Across the desert, we arrive at the picturesque Huayang Lake. 

Five tourists followed their guide through the desert. He was called a guide, but he was actually a temporary hire from a small town near the desert. He jokingly said, "My last name is Hei, so you can just call me Hei. Go ahead." None of the five people behind him smiled; their faces were gloomy, and they looked unhappy. 

The five tourists entered the cabin and sat down around a worn wooden table. The guide took water from the camel and poured it for each of them. 

"How long will it take?" one of the tourists asked. 

"We should be there before dusk," the guide said slowly. "Walking in the desert is actually a very interesting experience. You're all students, right? You'll definitely enjoy this special experience." No one spoke to the guide. Outside, the sound of the wind and sand grew louder, like a sob. But inside, there was a deathly silence, no sound. 

Er Liu Qingwen stood in front of the cabin, drawing. His eyes gazed at the endless desert, and he hadn't noticed Ye Feng standing behind him for so long that he was startled when he turned back. 

"What are you drawing?" Ye Feng folded his hands and tilted his head. 

"The desert." 

"Your drawing isn't pretty at all. It looks like dog shit." Ye Feng burst into laughter. Liu Qingwen slowly put away his sketchpad, his face filled with frustration. "I'm really not cut out for painting. My parents told me to stop and focus on studying." Liu Qingwen laughed awkwardly. 

"Anyone who paints must be crazy." Ye Feng leaned against the doorframe. "Look at Van Gogh, he cut off his ear. He was a complete lunatic. You're different. You look too normal. You wouldn't do anything unfaithful, so you can't paint well." 

Liu Qingwen was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around, staring into Ye Feng's eyes, and said, "If I killed you, would that count as cheating?" 

Ye Feng's heart tightened, but he quickly regained his composure. "That would be exciting. There haven't been many exciting things lately. Life's so boring." 

San Moli hadn't come out at any point. She looked up at the sky; it was gray and looked like it was going to rain. 

"Looks like there won't be any tour groups passing through today. The weather's too bad," Ye Feng said, 

gazing off into the distance. "We'll have to stay here tonight." As soon as he finished speaking, a torrential downpour roared in. The air, already dry and dusty, became even more intense with the moisture. The view narrowed, the sky darkened, as if night had arrived prematurely. The eaves of the wooden house were small, so they quickly retreated inside. 

San Moli sat in a corner, reading a romance novel. Liu Qingwen, pretending to ignore Ye Feng, sat down by the window, staring blankly at the rain outside. Bored, Ye Feng resorted to playing tarot cards alone. Time quietly passed into evening. 

Ye Feng suddenly said, "I just laid out the tarot cards for Xia Yu and the others. They might be back soon, but it's also possible that their spirits have returned; their bodies are still in the desert!" 

Still, no one responded. The patter of rain made the silence inside even more eerie, even a little unsettling. 

"Knock, knock, knock." Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. Liu Qingwen and San Moli both shuddered. They turned their gazes to Ye Feng. On a rainy day like this, in such a desert, who could be knocking on the door? Ye Feng didn't move at first. But the knocking continued, like a pendulum urging death. 

"Coward," he stood up and strode to the door. 

It opened. Xia Yu and Lin Yiwei were standing at the door; they had returned. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck from the sky behind them, and Ye Feng saw Xia Yu and Lin Yiwei's faces, paler than San Moli's.