Chapter 588: How could it be different there?

Tuan Tuan was very curious: "The salt is in the water, the water is gone, but is the salt still there?"

"Exactly!" the carter gestured with his hand: "Although the water disappeared overnight, there's still a layer of salt crust left, though not much—it'll be gone once scraped off."

We have no choice; we must scrape off the salt as quickly as possible, keep a little for ourselves, sell the rest nearby, and then leave here.

Tuan Tuan asked, "Where are you guys heading?"

The carter looked at her, his face all scrunched up in bitterness: "Little miss, our scattered tribe is different from those big tribes."

"All the good pastures have been taken by them; they rely on the royal clan and have no worries about food and drink."

"We? We can only go wherever we can survive."

He paused, his voice dropping: "I thought guarding the salt lake would let us live out our lives, but who knew..."

Tuan Tuan blinked, her little brows furrowing: "But where did the water in the lake go?"

The carter's face was full of helplessness: "We can't figure it out either. The elders say perhaps we angered the gods, bringing down this harsh punishment."

Tuan Tuan tilted her little head and thought: "Where is your tribe? Is it far?"

The carter pointed back with his hand: "It's right ahead, just turn east and you'll be there—not far."

Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up as she lifted her little face to look at Xiao Ningxun: "Third Brother, shall we go take a look?"

Xiao Ningxun turned his head to look at Sa Dike: "How many more days until we reach the capital?"

Sa Dike counted on his fingers: "We're taking the shortcut; if we don't delay, we'll get there in another two or three days."

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "All right, then let's go take a look."

He lifted his gaze to the carter: "Sir, could you trouble yourself to show us the way?"

"I also want to see what this lake that dried up overnight looks like. Let's take a look and see if we can think of a way to help you get through this crisis."

The carter was first stunned, then his face lit up with delight: "Great, great, great! Please follow me!"

He jumped onto the donkey cart, raised his whip, and the cart went "clip-clop" as it turned around and headed onto the eastern path.

Xiao Ningxun waved his hand, and the horse carriage followed behind the donkey cart, slowly entering the mountain path.

Xiao Ningyuan rode his horse alongside the carriage: "Third Brother, we've already been rushing enough—why do you still want to go see a lake?"

Xiao Ningxun smiled: "Big Brother, think about it—whenever Tuan Tuan wants to go somewhere, when has she ever come back empty-handed?"

Xiao Ningyuan also laughed: "That's true—Tuan Tuan really is a lucky star!"

Sa Dike lifted his gaze to the donkey cart ahead, then turned his head to look at the faintly visible huge little eggs on the hillside beside the road.

He murmured: "On this road, we've really encountered all sorts of strange and wondrous things."

The donkey cart went ahead at a leisurely pace, the horse carriage followed behind, and the wheels grating over the stones made a creaking sound.

After less than half an hour, the donkey cart stopped at the end of the mountain path.

A valley appeared before their eyes.

The valley wasn't large; dozens of dull-gray felt tents were pitched in its innermost part.

In front of the felt tents, several men were piling the bulging sheepskin bags into a corner, while the children ran back and forth, picking up the scattered salt chunks on the ground and throwing them into the bags.

The air was filled with a faint salty-astringent smell; the whole tribe hardly spoke, and there was no laughter, the atmosphere feeling very oppressive.

The carter jumped down from the donkey cart, raised his voice and shouted: "I'm back!"

The people in the tribe all lifted their heads to look at him.

When their gazes passed over the donkey cart and fell on the horse carriage and the white camels behind it, everyone was stunned.

They had never seen such a luxurious caravan before.

An old man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, walked shakily out of the felt tent.

He glanced at the ten white camels—one in a million—then looked at the carter, his face full of surprise: "Altay, are they here to buy salt?"

Altay shook his head: "No, they're just here to have a look."

"Just to look?" The old man blinked, the smile disappearing from his face.

He paused with his cane: "What's there to see?"

Everyone got off the horse carriage, and Xiao Ningxun stepped forward, clasping his fists: "Sir, we've heard about the salt lake drying up and came specially to take a look, to see if there's anywhere we can help."

The old man sized him up from head to toe, shook his head: "If you're not here to buy salt, what help could you offer?"

Tuan Tuan lifted her little face to look at him and said sweetly: "Grandpa, could you let me see that lake?"

The old man lowered his gaze and saw a delicately carved little girl like jade and powder; her two little dimples came and went, looking at her made one's heart feel at ease, and his expression softened involuntarily.

He scanned the crowd, sighed: "All right. If you want to see, go ahead—follow me."

Having said that, he turned and walked deeper into the valley.

Everyone followed him inward, the salty-astringent smell in the air growing stronger.

Soon, the view ahead opened up widely.

A huge depression appeared before them, as large as a dozen or so Training Grounds.

Xiao Ningxun asked: "Is this the original salt lake?"

The old man nodded.

Xiao Ningyuan exclaimed: "This lake is really not small!"

Everyone slowly walked in; at the deepest part of the depression there was a shallow pit.

The pit contained not a single drop of water, only pure white salt covering the entire bottom, dazzlingly bright in the sunlight.

The salt had formed a thick crust, like a solidified white lake surface.

The crust was covered with deep and shallow cracks, crisscrossing like a giant spiderweb, fine salt granules glittering with specks of light in the sun.

Seeing this sight for the first time, everyone was stunned.

Xue Tong narrowed his eyes, crouched down, pinched a grain of salt between his fingers, put it in his mouth to taste, and nodded: "It's definitely all salt."

Sa Dike opened his mouth wide and couldn't say anything for a long while.

Xiao Ningxun looked around, brows slightly furrowed: "Such a big lake, and it dried up completely overnight? That's too strange."

The old person gave a wry laugh: "Who says it isn't? I've lived by this lake all my life, and this is the first time I've ever seen such a thing."

Tuan Tuan pulled Kang An, and together they ran into the snowy-white salt crust.

"Wow!" Tuan Tuan spread their arms and jumped up on the salt crust, "So much salt!"

Kang An also imitated her, hopping: "Really a lot!"

Alete watched the two small, joyful figures, but couldn't bring himself to smile: "It just looks like a lot, but it's only a thin layer." He sighed, "It won't last long."

Xiao Er hurriedly followed up: "Miss, you'd better come out; this salt lake is so strange, who knows what else might happen."

Lu Qi walked around, stamping his feet hard: "Too strange, Brother Xiao, try it—the ground feels solid underfoot, so where did all the water go?"

Tuan Tuan stopped and looked around.

Beyond the salt crust, everywhere were blindingly bright salt grains.

Suddenly, her gaze stopped not far away; she tilted her head and let out a "Huh": "Why is it different over there?"