On the next day, the exploration team gathered in front of the doorway. As Jiang Xiu had offended both Jin Xi and Qiu Yinru by insisting on coming together with them, the other members of the team disliked him as well, and as a result, he got isolated.
He didn't care much about it as he never had the intention to associate with any of these people. He got on the university's bus and sat at the back. The others busied themselves with moving the luggage and the equipment.
Professor Xu was the team leader this time, and Qian Deshen was the vice-leader. Both of them kept discussing details while the students helped in moving their luggage.
"This time, we'll be leaving for Pinghai via rail and then take a bus towards the Xining City from where we will enter the Western Regions…" Professor Xu explained to Qian Deshen.
Qian Deshen asked, "The Shaman we invited still hasn't arrived. Are going to go there directly?"
"You are talking about Li Chengzhi? Master Li is an expert in feng shui and yin-yang so he would feel constrained by traveling with people like us. He's already in Pinghai and join us when we reach there."
"Professor Xu, we have packed everything…"
"Alright. Let's get on the bus."
A person sat beside Jiang Xiu. It was a senior year student. He didn't greet Jiang Xiu, and Jiang Xiu didn't greet him as well. They were setting off towards the train station as it wouldn't be feasible to take these money people on the airplane with their budget. Let alone, the university also wouldn't spend so extravagantly for an exploration team. Most of the funds were used to buy the equipment.
"Jiang Xiu, you should thank the gods for letting you come along with us when you haven't even done anything." The one who said this was called Chen Dewen, a third-year.
"Do you think you did a favor to me by allowing me to come on this trip or what?"
"You…"
The other students also agreed after seeing Chen Dewen got defeated, "Dewen, there's always some people who think they can bribe the university administration just because they have little dirty money. They act like they are young masters while in reality, they are nothing but clowns."
"As if other people don't have money at all."
Another student added indignantly, "That's right. Even when comparing assets, would it be more than what Young Master Jin has? Didn't Young Master Jin help with moving luggage too?"
He indeed did that, but it was Qiu Yinru's.
"Why are you even talking with that trash? He shouldn't hope to get food from us when we are there in the desert. Let's see how he survives there!"
Jin Xi smiled slightly at a seat far away, He didn't even need to act as these people who wished to get on good terms with him would do it for him.
"Alright. Stop it, everyone. When we are out there, the most important thing is the unity of the group." Professor Xu naturally noticed this problem. The previous exploration team had never met this kind of issue. He was a person of teaching and wasn't that good at handling this kind of issue. "Whoever's willing to can share it with him."
"I'm not willing to share. Whoever wants to do it can do it…"
"I'm also unwilling…"
Jiang Xiu smiled lightly and ignored these people. He didn't have any need for things besides food, and he planned to buy that in the area near the edge of the Western Regions. The things there were more suitable for the desert than the things bought here.
Qiu Yinru glanced at Jiang Xiu and also shook her head.
She had a pretty good first impression of Jiang Xiu as he acted pretty humbly then, but after associating with him, she discovered that this man was too prideful and arrogant, and his methods were dishonest as well.
After reaching the train station, the students busied themselves again in moving the luggage onto the train.
Jin Xi went to the side and made a call. He always acted after making a definite plan and before he acted, he decided to investigate Jiang Xiu's background. After that, he would decide whether to destroy him directly or do it in a roundabout way.
The person on the other end of the call informed him, "Jiang Xiu, 17 years old, a person of Jiangzhou's Jiang City. Studied primary school at Dongzhou, junior high and senior high at Jiang City's Second High School and the topper of the Jiangnan province's college entrance exam."
"As for the family background, his father is Jiang Yi who is the Secretary of Annan County which has recently elevated into a county-level city. His mother, Lin Yueling, is a housewife…"
Jin Xi listened to it with disinterest. So, you're the son of an insignificant county-level secretary. You might be the top dog, but at the Imperial Capital, even a common official is higher than your father who is just a bug-like existence to them. To think you dared to act so arrogant in front of me with only this much behind you.
"What?"
Jiang Xiu saw Qiu Yinru bring one light bag over to him yet he didn't take it from her. She said, "Act like you're doing something by carrying this light one. You don't want everyone to isolate you, right?"
"Hehehehe…"
Did Jiang Xiu care about them? No.
"You…" Qiu Yinru became furious as he ignored her and got onto the train while disregarding her good intentions, "What's with your attitude? Just wait. Look how you'll come to beg us when you don't have food or water in the desert. No one will help you then."
Jin Xi's face became gloomier. He naturally didn't believe Jiang Xiu wanted to go along with them to the ancient city. He believed that it was just a pretext and that the genuine reason was Qiu Yinru.
It also seemed that she acted differently to him.
"You think trash like you can compete with me?"
Jin Xi had to admit that this brat's methods were brilliant than his as Qiu Yinru had actually taken the initiative to converse with him. It had taken a year and a half for him to accomplish this but while that brat had done it in half-a-day.
Jiang Xiu looked for a seat after entering the train. Most of the carriage was filled with their exploration team.
After seeing no one was willing to sit with him, Professor Xu went and sat beside him while smiling, "Little Qiu has already spoken to me about your matter. The reason she wasn't willing to let you come wasn't due to malice but that this trip to the desert is quite dangerous. It would be difficult for someone who has never gone on expeditions before to cope with it. Little Qiu was trying to stop you for your own good."
Jiang Xiu smiled faintly.
Professor Xu continued, "It's all in the past now. Since you are accompanying us, there's no need to take that matter to heart. Haha… Little Qiu is actually a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside."
Jiang Xiu naturally didn't mind about this trifling matter.
"Right! Why didn't you bring any luggage? The trip will span over a month or longer."
"I plan to buy them over there."
"You're quite easy-going. Anyways, why did you insist on coming along so much?"
"For the traces of divinities buried in the ancient city."
"Traces of divinities?" Professor Xu muttered, "Student Jiang Xiu, you believe that this word really has traces of divinities?"
"Yes!"
"This world indeed has some things unexplainable by science, but whether they are really divinities or not…" He shook his head, "That's improbable."
"Student Jiang Xiu, why are you so certain?"
Jiang Xiu wished to tell him it was because he was a God!
However, the professor wouldn't believe it even if he said that. "Humanity has perished twice and each time had traces of divinities behind it. There are a lot of sculptures of divinities buried in that ancient city too…"
Professor Xu was shocked after hearing this, "How do you know there are a lot of sculptures of divinities buried under the Sahagan Ancient City?"
This was just a conjecture they had arrived at and was one of the most important bit they wished to investigate. However, Jiang Xiu seemed certain of it.
"A friend told me…"
The Longevity Stone had come from there, and Xie Sanxian's home also had a few drawings of the ancient city. These drawings were made after his ancestor had returned back from the city by hiring an artist so they might have not been accurate, but there was no doubt that the outline was probably on the mark.
Professor Xu questioned him, "Does he have any proof?"
"Aren't we planning to go there? We shall know it when we arrive there." Jiang Xiu commented.
Professor Xu sighed, "How will it be so easy to find it? This so-called ancient city only exists in documents, and no one has ever reached there. Some people say they have seen it in the desert from a distance, but it's hard to distinguish between imagination and reality deep in the desert. The trip we are making this time is to look for the city than to explore the city."
"Didn't you say someone found it 3 years ago?" Jiang Xiu asked.
Professor Xu explained to him, "The person who went there 3 years ago never returned. The government had just declared that it was found. No one knows the truth." He took out a book which was 2 cms thick, "This book contains all the information we have gathered on the ancient city as well as various kinds of routes…"
"Right. Have you gone to the desert before?"
Jiang Xiu nodded but said, "The desert I visited is different from the one you're thinking of so I won't be of any help to you…" There were deserts on the Immortal Marital Continent too. The climate there was a million times harsher than Earth's, and the sandstorms could even rip the Godhead's off.
"What do you mean?" Professor Xu asked.
Jiang Xiu just shook his head and didn't answer him.
He continued speaking after that, "After reaching Pinghai, we have to receive a very important person."