Chapter 63: Shattering the Blade (II)

Gao Xiuyan frowned and instinctively leaned forward. Upon closer inspection, he was shocked. The person lying on the blanket was indeed Takaiso from the Naji tribe of the White Wolf clan. Though he hadn’t formed a deep impression of this man these past days, he had seen him a few times from afar. Truly, fortune can change in an instant—who would have thought that the robust young man, who had looked healthy just the day before, would die suddenly overnight?

Chief Suta exhaled deeply, trying to calm his agitation. “Our Naji tribe has always avoided conflict with others. How could we suffer such a calamity? Even if this son was rebellious, what unforgivable crime had he committed?”

Seeing that everyone remained calm, Chief Suta continued, “After greeting me yesterday, Isuo returned to his own tent. Due to excessive drinking, he went to bed early. But unexpectedly, while lying in bed, he heard strange noises outside the tent. At first, the guards thought the boy was having a nightmare, but it turned out to be an assassin sneaking up to Isuo’s bed to kill him. Isuo fought bravely, but the assassin was highly skilled. Despite rushing toward the tent curtain with all his might, he was still killed.”

At this point, tears welled in Chief Suta’s eyes. Even though he disliked this son, who had half Han blood, he was his only male heir in the world. Even if the boy was destined not to inherit the chiefship, he still hoped his son could live a good life.

Who would have thought…

The atmosphere in the tent became tense. Everyone felt as if their hands and feet were tied by ropes; though they were anxious, none wanted to be the first to break the deadlock.

Chief Suta cleared his throat and declared loudly, “But that assassin, whether out of carelessness or intent, left this item in Isuo’s tent when he fled.”

With that, he held up a pouch commonly used by the Han people for everyone to see.

Hearing Chief Suta’s indirect accusation, Gao Xiuyan couldn’t bear the embarrassment. His oily cheeks turned red and white. After regaining his composure, he forced a smile and said, “By the Eternal Heaven, I, Gao Xiuyan, swear on heaven that this has nothing to do with the Tang army. Chief, we are merely passing through the Dafei River and rely on your tribe for supplies. How could we commit such a heinous act?”

Chief Suta stared at Gao Xiuyan for a long time before suddenly sneering, “General Gao, don’t worry. I certainly trust you. In fact, I find this matter very strange too. How could a skilled assassin leave such an important item in Iso’s tent? With your army stationed by the Dafei River and a Han man’s bag left at the scene, aren’t they treating us as fools? In my opinion, someone must be framing us!”
These last words were spoken sharply and forcefully, shocking everyone present.
“As for framing, it must be done subtly. Then those who left the camp tonight are the most suspicious!”
Chief Suta cleared his throat lightly, but his gaze fell on his nephew Asher: “Asher, I heard that after dusk you took a group of followers and rode to Yellow Sheep Valley to set up a campfire party. Is that true?”
Chief Suta stared intently at his usually low-key nephew, as if trying to see something hidden in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Asher stood up and replied respectfully, “To answer my uncle, I indeed went to the northern lands last night to spend some time with some friends.”
As Chief Suta examined his nephew closely, his sharp gaze flashed: “Oh, so you have proof that you were away all night?”
Hearing the suspicion in Chief Suta’s voice, Asher didn’t dare explain further and merely nodded in agreement.
Chief Suta turned around, walked up to Li Kuo, and studied him for a moment before smiling lightly, “General Li, I was just about to ask you—was New Moon Lake to your satisfaction? You didn’t return all night. Could it be that you were overcome with passion and went on a night outing?”
At first, Li Kuo was angry, but when he heard Chief Suta’s description of his visit to New Moon Lake, he was shocked. Had he already sent someone to spy on him? He hadn’t noticed anything at all—how could that not be terrifying!
“Hehe, Uncle, if my reason for going to New Moon Lake was just to swim and have fun, would you believe it or not?”
After calming his shock, Li Kuo faced him head-on.
Chief Suta laughed loudly and declared, “I won’t decide right now whether what you say is true or not, but leaving at night is indeed very suspicious. Stay in the camp for now. If you prove your innocence, I’ll ask you to apologize.”
His words carried great authority and left no room for doubt.
“You!”
The young man clenched his fists at such an arrogant attitude.
Seeing the moment was ripe, Ashertak next to him nodded at one of his followers.

“Chieftain, I saw General Li spying on Eynatag bathing in the New Moon Lake! He even threatened to get his hands on her within three days.” A strong man from the White Wolf tribe stepped forward and spoke loudly. Upon hearing this, Chief Suta coughed violently several times. Supporting himself on a tribal warrior, Chief Suta laughed in fury: “Good! Now I understand. This isn’t some malicious slander—it’s clearly a trap set by you alone. We’ve all fallen for your scheme.” He had already dismissed the young man’s explanation for visiting the New Moon Lake at night, and now, hearing his people’s words, he was furious. Hearing this, Li Kuo grew enraged and said, “Chief Suta, please speak responsibly. When have I ever spied on Eynatag bathing? What connection do I have to this assassination?” Concerned about his innocence, the young man defended himself firmly. He never expected so much to happen in just one night, nor that he would end up at the center of this conspiracy. Chief Suta ignored the young man’s anger entirely and clapped his hands. “General Li, what a great performance! First, you repeatedly hinted to me that you were attacked by assassins to make me feel guilty toward you. Then, you sent brave soldiers to kill Isso to prove the existence of assassins. On purpose, you left behind a Han man’s satchel to completely clear yourself of suspicion!” Zhang Yanji stepped forward to defend Li Kuo, saying, “Why would Brother Kuo kill Isotak? Can’t the chief just make a decision based on the words of that warrior?” Dou Qing also said loudly, “Yes, our captain is an honest man. How could he do such despicable things?” “Whether it’s true or not isn’t up to you to decide!” Chief Suta gritted his teeth and finally said, “This kid is really patient. He must have fallen in love with Eynatag from the first time he saw her. But back then, he was too embarrassed to tell me. As her brother, Isso always doted on her. Fearing that I would give her to you to please the Tang army, he sent signals to her at several banquets. You saw through his intentions and harbored resentment, so you devised this two-pronged plan—kill Isso to vent your anger and use the assassination to force me to give Eynatag to you. What a vicious plan! Evidence? Don’t you want evidence? Didn’t your nighttime visits to spy on Eynatag bathing prove enough?” “A warrior can be killed but not humiliated!” Li Kuo reached for the sword at his waist and spoke slowly, deliberately.

With a red mouth and white teeth, he truly couldn’t understand why that White Wolf tribe warrior would frame him; with a clear conscience, he feared no form of suspicion or accountability.
“Swish!”
Seeing Li Kuo grasp the handle of his sword, the White Wolf tribe warriors in the tent drew their curved swords and held them in front of them.
“Swish, swish swish!”
Zhang Yanji, Dou Qing, and the others also drew their weapons, glaring angrily.
This matter concerned the reputation of their own commander and the dignity of the Tang soldiers—they must defend their honor!
We’ll never start trouble on our own, but if someone provokes us, we’re more than willing to fight back!
The atmosphere in the tent was extremely tense; either side could draw weapons at any moment.
At that moment, the curtain parted slightly, and a cold wind blew in as a man dressed in a white scholar’s robe slowly entered the tent. Behind him were two White Wolf tribe warriors escorting a prisoner—the prisoner had had his outer robe removed and was trembling violently in the cold wind.
“Wenjing, you’ve come. What’s the matter with this man?”
Chief Suta frowned and nodded.
The man named Chen Wenjing smiled and said, “This surely wasn’t done by General Li.”
“Oh? Do you have any evidence?”
Chief Suta’s heart sank as he asked urgently.
“Actually, at first, Wenjing and the clan leader thought the same thing. All the clues pointed to Lieutenant Li being the most likely candidate for the assassination. He had both the motive and the ability to carry it out. Besides, passion blinds reason—after all, even as a ghost, one can still be romantic.”
He paused, noticing that all the Tang generals were glaring at him, so he quickly coughed and said, “But then Wenjing thought—reasons that we can all think of, how could Lieutenant Li fail to see? With such obvious traces left behind, it seems someone is trying to frame him.”
Hearing this, a hint of fear flashed in Asher’s eyes before he regained his composure.
Chen Wenjing continued calmly, “Later, I had people investigate secretly, and we made a surprising discovery. Following the footprints of the assassin, we found Kusa’s tent.”
Chief Suta was utterly puzzled and asked urgently, “Weren’t we already investigating before? We didn’t find any footprints.”
Chen Wenjing chuckled softly and said slowly, “That assassin was either too clever or something—he only cleaned up the traces around Isotak’s tent but failed to clean those outside the wooden fence. By following the footprints, we found Kusa’s tent, and this was discovered under his bed.”
Chen Wenjing threw a nightgown onto the carpet, his expression carrying a hint of mocking disdain.

“We tortured him, only to find this guy is a softie—he confessed right away without much torture. I really can’t believe Ashertak is also a master actor, having staged this ruse all by himself.”
Chieftain Suta struggled to sit up and, pointing angrily at Kusa, who was dressed only in his undergarments and trembling, demanded, “Is everything he said true?”
Hearing Ye Hu’s question, Kusa seemed to grasp at his last straw. With his disheveled hair, he crawled in front of Chieftain Suta, grabbed his thighs, and cried, “Chieftain, it has nothing to do with me! It was all Ashertak who made me do this. He’s my master; how could I refuse to act out his plan?”
How could the enraged Chieftain Suta listen to his excuses? In a fit of anger, he kicked him to the ground.
With a scream, Kusa clutched his lower abdomen, curled up, and writhed in pain on the ground.