Vol 2 Chapter 5 (2/2)

Huo Qu Bing barely acknowledges everyone’s eyes on him. He calmly sits down and sips his tea, smiling at me “What if I lose my head?’ I smiled back “Then I’ll just have to follow you down into the ground.” Huo Qu Bing froze for a second, and without a care as to what other’s might think, he tightly grasped my hand. I grabbed his hand back, the two of us just smiling and staring at each other.

The people outside are starting to get loud about who will compete when Yi Zhi Xie suddenly spoke up calmly and quietly “Will the young master consent to compete with me?” His voice isn’t very loud, but suddenly all the arguing outside stopped. A thousand eyes turned to look at him. Seeing his aura, everyone stopped trying to argue for someone else.

All of Yi Zhi Xie’s guards kneeled down and tried to plead with him. Tie Niu Mu begged “My lord, he is not worthy of you personally doing this. Any one of us will be fine. If you don’t think I can do it, then let Zhen Tai go, I won’t fight for this opportunity with him.”

Mu Da Duo was staring at my hands entwined with Huo Qu Bing, her face a mixture of happiness and worry. When she heard what Yi Zhi Xie said, she gasped, seemingly wanting to plead with him but finally not saying anything.

Huo Qu Bing felt my hand stiffen, and he ignored Yi Zhi Xie’s question and quickly looked at me. Yi Zhi Xie’s riding and archery skills are the best of the best in the Xiong Nu. I thought he might notice Huo Qu Bing, but since he is the Shan Yu of the Xiong Nu, he will just send one of his warriors to compete. Who knew he was just like Huo Qu Bing, always pulling the unexpected. This really has become a life and death situation. But the person holding my hand is Huo Qu Bing. Even in the face of life or death, he would never back away.

I held Huo Qu Bing’s hand and suddenly smiled widely. He looked surprised and then smiled back at me. He held my hand and stood up, facing Yi Zhi Xie “I don’t have a horse or a bow and arrow. I will bother you to please prepare it.”

Yi Zhi Xie gave a small smile “If you lose, I don’t want your head. I just want you to work for me, and not as a master and servant. I will treat you like a brother, and I will still persuade the Xiong Nu of this region to respect the Hans.”

Yi Zhi Xie’s guards and Mu Da Duo all gasped, and the Xiong Nu on the street looked at Yi Zhi Xie, and then at Huo Qu Bing. Huo Qu Bing just laughed “What an honor to have you look upon me thusly. But I must apologize, I am a Han person and in this entire world, I will only work for the Han. If I lose, all I can give you is just my head!”

Yi Zhi Xie was silent for a moment and then smiled towards my joined hands with Huo Qu Bing “Your lady wife is a Gui Su person? The culture of the Gui Su and the Xiong Nu are quite similar…..” I cut off the rest of his sentence, lightly biting my tongue to say “Whatever he wishes to do, is what I wish to do.”

Yi Zhi Xie’s eyes flashed a sudden shock and he kept staring at my eyes. I smiled and directly met his eyes back. I didn’t avoid him, with no fear or hatred, just a look without any emotion. Like the look one might give a stranger who was staring.

Mu Da Duo was so nervous she was actually shaking. After some time, Yi Zhi Xie looked disappointed and a bit saddened, shaking his head and then turning to walk away. His guards hurried to keep up.

Huo Qu Bing and I held hands and followed behind them. Everyone on the street parted to let us through. The guards turned to look at me, shooting me pitiful and sympathetic stares. Mu Du Duo kept glancing at me, indicating that I need to leave. I pretended not to see and continued on my way.

Huo Qu Bing whispered to me “Is his archery skills top notch? Why are those guys staring at me like I’m a dead fish?” I smiled and nodded “Very top notch, the best of the best.” He says a soft “Oh” and then confidently continued to walk forward.

Tie Niu Mu brought over a horse with a bow and arrow. Huo Qu Bing picked up the bow and arrow and tried it out. He held the reins and looked at me. I smiled back “I will be here waiting for you.”

He leaped on the horse and with a brilliant smile “Wonderful Yu Er, thank you! With a wife like you, that is all I can ask for.” And then he was off, with the bow on his back, never once looking back.

Mu Da Duo sidled up next to me, staring into the distance, softly saying “Big sister, so that night on the streets of Chang An, we had already met. Shan…..my lord’s martial arts prowess is something you are familiar with. Aren’t you scared? He’s also a strange one. It’s clear to see how much he likes big sister, and this time out determines life and death, yet he never once looked back at you.”

I smiled but didn’t respond. How can I not be afraid? But there are some things in life that must be done even if there is fear.

In the sky, a flock of wild geese flew overhead. Yi Zhi Xie told the people setting up the targets to stop, smiling as he pointed to the sky “How about we use the flock of wild geese to determine the winner. In the time of half an incense stick, the one who shoots down more wins.” Huo Qu Bing smiled and nodded.

The incense was lit and the two of them took off towards the wild geese. Their first arrows were released at almost the exact same time. The two of them have to ride lightening fast and chase the geese which are flying everywhere, and they have to release their arrows quickly before the geese fly out of shooting range.

Such vivid compet.i.tion far exceeds the excitement of watching arrows. .h.i.t a target. Over a thousand people have gathered to watch, everyone is silent and holding their breaths watching the two men on horse back. All we can hear on the plains are the sound of horse hooves and the cries of the wild geese.

My worry disrupts me. I doubt there is anyone here with better eyesight than me, but I actually lose count of how many Huo Qu Bing has shot down. I glance at Mu Da Duo and she also looks distressed, shaking her head “I can’t keep count, I’ve already lost count. If I knew, I would have just counted Shan…..my lord’s. .h.i.ts.”

Initially I was nervously looking between Yi Zhi Xie and then Huo Qu Bing, crying out in my heart to hurry, hurry, please hurry. But suddenly I relaxed. If everything was already determined, then why fret. I stopped looking at Yi Zhi Xie and just stared at Huo Qu Bing. Whether it is him riding fast or the wild geese flying fast, I just quietly admire his stance on his horse and his form as he pulls the bow. Little by little, I engrave this image in my heart.

Half a stick of incense pa.s.ses and there is a call of “Time’s up!” The two men immediately halt their taut bows and head back. Yi Zhi Xie’s guards are already collecting the dead geese. Everyone looks worriedly at the people collecting the geese. Yet Huo Qu Bing and Yi Zhi Xie pay no heed to that and ride back side-by-side just laughing and talking. Whatever they said to each other, it caused both of them to roar in laughter, showcasing their confident spirits.

After jumping off the horse, Yi Zhi Xie complimented Huo Qu Bing “What superb archery skills, what excellent riding skills!” Huo Qu Bing, who normally has no idea what the word modest means, actually bows back and laughs “Likewise, likewise.”

The guards have returned to announce the tally “The white arrow shot down twenty-two, the black arrow shot down….twenty-three.”

Everyone gasped out loud, some looking happy, others looking sad. My heart lurched and then immediately calmed. I give the most loving look towards Huo Qu Bing. When he hears the tally, he can’t help but smile. He turns to look at me, apologetic. I smile and nod to him, and he smiles and nods back.

Yi Zhi Xie solemnly gives a Xiong Nu respectful bow to Huo Qu Bing, very sincerely asking him “Please reconsider what I offered earlier.” He was bowing to Huo Qu Bing in the position of the Shan Yu, and everyone around him looked shocked and stunned. Huo Qu Bing laughed “I already said before that I am a Han person. I will only do what a Han person wants. I am willing to gamble and pay the price. You don’t need to say anything more.”

When he was done talking, he ignored everyone and took big steps towards me. In front of everyone he pulled me into his embrace, half lifted my veil, and lowered his head and kissed me. The buzzing around us ceased and turned to silence.

In the silent plains, even the wind appears to have stopped. All I can hear is his heartbeat and my heartbeat. Everything faded from my heart, so that in this entire world there was only him and me, me and him.

In a brief moment, it felt like an entire lifetime. From the first time I saw him and ours eyes met until this very moment, all these memories flashed through my mind. In this moment I finally knew, that in the little by little, in the unaware and the subconscious, he had already permanently carved himself on my heart.

At the cusp of losing him, I finally understood how much I fear losing him. My heart hurts, hurts so much that my body shakes in his embrace. But…..the heavens are cruel sometimes. So all I can do is use every ounce of my pa.s.sion to kiss him back. Let him know my heart.

This is our first real kiss, and it will become be our last real kiss. He embraced me with all his might, and I embraced him back with everything I’ve got. But even the most intimate moments must end, and he slowly pulled away from my lips. He tenderly fixed my veil “Yu Er, promise me one thing, send my coffin back to Chang An, I don’t want to perish in a foreign land. And someone is there looking for…..” His eyes flashed pain and a complicated array of emotions, but he didn’t finish what he was saying. He warmly smiled “Promise me, you must go back to Chang An.”

I know he’s scared that I’ll do what I joked about earlier and follow him to the ground, so he’s purposely making me promise to do this. I could care less what he’s saying, but to make him at ease, I lightly nodded my head. But in my heart I had already decided.

My heart was shattering into a million small pieces, and each piece is like the sharpest pin that flows through my blood and making my entire body hurt. But I have to be brave and smile before him. I want the last thing he sees is a smiling me, a beautiful me. I don’t want him to worry about me.

He silently stared at me for some time, his eyes reflecting a million types of longing. In the end he kissed me on the forehead and slowly released me. He turned to Yi Zhi Xie’s guard and laughed “Can I borrow a large sword.”

The Xiong Nu may be bold, but everyone is still stunned to see this wholly brave and unheard of gesture. Mu Da Duo stares slack jawed and turns to look at me. I smile at her, and then leap to her side and grab the dagger on her waist. “I need to borrow this! And in a bit I’ll be needing to ask little sister a favor.”

Mu Da Duo’s face lost all color and she bit her lips, wanting to counsel me. But she turned to look at Yi Zhi Xie and she kept her silence. Yi Zhi Xie and his guards stood still for some moments before Tie Niu Mu unsheathed his sword. Huo Qu Bing accepted the sword and swung it towards his neck. I know I ought to shut my eyes, but I will never miss the final moment of looking at him. I open my eyes wide and suck in my breath. As the sword swung towards his neck, it also swung towards my neck. The scent of death comes toward us.

Yi Zhi Xie suddenly shouted “Wait a moment.” Yi Zhi Xie looked at the collected wild geese and the two guards who collected it. The two immediately knelt down. My heart lurched and I could care less about anything else at this moment. I rushed past Yi Zhi Xie and started flipping through the dead geese.

All of the white arrows penetrated the geese between its eyes, while all the black arrows. .h.i.t the geese through the chest and straight for the heart. Except for one goose, which was shot between the eyes but it was a black arrow. I had my suspicions, but this is not something that can be proven, unless Yi Zhi Xie himself…..

Yi Zhi Xie was calm and he appears to have a small smile. He took a handkerchief from Mu Da Muo and cleaned his hands, smiling at the two men kneeling on the ground. A flash of silver light as fast as lightning, and one man had already lost his head, which rolled on the ground a few times. The onlookers all gasped and immediately fell silent, looking at Yi Zhi Xie with great fear.

Killing someone isn’t unusual for the warriors of the world to see. But to kill someone with a smile, so gracefully and without even seeming to dirty himself, is rare indeed. It was like he merely waved his hand and plucked a flower. The other kneeling guard was sprayed with blood but continued calmly kneeling without moving a muscle.

Yi Zhi Xie stared at his own sword until the last drop of blood fell. Then he put the sword back in its sheath. Calmly and gently he asked, like he was talking with a friend “Tell me the truth.”

The guard bowed and spoke with his voice shaking “When we were collecting the wild geese, because……we were too bold and plucked off a white arrow and replaced it with a black arrow when no one was looking.” Yi Zhi Xie smiled “You have been by my side for many years, you know what I hate the most.”

All the other guards kneeled, wanting to beg forgiveness but unable to speak. Tie Niu Mu looked at Mu Da Duo but she just shook her head. Yi Zhi Xie turned away from the kneeling guard and went to speak to Huo Qu Bing, apologizing “I can’t believe my servant would do something like this.” Huo Qu Bing replied “Brother you have quite the honorable spirit.”

The covered in blood guard bowed three times to Yi Zhi Xie’s back before grabbing a sword and stabbing himself through the chest. Everyone gasped but then quieted when Yi Zhi Xie looked around. Everyone looked down and avoided meeting Yi Zhi Xie’s eyes. Yi Zhi Xie glanced at the dead guard and said “Make sure his family is well taken care of.”

A compet.i.tion has ended on this note, so that even if the Han onlookers are pleased, they still look upon Yi Zhi Xie with some trepidation. Everyone stays quiet or starts slipping away. The Xiong Nu look crestfallen and slowly shuffle off. The Xi Yu people are long used to being stuck between the fighting of the Hans and the Xiong Nu, so this isn’t anything new to them, and they all disperse as well.

With such a sharp rise and fall in what just happened, just then I was focused on letting him not worry about me since my mind was set, it was just a matter of who went first and who followed. But now my heart has relaxed, and the thought that if it was just one second later, he would have……before my eyes….. I just stare at him in a daze.

Huo Qu Bing is also staring at me, and when our eyes meet, we smile and start walking at the same moment towards each other. We reach for each other’s hand, and without a word, having the same thought, we turn and start walking away.

Yi Zhi Xie called out behind us “Please wait a moment. May I have your names?” Huo Qu Bing laughed “Just a chance encounter, if we are fated we’ll meet again. Our names are not worth mentioning.”

Yi Zhi Xie laughed “I am genuinely trying to make a friend in you both. Just a friend. Setting aside everything else, it’s been a long time since I met a kindred spirit, and enjoyed myself so much. I would like to treat you both to a feast and we can get drunk.” Huo Qu Bing replied “I am also in admiration of brother’s honor and confidence. But we have something pending and we need to rush to meet our family merchant caravan. We really can’t stay.”

Yi Zhi Xie sighed “Then I must hope that we are destined to meet again.” He ordered two horses brought over, and one horse even has the bow and arrow from earlier. It was his gift “Since you are in such a rush, please don’t decline this.”

These are rare horse flesh indeed, and Huo Qu Bing isn’t one to pretend to be reserved, so he laughed and accepted it “We’re not deserving, but thank you.”

We rode the horses and took off, and after riding some distance away, Huo Qu Bing turned around to look at Yi Zhi Xie “That man was some personage! Looking at his every gesture, he must have already suspected his guards when the tally was announced. But to force me to work for him, he kept silent until the very last second to reveal the truth. He is calculating and doesn’t trust anybody, vicious and cold. Yet there is honor in him. I can’t figure him out!”

I startled and said “But seeing the way you behaved back there, you seemed to compliment him and didn’t have this level of understanding. You acted like he was just any warrior…..” Before I finished, I understood what had happened. The compet.i.tion between Huo Qu Bing and Yi Zhi Xie was a real life and death battle only after they finished shooting down the geese. Before they were just competing on physical skill, but afterwards they were competing on mental tactics. If Huo Qu Bing made one wrong move and Yi Zhi Xie became suspicious, then likely what Yi Zhi Xie gave us wouldn’t have been these two horses.

A lone horse suddenly rode past us, and the man on that horse gave Huo Qu Bing a glance and his entire expression changed. Huo Qu Bing immediately whipped my horse and his with a laugh “Looks like one wave is starting before the other wave has calmed down. Yu Er, we have to escape for our lives now. That man who just pa.s.sed us is the former Han general Zhao Xin. He recognized me, and they won’t let me leave here alive. I just hope there isn’t a Xiong Nu army nearby. I’m not afraid of those ten or so people back there.”

I rode faster and smiled bitterly “There…..there is likely a Xiong Nu army nearby. It might not be a lot, but it will surely be the best of the best.” I turned to look back. Zhao Xin had jumped off the horse and bowed to Yi Zhi Xie, and immediately Yi Zhi Xie and everyone got right on their horses.

Huo Qu Bing laughed “Just like I suspected. That man must be a high ranking official in the Xiong Nu.” The Xiong Nu chasing us have increased greatly in numbers and the sound of horses thundering causes the entire plain to tremble. I said “His…..name is Yi Zhi Xie” and I bit my lip.

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