As Gao Qiu and Hu Bugui were talking and laughing, they saw Lin Wanrong jump down from Li Wuling's carriage. His eyes were wide open, his face as black as charcoal, and he walked straight over.
"What's going on?!" Old Gao and Hu Bugui exchanged a glance, their hearts full of questions.
Hu Bugui took out the water bag hanging at his waist and handed it to Lin Wanrong. "It's really hot! General Lin, quick, drink some water!! "
Lin Wanrong wiped the beads of sweat, waved his hand, and passed the water bag back. "Big brother Hu Bugui, you can use it, I've just drunk some."
Looking at his dry and pale lips, Hu Bugui frowned, and said in a low voice, "What drink, General don't try to fool me! Yesterday you poured all the water in your water bag into little Li's water bag, when did you drink water?! General, you care about your brother, but you also have to take care of your own health. "
Old Hu Bugui was a considerate person. Lin Wanrong smiled. "Big brother Hu Bugui, don't worry, if I'm really thirsty, I will find you. You also know that I'm the most cunning person, why would I be polite to you, haha!"
Seeing Lin Wanrong's smiling face, Hu Bugui knew that there was no use in trying to persuade him, so he put away the water bag.
"Brother Lin, is this the Silk Road you mentioned — —" Gao Qiu looked around. The wind was whistling, the yellow sand was everywhere, and although night was gradually falling, the heat emitted by the yellow sand was still scorching the soles of his feet like fire, and his soaked clothes tightly clung to his back, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Marching in the desert was not like on the plains. In order to avoid wasting energy and water from the scorching sun, everyone went out at night. When the sun was at its peak, they set off to rest, and when the sun set in the west, they set off and marched through the night. Even so, the power of the desert was far beyond their imagination. They had only traveled for a little more than two hours before they had to stop and rest for a while.
"— — Neither see the silk nor the road. This name doesn't live up to its name! "Old Gao's face was flushed red as he sighed and asked in confusion.
"It's called the Silk Road, but it's not a road covered in silk like you think —" Lin Wanrong smiled and shook his head, "To put it simply, this Silk Road is a trade route from our China to another continent. Because our China's silk is smooth, beautiful, and loved by everyone who sees it, merchants traveling between Europe and Asia like to carry silk on horseback and sell it to the other side of the world. Therefore, this road has a beautiful name, the Silk Road. "
Old Gao and Old Gao felt dizzy. He had no idea where the other side of the world, the Eurasian Continent, was. But listening to Brother Lin's stories about the Silk Road, it was indeed one of the happiest things about the journey. The two of them nodded and laughed.
Perhaps, the less he knew, the happier he would be. Looking at the simple and honest smiles on Hu Bugui's face. Lin Wanrong suddenly felt a little envious of them — — Being simple might not be a blessing!
Just as he was about to make fun of them, a puzzled voice sounded beside him, "The other side of the world, the Eurasian Continent, what kind of place is that?! And where are you going? "
Lin Wanrong turned his head to see a beautiful and pure face, calmly looking at him. It was the Turkic girl Yueya 'er. He did not know when she had arrived, but she was standing by his side, her footsteps as light as a leopard.
In this vast Sea of Death, with the scorching sun and yellow sand, not a single blade of grass could grow. To escape into the desert alone was no different from digging one's own grave. With the intelligence of the Turkic girl, she would not do such a foolish thing. Lin Wanrong did not even bother to tie her up, giving her ample freedom to wander as she pleased. If you have the guts, then run away!
Yujia's eyes were wide open, lightly biting her red lips, her face full of questions and longing, waiting for his answer.
Lin Wanrong made a 'hey' sound, ignoring her, and beckoned to Hu Bugui and Yueya 'er, "Brothers, let's go somewhere else to tell the story. There are people here who have washed themselves too clean, I'm not used to it."
Although the two did not understand the meaning behind his words, from his attitude, they knew that he was giving Yueya 'er a hard time.
Yujia naturally understood his meaning, and could not help looking at him with an annoyed and amused expression. She turned her head away and lightly snorted, "Stingy man, stupid man!"
The two's expressions were so strange that Old Gao could not help blinking. He simply sat down on the ground and said with a smile, "Since we're resting, then let's rest thoroughly. Everyone sit down, listen to Brother Lin's Dragon's Gate formation! "
As soon as his butt touched the ground, he let out a yelp and jumped up, grimacing in pain. Hu Bugui said with a smile, "Brother Gao is really brave. How dare you sit on such hot sand."
"It has nothing to do with the sand, there's something on the ground!" Old Gao cursed, kicking the place where he had just sat down. A soft thud was heard, and everyone's eyes widened at the same time, their faces full of shock. Old Gao did not lie, there really was something under the sand.
Lin Wanrong squatted down, not caring about the heat, and hurriedly pushed away the sand. The others stared at his movements without blinking.
The silver sand was pushed away layer by layer, and it turned out to be a withered tree stump. This tree stump was originally as thick as two strong men's waists, but after losing water, it had gradually withered and shrunk to the size of a palm. It was as shriveled as a dried radish!
"What kind of tree is this, that it can grow in the Sea of Death?!" It was Yujia who spoke first, and no one knew who she was asking … She slowly squatted down, side by side with Lin Wanrong, and reached out her hand to slowly stroke the old tree trunk.
Lin Wanrong let out a long sigh. "This is called Populus euphratica, the most tenacious tree species in the world. Our China ancestors once praised it as' living for a thousand years, dying for a thousand years, falling for a thousand years, and falling for a thousand years'. This means that its tenacious life force is invincible. "
"The most tenacious tree?!" Yujia gently stroked the withered tree trunk, shaking her head and sighing. "Living for a thousand years, dying for a thousand years, but still falling for a thousand years, it is no match for the Sea of Death of Lop Nur. Pitiful, lamentable." "She said Lop Nur — may I ask where Lop Nur is?" Gao Qiu asked Brother Lin in a low voice.
"Lop Nur — may I ask where Lop Nur is?" Gao Qiu asked Brother Lin in a low voice.
"Lop Nur? Oh, it might be a small Turkic village. It's not very famous, "Lin Wanrong rubbed his nose as he casually explained.
"Ignorant person." Yujia glared at him and snorted. "Lop Nur is what you call Lop Nur. In our Turkic language, Lop Nur is called Lop Nur, which means a beautiful lake where thousands of waters gather. Humph, so Lop Nur is just a small village. In the eyes of Old Wo, it's not that famous. Yujia, on the other hand, has experienced your erudition. "
Lin Wanrong's face heated up. He laughed and said, "It's a Turkic language, it's not nice to hear and not easy to remember, it's understandable that I forgot."
Hu Buhui laughed. "What 'a beautiful lake where thousands of waters gather', what a joke. The sky is filled with yellow sand, even rabbits don't poop here, how can there be a lake? "
Gao Qiu also laughed in agreement. Yujia shook her head slightly and said with contempt, "You China people don't even understand your own history. How can you not be bullied? Thousands of years ago, this Lop Nur was a vast lake. The Classic of Mountains and Seas from your pre-Qin era called Lop Nur 'Youze'. It once had the reputation of 'three hundred miles wide, its water pavilions never changing in winter or summer'. Later on, there were many other names like Peacock Sea, Lop Pond, all of them were close to the lake. As China people, you know nothing about this, even us Turkic people are ashamed of you. "
Old Hu and Old Gao played with knives and spears since they were young, they loved to read art books, how would they have read the Classic of Mountains and Seas. With just a few words from this young Turkic girl, they were instantly dealt a blow, lowering their heads in shame.
Lin Wanrong laughed. "Everyone has their own specializations. Understand history. It's not for us to remember everything clearly, no matter how big or small. If that's the case. Then we would all be historians. To put it bluntly. Miss Yujia, even if you claim to be knowledgeable about the past and present. You might not know everything about the Turkic Khaganate … "
Yue Ya 'er smiled proudly. "As long as it's the history of the Turkic Khaganate, Yujia knows it."
"So powerful?" Lin Wanrong's eyes rolled, "Then I'll just ask casually. May I ask Miss Yujia. How many concubines did the first Khagan have? "
"Our Turkic Khagan has conferred a total of eighty-nine women." Yujia said in disdain. "Why are you asking this, even if I lie to you, you might not know."
"He had so many women, that's more than my stud horse." Lin Wanrong laughed. "Then do you know which part your first Khagan was looking at when he first saw those women?!"
How could she ask such a question — Too damn perverted, but I like it!! Hu Bugui and Gao Qiu looked at each other, a lustful light flashing in their eyes as they laughed maniacally.
Yujia's small face flushed red, she angrily said, "You, you pervert!"
"I'm perverted?! You're the one who's thinking wrong. "Lin Wanrong laughed." Let me give you a lesson on the history of the Turkic Khaganate. That Khagan of yours, when he first saw a woman, of course he looked at the woman's face. Otherwise, where did you think he would look at, legs and buttocks, is that what you call seeing?! That is perverted!!! "
Yujia was stunned for a moment, then she realized. This bandit was playing with words, even the Khagan had been scolded by him once.
Gao Qiu clapped his hands, a sly smile on his face. "What a good 'look at a person's face first', this really shows the true nature of a man. Brilliant, truly brilliant! "
Looking at Lin Wanrong's smug expression, the Turkic girl was both angry and annoyed, she wanted to punch him. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "You're clearly luring me to think wrongly. You are such a person. You only know how to pester endlessly! "
Lin Wanrong shook his head and sighed. "If you want to pin a crime on someone, you can always find a pretext. Little sister, you're too amazing, no matter what you say, it's always you who's right, are you trying to let me live? "
The crime of 'Yujia', how can he not find a pretext? He purposely used a homonym to mock her, the Turkic girl was intelligent, how could she not understand. But she couldn't understand. It was clearly a matter where she had the upper hand, how could this bandit turn the tables with just a few words? What kind of ability did he have?
"Alright, since you want to talk about the origin of this Lop Nor, I'll also tell you a beautiful story." Lin Wanrong smiled and slowly said, "A long, long time ago, there was a young man from the royal family called Lop Nor. He was handsome and looked similar to me. Lop Nor was willing to inherit the throne, he wanted to cross the desert and go to Kucha to learn singing and dancing. When he reached the Tarim Basin, he lost his way, hunger, thirst, and exhaustion made him faint. On the verge of death, he was saved by the daughter of the Wind God, Milan. This Milan girl was innocent, cute, beautiful, and kind. The two fell in love at first sight, deeply in love, and could not bear to part. The Wind God found out that his daughter was in love with a mortal, in anger, he blinded Lop Nor, broke Milan's legs, and blew them to the east and west of the desert, punishing them to never see each other for the rest of their lives. "
He paused for a moment. Yujia, on the other hand, was entranced, and hurriedly said, "And then, what happened to them?"
As long as a girl listened to a love story, she would definitely ask for the result. This was an unshakable rule. Lin Wanrong was secretly amused, he shook his head and sighed, "The two were far apart, unable to see each other. Longing was like a knife, and every knife made people grow old. The beautiful girl, Milan, missed her lover every day. Overnight, her black hair turned white, and her rolling tears gathered into a river, converging into a sparkling and translucent lake. This was the legendary Lop Nor. Thousands of years ago, Lop Nor had beautiful lakes and mountains, blue water, and blue sky. Many rivers flowed into it, connected like pearls falling on the earth. It was said. That was the passionate tears of a young girl. "
"Later, Milan girl fell ill from longing, and her soul passed away. That night, the sky and earth changed color, the lake dried up, and the beautiful Lop Nor disappeared, leaving behind only the silver sand on the ground. Legend has it that the silver sand on the ground was formed by the white hair of the young girl. This story is called tears like Milan, white hair like silver sand. "
When it came to storytelling, if Lin Wanrong said he was second, no one in the world would dare to say they were first. His tongue was like a lotus flower, compared to Yujia's dry and boring history, his was simple, direct, and easy to understand. He told the story of Lop Nor in a soul-stirring manner, suitable for all ages. Even the boorish men like Old Gao and Hu Bugui. He was also mesmerized by the story.
"Tears like Milan, white hair like silver sand!" Yujia couldn't help but lower his head and murmured to himself, his eyes flashing with hope and yearning. This bandit was like a storyteller. First, he made a riddle to make him angry, but the story behind was unforgettable. One was vulgar, the other elegant, the contrast was strong. Especially the two lines, "Tears like Milan, white hair like silver sand." Even though he knew he was making it up. However, the memory was engraved into one's bones and would never be forgotten.
Lin Wanrong said with a smile, "How is it? Is this story fun? How is it compared to your 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'?! "
"It's all made up. I don't believe you. "Yu Jia lowered his head. Yujia lowered his head and gently stroked the poplar tree. He said weakly.
Gao Qiu gave a thumbs up. "Brother Lin, I find that I like listening to your stories more and more. No wonder so many princesses and young ladies like you! This march is so boring. Can you tell us a story every hour? "
This pervert. Does he think I'm a fairy tale king? Lin Wanrong snorted, wishing he could send this old fellow flying with a kick.
After saying a few words, Hu Bugui moved the poplar tree stump away. Suddenly there was a flash of white light. Yujia screamed, tightly hugging onto Lin Wanrong's arm.
Looking up, there was a section of eerie white bone exposed under the stump. Yujia turned pale with fright, hugging onto Lin Wanrong's arm, not daring to let go for even a moment.
Women are really strange creatures. They can kill without batting an eye, but they can also not lift their heads in front of ants and cockroaches. Lin Wanrong sighed. Together with Old Gao, they completely dug up the stump, only to see that it was densely packed with white bones everywhere.
White bones crisscrossed. The shape was messy. There were horse bones, and also human bones. Counting, there were at least twenty to thirty people, who did not know how long they had been dead.
"Brother Lin. How, how could there be people dying here?! " Old Gao had killed many people, but in this boundless desert, when he suddenly saw these piles of eerie white bones, he was terrified.
Lin Wanrong let out a long sigh. "The Silk Road, not only has beautiful silk, but also jagged white bones. These are all our pioneers. "
This was a caravan on the Silk Road, with the dozens of silk wooden rolls that were almost rotten as proof. Perhaps because their rations were cut off, they eventually died in the desert.
Beside the white bones, there were some remaining fragments, like dried sheepskin. Yujia did not say a word, carefully tidying them up.
Hu Bugui took a few glances, exclaiming in surprise, "There seems to be words! There are Chinese language, and Turkic language! Strange, us Chinese people and the Hu people, why would we mix together in Lop Nor?! "
There was nothing strange about this. Lin Wanrong nodded. "The Silk Road, not only belongs to us, it also belongs to other races. It is a path for all races to merge. The merchants on the Silk Road, regardless of Chinese or Turkic, are all brave pioneers, our predecessors. Even if they are two different races, they can still help each other and prosper together. "
Yujia raised her head to look at him, as if considering the meaning of his words. She pondered for a moment, her eyes gradually becoming lost, and she remained silent...
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