Chapter 59: The Hu Jia (II)

At this moment, even Zhou Wucui, who had always dismissed so-called beautiful highland women, couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.
The White Wolf tribe woman danced swiftly to the rhythm of drums and music, fluttering like snowflakes and swirling like reeds in the wind. Even the speeding wheels seemed ashamed in her presence, and the swirling winds at her side bowed in defeat.
Yet this young woman continued to dance tirelessly, spinning endlessly as if to transform the world around her.
Everyone was utterly captivated, unable to take their eyes off her.
Just as the Tang generals were lost in admiration, the White Wolf tribe woman had somehow appeared before Li Kuo. With a flick of her sleeve, she brushed against the boy’s cheek.
The drums and music stopped immediately. The young woman bowed slightly and smiled at Li Kuo.
Chief Suta seemed to sense the boy’s embarrassment. He cleared his throat lightly and said with a laugh, “Come, come. Let me introduce her to you. This is my daughter, Aina. She’s been spoiled since childhood, and no one can control her. When she heard guests were coming, she insisted on dancing for them.” Chief Suta gently stroked Aina’s forehead, his eyes filled with deep affection.
Li Kuo chuckled and replied, “Chief, you’re truly fortunate. Your daughter is not only beautiful but also pure and ethereal—truly a flower of the grasslands, a gift from the heavens.”
Seeing how polite this young man from the Central Plains was, Chief Suta felt even more fond of him. He waved for Aina to step aside and then said calmly, “My daughter’s temperament really drives me crazy. To be honest, countless warriors in our tribe have pursued her, but she feels nothing for them. Influenced by Central Plains culture, she insists on finding a true hero who is skilled in both martial arts and literature. It must be extremely difficult to find such a person in this snowy highland.”
With a sigh, Chief Suta looked at the boy with renewed hope in his eyes.
Not wanting to cause any misunderstandings, Li Kuo placed one hand on his shoulder and bowed to Chief Suta. “If fate brings us together, your daughter’s beauty and talent will surely help her find the perfect partner. I wish her success in finding her ideal hero.”
Given Li Kuo’s clear hint, Chief Suta didn’t say much more. He simply nodded and continued, “My daughter can’t stand loneliness, so I sent her with Helan Yayuan to the Nine States of Zhao Wu to sell some raw hides, hoping to open up more opportunities for our tribe. She’s even pestered a singer from the Kang Kingdom, insisting that she teach her the Hu Xuan dance.”

At this point, Chief Suta glanced at Aina, his eyes filled with relief, not a trace of blame. Li Kuo suddenly understood—had it not been for Tubo’s ban on trade with the tribes of the plateau and the Tang Dynasty, who would have wanted to travel thousands of miles west of the Pamir Mountains to do business there? At that moment, a strong and muscular young man from the White Wolf tribe, in his early twenties, suddenly stood up and said loudly to Li Kuo, “What’s wrong with Aina? She is the jewel of the Najie tribe, a gift from the Eternal Heaven. If anyone doesn’t admire her, it’s because they lack fortune; they will live their whole lives in regret.” Seeing the young man lose his temper with the guest, Chief Suta couldn’t stay seated any longer and quickly waved his hand to stop him, saying, “Aragon, don’t be rude. How can you speak to a guest like that?” The man named Aragon clearly didn’t agree with Chief Suta’s words; he merely snorted coldly, sat back down, and drank mare’s milk wine in frustration. Aina, however, didn’t find anything wrong with it. She smiled brightly, patting Chief Suta’s arm from time to time. The young man sighed inwardly—this girl cared nothing for convention and had a carefree nature. But if she were in the Central Plains, people would surely gossip about her behind her back. Noticing the young man’s furrowed brows, Aina grew somewhat interested. A sly glint appeared in her eyes as she stepped forward to Li Kuo. “Your name is Li Kuo?” Aina looked at the handsome young man before her with a playful gaze, her words already showing a hint of admiration. “Uh.” How could the young man have expected such directness from a woman of the White Wolf tribe? Even he, who was usually calm, became flustered. “I am indeed Li Kuo, a lieutenant in the Tang army. What can I do to serve you, miss?” In his haste, the young man blurted out words from the Central Plains dialect. To his surprise, Aina wasn’t surprised at all. She simply responded lightly before continuing, “I heard that people from the Central Plains always talk about poetry, propriety, and ethics. Now I truly believe it.” Noticing the loneliness in Aina’s eyes, Li Kuo didn’t know what else to say and simply sipped his mare’s milk wine to hide his embarrassment. Seeing his daughter’s attitude toward the young man cool down suddenly and feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Chief Suta quickly stepped in to defuse the tension, saying, “After such a long journey, you must be very tired. How about I order someone to take these guests to the yurt to rest? Once they’ve regained their strength, we can all enjoy a drink together.” Gao Xiuyan and the others were already getting impatient, so they readily agreed at his words. Chief Suta personally escorted Li Kuo and the others out of the main tent, gave a few instructions to his attendants, and then went back to the yurt to rest.

As the warriors of the Naji tribe who led the way arrived at the felt tent for rest, Li Kuo thanked them before stepping inside. According to the customs of the White Wolf tribe, distinguished guests from afar were given their own separate felt tents as a sign of the tribe’s respect for them.
Apart from the young man, Tang army generals such as Gao Xiuyan, Li Zigu, and Dou Qing had also been placed in separate tents and gone to rest early. The rest of the Tang soldiers set up one marching tent for every four of them, camping on a grassy area not far from the Naji tribe’s camp.
Taking off his boots, Li Kuo removed the bandages tightly wrapped around his calves and, enduring the sharp pain, applied the herbal medicine he carried with him.
During the battle to eliminate the Tibetan cavalry, he had been hit by an arrow in his calf. Focused solely on fighting the enemy at the time, the young man had ignored these minor injuries. But after days of continuous travel, the wound had begun to split slightly.
Damn it! This is a critical time for the campaign—how can I delay the entire army because of myself?
Just as Li Kuo was troubled, a Naji tribe youth outside the tent spoke in rudimentary Chinese, “Guest, I’ve brought sheep cheese and horse milk tea. Where should I put them?”
“Just put them on that table.”
Putting aside his worries, Li Kuo carefully observed the shy, handsome youth. With raised eyebrows, a straight nose, thin lips, and fair cheeks, he was indeed good-looking, yet his eyes revealed a hint of sadness that didn’t suit his age.
“What’s your name?”
Curious, Li Kuo smiled slightly at the youth and asked softly.
The youth, clearly unprepared for such a question, froze for a moment before whispering, “Suyas. If you need nothing else, I’ll leave now.”
After placing the food on the table, he turned and left without waiting for Li Kuo’s reply.
What a strange child, Li Kuo thought to himself as he watched the somewhat frail figure walk away.