Chapter 15: Not Thieves

Sarada waited until they were far away before sighing in relief. He quickly turned around and called out to everyone, “Let’s go! Follow me.”
The camel caravan set off slowly, continuing southward. Sarada was experienced; he knew that thirty li away from the Boda Ling Pass lay the Sulou Beacon Fort, where they would have to pay a toll to get fresh water. Another two hundred li further south was the city of Bahuan, which belonged to the Gumo Kingdom. Going east for another five or six hundred li would take them to Kucha Military Town, the seat of the Anxi Protectorate.
At their current pace, it would take at least half a month to reach Kucha. The most treacherous part of the journey was the two hundred li between Boda Ling and Bahuan—vast deserts with few people, often raided by Turkic horsemen.
The caravan crossed the source of the Bahuan River and passed through a canyon, where huge rocky mountains stood atop the endless desert plains. Their shapes were grotesque and terrifying, as if they were petrified giants from ancient times.
Suddenly, several Turkic horsemen appeared on top of one of the massive mountains. The leading officer stared darkly at the camel caravan, which resembled an ant colony in the distance. It was a one-armed officer. With a slight wave of his hand, the Turkic men turned and disappeared quickly from the mountain top.
Sarada was stunned. He stared blankly at the mountain top, fear flashing in his eyes. Shijulan noticed his distress and asked urgently, “Uncle, what happened?”
“I think I saw some riders just now.”
“Are they those bandit Tang soldiers again?”
“No! It seems to be… Turkic people.” Sarada’s voice trembled with anxiety.
At that moment, loud horseback sounds came from ahead in the canyon. In an instant, dust billowed at the entrance, along with excited shouts.
“Oh no! It’s the Turkic people!”
Sarada’s face turned pale. He waved his arms frantically and shouted, “Turn around! Run!”
The merchants quickly turned their camels, shouting loudly and whipping them fiercely. Shijulan was also terrified, saying in a trembling voice, “Uncle, if I reveal my identity, will they spare us?”
“Princess, don’t be silly! Run!” Sarada’s eyes were bloodshot with urgency as he whipped his camel hard.
But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, over two hundred Turkic horsemen caught up to them. One of the leading riders shot an arrow, and a merchant cried out before falling off his camel.

The Turkic horsemen rushed forward without any preamble, swinging their swords with hunger and excitement in their eyes, like a wolf pack spotting a lone prey. One bearded rider slashed open a wooden box, and with a loud crash, a pile of rubies spilled onto the ground. Several Turkic men’s eyes turned red as they dismounted to scramble for them.
“You bandits! These are my things!”
The owner of the goods cried out and charged forward, only to be killed by a swift slash from the bearded rider. Dozens more horsemen snarled as they lunged at the Persian girls. Terrified, the girls screamed and jumped off their camels to flee, but they couldn’t outrun these mounted men and were quickly grabbed and thrown onto their horses.
At that moment, the Turkic leader spotted the beautiful Shikuran. He let out a lewd laugh, spurred his horse forward, and reached for her.
“Duroxian, it’s you!” Shikuran suddenly recognized the Turkic leader.
The leader was stunned—he also recognized Shikuran. He smirked darkly and said, “So it’s Princess Kulan. How wonderful! Last year I proposed to you, and you rejected me. Now you’re in my hands.”
Shikuran angrily declared, “I’ll tell my father to sever all ties with you Turkic people.”
A murderous intent flashed in Duroxian’s eyes as he laughed cruelly. “Dream on! I’ll enjoy you first, then kill you. Who will you complain to?”
He reached for Shikuran’s chest, but she quickly drew her dagger. Caught off guard, Duroxian suffered a deep cut on his wrist, and blood gushed forth.
Furious that someone dared hurt his most precious one-armed arm, he drew his sword and roared, “Strip her naked! Everyone, rape her!”
Shikuran jumped off her camel and tried to run, but several Turkic men also dismounted and surrounded her. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
“I’ll go first!”
The bearded Turkic man took off his shirt and lunged at her with a lewd grin. Just as it seemed Shikuran was about to suffer, a wolf-toothed arrow shot forward like lightning, piercing the bearded man’s back of the head and pinning him to the ground.
“It’s the Tang army!”
The sudden turn of events shocked the Turkic men. Duroxian turned sharply and saw a young Tang army officer on horseback, drawing his bow like a full moon, the arrow tip pointed coldly at him. Before he could react, the arrow whizzed past, and he instinctively ducked his head. The arrow pierced his helmet, sending it flying more than ten feet away.

The scalp burned with intense pain, and blood streamed down her cheeks. Amidst this nightmare-like sensation, Luo Xian suddenly remembered something, and in terror, he spurred his horse to flee. At that moment, over a hundred Tang soldiers charged on horseback. The Turkic riders were terrified and quickly jumped onto their horses to escape. The Tang soldiers fired arrows like rain, killing those Turkic riders who were carrying the girls more slowly, while rescuing the girls.

Li Qingan slowly rode up to Shi Julan. He dismounted, knelt beside her, and said gently, “Is it your ankle?” Tears welled up in Shi Julan’s eyes as she turned away, saying nothing.

He smiled. “My name is Li Qingan. I’m a scout for the Tang army. Let me take a look at your ankle.”

Without waiting for her consent, he gently lifted her foot and placed it on his lap, pressing on the top of her foot. “Does it hurt here?”

Shi Julan blushed and shook her head.

“Good. It’s not a bone injury. Just a sprained ankle. A day of rest should be enough.”

Li Qingan didn’t continue treating her ankle. Instead, he took out a plaster from his pocket and handed it to her. “This is something I made myself. Apply it for a day, and your ankle should be fine.”

“Thank you!” Shi Julan said softly.

Li Qingan laughed heartily. “What’s there to thank? Although I’m just admiring your beauty, I really wouldn’t want you to be stripped naked by bandits.”

Shi Julan was both ashamed and annoyed. She glared at him fiercely, but for some reason, she couldn’t feel any hatred anymore.

By then, Sarda, who had been knocked unconscious, had regained consciousness. Deeply grateful, he stepped forward and bowed deeply to Li Qingan in thanks. “Thank you, General Li, for your help. We are immensely grateful.”

Li Qingan waved his hand. “I already took your money for wine, so of course I had to help you. But let me remind you once again—these are just some of the Turkic raiders who entered the region. If you’re alone again, you’ll definitely encounter them again. Think about it!”

Seven of the merchant traders had been killed, and they were already terrified. Before Sarda could respond, they all cried out together, “We beg the Tang army to protect us!”

Li Qingan narrowed his eyes and smiled like a fox.

“You’re all merchants. You should know that prices depend on the market. It’s no longer two strings of coins. It’s twenty strings of coins each. Will you do it? If not, we’ll leave.”

The merchant traders were stunned and looked at each other. Suddenly, they all said in unison, “We agree!”