At nightfall, the camp slowly quieted down.
Yaoying's heart was pounding and she listened carefully.
Outside the tent, there was the sound of conversation, and the Hu girl who had taken her night pearl had lured the other Hu girls away.
Yaoying waited patiently for a while longer.
In the stillness of the night, there were a few questioning shouts, followed by the chaotic sound of horses' hooves. Someone shouted to gather men, and the swaying flame of a fire projected onto the tent. Shortly after, the wind carried the sound of a crackling combustion.
Shouts sprang from all around: "Enemy attack!"
Half of the guards ran to put out the fire, and half ran to stop the attackers. With Haidu Aling gone, the guards were not as organized as usual, like a thunder of dragons without a head1.
Some of the imprisoned captives crouched on the ground with their heads in their hands, shaking all over, while others looked around for a while and fled into the darkness of the night.
The camp was a mess.
The personal soldiers used the dagger Yaoying gave them to cut off the shackles on their feet, picked up Xie Qing, and escaped from the cage in the chaos to find Yaoying's tent.
Yaoying pointed to the east: "There are horses to the east!"
The personal soldiers picked up a few weapons dropped by the dead guards, circled around Yaoying, and ran towards the east.
The Northern Rong were busy killing each other, and the Hu girl was nowhere to be seen. Yaoying had long ago tied up her long hair and changed her attire, so the guards temporarily did not notice her disappearance. She and her personal soldiers mixed in with the scattered captives and slowly approached the east.
A few Northern Rong killed in front of her, screaming and shouting, attracting a dozen guards.
The personal soldiers drew their swords, gritted their teeth, and killed their way through. Finally, they saw a dozen horses tied up in the eastern horse pen.
The guards caught up with them, and the personal soldiers did not dare to delay, supporting Yaoying and Xie Qing onto horses. One person to a horse, they fiercely smacked the horse's belly and rushed out of the camp.
The night was deep. They ran wildly for several hours and did not know how far they had run. It was gradually becoming light. Behind them was a vast expanse of yellow sand, and in front of them were also rising and falling sand dunes, with only the occasional dried plant in addition to rock piles that had been eroded by the wind for years.
The personal soldiers looked at each other.
They could discern their direction by the rising sun, but they did not know which direction to flee.
After a few moments of discussion, the men decided to continue heading east.
Soon after, they realized they were lost.
Yaoying lifted the light veil over her face and sighed as she looked at the endless dunes in the distance.
She knew that Haidu Aling and Wakhan's sons did not get along. She secretly let out the news, making the other princes suspect that Haidu Aling's camp was hiding a lot of gold, silver, and jewels stolen from Helong, as well as weapons.
Haidu Aling had long been secretly cultivating manpower and had indeed embezzled many treasures. Several princes had long ago heard about this. Hearing the rumors once again, their suspicions grew as expected, and they sent people to ask around.
Yaoying was imprisoned by Haidu Aling, and the spies thought she was an ordinary Han girl and found her to make inquiries. She deliberately gave vague statements and guided them to the treasures that Haidu Aling had plundered from the Yelu tribe.
The princes decided that Haidu Aling had stashed weapons and jewels, and decided to take advantage of his visit to Wakhan encampment to rob them so that they could divide them up and make Haidu Aling suffer.
The Hu girl who took her night pearl not only profited from her but also was the inside man for several other princes. The Hu girl thought she could not understand the Hu language and had no scruples when talking to the other scouts. She overheard that the other princes were preparing to sneak into the camp.
According to Yaoying's original plan, Xie Qing was not injured, they did not have to escape in such a mess, and they could capture a small chieftain and threaten him to lead the way.
Now they were lost.
Yaoying patted the horse's neck and said, "Do not give up hope. Keep going. This is close to the Royal Court, and there is a small oasis city every hundred miles. We can always find a place where there are people."
The soldiers responded yes. With renewed vigor, they continued to gallop eastward.
After a few dozen more miles, watching the western sky burn with bright clouds as the sun rose, a personal soldier suddenly pointed into the distance and said in surprise, "There seems to be an earth city! With people!"
Yaoying looked in the direction he was pointing. To the southeast stood an earthen city on high ground, with carvings chiseled by artisans on the wall.
There was an east-west road outside the earthen city, and people on camels and horses could be seen vaguely on the road.
Where there were people, they could inquire about how to get out of the desert.
Yaoying's spirits were lifted.
One of the soldiers went to investigate and came back to report, "The city seems to be a place for merchants to stop and rest. I did not see any Northern Rong people."
Yaoying released a sigh of relief and said to the others, "Let's pass through slowly. When we see people later, do not say anything. I'll find someone to inquire where this place is."
Each city-state and tribe in the Western Regions had its own language. On the journey, she had been following Tali to learn the Hu language. Although her accent was not authentic, it was passable to talk to the Hu merchants.
The soldiers answered yes, covered their faces with turbans, and sped toward the city.
As they approached the earthen city, the sound of camel bells and voices gradually could be heard. Merchants with large carts stopped by the roadside to talk about how long the covenant between the Royal Court and the Northern Rong would last and whether it would affect their business.
Yaoying didn't dare to enter the city. On the large road outside the city, she approached a young man who fed camels for the passing merchants to inquire.
The young man looked at her beautiful eyes revealed outside the veil and stammeringly gave her directions, telling her that this was under the rule of the Royal Court.
Yaoying thanked the young man. She took out the Persian silver coins she had with her and found some merchants to exchange them for some food.
That night, they rested outside the earthen city, and Xie Qing woke up several times throughout. The personal soldiers took turns standing guard and reacted nervously every time they heard the slightest movement.
Fortunately, the night was fine.
The next day, Yaoying and the others followed the teenager's directions to the southeast.
Many caravans were going in the same direction as them. On the road, horses' hooves clattered, camels' bells rang, and people laughed and talked. A Hu merchant wearing a brocade robe, a felt hat, and had a curled-up mustache sat on a carriage playing a pipa, the music lively and passionate.
Yaoying had not seen this kind of peaceful scene for a long time. Listening to the sound of the pipa, she could not help but remember the tragic slaughter of the caravan under the sword of the Eldest Prince in Liangzhou.
The Western Regions was in turmoil, the Northern Rong appearing wherever one went. Of ten, nine rooms were empty2. Probably only in the city-states under the rule of Buddha's son could such a prosperous scene be seen, and only his subjects had such a leisurely mood. Even merchants on the road did not forget to bring pipas, flutes, and tambourines.
Unfortunately, the Buddha's son would not live for many years longer. The Holy City's people were massacred, and the last piece of pure land in the West would also become a devastated place.
Yaoying lamented for a while. The pipa music entered her ears, the pleasant melody seemed to shake up her heart. Her mind could not help but follow the tune's ups and downs, and with the melody, hummed a little song.
Suddenly, two falcon cries came from high in the air. The pipa music stagnated.
Yaoying, stunned, tugged her horse's reins and looked up.
A large snow-white falcon swept past her head, its soaring appearance incomparably familiar.