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墨書 Inktalez
Before encountering Xu Zhenzhi, Caesar had wandered with her clan, living as a servant and experiencing hardship on the grasslands. She was no stranger to Salt Lake and looked at Xu Zhen's exaggerated reaction with disdain.
However, she was typically cold and taciturn, unwilling to engage in a war of words with Xu Zhen. Li Mingda, on the other hand, couldn't help but tease her. Educated in a traditional manner, she was clever and had a fascination with the customs of foreigners. She had heard about Salt Lake and couldn't stand Xu Zhen's naive demeanor.
"Xu the trickster, haven't you seen Salt Lake before? Don't be fooled by the beauty of these salt flowers; many are poisonous. Horses can eat them without issue, but if you do, watch out for a sore tongue!"
Hearing Li Mingda's jest at Xu Zhen's expense made Caesar chuckle. Although she and Li Mingda had not seen eye to eye during their journey and exchanged little conversation, they now found common ground in agreeing that Xu Zhen was indeed a big fraud.
Under the night sky, with Salt Lake reflecting its light, Caesar truly captivated those around her with her beauty. At that moment, Li Mingda was struck by Hu Ji's stunning appearance. Meanwhile, as Xu Zhen turned her head, she felt a pang of envy at the other's allure. Eager to break the awkwardness, she raised her hand to lightly tap Li Mingda but hesitated when she saw the girl glaring at her with hands on her hips, leaving her in an embarrassing position.
Clearing her throat and retracting her hand, Xu Zhen looked back at Salt Lake and said excitedly, "You little girl don't understand anything; what looks like white flowers in this lake is actually silver!"
What Xu Zhen said was not an exaggeration. In the early Tang Dynasty, salt and iron were managed through a system that allowed common people to participate; the state did not monopolize these resources. The management of salt lakes involved either establishing salt stations or inviting civilians to cultivate them. The Tang Code did not even have provisions for dealing with the sale of private salt.
For modern people, the principles of extracting and refining salt are straightforward and taught in middle school. Although the Tang Dynasty had methods for boiling salt, they could not achieve high quality or quantity. Soldiers and lower-class citizens had no access to high-quality salt, let alone the nomadic tribes beyond the borders.
From the beginning of her time in the military camp, Xu Zhen noticed this issue. Whether it was soldiers from Liangzhou Camp or shepherds from the Salar Tribe, they all used crude salt obtained from simple methods that produced bitter brine that was hard to swallow.
Once Xu Zhen extracted high-quality salt, it would not only provide a foundation for future growth but also serve as initial capital to win over other small tribes!
Limited by her own power and military strength, Xu Zhen could not help Li Mingda regain her former life nor could she resist bullying from minor figures like Hou Polu. Thus, she had always wanted to establish her own influence.
To build power within the military required accumulating military achievements through warfare to gain promotions; there were no other means. However, if she could recruit tribes like Rouran and Salar into her ranks, it would be genuine capital!
With this thought in mind, Xu Zhenxin became excited and quickly summoned everyone together. They decided to set up their tents along the shores of Salt Lake and ordered charcoal to be burned for use. They gathered fine sand and hemp cloth for filtering purposes and set up more than ten cauldrons on-site to crush large blocks of salt from Salt Lake into powder before boiling them in pots. The atmosphere became lively as they worked hard under the night sky surrounding Salt Lake.
The cooking took a long time, so the brothers of the grassland built another fire, slaughtered a fat sheep, and the skilled hunters found a few yellow sheep, stuffing them with fresh grass and wild onions before roasting the whole sheep. The Kumis bags were passed around, allowing for both work and entertainment, creating an extremely harmonious atmosphere.
The Xu Zhen was deeply influenced by the atmosphere and grew increasingly fond of these brothers. In a moment of emotion, she could not help but be bold; after downing a few cups of wine, her heart opened up completely. Unable to resist the invitation from the grassland brothers, she reluctantly began to sing. After some thought, she chose a folk song with distinct grassland flavor. Everyone sat quietly, listening intently, and many Prairie Girls looked on with admiration.
"In that distant place, there is a good girl. People passing by her tent can't help but linger and look back. Her rosy little face is like a red sun; her beautiful eyes are like the bright moon at night. I wish to wander on the grassland with her to guard the sheep, watching that rosy little face and her beautiful golden-trimmed dress every day. I wish to be a little sheep following her side, wishing every day she would gently strike me with her whip..."
This famous ballad by Wang Luobin was sung softly by the Xu Zhen. Although her voice was not particularly deep, it evoked many memories and touched hearts deeply, filled with genuine emotion.
Caesar and many Prairie Girls were no exception; they were all moved by the Xu Zhen's singing. After some inner struggle, she finally pulled out a short wooden flute from her boot. As she played it with three holes, the sound began like a gentle spring breeze at night—soft and subtle—and then gradually blended with the Xu Zhen's voice. It was like fish playing in water or swallows following distant clouds in the wind, intertwining beautifully together. The audience fell silent; even rough men like Zhou Cang and Gao He Shu were captivated!
The Xu Zhen was completely immersed in her singing when she noticed Caesar accompanying her with the flute. Their eyes met briefly, causing her heart to flutter. The two who usually regarded each other as rivals now shared an unspoken connection filled with emotion.
As the song ended and the flute gradually ceased, echoes lingered in the air. The surroundings were incredibly quiet, with only the crackling of firewood and bubbling saltwater in the cauldron as if cheering for the singer.
Caesar hurriedly withdrew her gaze, feeling complex emotions. Since she was twelve years old, her hands had not touched the flute's three holes because they had been used for holding knives and killing. Tonight, returning to this old melody brought a sense of cleansing to her soul. While feeling joyful in her heart, she also began to see the Xu Zhen in a new light.
At nearly thirty years old, she was considered an old maid both on the grassland and in Tangdu. However, endowed with natural beauty and exotic charm, she was not lacking in admirers. The Xu Zhen appeared to be just over twenty but acted unpredictably—sometimes mature and rich like old wine, sometimes youthful like a young wolf. There had been gaps between them before, but now they bore each other's marks on their arms after that playful teasing by Salar River's camp; unknowingly, it had planted a forbidden seed in her heart.
This experience of singing alongside the Xu Zhen indeed brought about unique feelings within her.
The Xu Zhen was not inexperienced in love; she had no aversion to older women and even preferred types like Caesar in her previous life. However, she did not want to force anything; she let things flow naturally. Just as she felt frustrated at no one cheering for her—wondering if today's tune could not move Ancients—suddenly after the silence came thunderous applause. Many men tossed the Xu Zhen into the air repeatedly, creating an incredibly lively scene.
In Salar Tribe, many did not understand Tang Language; enchanted by the melody, they asked Yin Zong and others about its meaning. The simple yet beautiful lyrics would resonate even in Tang Dynasty times as they expressed heartfelt sentiments between young men and women. The girls were all starry-eyed as they surrounded this talented singer and mysterious Son of Ahura, dancing passionately.
Li Mingda had less interest in songs and dances than in swordsmanship but after hearing the Xu Zhen's ballad and seeing the exchanged glances between her and Caesar, he pouted his lips in jealousy yet secretly despised those who could sing as if it were an accomplishment. While everyone else drank merrily and sang along, he mumbled to himself about wanting to revisit Xu Zhenzhi's melodies.
In the midst of their joyous gathering, over ten people had already dissolved the salt in the Cauldron. The Xu Zhen quickly called for assistance, directing everyone in an orderly manner to carry out the filtering process, and then continued to boil the filtered brine in the Cauldron.
The onlookers were fascinated and admired Xu Zhenzhi's vast knowledge, living up to the reputation of the wise Yarbo. The boiling process was quite tedious, so the Xu Zhen allowed most of the others to rest and sleep, leaving only about twenty people to watch over the Cauldron.
After a round of singing, dancing, and feasting, everyone lay down satisfied, and soon loud snores filled the air. However, the Xu Zhen remained concerned about the salt production and stayed by the fire.
Leaning against a removed saddle, she warmed her boots by the fire and took out a large coin, habitually rolling it back and forth on her hand. Caesar stood nearby, perhaps feeling a bit guilty, keeping his distance from the Xu Zhen while silently polishing his double-edged sword.
She unintentionally looked up and saw the Xu Zhen playing with the large coin. The way it danced at her fingertips captivated her attention so much that she was completely unaware of the Xu Zhen smiling at her.
"Shall I teach you?"
Upon hearing the Xu Zhen speak, Caesar immediately turned away, indicating disinterest but stealing glances with curiosity from the corner of his eye.
The Xu Zhen didn't press further; instead, she chuckled and flicked her thumb, sending the coin flying with a "ding," which she caught steadily in her palm. Then she said to Caesar, "How about this? Let's make a bet. If you can guess which hand I have the coin in, I'll grant you your freedom. What do you say?"
Caesar suddenly looked up; her expression showed no joy but rather some anger. To be honest, she had grown accustomed to being a slave to the Xu Zhen. Although she knew that the Xu Zhen did not treat her as a slave, using this as a betting chip genuinely displeased Caesar.
However, being strong-willed, she had clearly seen the coin land in the Xu Zhen's right hand. Based on years of experience following Rock Master, she deduced that it could not be in that hand. Thus, she sat beside the Xu Zhen and tapped on her left hand with the back of her knife.
"Are you sure?"
Caesar nodded firmly. The Xu Zhen opened her left hand to reveal it was empty!
Disappointment washed over Caesar as any good feelings she had just built up vanished instantly. The Xu Zhen remained that annoying figure—the cunning Tang People!
Xu Zhen didn't mind at all. With a mischievous smile, she extended her right hand in front of Caesar and said, "Want to bet again?"
If it were an ordinary girl, she would surely think that a large sum of money was in her right hand and that it couldn't have vanished into thin air. However, Caesar, having witnessed Rock Master's tricks, replied irritably, "There's nothing inside; what are we betting on?"
Xu Zhen was slightly taken aback but quickly laughed lightly. She swept her right hand past Caesar's face, fingers spread wide, and indeed, there was nothing!
"You win; there really is nothing inside."
Caesar was puzzled about what Xu Zhen was up to when Cauldron had already produced white salt flowers. Guardian hurriedly urged Xu Zhen to check it out. As she left, she winked at Caesar with her left eye.
As Caesar recalled Xu Zhen's earlier actions, he suddenly realized something. His face turned bright red as he looked down to see a warm coin tightly wedged between the peaks of his chest, held by his tightly bound undergarment!
Caesar's heart raced, feeling even more nervous than the first time he held a knife to kill. Like a thief, he pulled out the coin, thinking of tossing it into the fire, but in the end... he still... tucked it into his pocket.
How detestable those Tang People are...
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