The rolling sands extended into the far horizon. The dunes stretched on miles and miles.
Si Yiyan was wearing the traditional garb of Saudi Arabian men and riding upon a camel, slowly progressing along the desert. The sun shone on him, filling him with a religious and sacred aura.
The Saudi Arabian prince rode beside him, and the two of them chatted now and then. The atmosphere was rather harmonious and companionable.
A long line of camels followed behind them—half of them were bodyguards specially selected by the royal family, while the other half were Lucifer’s own force in Saudi Arabia. The distance between the camels was maintained at less than one meter each, and although all of them had on the traditional Saudi Arabian robes, they were ready to take them off at any time to do battle.
The desert was actually not an optimal location for a fight.
But one must always be prepared. In fact, the desert was the best place to conceal the scene of a battle. No matter how much blood was spilled, the sands would be able to cover everything.
The troop of men traveled across the yellow sands.
Si Yiyan’s gaze landed on some majestic-looking sand dunes not too far away. “What place is that?”
He recalled that evening when he had been chatting with Wen Xinya, how he was gazing upon the imposing sand dunes and thinking that they looked like exquisite pagodas.
He was Asura the Fallen. As the one who induced him was Wen Xinya, he was more than willing to become a follower of Buddhism even with his bloodstained hands. He believed in Buddha but didn’t follow the Buddhist teachings.
The 10 precepts of Buddhism.
He had taken lives and committed sexual misconduct!
He was greedy and bad-tempered to the extreme!
But he still believed in Buddha!
He had Buddha in his heart!
So, he would see Buddha’s image everywhere.
He would see pagodas anywhere!
Merit could be amassed by the construction of pagodas, to deliver one from suffering and promote kindness while abolishing evil.
The Saudi Arabian prince followed his gaze, which was blurred by the rolling sands. “That’s a very magical place in the desert, called the ghost valley. Every night, the shrieking winds would stir up the sands, and the sound of wind against the sand is exactly like that of ghosts wailing. After years of accumulation, the windblown sands formed those peculiar-looking sand dunes. It is a forbidden area.”
The Saudi Arabian prince stared off into the distance. The formidable sand dunes sprawled silently across the desert. One could not help feeling a sense of awe.
The pagoda paradise in Si Siyan’s mind’s eye was a terrifying ghost valley to the Muslims. “Let’s go!”
Instead of a ghost valley…
Si Siyan would rather believe it was a paradise of pagodas that would eradicate all ghouls and suppress any evil spirits.
The Saudi Arabian prince looked at him strangely.
Si Yiyan was silently chanting the Sutra on Ksitigarbha Bodhisatta in his heart. “If there are living beings who kill or harm others… they will fall into the Incessant Hell, and for thousands of myriads of millions of kalpas, be without a time of release despite their wishes!”
He chanted within his heart!
He had believed in Buddha for the sake of getting some peace of mind.
And now, he believed in Wen Xinya!
The sands swirled in the air across the endless desert. The long line of camels traveled further and further away, leaving behind that magical sacred paradise of pagodas.
Only by expunging all filth could one gain enlightenment!
And what was considered filth? Just refer to the 10 precepts of Buddhism!
The Saudi Arabian prince pointed to a nearby spot. “That is Saudi Arabia’s largest camel trading market. There are numerous camel breeding farms around this area.”
The export of camels was one of the main pillars of Saudi Arabia’s economy.
Most of the worldwide camel trading activities were centered in Saudi Arabia and a few other desert countries.
Si Yiyan perked up in interest. “Saudi Arabia’s camel racing is famous throughout the world. Every year, many foreigners would travel vast distances to Saudi Arabia just to bet on this sport.”
Saudi Arabia’s earliest camels were all one-humped.
After the more superior two-humped camels arrived in Saudi Arabia, the one-humped variety was gradually replaced.
Currently, the two-humped camels were the chief camels used for transportation, while the one-humped species were reserved for camel racing.
“There are exciting races held here every day. If Rex is interested, we can go take a look.” The prince’s main mission was to ensure that Rex’s visit to Saudi Arabia went smoothly and that Rex felt like an honored guest.
Si Yiyan happily agreed.
Recalling his phone call that day when he and Wen Xinya talked about camel meat and milk, he was suddenly very interested in desert camels. Perhaps he could buy a camel breeding farm and Wen Xinya would be able to regularly eat fresh and nourishing camel meat, while he could also have a regular supply of camel milk.
So that by the time he was 50 years old, he would still be able to live an energetic and virile lifestyle.
The Saudi Arabian nobles liked camel racing a lot.
As this country prohibited alcohol, it didn’t have bars, clubs or even cinemas. Their entertainment scene was sorely lacking and camel racing had become the most interesting activity in this nation.
With the prince by his side, Si Yiyan watched a thrilling camel race. He even personally recorded a video of it.
The Saudi Arabian prince teased. “Rex, are you recording this for your wife to watch later?”
On the way here, Rex would stop and take photos whenever he saw some wondrous scenery. He had also bought all sorts of exquisite souvenirs and collected a great variety of foods made from dates.
Saudi Arabia was a country that held the family in high regard.
So the prince was very in favor of Rex’s behavior.
Si Yiyan kept his camera. “I hope to share with her all the most wonderful things I have seen.” He raised the camera again. “No matter where I go, I will carry thoughts of her with me.”
With the prince’s help, Si Yiyan successfully bought a camel breeding farm, which bred some of the most prestigious varietals of camels. The camel meat and milk produced were all premium products. One camel here could fetch a price of up to a million US dollars.
“I heard that the Red Sands is not far off from here, and it produces the extremely valuable desert rose.”
This was his goal today. The desert rose of Saudi Arabia.
A rose that would never wilt or fade away.
Remarkable!
The Saudi Arabian prince replied, “Right before us is the largest piece of Red Sands in the desert, where only the amber desert rose is produced—the most precious type of desert rose. Rex, you have come at just the right time. Two days ago, an amber desert rose over a meter in height was excavated. It is extremely expensive and valuable.”
The desert rose was a treasure of the desert.
It was difficult to mine and only very small quantities were produced. It was a pure and miraculous rock. Not only was it a precious gemstone, but it was also highly valued for scientific research.
It was a sculpture carved by nature within the sands, shaped over tens of millions of years by the winds and rains.
Si Yiyan smiled. He took out his water flask and took a sip. “It looks like our trip into the desert has been very fruitful!”
The Saudi Arabian prince could see Si Siyan wasn’t drinking the much-beloved camel milk. Curious, he asked, “Hey Rex, I thought you loved to drink Saudi Arabia’s camel milk?”
Si Yiyan smiled but kept silent!