Maozhou is a place where Rong and Han people live together.
Mao County is the seat of Maozhou. When they arrived here, there were only a few people left behind Zhu Li. After entering Sichuan, most of the people went to live with their relatives, and those who had no relatives to seek refuge with also found jobs along the way. After expressing their gratitude one after another, they left the team.
The only people left on the left and right of the carriage that accommodated Yuchi Jin were Geng Xin, Shu He, Wang Qian, Zhe Silun, Han Xun, Pan Kang, Pan Zaiying, Yicun, and a dishevelled young lady.
This lady was none other than Zhao Sanshan's daughter, Zhao Jiechou. Zhao Sanshan had originally wanted to entrust his daughter to Qi Miaoge. After all, it was Qi Miaoge and his gang who fought off the murderous servants and saved their family of four in Huayin County.
What's more, Qi Miaoge is a girl, and entrusting Jiechou to her can make Zhao Sanshan and his wife feel more at ease.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Qi Miaoge suddenly had a stomachache on the way. The stomachache was so sudden and severe that they had to rest every three or five steps and were left far behind.
Even Zhou Ran, who was always noisy, volunteered to stay behind and take care of the lady from the Qi family. Although his motives were not pure and anyone with a discerning eye could see it, everyone was willing to pretend not to know.
However, Zhou Ran's decision made Shu He very happy, and he sighed that his child had finally grown up.
Although the four members of the Zhao family were grateful to Qi Miaoge and others, they did not dare to stay with them. After all, in terms of strength, Zhu Li, Yicun, and Geng?m were much stronger than Qi Miaoge and his group. It would be safer to follow the three of them. As it was related to the safety of the whole family, it was not difficult for them to make the choice.
In this way, they followed all the way to their destination, whereupon Zhao Sanshan stood up again and directly begged Zhu Li to take Zhao Jiechou in, claiming that his daughter was very beautiful and once her true appearance was revealed, she would surely be coveted by others, which would bring misfortune to their family.
Zhu Li thought for a moment before giving Zhao Sanshan a hundred taels of silver, asking them to find a stable place and do some small business. Once they were settled in the future, it would not be too late to solve the problem of Lady Jiechou.
Zhu Li left the young lady Zhao Jiechouliu behind and handed her to Geng?m, asking him to take good care of her.
When you enter Maoxian County, you will see scenes of different styles everywhere. There are small conical towers almost everywhere. They are a way for the Qiang people to pay tribute to the gods.
In addition, from time to time, one or several groups of shaman dancers would appear on the streets. These people wore colorful masks of tiger and ox heads on their heads, and long sacrificial robes. They jumped and paraded through the streets as if no one was around. This was obviously a way for the Qiang people to pay tribute to the gods.
It can be seen that in this beautiful place, even the ethnic customs are very different.
The streets were filled with hawkers shouting and hawking their wares, including Han, Qiang, and barbarians, of all races.
But among these people, Zhu Li recognized one person at a glance. This person was none other than Zhu Qia, the Taoist priest who had once met Zhu Li and had fled in fear.
The other person was still wearing a tattered, breathable Taoist robe, blending in with a group of vendors, fiddling with a bunch of jade artifacts.
In Huayin City, it was this guy who jumped out first to stop Gu Qingfeng from robbing the woman. Later, when he saw so many evil servants rushing up to beat him, he ran away. Unexpectedly, this guy actually ran to Maoxian first. His speed was really fast.
This was a strange man, so Zhu Li couldn't help but take a few more glances at his stall. This glance made Zhu Li very surprised.
In front of Zhu Qia, there was a piece of coarse cloth from an unknown era spread out. On top of the cloth, there were several exquisite jade pieces neatly arranged. They had a warm luster, and the jade veins and flowers were clearly visible. Just the appearance of the jade was very good.
Since they had met once before, it was inevitable that they would feel close to each other when they met in a foreign land. Zhu Li stepped forward, squatted in front of the other party's stall, and asked politely: "Sir, are these jade articles real?"
Zhu Qia jumped up immediately with his face flushed red, as if Zhu Li's question had greatly insulted him. He immediately retorted, "You little boy, not only are you ugly, you can't even speak. I have traveled all over the country, but when have I ever sold fake jade?"
Before he finished speaking, he picked up a jade pendant and waved it in front of Zhu Li's eyes, saying righteously: "Look at its hardness, then look at the fracture, touch it, feel the temperature, weigh it, tap it, listen to the sound, how can fake jade be of such quality?"
Look at the hardness, texture, fracture, temperature and sound. These are indeed common methods to identify jade. However, it is unreliable to determine the authenticity of jade based on these few aspects alone.
However, Zhu Li just wanted to say hello and chat with the other party, and did not care whether the other party was selling real jade or fake jade.
Besides, in this day and age, most people who can afford jade are local rich people, dignitaries and the like. They naturally have their own set of identification methods, and it is not his turn to worry about it.
Therefore, Zhu Li did not argue with him, but picked up a palm-sized jade disk thoughtfully and looked at it carefully.
This jade disk is very exquisite. On top of the entire jade disk, there is a natural giant tree standing tall, and on the left and right of the tree, there are clouds and auspicious clouds.
Between the auspicious clouds, a blazing sun and a bright silver moon were hanging on either side of a big tree. Under the big tree, countless ancestors were kneeling between the mountains, constantly worshiping the sun and the moon. The whole texture was very magical and ancient.
You know, the patterns on ancient jade are all natural, without any traces of artificial carving. I dare not say anything else, but Zhu Li is 70% to 80% sure that this jade disk is a rare authentic piece.
"Young man, you really have good eyes. You picked up a rare totem jade by chance." Looking at Zhu Li's serious expression, Zhu Qia immediately greeted him enthusiastically.
"Totem jade?" Zhu Li was puzzled. It was the first time he heard of this term.
"Why, you haven't heard of it?"
Zhu Li nodded frankly. He had heard of totems, but he had never heard of totem jade.
Zhu Qia rolled his eyes at him, as if he disliked his ignorance, and then he put on an unfathomable look and said, "In ancient times, there were nine tribes in the Jianghan area, each with nine clans, and their leaders were all chiefs. They all respected Chi You as the leader of the alliance and called him the Great Chief."
"The "Guoyu" says, 'The Jiuli tribe is in chaos, and the people and gods are mixed together, and it is impossible to distinguish them.' The people of the Jiuli tribe believe that all things in nature have spirits. They engrave the spirits they believe in on various objects so that they can worship them day and night."
"If they find natural jade with prominent textures, which happens to be the spiritual object they believe in, they call it totem jade, regard it as a treasure, and worship it highly."
Hearing this, Zhu Li suddenly realized that this was how the name of totem jade came from.
In ancient times, our ancestors worshipped all things in nature, which was later collectively referred to as primitive worship. If our ancestors found that the texture of jade happened to be the appearance of the gods they believed in, they would think it was a gift from heaven and call it totem jade.
The appearance of totem jade also strengthened their belief in gods.
The feudal dynasty had the saying that "the king's power was granted by God". For the ancient ancestors, totem jade was no less important than the imperial seal of the feudal dynasty. After all, it was indeed a natural totem. Could there be anything more convincing to the ancestors than this
Zhu Qia did not stop here, but continued to elaborate: "When Chiyou was in power, he expanded the territory of the Central Plains for thousands of miles and laid the foundation for future generations. He was a hero of the Chinese nation. However, the growing strength of the tribe also brought about the continuous expansion of desires. Chiyou first defeated Emperor Yan and then fought fiercely with the emperor in Zhuolu."
"It has been said since ancient times that those who love war will eventually fail and perish. In the Battle of Zhuolu, Chiyou was defeated and killed, and the Jiuli tribe was scattered. Some people fled to the north, multiplied and grew, and became the various tribes of the Northern Hu. Some people fled to the south, hid in the mountains and forests, multiplied and grew, and formed the various tribes of the Southern Barbarians today..."
"No matter where they fled to, whether they were called northern barbarians or southern barbarians, they still maintained their original beliefs. The shamans of the Bohai tribe were the predecessors of the great witches of the Jiuli tribe, and the Jiuli tribe also inherited the Jiuli's beliefs."
"The Khitan's military expeditions and major sacrifices to heaven are all traditions of the Jiuli tribe in ancient times, and are also the external manifestation of primitive beliefs. It can be seen that the powerful Khitan also inherited the Jiuli's belief culture."
At this point, Zhu Qia looked at Zhu Li and said solemnly: "Young Master, after all this talk, do you know what this totem jade in your hand means?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li's expression instantly became serious.
If it is true as Zhu Qia said, any piece of totem jade can be sought after and even worshipped by countless members of a foreign ethnic group, then the importance of the totem jade cannot but be taken seriously.
In today's Beidi, Nanman, or Xirong tribes, there are many people who still maintain primitive beliefs. As long as the corresponding totem jade is found, it is entirely possible to induce their people to stand up and subvert the rule of foreign races.
Thinking of this, Zhu Li looked even more humble, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir, then which alien races can be affected by this totem jade in my hand?"
Zhu Qia looked at Zhu Li with approval. Zhu Qia only gave a brief explanation of the history of primitive beliefs, and Zhu Li thought of the totem jade and the huge effect it might bring. This young man is teachable.
With praise in his heart, he said calmly: "The Khitan people worship the sun, the Nanzhao people worship the bright moon, and there are also many Xirong people who use mountains and trees as totems. This totem jade has mountains, trees, sun and moon, and it can at least have an effect on these foreign races. How to use it depends on how you operate it."
Zhu Qia's frankness made Zhu Li more fond of him, so he asked, "How do you plan to sell this totem jade?"
The totem jade is of great use. Zhu Li, who originally had no intention of buying anything, changed his mind and wanted to buy the jade disc. To put it bluntly, the totem jade is definitely another powerful weapon to deal with alien races. Its effect is even greater than that of millions of elite soldiers.