Укротитель зверей

Глава 52

The broken Mandarin voice rang out again, "If you don't come out, we'll kill these people. I'll start counting now, and we'll kill one person for every five!"

I was startled and didn't know who they were going to kill, but I heard several screams coming from outside the valley, and someone cursing angrily in Mongolian.

I immediately realized that there must be a few survivors among the people on the ranch, all of whom had been captured and were now being used to coerce me into leaving.

"Ping An, don't come out! Take my brother and get out of here!" A girl's voice rang out from outside the valley. I was both surprised and delighted—it was Elizabeth! She wasn't dead!

"one!"

The counting began, and I was jolted awake.

"two!"

There was a sound of crying, coming from a woman. Elizabeth was still crying out, "They want the map in your hand. Even if you come out, we will be killed safely. My father is already dead. You must let Gebu live... Ah!" Her voice was interrupted by a scream. I didn't know what they had done to her. I gripped the parchment scroll tightly and clenched my fist at the scream. My fingernails dug into my palms, and it hurt.

"Three!" The voice continued. I glanced at the child lying on the ground, then at the parchment scroll in my hand.

"Four!"

"Stop counting! I'm coming out!" I shouted, picked up the child from the ground, glanced at the map in my hand again, and groped my way out through the narrow gap, stopping only at the mouth of the valley.

It was dawn, and in the dim light, the scene at the valley entrance made my eyes bloodshot. Sure enough, a few people from the pasture were still alive, but they were all wounded. Some had been left on the ground, barely clinging to life. Elizabeth was also covered in blood, her long hair held in the hand of a man on horseback, her body half-suspended. When she saw me appear carrying Gebu, her face, already pale from the pain, showed an expression of extreme grief.

"Hey, amazing Han girl, we meet again." A voice rang out from the side. I turned my head and saw Abule, who was tightly bound by huge iron chains. He was covered in blood, his hair was disheveled, and he had suffered countless injuries, but he was still standing, like a black iron tower. There was no fear on his face, and he even smiled and greeted me.

6

I almost wanted to spit on him to express my hatred for him, but I had more important things to do. The cavalry's original leader was dead, and the one who had shouted earlier was the lieutenant. He probably still remembered the scene when I suddenly grabbed their leader. When he saw me come out, he didn't come closer, but just sat on his horse and talked from a distance.

"Woman, if you don't want them to die, hand over the map of the canyon."

I carefully placed Gebu on the ground. Although I had pressed the pressure points on his back wound, he had still lost too much blood and had been unconscious for some time. His little face was pale and his skin was cold.

"Is this what you want?" I pulled a thin sheepskin from my pocket and waved it at the adjutant.

His eyes lit up. "Leave it to me!"

I crumpled the sheepskin into a ball and held it tightly in my hand. The sheepskin had been tanned, so it was already thin and transparent. Now it was just a small ball, almost invisible unless you looked closely.

"Release them all, and I'll give them to you."

The lieutenant glared. "You're ordering me around?"

Even in his broken Chinese, he dragged out the sentence slowly and deliberately, making it clear that, regardless of whether it was due to powerlessness or something else, given the stark contrast between the two sides, my request was utterly ridiculous.

But I nodded very seriously.

Abul chuckled.

Enraged, the lieutenant raised his whip, but instead of striking him, he lashed it out at the captured ranchers on the ground.

With a flick of my wrist, the whip was coiled up amidst the faint whistling of the metal chain. The whip tip, which had been raised high, was severed by the sharp end of the golden cord and fell to the ground with a snap, like a dead snake.

He was furious. He roared, threw down his whip, and drew his sword. The cavalrymen reacted quickly, and in an instant, countless black arrowheads were aimed at the direction I was standing.

I was faster than them. I retracted the golden rope with my right hand, and with my left hand already at my mouth, I stuffed the piece of sheepskin inside, then closed my mouth.

What are you doing?

"..." The swallowing motion made my voice muffled. I struggled twice to swallow the foreign object completely, and when I spoke again, my voice was much louder, "Alright, now I'm the only one in the world who knows how to navigate the canyon. If you kill me, you won't know anything anymore."

A loud laugh erupted from Abule's mouth, and the lieutenant's face turned ashen. Hearing that arrogant laughter, I felt that the ashen color on his face was mostly because of me.

I didn't have time to pay attention to Abule's laughter and continued to make demands, "I've memorized the entire map with one kick. You need to release my companions first and give them the best medicine. Once I'm sure they're alright, I'll draw the map for you."

The lieutenant's face grew increasingly pale. Someone rode up to him and mumbled something to him. As he listened, he glared at me with a terrifying look that seemed to want to devour me.

I wasn't in a hurry at all; I waited patiently.

The man spoke to him for a long time, and he glared at me for a long time. Finally, he spoke, his voice also fierce, "Fine! But you have to come with us."

I raised my eyebrows, thought for a moment, and then said, "Okay."

As I walked past Abule, I asked him rather bluntly, "How did they know I had a map?"

He licked his chapped lips, putting on a very smug expression. "Of course I told them, otherwise how would I have found you?"

"How did you know I had a map?" I don't believe it. Sanza handed me the sheepskin so discreetly. He was busy dealing with that unfortunate leader. How could he have had time to pay attention to me?

He answered matter-of-factly, "I guessed."

A surge of anger rose within me. If I hadn't been concerned about the safety of Gebu and the others, I would have almost pulled out the golden silk rope and pierced him through with a transparent hole.

These cavalrymen had traveled thousands of miles at breakneck speed, their original mission being simply to capture the fugitive Abule alive and bring him back. They had no intention of going through the canyon to Mengdi. Successfully capturing him was already a great achievement. As for the extraneous matter of wanting the canyon map, it might have been overlooked if he hadn't instigated it.

The raging fire in my mind raged for a moment, then suddenly went out, and not only did it go out, but a vague sense of relief also arose.

Well, at least I can keep the rest of them alive, so I don't owe them anything anymore.

Elizabeth was put back on the ground, and her first action was to rush towards her younger brother. They were siblings, bound by blood, and neither of them had time to turn their heads to look at me. The other survivors were also released, but my hands were tightly bound with rope, and the golden rope was naturally taken away immediately.

When not in use, the chain was always wrapped around my waist. The north was cold, and everyone wore thick fur coats, including me. Besides the chain, I also had a belt around my waist. But as soon as the chain came loose, I suddenly felt cold. All I could see was the man bending down to fasten it for me, and the words he whispered in my ear.

He said, "Take this with you, just in case."

I know that crying will make people laugh at me, but somehow my eyes hurt.

"Peace! Peace!" Before I could even cry, I heard someone shouting. I turned around and saw Elizabeth calling out to me with tears streaming down her face, which made me stop crying.

"Let's go." Someone tugged at the rope on my hand. I struggled and said, "Wait a minute, I need to say goodbye to my companion."

"#￥%@￥#@！！@×" The lieutenant had a fiery temper. After hearing what I said, he launched into a tirade of curses, forgetting to use Chinese at all.

I calmly replied to him, "Without farewells, there are no maps."

He paused for a moment, then launched into a long string of gibberish. The rope binding my hands was quite long; judging by the look of it, this barbarian was probably going to drag me along like an animal. I didn't argue with him, and took a couple of steps toward Elizabeth, still holding onto the rope. The girl had already come running toward me, tears and snot streaming down her face; she was no longer the beautiful flower of the grasslands she once was.

The rope was still in the rider's hands, and I hadn't gone far, so I let her run over and hug me tightly. She was crying so hard she could barely breathe, but she still tried to say, "Ping An, we can't leave you behind. Brother Mo is coming to find you, you have to come with us."

She held me so tightly that my face was forced to rest on her shoulder, and I had to speak in a low voice, which was really difficult.

“I ate the lining of the sheepskin coat. The map is in Gebu’s arms. Take them home and don’t come back.”

She flinched, and fearing she'd give herself away, I quickly added, "Keep crying, keep crying, don't stop."

"Ping An..." she called to me in a trembling voice.

The rope on my hand was pulled, and the person holding me clearly lost her last bit of patience. I seized the last bit of time to look up at her.

It's nothing. People like me who have been through it all know that there are many people in this world who are right in front of you one moment and may be gone forever the next. I'm used to it.

I wanted to comfort her like that, but there wasn't enough time. The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and I was dragged backward. Elizabeth still clung to me tightly, running alongside me for a few steps. Suddenly, amidst the chaos, I spoke to her, "When you see him, don't tell him I've been captured."

"..."

Tell him not to worry about me, that I will come back.

"..."

"If you don't come back, don't come looking for me, it's too dangerous."

"..."

"Also, I've always missed him and loved him very much."

"..."

The sound of hooves grew increasingly rapid, and the speed at which I was being pulled along increased. If I didn't want to be dragged to the ground, I had no choice but to use my light-footed skills. Eliza couldn't keep up with my speed and was finally left behind. I struggled to look back one last time, only to see her fall to the ground, get up again, and chase after me. I could still hear her incessant, devastating cries, which gradually faded into the dust and sand. Amidst the thunderous hoofbeats, the only sound I could hear was the rapid pounding of my own heart, thump-thump, so fast yet so lonely.

How lonely!

Volume Four: Song of the Ends of the Earth

Chapter Two: The Mexican Border

1

The cavalry dragged me westward. Seeing that I could keep up with the horses, the lieutenant gritted his teeth and galloped off at breakneck speed. No matter how unparalleled the lightness skill Wende taught me was, it wasn't meant for endurance races against horses. I gradually grew short of breath, and the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves made it hard to breathe; the suffocating feeling intensified, and I almost passed out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Abule sitting comfortably in the carriage. The carriage was enclosed on three sides, with only a crisscrossing iron bar at the front, but I could still clearly see his face.

He was staring at me, his dark face framed by brown eyes, fixed intently as if he were admiring some interesting sight.

A wave of burning enslavement washed over me, and in the instant the carriage brushed past me, I suddenly leaped up, my feet touching the ground. I soared through the air, securing the ropes binding my hands tightly around the neck of the horse that was pulling me, and then kicked the dumbfounded driver off the horse.

Although the carriage was fast, it still kept some distance from the lieutenant's lone rider. The horse, caught in the crossfire, was suddenly pulled around the neck and then stretched taut by the rope, losing control. Its neck was pulled low to the ground, its hooves buckled forward, and it neighed incessantly, nearly overturning the carriage. Caught off guard, everyone behind scrambled to a stop. Several horses that were close behind couldn't stop in time and collided in the chaos. Some fell to the ground and were nearly trampled to death. The scene was a cacophony of neighing horses and screaming men, as chaotic as a fire scene.

The lieutenant's horse was dragged backward by the rope, and he was caught off guard, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, he was skilled in horsemanship and reacted quickly, slicing the long rope with a single stroke, thus stabilizing his mount.

I sat in the carriage, leisurely brushing the dust off my clothes with my bound hands. When I looked up, I saw the lieutenant suddenly go berserk, roaring as he charged at me.

I was much calmer than him. As he swung his knife at my nose, I spoke, "If I die, the map will be gone."

His knife froze in mid-air, and he stood there stiff. Suddenly, a soft laugh came from behind him, a man's voice so low that only I could hear it.

It was Abule, speaking in Chinese, who said, "Good girl."

I suddenly felt like I'd been bitten by a snake, and half of my body went numb.

The lieutenant was still holding his sword high in front of me, but I didn't react. It was karma; this time, it was my turn to freeze.

Given the disastrous consequences of my actions and the unpredictable danger I was in, the lieutenant finally made the decision to chain my hands and feet and throw me into the only prisoner-carrying wagon in the procession, treating me the same as Abule.

I immediately regretted my earlier recklessness. Had I known this would happen, I would have persevered even if I were being dragged along by a plank behind that horse. Whatever the treatment, it would be better than being stuck in this cramped space with this man.

In contrast to my utterly miserable expression, Abule seemed to be in a very good mood. When the driver opened the iron gate and threw me in, he even grinned at the driver, revealing a set of snow-white teeth, which scared the burly man so much that his fingers trembled, and he had to repeat the action of locking the gate several times before he succeeded.

Once inside, I realized that the carriage was essentially an iron cage, with three sides boarded up and a door for easy entry and exit. It was more like a beast cage than a prison cart, specifically designed to hold ferocious wild animals.

The wilderness is barren, and I could tell with my toes that the carriage must have been originally part of their group. This means they had a very thorough understanding of the danger posed by Abule.

I was furious with that lieutenant. Out of sight, out of mind, he ordered someone to cover the iron door with a felt blanket after I was locked in the carriage, plunging the carriage into complete darkness. I called out twice, but no one paid any attention. The carriage started moving rapidly again, the road ahead was bumpy, and I was tossed about. Afraid of running into that horrible man, I just focused on holding myself tightly in the corner near the door, no longer caring about anything else.

Only a few faint rays of light shone through the gaps in the felt blankets inside the car, flickering on and off. Abule sat in the back, his hands and feet firmly chained to iron bars. Not only that, the chains were also fixed to the iron railings. Even in this position, he could still show me an interested expression and gaze, which sent chills down my spine.

"What's your name?" he suddenly asked.