Chapter 8, Three Turns, Nine Reversals of Yin and Yang, the old man in black robes was wearing...
The old man in the black robe wore a headscarf and his face was covered, making it impossible to see his expression. However, he faintly emitted a strange fragrance that Liu Taohua felt was somewhat familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.
Seeing that his clothes were neat but looked somewhat worn, Liu Taohua, for some reason, blurted out, "Old man, have you been waiting here for a long time?"
The old man looked up at Liu Taohua, his cloudy eyes sparkling with a hint of starlight, brewing emotions she couldn't understand. Though they were so close, it felt as if they were separated by a vast distance.
They watched quietly for a while, the old man didn't speak, and the three of them didn't make a sound to disturb him.
After a long pause, the old man finally spoke, but his voice was soft and somewhat forlorn. He said, "It's been a long time, so long that I've almost forgotten..." The old man paused for a moment, then suddenly perked up, as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and his voice became loud and clear. He said, "The three of you have come from afar and are distinguished guests of Yezi. Although we are located in the middle of the desert, we have an oasis wetland shaped like a ribbon, with houses built along the water and distributed on both sides of the oasis."
"During the day, the sunlight shines on the beach, reflecting a rainbow of colors; at night, the locals light all sorts of homemade lanterns along the shore, creating a dazzling spectacle, as if it were daytime. The night view is beautiful; I'm sure our three distinguished guests will enjoy it..."
The old man spoke at length to the three, his words brimming with sincerity, as if he wanted to tell them all about Ye Zi's virtues. Although he was hunched over, he seemed to be trying his best to straighten up, as if afraid of leaving a bad impression on the guests who had come from afar.
The three looked at each other, remembering what Manluoxian had told them before they left: "If you do enter Yezi, do not let the scenery of Yezi dazzle you and make you forget to return."
They seemed to know a lot about Yozu.
Observing the old man's every word and action, there was not a trace of pretense.
It was clear that he was genuinely happy to see people come to Yez, as it seemed like no one had been here for a long time.
Come to think of it, with such a strange forest blocking the way, getting here is indeed not easy.
The old man spoke enthusiastically, and the three listened attentively.
As he spoke, the old man became somewhat emotional, and a few tears involuntarily streamed down his face. He turned his head to wipe his eyes, realizing his lapse in composure, and quickly bowed to the three men, feeling quite apologetic, saying, "I'm sorry to have made you three distinguished guests laugh at me. I was just a little emotional, and I hope you will forgive me."
Lianxi stepped forward to help the old man up, saying, "It's alright. The three of us have long heard of the scenic beauty of Yezi, but have never been able to see it. To be honest, the juice made from the desert pearls that Yezi is famous for is one of my favorite things. Now that we are fortunate enough to be here, I wonder if you could show us around?"
Upon hearing this, the old man agreed without hesitation, saying, "Then you've truly come to the right person! Yez is my home, and no one knows Yez better than me. I will definitely show you the best of Yez!"
The three exchanged a smile and said, "Then we'll have to trouble you."
The old man led the three into a tunnel made of sand and gravel, which was brightly lit by candlelight and had a cool breeze blowing in.
At first, the tunnel was quite spacious, and the old man walked ahead, with the three of them and the donkey able to walk side by side. As they went uphill, the tunnel became increasingly narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass at a time, and they had to bend over to move forward. Inside, it became stuffy and hot, making it difficult to breathe.
The old man said, "We'll be there soon."
The three followed the old man for a while longer, about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, when a cave entrance appeared ahead. When they came out, they felt a sense of openness and tranquility.
The scene before us was even more breathtaking.
At this moment, the group stood atop the sand dunes under the bright sun. Looking out, a winding oasis, like a ribbon, lay nestled below. Lush vegetation lined both banks, and houses and felt tents built of sand stood side by side, nestled along the water's edge. Each house was adorned with a yellow flag with white stripes, fluttering in the wind as if welcoming guests from afar. On the banks, shepherds hummed tunes as they herded their flocks, while farmers drew water to cultivate the land, creating a scene of perfect harmony.
Yaz is right before my eyes.
The three followed the old man into the city. The streets were bustling with people, and the cries of vendors from the stalls rose and fell. The men wore headscarves, the women had their hair braided, and each had a different tattoo on their forehead.
The old man explained, “Everyone in our Nightz, from the Holy Queen to ordinary people, has a unique tattoo on their forehead called ‘Noba,’ which is both a symbol of Nightz and a symbol of themselves. The design on the tattoo is drawn by Nightz artists according to each person’s birth year and month, and the pigments used are made from a special Nightz grass called Shalan grass, which has a unique fragrance that lasts for years.”
The old man turned to the three men and asked, “This tattoo is very characteristic of Yez. Would you three honored guests like to experience it? Foreign guests do not need to be restricted to the forehead; it can be drawn anywhere. The design will last for a month without fading.”
That sounded interesting. Liu Taohua was the first to raise her hand and said, "I want to go! Can you take me?"
The old man smiled and said, "Of course."
Liu Taohua looked at Lianxi and Jiangyu beside her and said, "Want to come along?"
Lian and Jiang nodded and said with a smile, "Okay!"
The old man led the three to a painting shop in the city as instructed. The shop was small and had no signboard. The wall in front of the door was vertically carved with intricate patterns that looked like characters.
Liu Taohua stared at it for a while, and the old man, seeing this, said, "This is Yezi script, which means 'face'."
Jiang Yu said, "You speak the Central Plains dialect very well."
The old man said, "The Yezi tribe has always communicated with various parts of the Central Plains, and trade between the two places has been constant. Every Yezi person can speak the Central Plains language in addition to the Yezi language."
It is said that, apart from the ancient kingdoms of the Central Plains, the most famous kingdoms in the human world today are the four major kingdoms outside of the Central Plains.
That is: Qizhen tribe, Yezi tribe, Hegutai tribe and Xizhe tribe.
The Qizhen tribe was skilled at riding horses, the Yezi tribe at riding snakes, the Hegutai tribe at hunting falcons, and the Xizhe tribe at hunting and fishing. The animals they were skilled at were also the totem symbols of their tribes.
Now, a century has passed, and apart from the Yezi tribe, the other three tribes have either declined or changed their structure in the torrent of history. Some were destroyed by natural disasters, while others were fragmented into different tribes of varying sizes due to human actions. In these fragments, one can still glimpse their former glory.
As for the Yezi, they were originally a tribe that had lived in the forests of Lingnan for generations. Seven hundred years ago, during the chaos of the Wanling Rebellion, the forests were ravaged by floods, and their homes were destroyed. To ensure the survival of the tribe, the then-chief of the Yezi tribe had no choice but to abandon their homeland and lead their people northward. Later, they found a piece of unclaimed land in the vast desert and settled down, where they have developed to this day. The Yezi people adapted to their environment, cultivating and building gardens in the desert. They followed the example of their predecessors, exchanging goods with the various states of the Central Plains, developing trade, and promoting cultural exchange, thus becoming the leader of the four major tribes.
Today, it is the only one remaining in the world.
The Yezi tribe has produced many notable figures, including Mu Yi, the current emperor's first wife and the foremost civil goddess among the priests of yesteryear—Lan Yi Yuanjun. She hailed from the Yezi tribe and was also its holy maiden.
Stepping into the painting shop, the interior was filled with paintings of all shapes and sizes, arranged at varying heights, creating a rather elegant atmosphere. Emerging from among the paintings was a plump middle-aged woman. Her hair was braided and piled high, and she wore a simple cloth dress. She appeared friendly, but her tone was cold as she asked, "Are you here for a painting?"
The old man stepped forward and said, "Chara, these three are distinguished guests who have come from afar. Don't speak so coldly. If you spoil their enjoyment, you won't feel comfortable either."
After listening, Chala sat down at the table, rested his chin on his hands, and said with great distress, "Old man Musha, you know that my voice has been like this for many years. If I have to change it, I think that will scare away our distinguished guests."
Musha sighed softly, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, alright, hurry up and paint Noba for our distinguished guest. Don't keep him waiting."
Chara glanced past Musa at the three people behind him, smiled slightly, and said, "Distinguished guests, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Let me paint your Noba portraits." Seeing that there were three people, he said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I'm the only painter in this shop. So I have to paint them one by one. Would you please wait a moment?"
The three nodded and replied, "No problem."
Chara asked, "Then who wants to go first?"
Lianxi looked at Liu Taohua and said, "Taohua, you go first."
Liu Taohua didn't refuse and was the first to arrive.
Chara first asked Liu Taohua to write her birth date and time on a piece of paper, and then asked her where she wanted it drawn. Liu Taohua thought for a moment, then stretched out her left hand and said, "Then draw it on this hand."
Chara nodded in agreement, then picked up her birth date and time and looked at it. Without saying much, he picked up the tools beside him and began to draw Noba on her hand.
Liu Taohua carefully observed the woman before her. When she painted, she remained silent, her expression focused, undisturbed by anything around her. Calluses were visible on her fingers, the marks left by years of painting.
Liu Taohua said, "You've been doing this for many years, haven't you?"
Chara continued painting without stopping, saying, "I've been learning this craft since I was a child. It's been passed down from generation to generation. As long as I live, I will keep painting."
Liu Taohua was deeply moved. She thought to herself, "To dedicate oneself to doing one thing well and to perfecting it over the years is not only a passion for the subject, but also a precious craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation."
Chara's brushstrokes were precise, and the design was exquisite and detailed. In no time, the drawing was finished.
She held Liu Taohua's hand, looking at her work with great satisfaction. She nodded, her tone tinged with emotion, and said, "It's been a long time since I've painted a Noba for a guest from afar. I wonder if you like it, young lady?"
Liu Taohua admired it for a while and said, "I like it! I like it very much! Your skills are indeed well-deserved."
Chara seemed a little embarrassed, as if he hadn't heard praise in a long time. He said, "I'm glad you like it, Miss. It's my good fortune to be able to paint Noba for you today."
Chala then looked at Lian and Jiang and asked, "You two handsome young men, which one of you will go first?"
Jiang Yu nudged Lianxi and said, "Him! He goes first!"
Lianxi glared at Jiang Yu, sat down at the table, and extended her left hand, saying, "Please draw it on this hand."
Upon hearing this, Chala glanced at Lianxi, then at Liu Taohua, smiled without speaking, but then noticed a tattoo on his palm and said, "The design on your palm looks quite exquisite, young master."
Upon hearing this, Liu Taohua noticed that there was indeed a tattoo on his left palm, which would be difficult to spot if one did not pay special attention.
The pattern looks like a flower.
Liu Taohua wanted to see more clearly, but Lianxi had already turned her hand over and picked up a pen to write down her birth date and time.
After checking it as usual, Chara began to draw, while the others watched from the sidelines.
When we arrived at Yezi, it was already close to dusk. Before we knew it, night had fallen, and the lights in the shop were turned on.
Just then, music suddenly came from outside, and Jiang Yu went out to investigate.
A group of more than ten people appeared on the street.
The group consisted entirely of people wearing white headscarves and dark blue robes. The four at the head of the procession played various instruments, some flutes, others violins. In the middle of the procession was a wooden sedan chair adorned with red gauze; more like a stretcher than a sedan chair, with red gauze draped around its sides. Seated on it sat a woman in red, exquisitely made up, her face flushed with shyness. The sedan chair was followed closely by the other six people, in groups of three.
Apart from the woman, everyone in the group had a cold and solemn expression, without a smile.
Despite the spectacle, not a single person on the road stopped to watch.
Jiang Yu was puzzled and asked, "What are you doing?"
Musha said, "Let's get married."
A note from the author:
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Hope you enjoy watching! Have a happy day!
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