Under the sky

Chapter 134

It's May, and even though it's freezing in the north, it's time to warm up.Yang Yan had been hungry for too long, and his steps were sloppy. The weather was getting warmer, and his clothes stuck to his body. As he walked, he felt night sweats all over his body, and it was very uncomfortable to feel hot and cold.

He thought that if he saw wild birds on the road, he would not be able to kill them. He could only hope to find a rabbit, preferably one that was not afraid of animals, so that he could kill it with a knife.Without rabbits, chickens and sheep would be a feast, even if it was just a squirrel... Are there any squirrels outside the customs?Who cares, Yang Yan thought to himself: "You can eat whatever you want. Snakes, dogs, wolves, and cranes are all allowed."

Yang Yan saw wild geese flying by, so he might as well forget it... It might be better to find a water source. Where there is a water source, there are always animals gathering. If there is a bigger river, there might be fish.

He suddenly saw something moving in the grass. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was shaking slightly and heard a rustling sound.He lowered himself down and tried his best to hold his breath, trying to find the game.

That's a... what?mouse?Why doesn't it have a tail?It looks... quite cute.

No matter what, mice are easy to catch.Yang Yan tiptoed towards the tailless rat that was chewing on the roots of the grass, pulled out the wildfire, and planned to cut it in two.He held his breath and gradually got closer to less than two feet away. Yang Yan suddenly jumped up and slashed with his sword.

This pounce alarmed the beast, and the mouse rushed out in panic, but the knife missed.Yang Yan didn't allow it to escape, but turned around and stabbed it again.

Off!The mouse deeply understood that it was in danger and ran quickly towards the depths of the grassland.Yang Yan chased after him.Can mice run so fast?I saw the mouse swooping left and right, twisting and turning, and the target was so small that Yang Yan couldn't even swing his sword.

I don’t believe how fast you, the beast, can run!Yang Yan accelerated violently and chased after him. He had his sights set on the target and was about to strike down with his sword when a black shadow suddenly passed in front of him. Yang Yan was startled and looked along.

A fox appeared out of nowhere and held the struggling mouse in its mouth. The tips of its teeth sank into the mouse's abdomen, and blood flowed down its long mouth.The fox ran four or five feet away, turned around, his ears stood up high, and he looked at Yang Yan with a pair of thief eyes, as if asking Yang Yan what he was busy with just now.
Damn it, the rat you got flew away!Yang Yan couldn't help but be furious.He had just been running so fast that he had exhausted a lot of energy. He couldn't help but gasp for air and stare at the fox.This fox is so big that if it can be caught, two or three meals will be provided.

The fox also stared at him, and when he saw that he was not moving, he turned around and left.Yang Yan was afraid that his prey would escape, so he rushed to catch it without even taking a moment to catch his breath. When the fox saw him chasing him, it sped away and Yang Yan hurriedly caught up.

Damn it, you can’t outrun a fox!

Yang Yan was anxious and angry, so he threw wildfire out in a desperate move. The knife was like a black thunder... and it stuck diagonally in the grass.Yang Yan picked up the wild fire and sat on the ground, panting, feeling frustrated and annoyed.

He had no choice but to keep looking. Yang Yan took a breath and stood up.This would allow him to catch a mouse and eat it alive without pulling out the hair.He walked for a while and saw only some flying birds, and then saw a big tree in the distance, which was so lonely and eye-catching.

Yang Yan didn't know where to go, so he walked towards the big tree.The tree was not far away, but it was more than two hundred feet away. The road was flat. When Yang Yan got closer, he saw a faint animal lying under the tree. He couldn't see clearly. Yang Yan said "Hey!" and felt suspicious in his heart. , ran up quickly.

The beast became more and more clear, a fox, a deer, or...

No, Yang Yan finally saw clearly that there were many animals, or rather, the corpses of animals.

Yang Yan was overjoyed.These were almost all birds and animals that he had never seen before, a sheep with donkey ears, a slightly smaller deer, and a fox he recognized. He had seen one just now. There were two lying here, and two lynxes. Two unnamed big birds, look at the long heels and long black necks, maybe they are cranes?There was also a big bear, much stronger than the one I met on the mountain.

He also smelled a pungent stench.Yang Yan looked down and saw several piles of strong-smelling animal dung surrounding the prey.It was obviously placed deliberately by someone.

Even if he ignored the arrow wounds and knife wounds on these beasts, Yang Yan knew that they must be someone else's prey, after all, even the blood had been drained.This number cannot be hunted by one person.Yang Yan saw thin but numerous horse hoof marks on the loess soil. Wang Hong was indeed right. There was indeed a tribe nearby. These prey should have been hunted by the tribe and were temporarily placed here.

This is possible. After all, it's May. Even in the north, the weather is getting hotter. It's nice to be under the shade of a tree.But there is not even a single person to watch over it. Are you too arrogant? Or is it because this tribe is nearby and there is no need to guard against thieves?

Yang Yan looked at the big tree again. There was a dagger with an upward pointed edge carved on the bark of the tree at eye level. The top of the dagger was supported... What was that?A horizontal line, is it a dagger supporting a piece of wood aligned left and right?Xu is the flag or mark of the Five Great Badu, declaring that these prey are theirs.

Behind the tree, Yang Yan saw about thirty leather bags of different sizes, containing various grains, mainly millet and a grain that looked very much like wheat, as well as some unrecognizable beans, grass, and vegetables. .There were five or six sealed skin bags... Yang Yan weighed them, guessing they were wine, and opened the lid. Sure enough, there was a strong aroma of milk mixed with the aroma of wine that hit his nose.Is it milk wine?This is the first time I've seen it.Yang Yan felt drunk from the smell, it was obviously strong alcohol.He was not a drinker. He tied the skin bag tightly and put it back in place. He opened his palms and looked around. He didn't see a single person, not even smoke, let alone a village or tribe.

Are these the grains they brought with them when hunting?
As usual, Yang Yan can wait for a while, wait for the hunters to come back, ask for it from them, and spend some silver to buy it if necessary.Yang Yan touched his arms. He had always been poor and didn't have much silver. He only found three or four coins of broken silver, which were all the belongings he brought from Kunlun Palace.But this was the territory of barbarians, and Wang Hong told him not to enter the tribe. If he met barbarians and was unfamiliar with the place, he would be killed if he said the wrong thing.

Yang Yan thought to himself that he was not a sharp-tongued person, so he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. After thinking about it, he went back to meet Wang Hong, but he was worried that the group of people would take away the prey and grains when he turned around. He didn't know where the tribe was, but he was afraid it wasn't nearby. , where to find someone?

As for hiding in the dark and following this group of people back to the tribe, even if I ran as fast as a horse, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to hide in this terrain.

He thought about it, but he was still hungry, and he thought: "Wang Hong wants to find a village anyway, so why not take an animal back to pad his stomach first, and then explain after entering the village."

This seemed to be the best way. Yang Yan looked at it. He didn't have pots and pans for grains. It was difficult to cook. The sheep and deer would definitely not be able to move back, unless they cut off their legs and take them away...Lynxes are like cats. He Can't eat.Eating a fox can avenge a mouse, but taking away such a large prey is too much.He weighed the scraps of silver in his hand. Although he didn't know the price of barbarian goods, he should have enough money to buy a big bird.

He put down the silver coins together with his wallet, fearing that the other party wouldn't notice, so he put them on the big sheep. He was wearing a short coat given to him by Wang Hong in the cave.The inside is still old clothes.So I tore off a piece of hem, pressed the strip of cloth with my wallet to make it more visible, then picked up a big bird and followed the original path.

Yang Yan was so proud, he expected that Wang Hong would not get any benefits from hunting.It was still early, so he didn't rush. He arrived at the intersection and waited for Wang Hong to come back.

Instead of waiting, he went to collect firewood nearby and plucked bird feathers.He was not good at cooking. He remembered how Li Jingfeng cooked for them on Wudang Mountain. He followed the same example, but he had no kitchen utensils and no water nearby. He had to cut off the bird's head and claws and take out the internal organs full of blood. Set up the grill and grill the big bird.

The scent is mouth-watering.Maybe it didn't taste good, but Yang Yan was overly hungry and wanted Wang Hong to come back soon.

After about half an hour, Yang Yan finally saw Wang Hong coming from a distance, dejected and obviously finding nothing.I saw her head suddenly raised again, as if smelling the fragrance, she walked a few steps faster, then she suppressed herself and walked over slowly.Yang Yan couldn't help but feel proud, and waited until Wang Hong approached before pretending to be calm: "You're back, have you caught any prey?"

Wang Hong said: "I saw a deer, but I didn't catch it, and a few rabbits ran away."

"Thief!" Yang Yan shouted.

Wang Hong gritted her teeth, blushed, and said nothing.

"I didn't hear your response?"

Wang Hong said angrily: "I'm here!"

Yang Yan laughed so hard that he rolled on the ground.He was hungry in his stomach, and he laughed so hard that his stomach contracted and churned.He coughed and choked, but still couldn't help laughing, and shouted again: "Thief!"

Wang Hong was furious and shouted: "I'm here! I'm here! Fuck you, I'm here, you can scream whatever you like, I can afford to lose!"

Yang Yan held his stomach and suppressed laughter and said, "I can't move. Do you know how to roast chicken? Come on!"

Wang Hong reached out to turn the grill and said, "It's not fair that you brought an extra knife!"

Yang Yan ignored her and just looked at her and smiled.After the bird was cooked and before it cooled down, Yang Yan tore off one of the legs, handed it to Wang Hong and said, "You go first!"

Wang Hong scolded: "Don't I have any hands?" She endured the burning and started to tear it off. Seeing that she was in a hurry, Yang Yan tore off a leg for her and said, "I'm very generous."

Wang Hong was also very greedy, so she took it and ate it.The bird meat was not washed, and the blood and water were mixed with the meat and roasted, and the smell was strong. However, the two were extremely hungry and found it delicious. They ate most of the big bird. After a full meal, they felt full of energy.

Wang Hong said angrily: "When the hungry ghosts are full, they should go on the road. They also have to find the nearby tribes."

"Found it, it's in that direction." Yang Yan pointed to the east, "I saw traces of the Orion there, and the village must be nearby."

"Hunter?" Wang Hong asked in confusion.

Yang Yan was in a good mood and didn't want to continue teasing Wang Hong, so he said: "To tell you the truth, I didn't bring this big bird. I don't have a bow and arrow, so I was so lucky to catch a blind bird? I picked it up." "

Wang Hong asked: "How did you pick it up?"

"Going east, there is a big tree, and there are many animals under the tree. I saw horse hoof prints nearby. I guess it is people from the village who went out to hunt. They first put the prey under the tree and then brought it back to the village."

Wang Hong was stunned, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Are there any people nearby? Is there anything strange happening?"

"No, no one was seen, just a few sheep, deer, lynx and fox, a few big birds and some grain. By the way, they piled animal dung next to the prey. What is this for? ?”

"That's the dung of wild beasts, used to drive away small animals. It's either leopard dung or bear dung. Foxes and wild dogs don't dare to come close if they smell the smell." Wang Hong asked again: "Have you seen any marks on the tree? For example, a dagger and a scale?" "So that's a scale?" Yang Yan said in surprise, "How did you know?"

"That's the Liu Clan!" Wang Hong was surprised: "That's where the tribe trades with the Liu Clan!"

"What kind of tribe? You didn't tell me." Yang Yan complained.

"The Liu tribe does not belong to the five major Badu. They wander around and never expect to meet them." Wang Hong thought for a while and then said, "Forget it, there are so many things, they may not know what you took. Be careful on the road in the future. Don't Taking other people’s things blindly.”

"I didn't take it for nothing," Yang Yan said, "I kept the money."

Wang Hong jumped up: "What did you say?!"

Seeing her fierce reaction, Yang Yan was confused: "I said I kept some money, about three or four dollars, isn't it enough?"

Wang Hong grabbed his arm and said, "Let's go! Let's go while it's not dark!"

Yang Yan knew something must have gone wrong and asked in surprise: "What's going on?"

Wang Hong said: "I'll tell you on the way! Let's go quickly!"

She grabbed Yang Yan, picked up the half-eaten big bird, and swept the embers from the branches into the grass, fearing to leave traces.Although Yang Yan didn't know what was going on, seeing Wang Hong in such a panic, he also cleaned up the traces.

Yang Yan was about to go east when Wang Hong pulled him to the west: "This way!"

Yang Yan said: "I saw the village in the east."

"I know!" Wang Hong said, "That's why I can't go!"

■

As night fell, the people of the Xiemuer tribe drove the sheep back to Muzha. The prepared pieces of meat were just picked up from the pot, about the size of two palms.The women laid these pieces of meat on the stone slabs in order to be made into dried meat.The young warriors divided the roasted golden and tender meat strips and gave the tenderest piece to their parents. The girls spread the freshly steamed crane feathers on the ground one by one. This would be a beautiful decoration.

No matter what they are busy with, they will gather in front of the square to pray on the ground one after another, glorifying God Sa, praising Yanavata for introducing them to the true God, praising Tenges Khan for guiding them the way, and praising Sarhajin for making them no longer The yellow sand floating on the prairie is grateful for the shelter provided by Gulthas.

Huo Gang lives in the wooden house facing the square, which is also the only wooden house in the tribe.He could see the devout people in the square through the gap in the curtain at the door.He is a small sacrifice here, of Han descent. The patriarch Lanka manages the people of the Xiemul tribe, and he manages Lanka and his sons.

He was very satisfied with today's transaction. May was spring, and the light of the Sa god was warming the earth.Nowadays, most of the Sa people have fixed residences and no longer live in pursuit of water and grass. They should worship, celebrate and praise.

Then he heard the clatter of horse hooves, noisy, violent, and unabashedly approaching.He frowned and opened the door curtain.

An old man jumped up from the deck chair next to the square. It was Lanka. He is 62 years old this year. His skills are no longer as flexible as when he was young, but he has learned martial arts and still has the vitality of his forties.He shouted loudly, and the crowd in the square dispersed. Women, children, and the elderly entered the tents, and the young people took up machetes, long knives, and spears.More than a dozen horses were quickly pulled to the entrance of the village. A dozen strong men holding torches filed past Huo Gang's wooden house. Only the fire in front of the tent responsible for the sacrifice never went out.They held the flame high and gathered at the entrance of the village, putting two horses on guard.

The light of fire and the sound of horse hooves approached at the same time. Lanka led his four sons and twelve grandsons, all riding horses. They were the only ones riding horses, as well as Xie Muer's warriors, a total of 230 people guarding the entrance to the village.

About fifty or sixty riders galloped in. Each of them had a thumb-sized, hexagonal symbol like a snowflake tattooed on their left cheek. Various weapons were hung on their horses, mainly long soldiers that were good for horse fighting. There was a sword hanging on their waists. A thin knife with a slightly curved blade, but not as exaggerated a curve as a machete.When they arrived outside the village, they did not launch an attack. They just held their torches high and circled around the leader.

The leader had a long braid, a thick and dirty beard, and wore rough leather armor, and the knotted muscles under the leather armor could be seen.The riders circled around him three times and stopped behind him one after another.

"Uen!" Lanka walked out of the alert crowd, "Are you going to aim your spear at the Xiemul tribe?"

Wu En raised his head high, closed his eyes, slowly opened them, and then stared down at Lanka: "Chief of Lanka, the Liu tribe has nothing, no property, no land, no glory, we don't even have Sa God bless. We only have two things left: fairness and self-respect."

"Only sharp knives can support fairness, and strength is fairness! Only spears can defend self-respect, and strength is self-respect!" Uen growled.

"You think it's unfair?" Lanka said, "The rules of knife and scale trading, the sun hasn't risen yet, and you can't wait any longer?"

"This is an insult!" Wu En threw a dirty cloth bag on the ground.

Lanka winked, and a strong man stepped forward to pick it up and open it. Inside was a wallet. There was a small ingot of broken silver in the wallet.

Ranka's expression changed greatly.

"Hand over the person who insulted Wu En!" Wu En said, "I will hang his head on the trading tree to warn you not to do it again! I also want his property and slaves!"

Ranka took the wallet, turned around, raised the broken silver high, and asked: "Who insulted Wu En?"

Everyone looked at each other, but no one stood up.

Lanka said: "My people will not do such stupid things, and there is no need to insult you."

Wu En said: "Do you think we deceived you?"

"You are a Liu tribe!" Lanka's second son shouted, "This is an excuse! You want to take away the sheep and property of the Xiemul tribe!"

"Shut up!" Uen shouted, raising the long knife hanging on his horse. The knights behind him drew their weapons and pointed at the tribe.

"Give you another chance! Who insulted Wu En?" Wu En shouted loudly, his anger could no longer be suppressed.

■

Wang Hong dragged Yang Yan westward. She wanted to go up the mountain, but if she was discovered, there was no way out on the mountain.

"What did you say? Are you insulting them by giving them money?" Yang Yan asked in surprise, "The Sa people don't use silver?"

"The Liu people are people who committed crimes in Batu. Some are nobles and some are descendants of Sa Shi. They committed serious crimes and were expelled from Batu. They are not allowed to own property, enter the tribe, and are not even allowed to believe in Sa. God. They can only wander in the grasslands and the sea of ​​trees, fend for themselves, and will be rounded up and hunted." Wang Hong explained.

They gather and unite to form a force to protect each other, some are big and some are small, there are many and some are few.They have no land, no flocks, no livestock, and only rely on hunting to survive.Silver is of no use to them because they cannot enter towns and tribes to buy things.

But the Liu people also need to live. They need food, wine, and occasionally iron tools and medicines. These are difficult to obtain except through robbery, but robbery is risky.Similarly, some small tribes are not good at hunting, or the price to pay for hunting is too high. They do not want the Liu tribe to die and plunder the tribe, so there is a sword and scale trade.

Fairness on a sharp knife.

The Liu tribe would carve sharp knives in a conspicuous place close to the tribe but out of sight. When tribes willing to accept the trade found it, they would mark a scale on the sharp knives, and that was where the transaction took place.The drifters would place the items they hunted or robbed under the tree and then leave. The tribe would bring grains, herbs, wine or other practical items in exchange for items they considered to be of equal value, whether prey or treasures.

When the sun rises the next day, the tribal people will come to the trading place again. If the trading items are not taken away, it means that the Liu tribe thinks that the trading items they proposed are not equal, and they must increase the trading items until the Liu tribe thinks it is fair and does not accept it. If you raise the price, you will have to return the items you took away.If the transaction cannot be fair, fairness will be determined by a sharp knife and blood will be shed.Such a transaction would circumvent the rule against trading with the Flow Clan because no one would be present.

Attacking the tribe will lead to an encirclement and suppression by Batu. The Liu tribe will not attack the tribe easily unless they feel offended.The tribe can get the prey provided by the Liu tribe, and it can also prevent the Liu tribe from plundering the tribe. Everyone can get what they need.They have a tacit understanding of the transaction price through long-term transactions.

"Only copper coins, silver coins, gold, and precious stones are not allowed to be traded. It is a mockery that the Liu people will never use these things. It is a mockery that they are like Kabisi sitting on a mountain of gold. They have ten mountains of gold, ten mountains of silver, and ten mountains of gold." Iron mountain, but a fool who starves to death at home.”

Yang Yan finally understood what was going on.He unintentionally insulted the refugees, which was a goddamn unexpected rule.

"If we can't escape, we will be dead." Wang Hong said.

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