Chapter 1826

It's strange to say, although Wanyan Liexin newly became the Northern Courtyard Prince, he showed meticulous respect toward that warrior. He whispered: "Your Highness, why exactly did you have me say those words to Hu Xiaotian today?" It turned out that this young warrior was actually the Black Hu Princess Xima in disguise.

Xima coldly said: "Doesn't my father king actually have that intention?"

Wanyan Liexin said: "Princess, you've misunderstood the Great Khan."

Xima shook her head and said: "Misunderstanding? We both know in our hearts whether it's a misunderstanding. For the benefit of the Black Hu, I would willingly sacrifice my life!"

Wanyan Liexin secretly felt ashamed; the marriage alliance proposal was actually his idea originally, but at that time Hu Xiaotian's relationship with Dakang had not yet thawed. The Black Hu's idea of allying with Hu Xiaotian to oppose Da Yong had long existed. When Hu Xiaotian got married, I personally went to Cloudmarsh to congratulate him and proposed using a marriage alliance to ally with Hu Xiaotian. This happened after Hu Xiaotian cleverly seized Yunyang and, taking advantage of the earthquake in Xichuan, annexed a large tract of land in northeastern Xichuan. Although Hu Xiaotian had accepted the investiture from the Dakang Court, everyone in the world knew the nature of their relationship. Hu Xiaotian guarded the natural barrier of the Yong River, controlling Dakang to the south and looking toward Da Yong to the north. If he were willing to ally with the Black Hu, the two sides could attack Da Yong from front and rear, putting Da Yong in a dire situation of being attacked from both sides. Of course, this is merely the Black Hu's ideal scenario. Recent changes in the Central Plains have been rapid and unpredictable, and during the envoy's southward mission, the situation underwent another drastic shift. The most unexpected development was the thawing of Hu Xiaotian's relationship with Dakang.

The thawing of Hu Xiaotian's relationship with Dakang stems from his improved relations with Yongyang Princess Qiqi. Although he had only just arrived in Kangdu a day ago, Wanyan Liexin had already heard that Hu Xiaotian and Yongyang Princess Qiqi had rekindled their old affection. Wanyan Liexin is not a gossipmonger; in his view, even if Hu Xiaotian and Yongyang Princess Qiqi truly renewed their romance, it would be due to political necessity. The sudden rise of the Tianxiang State has greatly increased pressure on Dakang's south, forcing them to make concessions. Adopting a conciliatory policy toward Hu Xiaotian to eliminate a potential rear threat is an excellent choice. Of course, Hu Xiaotian also has his own difficulties: the surge of refugees has caused a grain shortage, and if it is not resolved quickly, he will soon face famine. In fact, Wanyan Liexin still had another move: to send aid in the snow, help solve Hu Xiaotian's grain shortage, and use that as a condition to demand that Hu Xiaotian join forces with the Black Hu against Da Yong. However, upon arriving in Kangdu, he immediately learned that the Dakang Court had decided to provide grain aid to Hu Xiaotian, meaning that Wanyan Liexin had lost his best pretext.

Xima spurred her horse forward and galloped ahead. Wanyan Liexin frowned, made a gesture, and the five warriors behind him simultaneously urged their horses to speed up, closely following Xima.

Xima, however, angrily said: "No one is allowed to follow me!"

Wanyan Liexin secretly sighed, but the inn where they were staying lay just ahead at the end of the street; every move Xima made was within his sight. Moreover, this is the inner city of Kangdu, where public order has always been good, so nothing should happen.

Xima whipped her horse, venting all her resentment onto the mount, which neighed incessantly. Wanyan Liexin and his companions saw this, but none dared to step forward to advise her, for they could see that Xima's mood was extremely foul, and speaking at this moment would surely draw her anger upon themselves.

Just then, the sound of a Buddhist chant was heard, and from the darkness emerged a red-robed Buddhist monk, the Black Hu's National Master, Gangba Duo.

Gangba Duo shouted loudly: "Xima, the horse is utterly innocent; why must you vent your inner anger upon it?"

Upon seeing Gangba Duo appear, Xima's eye sockets instantly reddened. She hung her whip on the saddle, dismounted, and with tears said: "Master, Xima was wrong."

Gangba Duo gave Wanyan Liexin a glance, signaling them to go first. Xima tossed the reins to a warrior, lowered her head, and stood before Gangba Duo, feeling remorseful for losing control of her emotions just moments ago.

Gangba Duo said: "I truly don't understand why you followed us here."

Xima replied: "Everyone says the Central Plains are a land of blooming flowers and brocade; naturally I wanted to see it for myself."

Gangba Duo smiled faintly, but in his heart he knew she was not telling the truth. Previously she had accompanied the Black Hu's ceremonial delegation to Cloudmarsh to attend Hu Xiaotian's grand wedding, and had visited many places in the Central Plains. This time her coming likely involved other matters. Although Xima is his disciple, she is after all a royal princess, so Gangba Duo did not wish to press further, and said softly: "It's late; let's go back to rest."

Xima shook her head and said: "I'm not tired, Master. Won't you accompany me for a stroll? Let's go see the brightly lit area ahead."

Knowing she was in a bad mood, Gangba Duo, who always doted on this female disciple, nodded and agreed to keep her company to lift her spirits.

The master and disciple walked forward; the place Xima described as brightly lit was Tian Street. Over the past two years, Dakang has enjoyed successive bumper harvests, the treasury has gradually grown full, and the common people have begun to solve their food and clothing needs. Kangdu seems to have regained its former prosperity. This historic capital is the center of the Central Plains' economy and culture. Compared to the Black Hu realm, the splendor here can be said to be something Xima has never seen before.

Although night had fallen, Tian Street remained crowded with people, bustling extraordinarily. Xima was quickly infected by the atmosphere, sweeping away her earlier displeasure; her whole person began to feel happy, and she was occasionally attracted by novel sights along the roadside.

Although Xima had undergone a disguise and changed into Central Plains attire, Gangba Duo still wore his monk's garb, so the pair attracted considerable attention from passersby. Gangba Duo remained secretly wary, for after all this was a foreign land, not their own turf.

Ahead, the sound of gongs and drums rose to the heavens, but it was merely a stage performing in the street. Xima came to the stage and began to watch; upon seeing the exciting parts, she first clapped and cheered. Gangba Duo, seeing her mood improve, also felt quite relieved. Just then, a voice suddenly called from behind: "Gangba Duo!"

Hearing someone shout his name, Gangba Duo turned curiously, but behind him were only the spectators watching the play; he could not see who was calling him. He silently thought it was troublesome, fearing he had fallen for a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain. He looked back again and saw Xima still standing properly not far away, watching the play, which eased his mind a little. Yet he was certain he had not misheard; he felt something strange about the incident. He moved close to Xima, lowered his voice, and said: "Your Highness, let's go."

Xima was engrossed in the performance; hearing him say they should leave, she involuntarily frowned and said: "Let's finish watching first!" At that moment, the stage began to solicit donations, and the crowd pulled out copper coins and silver, tossing them upward. Xima also reached for her waist to get money, but found her pocket empty. Her face changed as she said: "Oh no, my purse is missing."

Gangba Duo secretly sighed; in this crowded place with many hands, it was likely that when someone had just called his name and he was distracted, they had taken the opportunity to pick Xima's pocket. Fortunately Xima was unharmed; if they had intended to harm her, they would have succeeded already. The more he thought about it, the tenser he became, and he whispered to Xima: "Let's go."

Xima looked around and saw, to her front right, a sharp‑mouthed, monkey‑cheeked fellow also turning his head to look her way; in his hand was exactly her purse. Xima flew into a rage. Her mood was already poor, and now she faced this; her inner fury was unstoppable. She shouted angrily: "Thief, where do you think you're going?!"

Upon seeing that she had spotted him, the thief panicked, clutching his head and scurrying like a rat. He slipped through gaps in the crowd like a fish, but Xima was repeatedly blocked by the throng. Finding an opening, she leapt into the air, her toes landing on the head of a onlooker, then lightly pushing off she soared up like a startled swan. The crowd fell into chaos, with cries of alarm and curses ringing incessantly.

Worried that she might come to harm, Gangba Duo also shoved through the crowd and launched himself into the air. Master and disciple darted up and down above the heads of the people; the thief's movement was actually extremely skillful, and in the blink of an eye he had entered the dark narrow alley to the front right.

Xima could not let him go; she closely followed, intending to enter the alley. Knowing her stubborn temperament, Gangba Duo understood that once she set her mind on a path she would go to the bitter end, so he did not try to stop her. Instead he flew to the roof above the right side of the alley, from where he could see everything inside clearly, to guard against any possible ambush.

Gangba Duo's lightness skill was first‑rate, and Xima had already received his full instruction in movement techniques, yet the thief's skill was not inferior to theirs. They pursued him through three successive alleys; although they drew ever closer, they still remained a short distance behind.

Gangba Duo took out a bodhi seed, aimed it at the thief's back, and flicked it with his finger. His inner power was immensely strong; the seed shot forth like an arrow from a powerful bow, accompanied by a soft 'whoosh!' as it sped like wind and lightning toward the thief's back.

The thief didn't even glance behind; while sprinting at high speed he tilted his body to the right. The bodhi seed grazed his left arm and flew off, embedding itself deep into the high wall ahead, sinking into the stone. Beyond that point there was no road.

The thief continued running, his feet pressing against the vertical wall as he sprinted upward, then flipped over into the interior of the courtyard wall.

Xima and Gangba Duo arrived outside the wall at the same moment. Xima leapt up, intending to vault over the wall and continue the pursuit, but Gangba Duo grabbed her and warned in a low voice: "Do not chase a desperate foe; beware of an ambush inside."

Xima snapped: "Even the gold dagger my father khan gave me has been stolen by him."

Hearing this, Gangba Duo was startled. The gold dagger meant a great deal to Xima; it stems from a Black Hu tradition whereby every maiden receives a paternal gift upon reaching adulthood—a short dagger for self‑defense, symbolizing the protection of her chastity, somewhat like the Central Plains' chastity guard. The dagger is later given as a token to her beloved when she becomes engaged.

Gangba Duo released Xima's arm, nodded, and gave his consent for her to climb over the wall, but he reminded her that she must stay close to him and not act on her own.

Master and disciple scaled the high wall and saw, in the distance, a thin black figure standing there. The thief had not expected the two to follow, and in panic he turned and fled again. (To be continued~^~)