Tomb Robber: I, Chen Yulou, am dedicated to cultivating immortality!

Half a day later.

A team of seven or eight people.

Stay outside a row of yurts.

It was none other than Chen Yulou and his group.

They set out from Shuanghei Mountain early in the morning and headed north towards the majestic Kunlun Mountains.

now.

Finally crossed the vast black desert.

Everyone's warm robes, padded jackets, and cashmere gowns were all covered with snow particles, and their leather boots were also covered with mud and dust. They looked exhausted.

However, each of them had clear eyes and did not show any sign of fatigue. Instead, they looked at the small village in front of them with great interest.

This was almost after leaving the Turkic tribe.

They saw human habitation for the first time.

The village is not big.

There are sparse houses at the foot of the mountain.

At first glance, there are only about ten households in total.

Slightly different from the traditional Uyghur yurt, the house in front of us is white, with earth and wood beams. The roof is not waterproof felt, but a mixture of mud and weeds, built into a flat or slightly arched structure.

It looks somewhat similar to a Tantric Buddhist temple.

"It should be the Gekun tribe."

Chen Yulou looked at it for a moment and suddenly spoke.

"Ge Kun?"

"What tribe is this?"

When they heard these two words, they felt indescribably strange.

The Western Regions have been recorded in history.

Ethnic groups such as Sai, Uyghur, Wusun, Yuezhi, Qiang, Rouran, Gaoche, Turk, Uighur, Tibetan, Khitan, Mongolian, Manchu, Xibe, Solon, and Tuyuhun once lived on this land.

But many of them have disappeared in the long river of history.

Many ancient tribes also changed their names and surnames.

Or they may differentiate, assimilate, and disperse in other forms.

But even so.

It was also the first time they heard of the Gekun tribe.

"It was a small country that existed during the Qin and Han dynasties, to the north of the Xiongnu. It was annexed by the Xiongnu in the early Han dynasty and was destroyed."

"in addition."

"The reason you haven't heard of it is because it is not one of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions."

Chen Yulou explained softly.

Although Gekun's country was destroyed, his descendants never disappeared. Some of them were assimilated by the Xiongnu, but more of them fled to Central Asia.

The name of the tribe.

In addition to Gekun, there are Jiankun and Hegu. These people were called Xiajiasi in the Tang Dynasty and Qirgis in the Yuan Dynasty.

Until later generations.

Still active in the Western Regions.

The only difference is that the name has changed to Kyrgyz.

While talking.

The door of a yurt was suddenly pushed open from the inside.

Then a boy wearing a sheepskin coat and a round lambskin hat with a rolled brim came out.

He looks about six or seven years old.

He is holding a whip in his hand, probably preparing to go out to herd or herd horses.

Suddenly, a group of strangers appeared.

The little boy was obviously stunned for a moment, then shouted something. Soon, two figures, a man and a woman, came out from behind the door.

The man was in his thirties, with deep eyes, a high nose bridge, a beard on his chin as thin as a steel needle, and long hair simply tied behind his head. He looked fierce.

As for the woman beside him, she was much gentler.

But he couldn't hide the anxiety on his face at all.

Seeing his parents come out, the boy was obviously more confident. He turned around and pointed at Chen Yulou and started talking to them.

It sounded unexpectedly familiar.

It is clearly a Turkic language.

It was almost 70% similar to what Una and the others said.

"Gongga?"

soon.

The man stood up.

He raised his right hand, placed it across his chest, and slowly uttered two words.

Chen Yulou immediately understood that this was a question about who they were. He did not waste any time and made the same gesture, "Gisyak."

It means that they are people who come here and have no bad intentions.

Hearing this, the man did not immediately let down his guard. Instead, his hawk-like sharp eyes became more solemn as he looked back and forth at the group of people.

"You...are Han Chinese?"

A good while.

After confirming that the person coming has no malicious intentions.

The man spoke again.

Surprisingly, this time he spoke Chinese, but compared to Una, Azhiya and Pat, the man spoke haltingly.

"good."

"We were merchants heading to Central Asia, but when we passed through the Black Desert, we encountered a storm and all our goods were lost..."

Chen Yulou simply agreed.

Gave them all an identity.

The situation in southern Xinjiang is not so bad, but there are very few Han people in northern Xinjiang. Except for the merchants traveling on the ancient Silk Road, they are often not seen for several years.

Compared with the appearance of people from the Western Regions.

The Han people are very easy to identify.

Whether it's clothing, language or appearance.

There is a big difference between them.

"Wait, Black Desert?"

Listening to what Chen Yulou said.

The man frowned, his face full of disbelief.

After a long silence, he pointed in the distance, which was the direction they came from.

Between the Black Desert and Kunlun Mountains.

Separated by a Gobi desert that stretches for dozens of miles.

As a nomadic people, hunting is an ability almost engraved in the blood of the Kyrgyz people.

The location of their village.

It is sandwiched between snow-capped mountains, deserts and the environment is extremely harsh.

But even so.

They also didn't dare to enter or leave the Black Desert easily.

It was a cursed land.

Especially now that it is the windy season, invisible sandstorms are sweeping across the country. Even hunters with great skills and a keen sense of smell will be in danger of death if they encounter one.

at the moment……

These Han people actually said that they survived the sandstorm and fled all the way here.

How can this be?

Tour's first reaction was that these people were talking nonsense.

He lived for more than thirty years.

I have never seen anyone escape from a storm alive.

But when I glanced at these people, I saw that they were covered in dust and fatigue, and even the soles of their shoes were stained with sand. All of this could be fake.

Suddenly.

A light bulb went off in his head.

"How many people were there in your team originally?"

"Nearly a hundred."

Hearing his sudden question, Chen Yulou reacted instantly, stretched out a finger, and at the same time, a hint of pain flashed across his face just right.

One hundred people.

Only seven or eight of them escaped alive.

It was indeed a life-or-death situation.

Tur sighed, raised his hands and placed them on his slightly lowered brows.

"Bakshi will protect you."

For more than two thousand years, the Gekun people have been like quicksand, living by the water and wandering everywhere.

Except for the most ancient primitive beliefs.

Believe in the heavens, the earth, the mountains, the rivers, the wind and the rain.

They also believe in Islam, Tibetan Buddhism and Shamanism.

Bakshi is what they call shaman.

"Thank you."

Chen Yulou nodded secretly. These descendants of Gekun were similar to Una and other Turks. They all believed in shamanism.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tur and this is my wife Ayigu."

Tour also came back to his senses.

He pointed to the woman next to him and introduced her.

Then he pulled the still confused boy over, touched his head, with a look of pride in his eyes.

"My son, Salie."

Sary.

In the Gekun language, it means strength, fearlessness and courage.

No wonder Tours is so proud.

When their tribesmen want to give a name, they have to ask a wizard to do divination and consult Bakshi before deciding on the name.

This almost makes it clear that the son will grow up to be a lion-like man in the future.

"Good name!"

Although Chen Yulou didn't understand.

But he has eyes that can see through people's hearts.

How could he not see what Tour was thinking at the moment, and he immediately said with a smile.

Hearing this, Tur's impression of them rose several levels again. He turned around and made a gesture of invitation, "You must be tired after escaping death."

"Please come to my house. I can't guarantee anything else, but I will definitely make sure you have enough to eat."

Hear this.

The few people behind him who had been silent all this time subconsciously looked at Chen Yulou.

The food they brought with them was enough to last them for six or seven days.

So, starvation doesn't happen.

But for now, it was Chen Yulou's decision to stay. Now, whether to go in or leave depends on his choice.

"Thank you."

"Then we'll be in trouble."

Unexpectedly, Chen Yulou did not refuse but agreed readily.

Tour immediately asked his wife to prepare the meal.

He led a group of people into the yurt.

The house is not very big.

There is a stove hanging over a fire pit, and the boiling goat milk exudes a rich aroma.

It also makes the house warm like spring.

Aigu walked to the other side and prepared food diligently.

The little guy leaned against his father.

Staring with a pair of blue eyes, he looked at the group of people curiously.

The group sat down cross-legged one after another.

I took the goat milk tea brought by Tour.

Hua Ling took a sip out of curiosity. This drink, which she had never had before, was unexpectedly delicious. The rich aroma of milk mixed with the fragrance of tea had an indescribable sweetness.

The rest just dabbled in it.

After all, I have just arrived and I am a guest, so I shouldn't be too presumptuous.

Chen Yulou spoke to him briefly.

He was knowledgeable and eloquent, and with just a few words he described to Tours a prosperous world that he had never seen before.

Soon, Aigu brought food.

Pancakes, mutton, butter tea, and a dish of horse meat pilaf.

Although Tur had always said that the herders lived a hard life and did not have many delicious foods to treat them, the rich aroma and exotic flavors of the food still attracted everyone.

Even Partridge Whistle couldn't help it.

As for Yang Fang and his companions, they were even more excited.

"Brother Toole has horses at home?"

Finally, Chen Yulou asked the purpose of this trip.

"Yes, we raise sheep and horses. We are Kezi people, and every household raises sheep and horses."

Tour said with a hint of pride.

In the entire village, his family has the most cattle, sheep and horses, which are their hope for survival.

"Then can you... sell us some horses?"

Chen Yulou put down the butter tea in his hand and said seriously.

"Selling horses?" Tour was stunned.

"Yes, we lost our cargo, and our last camel was killed to save our lives. Now we want to go to Wushi, but we certainly can't get out on our own two feet."

"If possible, we would like to buy some horses from you for transportation."

Chen Yulou nodded.

Northern Xinjiang has been producing horses since ancient times.

Not only do they have amazing endurance, they can also withstand extreme climates of severe cold and scorching heat.

It has been a production area of ​​war horses since ancient times.

"Of course it's possible."

"But I don't know how many horses you want?"

Hearing the seriousness in his words, Tur did not dare to hesitate.

Wushi is far away in southern Xinjiang, and even he has never been there. In this cold winter season, it is really difficult to cross the Kunlun Snow Mountain without a horse.

"It's best to have two horses each."

"That's sixteen!"

Tur made a quick calculation and then stood up. Sixteen horses, this was no ordinary business, even if his family had the most horses.

But it is far from enough.

After all, the village is mostly populated by cattle and sheep.

Horses are generally used for hunting, traveling or transporting goods.

In addition, unlike cattle and sheep, which can be raised as long as there is grass, raising horses requires a lot of effort. Not only do they have to be fed the best fodder, but in order to ensure that they do not lose weight, they also have to be fed beans and salt.

He only has four big horses in his family.

Two of them are too old to carry out long-distance races.

"This is a nuisance."

"I'll have to ask other families, I should be able to get the money together."

Tur frowned, thought for a moment, grabbed the felt hat beside him, stood up and was about to leave.

but.

Before this.

However, Chen Yulou stopped him and signaled him not to be so anxious.

At the same time, he turned his head to look at Kunlun, who immediately understood and took out a few golden beans and bags of salt from his bag.

A large part of the Western Regions.

Because of its remote location.

Until now, it is still a barter method.

Just like when we were in Laoxiongling Miao Village.

Gold and salt are hard currencies no matter where they are.

This is also the reason why Chen Yulou asked Kunlun to take these with him before leaving.

From the very beginning, he had planned to buy a horse.

only……

Whether it is from the Mongolians, Uyghurs or Kyrgyz people, it depends on who they meet first.

"No, there's no need for so much."

One look at the gold on the table.

Tour immediately waved his hands.

That gold is enough to buy a team of horses.

"We can't go empty-handed. Besides, Brother Tours, why don't you take a look at these bags first."

Chen Yulou smiled.

Hand over a bag of salt.

The latter hesitated.

However, when he untied the string of the bag and looked at the refined salt inside, which was as white as snow and as fine as sand, he was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes turned red.

Realized that something was wrong with my father.

The little guy also leaned over to take a look.

"It's salt?!"

Sali stared, he had never seen such fine salt.

From childhood to adulthood, all I ate was rock salt that was as coarse as gravel. It was not only rough but also difficult to swallow.

The changes in the father and son also alarmed Aigu.

Until she took the handful of fine salt that her husband poured into her hand and handed to her, which shone like broken silver in the firelight, she gently pinched a little and put it in her mouth to taste it.

then……

This woman in her thirties, with red cheeks from being cut by wind and frost, was actually crying like rain.

See this scene.

Yang Fang and his companions could not help but look at each other.

What was so easily available to them was such a luxury to Tour's family.

For a moment, everyone could not hide their emotions.

"Brother Tour, I wonder if this is enough?"

“That’s enough… That’s enough.”

Tour was a man of steel, but his eyes turned red at this moment. He also tasted it and couldn't believe that there was such good salt in the world.

It's simply a reward from Bakshi.

"Brother Chen, wait for me."

"I will go find the tribesmen right now. With the salt, they will be happy to sell the horses."

"Salie, take good care of the guests for me and don't bring shame to the Kezi people."

Leave a word behind.

Tours grabbed his felt hat and put it on his head.

Then he pushed open the door without looking back and left quickly in the cold wind outside.

See this.

Chen Yulou couldn't help but shook his head and smiled.

He had originally wanted to ask the old foreigner to go along, but now it seems that the value of this salt is even higher than he imagined.

"Brother Chen, do you want it?"

Partridge Whistle was the first to react and asked in a low voice.

"no need."

"Just wait. It will probably take at most half an hour for us to set off."