Mutated Tao

Li Huowang walked slowly with the support of a crutch, leading the blindfolded Bai Lingmiao. He couldn't move fast as his severed leg had yet to fully heal.

Fortunately, the ox-cart wasn't fast either. It sacrificed speed and compensated for it by carrying a greater load while matching Li Huowang's current pace.

“Is this Women’s Mountain?” Li Huowang squinted, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked at the distant hills. As he looked at these hills that were devoid of trees and covered with only green grass, he understood why this kingdom was called Qing Qiu[1].

However, it might also be related to the lower height of these hills, unlike those mountain peaks that reached into the clouds. These grass-covered hills were akin to clusters of low ridges that were not interconnected.

“Senior Li, do you see the resemblance? When you squint and look, don't those hills look like half a woman's face lying down?” said Sun Baolu as he excitedly pointed with his fingers.

Li Huowang examined them carefully before shaking his head. He couldn't quite make out the obscure likeness between those hills and a woman's face.

These oddly-shaped hills were very strange, and there were neither too many nor too few. They just seemed to appear out of nowhere in the landscape, with no apparent connection between them.

“This year is the Year of the Moon, and according to our ancestral tradition, my family should be camping and grazing about a hundred miles from here. It won't be long until I can reunite with them!” said Sun Baolu, excited.

However, Li Huowang wasn't particularly interested in what Sun Baolu was saying. He was more concerned with their supplies. With there being so many people on this journey to Qing Qiu, their foodstock was running low.

“Can we find a market to buy food inside Women's Mountain? If not, we are going to starve to death,” asked Li Huowang.

“Yes, no doubt about it. People from the nearby areas would often go there to exchange goods. I even went there once when I was seven,” replied Sun Baolu.

With Sun Baolu's explanation, Li Huowang knew that in the vast and sparsely populated Qing Qiu, nomadic people would often choose a specific area to facilitate trade. Over time, these areas would become established marketplaces. Officials from Qing Qiu also came to these locations to collect taxes.

When Li Huowang saw tiny black dots moving at the base of the hills, he realized that Sun Baolu's information was correct. There were indeed people over there.

“Let's go. But remember to put on your veiled hats beforehand to avoid drawing attention from the locals,” said Li Huowang as he donned his veil. His current bruised appearance wasn’t any better than the others.

As the ox-cart approached the Women's Mountain, they followed a small path that led to the inside of the encircled area. In an instant, everything suddenly became clear.

A vast area of tents stretched out before Li Huowang and the others. The sound of horse hooves, people shouting, and donkeys braying filled the air. Li Huowang suddenly felt like he was attending a lively fair.

Many of the Qing Qiu people were dressed quite differently compared to the people from Hou Shu. Currently they were all preoccupied with their affairs, shouting and calling out to each other in this bustling marketplace.

At the same time, the sheer number of livestock led to an enormous amount of dung. The distinctive smell filled the air, causing everyone to furrow their brows.

The most significant difference between the people from Qing Qiu and Hou Shu were their rosy faces. The people of Hou Shu were covered in heavy freckles, regardless of age or gender. This was perhaps due to the prolonged exposure to the sun.

They also noticed that the people of Qing Qiu generally had shorter statures compared to Li Huowang and the others, making their group a lot more noticeable.

Everyone around them wore rough, makeshift leather garments, and circular bone ornaments could be seen dangling from the braids of the women and around the waists of men. Aside from bones and leather, they used grass for almost everything else—from crafting grass shoes and hats to weaving grass baskets, which were available for sale.

When Li Huowang's group entered, they attracted the attention of the Qing Qiu people. Faced with foreigners, everyone regarded them with caution and indifference.

At that moment, a loud noise and a chopping sound suddenly rang out from a nearby grass stall. A sharp knife was raised high and brought down forcefully, splitting the head of a hairless, grotesque dog into two halves.

Startled, Bun whimpered and quickly sought refuge beneath the ox-cart, with its tail between its legs.

“Are you truly a Qing Qiu native? You seem quite different from them,” Li Huowang remarked as he glanced through the black veil toward Sun Baolu.

Sun Baolu's face dimmed as he explained, “It's because... my mother is from another place.”

However, his eyes quickly lit up as he rushed through the crowd toward the front. He quickly made his way through the crowd, clearly overwhelmed with excitement as he embraced an elderly Qing Qiu person and proceeded to engage in conversation.

When they got closer, Li Huowang realized he couldn't understand their conversation at all.

Of all places, it had to be this one that had its own language.

Li Huowang was speechless; he could foresee some communication issues during their time in Qing Qiu.

Following a brief exchange with the elderly person, Sun Baolu returned to Li Huowang and said enthusiastically, “Senior Li, there is no doubt about it! That person is one of my kin! My family is not far from here.”

“Alright, even if it's not far, we still need to proceed one step at a time. First, help us buy some food. We're running low on supplies,” said Li Huowang while surveying the lively marketplace. Their inability to communicate due to the language barrier meant that they would have to rely on Sun Baolu for negotiations.

Sun Baolu nodded in agreement and was about to dive into the bustling crowd, but was suddenly stopped by Li Huowang. “Wait for a moment. Is there a place to eat around here? Everyone is hungry and could use some rest.”

Soon, everyone arrived at a noodle stall where green noodles could be seen hanging from the rafters, making the whole place resemble a forest.

According to what Sun Baolu told them, here each group would cook their noodles in a shared pot and pay only for what they consume.

Although this method of eating was unfamiliar to the rest of the group, it didn't stop them from enjoying the meal. The aroma of the grass-infused noodles, combined with the spiciness of the mutton and spicy sauce, made for quite a delectable meal.

The noodle house was crowded with many diners. Fortunately, the presence of the hanging noodles made it difficult for the nearby people to see Li Huowang's group without their veils.

Where's Bun?

Li Huowang suddenly realized that the mutt was nowhere to be seen. As he turned to look for it, he saw Bun returning from underneath the noodle stall, holding something in its mouth. It spat the object out near Li Huowang's feet, and then sat down, wagging its tail while waiting for a reward.

As he saw the gleaming white bone near his feet, Li Huowang was puzzled. “What is this?”

While the others were unfamiliar with it, Sun Baolu recognized it immediately and explained, “Senior Li, that is a horse bone. Qing Qiu people rear horses, and they naturally eat horse meat as well. It's quite tasty.”

1. Qing Qiu can also be known as green hills ☜

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