Walking in the cycle of reincarnation

Chapter 52 Borrowing a Horse

Wanyan Yue lay hidden behind the snow-covered hill, her chin buried in the collar of her coat, revealing only her clear eyes as she quietly surveyed the distant camp.

Three or four gray-brown felt tents were scattered in a sheltered spot, their surfaces mottled from years of weathering and snow.

Three ponies were tethered outside the tent, their manes disheveled and their ribs clearly visible beneath their fur, indicating they had not eaten well for a long time.

It's too quiet.

Wanyan Yue shifted her gaze slightly, landing on the left side of the tent.

A man wearing a tattered fur coat squatted on the ground, holding a short knife in his hand, and was about to attack a dark red object in the snow.

It's a woof hound.

Wanyan Yue's pupils suddenly contracted.

The herders of the northern plains regard their loyal hounds as brothers, keeping watch over the livestock and guarding the night. Unless they are in dire straits with no food or water, who would have the heart to kill their devoted dogs?

Looking at the man's desolate back, she felt as if her heart had been squeezed.

Should we still steal this horse?

The thought had barely formed when images flashed through my mind of the mountain valley circled on the scroll, the suffering my mother might be enduring, and the unknown fate of the Wanyan tribesmen.

She gritted her teeth and crushed the reluctance in her heart.

Let's wait a little longer.

About half an incense stick later, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

A man and a horse emerged from the wind and snow. The man on horseback had a sallow and haggard face, and a layer of gloom weighed on his brows and eyes.

Upon reaching the tent, he heavily dismounted, removed the leather bag from the horse's back, and casually tossed it open, from which rolled out stiff, cold dried meat and roasted grains.

He ignored it, hastily tied the horse to the post, and staggered into the tent with his head down.

Hearing the commotion, the man outside the tent who was killing a dog stopped, grabbed a handful of snow, and vigorously rubbed the blood off his palms.

But as he was rubbing, he suddenly stopped, stared blankly at the melting snow in his palm for a while, then sighed and lifted the curtain to enter the tent.

The camp was empty.

Wanyan Yue waited for a long time, making sure no one was around, before quietly sliding down from behind the snow mound, following the boundary between the withered grass and the snow, and stealthily making her way towards the horses.

As she walked, she looked at the four ponies, trying to distinguish their strengths and weaknesses, and wanted to choose the one with the strongest gait.

Just as they reached a point less than two zhang from the nearby brown horse, a sobbing sound suddenly drifted from inside the tent, followed by a hoarse voice that seemed to be offering words of comfort.

Wanyan Yue suddenly stopped and listened intently.

"...The shaman took a liking to her."

A mournful, choked sob rang out:

"They say she has good bone structure and, with proper training, can be matched for a sacred marriage."

"What?"

Another voice suddenly rose, filled with shock and indignation.

"Isn't your Naren engaged to Jebe of the Hara tribe? The wedding is to take place in the spring! How can the shaman choose a woman who is already betrothed? This violates the rules of the Northern Plains!"

"rule?"

The sob suddenly turned into a bitter laugh.

"That's what I said too! I begged them, saying that Naren was already engaged and asked the shaman to choose another girl. They just told me to wait and said they would report it."

"I was still comforting Naren inside the tent, telling her it was alright, that her father was there, and that he would definitely take her home. But when the curtain was lifted again..."

The crying stopped abruptly, leaving only heavy breathing, as if a phlegm was stuck in the throat, unable to be spat out or swallowed.

"Jebe's head is lying at my feet."

After he finished speaking, there was no more sound from inside the tent.

After a long silence, the second voice rang out again, its tone now mournful and filled with hatred:

"The Eternal Heaven is blind!"

"Those beasts from the Tuotuo tribe...they'll be punished by heaven sooner or later! They won't be able to keep jumping around for long, not much longer!"

Wanyan Yue froze on the spot, her fingertips barely touching the reins of the brown horse, her heart pounding with shock.

Holy marriage has never been...only those who volunteer can be chosen? Now...now, in order to be eligible for holy marriage, they are even going so far as to kidnap women and kill those who are already engaged.

The detachment part.

Her teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding together, and her eyes burned with the same hatred as the person in the tent.

But she never loosened her grip on the reins.

Looking at the mount so close at hand, she made a silent vow in her heart.

Wanyan Yue, you have no way out. Anda is here, Mother is here, and the blood debt of the Wanyan tribe remains. If you manage to return alive after borrowing the horse to save someone, you must return it in full.

Once the mind is made up, there is no more hesitation.

With a light twist of her wrist, she deftly untied the reins, gripped the horse's mane with her left hand, firmly placed her right foot in the stirrup, and with a twist of her waist, she flipped onto the horse's back like a feather.

The brown horse was startled, suddenly reared up and neighed loudly, restless and uneasy.

Wanyan Yue gripped the horse's belly tightly with her legs, leaned forward and pressed her body against the horse's neck, yanked the reins hard with her right hand, and punched the horse's vital spot behind its ear with her left fist, not too hard, not too soft.

The horse, in pain, reared up and landed heavily on its forelegs, but still spun around restlessly, snorting white vapor from its nostrils, clearly unwilling to obey the unfamiliar rider.

"drive!"

A low shout pierced the air, the reins were pulled tighter, and a knee slammed into the horse's body.

Just then, the curtain of the felt tent was lifted, and two figures rushed out one after the other.

Behind them stood the herdsman who had just killed the dog, his short knife still stained with the cold blood. The sallow-faced man in front caught sight of Wanyan Yue on horseback, and his already bloodshot eyes instantly ignited with a raging fire.

"Horse thief—!"

He roared and lunged at the tent, grabbing his short bow and trembling as he reached for his quiver. The other man dropped his knife and frantically searched for his bow.

Wanyan Yue spurred the horse's belly hard, gripped the mane tightly with one hand, and slapped the horse's rump hard with her other hand.

The brown horse, in pain, was spurred on by her skilled riding, and the reins were pulled with practiced ease. Gradually, its restlessness subsided, and its hooves pounded through the snow as it galloped forward.

"stop!"

The sallow-faced man gritted his teeth and drew the bowstring taut, the sharp arrow aimed directly at Wanyan Yuehou's heart.

Wanyan Yue turned around upon hearing the sound, and shouted loudly towards the arrowhead:

"I'll borrow your horse for now! I'll definitely return it in the future!"

A hundred feet away, beyond the frozen rocks.

Zhang Nanfeng watched this scene quietly, his wolf-like eyes gleaming with a dark, sinister light.

He can see it.

Each of the two herdsmen had a strand of pale blue silk hanging down to their feet.

The man who killed the dog was all alone, his body covered only by this single blue line.

The man with the sallow complexion, who was about to shoot with his bow drawn, had a thin line of crimson blood on his back, which, apart from the blue line, stretched far into the distance and was fading inch by inch.

The man's bowstring was fully drawn, the arrow nocked, ready to be released at any moment. Wanyan Yue lay prone on her horse, with no way to avoid it.

set.

Zhang Nanfeng's eyes suddenly shone brightly, and his Wolf-Looking Profound Power swept across the void for hundreds of feet, covering everything.

The sallow-faced man froze, maintaining his posture of drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, the bowstring still vibrating.

Tears still clung to his face, his eyes burning with intense hatred and sorrow, yet he was completely paralyzed, forced to watch helplessly as the brown horse carrying the horse thief disappeared into the distance.

Another man had just found a longbow and came out from behind the tent. He saw his companion with tears streaming down his face, the bow drawn as if cast in stone.

He froze on the spot, following the other person's stagnant gaze into the distance. His arm holding the bow did not rise again, and he was filled with confusion and bewilderment.