The hawk crashed into the hunting falcons and, under the combined assault, let out a shrill cry. Flames, carried by collapsing tents, burst onto the banners. The Rainbow Hawk Flag instantly caught fire.
The wolf-spine blade chopped down, pressing against the curved saber, producing a screeching friction that pierced the ears. The blades missed past each other, sparks flashing.
A’Mu’er slightly lowered his arm and said, “Your arm strength is stronger than your father’s.”
Xiao Chiyan used the height advantage to drag his wolf-spine blade downward with overwhelming force, slamming A’Mu’er’s curved saber down. A’Mu’er took the impact; after only a few exchanges, his tiger’s mouth had already split from the force. Under Xiao Chiyan’s fierce assault, he retreated half a step. Xiao Chiyan’s youth was his greatest advantage.
A’Mu’er was old. When Xiao Fangxu fell ill and retreated, he also withdrew back into the desert. After so many years, even if his appearance showed no obvious aging, his body could no longer compare with Xiao Chiyan in his peak condition.
“You came here,” A’Mu’er raised his curved blade, “to return my son to me?”
The ambushing iron cavalry suddenly scattered. Inside the torn golden tent was a bed crossbow. The patiently waiting warriors of the Snake Tribe bulged with veins as, under the “click” of mechanisms, they turned its direction. Heavy bolts shot out immediately, firing toward the cavalry.
The collapsing tent revealed nothing. Guo Jin reacted instantly while rolling on the ground and said, “The tents are empty!”
The Snake Tribe’s horse stables had already been destroyed by the Northern Li cavalry, but warriors suddenly surged out from the night sand, whistles echoing for an instant.
Hoofbeats.
Guo Jin pressed his ear to the ground and immediately reported, “They still have horses!”
The Snake Tribe’s camp was open terrain, with no defensive fortifications at the border—far weaker than the entrance of Mo Sanchuan’s Mongtuo Tribe. But even under pressure after Hasan’s death, no other tribes had dared attack them. A’Mu’er had once swept through Central Bo military supplies during the Xian De years. Hasan’s logistics had come from his father’s support. As the man most skilled at reform in the desert, A’Mu’er often possessed extraordinary boldness. The Snake Tribe lay deep in the desert; they had the venomous fangs of a serpent.
The Northern Li iron cavalry had already dispersed. Chenyang reined in his horse and was about to issue orders when, from the side, a small desert horse suddenly charged out. Its war-machine-like impact gave Chenyang no time to react and directly knocked him off his horse.
A bare-chested “Four-Legged Snake” stared fiercely and said in Border Sand language, “An eye for an eye.”
Chenyang rolled several times after hitting the ground. The opponent’s iron hammer struck beside his helmet. Even though it did not land cleanly, the shockwave made him dizzy.
A Four-Legged Snake was attacking Xiao Chiyan’s rear flank. Xiao Chiyan abruptly changed the trajectory of his raised blade, passing through his elbow line, and pierced through the opponent’s chest. Blood exploded outward, splattering onto Xiao Chiyan’s arm armor and flowing down to the saddle.
A side saber slashed down. Xiao Chiyan tilted his head to dodge; his small braid brushed the blade’s edge. Unable to immediately withdraw the wolf-spine blade, he bent his left elbow and smashed it into the opponent’s face. The Four-Legged Snake had not expected such terrifying strength; his entire face seemed about to split, and his nose bone snapped on the spot.
The frontal blade was already upon him. The wolf-spine blade pressed against the armor, then was pulled free at the last moment and “clang” blocked the curved saber.
The riding horse “Langtao Xuejin” surged forward. The wolf-spine blade carried the opponent’s force, flipping him in motion. Xiao Chiyan had no time to breathe—because at that moment, the bed crossbow in the golden tent rotated with him. At the same instant he overturned his opponent, heavy arrows tore through the wind and shot straight at him!
The bed crossbow was a siege weapon; its weight and killing power could equal ten men. In early siege-defense wars it had won countless victories for Great Zhou. Shen Zechuan had also used it for defense when guarding Duanzhou, showing its terror. The key was that it required multiple people to operate, and its force was not something a single person could resist. Even Xiao Chiyan, if faced at close range on a battlefield boundary, could not withstand it alone.
Guo Jin almost at the same moment pushed off the ground and ran with all his strength, shouting until his voice tore, “Second Master!”
Xiao Fangxu was gone. The battlefield was the least reasonable place. For Northern Li, even if half their forces died tonight, Xiao Chiyan could not be left behind!
Chenyang was nearby. As he rose, he met the iron hammer again. This time he blocked it horizontally, somehow finding strength to lift it. His arms and legs trembled violently as he shouted through clenched teeth, “Block— the arrow!”
The heavy arrow approached Xiao Chiyan. He released the reins. The horse Langtao Xuejin neighed and collapsed onto its forelegs. Xiao Chiyan rolled off the horse immediately. The terrifying force of the arrow roared past and smashed into the crowd.
Desert riders of the Snake Tribe rushed in from all directions with curved sabers.
Xiao Chiyan panted heavily, sweat soaking his temples.
“The Mongtuo Tribe’s Bayar is the most untrustworthy bastard in the desert,” A’Mu’er scraped blood from his curved blade and said, “and you actually believed them. This is a mistake Xiao Fangxu would never make.”
Xiao Chiyan stood up shakily. The arm binding on his right arm had been dented by the earlier heavy arrow strike, but it had not broken. He removed it and tied it around his waist instead.
Moonlight was disrupted by flames. A’Mu’er saw Xiao Chiyan’s shadow stretching before him, with the endless lonely desert behind him.
“Don’t mention my father again,” Xiao Chiyan’s suppressed anger ignited completely. Hatred erupted in his chest, even the wound on his back burning.
Xiao Fangxu would not make such a mistake.
Xiao Fangxu would not make many mistakes.
But Hasan had left Xiao Fangxu in a snowstorm. Every time Xiao Chiyan heard A’Mu’er speak, he thought of his father’s body buried in snow.
“Xiao Fangxu… Xiao Fangxu—” Xiao Chiyan’s eyes turned red as he rasped, “You took my father’s head, trampled the dignity of the Wolf King!”
He drew the wolf-spine blade.
“Give it back,” he snarled, forcing forward through violent slashes, shouting at A’Mu’er, “Give it back!”
The hawk dove and crashed as if overwhelmed. Xiao Chiyan’s roar echoed through the night sky. The hawk suddenly flapped upward at the last moment, then spiraled into the air. Behind it, pursuing falcons continued to dive. Guo Jin blew a sharp whistle toward the sky. In the next moment, countless hawks took flight and surged together, swarming the falcons.
Aerial combat had once belonged to the Northern Li hawks.
Mighty slammed into the falcon flock, tearing apart the most aggressive falcon it had chased, only stopping after shredding it completely.
Iron cavalry and riders collided between the gaps of the tents. Ba Yin fled, kneeling before the golden tent, shouting at the old sage, “Teacher, I will take you away!”
The old sage still maintained his posture of bowed head and clasped hands. His aged body was like a withered tree, white hair hanging quietly.
Ba Yin’s heart turned cold. He reached under the old sage’s nose; his face instantly turned pale. He broke into sobs, “Teacher!”
The battle continued in the night. The Snake Tribe’s tents were half destroyed. The Mongtuo Tribe’s ambushes on the outer perimeter gained nothing. The Four-Legged Snake’s iron hammer was suppressed by the new blades.
Xiao Chiyan’s growth was too fast—even A’Mu’er had to admit it. The Mongtuo Tribe, which controlled Mo Sanchuan, truly were untrustworthy bastards. They had not informed Xiao Chiyan of A’Mu’er’s horses and supplies, nor had they arrived as promised. But Bayar also had no intention of fighting for A’Mu’er; he was like a fisherman waiting for the final moment, fearing A’Mu’er still had hidden cards, yet also waiting to follow the true victor.
Stars hung over the horizon. At the desert’s end, a horse suddenly appeared. Duo’erlan’s skirt fluttered under the enormous falling moon as she rode in with the remaining Bear Tribe warriors.
Ba Yin wiped tears in a mess. “Duo’erlan, foolish girl!”
Duo’erlan reined in her horse. Her green eyes reflected firelight. “I married Hasan. I belong to his tribe, and he belongs to mine. Father! You were right—strong tribes have Rusuhe Ri. Hasan is my Rusuhe Ri.”
She drew her dagger.
“We only have heroes who die in battle—no cowards who retreat! Bayar, listen! You submit to the strong, and Duo’erlan does not blame you! But the desert has its own strong ones! The Mongtuo Tribe once had its honor of Rusuhe Ri. Kneeling before Xiao Chiyan’s iron cavalry means crushing the Mongtuo Tribe’s dignity!”
Her voice cut through the battlefield.
A’Mu’er laughed loudly, then said solemnly, “Foolish girl—you are wrong. The Rusuhe Ri of the Hulu Tribe is not Hasan. It is you, Duo’erlan!”
The Bear Tribe’s morale surged. Bayar still hesitated, but his daughter Uya rushed forward and shouted, “Hold Mo Sanchuan! Kill Xiao Chiyan, and the Northern Li cavalry will collapse!”
Xiao Chiyan was now surrounded.
—
Shen Zechuan woke abruptly from a brief sleep, his arm numb as he moved it away. The hall lights had already gone out. The side hall still carried faint discussion voices, but here it was unusually quiet.
He steadied himself on the doorway. Cold wind outside chilled his back.
Fei Sheng turned and panicked, “My lord, you’ll catch a chill!”
“The desert,” Shen Zechuan covered his mouth to suppress a cough, “no news yet?”
—
Guo Jin mounted his horse. Chenyang gathered the troops. They closed ranks around Xiao Chiyan. His armor was badly damaged; only he wore no helmet.
“You launched the raid without bringing the main army,” A’Mu’er said, placing his curved blade back at his waist. “Youth is impulsive.”
Mechanisms clicked densely from all directions. A’Mu’er had also gone all in tonight.
The moon was covered by heavy clouds. Desert warriors filled the battlefield. The Bear Tribe fighters were all that remained of the Bear Tribe’s strength. They had recovered from their earlier defeat under Xiao Chiyan.
“You are a genius,” A’Mu’er said with admiration. “A genius of Northern Li.”
The bed crossbows were fully drawn, heavy arrows aimed at Xiao Chiyan.
A’Mu’er loosened the stone bead on his forehead and removed it, looking somewhat distant. He gazed toward the direction of the Hongyan Mountain.
“But you killed my son.”
For Central Bo people, the Tea Stone River was a ribbon of scenery. For desert people, it was a distant mother river. Once, they shared Hongyan Mountain with Great Zhou. The rise of the Northern Li cavalry forced them back again and again into the desert, where they could only survive through grain and internal killing.