, Why are they all crowding toward me? Do these people know my blood has insect-repelling effects and they want to draw some? Even Fan Debiao is one of them.

Young Master Liu looked up and realized it wasn't their fault. A few more Red Scabies Kings had appeared in the sky without anyone noticing—at least ten or more. These people were forced into a corner, which is why they scrambled toward Young Master Liu.

Uncle Diao had once said that ten or so Red Scabies Kings could burn down a whole forest. Now, everyone was surrounded by imminent danger.

The dozen or so Red Scabies Kings circled in the air, their wings vibrating at a very high frequency. However, they only hovered, not attacking. Do these bugs also possess thought? Are they trying to torture everyone to death? Damn it, why is everything connected to Zhang Jiao so perverse?

Young Master Liu looked back; behind everyone was that water pool. A spark ignited in his mind, and he yelled for everyone to jump in. Fan Debiao was reluctant, saying that the Red Scabies Kings needed a special kind of water to subdue them, and the water in this pool was too ordinary.

Young Master Liu got impatient: "Damn it, who said this water is ordinary? No one dares to call the water in this desert ordinary. Jump!"

After Young Master Liu said that, everyone plunged headfirst into the water. Fan Debiao didn't hesitate either, taking a deep breath with Young Master Liu before jumping in. In truth, Young Master Liu wasn't sure if this would work, but it was the only option.

Although it was just a small pool, it was quite deep. Young Master Liu, standing 1.8 meters tall, stretched his body fully submerged, but his toes couldn't touch the bottom.

Young Master Liu opened his eyes underwater and looked up. He saw about ten Red Scabies Kings circling above. Occasionally, one would dip down to skim the surface; as soon as its body touched the water, smoke would rise. It seemed Young Master Liu’s plan had succeeded; these bugs, like the 'Touch,' were afraid of water.

Young Master Liu wondered why the Red Scabies Kings had shown up out of nowhere again. He thought about what Uncle Diao said: the Red Scabies Kings were servants of the Queen Mother of the West, and this place wasn't far from Kunlun. Perhaps these bugs were taking a holiday and strolling down the mountain.

Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao were both decent swimmers. Jackson and Wang Feifei seemed weaker. Lin Miaoke, being from the South, was familiar with water and could stay submerged for a while. However, Wang Zhicai and Wu Bai were struggling, especially Wu Bai, who had probably swallowed enough water and his eyes were beginning to roll back. Bringing this man along was clearly a massive liability. If they didn't surface for air soon, this guy would be finished. But if they surfaced, they would be finished by the Red Scabies Kings. They had just escaped one perilous situation only to face a dilemma with no easy way out. This time, they were truly down on their luck.