"Sharon is coming, Sharon is coming."
As they spoke, they had already seen the fluttering dragon heads and tails from all directions. They came to the square in a breath and began to gather towards the center of the White Tower. When these sand demon dragons came to everyone, they carefully observed the demon dragons made of bamboo strips. Lanterns.
These demonic dragons are about fifteen meters long. Their heads are as big as water tanks, and their bodies are distributed in a streamlined shape, starting from the head to the abdomen and tail. The body is completely woven from bamboo wood, and the central axis of the body has a bamboo skeleton, like a snake. The spines are connected to each other, and many wooden stakes protrude from the skeleton, connecting the bamboo skin, as if the ribs on the skeleton are attached to it. Beyond the beams and ribs, there is an outer skin made of silk.
These outer skins are mostly made of woven silk and satin cloth, which are thick, complicated and gorgeous. The overlapping and complicated dragon scales are made of metal wires woven in a convex pattern. The belly of the python under the body forms light stripes like tires. Five claws and limbs hang down from five-color silk. Every two meters away from the head, a wooden handle will appear for the people dancing the dragon lantern to hold the dragon's body safely and hold up the dragon's body.
Under the dark night, it looks like a dragon with majestic horns and gorgeous scales, meandering in the night ocean. Under the cover of the night, you can see the dragon's misty beard, swollen fangs, and eyes like lanterns. It is very... reality.
The strangest thing here is the way people dance dragons in the Western Regions. The most important thing about the dragon lantern parade is to imitate the swimming habits of dragons. The most common ones are to meander like snakes and eels, or like fish and shrimps. Jumping up and down, the demonic dragon in front of him was swimming like a snake wrapped in a circle, swimming forward in a spiral shape.
During this period, the lights in the dragon's body were trembling wildly, but they never broke out of the body. This kind of dragon's body was mostly filled with lights, and it was indeed strange that it could remain stable while swimming in a spiral.
"What is the thing inside Youlong's body? It shouldn't be a light, right?" Song Siyuan had already noticed the strangeness of Youlong in front of her and asked casually.
"It is indeed not a lamp. If it were a lamp, this spiral swimming method would have poured out the lamp oil and burned the dragon's body clean. The dragon's body is made of a kind of fluorite. Of course there is no fire source. It’s very safe,” Nayi said.
"Can fluorite absorb light and glow all night long?" Yue Guanchao asked.
Nayi continued to explain: "This kind of fluorite is a unique stone near Kunlun Mountain. It is not the same thing as the luminous pearl. The luminous pearl itself can emit light for thousands of years. The light of this kind of fluorite can only last for a few hours." , if time passes, it will become darker and darker, and eventually go out completely. If you want it to shine again, you have to expose it to the scorching sun for several hours, and it will continue to shine at night..."
Although this kind of fluorite is not very hard, it is very bright. As long as it is exposed to the hot sun for a few hours, the lighting brightness is not inferior to that of kerosene lamps and candles. In addition, it is everywhere in rivers and is not very expensive. It is often used by ordinary people. Common people use it as a lighting fixture.
Just cut the stone into balls and pour them into a glass container. It can be placed under the sun to bask in the sun. During the day, it will seem innocuous. At night, the light inside will gradually be released, as if there is a flame in the glass cover, which is very bright.
With just a few of these fluorite lamps, a room can be illuminated brightly without any darkness.
These fluorite save a lot of money compared to kerosene lamps, candles and torches. At night, lighting tools cannot be saved. Ordinary people still need to buy lamp oil for candles to illuminate, which is a large expense in a month. If this kind of fluorite is used, it can be used as long as the fluorite is not destroyed. It can be used under the sun during the day and can be used at night. There is no need to pay any fees. Anyone can go to the river to pick up the stones.
Fluorite has light-absorbing properties and is very bright and beautiful. It is not only used by ordinary people. Landowners in Hotan also use this kind of fluorite to make various gorgeous lamps to decorate their houses and mansions. , can make the lighting more beautiful.
"What is placed in the body of this demonic dragon is fluorite that has been cut into balls. These fluorite are mostly attached to the skeleton's spine and eyeballs. Under the leadership of the ribbon, they vibrate in the dragon's body to form this flowing light. It looks like It's like the dragon's body is trembling and its eyes are flickering, extremely real.
"But where do these fluorite come from? It can't be grown in the river, right?" Yue Erpao became curious about this kind of thing.
"It was left from Kunlun Mountain."
Nayi and Keli were outsiders, and they didn't seem to know the origin of the fluorite. When everyone was questioning, a gentle voice from the side came to them. Everyone turned around and saw that it was the woman who invited them to drink herbal tea.
When Yue Guanchao was about to say hello, the woman waved to them first and said in a low voice: "First of all, let's see if there is anything missing from your waists?"
After this reminder, Yue Guanchao immediately understood the reason for her greeting. Everyone began to fumble around their waists and backs. Sure enough, some people's wallets were missing. The woman gestured to the man behind her, and he took out several wallets from his backpack. When he looked at the wallets, It's theirs.
The woman seemed to be afraid that they would misunderstand, and continued to explain: "We have been following you just now, and we found that there are many children around you, and they have been crawling around with candied haws. It is estimated that some little beggars want to take away your wallets while you are walking. , we really guessed it right, he took several of your wallets along the way, and it wasn’t until they left that I went up to get your wallets back.”
Then, the woman licked her lips at the little beggars in the distance. Yue Guanchao looked in the direction she indicated. Sure enough, he saw several children in robes. As soon as he saw their eyes staring at them, his eyes dodge and he disappeared into the crowd. figure.
Yue Guanchao weighed his money bag: "Thank you very much. Although there is not much money in it, I have recovered some of my losses."
Afterwards, he introduced all his companions, so that they could recognize each other and get to know each other.
After getting to know each other, Yue Guanchao also understood that the woman's name was Gu Hengxi, and the man behind her was named Gu Baiyue. The two were brother and sister Jinlan. They were illusionists from southern Xinjiang who traveled around the world. They made a living by performing tricks and never cheated or cheated. It confuses and harms people. Although the money I make is not much, it is hard-earned money after all. I want to have a clear conscience.
After this conversation, everyone finally got to know each other. After Yue Guanchao inquired about the situation, he found that they lived in no fixed place and often traveled around southern Xinjiang. He thought selfishly that they had been to so many places in southern Xinjiang and must know a lot about southern Xinjiang. He also asked about fluorite.
Gu Hengxi thought for a moment and said slowly: "Fluorite is related to the Hetian jade in Kunlun Mountain."
From ancient times to the present, there has been an old saying in the jade market: Beautiful jade in the world comes from Hotan, and beautiful jade from Hotan comes from Kunlun. In one sentence, it explains where the best and most advanced jade in the world comes from, and also points out where the top jade should go. Look for.
When many people mention Kunlun, they will first think of the Dragon of China, the Roof of China, and then the misty legends of the Queen Mother of the West and King Mu of Zhou who cultivated immortality.
Youdao relies on mountains to eat mountains and water to eat water. For the Khotan people, Kunlun Mountain is not only the sacred ancestor of mountains, but also a good place to eat, drink, and make a fortune.
The Kunlun Mountains are rich in jade. Most of these jade are concentrated near the Altyn Mountains and the Karakoram Mountains. Under the melting water of the snow mountains and geological movements, the jade is constantly washed away by the snow water and enters the river, and is deposited in the sediment of the Kashgar River. It is continuously washed and polished by the river water, forming a smooth and round appearance. These are extremely precious Hetian jade.
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Central Plains has opened up the Silk Road. Camel caravans have also entered the Central Plains. The nobles themselves have the habit of wearing jade. The Central Plains also has the custom of gentlemen wearing jade. The precious jade from Hotan soon became the preference of the aristocracy. , popular all over the world.
At that time, the Kingdom of Khotan still existed in the Hotan Oasis, and they were able to use Hotan jade to open up communication with the Han Dynasty. By trading jade with the Central Plains, the Kingdom of Khotan became the richest country on the southern coast of the desert, extending from Hotan. The outstanding jade culture also made Khotan a master of integration of southern Xinjiang culture.
Over the long history, the quantity of Hotan jade has been decreasing after being collected. In order to adapt to different seasons and terrains, Hotan craftsmen and people have also developed a variety of methods for collecting jade. Hetian jade is mainly divided into jade stepping method and jade fishing method.
Let’s talk about the method of stepping on jade first.
The jade stepping method is mainly suitable for the spring and summer flood seasons. Most of the jade is found in the Yulong Kashgar River and Karakash River, which extend at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains. They are rivers that originate from the snowy mountains. When the temperature rises in the spring and summer, a large amount of snow will melt on the snowy mountains. At this time, the snow and water rolled down, and while they washed the gravel and mud along the way into the Kashgar River, they also washed the jade into the Kashgar River through the tributary rivers.
At this time, the Kashgar River will change from clear to chaotic after the mud and sand are mixed in. If you look at it in spring and summer, you will definitely see rolling waves and rushing sand. The visibility of one meter underwater may not be achieved.
At this time, if craftsmen want to pick jade, they can only use the jade stepping method. Southern Xinjiang people have the ability to step on jade in the river. As long as they walk in the chaotic river, even if they cannot see the conditions in the water, they can rely on experience to feel the stone under their feet. Jade is still ordinary river bottom gravel. The experienced craftsmen never make mistakes. It can be said that they are accurate when they touch it.
Let’s talk about the method of fishing for jade!
When the spring and summer snow and flood seasons are over, the snowy mountains in autumn and winter will stabilize, and the rivers will change from turbid to clear. At this time, there is no need to use the jade stepping method, but the jade fishing method.
Under the clear river, you can clearly see the jade fragments that have settled in the sand. After being washed by the snow in spring and summer and polished by the gravel, the jade at this time is mostly in an irregular oval shape, with a smooth and round surface and few sharp edges. edges and corners.
When fishing for jade, craftsmen would often cast a net bag on the river, and then tighten the cables on both sides of the river. The force generated by the river's erosion would continuously rush the Hotan jade pieces into the net bag. They pulled up the view and faced it forward against the direction of the water flow. Drag, and when the strength in your hands gradually becomes heavier, you can go down to the river and pick up all the sediment. After sorting through it, what is left are the pieces of Hetian jade.
No matter what method is used, this kind of fluorite appears together with Hetian jade.
They are mainly distributed between the Yulong Kashgar River and the Karakash River. They are mainly immersed in the sand. They are large and small. The big ones are like heads and the small ones are like fingers. They are immersed in the river banks or accumulated sediment. They are jade. Associated stones.
It can be said that wherever Hotan jade materials can be found, fluorite will definitely appear.
