Il arrive souvent des choses désagréables

Chapitre 51

I roughly understood what he meant; he was asking me what I was doing out here. But since we couldn't communicate, I could only wave my hand haphazardly and ask them in return, "Where is Sangza?"

It was windy at night, so they probably didn't hear what I was saying, and they took a few more steps toward me.

The change happened in those few steps. I heard the sound of arrows piercing the air, and saw a sudden burst of fire in the black sky behind them. Before a scream could even escape my lips, a rain of flaming arrows fell, and screams and neighing horses, along with the glow of the burning flames, shattered the tranquility of the camp.

I lunged forward, managing to pull one man away from the hail of arrows. We tumbled behind a collapsed low wall, and despite my best efforts, he was still struck in the leg by an arrow.

It was a rocket, fired from an incredibly powerful crossbow, that had penetrated his calf almost through, the arrow still on fire. Amidst the pungent smell of burning flesh, he screamed in agony, writhing on the ground clutching his leg. I gritted my teeth, grabbed a piece of felt, and pounded it to extinguish the flames, but he was already on the verge of death, lying on the ground only groaning.

Besides the few sentries, several horses that had been tied to the camp gate were also hit by arrows, neighing and running rampant in the firelight—a horrific scene. Everyone rushed out in the chaos. I saw Sangza's white hair and beard fluttering in the wind as he shouted, "Don't panic! Ping An! Ping An, where are you?"

I called out to him, "I'm here." Then I looked back in the direction from which the arrows came, and heard the sound of horses' hooves like thunder. I didn't know how many people were coming, but a dark cloud of men surrounded the abandoned camp in the blink of an eye.

The ranchers, exhausted from their journey, had finally reached the edge of the canyon. Thinking of returning home the next day, who wouldn't be sleeping soundly? Suddenly, they were attacked without warning. Although they hurriedly got up and grabbed their weapons, their faces in the firelight wore the expressions of someone waking from a nightmare. On the ground lay corpses that had been impaled by rockets, their charred flesh emitting wisps of smoke, making it look like a scene from hell.

The group of men, clad in black armor and riding black horses, surrounded the camp in a fan shape. The leader waved his hand from his horse, and all the horses and men immediately stopped. Some horses in the camp were still running wildly out of the encirclement. As they approached, someone flashed a long sword, and in the splatter of blood, the horses were killed before they could dodge.

Amidst the sounds of the wind, the burning flames, and the mournful neighing of the horses, even before they uttered a single word, the fear of death, like a giant hand tightly covering their mouths and noses, silenced all the shepherds, including me.

4

Any resistance was futile against such a well-trained army, and soon everyone was herded together, including me. But I didn't see Elizabeth, and I knew in my heart that she must still be hiding in some corner. But the situation was tense, and I couldn't say anything to Sanza at this moment, so I could only remain silent.

The leader sat on his horse, looking down at us, speaking in a language I couldn't understand. Beneath his black helmet was a dark face, with a high nose and deep-set eyes; he was clearly Mexican.

Sanza stepped forward to answer, but it was clear the two were speaking completely different languages. After speaking for a while, the man became impatient. Moonlight swept across everyone, suddenly stopping on me, and then pointed at me with one finger, saying, "You, come out!"

I was surprised to learn that this Mexican could speak Chinese.

Sanza was more nervous than I was. She turned around and blocked my way, saying anxiously, "I understand Chinese, I can speak it."

Seeing how nervous he was, the man became interested in me and pointed at me, saying, "Come here."

Sanza tried to stop him, but several knights nearby had already drawn their bows and aimed them at him. Fearing they would actually attack, I immediately stepped forward and went over.

The leader looked me up and down. I managed to maintain a calm facade, but my chest ached with fear, my legs felt unsteady, and everything I saw seemed shrouded in a nightmare.

They found me! These people came to arrest me! I still couldn't escape, and I even dragged so many people into this mess!

He had finally seen enough, and still speaking from horseback, he said in broken Chinese, word by word: "You, tell them to hand over Abule."

What?

For a moment I doubted my ears, and I looked up at him blankly, bewildered, "Abul?"

Sanza also heard this and, under the threat of the arrow, shouted, "You've got the wrong person! There's no such person here!"

Someone approached the leader's horse and, while speaking, handed him something. He took it, his eyes narrowing in the firelight, before turning back to us.

"You still say you don't! This is the evidence!"

The object in his hand reflected the firelight. I glanced at it and, knowing it was ill-timed, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

The jade ornament he was holding was the one given to me by the Mexican man. I had dropped it on the ground when I rescued someone, and it was picked up by their people.

So it turns out they weren't looking for me!

Sanza was about to speak when I interrupted him, looking up at the leader and saying, "I know where he is."

Before I could finish speaking, I suddenly heard the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air. Instinctively, I ducked, and a white light curved past my scalp, then swept back up, heading straight for the leader's throat.

The leader, mounted on horseback, found it difficult to dodge and was about to be slit in the throat. However, he was clearly no ordinary man. In that split second, he suddenly leaned back, almost lying flat on his horse's back, and narrowly avoided the blow.

Seeing that he was wide open to avoid the attack and that the opportunity would be fleeting, I immediately leaped up without hesitation. The gold rope that had been wrapped around my waist was immediately taken out. I grabbed the thin chain with both hands, tightened it, and then twisted it with my other hand, instantly strangling his neck tightly.

The white light missed its target, spun around in mid-air, and flew back towards its origin. A loud laugh was heard, and the door of the barracks where I had stayed was flung open with a loud bang. An unusually tall figure walked out from inside, carrying a girl on his shoulder and catching the flying curved sword with a snap.

I was still sitting on my horse, behind the leader, my hands twisted behind my back, tightly gripping his neck, listening to his dying gasps in front of me. Meanwhile, Mr. Abule, who should have been the target of everyone's anger, was laughing loudly in the firelight, his eyes flashing like lightning as he looked in my direction and said in a booming voice.

"good!"

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Abule appeared out of nowhere, and I subdued the cavalry leader. The cavalry, leaderless, drew their longbows to their full extent, unsure whether to aim at me or their original target, Abule. Seeing the critical situation, I didn't have time to express my anger towards the man who had brought us danger. I loosened my grip slightly, and the leader gasped for air, letting out a beast-like gasp. I gritted my teeth and said, "Make them put down their arrows, or I'll kill you."

"daughter!"

"elder sister!"

Sangza and Gebu saw the person on Abule's shoulder and almost simultaneously let out a scream.

Abule strode to the front, his imposing presence causing the herdsmen to spontaneously part to make way for him; none of them attempted to stop him. As he passed Sanza and Gebu, he casually tossed Eliza to them, his action as nonchalant as if she were an insignificant little thing, showing no regard for her being a living, breathing person.

I didn't know what he was going to do, but before I could react, he had already reached the front of my horse. The orderly ranks of black-clad knights immediately stirred slightly, as if they were extremely wary of him.

I sat on horseback with the chief. The North is known for its tall, magnificent horses, and mine was no exception. Abule, standing beside me, could meet my gaze with just a slight lift of his chin. He hadn't been fully upright inside the house, but now, in the bright firelight, he was clearly visible. I was amazed; I hadn't expected him to be so tall.

“Give him to me.” Able held out his hand.

I wanted to shake my head, but his tone carried an unquestionable authority. I had never threatened anyone's life before, so it was indeed not easy for me to do it, and I felt powerless. After thinking for a moment, I tightened the chain in my hand and jumped off the horse with the man.

Abule's giant hand reached out, and the man who had been so arrogant on horseback was suddenly grabbed like a chick, with the curved knife firmly held against his neck.

I silently retracted my golden silk rope, thinking to myself that he was indeed a professional. You could tell just from the way he held the knife to someone's neck. His speed, accuracy, and decisiveness were incomparable to mine.

Abule held his knife to the leader's neck and began speaking to the remaining cavalry in Mexican. I took the opportunity to retreat back to Sanza's side. He had just checked on Eliza's condition, and when he saw me return, he grabbed me again, anxiously asking, "Ping An, are you alright?" A layer of sweat covered his forehead, and in a short while, the wrinkles above his brows seemed to have deepened even more.

Seeing how concerned he was about my safety, I was touched and quickly shook my head. "I'm fine, I'm fine. This guy was hiding behind the barracks where I sleep. He suddenly grabbed me and knocked Elizabeth unconscious. I don't know who he is. I only heard him say that he wanted us to take him across the canyon. Can you understand what they were saying?"

Sangza had been running a ranch for many years and was fluent in the languages of various ethnic groups on the grasslands, including Mexican. The reason he had been talking to that man earlier was simply to use the language barrier as an excuse to escape. But after listening intently for a few moments, his expression immediately changed.

Seeing Sangza so moved, my heart leaped into my throat. I lowered my voice and asked, "What's wrong? What did they say?"

"They want to take him back to Dadu."

My eyelids twitched violently. Sure enough, this man named Abule was an important figure. At a time when the Mo Kingdom was fighting fiercely with my royal brother, why would they mobilize so many people for an ordinary deserter? Not only did they send so many people to capture him, but they also wanted to bring him all the way back to Dadu from such a remote place.

Abul's voice continued. The cavalrymen were clearly well-trained, but with their commander held hostage, they were momentarily thrown into disarray. The commander, however, was resilient; he remained silent even with Abul's scimitar pressed against his neck. Impatient, Abul roared again, pressing the tip of his blade down, and blood immediately gushed from the commander's neck.

I remained standing with the herdsmen. Sanza glanced again at the corpses of his companions on the ground, his face filled with unconcealed grief, his graying eyebrows furrowed. He suddenly reached out and shoved a crumpled sheepskin into my hand, then said in a very low voice, "Ping'an, it seems things can't end well today. This place is too dangerous. Here's a map of the path through the canyon. You go first; we'll stay behind to hold them off."

I stood there, stunned, holding the roll of sheepskin. "How can I go alone?"

“You were entrusted to us by Brother Mo. If anything happens to you, I will have no face to see him again, even if I die.”

I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head. "No."

Sanza's other hand was still gripping Gebu's shoulder, as if he wanted to hide the child inside his body. When I shook my head, his brows furrowed even more, and he suddenly pushed the child toward me, "Take him with you, I'm begging you."

Gebu was pushed toward me by his father. This stubborn child, who hadn't said a word until now, suddenly blushed, twisted his shoulder, and broke free from his father's hand. He glared at him with gritted teeth and shook his head violently.

I was flustered by the expressions on Sangza and the child's faces, but then I heard a commotion ahead. It turned out that one of the cavalrymen rode up on horseback, also wearing iron armor, looking like a deputy general, and shouted a few words at Abule.

Abule was no ordinary man; he didn't react to Abule's taunts at all. Instead, he laughed contemptuously, raising his head to the sky. With a swift movement of his curved blade, blood flashed, and he indeed sliced off the ear of the man in his hand.

5

The man roared, and his bloodied ear fell to the ground, rolling in a bloody trail. The herdsmen with me, who had initially hated the ambush that had stunned several of their companions, all showed expressions of horror upon seeing the horrific scene.

Abule raised his scimitar, and as it fell, the tip pressed against the leader's left eye. His intention was clear. The lieutenant, intimidated by his cruelty, could no longer speak and finally raised his hand behind his back. The cavalrymen were also shocked by this scene. Upon seeing the lieutenant's action, the originally tight encirclement immediately retreated and loosened slightly.

The leader's ears were cut off, and a sharp knife was pressed against his eye. His face was covered in blood, and the eye that was not pressed by the knife was also a bloody mess, making it impossible for him to break free.

He spoke under Abule's control, his voice not loud, and it was unclear what he said. After listening, Abule laughed loudly, slightly moved his knife away, and grabbed him to face the cavalry.

I guessed that he finally couldn't bear the torture and was about to order a retreat. Unexpectedly, after straightening up, he suddenly turned around, clasped his hands together, and hugged Abule's waist tightly. He turned his face towards the cavalrymen and roared.

When the man straightened up, everyone thought he would ask his men to back down to save his own life. Unexpectedly, this man was so brave that he was willing to risk his life to capture Abule.

Abul was caught off guard and was grabbed around the waist, but he acted almost immediately, grabbing the leader's body with both hands and pulling him outward with force.

Abule was enormous, with hands as large as fans and immense strength. He nearly tore the leader in two, but the man held on with all his might, his face covered in blood, his expression contorted in the firelight, still screaming incessantly.

Although I didn't understand their language, I could roughly guess what he was shouting. The cavalrymen who had already begun to retreat responded with a roar, and in an instant, they all spurred their horses forward, all facing Abule's direction, seemingly determined to capture their leader regardless of his life or death.

Sangza shouted, "Oh no! Run!" He pushed Gebu into my arms and then turned to shout the same thing in Mongolian to all the people standing around in the pasture.

A teenager bumped into me, causing me to stumble back a large step. In the brief moment, I heard a shrill scream, and turning my head, I saw that the leader had been cleaved in two by Abule's scimitar, his mangled body lying on either side, blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

Countless screams erupted from the crowd. Even the men who had spent years herding horses and sheep on the grasslands were terrified and turned pale. I only had time to cover Gebu's eyes, but I felt my throat tighten and I almost vomited on the spot.

The scene of carnage terrified the herdsmen, but it enraged the cavalry even more. In an instant, all the horses' hooves were airborne, scimitars slashed down, and longbows were drawn taut—all aimed at Abule. Abule, in this dire situation, remained unmoved. I only heard him roar, and with a thunderous shout, countless arrows rained down like a storm, completely disregarding the many herdsmen behind him.

The herdsmen scattered and fled amidst the rain of arrows. I knew things were going badly, but I only had time to grab Gebu and run in the opposite direction, the air filled with the whooshing sound of arrows piercing the sky. Although I was good at light footwork, carrying such a big child limited my options. In the pitch-black night, I was panicked and didn't know where to run, only knowing to hold him tightly and rush forward. Although the child was small, he was quite resilient. I used all my strength and went fast, practically dragging him forward as I held his hand, but he didn't utter a sound.

Our camp was near a canyon. I sprinted at full speed, almost rushing into the canyon. Screams filled the air. I dared not look back, fearing that I would be caught by arrows. The wind in the canyon still sounded like a mournful ghost howl. Behind me was a ruthless army. There were no safe paths in front or behind me. I held my breath and didn't let out a breath. Finally, I reached the mouth of the canyon. I was about to push off with my feet when suddenly my hands felt heavy, and I almost tumbled to the ground.

I steadied myself and looked down quickly, and after just one glance, I screamed in terror.

It was Gebu, this stubborn and tough boy, who had somehow been struck in the back by a long iron arrow. The blood that flowed from him left a long and winding trail of blood on the road we passed, a gruesome and terrifying scene in the darkness.

My hands trembled with fear, and I couldn't move forward another step. All I knew was to kneel down and hug him tightly, my voice shaking as I said, "Gebu, don't move. I'll bandage you up. No, no, I'll take this arrow out for you first..."

His thin lips were bleeding from being bitten by himself. His eyes were open in the darkness, but he wasn't looking at me. His neck was twisted tightly in another direction—the direction we came from.

I followed his gaze, and the blood that had been flowing rapidly from running suddenly froze, leaving my body stiff.

It was a sea of fire and blood!

The burning rockets ignited the entire ruins, and in the flames, apart from those demonic knights, there were few intact people left. I saw those who had been with me day and night for more than ten days, some struggling and crawling on the ground with arrows stuck in their bodies, some running and screaming while engulfed in flames, and there were also shrill howls, the kind of sounds that came from the throats of the strongest adults, like the cries of wild beasts losing their young, more terrifying than crying.

There was a force pushing me away; it was Gebu struggling to push my hands away. This movement startled me awake. I looked down and saw that he had already rolled off my arms and onto the ground. I desperately reached out to pull him up, but he stubbornly pushed my hands away again, using his last bit of strength to crawl in that direction, saying in a weak voice as he crawled, "Go, I need to find my father."

I wanted to scream at him, to ask why he was going back. There were no living people there, they were all dead! But his body, bleeding profusely yet still moving resolutely towards his family, knocked me down. I had never felt so useless and shameful, abandoning the companions who had brought me here, yet unable to save the child they had entrusted to me!

I crouched down, hugged Gebu's body, and gritted my teeth, saying, "No, you can't die. I must keep you alive." Then, I acted swiftly, first pressing the pressure points around his wound, then pulling out a small knife from my boot. With one hand, I grabbed the exposed arrow shaft, and with the other, I swung the knife, slicing it in two along Gebu's skin.

Although I did my best to be swift and clean, Gebu still cried out when I severed the arrow shaft, and then his whole body went limp. Afraid that he would die, I quickly turned him over and checked his breath. I felt a faint breath on my fingertips before I was relieved. Without hesitation, I carried him on my back and ran into the canyon.

At that moment, I had only one thought: I absolutely could not let this child die. No matter the cost, I had to keep him alive!

Before dawn, the valley was pitch black. As soon as I stepped in, I felt as if I had entered a huge maze. Everywhere I looked, there were dead ends made up of jagged rocks. No matter which direction I went, it was as narrow as a thread. In the wide places, a few steps would lead to a dead end. Although the narrow places let in the wind, it was impossible for me to carry someone through. I wandered around like a headless fly for a few hours before finally remembering the crumpled, tattered sheepskin that Sangza had given me.

The child on my back had already fainted. I put him down, and his once ruddy face turned deathly pale from blood loss. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and opened the roll of sheepskin. By the first sliver of sunlight overhead, I carefully examined the crooked lines on it.

Before I could even finish looking at the sheepskin, the sound of horses' hooves came like a storm and stopped just outside the canyon. I heard someone shout in broken Chinese, "Woman, come out!"

I was startled and wondered how they could have noticed me running into the canyon in such a chaotic situation, but the sound that followed made me grit my teeth involuntarily.

Someone spoke a few words in a lazy tone. It wasn't in Chinese, but I could understand it. The voice belonged to Abul!

He's still alive!

The man who brought us misfortune and annihilation is still alive!