Looking back at the slowly sinking merchant ships below the beach, each of us felt a heavy heart.

Now the homeland with the West has crossed a boundless sea, and there is no boat for the horse to return one day!

The most pressing question at the moment is where we should go.

Walk along the coast to the south or north, or continue to chase the sun in the east.

Across this strange continent and to the real horizon.

The stakes are so high that it is difficult to make a decision at the moment.

If we go the wrong way, we will not be able to go home in this life.

Brother Lin hasn't relented yet, and he doesn't believe that the sea ship that we took half a year to build has been reduced to nothing in an instant.

The impermanence of God seems to have played a big joke with him.

It has just given us hope for a new life, but we can raise our hands and uproot this new seedling, leaving not even a trace of retreat.

As a maritime merchant, if the merchant ship is still there, Brother Lin still has the confidence to lead us to set sail again and return to our distant homeland.

But now that the merchant ships are gone, the tools for shipbuilding are gone, it is impossible to rebuild one, and he, the shipowner, is completely useless.

Brother Lin sat helplessly on the shore, looking blankly at the surging sea, and his out-of-body appearance was sad.

"Big brother, don't be sad! We're all alive and we can start all over again! ”

Seeing this scene, my heart was hot, and I hurriedly joined forces with Tian Bo to help Brother Lin up.

In a desperate situation, the morale of the army cannot be discouraged.

Brother Lin, as the leader of the group, needs to cheer up quickly.

The crowd of natives around them moved out of the way, and an old man wearing a feather crown stepped forward.

The mount behind him was very strange, like a sheep and not a sheep, not a camel, not a camel, and I don't know where it was.

I have traveled all over the world with my own conceit, and I am a well-informed person, but I have never seen such clothes and mounts, and I suddenly fell into the clouds.

The natives were very enthusiastic and brought us fresh goat's milk and nutritious potatoes.

The old man, who seemed to be the leader, was babbling at us in a native language he had never heard before, with a scepter made of pure gold.

Beside him was a young man who looked like a clerk, wrapping one nameless knot after another around a string of colorful threads.

The same black hair, black eyes, and the same skin that has been tanned by the red sun, only the difference in clothing and elegant language.

It seems that these natives have regarded us as the same people with different surnames.

And I was very surprised, "Zhou Yi" contains: The ancient knotted rope ruled, did we come to a different world in ancient times?

The language barrier became the biggest obstacle, and the two sides exchanged hands and mouths for a long time, but neither understood what the other party meant.

The old man stopped pestering, raised his legs and stepped onto the alpaca, and led the onlookers to continue on his way.

They turned out to be also travelers on the way, and there were about 300 men, women, and children.

There is not a single horse missing, and the cargo and people are all carried by these camel-like sheep, which makes people laugh.

"Master, go south or go north, you hurry up and make a decision! Life or death are up to you! ”

Looking at the team of natives who were about to go away, Tian Bo couldn't help but worry.

"It's a dead end to the south! I once heard the maritime merchants of the Persian country mention that at the end of the sky south of the Southern Wilderness is a continent of ice and snow, and there is no grass all year round. Every year at this time of year, it is pitch black, with no sun or moon in sight, day and night, like hell. ”

Brother Lin finally came back to his senses, after all, he was a heroic man who had seen strong winds and waves, and he was still downright about life and death, so why not be afraid of being in this wild and exotic land.

The only reluctance is the strong family affection of the distant hometown.

If you can let go of this, you will have nothing to fear in this world.

"Then let's go north and follow these natives! On the way, you may be able to meet maritime merchants from other countries, such as Chengguo Restaurant,

You can rest for a few days and think about it in the long run! ”

I suggested that as a land-based merchant, when I didn't know what the road ahead was, my first instinct was to walk in a crowded area.

If there are people, there will be food and drinking water, and it will not be difficult to survive.

There is nothing bigger than life and death in the world, and life and death are worry-free, and the rest are all small things!

Brother Chun pouted very depressedly: "Chengguo Restaurant has to have money!" We're penniless now, and we're going to get tangled up there! ”

"I don't know if everyone has noticed, the world here is different from our hometown! Even if you have a lot of gold and silver in hand, it may not be of much use! ”

"Yes! Gold here is certainly not worth much! That old man's pure gold cane weighs four or five pounds! There are also those pickled wild girls, and the pendants and ornaments on their bodies are all genuine gold, silver, pearls and jade! ”

"What then? Sit on the ground and wait for death? ”

"Eighteen of us heroes seem to be holding back in urine! Hahaha! ”

Qin Chong listened to everyone's words and laughed disdainfully.

Over the years, we have never been troubled by entanglements.

But there are mountains and wilderness, there are beasts, longbows and arrows in hand, eating and drinking every day, naturally do not worry.

When encountering a city-state to barter, a piece of silk cloth is enough for us to spend a long time in the city.

"Just listen to the words of the virtuous brother and follow these natives to the north! The world is so big, why worry that there is no place for us! Hahaha! ”

After a lot of potato wine, Brother Lin's arrogant spirit finally came up again, and the final word decided where we were going.

At this moment, more than a dozen barrels of wine drifted in the wind on the beach below, and everyone rushed down the embankment to chase away.

The refreshing potato wine is still there, and the invincible sword is still at the waist.

As long as we are willing, this vast and magnificent exotic country will definitely be a place of freedom for me.

Isn't it the long-cherished wish of our businessmen in this life to travel all over the world!

God has given this opportunity with the hand of impermanence, and what is there to worry about!

After the mind was decided, the whole person suddenly became enlightened.

The indigenous group had not gone far and was heading in the direction of the mountains to the northeast.

We hurriedly straightened our clothes, each with one or two brown barrels in our hands, and ran after them all the way.

The natives ahead were aware of it and stopped in the wilderness, waiting for our return.

Perhaps in their eyes, we are all members of the same race, and we just belong to different tribes.

And different tribes, in different counties and mountains, it is very common for them to be unable to speak each other.

Seeing our embarrassment, some of the children laughed as they could.

Under the coordination of the indigenous elders, they kindly evened out a dozen alpacas and gave them to us as leg strength for the delivery of goods.

There are also brown ropes for binding, wire nets for loading, and several large baskets of cured meat for cooked meat.

The ancient roads of the mountain and wild natives are warm, and there is a lot of ancient relics of our Chinese ancestors, which makes people feel like they are returning to their homeland in a trance.

The indigenous procession continued on the road, followed by alpacas, who were carrying wine.

It's like two exotic caravans that meet each other, walking together in the windy and sandy wilderness.

"Young master! This place is very familiar! Shache? Night West? Or our Khotanese state? The pot helmet looked around the four fields, stunned.

"That's right! The mountains in front of us look like the Kunlun Mountains, and the Gobi Plain at the foot is the Kunlun Ranch of our hometown! If it weren't for the boundless sea in front of me, I really thought I had returned to my homeland and returned to our Qingfeng Ze homeland! ”

I let out a long sigh, and the affectionate calls of my wife, Kuzhina, and my little sister Gulando, seemed to come to my ears.

"Young Master, Master Lin! These natives are caravans, right? Walk with us! Hehe! ”

Qin Chong was originally a horse idiot, and this time there was no horse to control, so he straddled the back of the alpaca like a cow, and was very happy.

"It's definitely not a caravan, how can a long-distance merchant bring so many women, children and old people with him! They are like the change of seasons of the herdsmen's houses in the mountains, or they go to some grand gathering! ”

I took off the skin around my waist, took a sip of strong potato wine, and guessed casually.

"What the virtuous brother said is very true, it must be the grandest gathering in this sea country, and the king has issued an edict for the whole people to participate! They are a clan dispatch, and they have mistaken us for a tribal mission on some island! ”

Brother Lin's speculation is bolder and most credible.

Our Western Regions in Khotan every spring suburb of the Buddha worship court meeting is like this, the various tribes march together, the royal city and the opposition all rejoice.

"No wonder those natives are so enthusiastic, they think of us as fellow countrymen! Hehe, the master is clever! ”

Tian Bo's kind compliment to Brother Lin reminded me of Uncle Su.

In the late spring of another year, my caravan may have crossed the river and come to the outside of Jinling City.

Uncle Su had already prepared fine wine at Longxi Manor, and was waiting for our return.

"Brother Xian! This year's summer solstice is almost here, right? ”

Brother Lin suddenly remembered something, ignored Tian Bo, turned his head and asked me.

"Three days later, it's the summer solstice, how did the eldest brother think of it?"

Before the shipwreck in the morning, I was in charge of the ship's sun-marking column, and of course I remember the most important solar term of the year.

"No wonder! Hahaha! The summer solstice in our northern country is the winter solstice of the southern wilderness, and it is also the shortest day and the coldest day of the year. As far as I know, the indigenous people of the Southern Wilderness Sea have the custom of worshipping the red sun as a god, just as the Tianzhu people believe in the Buddha and the Persian country believes in the Mazda god. Every year on the summer or winter solstice, these natives hold a grand festival event! The same seems to be true of this sea nation! ”

Brother Lin suddenly realized and laughed.

"Sun Festival! Wonderful! "The Great Wilderness South Classic" contains: Beyond the Southeast Sea, between the sweet waters, there is the country of Xihe. There is a woman named Xihe, who bathes in Ganyuan on a day of life, Xihe, the wife of Emperor Jun, who was born for ten days. Xihe is in charge of the affairs of the four seasons of heaven and earth, and is the goddess of the sun and moon of my Chinese tribes! In this way, is this Southern Wilderness Sea Country the country of Xihe? Are these natives Xihe later? ”

I was greatly surprised and said, when I was in Qingfengze Academy, I had no interest in the subset of scriptures and histories, and I had read a lot of strange tales from mountains and seas.

Nowadays, when merchants travel all over the world, they often connect what they see and hear with these ancient books, and they often break out in a cold sweat.

"Hahaha! Things in this world really can't help but scrutinize! According to Brother Xian, these natives are still the same brothers as you and me! ”

Brother Lin listened to what I said, although he felt ridiculous, he was also very pleased.

It is a great fortune to be able to meet the ancient ancestors in the distant Southern Wilderness!

"The mountains and seas are not enough to talk about, don't take it seriously, big brother!"

I don't dare to think about Brother Lin's speculation, those who peep into the heavens have no good fate.

"Chong Zai! Hurry down! This big sheep is about to be crushed by you! ”

At this time, Brother Chun's shout drew us from the rambling reverie.

But seeing the alpaca under Qin Chong's step staggering forward with its big mouth open, it was already overwhelmed.

"Goats as mounts! These natives are really masters! Why don't you train their cocks in the house too! Hahaha! ”

Qin Chong stepped off the sheep's back with joy, and the unloaded alpaca suddenly relaxed a lot, and "Da Da" spread its four hooves and chased after the camel herd in front.

In fact, he really blamed this big sheep in Brother Chun's mouth.

There are already four barrels of potato wine on his back, plus Qin Chong's eight-foot-long body, the quiver behind him, and the long knife in his hand.

The average llama is struggling, let alone an alpaca, which is slightly taller than a goat.

(End of chapter)

Shang and Buddha