The solitary smoke rises straight in the vast desert, and the sun sets round over the long river.
The boundless desert is vast and high, magnificent and powerful. As the red sun falls to the west, the horizon turns a deep crimson, creating an overwhelming yet melancholic atmosphere.
The ancient beacon fires have long since faded with time, but the Yellow River's ancient course, despite several changes, remains.
Chu Feng travels alone, exhausted. He lies on the yellow sand, watching the blood-red sunset, unsure how much longer it will take him to leave this desert.
A few days ago, he graduated and also said goodbye to the goddess on campus; perhaps they would never meet again, as he had been gently told that from now on they would be apart, it was time to break up.
After leaving college, he set out on his journey.
The setting sun is very red, hanging at the edge of the desert, presenting a serene beauty amidst the emptiness.
Chu Feng sits up and drinks some water, feeling his energy returning significantly. His body, slender and strong, has excellent constitution, and fatigue gradually fades away.
Standing up to look afar, he feels that he is about to leave the desert. Walking a bit further might bring him to see nomads' tents, so he decides to continue moving forward.
Heading westward, he leaves behind a trail of footsteps that stretch far into the distance.
Silently, unexpectedly, mist begins to rise, which is extremely rare in the desert.
Surprised, Chu Feng notices that the mist is blue, giving off a chill in this late autumn season.
Without realizing it, the mist thickens, enveloping the desert in a hazy blue veil.
At the end of the desert, even the sunset appears eerie, gradually turning into a blue sun, possessing a demonic beauty, while the fiery clouds are also dyed blue.
Chu Feng frowns. Although he knows that the desert weather is most changeable, what lies before him is not normal at all.
In complete silence, he stops.
Before entering the desert, he had heard from local old shepherds that when walking alone in the desert, one might sometimes hear strange sounds and encounter odd things, needing to be especially cautious.
At that time, he hadn't paid much attention.
Still tranquil, besides the added layer of hazy blue mist, no other unusual events occur in the desert. Chu Feng quickens his pace, eager to leave this place as soon as possible.
At the end of the desert, the sunset is eerily blue, dyeing the western sky blue, though it is about to disappear below the horizon.
Chu Feng's speed increases, starting to run. He does not want to stay in such a strange, uncertain place.
In the desert, mirages usually appear under the scorching midday sun. This doesn't seem like a mirage.
Suddenly, there comes a light rustling sound ahead, as if something is breaking through the sand, and the sounds are dense and continuous.
Chu Feng abruptly halts, staring at the desert. Blue lights sparkle here and there on the ground ahead, like scattered sapphires, glittering and translucent, shimmering in the afterglow of the sunset.
They are seedlings, less than an inch tall, emerging from the desert soil, carrying a beautiful luster, clear and eerie, covering the entire area.
After a brief pause, rustling sounds spread everywhere, blue glows brightly, and all the seedlings grow rapidly, instantly rising.
On the horizon, the blue sun sinks, about to vanish, while mist fills the air. The vast desert seems draped in a mysterious blue veil.
"Plop!"
The sound of flowers blooming echoes, and the desert is covered in a sea of blue. At the moment the sun is about to disappear, these plants start blooming in clusters.
Numerous blue flowers, sparkling and dreamlike, somewhat intoxicating, bloom across the desert, incredibly unreal.
These plants stand over a foot tall, their bodies as translucent as blue coral, petals one by one, seductive and charming, as if blossoming in another realm, with a touch of magic, captivating the mind.
Chu Feng steps back, only to find that behind him too is filled with these plants, blue light flowing, stretching endlessly.
He is greatly astonished, carefully observing, trying to identify them. They resemble the flower of the other shore, petals spreading out and then bending backward, extremely beautiful.
However, the flower of the other shore is bright red, whereas these are blue. He has never heard of blue flowers of the other shore.
Though the flower of the other shore truly exists, imbued with intense religious connotations, surrounded by countless legends, Chu Feng doesn't believe in these stories, merely stunned by the sight before him.
The desert is dry and lacks water, where only extremely rare drought-resistant plants can occasionally be seen, sparsely scattered. The flower of the other shore prefers dark, damp environments, and should never appear here, let alone being so enchantingly beautiful.
Here, they cover the land without end.
The vast desert, with its mist-dyed sunset, penetrates the horizon, and the entire endless expanse of desert blooms with blue flowers of the other shore, indescribably peculiar and mysterious!
A faint fragrance wafts, making one entranced.
Chu Feng shakes his head forcefully, carefully stepping around the flowers. He discovers that there is only one area without these plants — the ancient course of the Yellow River.
Having undergone numerous changes throughout history, it traverses this desert, nearly dried up now, with blue flowers of the other shore blooming along both banks, surrounding it.
Flowers bloom on both sides, visible from afar.
Finally, the sun sets, and precisely at this moment, these plants burst into full bloom, reaching their peak, transforming into a blue ocean, radiant and colorful.
Although dusk descends, blue glows linger here, dazzlingly brilliant, unusually gorgeous.
Chu Feng stands on the ancient course of the Yellow River, unable to calm his heart, yet he does not linger, swiftly advancing along the riverbed.
As darkness falls, the last rays of the sunset fade away.
The desert sparkles with blue hues, and suddenly, with a loud bang, all the blue flowers of the other shore, after fully blooming, simultaneously wither in an instant.
Seductive petals wilt, followed by the whole plant drying up, losing its color and vitality, quickly turning yellow, and then crumbling, as if aging decades in a blink.
"Bang!"
In the final moment, the dried-up blue flowers of the other shore shatter into powder.
This eerie scene is hard to explain.
Like fireworks, they briefly dazzle, reaching the pinnacle of beauty, before wilting and turning to ashes.
Yellowish powder falls onto the sandy ground, hard to discern in the twilight. By now, the blue mist has vanished, and the desert returns to its original state, as if nothing had happened, once again silent.
Chu Feng does not stop, striding forward. In the twilight, he crosses many dunes, finally seeing the mountain shadows on the horizon, ready to leave the desert.
As night falls, he finally emerges, clearly seeing the mountains and vaguely spotting the nomads' tents at the foot of the mountains.
Looking back, the vast desert behind him is quiet, just as usual.
Ahead of the mountains, lights flicker. Before reaching the foot of the mountains, he hears some noises, indicating unrest, as if something is happening there.
Moreover, there are the frightened cries of cattle and sheep, along with the deep growls of Tibetan mastiffs.
Is something abnormal happening? Chu Feng quickens his pace, hurrying to the foot of the mountain, nearing the nomads' settlement."