1069 Something I Had To Do (1/2)
The national master lay in the blood with complicated feelings of disappointment, despair, as well as some relief. Since he could no longer rewrite the fate of the tribes, he would be freed from the responsibilities.
”Perhaps Tengri had indeed abandoned us. If the previous Chanyu was still alive, how could he make such a mistake? The Golden Tribe is defeated. But are you really going to kill us all?”
He stared at Yu Lian and said in exhaustion, ”Ning Que hated us because of Wei. But how about you? What happened between the tribes and the Wild People was already a thousand years ago.”
Yu Lian said nothing.
The national master panted and continued, ”Don't forget that you Wild People enslaved us for many years. I don't think we owe you anything. And you're not justified in doing so.”
”We want the grassland.”
”We can give it back.”
”You can't afford it… We, Wild People, want it. The pack of wolves wants it. Our Youngest Uncle's donkey and his horses want it. And Jun Mo will bring tens of thousands of slaves out of the underground world who would also want it… There are too many people longing for it.”
Yu Lian said gently and emotionlessly. Her hands were on her back. She stared at the vast grassland in the snow storm and recalled the homeless Wild People drifted miserably from one place to another throughout a thousand years.
”What about us?!”
The national master lost control and rebuked, ”The Abbey Dean abandoned Taoism. Are we therefore no longer qualified for survival? Why do we have to die?!”
Yu Lian turned to him and seemed surprised by his question. She frowned and said, ”Of course you deserve to live. Everyone is born equal. Any person who came to this world has the right to live. Therefore, the strongest would survive… You grew up in the Wilderness. How could you not aware of this rule? Have you ever seen tigers and wolves reasoning with rabbits? If you don't want to be a rabbit, you have to learn to prey.”
It was a simple, unreasonable and brutal rule.
The national master paused for a long while and murmured, ”But you don't have to kill us all… do you? Like a thousand years ago, the people from the tribes, they could still be your slaves.”
He stared at Yu Lilan in begging. Yu Lian took a glance at Ning Que. Ning Que said nothing but kept looking toward the snowstorm.
”Our master told us that slavery is a very undignified existence. No one should enslave others, including other tribes. Therefore we, Wild People, will not keep you as our slaves.”
Yu Lian continued, ”Therefore we could only kill you all.”
The national master lost his last hope. He shook his head and laughed bitterly, ”If only the Headmaster knew you misinterpreted his words like this, would he be driven mad?”
Yu Lian raised her head to look into the sky for a long while. Then she said emotionlessly, ”He was gone. If only what we did could bring him back to the human world, we would spare no effort.”
Ning Que also looked above toward the sky. There was snow, dark clouds, but no moon. He looked together with his Sister and recalled that he had said something similar previously.
The students from the Academy were indeed irritated by their irresponsible master, or more precisely annoyed and bored. Those felt bored the most were Ning Que and Yu Lian.
Throughout these years Jun Mo had been fighting against Buddhism in the West Wilderness and the Eldest Brother paid no attention to worldly matters as he always did. Everything in the Academy was taken care of by Yu Lian and Ning Que. It was exactly what their enemies were least willing to see.
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Spring breeze blew gently and gradually carried away the smell of blood. Brooks in dozens of miles away to the west were all dried, and the oasis could no longer be found. The blood sacrificing array turned into some relics of broken carriages. Countless human bones were purified by Haotian's divine flames. And the national master eventually closed his eyes.
Yu Lian turned to Ning Que and said, ”I need to attend my wounds. I'll leave the rest to you.”
In the previous fight she took the killing intent of the entire Golden Tribe Royal Court. Although Ning Que helped a lot she was still severely wounded. The victory came at great prices.
Ning Que thought about the most difficult part in their plan and said, ”I'll be waiting for you on Peach Mountain.”
Yu Lian turned and walked toward the heart of the grassland. She suddenly recalled something and stopped to ask, ”When I was in the air you kept staring under my dress. What were you looking at?”
Ning Que laughed and answered, ”My Sister fought courageously.”
Yu Lian snorted at him, turned back and disappeared into the grassland.
Ning Que shook his head and put his iron blade back into the sheath. He turned upon hearing some intensive clops behind. Dust roared around Wei. Xu Chi and his cavalrymen from the Commander's Barrack already finished the remaining grassland troops they encircled, and carried on to hunt for the retreating Golden Tribe Royal Court.
Although the cavalry of the Northern Battlefront Army escorted by hundreds of giant wolves from the snowfields were held back in the East Wilderness by Long Qing and the troops from the Divine Halls of West-Hill, Ning Que had nothing to worry because the Golden Tribe was already doomed.
Dust roared on the fields to the north of Wei. Deafening clip-clops prevailed while thousands of Tang cavalrymen darted toward the heart of the grassland in pursuit of Chanyu.
Ning Que looked at the scene silently until the fields were restored with tranquility. Then he turned to Wei again.
The snowstorm stopped and the dark clouds disappeared. The spring sun shone dazzlingly on the grassland. The yellow dust city seemed somewhat reborn. Or perhaps it was because of the hundreds of weeds grown out of the adobe walls in front of the city gate.
The vigorous wild plants were probably the biggest enemies for the adobe walls. It was strange that no matter what was mixed into the adobe or how firm it was tamped, nothing could prevent the weeds from rooting and growing.
Ning Que remembered clearly that when he served in Wei everyone from ordinary people to the soldiers in the city would go weeding in springtime under the guidance of General Ma, in order to prevent the walls from being ruined by the weeds.
The City of Wei had been occupied by the grassland barbarians for years who never care about the walls being ruined. The reviving weeds seemed to be claiming their victory over the efforts of Tang people in the past.
The blood in the city had dried. Bodies of the grassland barbarians were scattered and buildings were destroyed. Tang's logistic forces were cleaning up the battlefield and no one noticed Ning Que.
He walked through the city, looked at the familiar streets and houses, and recalled the people and things in the past. He could almost smell the liquor and roasted chicken in the restaurant. But he did not enter the restaurant or General Ma's house because he knew they were all gone.
By a brook around a quiet corner in the city, there was the courtyard he and Sangsang use to live in.
A hunting knife was half inserted into the wall. It was his knife. He looked at the knife for a while, then pushed open the door and got into the room. He frowned at the bedding left by the grassland barbarians. He threw them into the yard and prepared to burn them later on.
He found his bamboo sling chair, moved it into the yard, lay down and closed his eyes.
He could still feel the dazzling sunshine and closed his eyes tighter. He lay silently and almost fell asleep.