Holy Bone

Chapter 383 After drinking the same goat's milk wine, they are all brothers in the Northwest
On the first day when I arrived in Xizhou, I encountered a sandstorm. The key is that the goats played crazy with the sand just now, and spilled dry food and cowhide water bags on the ground. Except for a small part, most of the other dry food and water They were all lost when the sandstorm came, Jin'an now has the heart to beat the goat.

"Stupid sheep!"

Just as Jin An roared angrily, before he finished speaking, his mouth was full of sand, and he shut his mouth angrily.

I don't know if the goat knew that it had caused a catastrophe, or if it knew that opening its mouth was equivalent to eating sand, so it didn't make a sound at this time.

Jin An looked up and saw that there was a bigger sandstorm coming at the end of the sky. He knew in his heart that they had to find a shelter as soon as possible. It seemed that this sandstorm would not end in a short time.

According to his original plan, before nightfall tonight, he would definitely be able to arrive at the nearest earth town to rest, but now it seems that they can't find a place to stay tonight, so they can only stay on the Gobi Desert.

The Gobi desert climate has a large temperature difference between day and night. The sun shines directly during the day, and the temperature drops rapidly at night, which can freeze people out of order. In this Gobi desert where the per capita medical level is backward and the land is sparsely populated, ordinary wind and cold are very likely. life-threatening.Therefore, most people would not like to sleep in the wild on the Gobi desert in the wilderness. Even if they are not afraid of contracting the wind and cold, they are also afraid of wild wolves and beasts.

In the end, Jin An was finally asked to find an abandoned village to escape from the sandstorm.

There were only a dozen or so families in that deserted village. It was a very small village, but something happened later and the village was abandoned for many years. Many earthen houses had been eroded and collapsed by wind and sand, leaving only bare earthen walls, which looked dilapidated and desolate. .

You can even see a lot of dry grass in the earthen wall.

Building walls with loess mixed with hay is a major feature of the northwest region, which is warm in winter and cool in summer and strong.

This deserted village is very small. As soon as Jin An entered the village, he saw that there were already people here. An old herdsman was driving seven or eight sheep to avoid the sandstorm.

Uh.

In an instant, there was a picture of sheep looking at each other, and people looking at each other.

In the end, the seven or eight white sheep on the opposite side who were as thin as lambs in front of the silly sheep, voluntarily knelt down and surrendered to the goats with big calves.

Jin An, who was wearing a five-color Taoist robe, bowed to the old herdsman who was sheltering from the wind and sand in the house: "Mr., don't you mind squeezing more people?"

The old herdsman's skin was tanned by the sun all year round, and he was old. His dark-skinned face was covered with deep wrinkles by the dry wind and sand in the northwest, like ravines and canyons on the loess land in the northwest. At first glance, he is an honest and honest herdsman who has suffered a lot in his life.

It's like the yellow land endowed them with simple and honest character and diligence.

"Come to Sha, come to Sha's house, come to Sha!"

The old herdsman saw that Jin An, the young Taoist priest, was so polite to him, he hurriedly stood up to make room for Jin An, and at the same time quickly extinguished the dry tobacco in his hand, and fanned the choke in the room with the mountain fan in his hand. The smell of snuff, showing a slightly restrained, uneasy smile.

Because of smoking dry tobacco all the year round, the old herdsman would show a mouthful of jagged big yellow teeth when he opened his mouth and smiled.

Perhaps because of Jin An's temperament, the delicate skin and tender flesh that only rich people can have, and his status as a Taoist priest, and the five-color Taoist robes are not the high-quality fabrics that ordinary people with ordinary hair can afford. Jin An's various extraordinary, This old herdsman who deals with loess and sheep all day long feels a little nervous and restrained.

"?"

Although Jin An couldn't understand the local dialect, he still understood the meaning of the other party through body movements.

"Thank you."

Jin An took the goat into the house to avoid the wind and sand.

At this time, the whistling sound of wind and sand outside became more violent, and the sun in the sky could not be seen outside at all, it was all yellow and misty, only the sound of a lot of sand hitting the earthen wall was left.

The first thing Jin An did after he entered the room was to rub his hair, beat the dust off, and then take off his shoes and pour out two handfuls of sand. It was too painful to walk all the way.

At this time, Jin An noticed that the old herdsman was still standing in a corner of the room with some restraint, and offered himself the place of the bonfire that he used to warm up before, which made Jin An even more embarrassed.

"Old man counts according to age. I am a junior, and you are an elder. If it is based on first come, first served, you are the first to go to this deserted village to avoid the wind and sand. I am a latecomer, so I should respect you regardless of the situation. You Being so polite to me made me feel ashamed, I don't know whether to stand or sit."

Jin An saw that the other party was still a little restrained, so he said with a smile: "How about this, old man, you should sit in the original seat, and I will sit by the fire to bake naan, and I will share half of the baked naan with you, old man. The desert can freeze people's lips to frost at night, so we can't rely on the old man's fire for nothing."

After he expressed his goodwill several times, the old herdsman let go of his restraint, approached the fire again and sat down with his flock of sheep. eat.

If these naans are not heated on the fire, it is no different from biting a stone in the dry northwest.

It is said that men’s friendship starts with drinking the same wine. The old herdsmen in Jin’an shared naan bread, and the old herdsmen shared hot goat’s milk wine in Jin’an. After drinking the same wine, they became brothers in the Northwest. , Immediately the conversation became more and more acquainted.

The goat, however, could not get along with the seven or eight shepherds in the house who were sheltering from the wind and sand. The goat was so strong that even people looked at it with fear.

The old herdsman's name is Sun Tugen. The sheep in the house are raised by himself, and the goat milk wine is also brewed by himself. According to the old herdsman, although this sandstorm is not the biggest he has ever encountered, it will definitely not stop overnight. I can squeeze with the sheep in the house.

At the same time, Jin An finally understood that "come to Sha, come to Sha's family, come to Sha" means to express a very welcome, and it is a kind of friendliness to the guests.

Although Xizhou is multi-ethnic, it is still dominated by Han people. Only after leaving the frontier can it be the world of the Western Regions.

"Daoist Jin'an came from Zhongyuan, right? Jin'an Daoist is not like other Central Plains people. Central Plains people look down on the barren land. They are all Xizhou capitals of yellow sand and Gobi. We Xizhou people generally don't want to deal with people from the Central Plains." "The old herdsman Sun Tugen originally wanted to take a sip of the tobacco in his hand, but found that the tobacco had been snuffed out by himself, and he put down the tobacco in embarrassment.

Jin An told the other party not to worry about himself, and wanted to continue smoking, but the old herdsman Sun Tugen did not relight the tobacco in the end.

"I didn't come from it, I came from Wuzhou Prefecture in the southwest."

"I heard what the old man said. There are a lot of people from the Central Plains in Xizhou Mansion recently. How many times has the old man met?"

Jin An didn't explain much about his identity and background, but noticed a small detail in the old herdsman Sun Tugen's words just now.

"A lot, a lot. Ever since I was a little baby and I was not yet high enough, I have seen people from the Central Plains go to the Western Prefecture, enter the Western Regions, and look for the Changsheng River." The same wrinkles, almost squeezed together.

"These people from the Central Plains come in a batch, go back a batch, and a new batch of new faces. I have never been as tall as a stone mill until my grandson is taller than a stone mill. I have never seen anyone find the legendary Longevity River."

"From my father, my grandpa, my great-grandfather...from that generation, there have been people from the Central Plains crossing the border and entering the Western Regions in search of the legendary River of Longevity, longing for immortality... Some of them are officials and some are generals. "

"The land in Xizhou Prefecture is barren. Except for businessmen from the Western Regions, you rarely see people from other places on weekdays. Daoist Jin'an, you came to Xizhou Prefecture in the frontier...is it also to go out of the Western Regions to find the Longevity River?" The old herdsman Sun Tugen spoke hesitantly Looking at Jin An, it seems that there is something more in the words.

Jin An was silent at first, and silently ate the warmed naan bread in his hands. Then he said plainly with frank eyes, "I am indeed going to the Western Regions, and I am indeed looking for the legendary Changsheng River, but I am not looking for the Changsheng River."

What he was looking for was the legendary Kingdom of the Immortals, which was built at the birthplace of the Longevity River.

"What do you want to say to me, old man?" Jin An saw the hesitation on the other side's expression.

The old herdsman Sun Tugen looked up into Jin An's eyes, as if to confirm whether Jin An was lying. He gulped himself a gulp of goat's milk wine to warm himself up, and then handed the wine bag to Jin An. It was clean, and I took a sip of the goat's milk wine with a gud, and my stomach felt relieved.

Sun Tugen, an old herdsman, said with a smile: "In our Xizhou Prefecture, after a sip of wine together, they are the most trusted brothers in the Northwest."

Then he said solemnly: "I would like to advise Daoist Jin'an that the Western Regions outside the Great Wall are not peaceful recently, so don't go to the Western Regions, and don't lose your life in vain."

Oh?
Jin An's expression changed, and he asked the other party if he knew anything.

After drinking the same goat's milk wine, Sun Tugen really cared about Jin'an. Instead of answering immediately, he raised his finger to the sandstorm outside and asked solemnly, "Does Priest Jin'an think the sandstorm outside is big?"

At this time, the yellow sand was passing through the border outside, and the sand was blowing on the earthen house, covering the sky and the sun, and it was full of yellow sand. Jin An nodded and said, "It's very big."

Sun Tugen shook his head with his dark gully face, which was blown out by dry wind and sand all the year round, and said, "This is not the biggest sandstorm in Xizhou Prefecture. The businessman said that the south of our side is not bad, and we can still see some mountains and rivers, and people will not starve to death. The farther you go along the official road to the east and northwest of Xizhou Prefecture, the more desolate it really is. It is a desert. All the peaks are blown flat by the black wind and turned into fine sand. It has become a devil desert that can trap people's souls. The sandstorm there is even bigger, and even the peaks can be flattened. It is like the earthen house we are hiding in now. The leaves are still fragile."

"But in the Western Regions to the northwest, there are sandstorms that are bigger than those in Xizhou. The businessmen in the Western Regions described those sandstorms as the anger of the gods. If people are not buried alive in the sand, they will lose their direction and die of thirst in the desert. They are most afraid of angering the gods and encountering sandstorms in the desert.”

First go to the eastern part of Xizhou Prefecture and then turn to the northwest, which is the direction he left for the Western Regions. Jin An did not interrupt Sun Tugen, but Sun Tugen continued: "Deep in the desert, according to those Western Region merchants, there are still Even more dangerous sandstorms can bury a country forever under the yellow sand in one night..."

"Just half a year ago, a once-in-a-hundred-year sandstorm occurred in the desert. Many businessmen from the Western Regions died. The sandstorm removed the sand and exposed a dead city. The dead city was full of mummified corpses. All the people in the city were skinned and killed, and the merchants in the Western Regions called it a city full of devils."

Jin An was startled when he heard this: "The skinned dead? A city full of devils?"

The yellow wind outside was still howling, and inside the house, the old herdsman Sun Tugen stretched out his hand to comfort the restless shepherd behind him, sighed and said: "I heard from those merchants in the Western Regions that they were all hung up while they were still alive. , there is still dried blood at the feet of those mummies."

"Then what happened later?" Jin An asked urgently, curious.

As if to conceal the panic in his heart, Sun Tugen touched the shepherd behind him over and over again, and said in a trembling voice: "Later, the city full of devils offended the gods, and was buried under the desert forever by a sandstorm again, no, However, I heard from those merchants in the Western Regions...the desert is not peaceful recently, and skinning tragedies have occurred in many places..."

"Daoist Jin'an, we drank the same goat's milk wine. According to the customs of our Xizhou people, you trust me. I can't just watch you go to the Western Regions to die. Whether it's a sandstorm or a skinned man who escaped from the devil city, now The Western Regions are not peaceful."

Although this incident surprised Jin An, he had a reason to go.

Has the whole city been skinned...

In the Western Regions, water sources are precious, and a city occupying a water source may be a country, and skinning the whole city is equivalent to skinning the whole country. He was a little curious, what secrets are hidden in the devil city?
Eating hot naan, drinking hot goat's milk, and roasting the fire, Jin'an continued to chat with the old herdsman Sun Tugen, inquiring about the customs and customs of various places in Xizhou Prefecture, the customs and customs of various places in the Western Regions, and some skills for survival in the Gobi desert.

The sandstorm lasted until the middle of the night before it subsided gradually. The old herdsman Sun Tugen huddled with the sheep, roasted the fire, and slept soundly in the noisy wind. He had long been accustomed to these.

According to him, when there is a sandstorm, there will be no wild beasts or bandits, and it is the safest time.

Jin'an didn't get used to the sandstorm so quickly, so he added firewood to the bonfire from time to time. Those dry firewood were all picked up by Sun Tugen before.

For the old herdsmen who were born and raised here, it seems that this is not the first time they have come to this deserted village to avoid sandstorms.

……

The next morning.

The sky and the earth are bright.

This Xizhou Mansion is different from Wuzhou Mansion. The days are long and the nights are short. The daytime dawns early, and it gets dark at about three quarters of the unitary hour, that is, it gets dark around eight o'clock in the evening.

After spending a whole day in the earthen house, the two had just walked out of the earthen house where they were sheltered from the wind and sand. Before Jin An could stretch himself, he was shocked by the vision of heaven and earth in front of him.

On the vast loess Gobi Desert, the sky is green and clear like a lake mirror, extending all the way to the end of the world in the direction of the Western Regions.

From the top to the blue, from the bottom to the underworld!The sky and the earth are like a grand and majestic scroll unfolding, the mountains and rivers are like jade, and the craftsmanship is uncanny. It took a long time for Jin An to recover from his loss of consciousness. It was the first time he saw the green sky.

puff.

Sun Tugen next to him knelt on the ground and shouted excitedly: "This is the manifestation of the saint! This is the manifestation of the saint!"

The scene in front of him was really shocking. I don’t know if it was Xiansheng Jin’an, but he knew that after most of the water he had prepared was lost by the silly sheep, they were in short supply of water now. They had to go to Sun Tugen’s village to prepare enough clean water before continuing on the road. .

As the sun rose higher and higher, the early morning glow quickly dissipated. After Sun Tugen stood up excitedly, Jin An proposed that he wanted to go to the village to buy some water, and then a group of goats and an old herdsman drove seven or eight sheep to the village. Go in one direction.

The village where Sun Tugen lives is not big, with only about 100 households with less than [-] people. The high earth wall around the village cannot prevent bandits from climbing over the wall and can only be used to prevent sand wolves and other wild animals from entering the village to steal and eat the sheep.

Before the two of them approached, they saw dust flying from the side of the village, and a large group of villagers came out of the village with hoes, shovels, and poles in their hands.

"It's broken. Could it be that a wolf climbed over the earth wall and ran into the village last night and killed the sheep?" Sun Tugen shouted anxiously, and hurried towards the village.

When wild wolves enter the village to steal sheep, they will not only eat one, but kill all the sheep before eating. No wonder he is so worried.

But when Sun Tugen stopped the villagers to ask about the situation, it turned out that it was not a wild wolf who ran into the village and killed the sheep, but the villagers all saw the vision of heaven and earth this morning, and they all said it was auspicious and auspicious, so they decided to leave the village Drought bone piles to pray for rain.

This is the fierce folk custom in the Northwest. Every now and then, the whole village, men, women, and children, will go out to dig graves and dry bone piles, that is, to dig graves and kill zombies.

(End of this chapter)