twin moon

Chapter 120 No.15 Scene [-]

Yuansui 11 years, the third day of October.Although Yanluoyuan in late autumn is not like the suburbs of Wanzhou, there are no large crops with heavy ears of grain falling as far as the eye can see. However, after an autumn wind, the vegetation all over the mountains and plains seems to have been agreed, and they have transformed from emerald green to green overnight. Large patches of red gold and orange.

Every year at this time, Hehan of the Muyun Department will lead the young warriors under his command to gallop their horses around the grassland to hold a grand hunt, so as to hone their riding and shooting skills.At the same time, the women of the clan will get on carts one after another, follow behind the warriors, and prepare drinks and meals for them at any time.

The hunting objects are mainly hares and ground otters on the prairie.If you are lucky, you can bring back some red foxes and lynxes.If there are a few wild yaks left alone, people will immediately set up camp on the spot and live there for several days, until the whole yak is eaten and wiped clean before leaving.The people on the prairie regard every prey as a gift from Pan Gu to the world, and even if they can't take all of them away, they must not waste them.

Very rarely, hunters may also encounter brown bears.This kind of prairie bear is taller and stronger than the same kind that haunts the southern mountains. Every warrior of the Muyun Department regards hunting such a huge bear with his own hands as a symbol of proving his courage.Therefore, after the bear hunt is successful, they will gather around it, directly cut out the bear's heart and gall with a knife, and share the blood and bile with them, hoping to gain the strength and courage of the giant bear.

This year, Xinhan led the crowd to hunt, and Tuya and Jiangyan were also ordered to travel with the team.At this time, the black-eyed boy had already put on a wide robe and long-sleeved outfit, and even tied his hair into a bun like a Shodi. In addition to the pair of black-like pupils, he seemed to have completely blended into it.

It has been more than half a year since he came to Yanluoyuan, and Jiang Yan has gradually gotten used to life on the grassland.Compared with the bustling and prosperous Mulu City before, although the life here is difficult, it is more free.

After all, it was Beizi brought back by Tuya. Even though Ye Kingdom had already changed its lord, for most of the Muyun tribe, this southerner was the princess' future husband-in-law.Therefore, they always kept a certain distance from the taciturn General Yan, neither would they get too close to him, nor dared to trouble him easily.In this way, the young man can feel at ease, hugging his Xiao Tianmo all day long, dancing in the deserted wilderness until dark.

The boy's long knife was also given to him after Tuya ordered people to find it among the spoils captured in Tie Chongshan.The Shuodi people were tough and good at fighting, and even the women and children of the tribe might hide a dagger inside their boots, so even though Xiao Tianmo's length looked really scary, no one expressed dissatisfaction with it.

For more than half a year, whenever Princess Di Ren was free, she would take the initiative to pull Jiang Yan, ride a horse and wander aimlessly on the grassland, watching the sun rise and the moon set, and the clouds roll and the clouds relax.Perhaps it was because the girl was of half southerner blood, so apart from Grandma Wuren and Old General Yuandi who brought her up under her command, compared to other servants and guards, she was more fond of this black-eyed man. The teenager has an unusual sense of intimacy.It seems that by staying by his side, he can get closer to his mother's spirit in heaven and to the hometown that he has never been to.

In the evening of this day, the sun was setting and the sky was full of clouds.On the bonfire in front of the tent, several skinned ground otters sent by Hehan were roasting.After autumn, ground otters are extremely fat, and the rich oil drips into the fire, sizzling.Not far away, the two-stringed qin played a melodious and bleak music, and the hunters sat around in front of the main tent drinking wine and eating meat, laughing loudly.

Tuya glanced sideways at the black-eyed boy sitting next to her—the singing and dancing of the Muyun tribe didn't seem to arouse any interest in him.Right now, he is just sitting cross-legged by the bonfire in front of the tent, looking up at the flock of geese flying south in the sky in a daze.

"Eat it while it's hot, otherwise the meat will smell earthy when it's cold."

The girl Di Ren used a sharp finger-length knife to cut the fat-dripping rex meat into pieces, put them on a plate and handed them to the other party.

Jiangyan instinctively took the food that was handed over, but didn't send it to his mouth: "I'm not too hungry yet."

"You miss home, do you want to go back to the south?"

Tuya suddenly felt that the young man's mood today seemed to be different from the past, so she also put down the knife in her hand, sat down beside him side by side, and asked softly.

Jiang Yan shook his head, and looked back from the sky:
"Going home... Now I don't even know where my home is. The small fishing village has been reduced to a pile of ashes many years ago. And the family members in Mulu City, now I don't know where they are. He Fang. At present, it seems that there is only this grassland, which is probably the most home-like place..."

As he spoke, he pointed his finger at those Shuodi warriors who were obviously drunk, "Sometimes I really envy people like them, they seem to never have any troubles."

"Prairie people are like this. This vast wilderness has made them cheerful and open-minded. But who has nothing in their hearts? We have all lost relatives, and we have all experienced unbearable past events..."

Some casual words, but Tuya couldn't help but empathize with her—during the 16 years of her birth and growth, she witnessed her mother's hardships and tears in the Muyun Department.Just as the young man said, this familiar yet unfamiliar grassland seems to her to be the closest home in the world, but it still cannot be called home.

However, Jiang Yan didn't notice the change in his companion's mood, and just continued on his own:
"Actually, there is one thing I still can't figure out. The Shodi people live such a free and happy life, but why do they want to start a war and plunder the land that doesn't belong to them?"

Tuya was stunned by the question for a moment, and only after a while did she answer:
"Perhaps it is because the cruel nature has taught us that the only truth in this world is the law of the jungle. Only wolves on the grassland can eat meat, so they will not go hungry in the long winter night. And if it is cattle and sheep, they will only eat meat in the end. Can face the fate of being eaten."

The black-eyed boy did not expect that such seemingly cruel words would come from the weak girl in front of him.He turned his head and looked at the other person in surprise: "I've heard people say similar things before. But most of the time, the reason why people kill people is not for survival at all, but for greed and hatred!"

"But what can be done? In fact, most of the prairie people are just like what you think. They only want to live a stable and peaceful life with meat to eat and tents, and that's enough."

"Then why are they still willing to help your elder brother to abuse them, not only building that terrifying iron mountain, but also killing the people of Yimubu? Could it be that the fiasco experienced by their ancestors and relatives 60 years ago has already happened?" Has it been completely forgotten?"

The girl sighed and shook her head: "Because they believe that if they don't attack others first, they will be wiped out by others. The vast majority of people in the world can't really control their own destiny, even what they hear It is impossible to tell whether the words are true or false. They have worked hard, traveled all their lives, and even lost their lives, but they are just paving the way for others. But even so, if it were you, would you rather be a blind wolf or a waiter? What about the slaughtered sheep?"

Facing the girl's rhetorical question, Jiang Yan murmured after thinking for a long time:
"I don't want to become a wolf driven by profit, but I will never let myself become the prey of others easily!"

Seeing his serious appearance, the girl beside him burst out laughing: "According to what you mean, are you planning to be a lone wolf who is alone?"

"A... lone wolf?"

The young man suddenly raised his head and cast his eyes into the distance, towards the setting sun that was gradually sinking into the horizon.At this time, the double moon has not yet risen, and on the celestial sphere intertwined with orange and lavender, a light blue light is particularly eye-catching.

That was Sirius, the only star other than Beiheng that his father, who went to sea all the year round, taught him to identify.His father used it to find his way home.At this time, that bright lone star suddenly aroused the infinite melancholy in Jiang Yan's heart:
"A wolf on the prairie must avenge its revenge, but now I don't even have the chance to avenge my parents and General Baili. How can I be considered a qualified wolf? Probably, I can only be a rabbit who is alone..."

Seeing her companion clenched her fists involuntarily, Tuya seemed to realize that her words had hit the other person's sore spot, she quickly poured two bowls of wine, one for herself, and another for the boy, and persuaded with a smile:

"Okay, okay. Life is only a few dozen years. As long as you live happily every day, you can only ask for trouble if you think so much. Zui Fangxiu, I hope that no matter what worries and worries you and I encounter in the future, we can solve them easily, okay?"

The strong aroma of wine overflows in the cold air in late autumn, mixed with the smell of dry grass.Jiang Yan also felt that he was a little too sentimental, picked up the wine bowl and swallowed a big mouthful, but was immediately choked and coughed:
"What kind of wine is this? How is it different from the milk wine I drank before?"

"This is a special product of our Muyun Department. It is called Salha, which means the spring of forgetting worries. This wine is brewed with the purest snow water on Lancang Mountain and wild highland barley. It is said that after drinking it, you can use People forget all the troubles and pains in the world. However, because of the scarcity of production, it is only taken out for people to drink during various grand events and celebrations. It is a rare blessing in the world to be able to taste it shortly after you first came to the grassland .”

Seeing Princess Di Ren being so bold, Jiang Yan's mood suddenly became much brighter.He raised his head and drank the wine in the bowl. He couldn't help but feel that his limbs and bones were warming up, and it seemed that he really left all his worries and troubles behind him.

"Jiang Yan, do you know why our clan spends so much effort hunting hares and ground otters every autumn?"

Tuya re-cut a large plate of steaming hot otter meat, handed it to her companion, and immediately changed the subject.At this time, the meat was roasted more fragrant and crispy than before. After seasoning with some spices, it covered up most of the earthy smell and added some flavors different from beef and mutton.

"why?"

The black-eyed boy gulped down the fine wine and ate the meat, and licked off all the juice on his fingers.

"Although these little things are not very eye-catching, they give birth to a large litter of cubs every year. Before winter, these cubs can grow into adults and make countless new burrows all over the grassland. Once it snows in winter , these openings will be completely covered, and if the horse accidentally sinks in, its legs will be broken and it will never be able to run again."

The last rays of the setting sun illuminated the light brown skin of the Diren girl, as if it had been plated with gold.She was overwhelmed with alcohol, her little face flushed, but she picked up the wine bowl and took a big sip:

"Besides, hares and ground otters will eat a lot of grass roots during the winter, and even the grass seeds can be eaten up. If the foundation of the pasture is damaged, the next year's pasture will not be harvested, which will affect the growth of cattle and sheep. source of food, which in turn endangers the grassland peoples.”

"It sounds really annoying, so I'll help out tomorrow by hunting more otters and hares."

The boy nodded vigorously.The Salha he just drank made his head a little dizzy, but he secretly hoped in his heart that the current relaxed time would be more and longer in the future.

"It's easy for you to say. These little things can escape very quickly, and many times they are not easy to shoot arrows. Moreover, they are extremely alert, and they will warn their companions if there is any trouble—"

Tuya opened up the chatterbox and continued talking endlessly.Unexpectedly, the ground otters on the nearby soil slope seemed to feel that the girl's description was not enough, so they suddenly stood upright and barked several times towards the sky.

The eyes of the girl and the boy were immediately attracted by the cry.The warriors sitting around the campfire in the distance were also surprised that the prey dared to show up near the camp, and drunkenly picked up the bows and arrows at hand again.However, at this moment, there was a burst of neighing from the horse enclosure on the side of the camp, and the horses were frightened!

Jiang Yan woke up most of the wine immediately, stretched out his hand and picked up the staggering princess beside him, and rushed towards the direction of the sound together with the warriors in the camp.However, when everyone rushed to the stables, the commotion subsided.

Several war horses in the fence seemed to have their throats bitten off by some ferocious beast, and a big hole was torn open in the horse's belly, and the intestines flowed all over the ground.A tall, gray-haired old man led people to arrive first, and was squatting in front of the horse corpse to examine it carefully. After a while, he said loudly to the crowd:

"Nine times out of ten, the snow leopards from the nearby mountains came down. Fortunately, no one was injured, so everyone should go away. I will report the situation to He Han and ask him to send more people to watch the night and strengthen his guard."

"Who is this person?"

The black-eyed boy standing outside the horse pen asked in a low voice.

"His name is Muhe, and he is the leader of one of the largest clans in the Muyun tribe - the Breu family. He is quite prestigious among the clan. This time Erda went hunting outside, it was he who arranged—"

After Tuya explained, she suddenly stared at the horse corpse in front of her and frowned, then pulled the boy away:

"A total of more than [-] horses died today... Snow leopards don't like to live in groups, so how can they kill so many horses in the blink of an eye and leave without anyone noticing? In addition, I asked carefully Horse people, all the horses that have been disemboweled are only eaten with their livers, and now on the Shuobei grassland, there is only one terrifying animal that can do this..."

Hearing what his companion said, Jiang Yan's body couldn't help shaking: "Don't you want to say that the ones who sneaked into the camp may be those galloping wolves we encountered in the wilderness before? The wolves have already bullied people so close ?”

The Diren girl nodded hesitantly, as if she wanted to say something more, but suddenly felt someone appearing behind her, and said in a low voice in her ear:
"Your Highness, you can't talk nonsense about such baseless guesses, so as not to cause unnecessary panic!"

Jiang Yan turned his head, and saw that the old man named Mu He came forward at some point.Tuya immediately explained to the other party.After all, the matter of Chi Lang is no small matter. If the necessary vigilance is lacking, everyone in the camp may have their lives in danger.

But the old man in front of him was not moved at all, just shook his head vigorously:
"Princess is too worried. Even if there are wolves in Lancang Mountain, it is absolutely impossible for them to go down the mountain to look for food before winter. Besides, the last time someone saw a large pack of galloping wolves in the wilderness was more than a hundred What happened years ago, how could it suddenly appear from nowhere? Not to mention taking the risk to break into the camp easily."

Seeing that she couldn't convince the other party for a while, Tuya quickly pulled the black-eyed boy's sleeve quietly from behind.She knew that Yi Muhe's position in the Muyun Department was almost impossible to convince him without real evidence.

An accident made the entire camp sleepless all night, and also announced the end of the hunt in advance.Fortunately, those beasts hidden in the dark never appeared again.However, the young princess felt faintly in her heart that this matter might not be accidental, and it would definitely not end so easily.

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(End of this chapter)