Chapter 235: Ah-ma (2) (2/2)

The barbarians living out here in the borders of Liangzhou were always friendly and welcoming. They would treat those who could speak their language like their own family, with honesty and enthusiasm.

This quality of theirs, whether in his past life or present one, had never changed.

It was also due to this fact that they lacked caution against others, and in a few years, would be completely decimated by the Tuhun.

The middle-aged woman lifted up the tent flap, and a strange odour immediately filled He Changdi and Laiyue’s nostrils.

This was due to the tent not being aired out for a long period of time, keeping all sorts of mouldy, stale smells within.

Laiyue couldn’t resist the urge to pinch his nose. When he turned to look at his master, he found that He Changdi’s calm expression hadn’t changed a single bit, as if he was already used to this nausea-inducing odour.

When Laiyue saw his master’s calm, he could only lower his hand and bear with the odour as much as he could.

There were no lights in the tent, so it was even darker inside.

He Changdi turned around to give Laiyue an order: “Light a lantern.”

Laiyue felt his way to the short table placed in the middle of the tent before taking out an oil lantern from his bag and lighting it up.

With the flickering light of the lantern, the dark insides of the tent were instantly filled with a yellow glow. Using that dim light, He Changdi could finally see his surroundings clearly, including the face of the barbarian woman standing across from him.

The barbarian woman’s eyes had widened and she was looking at that small oil lantern in disbelief. After staring in a daze for a moment, she quickly waved her hands and reached out to extinguish the lantern’s flame.

“Ah-sai, there’s no need to light a lantern; lantern oil is very expensive!” The barbarian woman said anxiously. ‘Ah-sai’ was a respectful term for esteemed gentlemen in the barbarian language.

The barbarians worked only by the natural light of the sun and slept when the sun set. They didn’t have any money to spare for luxuries like lantern oil. To buy a lantern and the fuel needed for one, they would have to visit a Han family or go to the Tuhun markets. Furthermore, a single bottle of lantern oil cost half a sheep. Most barbarians wouldn’t be able to afford one.

Lantern oil was an absolute luxury for them.