Under the sky

Chapter 149

Tucker likes hunting, but he doesn't like hunting that much.

But besides hunting, women, good wine and delicious food, he didn't know what to do.In handling political affairs, Gao Leqi was more shrewd and capable than many people knew.

He is not without ambition, but his every move is restricted by Gulthas. It is best for him to be a waste and not attract Gulthas' attention.He had heard his father talk about the prosperous years of Arion, but those were gone now, and any government decree could not be implemented as long as Sasi did not agree with it.

Rather than saying that he likes to hunt, it is better to say that he likes to gallop.He likes the wind when running, the smell of the grassland, and freedom.

Yes, unfettered freedom.You don't have to be like your father, who dare not even look at Gulthas, just be respectful and obedient.

He entered the hunting ground, shot down a wild deer, and galloped away on the pretext of seeing a fox.His horse is the best sweat horse, and the guards cannot catch up with him, or in other words, they dare not get close.He had shot two guards who tried to pursue him, and they had learned that it was best not to interfere with Arion when he was on the hunting grounds.

What does it matter?He runs through the grasslands and woods.Anyway, there are troops guarding the periphery of the hunting ground, so can there still be assassins?Who would want to assassinate a useless Arion like him?
He was running through the woods when he suddenly saw a shadow flash past.what is that?Leopard or bear?Are there bears in the hunting grounds?No matter what it was, it must be a big prey. He set up a golden feather arrow on the eagle bow.

"Don't hurt me!" came a delicate female voice.Tucker was startled and pointed his bow and arrow at the source of the sound: "Who? Come out!"

A girl raised her hands and turned out from behind the tree.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Tucker raised his eyebrows, "This is a hunting ground, don't you know?" What are those guards doing? How could they let a girl sneak into the hunting ground?
The girl knelt on one knee and touched her heart with her left hand: "My name is Nadia, and I am here to collect fruits and medicinal materials."

"Everything in the hunting ground belongs to Arien, and not a single insect can be trampled to death, don't you know?"

Wang Hong lowered her head and did not dare to speak.

"Are you a poacher?" Tucker said, "You have committed a capital crime."

Wang Hong said hurriedly: "I don't know! I, I just came back and I didn't know this was a hunting ground."

"Are you kidding? Does anyone know that this is Arien's hunting ground?" Tucker thought the woman was lying, "Are you a poacher?"

"I am Huo Miaozi and I just came back from Guan Nei." Wang Hong replied, "I live in a sheep dung pile."

Flame?Huo Miaozi who just came back?Tucker immediately remembered that Gulthas had indeed said that there was a Huo Miaozi who had just returned from the customs and brought news to the Nine Families.

"Huo Miaozi should be rewarded when he comes back." Tucker asked, "How can he live in a sheep dung pile?"

"I came back without Laoyan's permission, and Sasi punished me." Wang Hong said, "I work in the Priesthood."

"Do you know who I am?" Tucker asked.

Wang Hong pretended to think for a while, then kowtowed and said: "My God, Sa, you are the noble Arien!"

Tucker smiled: "How do you know?"

"You said this is a hunting ground, and the bugs in the hunting ground belong to Arien. Of course, only you can hunt."

Tucker said "ha".This girl was from Gulthas, and her crime was enough to warrant the death penalty, but Tucker didn't want to kill her.Firstly, she was a smart little girl, and it would be boring to kill her. Secondly, he didn’t want to attract Gulthas’ attention, and he didn’t want Gulthas to think that he was demonstrating.Even if Gulthas doesn't pursue the case, there is still the officiating priest Hillidegg.

Thinking of Priest Hillideg, Tucker's face suddenly darkened, and his good mood for a long time disappeared.

"Let's go." Tucker said, "God Sa is merciful, I forgive your crimes."

Wang Hong kowtowed quickly and said, "Honorable Arien, I have something else to ask you."

Tucker asked: "What's the matter?"

"I broke in by mistake. If I go out now, if I encounter a guard, my life will be in danger..." Wang Hong lowered her head, "Can Arien give me a token to prove that you forgive my sins?"

Tucker looked at Wang Hong, looked at it for a while, and said, "I'll send someone to take you back."

Wang Hong said hurriedly: "No, as long as Arien takes me outside. Otherwise, find the guard and just give Arien an order."

"Okay." Tucker galloped forward, stretched out his hand and said, "Come up."

Wang Hong hesitated for a while and stretched out her hand.Tucker pulled her in front of him, put his hands around her waist, grabbed the reins, and said, "Where are you going?"

Wang Hong pointed in the direction, and Tucker followed the direction and rode away.

It was not difficult to send someone to take her back, but Tucker didn't want to do it.She was a flame from Guan Nei and was not welcomed. She also worked in the priest's house.Maybe it could be used, Tucker thought.As for how to use it, he didn't know yet.Gao Leqi may know.Tucker thought it would be best not to let anyone know that the girl had seen him, let alone attract attention, so that it would be easier to find out later where she lived in the sheep dung pile.

"Arien, go there." Wang Hong pointed out the path.The horses turned around, and after a while, a small abandoned brick house appeared on the side of the road. It was an abandoned guard resting place outside the hunting ground.

Tucker became suspicious.

"Right here." Wang Hong broke free from Tucker's arms and jumped off the horse. She turned around and said respectfully, "Dear Arien, there is someone in the room who wants to see you."

"You lied to me!" Tucker was surprised and slightly angry.Did this girl lure him here on purpose?Why?What schemes does she have?Tucker began to regret that he got rid of the guards. If he was ambushed here... He raised his bow and arrow and pointed it at Wang Hong: "What's your trick? Who asked you to come?"

Wang Hong knelt down on one knee, put her left hand on her chest and said, "I swear in the name of God Isa, I have no intention of harming the noble Arien. Please be sure to go see the people in the house."

Tucker hesitated. For a person of his status, it was already dangerous to be deceived. Entering the house was even more risky.

With a sound of "Yeah", the broken door of the brick house opened, and a young man wearing a cloak walked out. Tucker was immediately on guard and pointed his bow and arrow at the incoming person.

I saw that the man was wearing a hat, his head was lowered and his face could not be seen clearly. "Who are you?" Tucker shouted angrily, "You still don't kneel down when you see Arion!"

"I won't kneel down, I can't kneel down." The young man raised his head, and Tucker saw a pair of fiery red eyes.

As recorded in the scriptures, Yanava has many eyes.

"My name is Yang Yan. I come from Guannai and am the son of God Sa." Yang Yan said, "The son of God Sa belongs to you."

Tucker was startled, and the finger that twisted the bow slipped, and the bow and arrow flew out of his hand, passing by the pair of flaming eyes, and landed on the ground behind him with a "snatch" sound.

Those flaming eyes didn't even blink.

"Arian, we don't mean any harm. There are spies outside. Please come inside and speak." Wang Hong said, "If you think what we said is wrong, you can issue a decree to punish us."

Tucker hesitated, could this be Gurtha's trap?Test your loyalty?He drew out his scimitar and rode his horse to slash at Wang Hong. Wang Hong screamed and avoided the attack.Yang Yan rushed forward and raised his arm to block his wrist.

Maybe Tucker is a lustful person, but he is not addicted to women.He had learned martial arts, and he struck Yang Yan on the head with the aristocratic sword technique used by the royal family for immediate combat.Yang Yan lowered his head to avoid it, bent down and slipped through the other side of the horse's belly, grabbed Tucker's calf, and tried to pull him off the horse.

Tucker moved his horse to force Yang Yan away, and stabbed him in the head again. Yang Yan sidestepped to avoid it, looked accurately, stepped on the stirrup, used the force to pounce forward, and grabbed Tucker's wrist.Tucker swung his left fist and hit Yang Yan on the cheek. The blow hurt his fist, but Yang Yan still threw him off his horse.Tucker landed on his back. He was wearing leather armor, and his back still hurt sharply from the impact.Yang Yan grabbed his hand and slammed it to the ground, letting go of the scimitar.Tucker bent his knees and pushed Yang Yan away. The two of them rolled around on the ground several times, only to hear Wang Hong shouting to stop.Tucker flipped Yang Yan over, pulled out a dagger from his waist and stabbed him in the face. Yang Yan grabbed his wrist.

During the stalemate, Tucker saw those red eyes again.

Sarhajin...Son of Sarhajin...

This is not the son of God Sa, just an ordinary person with eye problems.Tucker was angry and irritable at the same time. The anger was because of Arion's power being taken away by Sasi, and the irritation came from the faith rooted in his body.

Yang Yan suddenly twisted around and knocked him over. Tucker stabilized his body, took a few steps back, and stabbed Yang Yan with his knife.Yang Yan dodged sideways and hit with his left elbow. Tucker blocked it, but felt that the elbow was very weak. Suddenly it turned into a punch. He received a blow on the face. Just as he was in pain, Yang Yan hit his chest with his right fist. , so fierce that he was about to cover it up when the punch suddenly sank down and hit his stomach. Tucker felt that both of his feet were lifted up by the punch. Even with the leather armor covering him, his stomach was still churning.

In a panic, Tucker couldn't help but stab with his knife. The chaotic attacks made Yang Yan unable to get close for a while.Tucker was about to approach, his throat tightened, and a piece of cloth was tied around his neck. He couldn't breathe, and he swung his dagger to blindly stab the person behind him.Yang Yan rushed forward and swept his knee. Tucker fell to the ground. Yang Yan kicked the dagger from his hand, picked up the scimitar and put it on his neck.

Yang Yan looked at Wang Hong and asked hurriedly: "Are you injured?"

"It's okay!" Wang Hong's arm and shoulder were scratched by the dagger, and blood was pouring out.She knelt down on one knee: "I'm sorry, Arien, Nadia meant no offense."

Tucker was annoyed at his recklessness and underestimated the enemy. He shouted loudly: "My guards will be here soon, let me go!"

Yang Yan said: "We will let you go soon. I just hope you can listen to me. Even if you have to be punished, it will happen later." He stretched out his hand.

"What's your attitude!" Tucker was furious, "Who allowed you to touch me!"

Yang Yan raised his eyebrows, and Wang Hong shouted: "You bastard, what do you want to do again?!"

Yang Yan took a deep breath: "It's okay, just get up by yourself."

Tucker stood up and dusted himself off.Yang Yan said to Wang Hong: "Stop the bleeding first." After that, he put the knife close to Tucker's neck, "Let's talk properly, Arien, please."

Tucker snorted and followed Yang Yan into the brick house.

There was only a broken earthen table and a fallen weapon rack in the brick house. Yang Yan motioned for Tucker to sit on the ground. Tucker had no choice but to sit down while Wang Hong stood guard at the door.

"Do you want to deal with Gulthas?" Yang Yan asked.Before he could finish speaking, there was a sudden sound of horse hooves, and a large number of horse hooves were approaching.Wang Hong's face changed drastically. Tucker knew that the escort was here, so he stood up and rushed to the door, shouting: "I'm here! I'm here! Come on!"

Yang Yan grabbed him by the collar, Tucker turned around and elbowed him, but Yang Yan avoided it.Hearing the sound of horse hoofbeats getting louder and louder, Yang Yan shouted angrily: "Do you want to be oppressed by Gulthas for the rest of your life? Are you too afraid to take a gamble?"

Tucker couldn't help being stunned.He heard sounds outside the door. The horse team had arrived, and someone shouted: "It's Arion's horse!"

Tucker pushed Yang Yan away, opened the door, and shouted to the door: "I'm resting here, you guys stay outside!"

The captain of the guard jumped off his horse and knelt down to greet him: "Tak Yarian, this place is too dirty. Why don't you rest in the big tent?"

Tucker said: "The big tent is too far, I want to rest here."

Seeing the injury on Arien's face, the captain of the guard couldn't help but be confused and asked, "Is there someone inside?" He tried to look through the crack in the door to see if Arien was being threatened.

Tucker said: "You guys stay outside, I'm safe." He closed the door and asked again, "Don't disturb me."

He turned around and looked at the young man with red eyes and the girl, and sat down on the ground.

"Who are you? How did you break in?" Tucker asked, "What do you want to say?"

Tucker stayed in the hut for a long time, so long that his guard captain became a little suspicious. It was almost dusk before Tucker walked out of the door.

"Let's go," Tucker said, "go back to the palace."

He was still a little excited when he stepped on the stirrups. When he held the reins, he found that his hands were shaking slightly.He tried his best not to speak to avoid exposing his flaws, and immediately summoned Gao Leqi after returning to the palace.

■

Gao Leqi is 27 years old and is a very decent man. Although Tucker always calls him stubborn, he believes that as the chief executive of Nabu Batu, it is also his job to maintain dignity.

His family was prominent and he was the chief of a large tribe as early as the Sarhajin era.That tribe had been annihilated with Salhajin's unification, but they chose the most correct way to deal with Salhajin at that time, which was to surrender instead of resisting, so they still retained the courtesy of the nobles.

More than 100 years ago, when Salha King Kong rose, Nebu Batu led by Yusiyarian was once the most powerful Batu on the grassland.This ancient city has a history of more than 300 years. The priesthood at that time was not as majestic as it is today. It was also a believer in the Yanavato sect. It not only believed in the doctrine of peace, but also led many Yanavado tribes to join forces to fight against Sarha. gold.They had also had several marriages with the emperor in Guannei, but now that royal bloodline has long been annihilated, and was killed by Salhajin without leaving a drop of blood.

Yoss was defeated and was tied to iron blocks by his younger brother, Prince Muen, and sank into the river. His body has not yet floated.Dying in water is a great insult, much more humiliating than being burned by fire. After all, fire is the wisdom passed down by the God of Sasha, but the ice prison is the punishment of the God of Sasha.

The surrendered Prince Muen became the new heirs of Arien. Therefore, Prince Muen was nicknamed "Light Chaser". This was to praise him for his courage to pursue the true truth despite the wrong influence of the Yanavata sect. bright.His other nickname is "Betrayer Muen". More people know about it, but fewer people dare to mention it.

Naibubadu became the territory ruled by Salhajin and became the capital of the entire Salha religion.I really didn’t expect that in less than 200 years, Nabu Badu would become a believer in the Tenges sect.That's because Salhajin left almost all his important forces in Nabu Batu, and these forces have already taken root in Batu.

After Muen became Arien, his loyalty and following to Salhajin was unquestionable. Not only did he completely transfer power to the Priesthood, but he also contributed money and effort to several wars within the pass. He even accompanied Salhajin in his own expedition and eventually died in the battle. In the Stormlands, his son Murdoch became the new Arion.After the Battle of Hongxia Pass, the newly unified Sa tribe split again. Since almost all the important forces of Sarhajin remained here, Nabu Batu naturally became the most powerful of the five major Batu.

If it hadn't been for the First Battle of the Holy Mountain, perhaps Nabu Batu would have unified the Sa tribe again more than a hundred years ago.

That is simply a shame for the family, Gao Leqi thought to himself. The history books of Batuli still record how "Fish General Siro Qiao" was so self-righteous and took risks to advance lightly that almost all of Nabu Batu's troops were killed. completely annihilated.

Gao Leqi has studied history books and does not think that his ancestors made mistakes.It was indeed a risky roundabout tactic. If it hadn't been for the rare heavy rain, the leak of the news, and the fact that Atulleba was not a group of lunatics, it would have been a key victory, a successful raid that would have been famous throughout the ages. The army was destroyed.

But history is like this. All successful people are talented, anticipate the enemy's opportunities, and win every battle, while losers are self-righteous, ill-thought-out, rash and stupid. Many people believe so.

It wouldn't be a bad thing if the world were so simple, maybe it would ensure that the people who came to power were smart people, not lucky bastards.God Sa, when wisdom reaches people through the flames, some people add firewood and sesame oil, but most people just throw water.They should try their best to hide their wisdom, like protecting the weak candlelight in their hands from the strong wind, and it is best not to show it as much as possible.

"Chief Gao Leqi, Arien summons you." The maid Zhao Ying shouted.

Gao Leqi stopped musing in the bathtub and replied softly: "I am taking a bath, please add some hot water for me."

"Chief, you have been bathing for almost half an hour." Zhao Ying said, "Arien wants you to go as soon as possible."

"The meaning of "as soon as possible" is not clear enough. "For some people, it means right away. For me, it can be a quarter of an hour, or half an hour. Especially at night, it is not usually the case that Arien comes to me." Drinking means enjoying dancing. I have to dress up before I can see him." He patted the water and said, "Why don't you come down and stay with me?"

Zhao Ying pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Arien wants you to go immediately without changing your clothes."

Gao Leqi heard Arien's anxiety. It's so late, what else is important?He put on his neat clothes, sprinkled a few drops of barbarian perfume, dried his hair by the fire and put it on, put on his riding boots, and then went to see Arion.

He lived in Arien Palace, and many of the previous chief political officers also lived in Arien Palace.It didn't take long to walk to the main hall, but when he arrived at the main hall, he heard that Arion was meeting him in the bedroom.He went to the bedroom. There was no guard at the door. He knocked on the door and asked for permission: "Arion, it's me."

(End of this chapter)