After advancing unhurriedly and heading west for more than ten days, we finally found Aoze, also known as Lop Nur, described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Of course, Lop Nur in this era was not a desert without any vegetation, but a rather huge saltwater lake, covering an area of ​​several thousand square kilometers like a vast ocean.
Near Lop Nur, we saw a nomadic people with a population of several hundred living here temporarily. I don’t know if these people are the ancestors of the legendary ancient Loulan Kingdom. Their appearance looks quite different from the humans in the Central Plains and the Huns.
Also completely different.
However, these people were obviously no strangers to people from the Central Plains, and they were very enthusiastic when they saw Li Xiao. They were especially respectful and afraid of Li Xiao's mount Qiuqiu.
Now Qiuqiu doesn't look naive at all. He weighs at least more than 600 kilograms, which is much larger than the average black bear. He looks like a majestic and ferocious beast.
Being able to subdue such a ferocious beast as a mount is definitely a first-class warrior. As a wandering nomad, I worship warriors who can subdue ferocious beasts to the core.
The leader of the tribe also slaughtered several fat sheep and held a large banquet to receive Li Xiao, who had come from afar. He even took the ball with him, and he became a guest of honor.
This situation made the leader's attitude become more respectful, and he once again raised the level of hospitality. He quickly asked several beautiful girls from the tribe who were good at singing and dancing to come over to dance, sing and toast. It was like enjoying an emperor-like experience.
treatment.
This situation also surprised Li Xiao. If we were talking about hospitality, it might be normal to treat someone who came from afar to have a meal.
It's just that the level of hospitality is too high, so I'm a little worried. As the saying goes, showing courtesy for nothing is either adultery or theft. Do you want to get me drunk and seek wealth and death?
"That's probably not the case. Those big packages I took out for show are nothing valuable."
Li Xiao was indeed a bit offended by the fact that several beauties were singing, dancing and serving wine.
But what is certain is that there is nothing wrong with the kumiss you drank, and there is nothing drugged or poisonous about it. Those things cannot be hidden from your extremely keen sense of smell and taste.
As for the alcohol content, which is even lower than that of beer, it is impossible to get drunk. It will only drink people until they are full. Therefore, they do not shirk the drinks that are frequently brought to them. Drinking them in one gulp shows respect for the host.
Although I am not used to drinking kumis, the roasted whole lamb is really delicious. Not only Qiuqiu enjoyed it, but Li Xiao also enjoyed it.
…
Until they were full of wine and food, the tribal leader didn't have any thoughts and didn't make any special requests. Li Xiao finally relaxed and at the same time, he despised himself fiercely for judging a gentleman with a villain's heart.
belly.
Of course, he was not used to free food, and he did not give free food to the tribal leader, so after much thought, he took out two relatively well-preserved giant wolf skins from the huge package and gave them to him as a return gift.
However, when the leader saw the giant wolf skin, his eyes were extremely shocked, and then he was ecstatic. He immediately picked up the giant wolf skin and ran out of the tent. Then hundreds of people from the entire tribe, men, women, old and children, surrounded him.
Just when Li Xiao was considering whether to escape from this place directly, the group of people surrounding him fell to their knees one after another. Their pious attitude was almost like a pilgrim, and they were completely prostrate to the ground.
It seems that he is regarded as a god. At least the respectful attitude is indeed like worshiping the gods. Of course, it may also be the worship of the strong. Some nomadic people's worship of the strong can be said to be integrated into their genes.
Preliminary speculation should be that the group of mutated giant wolves once attacked these people, causing very heavy losses and leaving a very deep impression on them.
Then today, suddenly a man appeared riding a big bear. After eating a meal, he took out two giant wolf skins. It seemed that the blood stains just removed from the giant wolf had not completely dried...
Looking at the hundreds of people prostrating themselves on the ground, he hesitated slightly, but then took out all the giant wolf skins he had saved. These things were of little use.
The reason why I kept it at that time was just because the storage space was a little empty, so I reluctantly kept it based on the principle of not wasting it. Since it seemed to have other meanings for these people, I left it to these people.
Of course, they casually took away two roasted whole lambs, as well as several generations of mare's kumiss. The people who were so prostrated that they even didn't notice what Lord God had done were still lying on the ground piously, waiting for Lord God to let them get up.
.
However, Li Xiao did not follow common sense. After finishing everything, he got on the ball and disappeared in the vast desert in an instant.
Because giant pandas have thick pads on their feet, they run silently, so no one even noticed Li Xiao leaving, and he was still lying on the ground obediently.
It wasn't until a long time later that a brave young man finally couldn't help but quietly raised his head and took a look, only to find that the Lord God had disappeared. At the same time, he saw a lot of giant wolf skins and screamed.
As a result, Li Xiao became the god that this tribe believed in. A simple but very solemn and sacred statue was built. Then this place became the place where the tribe lived for a long time, and the ancient country of Loulan appeared hundreds of years earlier.
.
Even hundreds of years later, because of the increasingly strong connection with faith, there were some special time and space entanglements with this world, and finally reappeared in this time and space...
…
Not to mention that the tribe is planning to live in this God-blessed land for a long time, but to ride the ball along the Tarim River to the Tianshan Mountains.
As we walked, the completely frozen river completely disappeared. It must have become an underground river, so we could only use the compass to keep moving in the northwest direction.
After another seven or eight days of stopping and going, we finally arrived at the Tianshan Mountains. However, we did not think carefully about coming here this time. The weather is going to be quite cold in winter.
Of course, the most critical thing is not the cold. The most troublesome thing is that the thick snow has completely sealed the mountain and it is impossible to find snowdrops. It can only be said that I still lack experience.
To come to such a cold place, you have to come in midsummer. The only question is how long can I stay in this world and whether I can wait until next summer.
Although I don't feel the mysterious void pulling force now, the longer I stay, the greater the probability of being suddenly pulled back.
It’s just that under the current situation, facing the snowy mountains completely covered with ice and snow, it is indeed impossible to find snow lotus...
"By the way, do the local people store some snow lotus?" This possibility suddenly came to mind, because yesterday when I was on the road, I saw a tribal settlement in the distance. It was no longer the tents of nomadic people, but some adobe houses.
It should be a tribe that has lived here for a long time. It may be the legendary Qiuci Kingdom. Since those people have lived here for a long time, they may collect some snow lotus. If you are lucky enough, you may be able to receive the elixir-level snow lotus unexpectedly...
…
Thinking of this, he immediately patted Qiuqiu's head and pointed to the southeast, but he was frozen and quietly protested, asking why he had to go back after running such a long way.
“A bottle of Shao Knife for dinner!”
After raising a finger and saying this, Qiuqiu, who was still protesting, suddenly lost his temper and ran away.
Although the body is getting fatter and fatter, the speed has not slowed down at all. Even after these days of continuous practice and the gradual growth of strength, it has become a little faster.
In less than an hour, they had traveled more than 300 miles, and before the sun went down, they saw the tribal garrison that had been hurriedly repaired yesterday in the distance.
…
The current attire is indeed a bit weird, and it is not as eye-catching as last time, so I deliberately changed into a set of clothes that the locals often wear, and then deliberately took out a large package and carried it on my back to avoid suddenly changing things.
Too bizarre.
Then we made a tent for the giant panda, arranged a barbecue feast, and took out a large bottle of Shao Knife.
There was wine, meat, and a warm tent. Of course, Qiuqiu didn't bother Li Xiao. He lay lazily on the ground and happily held the wine bottle, grilling knives and roasting mutton.
"Qiuqiu, you wait here, I'll go there to change some things."
Li Xiao confessed, but Qiuqiu was busy enjoying the delicious food and had no time to answer.
"You foodie, did you understand what I said? Don't come over suddenly and disturb me to exchange something."
Seeing Li Xiao asking again, Qiuqiu finally nodded in understanding, probably understanding the meaning. Li Xiao didn't waste time, carried the huge package, and walked quickly towards Tucheng a few miles away.
go.
Chapter completed!