Mount and Blade Central Asia

Li Rufeng was sure that he heard a sob before the other party left.

Karim's face was equally ugly. He held the wine glass in his hand, as if wondering whether he should let the executioner in directly.

"If you are willing to accept our kindness, I am willing to promise that the people in Hezhong will convert to the belief in Changshengtian." Karim finally sighed and continued to increase the stakes. Of course, the swordsman and axeman did not exist, and he did not even dare to let Li Rufeng encounter any accidents here.

The situation of the people in Transoxiana was already bad enough, and if they offended the Mughals, they would really have no way out.

"Like I said, whatever the Mughals can give you, we are willing to give more." Karim made a last effort, while Sagrichin kept drinking and said nothing.

"This is about faith, not profit." Li Rufeng pretended to be innocent and said shyly, "This is about love! I already have a lover!"

Li Rufeng's acting skills were too poor to fool the two old foxes at all, but this reason at least made people feel better.

"People like us can only envy love. Sometimes, for the future and for the prospects, we still have to make some sacrifices." Sagrichin finally spoke and said something to help Karim.

Li Rufeng drank a glass of wine and nodded along, then said with some embarrassment, "But my sweetheart, the woman I fell in love with at first sight, is Timur's granddaughter, the daughter of Grand Lord Miransha. I can't do anything to make her sad while Grand Lord Miransha's body is still warm."

As soon as Parisa's identity was revealed, the table fell into silence. Karim and Sagrichin looked at each other, their rhythm disrupted for a moment, and they didn't know what to say.

But the most acute conflict between the two sides has passed. The step given by Li Rufeng makes Karim feel that he can accept it very much, and Parisa's identity is also to a certain extent.

It elevated Li Rufeng's status!

"You mean, the old Sultan's granddaughter is now in Aleppo?" Karim asked "straightforwardly".

"Yes, it was Parisa, the daughter of Maharaja Milansha. She was riding a white horse and was chased by the Black Sheep cavalry. She happened to meet my team. After a fierce battle, I won the heart of the beauty with my bravery." Li Rufeng shamelessly talked nonsense in front of Haishar.

Haishaer nodded silently, as if to say, yes, that's right, I was there.

"I wonder if we are lucky enough to meet the princess?" Karim made a somewhat excessive request.

After all, from Li Rufeng's point of view, Karim did not believe what he said, and from the perspective of status, if Timur were still alive, he would probably be exiled to Jerusalem for directly requesting to meet the princess.

But now...even if Karim didn't mention it, Li Rufeng would find a chance for them to meet Parisa.

Sometimes people are very strange animals. No one knows what they are thinking deep down in their hearts, but most of their actions are completed under the encouragement of others.

Since Li Rufeng had come to terms with it and planned to do something with Parisa's identity, he naturally didn't mind letting Parisa show up in public.

Taking the people of Transoxiana as an example, Li Rufeng, who had Parisa's endorsement, was not only the leader of the Mongol tribe and the apprentice of the old shaman, but he was also Timur's grandson-in-law and one of the heirs to the Khanate. They suddenly had a reason to continue their cooperation.

Simply put, the appearance of Parisa gave Li Rufeng the legal qualifications to lead the people of Hezhong, and the people of Hezhong found the protection they wanted from this endorsement.

Just like that, the people at the table started eating and drinking again, and the atmosphere between them was as good as if they were a family.

Only Haishaer remained silent, exuding an aura of "keep away from strangers".

Chapter 315 'Old Friend'

Li Rufeng was not bragging because he was drunk, but he had developed a sense of confidence after several battles with Azadirim and other believers of the Four Wind Gods.

Obviously, this world has not completely become the back garden of idealists after all, otherwise the Four Wind Gods would not have been so tactful in spreading fear, plague and other means to secretly pass on their power. They could have directly turned this world into a colony of faith.

As long as you understand them well enough, or should I say understand the behavior of their respective believers, their beliefs, and the desires they pursue, you can restrain the behavior of these believers to a certain extent.

The only problem is that all information about the Four Wind Gods is itself "toxic" taboo knowledge, tempting all scholars who try to approach them to gradually go astray.

As for Li Rufeng, he is currently very resistant to this poisonous knowledge, which is why Haishar values ​​him so much.

After eating and drinking, Karim arranged for someone to settle Li Rufeng and his group. He turned around and vomited all over the floor. Li Rufeng's alcohol tolerance was unfathomable. Karim didn't want to lose face, so it was not that he didn't want to continue negotiating the terms, but that he couldn't bear it anymore.

"This kid is so experienced, he looks like he came from Central Diwanli." After Karim complained, he became more sober. "I must let him marry Gomali, otherwise I will not be at peace."

"If he's as cunning as you say, then sacrificing your daughter would be pointless," Sagrichin consoled Karim. "It's not that bad, actually. We need him to maintain our relationship with the Mughals, and he needs our strength. This is a fair trade."

"How did the Khanate come to this point?" Karim seemed to be asking Sagrichin, and also seemed to be asking himself.

But there is no answer to this question. I am afraid that only the dead Timur can truly answer this question, but he probably doesn't care now.

That night, Li Rufeng took Bater, Haishaer, the centurion sent by Karim, and several cavalrymen to the nearest crime scene - which was at Karim's headquarters, near the edge of the camp.

The deceased was an old soldier who was not very sociable. After retiring, he had been living a solitary life with the wealth he had accumulated. If it were not for the great migration of the people in the river, he probably would not have returned to live in the tribe.

Unexpectedly, he died silently in his tent.

There was no need to expect the scene to be preserved in this era. The old soldier's tent was cleaned out almost the next morning after his death. Because the old soldier had no children, his personal belongings were basically divided up by the soldiers in charge of cleaning up the body and the scene.

When Li Rufeng arrived, all he saw was an empty tent. If he had come a few days later, even the tent would have been taken away.

Fortunately, Li Rufeng also hoped to be like Sherlock Holmes, finding clues at the murder scene and eventually leading to the wizard who released the curse. But that is not his style. His style should be more like Di Renjie...

"Haishaer, what do you think?" Li Rufeng imitated Haishaer and took a deep breath of the air in the tent. Apart from a slight stench, there was no other smell.

"I can hardly smell it anymore, but it's definitely the smell of black witchcraft." Haishar nodded, confirming that what happened here was related to black witchcraft.

Chapter 316 Trading

As a believer of the Azure Wind, Azadirim is naturally a treacherous and cunning person. The fields of the Azure Wind involve wisdom, witchcraft, ambition, strategy and other fields. Of course, no one can really see how many fields the Azure Wind involves. This is just the summary of believers from generation to generation for thousands of years.

Azadirim was a rising star in the Vientiane Wizarding Society. Young and powerful, he had killed three of his colleagues while escorting a treasure. Ruthless and adept at sowing discord, he should have been the Azure Wind's most beloved disciple...

However, he failed in his plan and was killed by the target he was planning, which was undoubtedly a big minus point.

Azadirim's initial target was Dost. He planned to win over Dost by pretending to be a Black Sheep, and then secretly make him powerful, so that he could become the gravedigger of the Black Sheep one day in the future.

This behavior actually does not bring much benefit to Azadirim himself, but it is undoubtedly in line with the aesthetic of the Blue Wind and is an act that He likes. He has planned everything, but he did not expect the existence of Li Rufeng, a person who does not play by the rules.

Azadirim always felt that when he offered his soul to the Azure Wind that night, there was a deeper meaning behind the joking art of true knowledge. The Azure Wind would occasionally tease its believers and play with their fate for fun, but who could know the Azure Wind's true intentions?

He is the Lord of Transformation and the Weaver of Destiny.

The fact that Azadirim is still alive as a residual soul is the best proof that the Blue Wind is still watching over him.

So he pondered for a long time, and finally found the one that seemed to be the most problematic among the many pieces of information obtained from the True Knowledge Technique... Li Rufeng. Even the True Knowledge Technique could not find out his past, and could only trace it back to the day three years ago when he wandered to this grassland.

But what about his past? Where did he come from? What was his purpose? And...why was Azure Wind interested in him?

These questions and the curiosity in his heart supported Azadirim. He spent his soul again and again in exchange for strength and time to test Li Rufeng again and again. Although the gains were very little, Azadirim did receive the reward from the blue wind from this behavior.

He made the right bet.

Azadirim witnessed the entire conflict between Li Rufeng and the followers of the Green Wind, and even "helped" a little in secret, dealing with a slave soldier who was thrown in by a catapult and hid in a house during the chaos, intending to spread the plague.

Of course, he was not doing this out of kindness, but as a believer of the Azure Wind, he could not allow anyone to cross the line. Li Rufeng was his target, the person that the Azure Wind was interested in. How could those rotten pieces of flesh who believed in the Rotten Green Wind be qualified!

"If you tell me the spell to protect the soul from escaping, I can give you a chance to negotiate terms." Misia looked at Azadirim, the most cunning companion among them, with interest.

As a believer in the Azure Wind, Misia made no secret of his malice towards Azadirim. They had gone through so much trouble to steal Milansha's wealth and had taken so many risks, but in the end, it was all embezzled by the bastard Azadirim!

Money may not be important, but in the judgment of the Blue Wind, this behavior is equivalent to Azadirim fooling them all by himself!

Chapter 317 Preparation

In response to the black witchcraft attack, Li Rufeng and Bater racked their brains and came up with a plan that seemed acceptable.

This is how the old shaman led him back then. The two of them would often sharpen their skills before the battle. They would start working tomorrow and only begin to refine the specific plan tonight. From on-site layout, manuscripts, to special effects, Li Rufeng contributed almost 80% of the "rituals" performed by the old shaman in his later years.

But considering that although the old shaman's "rituals" were messy, they all worked normally, it can only mean that the old shaman at that time had probably reached the realm of "Tao follows nature", and his every move was in accordance with the will of nature.

Li Rufeng is far inferior to the old shaman in this aspect. He doesn't know where his power comes from or why it works...all he has are some immature guesses.

Up to now, Li Rufeng has discovered that all the times he has displayed his special powers are basically related to the folk customs he brought from later generations, such as those seemingly true rituals, and traditions that he seems to understand but is not.

As mentioned before, Li Rufeng vaguely felt that it would be better for him not to be too serious about the power he possessed, and not to study it in detail. It would be better to maintain a hazy beauty.

So Li Rufeng focused on the ceremony itself. After all, in this era, people felt that these unfamiliar rituals and unfamiliar languages ​​were full of mystery and could be better integrated.

"Is it possible, Shaman Rufeng?" Bater looked at Li Rufeng busying around with a confused look on his face. He seemed a little anxious as he couldn't help at all.

Li Rufeng is making Kongming lanterns. A big scene requires a big production. He plans to make six Kongming lanterns and release them in public at night, symbolizing that the souls of the dead return to the eternal heaven.

Karim's appeal is essentially just a show to eliminate the impact of the sub-event incident and a means of controlling public opinion. Li Rufeng dare not say that he is a master in the realm of sects and the mysterious realm, but in this field, he is definitely a master-level figure, far ahead of the times.

Understanding customer needs and meeting their needs are enough. As for whether it is a temporary solution or a fundamental solution, we can deal with it later.

He investigated the six dead people and found that two of them were believers of the Tengri religion, three were Muslims, and one had no clear belief.

But now, after visiting and persuading, these six people have all become believers of Changshengtian.

The deceased will not speak out in rebuttal, and their families are actually very easy to deal with in front of a professional liar like Li Rufeng. The deaths of these veterans are very special. Everyone knows that these are not normal deaths. In order to redeem their souls, more efforts must be made.

Li Rufeng learned early on not to elevate himself by belittling other beliefs. It was too cheap. He simply said that redeeming these souls contaminated by black witchcraft might require more professional people and a greater price.

But now, as the shaman of Eternal Heaven, he has come for the souls of Eternal Heaven's believers. He is here and is ready to pay the price. For him, redeeming a few more souls will not cost more than the current price. Out of the compassion of a religious person, he is happy to let a few pagan souls take a ride straight to "heaven".

Of course, the prerequisite is that they must convert nominally and become believers of Changshengtian.

If Li Rufeng had acted like this with the Arabs, he would probably have been hacked to death by their families, but this was the camp of the people from Central Asia. Among the majority of the more than 10,000 people, there were only a few qualified missionaries. This made it difficult to explain the problem.

Chapter 318 Car Crash

"You always have unique ideas. I've never seen the old shaman use these methods." Haishaer took a Kongming lantern, carefully examined its structure, and then asked the same question as Bater, "Why can it fly?"

As the outsider who knows Li Rufeng best, Haishar naturally knows that this thing can fly. It is not because Li Rufeng uses any witchcraft, but because of the principles of natural science.

Of course, the concept of natural science had not yet been clearly established in this era, but many scholars had already begun to realize this issue.

Haishar was indeed a knight trained by the Eagle of Order, but he also received a complete grammar education. In terms of enlightenment, he was actually no different from a master scholar like Ahmed.

"The mass of hot air per unit volume is lighter than that of cold air, so the cold air will push the hot air upwards." Li Rufeng said without turning his head, as if he was stating the truth that people need to breathe to live.

"Why is hot air lighter than cold air? Aren't they both air?" Haishaer frowned, his mind racing. "And air has weight, too?"

"Because objects expand when heated, especially gases, when gases expand, the total mass per unit volume decreases. The weight difference is why these things can fly." Li Rufeng determined the status of each Kongming lantern one by one and said a long list, but he didn't know how much Haishar could understand.

Because in Chagatai's context, there is no precise concept of unit volume. He can only vaguely describe it as the same size. As for how to understand the same size of air, that is basically the realm of metaphysics.

After careful consideration, Haishaer decided to believe that Li Rufeng knew witchcraft... Bater agreed with this deeply. He had seen the old shaman literally call the wind and rain before.

At this time, outside the camp, the hundred-man team that Karim had previously sent to Li Rufeng had finished their work. They built a wooden platform on a small hill near the river.

The platform was not very high, only about half a meter, but it had already used up the few planks left in the Hezhongdi tribe.

The people of Hezhong, who were accustomed to settled life, had not completed the transformation from herders and warriors to farmers and workers. They just enjoyed the convenience brought by settled life, and in life and production, what was more important was the obedience of the conquered.

In this respect, they can seamlessly connect with the Mamluks.

"Shaman Rufeng!" Sagrichin walked into Li Rufeng's tent, glanced at the sky lanterns in the tent, and continued, "It's almost time, the ceremony can begin."

Like the Muslims among the people of Central Asia, although Sagrichin is a believer in Tengri, his piety is probably just enough to prevent him from being nailed to the Wall of Unbelievers.

When facing a powerful religious leader, Sagrichin can act very pious. For example, now his attitude towards Li Rufeng is simply impeccable, although in terms of age and status, Sagrichin should actually be on par with Qinggelinayan.

"I've discussed this with Karim, Shaman Rufeng. If you truly marry Maharaja Miransha's daughter, we're willing to accept your proposal," Sagrichin whispered. "Of course, if you're willing to reserve a place for my niece in your harem, we'd be grateful."

This is actually not that difficult to choose, because in essence, Parisa is actually a native of Central Asia. If Li Rufeng is ambitious and wants to join this battle, the interests of the people of Central Asia will definitely be guaranteed, because the Khanate's purification zone is in Central Asia.

But Karim still hopes that there can be a closer relationship between the two sides to complete the bundling of interests.

After a day and a night of calm, Karim had accepted the current situation. His daughter was not qualified to compete with Timur's granddaughter, so he could only settle for the second best and seek the position of a concubine.

Karim has six daughters, and it would undoubtedly be feasible to use one of them for venture capital.

"I would be honored to accept this friendship." Li Rufeng hesitated for only a second before accepting the condition.

Political marriage is the simplest and most effective way to bring two unfamiliar forces closer together. Europeans have made great use of this method. If Li Rufeng wants to develop rapidly, he will undoubtedly have to accept it.

That is to say, Qinggelinayan has no daughters, but has two strong brothers, otherwise they would have become a family long ago...

Li Rufeng gestured, and his personal guards came in and picked up the Kongming lanterns one by one. Then they followed Sagrichin to mount their horses and headed towards the temporary ceremonial altar.

According to the process designed by Li Rufeng, he would first promote the belief in Changshengtian, just like he did last time in the Taierbahe tribe. He had thought of the lines. He would first talk about the past and the present to set the tone, then start from the great unification of the Mongols to bring the people closer, and finally continue with the ascension ceremony of the six dead to sublimate the theme. The whole article totaled more than 6,800 words.

With abundant emotions and the cooperation of the audience, the entire ceremony can be completed in about forty-five minutes.

This also includes a cordial meeting with the family of the deceased, allowing them to place the deceased's ashes into a Kongming lantern to increase the solemnity of the entire ceremony.

From the perspective of concentration, forty-five minutes is a relatively appropriate time. If it is too long, the audience below will be distracted and the effect will not be good. If it is too short, it will make people feel not serious and will not be effective.

Chapter 319 Changshengtian appears!

Li Rufeng actually doesn't have any miraculous powers, at least he hasn't learned it systematically. After all, in Li Rufeng's cognition, even if there is no school like Hogwarts to learn to use this power, there should at least be the most basic master-apprentice inheritance.

However, although the old shaman admitted the existence of miraculous power in a casual chat with Li Rufeng, he never really said anything in depth. It was not until the day the old shaman died that Li Rufeng realized that the old shaman's previous words were not bragging.

As for inheritance... Li Rufeng can be said to have watched Bater grow up. The little things he learned from the old shaman have absolutely nothing to do with the power of miracles.

While communicating with Azadirim, Li Rufeng gradually realized a problem. The use of the power of miracles in this world is very private, and there is almost no so-called inheritance. It is so unique that there is almost no systematic context to follow.

So in this industry, there are no masters and apprentices, no fellow students, no common origins, only fellow travelers.

Li Rufeng was clearly a special case. He planned to leave tonight's matter to Tengri...

Under Li Rufeng's control, the guards remained calm and lit the six Kongming lanterns prepared in advance at Li Rufeng's command. The gentle flames even gave people a gentle touch under the reflection of the green flames below the stage.

"Give me a pen!" As Li Rufeng stretched out his hand, Bater immediately stepped forward and handed the quill pen in his hand to Li Rufeng.

Afterwards, Li Rufeng wrote the names of the six deceased on the Kongming lanterns one by one. This was supposed to be the job of the deceased's family members, and the ink used was the blood of their closest relatives, in order to increase the legitimacy of the entire ceremony.