Укротитель зверей

Глава 39

——【Continued in the handwritten version】——

Volume Three: Border Town Chronicles

Chapter One: The Official Road Inn

1

Once the horse was in Mo Li's hands, it seemed to be driven by animal instinct, knowing that the person on its back was not someone to be trifled with. It galloped along with great effort, unlike when it was being driven by me, and soon left the inn far behind.

Mo Li spurred his horse away from the official road. I saw that the road ahead was becoming more and more winding, and soon it turned into a mountain road. The mountains on both sides rose and fell, and the peaks intertwined. Gradually, I felt uneasy. I had a feeling that this was a place I had been before, and that it had left me with no pleasant memories.

"Aren't we supposed to be leaving the pass?"

He nodded, spurred his horse to a high point, and pointed into the distance, saying, "Look, that's Chongguan City."

I looked in the direction he pointed. The sun was setting, and the city walls were shrouded in mist in the distance, no more than ten miles away from us.

"About two hundred li south of Chongguan City lies the location of our sect's headquarters." The sunlight was blinding, and he squinted slightly on his horse, his back ramrod straight as a javelin. I sat in front of him, our bodies almost pressed together, with no space between us.

Passing through customs...

My heart sank, and my mouth tasted bitter. "Wouldn't once we cross the border, we be in the territory of the Mexican Kingdom?"

"The city of Mo is a hundred miles north of Chongguan City. The area outside the pass is vast and has a large population. Mo was once just a large nomadic and hunting tribe. Decades ago, it gradually annexed other tribes and eventually became an independent nation. Our religion has lasted for over a hundred years. How can Mo compare to us?"

"Then your Holy Fire Cult isn't located within Mexico's borders?"

He gave a slightly contemptuous look.

I think I understand that what the Right Envoy means is that it's already good enough that the Holy Fire Cult doesn't charge them protection fees, and whether or not they are within their territory is not even a consideration for them.

Indeed, in chaotic times, strength is what matters. So what if you establish your own country? Rogues fear bandits, bandits fear government troops, but even government troops are helpless against a peerless master.

I thought again of the two officials I had killed with a single blow, and fell silent.

He spurred his horse to continue onward. The mountain path was narrow and steep, and the horse was not moving fast, but he did not urge it on, letting it walk slowly.

The mountain road winds its way up, gradually leading to what seems like a dead end. Ahead, towering cliffs rise, and a faint rumbling sound can be heard. After turning a bend in the mountain pass, a sudden burst of lightning appears, white streaks fill the sky, ice flowers fly everywhere, and a rainbow appears and disappears.

Such a beautiful sight suddenly appeared, even Mo Li's eyes relaxed, and he looked at the other side of the waterfall and said: "Originally there was a shortcut here, which could take a secret passage to the outside of the pass. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the Mo Kingdom rebels three years ago. Now, to leave the pass through this place, one must cross this mountain."

I looked around blankly, fearing I was still in a nightmare, an incredibly real nightmare. I heard my own voice, dry and weak, each word barely registering, "How could... how could I be here?"

"Have you been here before?"

My vision blurred, and I could no longer see his face clearly. I kept muttering to myself, "Impossible, I went to Changchuan, not Chongguan, not here."

He pointed north, “The Yunshan Mountains run through the border between the two countries. Changchuan is north of Yunshan. The mountains are connected, and some people also take the route through Changchuan to cross the border. However, three years ago, when the two countries arranged a marriage, the wedding procession had an accident on the Changchuan border. After that, the situation between the two countries became tense. Since then, Changchuan has been heavily guarded by troops, and people are rarely allowed to enter or leave.”

I could no longer hear what he was saying; I felt as if I had been struck by a heavy hammer. Yes, this is it. Li Family Village is built in the mountains. After Ji Feng took me away from that village, we ran through the mountains until dawn. Since the mountain ranges are connected, then the place we visited... is right here.

"Peace?" He turned his face and finally noticed my abnormality. His expression darkened, and he grabbed me. I looked down and saw his fingers moving slightly on my wrist. Looking again, I realized that I was trembling, trembling so badly that my clothes rustled against each other.

He frowned. "What's wrong with you?" he said, releasing the reins and holding me in his arms. Seeing that I was still trembling, he simply jumped off the horse with me in his arms, pressing one hand on my pulse point to check my internal energy.

I awoke with a start. His face was like a ray of light, pulling me away from that endless nightmare. I looked down again and saw only unknown wildflowers growing in the cracks of the rocks, blooming beautifully in the setting sun.

So I really did come back here.

I slowly crouched down, my fingers scraping across the rough ground, across the small pebbles, across the places we had walked together. The sounds of galloping hooves, clashing swords, and countless clamorous voices surged forth from the darkest part of my memory. I saw myself three years ago, I saw Jifeng three years ago, I saw the black thread on his hand, I saw my terrified face in his eyes.

"Safety?"

He called me again. I turned my head and saw him still beside me, the mountain wind blowing, lifting his clothes and tangling them with mine. My vision was blurry, and I couldn't make out his face. But he was carrying light, the only light left in the darkness, allowing me to escape those terrifying memories.

I stared at him intently, and suddenly tears welled up in my eyes.

Thankfully, thankfully you're still by my side.

2

I suppressed the urge to hug him and burst into tears, and shook my head, saying, "I'm fine. Do you want to go hiking?"

He nodded, his gaze still fixed on my face.

"Oh, let's go then." I calmed myself down, stopped thinking about what happened three years ago, and focused my attention on him. I felt much better after that.

Mo Li led me up the mountain, abandoning my horse. I didn't need him to urge me; I automatically started climbing the mountainside. But I kept thinking about his recent serious injury and didn't dare to be careless. As I climbed, I kept looking at him. He was right beside me, within my sight with just a turn of my head. His steps were steady, and occasionally our eyes would meet before quickly looking away.

Three years later, I unexpectedly returned to my old haunts. Overwhelmed with emotion, I wanted to talk to him, but he asked me, "Why did you become a disciple of Wende?"

This... is really hard to explain.

I thought about it and told the truth: "There's nowhere to go."

"Where are your family members?" he asked again.

...I froze again. Thinking of my father, half of my body went cold. Then I thought of my brother, and the other half went cold too. It took me a long time to finish my sentence, "They're all gone. My family was caught in the chaos in the capital. My master saved me when I was about to die and then took me up the mountain."

He turned his head to look at me. As dusk deepened, his eyes were shrouded in shadow, making them difficult to see clearly, but there was something faintly bright and inexplicable within them that made me unable to stop eating. I struggled, pleading, "And that thing, that thing was already inside me before I came up the mountain, I don't know where it came from."

He finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Ping An, I hate being lied to the most, you know?"

In that instant, my hands and feet turned ice cold, my legs went weak, and I almost fell down the mountain. But miraculously, my gaze was firmly drawn to him. His eyes were magnetic, and I was like a frog being stared at by a snake, unable to move, let alone escape.

We stared at each other for a long time. Suddenly, his lips twitched, then he turned and continued walking forward without saying a word.

I stood there, like a frog that had been released by a snake, almost ready to croak out on its back.

He remained silent after that. I silently watched him from behind, carefully observing his expression. His face was calm, and he didn't exude any of that "I know everything, you're doomed" kind of attitude. I gradually calmed down and comforted myself. I hadn't lied to him; it's just that some things can't be said. Not saying something and lying are two different concepts, at least in my mind.

What is there that you don't know? As long as you think of me, as long as you can remember me.

The two of them walked on in silence. As they gradually reached a higher place, looking down again, the Pengshiping area, which was etched with the most painful memories of my life, had become small and distant, an insignificant shadow in the twilight.

We walked at a brisk pace, but even so, by the time we reached the summit, the sky was filled with stars. The summit was covered with jagged rocks, and although there was some vegetation, it was all low and sparse. I slipped, and before I could even regain my footing, a gust of wind swept past, nearly knocking me to the ground.

Mo Li was right beside me when she reached out and grabbed me. "Watch out!"

I stumbled back and leaned against him, awkwardly regaining my balance. His chin was right above my head. Suddenly, I heard him groan softly, muffled by the wind, but it sounded like laughter.

I froze. He had already walked forward, and I unconsciously followed. Only then did I realize that my hand was still in his, our fingers intertwined, and it felt very warm.

We climbed over the mountaintop and continued forward. It was dark in the mountains, but he seemed to know the way intimately. I asked softly, "Mo Li, have you been here before?"

He nodded, and I was pleasantly surprised and asked expectantly, "You still remember this place?"

He turned to look at me and said, “Before the secret passage collapsed, I accompanied the leader to and from the Central Plains several times through this place, so I am naturally familiar with it.”

Before the secret passage collapsed? My heart sank. "How could this be?"

He ignored my words, suddenly broke off a branch from the side of him and swung it. Before I could react, I heard a rustling sound in the grass, which stopped after two rustling sounds, as if some animal had been hit.

"Go get it." He gave me a push.

I parted the grass to look and saw a plump wild rabbit lying on its back, a twig stuck straight into its forehead, its eyes still open, looking like it had died with its eyes wide open.

I turned to look at him, with reverence.

The boss is the boss; following you will definitely bring benefits.

Afterwards, Mo Li led me into a flat area, surrounded by lush vegetation, with mountain streams flowing by, and towering trees beside us, like a large umbrella spread out above our heads.

Mo Li took out a tinderbox and started a fire on the spot. It was dark in the mountains, and I always felt that there was a faint light in the bushes. I asked him what it was. He was lighting the fire, and his profile was sometimes in the light and sometimes out of the fire. He answered me without looking up.

"It's a mountain wolf."

I'd heard my junior brother say that the wolves in the mountains were the scariest. They'd paw at your shoulder like a human, and if you turned around, they'd bite your throat. He'd said this on a night like this, staring straight at everyone, and even mimicking a wolf's howl while choking himself. I was terrified then. But then I suddenly heard Mo Li say this, accompanied by a faint green light from the bushes and a faint, mournful howl carried on the wind. I was instantly filled with terror and instinctively moved closer to him.

He had already started a fire, turned to look at me, and suddenly a smile appeared in his eyes, probably laughing at my uselessness.

"Scared?"

I never pretended to be a hero in front of him, so I nodded immediately, "Will the Mountain Wolf come?"

"If there's fire, they won't be bothered. Even if they really come, it's nothing. Just kill the alpha wolf, and the rest will naturally scatter." He placed the skinned rabbit over the fire with practiced movements, and a fragrant aroma gradually wafted out, making me feel incredibly hungry.

"You know everything, you can do everything..." I exclaimed.

“I used to live in the mountains, so I naturally know these things.” He said casually, opening the package the boss had prepared for us and taking out steamed buns and beef, then tearing off a rabbit leg and handing it to me.

I suddenly felt a headache coming on. I held the fragrant rabbit leg in my hand, but I had no appetite at all. My whole body was stiff, and I just didn't want him to continue talking. He looked up from the fire, saw my state, and suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of laughter, "So scared that you don't even want to eat?"

I had truly lost my appetite. I put down the rabbit leg and stared blankly. I had so many questions for him, but I didn't dare utter a single one.

He stood up and led me to a higher place, saying, "Look over there."

I looked in the direction he pointed, and saw only lonely mountains in the darkness, with the night wind swirling and the faint, distant calls of night birds. Everything seemed unreachable, and in the far distance, a mountain peak rose high, piercing the clouds.

"That is where my sect's headquarters is located. Most of the land outside the pass is wilderness, but the Holy Mountain is evergreen all year round, with countless rare beasts and excellent scenery."

I don't know why he suddenly had the mood to talk to me about these things. After listening, I didn't feel excited at all. I lowered my head and said, "You're not taking me to see the scenery. When I get there, your cult leader might just cut me open and find your sacred objects first."

He turned his head away from me. I heard a soft chuckle, and in my surprise, I thought I was hallucinating. But when I looked up and listened carefully, I saw that although his face was turned to the side, the corners of his mouth were up, and he was indeed smiling.

Both Ji Feng and Mo Li's reactions were shocking, especially considering we were discussing such a heavy topic. I froze on the spot, "You... what are you laughing at?"

He suddenly reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Mo Li was as skilled in martial arts as my master Wen De, and could easily split rocks with one hand. If he had used force, my shoulder would have been in serious danger. However, although his grip was tight, it was not strong. He turned to face me, his eyes shining like stars.

"I'm laughing at your stupidity."

I'm speechless.

“Peace.” He called my name. “Three years ago, there was an internal strife in our sect. I almost lost my life here. It was the sect leader who did everything he could to save me. After that, our sect underwent a sudden change. The sect leader went into seclusion and never showed up again. All sect affairs were taken over by the current priest. I was forced to leave the sect. All of this is related to the sacred object in your body. This object is related to the survival of our sect. Now that I have found it, I must bring it back.”

After all that he said, his meaning was the same as when he first met me: he was determined to take me back no matter what. But I only heard the words "three years ago" and ignored everything else, nervously looking up, "You almost lost your life here three years ago?"

He nodded, but didn't seem inclined to elaborate, only asking me, "Are you afraid to go back to Islam with me?"

I shook my head, then nodded. "Mo Li, if I begged you to stop worrying about all this messy stuff and we traveled all over the country together, would you agree?"

He smiled and asked, "Ping An, what are you thinking about?"

I knew he wouldn't agree, but I still felt discouraged and silently lowered my head.

“The leader has treated me like a brother and a father, and I will never betray him in this life.” He turned his face and looked at the mountain peak as he spoke, then lowered his voice, “As for you, there is no need to worry too much.”