Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 78: Western Regions

Yaoying's stomach rumbled with hunger, her body getting weaker by the day. Xie Qing handed his long sword to the others and carried her on his back.

A few days later, they finally saw the familiar mountain range that stretched across the banks of the Great River1 in the horizon.

The soldiers rushed up the hillside, "Once we see those mountains that look like steamed buns, we're almost at Liangzhou! Just one more day and we will be over that mountain! We've escaped!"

Yaoying, leaning on Xie Qing's back, raised her head in a daze.

She could go home now?

She could be reunited with Elder Brother?

She was trembling all over. But before she could say anything, several sharp whistles suddenly came from the clouds, and a huge snow-white falcon revealed itself, swooping down from high in the sky.

Yaoying's face was deathly white.

As the white falcon's wings streaked midair, the earth beneath them suddenly trembled, and hoof beats came from behind them.

Yaoying turned around.

Dust swirled in waves above the open plains. On the horizon, the red sun was slowly descending, the sky scarlet as blood. Hundreds of sturdy and strong warriors in black battle armor rode their horses, like a black torrent, carrying a mighty aura that engulfed everything, and pounced on Yaoying and her group.

The personal soldiers were stupefied.

The ranks of hundreds of people were like lightning, speeding up to them in no time.

The man at the front of the ranks had thick muscles, tall and strong. Wearing a loose felt cap and a black gilt brocade robe and holding a huge longbow, his pale golden eyes shone with an almost beast-like coldness in the twilight.

He stopped not far from Yaoying, the corners of his lips raised up.

"Seventh Princess, I didn't think you could survive so many days."

Yaoying closed her eyes and shuddered lightly.

She recalled a legend among the Northern Rong people. Their method of taming falcons was to torment them2.

Haidu Aling was an expert at tormenting falcons.

He had found her long ago, and had been following her around, watching her starve, watching her suffer, and then appeared at the moment she thought she could return home, ruthlessly killing her hope of returning East.

One moment, she saw hope. The next, she was plunged into the darkest despair. How could she not be broken?

Haidu Aling was taming her.

She had nowhere to run.

Xie Qing put down Yaoying, took his own saber, unsheathed it, and stood in front of Yaoying.

The other personal soldiers also silently drew their sabers.

Haidu Aling had a playful smile at the corner of his mouth and did not move, seemingly not putting Xie Qing in his eyes at all.

Xie Qing stood in front of Yaoying, holding his own sword in his hand, his face calm.

It was as if he was not facing an invincible army.

They were only a handful of men. They were drained, dizzy with hunger.

The other side was strong and full of energy.