Chapter 61: The Hu Jia (IV)

The torrential rain poured down from the sky as Li Kuo rode Qingfeng, racing north through the rainy night. Dozens of riders followed closely behind him, unceasingly, with arrows flying from time to time at his back.
The endless darkness seemed never to end. Li Kuo’s blood mixed with the rain, streaming down his cheeks. A streak of light cut through the night sky, illuminating his pale face. Glancing back at those killers who resembled messengers of death, Li Kuo sneered, snapped his whip, and rushed toward the cliff’s summit.
The dozen killers said nothing, merely following closely behind him like shadows. The rain grew heavier, and the impact on his cheeks became painfully sharp. Qingfeng neighed as it galloped along the muddy path, splashing water everywhere.
Li Kuo laughed wildly as he whipped his horse, his frenzied actions seemingly helping him widen the distance between himself and the killers.
As they rounded a mountain road lined with rocks, Qingfeng lifted its hooves high and let out a mournful cry. Looking ahead at the cliff, the young man smiled bitterly. Glancing back, he saw the dozen killers, carrying torches, slowly making their way up the cliff. Seemingly convinced that Li Kuo wouldn’t escape, they moved slowly, like death itself, closing in on him.
With a roar, Li Kuo kicked his horse hard, driving it toward the cliff. The frightened horse suddenly leaped off the cliff.
The young man felt his body plummeting rapidly, with the cold wind howling around him. Just as he thought it was all over, he fell into a deep pool. An icy chill spread from all sides.
“No!”
With a shout, the young man sprang up from his bed, gasping for breath as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The biting cold felt just like in his dream.
Looking toward the tent door, he saw a shadow holding a curved sword, lifting the tent curtain and charging at him.
In a panic, he dodged just in time to avoid the deadly strike, but his arm was still cut. Blood gushed out instantly, and the intense pain snapped him fully awake. In a flash of lightning, he clearly saw that the one swinging the deadly sword was Su Yasu, the boy who had brought him milk tea at dusk.
“What are you doing?”
Li Kuo screamed hysterically. He couldn’t understand why the boy, who had never had any grudges against him before, would attack him like this.
Su Yasu didn’t answer. He swung his sword at Li Kuo’s face.
With no weapon in hand, Li Kuo had to dodge to the left to avoid the strike.

“I raised you for ten years, only to produce such a worthless wretch. How have I taught you all this time? A killer must only obey—obey, and obey again! Once you enter this path, all ties to family are severed. If you’re such a sentimental fool, you’ll surely fail because of it.”

Recalling his master’s words, Su Yas felt his face burn red and his eyes blaze with fury.
No, I’m not a worthless wretch!

Without giving Li Kuo a chance to breathe, Su Yas roared and swung his sword several times in a row. Caught off guard by the sudden attacks, Li Kuo instinctively moved his body to dodge the blades.

“Ah!”

The young man stumbled over a stool, and the curved sword was instantly at his neck! A gust of wind swept across his cheek, bringing tears to his eyes. His hands, gripping the curved sword, trembled violently as he slowly raised it, as if it weighed a ton.

Perhaps the hardest thing in life isn’t deciding between life and death, but choosing between one’s own kin and those who have raised them. He’s a Tang person, a brother of my own people—why should I kill him?

At that moment, Su Yas felt as though his heart was being eaten by ants, filled with agony. Finally, he roared loudly, reached out with his right hand, and thrust his sword at Li Kuo’s lower ribs.

That moment of hesitation gave Li Kuo a chance. With a sigh, he rolled to the west side of the tent and used the sword on the table to block the attack. In the blink of an eye, Su Yas was sent flying three feet away. Glancing helplessly at his cracked palm, the young man was so enraged that blood spewed from his mouth.

The long sword was far more effective than the curved one; not only did it inflict internal injuries on Su Yas, but its blade also tore through his robe, ripping off a piece of sheepskin.

“Assassins! Assassins!”

The guards outside heard the clashing of blades and shouted loudly.

Flickers of light appeared in the dark night sky as groups of Tang soldiers rushed toward Li Kuo’s tent.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Su Yas’s eyes. After a moment’s thought, he covered his wounded chest, slung the curved sword over his shoulder, and leaped out of the tent, disappearing into the vast night.

The morning sun dispelled the darkness, casting light over the Dafeichuan grasslands. The pure sunlight could drive away all darkness, but it seemed unable to clear the gloom in people’s hearts.

Lifting the sheepskin curtain, Li Kuo felt a wave of warmth. After adjusting his clothes, he walked toward the central seat in the large tent.

There, sitting in the main seat, was the Naji tribe chief, Suta, casually flipping through a pile of small books on the wooden table.

Perhaps sensing the cold wind blowing into the tent, he put down the booklet in his hands and instinctively glanced toward the curtain. When he saw that it was the handsome young man Tang Jiang, a smile as gentle as the spring breeze immediately appeared on the face of this strong man from the grasslands. “Friends bestowed by the Eternal Heaven, did you rest well last night? Did the grasslands’ milk tea relieve your fatigue, and did the girls of the Naji tribe ease your longing for home? As the chief of the Naji tribe of the White Wolf clan, I extend my most sincere greetings to my brothers from the Tang Dynasty.” It could be said that there are no eternal friends—only eternal interests. Li Kuo had no doubts about this. The White Wolf clan’s eagerness to befriend the Tang army made him uneasy. Nothing falls from the sky for free; either the White Wolf clan had a request of the Tang army or harbored ulterior motives. As for the assassination attempt by Suyas last night, he couldn’t say for sure it was done by Chief Suta, but since it happened within the Naji tribe’s camp, it would be hard to claim he knew nothing about it. Li Kuo smiled calmly and said, “I’ve prepared a gift, meant especially for Chief Suta.” The young man stretched out his hands and handed over a brocade box. Chief Suta cleared his throat a few times and said, “General Li, you’re too kind. You are guests of the White Wolf clan—how could I let you go to such trouble?” He gently took the brocade box and placed it on a table nearby. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Brothers from the Tang Dynasty, what should I do? You’ve come from afar—how can I let you suffer? Here, Aksu, quickly bring me the curved sword I used when setting up my tent. I want to give it to my Han brothers as the most precious gift.” The White Wolf clan youth named Aksu immediately went to fetch the sword. Hearing this, Li Kuo frowned. Could Chief Suta really be unaware? It turned out that among the various tribes of the snowy plateau, a curved sword symbolized a man’s power. People of the nomadic tribes had their own high-quality curved swords made of star iron since childhood. Whether fighting in battle or hunting, the curved sword was the closest companion of the plateau men. To judge a man’s military achievements and status, one only needed to look at the bloodstains on his sword. Thus, for the plateau men, the curved sword was like their life. For a chief, it carried even deeper political significance. Since Chief Suta started his own clan at the age of fourteen, that curved sword had always accompanied him in his battles. Now, he was giving this precious item to a general from the Tang Dynasty—how could this not be astonishing? Taking the sword from Aksu’s hands, Chief Suta held it with both hands and presented it to Li Kuo.

If Li Kuo refused to answer now, it would be a display of contempt toward Chief Naji. With a soft sigh, the young man took the curved knife with both hands and bowed deeply to show his utmost respect to Chief Suta.
Perhaps I’m overthinking it?……
Note 1: Star iron: Scattered iron ore found across the grasslands. Grassland men often collect it to forge curved knives or other daily utensils.