TRT -Chapter 57 The Master of the Grasslands

…The best way to seize the most supplies with the least risk is to rob a caravan!

And this—that—was our opportunity!

Last time, Guo’er and the others went to rob someone else. This time, however, things were reversed: we were going to get robbed ourselves!

Because the Wind-Chasers were far too conspicuous, disguising ourselves as an ordinary caravan during such a critical moment could easily raise the suspicions of the Najinba tribe. So Princess Peifu, her subordinates, and I transformed ourselves into merchants of the San Gu tribe heading south. Bai Mao led a heavy force to block the Najinba tribe’s gate, while a group of Wind-Chasers under the rough-and-tumble Lao San hid among the caravan’s supplies.

Peifu and I drove the carts around outside as the days passed. Fortune favors the diligent, and after three or four days, we were finally “robbed”! (It sounds a bit strange to put it that way…)

The beautiful Peifu was sent to honor the Najinba tribe’s commander, while I—dressed as a grimy servant—was thrown into the stables. The entire caravan’s supplies were dragged into the Najinba camp. On a dark, windy, murderous night, the warriors hidden in the supplies coordinated with the information the crown prince had received in advance. Together, they easily annihilated the guards surrounding the crown prince.

Bai Mao then feigned a successful rescue and returned to the capital. The Najinba, seeing the Wind-Chasers withdraw, finally exhaled in relief. They opened the city gates to let in the remaining soldiers, only to be crushed overnight by Bai Mao and his iron-clad cavalry.

The men of the Najinba were indeed tough; they would rather fight to the death than surrender. Azuo appealed to them with both reason and sentiment, sharply pointing out that the Najinba lands, located in the extreme north, were harsh and resource-poor. By following the Wind-Chasers, they could obtain much-needed cattle, sheep, copper, and iron, receive food aid during natural disasters, and avoid trade difficulties caused by impassable roads. In this way, Azuo ultimately persuaded the Najinba leader to surrender.

This battle was swift as the wind, unstoppable as a battering ram, with minimal casualties. It subdued the most rugged and formidable of the Najinba and shook the grasslands. Azuo’s successful persuasion of the Najinba earned him great merit, and saving the life of the San Gu princess on the battlefield made him owe her a debt as heavy as a mountain. Combined with Peifu’s own insistence, when the San Gu tribe wavered, Bai Mao seized the moment to form a sworn brotherhood with Azuo. Finally, Peifu’s father happily gave her to Azuo, the Wind-Chasers’ prince’s sworn brother.

With this, the battle was a complete victory: lovers united, the Wind-Chasers’ fame spread far and wide, and all was joyful. Unfortunately… there was one small problem: I had been struck by an arrow.

My horseback riding skills were, according to Bai Mao, barely sufficient to avoid falling. I couldn’t perform heroically on the battlefield, so the plan was for me to work behind the scenes, strategizing. I thought I could at least peek at the battle from a distance. But battles are never orderly like in novels or comics—they’re pure chaos! Arrows flew everywhere. I stumbled clumsily and, unable to stop myself, fell toward Bai Mao, who was astride his warhorse. In the blink of an eye, Bai Mao turned, an arrow flew toward him, and… the arrow lodged in my arm.

Everyone assumed I had bravely thrown myself in front of Bai Mao to shield him, and I didn’t dare reveal that it was just an accident. No way could I admit that it was sheer bad luck. I decided to tell Qingqing, Xiaotao, and Xiniao that on the battlefield, I had displayed unparalleled valor and loyalty, not only subduing the Najinba tribe but saving the Wind-Chasers’ prince. Yes… that’s what I’d say. (Now you know where Xiniao’s “great impression” came from!)

Ever since I arrived in this world, my metabolism had been unusually slow. For over two years, my hair hardly grew, my period never came, and injuries healed astonishingly slowly—though at least I showed no signs of aging. This arrow, however, was thick and long, lodged in my bone. I won’t go into the bloody process of extracting it, but suffice it to say, the author is prone to torturing me, and I’ve gotten used to it… The result: a visible scar on my arm. Bai Mao, full of apologies, kept looking at it, touching it, kissing it, licking it, nibbling it (why the licking and nibbling?). After a month, I finally had enough.

“I say, let’s just cover it with a tattoo,” I impatiently told Bai Mao as he leaned over.

“A tattoo?” Bai Mao pondered seriously. “Good idea! Why don’t we make a matching pair? You on your left arm, me on my right.”

Then he enthusiastically called a tattoo artist.

“What design would you like, miss?” the artist asked respectfully.

“What design? I hadn’t thought… A tiger? Too gangster… A rose? Too… provocative… A flame? A dragon? Too mafia… A portrait? Tyson would sue me for copyright…”

“Sir, in the Wind-Chaser script, how are ‘穿’ and ‘越’ written?” I asked.

“…Huh?”

Finally, I abstracted them elegantly, and the Wind-Chaser characters for “transmigration” were tattooed beautifully on my left arm! But… why did no one tell me that getting a tattoo in the past was so painful?!

Even worse, Bai Mao, seeing my tears and snot, instructed the artist to tattoo “reverse-transmigration” on his right arm.

He even trapped me in this! Ugh!!!

After the battle against the Najinba, Peifu and Azuo held a wedding ceremony. The strongest Wind-Chasers allied officially with the San Gu tribe, greatly increasing their power. The Wind-Chasers’ conquest of the fierce Najinba sent shockwaves across the grasslands. With the Wind-Chasers’ prince campaigning in all directions, tribes across the steppes submitted…

In the winter of the seventh year of Emperor Mingxi’s reign, the last minor tribe in the northern grasslands surrendered to the Wind-Chasers.

The Wind-Chasers’ prince officially unified the northern steppes.

Sitting cross-legged on luxurious furs in the palace, as the last tribe respectfully presented their submission, I suddenly realized that the man standing proudly beside me was the young king of the grasslands! His eyes, radiant and resolute, gazed deeply into mine, awaiting my answer. Now he wielded supreme power; now he was ambitious; now, with overwhelming confidence, he expected me—the one who strategized for him, inspired him, supported him even in awkward moments, scolded and criticized him, was both willful and jealous—to smile and tell him that I was willing to marry him…

Am I willing?

Winter passed in uncertainty and hesitation, and spring always brought life to the grasslands.

During the annual grand festival, Bazang Festival, Bai Mao would be formally crowned king and receive tributes from all tribes. Everyone would come to witness and congratulate him—and also to curry favor with the future master of the grasslands. Naturally, the Later Ming dynasty was no exception.

In recent days, envoys from all over arrived. The palace staff had to renovate the palace for the festival while hosting the envoys, keeping everyone busy beyond measure. Even I, the idle one, couldn’t continue lounging around… I volunteered to help, running errands under the chief eunuch.

In truth, I only wanted to keep busy so I wouldn’t agonize over my thoughts. The Bazang Festival was both like the Han New Year and a celebration of love on the grasslands. Judging from Bai Mao’s predatory gaze, the wedding would likely not be delayed past this festival… Half a year had passed, and I already realized I liked Bai Mao (a huge personal progress!! Tears and confetti!), but marrying him… I just couldn’t accept it yet! For now, I could only delay it, one day at a time…

Sigh… I fell into these painful thoughts again! Shaking my head, I grabbed a tray and rushed to help Nana. Time to work…

“Nana, where are you going with so many trays? I’ll help you!”

“Oh my goodness! You should rest! If the young master finds you later, he’ll tear me to pieces!”

“No way. If he dares, I’ll let Shaozi tear him apart! I’m too bored anyway, just let me help~~”

“Forget it… I can’t manage you! Only the young master can keep an eye on you… do whatever you want…”

I happily took a few boxes of pastries from her.

By the way, you really should see it—Later Ming’s envoys had just met the young master and were now resting in the side hall. These fruits and pastries were delivered to them.

The Wind-Chasers consider my hometown to be Later Ming, which isn’t surprising. I didn’t bother to argue; it’s hard to explain anyway. Now I was curious: who would the Later Ming emperor send as an envoy to the northern steppes?

Following Nana to the side hall, I noticed the Wind-Chaser palace was different from a Han-style inner palace. It wasn’t filled with walls and windows but resembled an ancient Roman palace: simple columns supporting a broad dome, giving a vast view. From afar, I saw the man in luxurious clothing on the side hall wasn’t anyone else—it was Da Huli! Slim, wiry, upright, elegant, impeccable in black, with sharp eyes and a faintly upturned gaze, his voice cold and steady, his look sharp and imposing… He, he, he, he… Big Fox?!!!