Jinting Han people

Chapter 74: Gift from a Young Man (4k)

After a violent storm, the clouds dissipated, and the oppressive summer heat melted away. A cool mountain mist swept through the forest, dropping dripping water droplets that blossomed into silvery-white flowers among the puddles. The night sky overhead also became clear, revealing not only a bright moon but also a teeming sky of stars, even a deep purple river of galaxies streaking across the horizon, stretching as far as the eye could see.

In this situation, people's mood will become particularly pure.

Although Afule easily shook off the pursuers, he was still worried and circled around Mangshan several times, wasting more than an hour, before slowly heading to the agreed place to gather.

The scenery along the way was beautiful and tranquil, and the young men and women riding the black dragon horses relaxed, as if the recent conflict in the Golden Valley Garden had been but a dream. They were like fish born to swim in the lake, surfacing briefly before returning to the vastness of nature, enjoying an endless and carefree freedom.

When passing the trail of Mangshan, Afule hummed a song softly. Even though his voice was still very immature, he still hummed out the deep and timeless sound of the song, just like the staggering footsteps of a traveler in the wind on the vast grassland.

Later, Afule told Liu Xian the name of the song: "Homesickness Song." It was originally sung by the Jiehu people after they left the Western Regions to express their longing for their homeland. Now, after settling in Bingzhou, it has become a song of homesickness for the Jiehu people when they are away from home, missing their loved ones. He intended to use this song to comfort the people from his hometown who had died tragically in Mangshan.

The song was sung in an unknown language, and the lyrics were roughly as follows:
"Under seventy blue-white snow-capped mountains,
It is a beautiful and lush valley in the desert.

The water in the river is cool like countless pearls,

The lake reflects the boundless sky.

The gray wind and white clouds covered my hometown.

Walking on the blue hillside,
That is a horse with a long mane.

Lying in the lush meadows,

That's the petite Aries.

On the saddle in the wind,
That is the upright figure of my father and brother.

Those who can live long and peacefully in the field,
He is a gifted man who never leaves his horse or his sword."

When Afule was humming this ballad, his expression was serious and tears began to flow from his eyes. But when he turned around and saw Liu Xian and Lu Zhu, he smiled again. His smile was very innocent. Even though he was only fourteen years old, this baby-like smile was still extremely rare.

Liu Xian was once again impressed. Ever since he first met the Jiehu youth, he had discovered that Afule possessed a strange ability to draw people in. Initially, he'd thought this closeness came from his compassion and admiration, but now it seemed to stem from Afule's pure heart. Despite the worldly concerns, he remained untainted and true to his heart.

He asked Afule, "Why are you alone? Where is the person who went to the stable with you?"

"Of course it's because things are not going well. They've already left on horseback."

"Then why didn't you leave?"

Afule raised his eyebrows with a rather proud expression and said with a smile, "I knew at once that you had other intentions. Of course, I'm here to cover your rear!"

Liu Xian was surprised: "Is it so obvious?"

"Of course it's obvious. You're the one who talks the least during discussions, yet you have the most plans. If you don't have other motives, then you're definitely planning to break up!"

After saying that, both of them burst into laughter.

Afule smacked his lips, then turned to examine Luzhu, who was leaning against Liu Xian's back, and jokingly said, "I was wondering why you never mentioned money and were so eager to help me. It turns out you were using me as a cover. After all this time, it turns out you've set your sights on such a beauty. Could this be Shi Chong's most precious secret treasure?"

Liu Xian patted Luzhu's hand, shook his head at Afule and said, "A person can only be his own secret treasure, and it does not belong to anyone else."

"Hahaha, whatever you say, I can't help but see the other guys' expressions!"

As the moon rose to its zenith, they finally crossed the Mangshan Pass. Their view suddenly widened, and the reed-fringed river lay before the young man. Under the silvery moonlight, the turbid color of the Yellow River could no longer be seen, only the endless ripples and shimmering waves on its surface.

After walking along the river for a quarter of an hour, they vaguely saw their companions collecting the spoils in the distance.

There was no wind, but the reeds were still swaying from side to side as people ran back and forth. If you got a little closer, you could even see the strange light of the treasures on the carriage.

At this time, two Huns who were on lookout came over. After confirming their identities, they breathed a sigh of relief and immediately led the way to the carriage. At this time, Liu Xian saw Liu Cong, Zu Ti and others again.

Liu Cong was lying in the reeds at the time, holding a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth. When he saw Liu Xian coming, he didn't move, spit out the grass root and said with a smile: "Oh, if you don't come soon, I'm going to cross the river first."

Then he stared at Lu Zhu in surprise and asked, "Where did this beauty come from?"

Unlike Liu Xian's embarrassing escape, Liu Cong and his party's robbery can be said to be very successful. Except for some minor resistance when they first broke into the vault, the subsequent robbery was incredibly smooth. After Liu Cong drove the carriage into the vault, no one came to intercept him. It rained heavily when he was running away, causing his tracks to be covered by the heavy rain, and no one came to track him. As a result, except for two people who suffered some minor injuries, there was nothing serious at all.

When they arrived at the Yellow River, most of them were just wet with rain, and Liu Cong felt as if he was on a picnic, enjoying himself leisurely.

Needless to say, Liu Xian originally intended to use them as a cover, but in the end he himself became the cover. He can be said to have devoted himself to the operation of looting Jingu Garden and made great contributions.

But this cannot be blamed on others, at least he did rescue Luzhu.

Liu Cong's words had drawn everyone's attention. After the chase through the woods and the rain, Lu Zhu's hair was disheveled and her clothes were tattered. She no longer had the dignified and cool demeanor she had had when Liu Xian ascended the tower. But this only added a touch of charm to her. Where had the people of Bingzhou ever seen such a beauty? They were all stunned for a moment.

Liu Xian calmly pulled Lu Zhu behind him and found her a gauze hat, obscuring her features. Only then did everyone turn their gazes away, sighing one after another, clearly envious but unable to show it. Even Liu Kun gestured to the side, looking up to the heavens and sighing, "I'd rather not know how beautiful she is, as she is so rare to find again."

At this moment, Liu Xian could only play dumb and asked Liu Cong, "How was your harvest today?"

"A bountiful harvest!" It was Zu Ti who answered. He was sitting in the carriage, a leisurely smile on his face, apparently having just finished an inventory. He counted on his fingers to Liu Xian, "Two hundred pairs of Hepu pearls, three pieces of red coral, sixty pieces of Lantian unpolished jade, thirteen hundred-year-old Liao sea cucumbers, two volumes of Cao Buxing's 'Qing Zhu Seated with a Red Dragon', thirty rolls of Western Region fire-washed cloth, five pieces of gold-embroidered clothing, fifteen jars of wine, and guess what else..."

"What is it?"

Zu Ti rummaged through the carriage and pulled out a small sandalwood box of exquisite workmanship. He opened it and took out a crystal-clear, colorful bead. The bead still shone brightly under the moonlight, and it was obvious that it was not an ordinary item.

Zu Ti said mysteriously, "This is the genuine Buddha bone relic that the Indian monk Kang Senghui presented to Sun Quan, the King of Wu, when he came to Jiangdong forty years ago! It's worth a million gold!"

Buddha bone relic!? Liu Xian came over to examine it for a while, but couldn't see anything unusual, so he asked, "How did Shi Zhi recognize it?"

"There's another Buddha bone relic enshrined in the White Horse Temple, exactly like this one! There are only these two in all of China, could I be mistaken? I was wondering why the King of Wu didn't have it in his treasury, so it must have ended up in Shi Chong's pocket!"

Where did he hear this news? He even went to the White Horse Temple to see the Buddha's relics. How can he understand Luoyang better than me, a Luoyang native? Liu Xian looked at Zu Ti with a strange look, and then thinking about his part-time job, he suddenly realized and chose to trust Zu Ti's judgment.

Despite such a huge harvest, Zu Ti was still not satisfied. He sighed and said, "It's a pity that you have never been into Shi Chong's treasure house. It is truly full of treasures and inexhaustible! We only took some valuable items in a hurry, which is less than one-tenth of his collection! Two carriages are still too little!"

Liu Xian laughed and said, "Be careful of your greed and suffer great losses in the future! With these, it is enough to make Shi Chong's heart bleed."

Zu Ti then calmed down, but he still sighed, "I really don't know how he got these rare treasures."

At this point, everyone has a vague idea of how Shi Chong got rich. It seems the victory over Wu not only ended the North-South divide but also enriched the generals who conquered Wu. With Shi Chong's methods, he must have scraped the grass twice in just a few years as governor of Jingzhou.

Liu Xian turned around and asked Liu Cong, "But no matter how valuable the treasures are, most of them can't be sold. Is that okay?"

Liu Cong stood up and said with a smile: "What's the problem? Two carriages, one for rare treasures and one for real gold and silver. I don't lack real gold and silver. I will take all the things I just mentioned and transport them back to my hometown. You can divide the remaining gold and silver to save trouble. How about it?"

According to the previous agreement, Liu Cong claimed to take 60% of the loot, regardless of the amount taken. With this split, he was clearly taking advantage. The items just mentioned, cheaper ones like wine, were worth tens of gold on the market, while more expensive ones like fire-washing cloth were completely unsalable. Not to mention the genuine Buddha bone relic, their total value was likely tens of thousands of gold, equivalent to several years' worth of taxes for an entire state.

On the other hand, the treasures on the other carriage were about three thousand gold cakes, which was a huge sum of money, but obviously far from what Liu Cong had obtained.

However, Liu Xian, Zu Ti, Afule and the others did not object. Although Liu Cong contributed the least to the plan, he was essentially the real organizer. It can be said that without Liu Cong, this operation would have been impossible.

Moreover, real gold and silver have their own advantages. As Liu Xian had previously questioned, treasures are indeed rare, but they are difficult to sell. Once they are circulated on the market, they are very likely to be discovered by Shi Chong, and that would be a disaster. In contrast, gold and silver can be spent freely. In Luoyang, a place where nobles and dukes gather, three thousand gold may be a lot, but it will not attract attention. This free and easy feeling is what young people like.

A Fule thought for a moment and said, "I'll take it first. I want six hundred gold."

Liu Xian was surprised and asked, "You only took this much?"

Afule replied, "To be honest, I'm very happy to come to Luoyang this time. Logically, I shouldn't take a penny of this gold. But my tribe is suffering from famine, and they still need me to buy food to take back. Some of my people have died, and there are still widows and orphans who need to be supported. I calculated, and six hundred gold is more than enough."

His words were firm and unyielding, and his demeanor was admirable.

Zu Ti and Liu Kun looked over, and Zu Ti said with a smile, "Originally, the commission was agreed to be 200 gold. Now it seems that I am going to make a lot of money."

He was indeed going to make a fortune. Liu Xian had actually already made up his mind on the way here. He first asked, "Shi Zhi, I heard that you're working with orphans in the western suburbs, helping the poor and those in need, and making friends with chivalrous men. Is that true?"

"Hey, why are you putting in such a good word for me? You're putting such a big accusation on me. They're just a bunch of bad boys hanging out together, looking for a way out."

"It's the same thing." Liu Xian nodded slightly and smiled at Zu Ti, "How about this, I can't use this money for the time being, so why not leave it with you and use it to do some good things. If I need it urgently later, it won't be too late to come back to you."

The implication was that the money was given to Zu Ti so that he could form a gang and faction in Luoyang and expand his business.

"That's exactly what I want!" Zu Ti did not refuse and lay down on the hill of gold, expressing his satisfaction without any concealment: "Huai Chong, if there is any big business in the future, I will definitely bring you along!"

"And next time?"

"There will definitely be one!"

The leaders all laughed. They were still young. To others, the looting of Shi Chong's Jingu Garden was an act of utter audacity, but to them, it was merely an insignificant episode in their youth. They all firmly believed that they would have a greater mission and a more magnificent destiny in the future. Leaving a name for eternity and commanding great power throughout the land seemed within their grasp.

That night, standing before the tranquil river, they waved goodbye, some sailing to Hebei while others stayed in Luoyang.

Some people might draw swords against each other the next time they meet, but at least for now, they are still friends.

A Fule led the Black Dragon Horse onto the boat, bobbing up and down on the water. He turned to look at Liu Xian and found that Liu Xian was also looking at him, and both of them showed envy for each other. A Fule envied Liu Xian's responsibility, while Liu Xian envied his freedom.

Suddenly, Afule suddenly thought of something, waved his hand and shouted to Liu Xian: "Hey! Liu Biji! I'll give you my brother! Remember, it only eats wheat and beans!"

Liu Yao, who was standing by, was completely baffled. What kind of brothers are they? Can they be given away as gifts?
Liu Xian, who was standing on the shore, heard him and knew he was talking about the Fanyu horse. He laughed and said, "You should eat wheat beans for every meal first!"

"A hero's origins are not judged! The next time we meet, I will definitely be very successful!"

After saying this, just like the first time they met, Afule let out a long roar towards the sky, then soared into the sky like Kunpeng, rising to the sky.

This time, Liu Xian no longer hid, he also responded with a roar from the bottom of his heart, just like a towering mountain breaking through the clouds, rising into the sky and illuminating all things.

When everything returned to calm, the rivers and Mangshan had become their witnesses.

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(End of this chapter)