Chapter 5

Yun Ye lowered his head in deep thought, while the men around him looked at him expectantly, waiting for his decision. After all, this was a significant matter. It was clear that anyone who could produce salt out of thin air would be valued like life itself, and would not easily share the secret with others. After a long wait, Yun Ye still couldn't make up his mind. Zhang Cheng's face showed disappointment, realizing that his request was too much to ask. He gritted his teeth, ready to give up, saying he couldn't let Master Yun betray his ancestors. Before he could speak, Yun Ye lifted his head, looked at the eager faces around him, and smiled calmly, "I never realized how important salt was to you and to the Tang Dynasty. I always thought it was just a seasoning, and whether it was there or not didn't matter much to the world, only affecting the taste. Now I realize that the benefits and drawbacks of salt are a matter of life and death. The rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty, if I can help the world by sacrificing a little, why wouldn't I do it?"

"Master, you agree?" Zhang Cheng's face lit up with joy, and he fell to his knees in gratitude. For a moment, only Yun Ye stood, while the rest all bowed.

"Uncle Zhang, what are you doing? If you want to learn, I'll teach you. It's not that difficult. Uncle Zhang, I still prefer it when you call me stinky kid or Brother Yun. All this 'Master' and 'Young Master' stuff makes me uncomfortable and everyone else too. It's a blessing to meet all of you in my worst times; otherwise, I would have been eaten by wolves long ago. What 'Master' and 'Young Master' nonsense."

With the matter settled, the atmosphere became lively. One by one, they fondly patted Yun Ye's head and pinched his cheeks, their faces full of respect. Yun Ye's mood brightened instantly.

After getting a definite promise, Zhang Cheng couldn't wait to have Yun Ye write down the tools and materials needed for salt production. Without paper and pen, he was in a panic, and the two women also looked anxious. The soldiers were all beating their chests, blaming themselves for not bringing ink and brush. Yun Ye quickly stopped Zhang Cheng from cutting himself, took his dagger, and ordered the auxiliary soldiers to find two wooden boards. He carved the words on the boards with the dagger, though the writing was crooked, Zhang Cheng held them like treasures, wrapping them carefully in a piece of hemp cloth. Two fully armed auxiliary soldiers carried the boards and rode off to Lanzhou City. Of course, they also took half of the salt as evidence.

"Uncle Zhang, riding at night is too dangerous. This isn't urgent. Since I've agreed, we can send it tomorrow," Yun Ye didn't understand Zhang Cheng's urgency.

"Do you know what? If we can produce salt a day earlier, the army will have more fighting power. The Turks have invaded again. We can't just watch them run rampant. One day, we will wipe them out. Living on vinegar cloth, we can't go on like this."

"Vinegar cloth? What is that? Can you eat it?"

An auxiliary soldier quickly pulled out a piece of vinegar cloth and handed it to Yun Ye. It was a four-finger-wide strip, hard and stiff, like dried kelp, black and emitting a sour smell. Oh no, Yun Ye let out a cry. What kind of person could eat food cooked with this? No wonder Zhang Cheng was so angry when he saw Yun Ye using more salt, and so happy when Yun Ye agreed to teach them. A tough man cried like a baby, and no one could comfort him, or they would be beaten. Well, if making salt can help them, it's a good thing. Yun Ye yawned, and the fatigue of the past month seemed to seep out of his bones. Lying on a thick blanket by the fire, he listened to the two women chatting and laughing as they altered his clothes, feeling a long-lost sense of security. He leaned against Wang Cai and fell into a deep sleep.

When the sun was about to rise, he woke up as usual. A good night's sleep had completely dispelled his fatigue. He stretched, hearing his joints crack, and thought he might still grow. Otherwise, his 1.6-meter height would make him miserable. Zhang Cheng seemed to have been up all night, standing by the road, staring in the direction of Lanzhou like a stone statue. The two women were cooking porridge, and Yun Ye, wearing a loincloth, was stretching and stifling a laugh. He realized he was almost naked and quickly covered himself, embarrassed. The older woman came over with some clothes, smiling, "Still shy? If my first child had grown up, he would be older than you. Young Master, try these clothes. If they don't fit, I'll alter them."

"Thank you, both of you, for your hard work."

"What are you thanking us for? Women can only sew and mend. It's our duty."

Yun Ye was struggling with a pile of clothes. He recognized the pants, but what was this whole piece? And a skirt? Where were the buttons? Everywhere were cloth ties. Did he have to put on socks first? This pile of clothes was the famous Tang Dynasty attire, where the clothes were fastened from left to right, a characteristic of Han civilization. Fastening from right to left, as Yun Ye had done, was a sign of barbarians. Seeing this, Yun Ye couldn't help but laugh. In the future, the entire Republic of 1.3 billion people were uncivilized barbarians. If, in the early Tang Dynasty, you captured an unowned barbarian, he would be your personal property, just like a wild boar.

"Look at you, you can't even dress yourself. Enjoying life has become a sin," Zhang Cheng, who might have a grudge against the rich, was very dissatisfied with Yun Ye, a lazy and ignorant person.

The two women pushed Zhang Cheng away, looked him up and down, and clapped their hands in approval. "Oh, what a handsome young man. I wonder how the rich families raise their children, all so handsome?" Yun Ye thought, if you ask me, I don't know. In the Tang Dynasty, I've only met about thirty people.

At that moment, a whistle sounded, and a sentry shouted, "Cavalry coming, about twenty riders!" As he shouted, the sound of thundering hooves echoed.

Zhang Cheng leaped down from a dead tree, grabbed Yun Ye, and threw him to the two women, shouting, "Form the formation!" Thirty men quickly formed a barrier with the grain cart, with spear wielders in front and swordsmen behind. Zhang Cheng stood in the middle, with two men outside, already having planted several arrows in the ground, ready to attack. The two women dragged Yun Ye into the woods, and Zhang Cheng turned back to shout, "Hide well, don't come out, even if everyone dies, don't come out."

"Brothers, no more talk. If they are Qiang people, hold them off as long as you can. Protecting Brother Yun is the priority. The brothers are waiting for him to make salt. We'll abandon the grain cart and wait for the captain to arrive. Then we win."

Hearing this, blood rushed to Yun Ye's head, and he grabbed a shovel and rushed out. The two women held him back, pressing him behind a tree. On the road, dust flew, and black shadows could be seen approaching like a storm. Was this the power of cavalry? Yun Ye's heart was pounding, and he could hear nothing but the sound of hooves, his hands sweating.

A chestnut horse darted out from a bend in the road, and a helmeted and armored man on the horse charged forward with a spear. He pulled the reins, and the horse neighed, rearing up and stopping suddenly. A loud voice called out, "Where is Zhang Cheng?"

"It's the captain," the woman let go of Yun Ye. Yun Ye shook his arms, which were probably bruised and painful. He felt a wave of relief and collapsed to the ground. The two women hurriedly put his shoes on, and Yun Ye blushed, feeling embarrassed that he had lost his shoes. He was filled with anger towards the captain, thinking, "Do you have to make such a big fuss?"

Coming out of the woods, Zhang Cheng, very sycophantically, explained something to the captain and pointed at Yun Ye, looking very sleazy.

Straightening his clothes, Yun Ye politely clasped his hands and said, "Commoner Yun Ye greets the captain."

The captain stared at him, making Yun Ye feel very uncomfortable. He thought he might have dressed incorrectly and was about to ask someone to check, but the captain rudely pointed at him and asked Zhang Cheng, "Is this the high person you mentioned?" Zhang Cheng nodded quickly. The captain suddenly flew into a rage, kicked Zhang Cheng to the ground, and attacked him like a tiger descending from a mountain, his fists and feet like a dragon stirring the sea. As Zhang Cheng begged for mercy, the captain beat and scolded him, "You scoundrel, how many people can't do it, and you bring a child to deceive me? I'll beat you to death, which is better than punishing you for lying to the army."