Yun Ye was deep in thought with his head lowered. The men around him all waited eagerly for his decision – after all, this was a significant matter. Just think about it – a secret recipe that could produce salt from nothing, who wouldn’t guard it like their own life? How could it be easily told to others?

After waiting a long time, Yun Ye still hadn’t made a decision. Disappointment appeared on Zhang Cheng’s face, realizing his request was asking too much. Gritting his teeth, he was about to say to drop the matter, that Young Master Yun couldn’t wrong his ancestors and so on.

Before he could open his mouth, he saw Yun Ye raise his head, look around at those eager gazes, and smile serenely: “Yun Ye never imagined that mere table salt was so important to you all, to the Great Tang. Before, I always felt it was just a seasoning – having it or not wouldn’t greatly harm the world, only affecting the appetite. Now I’m shocked to discover that salt’s gains and losses actually relate to life and death, the Great Tang’s rise and fall. To pluck one hair to benefit the world – why would I not be happy to do so?”

“Young Master, you agree?” Zhang Cheng’s face was full of surprised joy. He threw himself forward in a bow. In an instant, only Yun Ye remained standing in the entire area, while all others prostrated themselves.

“Uncle Zhang, what’s this all about? If you want to learn, I’ll teach everyone. It’s not that difficult. Uncle Zhang, I still prefer you all call me stinking brat, Brother Yun. What Young Master, Young Lord – don’t disgust everyone with that, and I’m uncomfortable too. Being able to meet you uncles and brothers when I’m at my most unlucky – this is my good fortune. Otherwise I’d have been eaten by wolves long ago. What Young Master, Young Lord?”

With things spoken openly, the atmosphere became lively. One by one they lovingly touched Yun Ye’s head, pinched his cheeks. Each smiling face was full of respect. Yun Ye’s mood also brightened instantly.

After receiving a definite promise, Zhang Cheng impatiently urged Yun Ye to write down the various tools and materials needed for salt-making. Without paper or brush, he anxiously spun in circles. The two women also showed urgent, worried expressions on their faces. All the soldiers beat their chests and stamped their feet, continually blaming themselves for not bringing ink and brush when they came out.

Yun Ye quickly grabbed Zhang Cheng, who was about to draw blood from his own body. He took his dagger and instructed the auxiliary soldiers to find two wooden boards. Using the dagger, he carved characters on the two boards. Though crooked and twisted, Zhang Cheng treasured them like precious objects, wrapping them carefully with hemp cloth – not loincloth, but hemp cloth. Two fully armed auxiliary soldiers, carrying the boards on their backs and riding horses, rushed toward Lanzhou City. Of course, they also took half the salt as evidence.

“Uncle Zhang, riding horses at night is too dangerous. This matter isn’t urgent. Since I’ve already promised, sending it tomorrow wouldn’t be late.” Yun Ye didn’t understand Zhang Cheng’s urgency.

“What do you know? One day earlier making salt means the army gains one more portion of fighting strength. The Turkic people have entered the pass again. We can’t just watch these scum act arrogantly. One day we’ll kill all these Turkic people clean. Relying on vinegar cloth to make food – this life can’t go on another day.”

“Vinegar cloth – what’s that? Can it be eaten?”

A nearby auxiliary soldier quickly pulled out a vinegar cloth strip and handed it to Yun Ye. Four fingers wide, hard as a board, like dried kelp, blackish and giving off a sour, rancid smell.

Good heavens! Yun Ye let out a pitiful cry. How coarse must one’s palate be to eat down food cooked with this thing? No wonder Zhang Cheng became so angry seeing him use salt on meat, and was happy enough to cry hearing he’d agreed to teach them salt-making. A tough man crying like a baby in the cradle, and no one could console him – whoever tried got beaten. So be it – make salt, make salt. Being able to help them was always a good thing.

Yun Ye let out a long yawn. The fatigue of this past month seemed to suddenly emerge from his bone marrow. Beneath him were thick blankets spread out. Leaning against the fire, listening to the two women chattering and laughing as they altered clothes for him, a long-absent sense of security flooded his entire body. Leaning against Wang Cai, he fell into deep sleep.

When the sun was about to show its head, he habitually woke up. Last night’s sound sleep had completely driven away his fatigue. Stretching greatly, he heard his joints crackling. It seemed he could still grow taller. Otherwise, a height of one meter sixty would depress Yun Ye to death.

Zhang Cheng seemed not to have slept all night, standing by the road like a wife-watching stone, staring toward Lanzhou. The two women were boiling porridge. Seeing Yun Ye awake, wearing only a loincloth and stretching there, they covered their mouths and giggled. Only then did Yun Ye discover he seemed to be exposed, hastily covering his lower body, laughing awkwardly.

The slightly older woman, holding several pieces of clothing, walked over with a smile. “Still feeling shy? If my first child had lived and grown up, he’d be even bigger than Young Master. Young gentleman, try on the clothes. If they don’t fit, I’ll alter them again.”

“Thank you both, elder sisters. You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank what? Women are useless, can only sew and mend. This is my duty.”

Yun Ye was struggling with a pile of clothes. He recognized the pants, but what was this whole piece of cloth? Why was there also a skirt? Where were the buttons? Cloth strips everywhere. What, put on socks first? This pile of clothes was the famous Tang attire. The clothes fastened from left to right – this was a characteristic of Han civilization. Like how Yun Ye had just fastened from right to left – this was purely a barbarian’s mark, loose hair and left lapel.

Seeing this, Yun Ye couldn’t help but laugh aloud. In later generations, all 1.3 billion people of the entire Republic were uncivilized savages. If, in early Tang, you caught a masterless savage – that is, a foreigner – congratulations, he was your private property, no different from catching a wild boar.

“Look at you living the good life – you can’t even dress yourself. Living so well it’s become a sin.” Zhang Cheng, this bastard, probably had anti-wealth psychology. Seeing the two women dressing Yun Ye, he was very dissatisfied with this lazy worm who neither labored with his limbs nor distinguished the five grains.

The two women pushed Zhang Cheng aside, looked Yun Ye up and down, and clapped their hands in approval: “Ah, what a handsome young gentleman! Who knows how wealthy families bear children – are they all this handsome?”

Yun Ye thought, asking me? How would I know? All thirty-some people I’ve seen in the Great Tang are right here.

At this moment, a whistle sounded. The sentry shouted hoarsely: “Cavalry approaching, about twenty riders!” Just as he finished shouting, thunderous hoofbeats boomed out.

Zhang Cheng leaped down from the withered wood by the roadside, grabbed Yun Ye and threw him to the two women, shouting loudly: “Form up!”

Over thirty men rapidly used the grain carts as barriers – spearmen in front, swordsmen behind. Zhang Cheng stood in the formation. Two more men stood outside the circle, with over a dozen arrows already planted in the ground before them, ready for attack. The two women dragged Yun Ye running toward the forest. Zhang Cheng even turned back to shout: “Hide well! Don’t come out! Even if we’re all dead, you’re not allowed to come out!”

“Brothers, no more talk. If it’s Qiang people coming, however long we brothers can hold out, we hold out. Protecting Brother Yun is the priority – the brothers are still waiting for him to make salt. Forget the grain carts. If we can hold until Captain Xiao Wei arrives, we’ll have won.”

Hearing these words, blood rushed to his head in waves. Yun Ye grabbed his shovel and charged outward. The two women pressed him firmly behind the tree, not letting him go. On the official road, dust flew – only some black shadows could be dimly seen, rolling in like a wild wind. Was this the power of cavalry? Yun Ye’s heart pounded violently. His ears heard nothing but the thundering of hooves. His hand gripping the shovel was slick with sweat.

At the curve in the road, a chestnut-colored steed flashed out like lightning. On the horse sat a burly man in helmet and armor holding a long spear, charging straight at the formation. He pulled the reins in his hand. The steed neighed long, raised its front hooves to paw the air a few times, and abruptly stopped. A loud shout was heard: “Where is Zhang Cheng?”

“It’s the Captain!” The women released their hands. Yun Ye shook his arms – they were probably bruised and hurt badly. The tension in his chest released, and he immediately slumped to the ground. Seeing the two women frantically putting shoes on him, Yun Ye’s face immediately turned red with embarrassment. Too shameful – his shoes had actually come off. Yun Ye’s chest was immediately filled with anger toward the Captain – would you die if you didn’t make such a big commotion?

Coming out from the forest, he saw Zhang Cheng very obsequiously explaining something to the Captain in whispers, even pointing at him – very obscenely.

Straightening his clothes, Yun Ye felt he very elegantly clasped his hands toward the Captain: “This commoner Yun Ye greets the Captain.”

The Captain’s eyes stared at him fixedly, making Yun Ye feel uncomfortable all over. Thinking his clothes might be worn incorrectly, he was just hesitating whether to have someone check again – surely there were mistakes made in the earlier rush. But he saw the Captain very rudely pointing at him and asking Zhang Cheng: “The expert you mentioned is this person?”

Zhang Cheng nodded repeatedly. But the Captain flew into a rage, lifting his foot to kick Zhang Cheng to the ground. His fists descended like a fierce tiger coming down the mountain, his feet struck like a dragon churning the sea. Amid Zhang Cheng’s pitiful pleas for mercy, he beat and cursed: “Dog talent! A matter that so many people have no solution for, and you bring a kid to fool me. Better to let me beat you to death than punish you for falsely reporting military intelligence!”