Chapter 67: The Monumental Boundary (1)

“We’ve reached the river mouth!” Tuoba said with a grin, one hand holding the reins of his horse.
Tuoba secretly admired how fertile and blessed this land was. From afar, the lush grass reached knee height, swaying gently in the wind, evoking a sense of delight. Every few steps, grassy mounds of varying depths appeared beneath the ground; pushing aside the weeds, one might find a wild rabbit or two hidden inside!
“Treasures bestowed by the Eternal Heaven—please nourish your children!” Chief Suta bowed toward the north, one hand on his shoulder, his face filled with devotion.
This ancient plateau gem resembled a paradise shaded by green grass! The third mound, shaped like a stone, marked a boundary. From afar, the elevated plain was surrounded by towering mountains, while the center featured flat highland pastures.
Crossing this ridge, everyone was stunned by the breathtaking scenery, as if in a dream.
A clear, crystal-like river flowed down from the sunlit mountains ahead, cascading across the vast green grasslands. It seemed to connect with the sky, winding slightly before continuing southeastward, like pilgrims on a journey.
The expansive grasslands began at the foot of the mountains and stretched toward the horizon. Scattered across the distant hills were a few tents, from which wisps of smoke rose occasionally. Snow-white flocks of sheep grazed leisurely on the slopes.
Diligent herders fetched water from the shallow pools—such pure water must make delicious horse milk tea! Strong men rode their horses, herding the livestock; such fertile pastures must breed strong horses.
Everything here was rugged and simple, rooted in tradition and devotion, just as in the dawn of time.
What amazed everyone the most were the tiny purple flowers scattered among the green grass. Summer was the flowering season on the highland grasslands, with blossoms scattered like stars. The Xia River nourished countless creatures, and patches of grass grew peacefully by the blue lakes and rivers.
Flowers bloomed and withered silently, offering a quiet contrast to the world’s chaos.
“A thousand lotus flowers stand in the clouds; their delicate shadows and fragrant breeze weigh on the rider’s saddle. No wonder we stop often on the way back—such beautiful mountains are best seen when looking back.”
Li Kuo murmured these words. Faced with such beauty, the young man felt as if he were in a dream. If the herds of the Bai Wolf Tribe in Dafeichuan seemed splendid, then this river mouth grassland was truly a paradise.
Such a scene should exist only in heaven—how often can one see it in the world?
“Brother Kuo! Brother Kuo!”

Zhang Yanji patted Li Kuo’s arm, beaming with pride. “I said we’d reach the river mouth tonight. Look, it’s not even dusk yet, and we’ve already seen the boundary stone!”
“Ah!”
Li Kuo jolted back to reality and complained, “Can’t you shut up for a moment? Can’t you see I’m thinking about the upcoming battles? You really have no sense!”
He pretended to be angry, but how could he fool Zhang Yanji?
Zhang Xiaolangjun curled his lips and made a face. “Are you perhaps thinking of a beauty? With such a beautiful scene, how can you not have someone by your side? I think Aynatage is interested in you. Why don’t you take her?”
Seeing his playful expression, Li Kuo lost his temper and shook his head with a wry smile. “How do you know she admires me? Besides, I’ve promised A Tian. She’s waiting for me to go home!”
How could he not know that Aynatage kept showing interest in him? But since he had made a promise to A Tian, how could he change his mind so easily?
“Oh, oh. So Brother Kuo wants to be a gentle and refined gentleman, worthy of her tender gaze?”
Zhang Xiaolangjun wouldn’t let go of Li Kuo. After finally forcing himself to smile despite his fatigue, how could he resist teasing this dullard?
“Call it whatever you want!”
After all, he was still young. Under Zhang Yanji’s constant teasing, Li Kuo grew slightly annoyed, his face puffing up.
So he was still as impulsive in love. Zhang Yanji stuck out his tongue. Some people never change; all that changes are the times and people’s views!
Led by Gao Xiuyan, everyone slowly headed toward the stone monument. This area, near the river bend, had fertile grasslands. Not far away, a mischievous jujube-colored plateau horse snorted and charged toward them.
“Swish!”
A crisp sound rang out in the air as a noose with a loop flew out and wrapped tightly around the jujube-colored horse’s neck, perfectly in place!
The horse, in pain, raised its front legs and struggled desperately, but it couldn’t escape the ropes.
“What skill!”
Zhou Wucui exclaimed in admiration. What he admired most was the herders’ skill in catching horses—using just a rope tied in a knot to tame a wild horse was truly enviable.
It turned out the person catching the horse was a ragged-looking youth.
Hearing voices, the youth thought it was the herder returning with his clan’s warriors and didn’t think much of it. But after a moment, he broke into a cold sweat—it was Tang Yan. They were talking about Tang Yan!
“Wang Xiaochun, run! It’s the Tang bandits! It’s the Tang bandits!”
A vigilant voice came from behind Wang Xiaochun. Although he spoke in Tang dialect, it was mixed with many foreign accents, sounding rather awkward and hard to understand.

“Ah!”
Wang Xiaochun turned around and saw tens of thousands of Tang cavalry, which filled him with terror. If it weren’t for him holding the reins with one hand, he would have fallen off his horse.
“Don’t be nervous; we mean no harm.”
Seeing that the two men had Han features, Li Kuo showed a long-absent smile and spread his arms in a gesture of friendship from about dozens of steps away.
“Don’t come over!”
Wang Xiaochun stared intently at the Tang soldiers. If it weren’t for noticing the bows and crossbows in their hands, the young man would have turned his horse around and fled at once.
“Are you Tang people?”
Li Kuo hesitated for a moment before speaking. Wang Xiaochun clearly had a Han name, but his Tang dialect was rather poor.
“We’re not Tang bandits!”
A flash of fear appeared in Wang Xiaochun’s eyes as he quickly waved his hands.
“Hurry back and herd the horses. All the forage for the military horses must be cut and bundled by tonight. If you delay the military campaign, watch out for your head!”
A Tibetan herder came rushing over from behind a hill, shouting sternly.
Wang Xiaochun shuddered and quickly turned around, saying, “Ah, I’m on my way, I’m on my way!”
He spoke these words in Tibetan, speaking slowly but much more fluently than in Tang dialect.
Wang Xiaochun glanced back at the Tang soldiers once more, then without hesitation, he whipped his horse into motion.