HXC Chapter52

Don’t you see, on the road to Zouma River, by the snowy sea, the vast sandy plain stretches endlessly, yellow blending into the sky?

 

The unique glamour and tenderness of the capital were left far behind by the galloping hooves, replaced by the desolate northern wind, rolling yellow sands, and soaring vultures. A carriage that had been plodding along for many days was engulfed in the lonely smoke and red sun, bathed in the glow of the sunset and moonlight. The coachman, dressed in brown leather, sang a folk song of the northern frontier in a strange tune.

 

A bell dangled from the saddle, and with its chime, a delicate hand lifted the heavy curtain. Inside the carriage, someone leaned against the window frame, gazing at the desert landscape.

 

The Gobi Desert, the vast sands, the mountains, and the oases merged into one, creating a magnificent and spectacular sight. The distant setting sun was cut off by the yellow sand, revealing only half of its round head. The red light fell between Ji Zhen’s eyebrows and eyes, making his pupils a translucent reddish-brown.

 

This was the desolate northern desert.

 

In the distance stood a rammed-earth city wall. The gates were thrown wide open, and a young man clad in silver armor rode his horse over, each hoofbeat sending clouds of yellow dust into the air.

 

“Jiang Yunyu is here.”

 

Ji Jue’s voice snapped Ji Zhen back to reality. The two of them lifted the curtain and saw that under the golden light, Jiang Yunyu pulled the reins. His horse’s front hooves rose high and then landed, stopping right in front of the carriage. He sat upright on his horse, his beautiful phoenix-like eyes moving slightly to meet Ji Zhen’s gaze.

 

After six months, Jiang Yunyu had become even more heroic and spirited. His originally fair skin had been tanned to a healthy wheat color by the wind of the northern desert, which complemented the vast expanse and added to his charm.

 

Ji Zhen was stunned by the great change in the other party. He was a bit dazed until Jiang Yunyu nimbly dismounted and came up to him while raising an eyebrow. “What, are you so exhausted that you can’t even speak?”

 

He came back to his senses and smiled. “What an honor for me to be personally welcomed by the esteemed General Huaiyuan.”

 

“Who said I came to welcome you? Can’t I be here to pick up Brother Ji Jue?” Jiang Yunyu looked at Ji Jue and asked, “Was the journey smooth?”

 

Ji Jue nodded. “It’s almost nightfall. Let’s talk inside the city.”

 

Jiang Yunyu mounted his horse and followed the carriage. Ji Zhen did not go inside the carriage. He sat on the footboard with the driver and Ji An with his legs dangling, swinging back and forth. From time to time, he would touch the horse’s backside and chatted with Jiang Yunyu.

 

“Tonight, we’ll have a bonfire banquet outside to welcome you and Brother Ji Jue. Everyone here is my confidant. Drink your fill, and once you’re drunk, you can sleep until dawn. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the market. The market here is different from the one in the capital; it’s full of rare and interesting things…”

 

Ji Zhen hadn’t yet recovered from the long, exhausting journey. He felt the cold, dry wind and listened to Jiang Yunyu’s stories about the people and customs of the desert, and he couldn’t help but feel a little lost. Just nine days ago, he was fighting like a trapped beast in the capital, but now the sky was wide and the land was vast, giving him the freedom to fly. The extreme contrast between the two places left him feeling bewildered.

 

Not to mention that he often thought of the bloody figure on the outskirts of the city…

 

“Ji Zhen, are you listening?”

 

He felt the horse’s rough hair and mumbled a response. Suddenly, he remembered that Jiang Yunyu was only riding an ordinary black horse and yelped, “Why aren’t you riding Chi Jin? I once promised it that when it returned to the capital, I would feed it spring grass. I never expected that I would be the one to come to the northern desert. Feeding it spring grass is out of the question now, but it might still be possible for me to pick some new branches for him in the Gobi.”

 

Ji Zhen waited a moment, but when Jiang Yunyu didn’t respond, he looked up and saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. His heart tightened as he heard the other party say sorrowfully, “Chi Jin stumbled in a battle before the new year and broke its leg bone. The situation was critical, and I had no choice but to put it down.”

 

When a horse’s leg bone breaks, it’s no longer able to stand and will suffer until it dies.

 

Ji Zhen understood just how dearly Jiang Yunyu valued Chi Jin—his pride, his companion, his comrade. To personally bid it farewell must have been a gut-wrenching pain. The image of Jiang Yunyu taming Chi Jin was so vivid, but the cruel reality of the battlefield was inescapable. Ji Zhen was too saddened to say a word, and his eyes instantly reddened.

 

It was Jiang Yunyu who comforted him. “To die in battle, Chi Jin lived a life of honor.”

 

Ji Zhen swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “With a master like you, Chi Jin must have felt fortunate as well.”

 

Jiang Yunyu smiled, and his tone lightened again. “It’s been a while, you’ve become much more articulate…”

 

The group soon reached the city gates. They were met by Jiang Yunyu’s deputy general, a man in his thirties with a thick beard whose surname was Lin.

 

Jiang Yunyu handed his horse over to him. The deputy general cupped his hands and bowed to Ji Jue. “Lord Ji, I’ve long admired your name.”

 

Ji Jue said, “I’m no longer a court official. You can just call me Ji Jue.” He then introduced Ji Zhen to the deputy general. “This is my younger brother, Ji Zhen.”

 

Ji Zhen blinked and clasped his hands together in a salute. “Greetings, General Lin.”

 

Deputy General Lin was a rough man and laughed heartily as he replied with “greetings” three times in a row.

 

Jiang Yunyu playfully punched Deputy General Lin’s shoulder. “You’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted. Is the roasted whole lamb ready?”

 

“It’s been roasting for a while already,” Deputy General Lin said with a boisterous laugh as he raised a hand. “I specially asked my wife to dig up the ‘Ni’er Hong’ wine that’s been buried for three years. Tonight, we won’t go home until we’re all drunk!”

 

The group entered the city with laughter and conversation. Ji Zhen walked beside Ji Jue, holding it in for a bit before finally whispering, “Gege, why is his beard so curly?”

 

Ji Jue stifled a laugh. Before he could answer, Deputy General Lin burst out laughing. “Young Master Ji, if you have any questions, just ask me.”

 

Ji Zhen was caught red-handed gossiping about someone behind their back. He smiled sheepishly but then looked at Deputy General Lin with a thirst for knowledge.

 

“My Ah-niang[mfn]Ah Niang means mother.[/mfn] is a Han person while my Ah-die[mfn]Ah Die is father.[/mfn] is a ‘Hu’ person. They gave birth to a boy like me. My Ah-die’s beard is curly, so naturally, my little beard is curly too.”

 

Ji Zhen was used to the refined, literary language of the capital and found Deputy General Lin’s straightforward words very refreshing. His previously heavy heart lightened a little, and he joined in the genuine laughter.

 

The wind and people of the northern desert were truly worlds apart from the capital.

 

Ji Zhen looked back at the half-closed city gates. The vast horizon stretched endlessly. The capital was now very far away from him.

 

—

 

The smell of lit mugwort mixed with a heavy metallic scent, making the air in the room so thick it was hard to breathe.

 

A few coughs came from the bed, and the handkerchief lying beside it was stained with little red flowers[mfn]Refers to blood[/mfn], which were changed over and over.

 

Yu He, who was wearing a face mask, entered the room and saw the bloodless Shen Yanqing covering his mouth with a freshly changed handkerchief. His other hand was busy reading a new report on the plague situation.

 

It had been ten days. There was still no progress on a cure, and while Shen Yanqing’s flesh wounds were beginning to heal, the plague showed no signs of improvement at all. Today, the imperial physician took his pulse and bluntly said that the plague was showing signs of invading his heart and lungs. The frequency of Shen Yanqing coughing up blood was also increasing.

 

Yu He couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He placed the medicine on the small table and urged, “My Lord, please drink your medicine first.”

 

Shen Yanqing coughed a few more times. “Stay back.”

 

After he woke up, Lu Chen had asked him about the source of his injuries. He couldn’t possibly reveal Ji Jue, so he just said he had encountered thieves on the way back to the city. After the plague broke out, many thieves had indeed taken advantage of the situation, but Shen Yanqing’s excuse was not very convincing. Still, Lu Chen didn’t expose him.

 

Shen Yanqing drank the medicine and then handed the book to Yu He. “Tell Lord Lu that the circled areas are for the new refugees… Has the court’s relief grain arrived?”

 

“It’s just outside the city.”

 

“The eastern district has more elderly and women and children. Send them porridge first…” A pain shot through Shen Yanqing’s chest. He frowned and continued, “Make sure every refugee has enough to eat.”

 

Yu He agreed. Seeing Shen Yanqing toil over official business despite his illness, he said with concern, “My Lord, the imperial physician wants you to rest properly…”

 

Shen Yanqing said softly, “It’s been ten days already, Yu He.”

 

As long as the plague was not contained, he would be trapped here for another day. But time waits for no one. The longer he was delayed, the farther away Ji Zhen would be from him.

 

Yu He understood the unspoken meaning in Shen Yanqing’s words and no longer tried to persuade him. He just said dejectedly, “I hope this plague passes soon.”

 

Shen Yanqing asked him to open the window for ventilation and then closed his eyes to rest for a moment before forcing himself to look at the books again.

 

Whoosh—

 

The bonfire shot up three yards high. Ji Zhen was startled by the fierce flames and stepped back two steps. He quickly touched the ends of his hair, relieved that they weren’t singed.

 

Deputy General Lin, who was chewing on a tender lamb leg, laughed heartily. “Young Brother Qin, stand back a bit! It would be a shame if your hair got burned.”

 

Because of the special identity of the Ji brothers, they had changed their surname to Qin. Besides Deputy General Lin, they were only referred to as relatives of Jiang Yunyu.

 

Everyone was amused and burst into laughter. It had been a long time since Ji Zhen had heard so much laughter, and even though he felt embarrassed, he joined in the fun.

 

Sitting on a rock and drinking wine, Jiang Yunyu smiled as he watched Ji Zhen scurry over to Ji Jue.

 

Ji Zhen snuggled up to Ji Jue. His elder brother cut off a lean piece of lamb from the leg with a sharp knife and held it to his mouth. Ji Zhen then ate it without a second thought.

 

Deputy General Lin loved to tease people and let out a whistle. “The men from the capital are so delicate. They even need their elder brother to feed them meat.”

 

Ji Zhen choked on a mouthful of lamb, his face flushing a deep red.

 

Ji Jue laughed and said, “I’ve spoiled him since he was a child. Please excuse him, Deputy General Lin.”

 

Jiang Yunyu threw a large bone at Deputy General Lin. “Old Lin, come over and have a drinking contest. The loser has to train for an extra hour tomorrow.”

 

Deputy General Lin wiped his mouth and stood up. “Bring on the good wine!”

 

The young soldiers singing and dancing around the bonfire gathered in a circle to cheer them on, their shouts getting louder and louder.

 

Embarrassed by the teasing, Ji Zhen was too shy to let his elder brother feed him in front of everyone. He took the small knife to cut the meat himself, craning his neck to watch Jiang Yunyu’s drinking contest with Deputy Lin.

 

Perhaps his gaze was too obvious, as Jiang Yunyu turned his head slightly to meet his eyes. He took a sip of the strong liquor and his adam apple bobbing.

 

Ji Zhen swallowed his meat, and caught up in the lively atmosphere, he couldn’t help but cheer loudly like everyone else. “Jiang Yunyu, you can’t lose! I’ll laugh at you if you do!”

 

Ji Jue gazed at Ji Zhen’s cheeks, which were flushed red by the firelight, and smiled with his eyes cast down.

 

By the end of the welcome feast, there were hardly any sober people, with young men lying around everywhere. Jiang Yunyu won against Deputy General Lin, but he wasn’t in much better shape either. He walked crookedly, still muttering, “I’m not drunk…”

 

Ji Jue and Ji Zhen helped him into the tent and got him settled. As they were about to leave, Jiang Yunyu suddenly grabbed Ji Zhen’s wrist. He was indeed drunk, his eyes glistening. He let out a truth he had been holding back. “Actually, I came to pick you up today. I’m so happy you came…”

 

Ji Zhen hastily pulled his hand away and quickly covered Jiang Yunyu with the bedding. “Stop talking nonsense. Go to sleep.”

 

He then took a few steps out of the tent. Ji Jue followed him, and seeing Ji Zhen’s flustered expression, he decided not to say anything. He just walked him to the newly arranged tent.

 

“The northern desert gets cold at night. Use two blankets.”

 

Ji Zhen nodded and said goodbye to his elder brother before entering the tent. The infinite loneliness that follows a boisterous gathering weighed on him. He looked around the unfamiliar place, suppressed the emptiness in his heart, and lay down on the bed, staring at the circular dome of the tent.

 

The three words he shouldn’t think of took the opportunity to creep into his mind again. He quickly closed his eyes to fall asleep.

 

It’s hard to escape the sorrow of a painful separation when you have loved deeply.

 

The author has something to say:

Zhen Zhen (hands on hips): I’ve seen the northern desert now. I’m no longer a frog in a well!