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墨書 Inktalez
Autumn Rain The initial pause brought a low mist hovering over the thatched grass, dyeing the vast prairie into a dreamy, ethereal scene that made one reluctant to ride, fearing the beauty would be disturbed.
Despite being pursued, Li Dejiang was observant and attentive to all directions, not neglecting the whereabouts of Murong Xiao. After repelling the Qibi Tribe who were impersonating the Tuguhun Barbarians, his anger transformed into endless motivation. Together with the Rouran scouts, he led the way forward and gradually found clues about Murong Xiao's location by following the tracks.
Based on the analysis of hoofprints, it seemed that Murong Xiao had received reinforcements. The hoofprints suggested a number of fewer than thirty, and they were shallow, indicating they were not armored soldiers but lightly equipped travelers heading towards the Murong Clan.
Xu Zhenzhi chose to pursue Murong Xiao for another purpose as well. Given Murong Xiao's experiences with life and death, after escaping, he would inevitably return to his tribe. Even if they could not intercept Murong Xiao midway, they would still be able to ascertain the exact location of the Murong Clan. In this way, the mission of Xu Zhen would also be accomplished.
However, Murong Xiao, being a wolf of the prairie, was very alert. After three or four days of pursuit, a towering and sacred mountain known as White Head Peak appeared in the distance. Yet, Xu Zhen's team was halted by a stretch of marshy land.
This shallow river was called Salar, meaning "moon," originating from that very White Head Peak. According to Gao He Shu and others, this area belonged to the Kushan, surrounded by nomadic tribes. Once entering this region, the affiliated tribes of the Tuguhun would become dense, making passage extremely difficult.
Moreover, Murong Xiao's support team deliberately crossed the river to wash away their tracks, making it hard to determine where they had landed on the opposite bank.
The Rouran People, familiar with survival on the prairie, knew that there must be pastoral tribes along the river. It was possible that Murong Xiao's team would choose to rest there since he was severely injured; continuing to flee would eventually wear down even a strong body.
Xu Zhen instructed her brothers to find a low-lying area to set up camp while she removed her military armor and donned a Barbarians pastoral outfit to scout downstream first.
Zhang Jiunian and others exuded the demeanor of central plains Han People. Since her brothers needed someone to lead them, Xu Zhen only took along Caesar and Gao He Shu. With fierce protectors like Zhou Cang and Li Dejiang, she was not overly worried about Li Mingda's safety.
The three covered their faces with scarves and walked slowly along the riverbank. They soon encountered large herds of cattle and sheep as well as horses; pastoral songs floated in the air, refreshing their spirits.
Both Gao He Shu and Caesar, filled with excitement, felt as if they had returned home, their expressions brightening.
After walking for about half an hour, they spotted white tents resembling clouds on a vast meadow to their left. Shepherds rode around leisurely and carefree.
These shepherds were quite alert, but since Xu Zhen and her companions were well-prepared, they quickly concealed themselves behind some rocks on the riverbank. After observing the number of tents from a distance, Gao He Shu quickly assessed this tribe's general population and combat strength, causing Xu Zhen to furrow her brow.
With his refined assassination skills coming into play at this moment, Caesar, without needing further instructions from Xu Zhen, crouched low and moved along the riverbank. Using the cover of tall grass and scattered stones on the riverbank, he twisted and turned his way successfully into this tribe's camp.
Xu Zhen looked across the river at the camp on the opposite bank, then glanced at the wide river surface before her, scanning the piles of scattered stones on the riverbank. Suddenly, a bold idea struck her. She quickly entrusted Gao He Shu with her plan, and without Caesar to act as a translator, she gestured and acted out her intentions, spending considerable effort to ensure Gao He Shu understood. Afterward, she stripped off her clothes and submerged herself in the shallow river!
While Xu Zhen was making tight preparations, Caesar had already stolen some shepherd's clothing to cover her head and face. Holding a Pottery, she walked with her head down among the large tents, instantly blending into the surroundings as if she were a local laboring woman, ordinary yet quietly absorbing everything she saw and heard.
Although the river was wide, it was not very deep. Xu Zhen had previously attempted to break David Blaine's underwater breath-holding record in New York (Note 1). Although she had ultimately failed, her diving skills were beyond doubt.
She moved through the water like a nimble mermaid, taking care to observe her surroundings while occasionally surfacing for air. By the time she had arranged everything underwater, nearly half an hour had passed.
When Xu Zhen emerged from the water, dressed neatly and ready to head downstream to meet Caesar, a chill ran through her heart. A strong sense of danger surged within her as she detected a pungent smell of wild beasts carried by the breeze on the riverbank. The warhorses hidden among the scattered stones and grass became restless!
Suddenly, Xu Zhen looked up to see Caesar, now disguised, rushing toward her with an anxious expression. Upon spotting Xu Zhenzhi, she shouted urgently, "Run!"
Before she could fully comprehend the situation, Xu Zhen was pushed aside by Caesar, just as a gray shadow lunged at Caesar's back!
At that moment, Xu Zhen clearly saw that the creature chasing Caesar was larger than an ordinary shepherd dog. Its silver-gray fur was sleek as silk; it was a genuine adult wolf!
"How is this possible!"
Xu Zhenxin felt a jolt. The area was filled with cattle and sheep, yet there were no signs of panic among them. Instead, he noticed that the wolf had a silver ring around its left front paw—clearly indicating it was domesticated!
Although confused, there was no time for speculation. Seeing Caesar attacked from behind with three bloody scratches visible on her back, Xu Zhen immediately drew her long knife and rushed forward several steps, aiming a strike at the wolf's waist!
The so-called copper-headed iron-boned tofu waist—the lumbar spine was a weak point for wolves. With her blade capable of cutting through iron like mud, if it hit, it would surely cleave the beast in two!
However, this wolf seemed quite alert and sensitive to movement. It abandoned its pursuit of Caesar, sidestepping and rolling away over a distance of more than ten feet before stabilizing itself and lowering its head to glare hungrily at Xu Zhen!
"Are you okay?"
Xu Zhen slightly turned her head and asked, while Caesar resolutely stood up, disregarding the injury on his back. He crossed his dual blades and moved closer to Xu Zhen, his gaze fixed on the silver wolf behind them, speaking in a low voice, "Be careful, they are all ruthless experts..."
As soon as Caesar finished speaking, seven or eight Barbarians dressed as herdsmen suddenly sprang out from behind the pile of rocks. Some held Longbows, others swung curved knives, and some carried Wolf Tooth clubs. Their faces were fierce and filled with hostility. One bold young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, even dared to stroke the silver wolf's head, clearly the one who raised it!
"Alala!" The leading Barbarian pointed a long spear directly at Xu Zhen and Caesar. The archer was about to release his bowstring when Xu Zhen had already drawn a flying knife, which shot out and struck the archer's cheek, narrowly missing Caesar's eye, creating a dangerous situation!
The archer fell back after being hit, covering his face as blood flowed through his fingers. The others were momentarily stunned but soon erupted in anger, brandishing their weapons and charging forward!
The young man released the silver wolf's neck, which let out a low growl, bringing a wave of bloodthirsty wind towards them!
Xu Zhen assessed the situation; she had no choice but to confront them. If she fled, even if she didn't get killed by the ambush, she would be torn apart by the silver wolf from behind!
With a shake of her long knife, she advanced rather than retreating, unleashing the essence of the swordsmanship taught by Zhou Cang. The slender horizontal blade swept through with reckless abandon, relying entirely on its sharp edge to keep the Barbarians at bay!
However, with Caesar injured in the back and bleeding profusely, he could hardly defend himself against the pursuing silver wolf with just a pair of short blades!
In this critical moment, Xu Zhen quickly came up with an idea. She grabbed a handful of yellow powder from a pouch at her waist and smeared it on her blade. Then she secretly took out a flint and concealed it in her palm. Intentionally reciting an incantation in English quickly, she swiped the blade across her palm and ignited it with a loud explosion!
The silver wolf was fearless against metal blades but feared flames. Xu Zhen applied refined gunpowder given to her by Moya onto her blade and secretly ignited it with the flint. This move was subtle and mysterious; not only did it force back the silver wolf, but it also frightened many of the Barbarians, causing them to halt their advance!
Under normal circumstances, Caesar would have been astonished. However, having followed Moya for many years and possessing considerable knowledge of fire techniques, he was shocked to see that in such a dire situation, Xu Zhen had not prepared any protective measures for her hands while igniting gunpowder—her palms would surely be burned by the flames!
Thus, when he saw that Xu Zhen remained composed, he was deeply shaken!
Xu Zhen also had her own struggles; she could perform various deceptive Illusions in front of tens of thousands of modern people and was worried about controlling a few Tang Dynasty wild Barbarians?
These people had survived for years on the grasslands under extremely harsh conditions and were naturally superstitious about gods and spirits. When Xu Zhen conjured flames out of thin air and attached them to her blade, it seemed like divine intervention—indeed, these Barbarians were thoroughly intimidated!
"Yarbo! Yarbo!"
The crowd gasped in astonishment as the Xu Zhen stood proudly, her long knife held firmly in her hand, positioned across her body. Her eyes blazed like eagles and torches, with flames and smoke rising from the blade, making her appear even more mysterious and powerful.
Caesar, worried that the Xu Zhen's left hand might get burned, hurriedly stepped forward, grasping her left hand and raising it high. He shouted at the crowd in Turkic Language, "You mere mortals, how dare you confront the son of Ahura! Kneel down at once!"
Upon hearing Caesar's fierce command, the already terrified herdsmen fell to their knees, prostrating themselves on the ground, not daring to lift their heads. They muttered incantations under their breath, trembling uncontrollably.
The Xu Zhen had previously inquired about the customs of the grasslands from Moya. The Kuber Prairie was predominantly inhabited by Tuguhun Barbarians, while the Murong Clan was a remnant of the Xianbei people, similar to the Turkic People in their wolf totem. However, Zoroastrianism and Shamanism were also prevalent. Unexpectedly, she had inadvertently used fire to drive away wolves and intimidate these Barbarians!
But this excitement and exhilaration were quickly pulled back to reality as her left hand lacked any protection and was genuinely burned with blisters from the phosphorescent flames.
As the Xu Zhen contemplated how to extricate herself from this situation, recalling the secret she had set up at the riverbed and considering that Gao He Shu would soon bring reinforcements, she felt a knot of anxiety forming in her heart. Just as she was trying to figure out how to navigate this predicament, a Riding Team thundered down from upstream!
(Note 1: David Blaine, an American magician, once held his breath for 17 minutes, breaking the Guinness World Record.)
(Note 2: The religious beliefs of Turkic and other Steppe Tribes include Shamanism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity (a branch of Christianity), Buddhism, etc. Among them, Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest religions. It was introduced to China in the mid-3rd century and reached Central China by the mid-4th century. Its deity is referred to as Hu Tian. By the Tang Dynasty, it was called "Xian," a term created by Tang People based on its pronunciation. Yarbo refers to a religious official who oversees a parish's affairs with specialized knowledge and familiarity with rituals; literally meaning "fire sacrificer.")
(Note 3: In Zoroastrianism, fire is considered an embodiment of Ahura, the god of light; thus, worshipping fire is seen as an expression of reverence for divinity. Caesar falsely claimed that Xu Zhen was the child of the fire god to intimidate the captives.)
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