Golden Wind.
Mu Nianhua stood at the bow, looking into the distance, and said calmly: "The end of this journey is coming soon."
"Sunset City?" Su Baiyi, who was standing beside him, asked confusedly.
"Yes, Sunset City. It's named Sunset because in ancient times, this place was the end of the sky in most people's minds. The sun would set here. Even our Mu family's business route would be cut off here." Mu Nianhua sighed lightly, "Do you really want to go? The land of Kunlun is too illusory."
"I want to go." Su Baiyi nodded, "Now that things have come to this, there is no turning back."
"Okay. Further north of Sunset City is the territory of the Northern Barbarians. There is an endless grassland there, and you may not see a few herdsmen even if you walk for a long time. But even if you see them, stay away from them. They don't speak our language, and they are fierce and may conflict with us at any time." Mu Nianhua reminded.
Su Baiyi smiled and said, "I read in a book that the smoked lamb of the Northern Barbarians is delicious."
"Tsk." Mu Nianhua curled his lips in disdain. "I asked someone to bring it back and tasted it. It's harder than stone."
Su Baiyi patted Mu Nianhua on the shoulder: "Maybe you were cheated. I'll bring you some delicious food this time!"
"Then you should come back soon!" Mu Nianhua said with a smile, "I'll be waiting for you in Qingzhou City. If you come back late, I'm afraid your sister will fall in love with me."
"Pah." Su Baiyi said disdainfully.
While the two were talking, the Golden Wind had already moved forward for a distance, and the outline of Sunset City gradually became clearer. An eagle's cry came from the sky, and Su Baiyi looked up and saw a hawk flying overhead.
"A new journey has begun." Su Baiyi said lightly.
Because they were close to the border of the Northern Barbarians, Sunset City also had some barbarian flavor, and there were even many merchants dressed in barbarian clothes walking on the streets of Sunset City. Su Baiyi and Su Jian got off the boat and followed Mu Nianhua to walk in Sunset City. Su Baiyi had never seen barbarians before, and he looked at them curiously. Some barbarians noticed his gaze and glared back at him fiercely.
"Don't stare at the barbarians. They will feel like they are aliens." Mu Nianhua reminded.
"Aren't they said that the northern barbarians are all very poor? Why do they all eat so much and become so tall and strong?" Su Baiyi asked.
"Because in the Northern Barbarians, only the strong can survive. The weak and short ones will be killed before they have the chance to grow up." Su Jian said in a deep voice.
Su Baiyi was stunned: "Are the Northern Barbarians so terrifying?"
"It's not terror, it's just for survival. The climate of the Northern Barbarians is not suitable for farming, so there is only so much food in a year, and it will be even less in a disaster year. The food is only enough to feed a part of the people, and those who cannot be fed will be eliminated. The strong prey on the weak, and the Northern Barbarians don't have any Confucian saints who teach everyone kindness. As long as they can survive, they can do anything." Su Jian replied.
"Oh? It seems that Senior Demon Lord knows something about the Northern Barbarians?" Mu Nianhua asked curiously.
Su Jian snorted coldly, "When I escaped from Weilong Mountain, I went everywhere to avoid the old man. But no place is worse than the Northern Barbarians. The weather is bad and food is scarce. The only things that are acceptable are kumis and the young women of the barbarians."
"It seems that a part of your determination has been shattered by the Northern Barbarians." Su Baiyi said quietly.
"The youth of barbarian women is very short, only a few years. After the age of 20, the grassland wind will blow, and even the most beautiful girl will have skin as dry as cracked tree bark in a few years. It's not very meaningful." Su Jian waved his hand with a look of disdain.
"I have sent people to prepare everything you need for your journey. It's almost dusk now, why don't you go to Sunset City's most famous Sunset Tavern to have a drink, and that will be my farewell to you two." Mu Nianhua suggested.
"Sorry to trouble you, Brother Mu." Su Baiyi replied.
The Sunset Wine House was built on a cliff near the river in Sunset City. Sitting on the roof, one could see the sunset outside. Su Jian held the wine glass, looked at the sunset outside, and fell into a long silence.
"What's wrong?" Su Baiyi asked.
"When people are young, they like to watch the sunrise, because a new day is about to begin. When people get old, they are afraid to watch the sunset, because another day has passed, and they are one day closer to the end of their life." Su Jian said quietly.
Su Baiyi was stunned. He felt that Su Jian had undergone some subtle changes since he boarded the Golden Wind. Especially when the Golden Wind sailed further and further north, Su Jian became less and less talkative. Su Baiyi even often saw Su Jian sitting alone at the bow in a daze, and sometimes he would not see him for a whole day. He felt that something was passing through Su Jian, but he could not tell what it was.
"The greatest sorrow of a person is that from the moment he is born, his fate is doomed to be death. But for thousands of years, no matter the emperors and generals who have established hegemony, or the wealthy merchants who are as rich as a country, they can't reverse the matter between life and death. So why think so much, just drink today and live happily every day of your life." Mu Nianhua poured a glass of wine and raised the glass, "I'll drink first."
"Okay." Su Jian retracted his gaze from the window and drank a glass of wine. He put down the glass and raised his eyebrows slightly. "It's actually mare's milk wine."
"Yes, it is mare's milk." Mu Nianhua nodded and said, "I have asked someone to prepare three large pots, enough for you to use on the journey."
While the three of them were eating and drinking, the Mu family's shopkeeper came in and said with his head bowed, "Sir, I have asked someone to prepare everything."
"What have you prepared?" Su Jian asked casually.
"Three red horses of the barbarians, three pots of mare's milk, ten pots of spring water, six sheepskin rugs, several bags of tiger-head gold and silver coins used by the barbarians, several large bags of dry food, and -" The shopkeeper of the Mu family leaned to the side, "This is Miss Tan Tai."
A young woman with dark complexion but delicate features came forward. She was wearing a sheepskin-cut dress that revealed her slender waist. She exuded the aura of the barbarian sun. She smiled and said, "Tan Tai Ming Yue, nice to meet the bosses."
Su Jian licked his lips, and all the energy in his body came back at once: "Boy surnamed Mu, you understand me! You have prepared the most important things! This journey is long, and I really need a little girl like this to relieve my boredom!"
Mu Nianhua was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Senior, I misunderstood you, I misunderstood you."
Su Baiyi reacted immediately and said with a smile: "This Miss Tantai is our guide for this trip?"
Tan Tai Ming Yue smiled and patted the whip around her waist: "That's right."