A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 83 Adventure
The following day, strong winds blew.

The sky was also much darker than the day before.

Clearly, a blizzard of considerable size is on the horizon.

People from the south find it hard to understand the frequent howling of the northwest wind in the winter in the north, and the people of the north rarely truly grasp the meaning of the high winds in the north...

The howling wind, like a ghost's howl, raged wildly, carrying snowflakes as fine as sand. Children and lighter women could not walk outside in such weather.

Fortunately, most of the people gathered here were martial arts practitioners with superb skills. Even the young boys had very solid lower bodies and regarded the strong wind as nothing.

The only downside is that it blows the hair of those vain, hatless people who refuse to wear hats up like chicken feathers...

Li Weizhou had no idol baggage whatsoever. Wearing a thick dog-skin hat and with his hands in his sleeves, he walked happily through the streets and alleys.

There are many shops along the street, including those of various major businesses.

There are also many convoys loaded with goods, which are being moved into various warehouses.

The next month will be a month of huge profits...

Li Weizhou not only went to the houses in the south, but also went to the north.

Interestingly, when passing by those grand mansions in the south, the gatekeepers often looked at him with disdain and wariness, because judging from his clothes, Li did not seem to be a high-ranking official.

But when they passed the tent area to the north, things were a little better. Although some of the Donghu people were also a little surprised, wondering if this chicken feather had taken the wrong turn in the strong wind... What Han people would dare to wander around here?
Some even warmly invited him into their tents for milk tea, but unfortunately, due to the language barrier, he left a small gift after finishing the milk tea and came out, which made him feel even better.

Actually, if Li Weizhou hadn't repeatedly confirmed with several people yesterday that he was safe as long as he didn't leave the Malaysian market, he wouldn't have dared to wander around...

This is why information is so important...

"You Han Chinese! Halt!"

Suddenly, a magnificent and tall tent opened, and a Donghu child who looked to be about ten years old shouted loudly in somewhat broken Central Plains dialect.

Despite the howling wind, Li Weizhou still heard it. He stopped and looked back, glancing around before looking up again. A blue fox flag was fluttering in the wind.

The Donghu child was clearly a nobleman, dressed in fine clothes, and was followed by two tall, strong Donghu men.

Li Weizhou asked, puzzled, "Is something the matter?"

The Donghu child with thin eyebrows and small eyes looked Li Weizhou up and down very carefully and asked, "Han Chinese, what are you doing here?" His Chinese was okay, but his spoken Chinese was not very fluent.

Li Weizhou slowed his speech and said cheerfully, "Look, the people and customs here are different from ours. It's interesting."

The Donghu child widened his eyes slightly, staring intently at Li Weizhou, and asked, seemingly puzzled, "What's interesting about it?"

Li Weizhou said, "People in the Central Plains rely on wood and stone to build houses for protection against the wind and cold. You are using tents. I want to see if they will be blown down by such a strong wind, and whether they will leak in when the snow melts..."

"Hahaha!"

The Donghu child suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard something particularly funny. He was quite pleased with himself, and after laughing, he said, "You're so stupid! Of course not! We're not living in a herder's tent, so how could it fall over?"

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "That's true. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

The Donghu child then remembered the important matter and looked at Li Weizhou suspiciously, saying, "Aren't you a Han Chinese who wants to raid the grasslands?"

Li Weizhou thought for a moment and said frankly, "I have this plan, but it's not the right time yet."

The Donghu boy stared at him for a moment, then laughed a few times before patting his chest in a pretentious manner and saying, "How about I make a deal with you?"

Li Weizhou chuckled and asked, "What do you want to trade?"

The Donghu child was very arrogant: "As long as you have food, lots of food, you can have whatever you want!"

Li Weizhou became curious again and asked, "What do you need grain for? Don't the people of the grasslands all eat meat?"

The Donghu child let out a long sigh, seemingly indignant at the Han man's ignorance, but also greatly satisfied his sense of superiority. He lectured, "Princes can eat meat, but where do the herdsmen get so much meat? They usually only eat milk curd, milk residue, and some grains. Don't you Han people even know this?"

Li Weizhou thought about it and realized that this was indeed the most reasonable approach.

Milk is a product that can be sustainably harvested, but meat is not; once it's eaten, it's gone.

However, Li Weizhou still wanted to find out, so he asked, "What do you need the grain for... Don't misunderstand, I want to ask how much grain you need."

The Donghu child became serious and said angrily, "The grasslands are suffering from a severe drought. Many cattle and sheep have died, so there's much less milk, and we still have to pay tribute to the royal court. Those bastards from the Huyan family have stolen many of our cattle and sheep again this year, and they've also taken a lot of our grain. My sister has been heartbroken for many days. One day, I will kill them!"

Li Weizhou gave a thumbs up and laughed, "That's ambitious! Okay, I'll ask around for you. But don't get your hopes up too high. It's not just the grasslands that are suffering from drought, the Central Plains are too. There are many refugees, and not much food."

Upon hearing this, the Donghu child was not angry at all, but rather delighted, saying, "You said the same thing as my sister, so it seems you weren't lying to me..."

"Tuoba Yun!"

A clear, crisp sound came through the wind from the tent entrance. Li Weizhou looked up and saw a beautifully dressed young woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, staring at him with a serious expression.

The Donghu child hurriedly responded, visibly tense, and quickly explained, "Sister, I was discussing the harvesting of grain with this Han man, and he said he has food!"

Li Weizhou corrected him, saying, "I meant I could ask for you, but there might not be many available."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to the noblewoman from the Central Asian region.

The girl wore a snow-white fox fur cloak, the mink trim fluttering in the wind like silver waves dancing on a snowfield.

She wore a crimson brocade robe with gold embroidery, its dark patterns depicting gyrfalcons with outstretched wings. A three-finger-wide leather belt was wrapped around her waist, adorned with wolf teeth, copper bells, and turquoise. As she moved, the bells jingled melodiously, as if carrying the howling north wind.

On her feet were high riding boots, the uppers of which were embroidered with argali patterns in scarlet silk thread, and a section of black leggings were visible at the top of the boots.

A pair of wolf head earrings hung from her ears, swaying gently with her movements, which further accentuated her cold and noble appearance.

The noblewoman scrutinized Li Weizhou, then coldly asked in Mandarin far more fluent than the young Tartar, "Who are you?"

Li Weizhou smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "I am the owner of the Baibaolou in Daqian. I met your younger brother by chance, and we had a very pleasant conversation... I apologize for disturbing you, and I will take my leave." After saying this, he was about to leave when he paused and took out a small knife with a sheath from his sleeve. It was a small knife from the Western Xinjiang Yingjisha region, crescent-shaped, with a handle decorated with colored plexiglass and thin plastic sheets. It looked very beautiful, and it cost fifty-five yuan, which was not cheap.

Li Weizhou said to the Donghu child, "Baibaolou isn't holding a market here this time; I'm just here to take a look. I can't be of much help. Baibaolou will open here next year, and perhaps then we can do more mutually beneficial transactions. Goodbye, young friend." He wasn't setting a trap; he simply believed that generous people were likable...

"and many more!"

Sure enough, the Donghu child looked at the exquisite knife he had never seen before in his hand, felt an unprecedented sense of importance, and even the agreement to cooperate. His face flushed with excitement. He shouted to stop him and asked, "My name is Tuoba Yun, which means lion in the Donghu language. What is your name?"

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "My name is Li Weizhou."

The Donghu child was dissatisfied, feeling it was too ordinary and lacked the majesty of a lion, so he asked, "What does it mean?"

Li Weizhou saw through the little brat's meaning and laughed, "I wish to be a small boat, sailing freely across the vast blue sky."

Satisfied.

Although he still couldn't understand, the Donghu boy felt that the imposing manner was enough, because even his sister glanced at him and thought that this person was worthy of being his friend.

He first touched the emerald at his waist, but felt it wasn't enough. He also had a sword with a large red gemstone on it, but he didn't bring it with him. Besides... it was a birthday gift from his deceased "Ah Jia," and he couldn't bear to give it away.

A-jia means mother.

But what other things could compare to such a precious sword?

Although his sister took the precious sword from his hand and examined it, she didn't offer to help him...

Tuoba Yun became anxious, as if this were a matter of great importance concerning a man's dignity.

Suddenly, a thought struck Li Weizhou, but he didn't know what had happened.

Just then, the little prince of Donghu's hand brushed past his neck, and his eyes lit up instantly. He pulled out a gray mirror, no bigger than the palm of his hand, from his collar. It was made of some unknown material, somewhat like jade, and engraved with unintelligible mystical characters...

Tuoba Yun raised his chin proudly again, picked up the mirror, which was about the size of his palm, and said to Li Weizhou, "This is one of the treasures passed down through generations of our tribe." He was probably a little guilty, because he didn't know what it was either; it was neither gold nor jade, but looked like a piece of stone. But he still insisted, "It's really very precious! I'm giving it to you!"

Li Weizhou declined, waving his hand and smiling, "We are kindred spirits, there's no need to be particular about gifts, the thought is what counts."

Then the Donghu boy blushed and said loudly and earnestly, "This really is a treasure of our tribe!" He then turned to look at his sister, seeking her support.

He thought Li Weizhou looked down on the gift he gave him.

Unfortunately, his sister seemed to still be admiring the knife, keeping her eyes down and ignoring him.

Li Weizhou didn't hesitate any longer and took it, saying, "Okay, then I'll accept it. Of course I believe it's precious, otherwise why would you wear it? My original intention was to say that there's no need to be so polite. But since you're so generous, I will cherish it."

Tuoba Yun was satisfied and said proudly, "Your knife is quite good too; my sister and I both like it very much." He paused and then asked, "Would you like to be a guest in my royal tent?"

Li Weizhou said, "Not today, let's do it tomorrow."

Tuoba Yun was overjoyed upon hearing this, but still maintained his composure, nodding maturely and saying, "Good, not bad. I happen to have time tomorrow. Li Weizhou, you will be providing us with grain in the future, serving as our grain supplier. Tomorrow, I will host a banquet for you in my royal tent to discuss important matters!"

Li Weizhou didn't laugh. Instead, he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "You keep the people's food in mind; you will be a good king. See you tomorrow!" He then nodded to his sister before turning and leaving.

Once his figure disappeared into the snowstorm, Tuoba Yun jumped up, his face beaming with joy. He turned to his sister and exclaimed, "Sister, look! Even the Han people know I'm a good king!" But his excited face fell when he met his sister's somewhat serious expression, and he became quiet again, asking, "Sister, wh...what's wrong?" His gaze fell on the small knife in his sister's hand, and he asked suspiciously, "Could it be...isn't this a treasure? Have I been tricked? You said some Han people are cunning..."

His sister frowned, shook her head, and said slowly, "It is a treasure... but why would he give it to you? You are just a child..."

When Li Weizhou gave someone a precious gift and then turned to leave, it wasn't an act.

Besides, Li Weizhou couldn't fool them about anything.

This precious sword was already very valuable; at least, it wasn't found on the Donghu grasslands. Yet, it was given away so casually.

What generous Han Chinese.

Upon hearing this tone, Tuoba Yun's pride was wounded, and he roared angrily, "Tuoba Tuya, why do you always look down on me? The bastards of the Huyan family look down on me, do you look down on me too? Humph!"

After the angry little lion returned to the royal tent, Tuoba Tuya was still examining the dagger in her hand. It was indeed a treasure she had never seen before, especially the beautiful hilt...

The name Tuya was not chosen casually. In the Donghu language, it is a symbol of wisdom. In a tribe, only the most intelligent girl would be given such a name.

The Green Fox King's Tent ranks among the top three of the nine king's tents under the Eastern Hu King's Court, and this woman named Tuya has made great contributions.

But even someone as intelligent as her couldn't quite understand the Han man's intentions at this moment...

……

Meanwhile, Li Weizhou, who had gone around in circles and returned to his residence, immediately took out the gray stone mirror after closing the door, intending to study it.

He always felt that something was wrong with this thing.

Blood-Eyed Elder Brother has basically never made such a fuss before...

Could it be that he ran into an old flame?
But one thing is certain: he had no idea what it was.

However, at this moment, just as Li Weizhou held the stone mirror in his hand, a sudden surge of emotion overwhelmed him. Li Weizhou felt as if he had grown a third eye, a blood eye, and gained an additional perspective.

Through that blood-red eye, he stared intently at the dusty mirror in his palm, a surge of emotion welling up within him…

It's like meeting an old friend after a long separation.

But then, Li Weizhou's face suddenly turned pale, and an excruciating pain that pierced his soul came from the depths of his mind, as if a piece of his soul had been ripped out. Then he seemed to see a bloodshot eye slowly emerging from a sea of ​​blood in the depths of his mind, and slowly condensing into a single, astonishingly red drop of blood...

Then, the smaller piece of Li Weizhou that had been carved out merged with the drop of crimson blood, becoming a tiny, blood-red Li Weizhou...

Then, this little figure actually appeared between his eyebrows and jumped onto the dusty mirror.

Li Weizhou watched all of this unfold. After his "red self" slowly disappeared into the stone mirror, the mirror, which had been as gray and stone-like as a rock, suddenly burst into light. At the same time, thunder roared outside, lightning ripped through the sky, and the dark clouds and snow scattered, as if a god was scrutinizing the human world.

At that moment, the jade mirror transformed into a stream of light, rushed into Li Weizhou's brow, and disappeared without a trace...

……

(End of this chapter)