Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 115 Qingyi Clan

Lu Zheng was walking briskly in the pathless mountains.

There is no map of this area, so we can only divide it into east, south, west and north.

I was in such a hurry to get here that I didn't pay much attention to the surrounding environment.

Now Lu Zheng didn't know where he was, so he walked north. He thought he would be able to find a populated area and ask for directions back to Kaiyang County.

Anyway, he has plenty of time, so there is no need to rush. He can just treat it as a trip.

After climbing over several green hills, Lu Zheng finally found a small path.

The mountain path, less than a foot wide, was almost covered by weeds.

However, there is no grass on the road, which proves that this path is often traveled by people. It should be a small path leading from the mountain village to the outside world.

The path is divided into two ends, east and west, and both sides are winding all the way until they disappear into the distant mountains. No one knows where it leads to.

Lu Zheng thought about it and decided to change his route and head east along the trail.

It was already afternoon and approaching evening.

Lu Zheng quickened his pace, trying to find someone before dark so he could ask for directions.

After walking a few miles along the mountain road, we could faintly hear some human voices ahead.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but slow down his pace and listen attentively.

There were some people talking and hurrying along the way in the mountains. Their voices gradually faded away, and they must be heading in the same direction as him.

Lu Zheng didn't hear it very carefully and quickened his pace.

After a while, I saw four people carrying backpacks and walking on the mountain path ahead.

There were four people, three men and one woman. Three of them were very young, probably no more than twenty years old, and the other one was a burly middle-aged man who seemed to be the elder of the three.

The four people were all dressed in green clothes, with some ancient patterns embroidered on their clothes.

Looking at the way these people dress, they are very different from ordinary people.

Moreover, the tone of voice of the four people was mixed with strong accents, making it difficult for people to understand what they were saying.

Lu Zheng's eyes flickered, and he suddenly thought of something.

In this world, there are many branches of the human race. Within the territory of Anguo, there are some people who are called barbarians and foreigners.

The people of the nine countries in the world, when tracing their roots, all admit that they all descended from the same ancestor.

But the other barbarians do not have such a sense of identity.

Because the living habits and cultural beliefs of those people are very different from those of the majority of the people, it gives people the feeling that they are unenlightened and uncivilized.

Such people are easily distinguished and are called barbarians.

The term "barbarians" has existed since ancient times.

However, Lu Zheng thought that those foreigners were probably just a little less civilized. If they were educated, they would actually be no different from other people.

Of course, the difficult part is educating the people.

Some barbarians have deep-rooted ideas, are too feudal and backward, and even disdain to learn cultural knowledge from the outside world.

There are also some ethnic groups that are truly barbaric, eating raw meat and drinking blood, and it is impossible to communicate with them.

Lu Zheng looked at the people in front of him and guessed that they should belong to the Qingyi tribe.

The Qingyi tribe, also known as the Qingyi barbarians and the Qingyi barbarians.

Because this tribe worships the color green, they wear green clothes all year round.

Their green clothes are very different from those worn outside. There is a very obvious difference and they can be recognized at a glance.

There are many Qingyi people in the southern mountains of Anguo. This foreign tribe is relatively civilized and has a lot of exchanges with the outside world.

The language is a dialect that has deviated from Mandarin. There are some similarities between the two languages, but ordinary people have little exposure to them and still cannot understand them.

The girl in green in front was walking, and her eyes glanced back inadvertently, and then she found Lu Zheng.

The girl couldn't help but let out a light exclamation, then pointed behind her and her companions.

The other three people all turned around and saw Lu Zheng at a glance. They couldn't help but stop and look at Lu Zheng curiously.

There was a hint of wariness in the eyes of several people, which was a subconscious hostility towards outsiders.

The girl's eyes flickered as she stared at Lu Zheng without hesitation, as if she was curious about why this man was so fair, almost as white as the big white goose she raised at home.

Lu Zheng slowly approached, bowed, and said, "I am a student from Kaiyang County. I came out to study and got lost in the mountains."

The girl blinked when she heard that and said in surprise, "Uncle, he's a scholar from outside. No wonder he's so fair, he's so good-looking!"

A young man said disdainfully, "He's whiter than a woman, and looks like a man. He doesn't look strong, so how can he be good-looking? He's not as good as me!"

Another slightly older boy laughed and said, "Sister, you've been out there and seen the world. You like a guy like this. Do you want me to carry him back for you and get married tonight?"

"You are so rude!" the girl glared.

The three of them spoke their native language without avoiding Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng didn't quite understand what they were saying, but after listening and guessing, he roughly knew what they were talking about.

This was the first time I met a foreigner from this world, and I didn’t expect that he would want to take him back and get married.

He felt a little amused and helpless, but also thought these boys and girls were interesting.

The burly middle-aged man came up to Lu Zheng and said in a harsh tone, "Are you alone? How did you get here?"

This time, Lu Zheng understood everything because the other party was speaking the foreign language.

It wasn't quite standard, but I could barely understand it. Lu Zheng replied, "I was lost in the mountains and found this path. I came here and ran into you guys."

The sturdy man nodded and continued, "There are many man-eating beasts in the mountains. You're lucky to have made it here... Before it gets dark, go back and climb over the mountain road for more than ten miles. You'll reach the main road. Then, heading south, you'll find a village to spend the night."

Lu Zheng understood what he heard, and he could tell from his words that the strong man did not welcome him.

He was asked to find another village, and there was no intention of bringing him back to his own village to stay overnight.

The girl couldn't help but say, "Uncle, it's such a long way, how can he get there before dark? Let him go back to the village with us!"

The young man next to her said with a grin, "That's right, my sister likes him very much. Why not bring him home and let her be her groom? No one will know."

"Don't talk nonsense!" The girl punched the boy directly.

The middle-aged man glared at the two people who were fighting.

The two young men immediately shrank their necks and became obedient.

The middle-aged man turned to look at Lu Zheng and said, "We don't welcome outsiders here, please leave!"

Originally, Lu Zheng had no intention of bothering these people, but he was a little curious and wanted to see the life of the Qingyi tribe.

However, seeing the middle-aged man's attitude, it seemed that there was no chance for him to follow him into the village to take a look.

The girl pulled the middle-aged man's arm and said coquettishly, "Uncle, the sun is about to set. If you let him go, he will be fed to the tigers and wolves. Let him go back with us."

The man said seriously, "The village is holding a sacrifice ceremony and outsiders are not allowed to enter the village."

The man spoke his native language this time, but Lu Zheng still heard the word "sacrifice" very clearly, so he must have heard it correctly.

"There are still two days left. After tonight, I will send him away!" the girl pleaded.

The man looked at the girl and asked seriously, "Are you really happy with him?"

The girl blushed slightly and said, "Uncle, don't talk nonsense. I just feel sorry for him. If I want to get married, I want to find someone who is good-looking and knows how to live. But being good-looking is not enough!"

The young man next to him muttered quietly, "I heard that the scholars out there are from wealthy families. If you marry one of them, you'll live a good life."

"You're the only one who talks too much!" The girl glared at him unhappily.

The middle-aged man frowned and thought for a while.

Then, he looked at Lu Zheng seriously and said, "You can go back to the village with us, but you must leave early tomorrow morning. I will have someone escort you out."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng bowed and said, "Thank you very much."

As he spoke, Lu Zheng took out another small piece of silver and handed it to the middle-aged man.

"This little money can be regarded as housing fee." Lu Zheng said.

The older boy glared slightly and muttered to the girl, "See, I told you, the scholars out there are very rich. If you marry one of them... Ouch!"

Before the boy could finish his words, he was hit by another heavy punch from the girl, and he grimaced in pain.

Judging from the boy's distorted face, the force must have been quite strong.

The middle-aged man looked at the silver and money that Lu Zheng handed over, his eyes just flashed, he didn't reach out his hand, and he was unmoved.

He said calmly, "Take it back. I'm just letting you stay for one night, why charge me any money?"

Lu Zheng was slightly surprised. He could see a desire for money in the eyes of the three young men, but he couldn't see that in the man's eyes. Instead, he looked down on him.

Just like this little bit of silver is nothing to a man.

Lu Zheng could feel that this man was not even a warrior, but just an ordinary person who was a little stronger.

It is rare to see an ordinary person in the mountains look down on money.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and put the money away calmly.

The middle-aged man turned around and continued on his way. "Let's go. We still have to walk a little up the mountain to get home."

The three young men also took steps and followed the man.

Lu Zheng was walking at the back, looking at the four people who were all carrying heavy baskets on their backs, and he could smell some odor coming from them.

There should be some incense, candles, paper money, cloth, some meat and other items. A lot of supplies were purchased.

Judging from the situation, it seems that some kind of sacrifice is indeed going to be held.

There have been no special festivals in the past two days. It should be the Qingyi tribe’s own sacrificial day.

The girl, carrying a backpack, walked a little behind Lu Zheng, tilting her head slightly and speaking awkwardly, "My name is A Duo, what's your name?"

"Lu Zheng, Lu means land, Zheng means justice." Lu Zheng said slowly.

The girl tilted her head, not quite understanding.

Seeing the girl's expression, Lu Zheng stretched out his hand and gestured.

The girl couldn't read at all, so she didn't understand.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng patiently explained again, and only then did the girl understand a little.

"What a strange name," the girl commented.

"Uh..." Lu Zheng was speechless for a moment.

The girl said, "My name is A Duo. It was given to me by my father. He hoped that I would be as beautiful as a flower and easier to remember than your name!"

"Then why not call her Ah Hua?" Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask.

"Because my sister's name is Ahua!" the girl said with eyes wide open.

"So that's how it is..." Lu Zheng smiled suddenly.

(End of this chapter)