Chapter 1052: Chapter 168: Foreign Troubles (Part 1)

The oasis where Shaman resided wasn’t small, gathering a population of thousands, and everyone warmly welcomed the tribesmen who had made the arduous journey back from the distant Qin State.

They picked the finest, fattest sheep from the pen to slaughter and entertain these warriors, made cakes from barley, and offered their homemade barley wine and hot sheep milk.

People sat in a circle around the huge bonfire, women poured wine for the men who had returned home after facing numerous dangers, serving them the best and most tender roasted meat sprinkled with salt and homemade seasonings, emitting a mouth-watering aroma.

The cheerful voices of men and women blended with the crackling sound of the burning flames, making the atmosphere as festive as a celebration.

For them, it was akin to celebrating a festival.

These men had taken the locally produced barley wine and the finest furs to the far-off Great Qin, exchanging them for fine grains not found in the Parthian Empire, salt, pottery, medicine, and even Great Qin’s Copper Coin, threaded with black strings and piled together.

Shaman, drunk with wine, his rugged face flushed red, his garments slightly open revealing a broad chest, stood up and rummaged beside him to find some notes, distributing the brought-back goods to each household according to the recorded notes from the departure.

With each long name read, came cheers.

Those whose names were called stepped forward to receive the goods exchanged for their merchandise—salt, medicine, strong liquor, and Wang Anfeng even saw a piece of silk cloth that wasn’t very good, aside from Great Qin’s Tongbao.

Although the Parthian Empire also had its own currency, the Great Qin’s Tongbao was a more trusted hard currency, which could be exchanged between different tribes and could be used to get the desired items at the Royal City of Parthia.

Wang Anfeng sat at the back of the crowd, holding a bowl of milk porridge made with barley flour, somewhat thick and steaming hot, watching the cheering crowd with fire reflecting in his eyes.

Shaman stopped distributing after a while, turning to respectfully hand the items in his hands to an old man with white hair and beard beside him, who received them with equal solemnity.

What had just taken place was a ceremonial routine similar to a custom, and the actual distribution of goods would be arranged by the esteemed elders of the village, taking a day or two to reach each household.

For those whose families were not well-off or had lost their men, they would receive a bit more.

For countless years, Parthians had survived by supporting each other like this.

Wang Anfeng took a sip of the sheep milk porridge, and though it was cold in winter, the large bonfires around dispersed the winter chill. He looked into the distance in a daze for a while, silently calculating the time in his mind.

Having dealt with the matter of Qiong Qi during the Double Ninth Festival, staying a few more days afterward, then embarking on two successive one-or-two-month-long treks, and after recuperating from injuries post-military drills in Xiong City for over ten days…

Calculating the days, the most important annual festival for the old Qin people had already, unintentionally passed on the boundless wilderness of the Western Regions accompanied by the crisp sound of horse bells.

By now, it must be the fifth year of the Great Yuan Era of the Great Qin…

A year older.

Wang Anfeng did not know what he felt at heart. Last year at this time, he was still in Great Liang Village, with Uncle Li, Uncle Wang, and Tingyun around, but now being alone in a foreign land, he felt somewhat stifled.

A barely perceptible Qi Mechanism that had naturally dispersed to the surroundings was prompting Wang Anfeng to naturally raise his head, seeing a little girl and a Parthian boy approaching.

The girl’s brows and eyes were gentle, resembling someone from Han, while the boy had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with broad shoulders, clearly a good Parthian lad at a glance.

The two approached closer, the boy smiled and said a couple of words to him, but Wang Anfeng couldn’t understand the Parthian tongue, not knowing what was said, and unable to respond.

The girl next to him explained:

“He says you are an honored guest here, and should not be sitting so far back, please move to the front.”

She was only twelve or thirteen years old, delicate with the flavor of Jiangnan Water Town, holding a brand-new doll in her hand. The dense stitches were blocked by her hanging hem, only Jiangnan artisans would care so much about such details.

Wang Anfeng guessed that this doll was probably one of the things Shaman brought back, shook his head, and said:

“No need.”

The boy didn’t quite understand the Han language but roughly guessed the meaning from Wang Anfeng’s head shake. After a moment’s thought, he ran back, while Wang Anfeng, looking at the little girl, fell silent for a moment before actively asking:

“Are you Han? What’s your name, and why are you in the Parthian Empire?”

The little girl nodded, saying:

“My name is Liu Mengyan, my father says I am from the Yan Country.”

“We lost our home, so we’re here.”

In the seventh year of the Great Qin’s Imperial Countenance, Great Qin’s Governor Cuo and Senior General Tiance allied forces, captured Yan’s seventy-two cities, seized their king and killed him, leading to Yan’s fall and its territories becoming wholly part of Qin.

An idea flashed through Wang Anfeng’s mind, and after a moment of silence, he put down his bowl and asked:

“What about your parents?”

Upon speaking, he saw the little girl’s eyes darken, hesitating for a moment before saying:

“Who do you live with now?”

The little girl answered:

“I live with my grandpa.”

“He knows a lot and is the most capable person here.”

Wang Anfeng noticed that she was wearing Parthian attire, and if it weren’t for her more refined eyelids, she would almost not have any traces of Han people, guessing that the grandfather now raising her was likely the elder here.