"Aishake! Initiating a challenge against a guest is not the White Qiang way!" Atuke's temper finally flared. "If you are feeling unwell, go back on your own!"
Aishake did not answer. He merely stared at Wang Yu.
Wang Yu sighed inwardly. Fond as he was of showing off and putting people in their place, Aishake was simply too weak to pique his interest.
Ardai stepped in on his behalf.
She sprang to her feet. "Aishake, do you think you're so formidable? Even I am no match for Brother Zhao. How about you fight me instead? If you can beat me, then you may challenge Brother Zhao!"
Aishake could hardly believe his ears. Ardai was actually willing to draw steel against him for Wang Yu's sake?
Aishake naturally never doubted that he could defeat Ardai, but he would never lay a finger on her.
He glared daggers at Wang Yu. *Are you really going to hide behind Ardai like this?*
To his disbelief, Wang Yu simply nodded and said to Ardai, "This is actually a good chance to test the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow you just learned. That sword style is remarkably potent."
Everyone stared in utter bewilderment.
Facing Ardai, who looked at him with complete, earnest resolve, Aishake felt utterly heartbroken. He stumbled back several paces. "Fine! Fine, fine! I'm leaving!"
With those words, Aishake vaulted onto his horse and galloped away.
With Aishake gone, Tasa proved sensible enough not to provoke Wang Yu any further, and the group gathered together.
Huona drew his bow and brought down four or five wild hares. Paliya and Mayila took them down to the riverbank to dress them, then returned to kindle a campfire.
Though she had not managed to remain alone with Wang Yu, having everyone together soon cheered Ardai up. Roasting the wild hares over the fire and washing them down with mare's milk wine and tea to cut the grease gave the meal an earthy, distinctive charm.
Ardai sat beside Wang Yu, wishing time would simply stand still.
Before long, however, several horses came galloping up from the distance. When the others turned to look, the rider in the lead was none other than Aishake, who had stormed off only a short while before.
"Why is he back already?" Ardai frowned slightly, then immediately blurted out, "The two Guards Zhao are with him!"
Following behind Aishake were two other White Qiang warriors, along with Zhao Shan and Zhao He.
Wang Yu rose to his feet, knowing something had happened.
*Could the Black Qiang have mobilized their troops?* Wang Yu wondered. *The timing doesn't add up. Under normal circumstances, the news should have only just reached the Black Qiang. Even if they dispatched an army, the White Qiang have informants on their side, so the word shouldn't have traveled back this fast.*
At this thought, Wang Yu glanced up at the sky. *Could they have some steppe version of carrier pigeons?*
A moment later, the riders reached the top of the rise. Aishake called out loudly, "The Xiongnu have arrived! An envoy from the Xiongnu Royal Court!"
"What?" Everyone was taken aback.
Zhao Shan and Zhao He dismounted and strode to Wang Yu's side. Zhao Shan lowered his voice. "A visitor from the Xiongnu met with the White Qiang King in private."
Zhao He's expression was grave. "The envoy is a disciple of Qiulin Ji, a Xiantian expert!"
Wang Yu raised a brow, surprise flickering across his eyes. "Qiulin Ji?"
Qiulin Ji was one of the Three Steppe Heroes and the second-ranked expert of the Xiongnu. A Xiantian Grandmaster, he had created the saber style known as the Eighteen Forms of the Heavenly Wolf. Twenty years ago, he had rampaged through the passes, slaying both the chief of the Taiheng Thirty-Six Strongholds and the master of Saber Horse Hall, striking terror across the northern lands.
Had he not run up against the extraordinarily gifted Huyan Chi, he would likely have been the foremost expert of the Xiongnu.
As fellow saber masters, Zhao Zheng had once intended to seek him out for a duel back in the day, but before the journey could take place, Zhao Zheng met his end at the Xingxiu Sea, and the intended challenge came to naught.
Yet Qiulin Ji was unquestionably stronger than Shi Mo. After all, the Three Steppe Heroes included Qiulin Ji, not Shi Mo.
Zhao He nodded. "That is him. This man claims to be Qiulin Ji's chief disciple, named Qiao Riyan."
"What is a Xiongnu doing here among the White Qiang?" Wang Yu curled his lips. "Could the Xiongnu be eyeing the Central Plains again?"
Forty years ago, when the new dynasty was founded, Emperor Taizu had swept across Mobei and decisively routed the Xiongnu, keeping them from launching any large-scale border incursions for forty years. Yet that very defeat had paved the way for the rise of the Xianbei.
Over the past twenty years, the Xianbei had steadily grown in power, repeatedly raiding the frontier. Several years ago, the late emperor had campaigned in the north and fought a major war against them. Though it had not ended in a total victory, it had dampened the Xianbei's arrogance and simultaneously weakened the Xiongnu in the process.
Clearly, however, the Xiongnu had been quietly rebuilding their strength in the shadows. Taking advantage of the war between the imperial court and the Xianbei, they had risen once more, consolidating themselves into the steppe's premier power and restoring the rightful authority and majesty of the Xiongnu Royal Court.
Now that unrest had broken out among the Miao Frontier in the southwestern reaches of the Central Plains and turmoil was flaring across the empire, the Xiongnu were very likely itching to make a move.
The Xiongnu and the White Qiang had had no contact for ten years. For them to send someone now certainly was not out of idle whim; it had to concern a major affair across the steppe.
Wang Yu's immediate thought was that the Xiongnu simply could not bear to sit on the sidelines any longer.
"Senior Yan suspected the same, which is why she sent us to find you and ask you to return to the royal court at once," Zhao Shan said.
"They remember only the feast, never the beating. How many times has this happened now?"
Wang Yu rose and scoffed, "Every time they see the Central Plains looking weak, they try to take advantage. And every single time, they profit at first, only to be savagely battered once the Central Plains unifies its strength. Do they have no brains at all?"
Wang Yu's voice was far from quiet, and everyone nearby heard him clearly.
Atuke and the others exchanged awkward smiles, unable to offer any retort. Atuke could only say, "Let us head back first and see what this Xiongnu envoy came for."
Though Asuli was the current White Qiang King, Atuke was the designated successor, and Huona was a man of both intellect and valor who would serve as Atuke's right-hand man in the future. Both of them were fully qualified to participate in White Qiang state affairs.
As for their awkwardness, it was understandable enough. Over two centuries ago, the Western Qiang tribe had been shattered by the previous dynasty into the Black and White branches—a piece of history ordinary people might not even remember.
The group mounted their horses and galloped back toward the White Qiang Royal Court.
Arriving outside the royal council tent, they saw a squad of Xiongnu soldiers standing guard, along with several Xiongnu martial artists dressed in varied attire.
Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and Asuli emerged, accompanying a man in his thirties, with Gulanrena following close behind.
Catching sight of Wang Yu, Gulanrena shot him a covert glance.
"Prince of Zhenxi," Asuli said, his expression conflicted.
"The Prince of Zhenxi?" The man turned to look at Wang Yu with keen interest, yet without the slightest hint of deference.
"Qiao Riyan?" Wang Yu scrutinized the man. He was tall with long limbs, stepping with a light tread and maintaining a deep, steady breath. Both his internal cultivation and lightness skills were clearly exceptional.
A strange glint flashed in Qiao Riyan's eyes, and he said pointedly, "Venturing so deep into the steppe, isn't the Prince of Zhenxi afraid he might never return?"
Wang Yu let out an arrogant laugh. "This prince has three thousand battle-hardened troops under my command, and Lingwu Pass is merely two to three hundred li from here. Who could possibly stop me from returning?
"As for you lot—" Wang Yu's mouth curled into a wicked smirk. "You have traveled all the way from the Xiongnu heartland. Aren't you afraid that this prince might lead three thousand Iron Eagle Cavalry to bar your path and ensure you never return?"
A cold light flared in Qiao Riyan's eyes. Dispensing with any further threats, he turned back to Asuli. "Regarding what I just proposed, I urge the White Qiang King to consider it carefully. This matter brings nothing but pure benefit to the White Qiang, with not a single drawback."
"This king shall consider it thoroughly." Asuli forced a strained smile and instructed the attendants nearby, "Escort the Xiongnu envoy to his tent to rest."
Asuli then turned toward Wang Yu. "I must ask Your Highness's understanding; this king has pressing matters to discuss."
Wang Yu nodded. "Please, proceed as you must, King of the White Qiang."
Instead of returning to his own quarters, Wang Yu made his way to Yan Xiangxue's tent.
Yan Xiangxue was still supposed to be "gravely injured," and she had long ceased attending important White Qiang councils, generally sending Gulanrena in her stead.
Before long, Gulanrena and Ardai slipped into the tent together.
"Master! Your Highness!" Gulanrena said urgently. "Qiao Riyan came to broker a unification between the two Qiang branches!"
"Oh?" A sharp light glinted in Yan Xiangxue's eyes.
She had assumed the Xiongnu were preparing to invade the Central Plains and had come either to demand cattle, horses, provisions, and troops from the White Qiang, or to have them deploy along the frontier to pin down the imperial court's Northwestern Army.
She had never imagined that the Xiongnu would seek to unite the Black and White Qiang.
Yet that only proved their ambitions were far grander than expected; they intended to extract far greater utility from the Qiang people!
Gulanrena was Yan Xiangxue's trusted confidante. She knew her master's mind, knew that Yan Xiangxue had already recovered from her injuries, and was even privy to the plans of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor.
Her expression was therefore exceedingly grim, for the Xiongnu represented an overwhelming, irresistible force.
Ardai was both frantic and incensed. "They even want to marry me off to Yuan Nahe!"
Gulanrena added, "Qiao Riyan urged the King to form a marriage alliance with the Black Qiang King. That way, the new king of the unified Qiang would still carry his bloodline."
"A fine calculation indeed!" Yan Xiangxue snorted coldly.
Gulanrena glanced at Ardai and hesitated. "The King knows nothing of our plan and does not dare offend the Xiongnu.
"Yet he also does not wish to agree to Qiao Riyan's terms, as he is unwilling to sour relations with the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor," Gulanrena supplied.
The White Qiang were already weaker than the Black Qiang. It was only because the forces of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor kept a watchful vigil at Jinfeng Pass and Lingwu Pass that the tripartite balance of power had been maintained.
If the Xiongnu intervened, however, even dispatching a single auxiliary force would suffice to shatter that equilibrium.
Offending the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor meant difficult days ahead, but offending the Xiongnu and driving them into an alliance with the Black Qiang would leave the White Qiang with no future at all.
"The Xiongnu must have sent someone to the Black Qiang as well," Yan Xiangxue remarked.
"The one who came to the White Qiang is Qiulin Ji's chief disciple, so the one sent to the Black Qiang must be someone from Huyan Chi's camp." Yan Xiangxue chuckled humorlessly. "They certainly hold us in high regard."
Gulanrena asked, "Should we inform the King?"
"Hmph! He possesses not an ounce of royal mettle!" Yan Xiangxue sneered. "Does he still not grasp his own predicament? He actually dares entertain vacillation between two sides? With what leverage could he possibly accept Qiao Riyan's offer? The moment he dares agree, the day the two Qiang branches unite will be the day he outlives his usefulness!"
The White Qiang had maintained friendly ties with the Han lands for decades. Who among the Xiongnu or Black Qiang would ever truly trust him?
Gulanrena dared not speak.
Ardai was eager to act. "I'll go talk to Father!"
"Let him figure it out himself!" Yan Xiangxue said testily. "He has been the White Qiang King for decades. Does he lack even this much sense?"
Just then, Yan Xiangxue abruptly fell silent and looked toward the tent entrance.
Wang Yu's brows twitched as well, his gaze shifting sideways.
In that very instant, a voice as fine as silk drifted into the tent:
"Qiao Riyan of the Xiongnu requests an audience with Senior Yan!"
Chapter 112