Before I even opened my eyes, the faint sounds of children frolicking outside the tent, housewives calling to their livestock, and the low lowing of animals from the distant pens drifted into my ears.
In that hazy state between dreams and wakefulness, I felt for a moment as if I had returned to the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Back when I had first joined the narcotics task force, we were once pursuing a drug trafficking ring and spent the night in makeshift tents. Because the locals had warned us about wolves on the prairie, I hadn't dared to sleep a wink. It wasn't until dawn broke that I realized we were right next to a herdsman’s spring pasture.
Gu Xin had been part of that operation too. I still remembered how, as we lay in ambush within the waist-high grass, he had whispered to me, "Who do you think would be a more welcome sight right now? A wolf or a drug dealer?"
...
I climbed out of bed. The moment I sat up, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I slumped back down.
Master Rong Qin was sitting by a low table, combing her hair. I propped myself up on my elbow and watched her lazily. The bump I’d taken against the wooden post last night had knocked the drunkenness right out of me. After returning to the tent, I hadn't been able to sleep, so I’d managed to coax quite a bit of information out of her. I learned that she and Uncle-Master Qiu Lie had studied under the same master in their youth and had once shared a complicated, unspoken romantic history. Later, because Master was determined to claim the position of Sect Leader, she had set aside her feelings. After being rejected, Qiu Lie left the Nether Sect. As for his later marriage to someone else, the details remained a mystery. However, from the way he looked at my Master, it was clear he hadn't forgotten her.
She wasn't even forty yet—the age when a woman is at her most charming and attractive. By all accounts, she and Qiu Lie were a perfect match. The difficulty lay in the fact that neither was willing to speak up; feelings can't just be left to simmer in the dark forever.
Master tilted her head, studying my expression. "What are you thinking about?"
I looked into her bright eyes and said with total gravity, "I'm thinking about how I can marry Uncle-Master Qiu."
With a sharp *clack*, the comb in Master’s hand dropped onto the table. Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me as if she were seeing a ghost, unable to speak for a long time.
I shot her a mischievous grin. Her complexion was starting to look a bit off.
Acting as if nothing were amiss, I crawled out of bed and began dressing, speaking in a slow, deliberate tone. "When you like someone, you must tell them. Otherwise, you might just waste the happiness of two lifetimes."
I glanced at her. She was still sitting there in a daze, her expression shifting through a kaleidoscope of emotions.
I continued, "I plan to formally propose to Uncle-Master Qiu today. Master, our Nether Sect doesn't care much about seniority differences in marriage, right?"
Without a word, Master Rong Qin turned and bolted out of the tent.
I heard a sudden commotion outside, followed by Qiu Lie’s startled voice: "Rong Qin? Rong Qin!"
I collapsed onto the fur rug, clutching my stomach and howling with laughter.
The tent flap was lifted, and Qiu Lie stood at the entrance holding an empty plate. Seeing my state, he asked in bewilderment, "What’s wrong with your Master? She went charging out like she was possessed."
I gasped for breath, barely able to speak. "Because I told her... I was going to propose to you, Uncle-Master."
Qiu Lie didn't laugh. Instead, his bright eyes turned toward Rong Qin’s retreating figure. Even from behind, it was obvious she was in total disarray, wandering aimlessly across the grassland like a headless fly.
Having had my fill of laughter, I looked up at him and asked seriously, "My Master has clearly liked you for many years. The fact that she got this upset just because I said I’d marry you—are you really not moved at all?"
Qiu Lie withdrew his gaze from her back and looked at me hesitantly. "You don't understand. She doesn't..."
"Doesn't what?" I snapped, getting impatient. "Even I can see it, and you still can't?"
He turned again to look at her.
I jumped up. "Uncle-Master, I risked being skinned alive by my Master just to test her heart for you. Look at her—does that look like I'm the one playing a prank on you? If only to show some mercy and save my life, you have to..."
Qiu Lie shot me a look, set down the empty plate, and turned to chase after her. I quickly called out behind him, "Make sure to say some nice things about me!"
He had already run far off; I wasn't sure if he heard me.
*I suppose I’d better start praying for my own soul,* I thought.
Sighing, I picked up the comb from the rug, fixed my hair, and grabbed a towel. I wobbled my way toward the nearest stream to wash my face.
The river water was crystal clear, without a hint of impurity. The grass along the banks was dotted with wild flowers of every color, and the air hummed with the drone of insects. The vast Linxi Grassland stretched out boundlessly, presenting its most rustic and honest face to anyone who cared to look.
This sun-drenched world was beautiful to the point of... unreality.
It suddenly reminded me of the story of Zhuangzi and the butterfly. For Xi Xia, which world was the real one? Was it the drug enforcement officer with a history-professor father and expert marksmanship, or was it Ji Wuchao, the skilled martial artist with a happy, large family?
I shook my head in confusion. For years, I had deliberately avoided thinking about this. Perhaps because I had avoided it for so long, even bringing it up from the depths of my heart now didn't make it any clearer.
Before leaving the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, I had received a letter from my father, Old Man Ji. He wrote that he and Luo Jin had discussed it at length and decided that upon my return, they would follow the systems of the Kingdom of Yantian. The Ministry of Justice would include my name on the list of newly recruited constables to be submitted. Luo Jin would write a special recommendation for me as an exceptional recruit. After that... I would likely need to pass a series of examinations. Whether I would ultimately be accepted would depend on the Emperor’s will. However, according to my father’s estimation, the prospects were quite optimistic.
I privately planned to pull some strings through Princess Qingrong, asking her to put in a good word with the Empress Dowager. Additionally, I intended to take on a major challenge to increase my chances of success... I had a feeling this would work out.
To say I wasn't excited would be a lie. Think about it—how many years had I prepared for this day?
Just as I was lost in thought, a commotion broke out in the distance.
I stood up and realized the noise was coming from the horse paddocks behind the tents. A large crowd had gathered, seemingly watching riders break in horses. But something went wrong; the crowd suddenly scattered, and almost simultaneously, a pitch-black stallion burst through the throng like a bolt of lightning.
The first sight of it was truly breathtaking. It had a coat of pure obsidian, a body of elegant curves, and powerful limbs. Even its eyes shone like golden apples. It radiated an unbridled wildness, as if it were the favored child of the heavens on this great prairie, refusing to be mastered by anyone.
The problem was, perched on the back of this "favored child" was a young girl in a flowered skirt. You couldn't really call it "sitting"; she was clutching the mane with both hands, her body already slipping off.
The horse was too fast, and I didn't have a lasso. There was a ninety percent chance I couldn't stop it. But could I save the person?
I quickly and tensely gauged the distance between the horse and me. There was a gentle slope between us; when it hit that, it would have to slow down. Could I use that split second of deceleration?
The black horse thundered toward the base of the slope. Seizing the moment its speed faltered, I lunged from the side with all my might. My feet tapped lightly off the horse's flank as I scooped my arm around the girl's waist. To my horror, she wouldn't let go of the mane. I screamed, "Let go!"
My plan was to use the momentum of the horse's slight slowing to pull her off and jump clear. We would roll in the grass, and at most, we’d suffer a few scrapes. But the girl was utterly terrified; no matter how I yelled, she gripped the mane with a death-grip. That moment of hesitation was all it took—the black horse surged up the slope and shot like an arrow into the heart of the grassland.
Now, even I couldn't get down. My horsemanship wasn't great; at this point, all I could do was shield the girl in front of me to keep her from falling.
This had to be a wild horse. Sitting on its back, I could feel the surging power in its muscles. It didn't look like it would stop on its own anytime soon. What should I do?
I gripped the mane, using nearly ten-tenths of my strength to try and exert control, wanting it to stop according to my will. It might have been my imagination, but I felt the clever beast understood me. However, it was too proud—too proud to obey a human. it bucked and twisted, trying to throw us off. After I gave it a few sharp kicks, it settled slightly, no longer jumping so wildly, but its speed didn't slacken in the least.
Was it testing its internal strength against mine?
The wind howled past my ears, feeling like a thousand tiny needles pricking my face. I had no weapons on me except my throwing knives. If I used a knife to wound it, would it only drive the beast into a greater frenzy?
Truthfully, I couldn't bring myself to harm such a creature. Moreover, in the rhythm of this high-speed gallop, a mysterious communication began to form between us. When I tried to steer it, it didn't slow down, but it cooperated with the direction of my internal energy. It seemed to gradually grasp my intent, and it felt as though I were truly piloting it across the plains.
It felt like driving a high-performance off-road Jeep... the initial spark of panic vanished, replaced by the exhilaration of speed. This strange sensation came not just from the velocity, but from the mysterious connection between our minds.
The problem remained: how to make it stop?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of riders chasing us from afar. Not far behind, a white horse was closing in. As the black horse banked into a turn, the rider on the white horse threw a lasso, but the black stallion dodged it with uncanny agility.
The white horse and its rider kept approaching, repeatedly trying to snare the galloping stallion, but failing every time. My fingers were numb from gripping the mane, and the girl in my arms had gone limp, seemingly having fainted.
The white horse drew near once more. The lasso flew out, accurately looping around the black stallion’s neck. But at that exact moment, a steep downward slope appeared before us, at the end of which lay a lake as still and beautiful as a mirror.
At our speed, stopping was impossible. I didn't even have time to shout before I felt my body go airborne, plummeting downward... For a second, the world moved like a fast-forwarded film: first the calm surface reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, then a massive splash of white foam, and finally, the light turning a murky blue-green. In the blink of an eye, I felt my entire body enveloped by bone-chilling cold.
I hadn't expected the spring lake water to be so freezing.
I think I blacked out for a few seconds. After choking on a few mouthfuls of cold water, I gradually came to. Remembering the unconscious girl, I held my breath and felt around frantically. My hand caught a mass of long hair, and without thinking, I grabbed it and swam for the shore. Another figure appeared beside me in the water; in the chaos, I couldn't see who it was, only that they helped me support the girl. She seemed to have regained consciousness and was struggling in my grip.
My body grew heavier, and the water around me felt increasingly viscous.
When I finally collapsed onto the grass, I think I passed out again for a few moments. But only for a few.
I opened my eyes dizzily. The first thing I saw, barely two feet away, was Shao Ming’s face—perfect as a statue. The sight left me in a momentary trance.
His skin was a light wheat tone. He had bold, sword-like eyebrows that tilted slightly upward at the ends, giving his eyes a hint of a smile even when he wasn't laughing. He had a straight nose and a beautifully contoured mouth and chin.
His eyelids flickered, and before I could look away, he opened his eyes. It was the first time I had looked into someone's eyes from so close—they were very dark, very bright, and unfathomably deep. He looked at me, and a flash of similar daze seemed to cross his profound pupils.
Feeling awkward, I shifted my gaze.
Unaccustomed to being so close to anyone, I struggled to sit up, only to find that my entire body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together poorly. At our feet lay the girl. She had swallowed a lot of water, but seeing her sobbing, I figured she was mostly fine.
Seeing us both sitting up, the girl threw herself into Shao Ming’s arms, wailing, "Shao Ming, you saved me again..."
I stared at the scene in shock. It was her again!
And why was Shao Ming the one getting credit for the rescue?
I looked at her blankly, then at Shao Ming. He didn't say anything, merely pushing her away gently. Then, his gaze turned toward me, carrying a hint of concern.
I shook my head to show I was okay. His gaze moved behind me, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a faint, light smile. My attention followed his gaze. I heard the sound of splashing water from behind, and just as I was wondering if there were giant fish in the lake, something hot and furry nuzzled my neck. Startled, my legs went weak, and I plopped back down into the water.
I heard Shao Ming laugh. I looked up and realized the culprit was the black stallion.
I glared at it furiously, but it looked like a child who knew it had done something wrong, hanging its head and submissively nudging my face with its nose to curry favor.
"What... what are you doing?" I pushed its massive head away. "You nearly killed us!"
It was tickling me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Was this fellow feeling guilty for dumping us in the lake? I held its head, intending to give it a piece of my mind, but it looked at me with those golden-apple eyes, so innocent and pleading, before leaning in to nuzzle my face again.
I sighed. Forget it. Why hold a grudge against such a beautiful animal? I patted its head and used its neck for support as I slowly waded back to dry land.
By then, the Linxi tribespeople had caught up. Master Rong Qin and Uncle-Master Qiu were among them. The accident must have been terrifying; Master’s face was still pale, and she held my hand for a long time without finding words. Only Qiu Lie remained smiling. "Xi Xia, this is a blessing in disguise. I've lived on the prairie for many years, and this is the first time I've seen such a magnificent horse."
Though I had always wanted a good horse, I never imagined I’d get one this way. Was this a stroke of luck? Thinking of this, I couldn't help but hug the black stallion’s neck affectionately. It snorted softly, allowing my "harassment." However, the moment Qiu Lie tried to get close, it immediately bared its teeth.
I quickly held it back. Channeling the tone of Fairy Zixia from *A Chinese Odyssey*, I stared solemnly into its large eyes and declared, "I hereby announce that from now on, I am your master. I won't brand you; I don't really have a mark anyway. Hmm, let's give you a name. From now on, you shall be called—'Love You for Ten Thousand Years'."
Heaven knows how much I had envied the powerful "Love You for Ten Thousand Years" when I watched *A Chinese Tall Story*.
Now, I finally had one of my own!
***
