The trumpet sounded long and loud in the sky.
The warriors were well-trained. Hearing the warning horn, they immediately reined in their horses. The Eldest Prince, who was at the forefront, yanked on his reins and turned back with a frown.
His men urged their horses to wildly head back and shouted in Turkic towards the Eldest Prince: "Fuman, that is a caravan from the Royal Court! The subjects of the Buddha's son!"
The Eldest Prince's face sank.
On the hillside, Yaoying raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The Eldest Prince, who saw caravans then would loot, who saw tribes then would plunder, actually put down the fat sheep that was practically in their grasp and turned back.
He spat towards the caravan. He seemed like he cursed angrily, turned his horse around under the advice of his men, and led the warriors back.
And the caravan, with its banner, soon regained order. The Hu merchants returned to the front of the procession, and the pipa sounded again.
They seemed to have no regard for the brutal Eldest Prince and continued to gallop to the riverbank.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Their calmness in this situation carried a certain condescending sort of arrogance.
Yaoying went down the hill and returned to the Yelu tribe.
The subordinate whispered in front of the tent, advising the Eldest Prince.
The Eldest Prince's face was gloomy.
The subordinate could not help but raise his voice: "Fuman, have you forgotten the Khan's warning?"
The Eldest Prince glanced sorrowfully at the distant caravan and stormed off in a huff.
A short while later, there came the tragic braying of some steeds. The Eldest Prince was whipping them at the riverside to vent his anger.
The Wusun horse was frightened and made a restless snorting sound.
Yaoying stroked her beloved colt's neck to soothe it and lifted her head to look at the arrogant caravan not far away.
The people in the caravan were not large in number. Except for a dozen Hu merchants wearing brocade robes and felt hats, the remaining thirty or so were guards wearing light armor and carrying curved swords and arrow pouches at their waists.
Unlike the light riding clothes worn by the warriors of the Yelu tribe, the silver light armor worn by the merchant guards was exquisitely crafted and gorgeous. It was unlike armor, but more like formal robes. The black brocade small-sleeved robe under the armor had silver swirling patterns embroidered on it.
In Liangzhou, the only people who could afford to wear this kind of clothing were the chiefs of the various tribes.
Obviously, this was a wealthy merchant caravan.
No wonder the Eldest Prince was so excited when he saw them.
The Eldest Prince was tyrannical and merciless, greedy and insatiable, why did he suddenly stop?
Yaoying looked around and saw the flag that had scared off the Eldest Prince. The snow-white banner was covered with gold and silver embroidery with magnificent golden patterns.
Many people in the Yelu tribe believed in Zoroastrianism. The battle flag was black and red, with extraordinary momentum.
The banner the guards held was surprisingly white.
Yaoying returned to the carriage and asked Tali, "What did the Eldest Prince and the others say just now? What is that caravan?"
The ministers talked to the Eldest Prince in their tribe's language.
Tali whispered, "This slave heard them say that the caravan was composed of private soldiers of several major clans from the Western Regions' Royal Court."
Fearing that Yaoying would not understand, she paused and went on to explain, "The Royal Court is far away in the Western Region, farther than Gaochang. It is an ancient Holy City. Because the noble Buddha's son lives there, the countries of the Western Region call the Holy City the Royal Court. The Buddha's son is the monarch over all the small countries and tribes, and there are four rich and powerful clans loyal to him. The tribes in the Western Region all believe in Buddhism. As long as the Buddha's son gives an order, everyone from the country lords to his subjects listens to him."
Yaoying did not expect to hear the two words 'Royal Court': "How did the private soldiers of Royal Court appear here?"
The two places were so far apart, and there was the Tamin Chagan's Quicksand River in between. Why would the Royal Court's private soldiers come all the way to Hailong?
Tali replied, "This slave is not sure. When this slave still lived in my hometown, the Royal Court had already declined. At that time, the Buddha's son was still under house arrest in the Buddhist temple. No one listened to the Royal Court's orders...
"The Eldest Prince and them said that the Royal Court private soldiers have gone to and fro from Hailong to the Western Regions. They seem to be doing business with the northern grassland tribes. Raising the banner of the Buddha's son, the tribes of Hailong do not dare to rob and kill them.
"They all say that the Buddha's son is the incarnation of Ananda and has boundless divine power. Whoever dares to rob and kill the subjects of the Buddha's son will surely meet with Heaven's wrath."
Yaoying was a little surprised.
Naturally, the Buddhist monarch of the Western Region was, without a doubt, the one who had always been deeply feared by the Northern Rong, Tumoroga. It was not at all surprising that half of the countries in the Western Region believed in Buddhism and were willing to follow the Buddha's son, but the various Hu tribes were barbaric and had mixed beliefs. How could Tumoroga's reputation be so resounding even in Hailong?
The banner was just raised and made Yelu Khan's men scared out of their minds. It made the Eldest Prince have to swallow the injustice and look on as the fat sheep in front of him slowly wandering back and forth without being able to put his hand on it...
Yaoying could not help but suspect: Could it be that the monk really had divine powers?
Regardless of whether or not Tumoroga truly had divine powers, the caravan carrying his banner escaped the clutches of the Eldest Prince unharmed, replenished their drinking water, then unhurriedly departed.
The cheerful pipa sound echoed above the barren Gobi.
The Eldest Prince's face was gloomy. He turned around violently, pulled out the saber on his attendant's waist, and cut down.
The stallion that he had been whipping was at its dying breath and let out a last cry of sorrow. The horse's head rolled off, spurting blood out, and the riverbank was stained red.
The Yelu tribe continued their march.
At night, they stopped for the day. Yaoying was sleeping in her tent when she suddenly heard a rush of horses' hooves.
She immediately got up and draped on some clothes, gripping the dagger hidden in her boots.
Xie Qing lifted the curtain and entered the tent, whispering, "Princess, the sound is coming from the Eldest Prince's side."
He was afraid that the Eldest Prince would bully the Princess and kept an eye on the Eldest Prince's movements during the night.
Yaoying frowned.
Xie Qing sat cross-legged in front of Yaoying: "We have almost reached the Yelu tribe, and the Eldest Prince will not dare to act rashly. I'll keep watch here today. Princess, carry on and sleep."
Yaoying was exhausted and didn't think much about it. She let out a hum of agreement and laid down to sleep.
The next morning, they hastily had some dry food and set off to catch up, but they still did not see the Eldest Prince's silhouette.
The Prince's subordinates said he thought the food was too poor and went hunting last night.
When Yelu Khan's men heard this, they flew into a rage and were about to ride out after him, when the sound of hooves came like rain from the east. The Eldest Prince and his warriors had returned.
They were all drunk, with freshly slaughtered meat and fleece from who knows where hanging by their saddles.
The subordinate sighed helplessly, not daring to accuse the Eldest Prince in front of everyone. He ordered the procession to depart.
Two days later, they finally arrived at the Yelu tribe's encampment.
She descended from the carriage and approached the commanding officer's tent amidst the drumming music. Before she could take a look at the tribe she was going to live in, a familiar tall and straight figure suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Her eyes widened.
Li Xuanzhen stood in front of the commanding officer's tent, his face haggard and with a slight stubble. Glancing at her lightly, his phoenix eyes were slightly bent, his fingers clutching the hilt of his sword.