The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2134 The Lair of the Salt Smuggling Family
Today, an astonishing scene unfolded in Qing Tang City: a Han Chinese boy strolled ahead, followed by a huge bronze sculpture that moved slowly like a kite. There seemed to be an invisible thread binding the two together.

Below and behind the golden eagle, there was a monk in white robes and a monk in Hanfu.

Further behind were two Han Chinese youths. One had a long sword tucked diagonally behind his back, and the other had a short, dark stick tucked into his waistband. The two maintained a fixed distance from the white-robed monk in front, clearly following him.

Every Tibetan traveler on the road, regardless of age or gender, stopped to stare at the young man in white! They all stared wide-eyed, craned their necks, and opened their mouths wide, completely dumbfounded!

They had never seen anything like this in their lives!
Someone actually flew the bronze statue like a kite!

Some people recognized that the bronze statue of the eagle with outstretched wings was actually a golden eagle. The real golden eagle, also known as the old eagle, vulture eagle, or golden-necked eagle, has a rich variety of colors. Its upper body is dark brown, while its lower body, chin, throat, and foreneck are blackish-brown. It has a relatively small head, strong and powerful claws, and a long, wide, and rounded tail.

Golden eagles are large birds of prey, swift apex predators that prey on cattle and sheep.

This bronze statue is more than ten times the size of a real gold eagle; if it were a real eagle, it could probably even lift an elephant!
Such a large bronze statue must weigh at least several thousand kilograms, maybe even tens of thousands of kilograms. How is it able to float in the air? Is this boy a demon?

Feng Jiuxiao, expressionless, strode confidently toward the Mo family manor!
Feng Jiuxiao suddenly said, "Venerable One, since we've been bored along the way, why don't we introduce the Mo family in advance?"

The White Lotus Venerable, standing several feet behind him, laughed and said, "Alright."

Although the two were not close, they chatted as if they were right next to each other, speaking in hushed tones.

Venerable Bailian clasped his hands together, his face kind and benevolent, resembling an enlightened monk. He spoke slowly and deliberately, which to outsiders seemed like he was talking to himself: "Let me first tell you about the history of the Mo family's rise to power. The Mo family made its fortune in salt."

Legend has it that the ancestor of the Mo clan, Chimo Zanpu, once drowned hundreds of slaves alive in Chaka Salt Lake. Three days later, their bodies were retrieved and wrapped in salt crusts to create "salt figurines." These figurines, carrying salt bags on their shoulders, stood along the lakeshore, forming human pillars along the salt path. It is said that a cross-shaped array of figurines still exists at the bottom of the lake.

Feng Jiuxiao frowned slightly: "Huo Chenbainu?"

Venerable White Lotus smiled and said, "It's just a legend. The legend says that the power token of the Mo family is a bronze salt shovel with the words 'Salt is thicker than blood' engraved on the surface. The handle is inlaid with the eyeball of the first salt slave, which is said to have calcified into a white ball. But I don't believe it. An eyeball inlaid in the handle has no effect whatsoever!"

Feng Jiuxiao snorted coldly and said, "The serf owners here are all brain-dead. All they do is kill and harm! They don't do anything human!"

Venerable White Lotus said, "That's right! It is said that the 'Western Sea Salt Spring Map' that still hangs in the main hall of the Mo family is made of human skin!"

Feng Jiuxiao remained expressionless: "Venerable One, please continue."

Bai Lian said, "The three unique methods of salt punishment in the Mo family are equally terrifying! Those who smuggle salt are first whipped, then salt is sprinkled on their wounds, and then they are tied up and exposed to the scorching sun. After three days, the victim becomes a salt sculpture, which is then erected in the salt field as a warning!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "That's a ruthless move! I doubt many people would dare to tamper with things in secret! Anything else? Any unusual rumors about the Mo family?"

"Yes! There's also the practice of using gold terracotta figurines as burial objects!"

"Oh? A golden terracotta warrior? What does that mean? That someone is wrapped in gold after death?"

"That's right, a corpse wrapped in gold! To be precise, it's a salt-wrapped corpse! A salt-wrapped corpse is one whose cavity is filled with spices and salt grains specifically for preservation!"

“In northern Tibet, there is a pastoral song that goes: ‘Golden armor weeps by the salt lake, white bones pave the trade road, do not drink the water of Chaka, for the salt demon dwells at the bottom of the water!’ — When the herdsmen sing the last line, they always sprinkle some salt grains to drive away evil.”

Feng Jiuxiao scoffed, "Exorcising evil spirits? It seems the Mo family is already considered evil by the local people!" Bai Lian said, "Ruthless and cruel, treating human life like dirt, such a powerful family is naturally regarded as evil!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "If Huang Chao hadn't killed the five clans and seven noble families back then, the Central Plains would probably still be a rigidly hierarchical society, with the common people at the bottom never having a chance to rise up. In the end, they might even be worse off than Tibetan serfs!"

Bai Lian said, "Huang Chao? Huang Chao, the one who rebelled at the end of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Correct!"

"I've always heard that he killed five families and seven prominent clans. Which five families and which seven prominent clans were they?"

Specifically, these are the Li clan of Longxi, the Li clan of Zhaojun, the Cui clan of Boling, the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Zheng clan of Xingyang, and the Wang clan of Taiyuan. Because the Li and Cui clans each have two ancestral homes, they are called "five surnames and seven clans"!

"The Li family of Longxi should refer to this branch of the Tang imperial family, right?"

"Well, after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the surname Li became the imperial surname, and the Li Tang imperial family claimed to be from the Longxi Li clan. However, the Longxi Li clan was not an old clan of the Wei and Jin dynasties. The ancestors of the Li clan were a family of military generals during the Former Han Dynasty, but during the formation and development of the aristocratic families of the Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties, they had declined into a poor family in Longxi. It was not until the late Jin Dynasty and the Sixteen Kingdoms period that the Longxi Li clan began to rise again. When Li Yuan and his son raised their army, they claimed to be from the Longxi Li clan, but their true identity was Xianbei!"

Bai Lian nodded and said, "Claiming to be from the Li family of Longxi is just to give themselves a legitimate excuse, I understand! What about the Li family of Zhao County? What is their relationship with the Li family of Longxi?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "The Li family of Zhao County is descended from Li Mu, the General of Wu'an of Zhao, and from Li Zuoche, the General of Guangwu. Li Mu's father, Li Ji, was the fourth son of Li Tan, the Minister of Works of Qin. Li Tan's eldest son, Li Chong, served as the governor of Longxi County and settled there. He was the ancestor of the Longxi Li family. Therefore, the Longxi Li family and the Li family of Zhao County are actually of the same clan, one family, two branches."

Bai Lian said, "It seems that the Cui clan of Boling and the Cui clan of Qinghe share the same ancestor?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "That's right. The Cui clan of Boling and the Cui clan of Qinghe share the same ancestry and common ancestor, Cui Yiru, the Marquis of Donglai during the Qin Dynasty. In the early Western Han Dynasty, Cui Yiru's eldest son, Cui Ye, settled in Dongwu City, Qinghe, and became the ancestor of the Cui clan of Qinghe; his second son, Cui Zhongmou, moved to Anping, Boling, and became the ancestor of the Cui clan of Boling."

Venerable White Lotus said, "Why did Huang Chao want to kill all five clans and seven noble families? If there were any grudges, the grievances would have been settled, and the debts would have been settled. Killing a few clan heads or key figures would have been enough. But to wipe out an entire family, how great must the hatred be?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "This hatred didn't accumulate in just a day or two! Huang Chao came from a salt merchant family, so his family should have been well-off. His family didn't want him to go into business, but he insisted on taking the imperial examinations. As a result, he failed the examinations several times because the powerful clans monopolized the official careers! Those powerful clans controlled the imperial examinations to ensure that official positions were monopolized by their family members, creating a situation where 'the upper ranks have no poor families.' How to describe it? It's roughly the meaning of class solidification. As a poor family, there is never a chance to rise up! Compared with the Five Clans and Seven Families, Huang Chao came from a poor family. All his ideals and ambitions were shattered because of the malicious suppression by the powerful clans. Do you think he wouldn't hate them?"

Venerable White Lotus said, "Of course we must hate them! No one could bear it! Life is short, only a few decades. Who doesn't want to achieve fame and success in their lifetime? If I were Huang Chao, I certainly wouldn't let those powerful families go!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Actually, if Huang Chao had simply committed massacres and exterminated entire families because of personal grudges, his reputation would have been greatly damaged! Why did he gain so much support by killing the five clans and seven powerful families? This is just like what Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, said to Wei Zheng: 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!' Aristocratic families like the Li family of Longxi and the Cui family of Boling had long monopolized the court's power, economic resources, and educational opportunities, leading to a rigid social hierarchy! They owned vast tracts of land, exploited tenant farmers, and even despised imperial power! To put it bluntly, these powerful families had become arrogant, looking down on the common people and the emperor, thus offending both sides! Huang Chao raised the slogan 'Heaven restores equality' when he raised his army, aiming to break the monopoly of wealth and power! Therefore, eliminating the five clans and seven powerful families was an essential condition for gaining the support of the lower-ranking soldiers!"

Bai Lian said, "I understand, all I want is to have a legitimate reason for it!"

Before we knew it, we had passed through the city and arrived in the western suburbs. The vast expanse of yellow earth was now covered with a layer of white frost.

At the edge of the field of vision lay a vast estate. How big was it? It stretched as far as the eye could see.

Feng Jiuxiao stopped and looked around the manor in front of him.

This is the ancestral home of the last branch of the salt smuggling family.

The word "old lair" popped into Feng Jiuxiao's mind! In Feng Jiuxiao's eyes, the so-called ancestral home was nothing more than the lair of these beasts!