Seven days later, in the tenth lunar month, early winter.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Temurbagen always felt that ever since they left the royal court, Gu Chengyan’s spirits had improved day by day.
On the day they arrived at the Snow Mountain Villa, Gu Chengyan was able to get off the carriage on his own, and even helped him carry a crate.
But whenever he voiced this suspicion, Gu Chengyan would reply with a question: “Is that so?” before innocently coughing twice and leaning against a nearby tree, or simply laughing brightly and saying, “This is the blessing of the spirits of your Holy Mountain.”
Temurbagen looked at him, feeling troubled. He felt that Gu Chengyan was teasing him, but he had no proof.
Besides…
Temurbagen frowned. People who had come to the Holy Mountain in the past were either exiled, lost and frozen to death, or disappeared without a trace. Where were these “blessings of the spirits”?
And while this trip was called “recuperating from illness,” in reality, it was exile. Gu Chengyan was a clever person; it was impossible that he didn’t see that, yet he seemed quite happy.
Temurbagen couldn’t understand it, but he thought it was amazing.
After all, his Han master had once taught him the eight characters: “Hide one’s light and bide one’s time.”
“Iron Pillar?”
As he was thinking, Gu Chengyan called him again. Temurbagen immediately tied his horse and ran over. “Did you call me?”
Gu Chengyan stood by a rusted iron cylinder driven into the ground, pointing at it, and asked, “What is this?”
Iron Pillar took a look and saw that the long wooden handle used for drawing water at the top was gone. He gestured and said:
“It’s for drawing water. The handle on top rotted away.”
Gu Chengyan tilted his head, imagined it for a moment, and understood. “A water pump?”
Iron Pillar let out an “ah” and nodded. “Why didn’t I think of that word!”
Water pumps existed in the Han territories too, though they were less common in cities, mostly used in mountainous areas or villages where surface rivers were scarce.
Previously, Gu Chengyan had indeed worried about the water source in the extreme northern grasslands.
He couldn’t stand drinking muddy water or cow and sheep milk every day. Now that he saw the water pump, the heavy stone in his heart finally settled.
“Then—” Gu Chengyan clapped his hands and looked at Iron Pillar with a smile. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“Oh my! These are all dirty, heavy tasks. How could I let you help? You just rest well and get better soon; that is the greatest help you could give me!”
Iron Pillar pushed him to sit on a clean stack of hay nearby. “You sit. I’ll be finished cleaning up in no time.”
Gu Chengyan smiled, pulling his felt garment tighter around him, but he didn’t sit still as instructed. Instead, he got up and strolled casually around the Snow Mountain Villa.
It was evident that this small courtyard had been meticulously designed. If it hadn’t been abandoned for so long and covered in dust, it would indeed have been a very fine residence, perhaps even better than the Rongdi royal court.
After all, considering the need for mobility, the royal court used felt tents. No matter how sturdy the tents were or how precious the materials, they were, in the final analysis, just tents.
—How could they compare to this courtyard, built of solid brick and tile? The walls were two hand-spans thick, and it looked windproof and cold-resistant.
The courtyard’s outer wall had collapsed in large part. Based on its shape, there had originally been a large sheepfold, and beside the sheepfold, there appeared to have been a stable.
Within the courtyard were three circular huts of different sizes and heights. The one in the center was the one Iron Pillar was currently cleaning.
The furnishings inside were very similar to that sleeping tent in the royal court: also door-facing south, with a central hearth for heating and cooking connected to a skylight and a chimney.
Only here, the north side held a shrine and an altar table, fitting the Rongdi custom of respecting the north as supreme.
The eastern half-circle was built with a stone kang (heated bed), while the western side was entirely empty, though two windows of different sizes had been opened in the wall for winter and summer use respectively.
The other two huts one was high and narrow, piled with hay, looking like a granary; the other was likely for servants—besides the central hearth, a kang was built all the way around the wall.
Iron Pillar was nimble and quick, soon finishing the cleaning of the main room in the center, and then bustling back and forth, moving in and arranging the necessary items.
The luggage they brought wasn’t exactly much, but it wasn’t exactly little either. It included the brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, and tea set from the sleeping tent, which the Wolf Lord had ordered them to pack.
Iron Pillar believed this showed the Wolf Lord’s generosity, but Gu Chengyan felt it was all pomp and no practical value.
In the freezing cold, even the best ink was useless. It would have been more practical and cost-effective to give them a few more carts of charcoal or bags of rice.
Moreover, these items—brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, tea set—were clearly Han goods. They were either tributes from others to the Wolf Lord or spoils of war.
The Wolf Lord allowing them to take them away was not an act of generosity at all; it was just a cheap favor.
“However, this also shows the Lord’s thoughtfulness” Iron Pillar spoke up in earnest for the Wolf Lord. “He specially searched for these to please you!”
Gu Chengyan smiled, not wanting to argue with this silly child.
He turned and moved to the west window, looking far off at the endless snow-capped mountains to the north: the weather today was poor, and the mountain peak was shrouded in clouds and mist. He could only see the snow line winding beneath the clouds and the lush, towering pine forests below the snow line.
Although the mountain wind blowing down was quite cool, it was a wind that carried the clear scent of pine, making one feel very relaxed.
Gu Chengyan closed his eyes, inhaling the tranquil air from the depths of the grasslands.
He felt that in both his past and present lives, only this moment was truly relaxed and most comfortable.
Suddenly, the sound of a whip reached his ears, followed by the “baa-ing” of the small flock of sheep they had brought.
Gu Chengyan opened his eyes and saw Iron Pillar preparing to herd the sheep and repair the sheepfold.
Meeting his gaze, Iron Pillar wiped the sweat from his brow and explained:
“There are wolves on the Holy Mountain, and several packs at that, so the sheepfold must be repaired as soon as possible. Later, I’ll go see if there are any herdsmen nearby; I must buy a large black dog from them.”
Gu Chengyan blinked. “Aren’t wolves one of the神使 (divine messengers) you worship? How can you defend against them?”
“Your question is…” Iron Pillar burst into laughter. “My Han master once asked me that, too.”
“The Eternal Heaven grants us water, food, and grasslands equally, and tells us to learn fishing, herding, and hunting from other living things. Wolves are indeed divine messengers; it is true that they hunt the sheep flocks, but they mostly eat the sick and old sheep.”
“We kill wolves because the wolf packs make it impossible for us to survive. We are protecting ourselves, and we are also protecting the grasslands.”
“If there are too many sheep, the grass on the grasslands won’t grow. If there are too many wolves, the cattle and sheep on the grasslands will be much fewer. Similarly, if there are too many people—”
Iron Pillar scratched his head. “If there are too many people, war and looting—anyway, there are more problems. In short, killing wolves and protecting wolves are both in accordance with Tengri’s (Heaven’s) will.”
His explanation was convoluted and vague, but Gu Chengyan caught the general idea. “That is truly… very novel.”
“Sigh, it’s not novel. This is…” Iron Pillar struggled to think for a long time before slapping his forehead, “It is what you Han people call: ‘The Dao follows nature.'”
The Dao follows nature?
Gu Chengyan truly hadn’t expected to hear these four characters on the grasslands, and for a moment, he was quite dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Iron Pillar continued to bury his head in chopping wood and repairing the sheepfold.
At the same time, Gu Chengyan finally determined:
From the moment he arrived at the small courtyard, he felt several gazes watching them from afar. But when he looked in those directions, he couldn’t see anyone.
He could only see the trees on the snowy mountain, spaced irregularly, and some leaping light and shadows that he couldn’t tell were caused by the wind or his own eyes playing tricks.
Just now, after Iron Pillar buried his head, he clearly saw a human figure. Although the other party was too fast for him to see their face clearly, he was certain it was a person.
“Iron Pillar, is anyone living on your Holy Mountain?”
“On the mountain?” Iron Pillar shook his head like a rattle. “The Holy Mountain is covered in snow all year round and is cold as death. Even below the snow line, the soil is barren and the pastures are sparse, and there is no water source. Why would anyone live there?”
“Besides, this is a sacred mountain. Living on the mountain wouldn’t that mean… eating, drinking, and defecating on the mountain…?”
At this sentence, his voice became much smaller, as if saying too much would be a desecration of the gods. “Getting filth on the Holy Mountain, th-that is not good.”
“Uh…” Gu Chengyan hadn’t expected such a taboo.
“What is it? Why do you ask?”
Gu Chengyan shook his head and remained silent.
Iron Pillar, however, was unusually clever for once, following his gaze into the mountain forest. “Did you see a human figure?”
“Sigh, at this season, it is mostly wild beasts in the mountains—wolves, bears, and so on. They have to prepare food before the arrival of midwinter.”
“Grizzly bears, or larger wolves standing up—viewed from a distance, they do indeed look quite like people. It’s normal for you to be unable to tell them apart.”
Gu Chengyan was certain that what he had seen was a person, but he didn’t want Iron Pillar to overthink, so he took the opportunity to suggest a new task:
“How about this, Iron Pillar, don’t repair the fold. It’s too much trouble. Just herd the sheep into that hut. That way, no matter what wild beast comes down from the mountain, it won’t be able to steal them.”
He was referring to the servant’s room, which was an appropriate size, and the kang built along the wall could be used perfectly as a feeding trough for hay.
“Ah?” Iron Pillar was stunned. “Th-then where will I live?”
Although the Snow Mountain Villa had three rooms, the other was a granary that was not only too narrow, but most importantly, lacked a hearth for heating, making it impossible to live in.
Gu Chengyan smiled naturally. “Live with me, the room is so big.”
“No, no, no!” Temurbagen was so frightened his legs went weak and he knelt down. “If the Wolf Lord finds out, he will kill me. How can a subject live with an E-qi…”
“Shhh”
Gu Chengyan made a gesture to silence him, interrupting him. “There is no one else here. If I don’t say anything and you don’t say anything, what does it matter?”
“Besides, we are both men, and it isn’t inconvenient in our daily lives, or—” he drew out his words and winked, “do we have enough charcoal brought with us to heat two rooms?”
Iron Pillar: “…”
That was indeed the crux of the problem.
When they left the royal court, the Wolf Lord had indeed given them several carts of charcoal, but the guards had left midway, and that group of slaves had stolen quite a bit.
By the time they reached the Snow Mountain Villa, only one cart remained.
With this little bit of charcoal, let alone two rooms, even heating one room through the winter would be difficult. He would definitely have to look for other firewood.
Iron Pillar looked at the charcoal cart behind him, then back at Gu Chengyan, before admitting defeat. “…I see it now; you really, truly like that big white sheep.”
Gu Chengyan was stunned, then burst into laughter.
Iron Pillar let out a deep sigh, thinking that was also true. The extreme north was bitingly cold; the people in the royal court didn’t dare to take the order to come here, so perhaps they really didn’t need to worry too much about the opinions of others here.
Moreover, the room had a door and thick walls, which could resist the attacks of most wild beasts, and he didn’t need to worry about the sheep flock disappearing.
Thus, he resignedly turned to go herd the sheep, rearrange the room, and move his own baggage in.
After stoking the fire in the room’s hearth, Iron Pillar thoughtfully filled a water bag for Gu Chengyan to warm his hands. “You rest, I’ll go check nearby.”
“Still want to buy a large black dog?” Gu Chengyan teased.
Iron Pillar shook his head. “I, I’m going to see if there are any herdsmen nearby. I want to buy some horses from them, and see if there is any charcoal or things like that for daily use.”
“Horses?” Gu Chengyan was curious. “Aren’t there a few here?”
“This is different,” Iron Pillar smiled and patted the horse’s neck. “These are carriage horses, not racehorses. I might need them for some emergency in the future.”
Different?
In Gu Chengyan’s eyes, these Rongdi horses were all taller and sturdier than the warhorses of the Central Plains, and one could see the obvious muscle cords on their four hooves.
“Racehorses, warhorses, stallions they are all different. Every man on the grasslands, from the moment he is born, has to raise four or five horses, all for different uses. Every time they go to war, they bring several horses with them!”
As Iron Pillar spoke, he felt as if he were showing off and blushed slightly. “When you get better, you can ride and see for yourself.”
After saying this, Iron Pillar made the excuse that it was getting dark and he wouldn’t be able to find anyone, then hurriedly turned, got on his horse, and left.
Gu Chengyan, however, looked at his retreating back and suddenly understood why the Rongdi cavalry was so formidable.
If every Rongdi soldier brought four or five good horses with him, they could indeed come and go like the wind and act unexpectedly.
No wonder that in the border wars all these years, the Jin Dynasty had rarely been able to take advantage of the Rongdi—their horses were simply far superior.
It wasn’t until Temurbagen’s figure was completely out of sight that Gu Chengyan felt the gazes that had been falling on him from the mountain disappear.
Since Iron Pillar had guaranteed that no one lived on the Holy Mountain, these must be men sent by the Wolf Lord or the Great Shaman, who were worried and had sent them to keep an eye on him.
Gu Chengyan found it funny when he thought about it. He plucked a blade of grass from beside his foot, his fingers nimbly weaving it into a grasshopper, and then, indifferent, closed his eyes to rest.
In his past life, it was because he was too overworked and failed to recognize the character of those around him that he ended up in such a state.
After planning and calculating for so many years, he was truly tired. Perhaps in others’ eyes, this was exile to the extreme north, but he felt that this Snow Mountain Villa was a utopia.
In any case, he didn’t intend to return, and as for everything else, let them toss and turn as they wished.
On this side, Temurbagen rode his horse out for several miles and truly discovered people behind a small, wind-sheltered hill.
Unlike the hospitality of other tribes on the grasslands, this group of herdsmen looked very guarded.
Upon hearing that he was only here to buy horses and charcoal, one or two families were willing to do business with Temurbagen.
Initially, the price had been agreed upon, but when Temurbagen casually mentioned the royal court, the herdsmen suddenly changed their expressions, shouting to beat and kill him to drive him out:
“We, the Akinit, do not trade with that treacherous breed!”
“Akinit?!” Temurbagen grabbed the key point while dodging the wooden clubs being smashed down. “You are from the Akinit tribe?!”
The herdsmen didn’t pay him any mind at all, simply telling him to get lost quickly.
“No, no, no, heroes, you have misunderstood. My master and I were also exiled; it’s not what you think—”
“…Exiled?”
Hearing him say this, the agitated herdsmen slowly lowered the clubs and pitchforks in their hands. One middle-aged man walked out:
“Speak, what is this about?”
Temurbagen immediately explained the situation regarding the Han State Preceptor, then performed a grand salute with a forced smile. “We truly are in need of horses and charcoal.”
The middle-aged man hesitated time and again, and finally gave the items to him, but when sending him away, he insisted that Temurbagen swear an oath:
“I want you to swear to Tengri (Heaven) that you will not leak the whereabouts of my tribe!”
Temurbagen nodded in understanding, immediately raised his palm and knelt toward the north, solemnly swearing an oath to the Eternal Heaven.
Seeing him take the oath, the man felt assured and let his clansmen let him leave.
Temurbagen breathed a sigh of relief and then drove the two newly bought racehorses and a cart of charcoal toward the small courtyard.
When he was nearing the courtyard, Temurbagen saw from afar that a group of people was standing at the entrance, and behind the crowd were several carts of goods.
The most eye-catching of all was the large rooster held in the arms of the person at the front. The rooster had five-colored tail feathers, looking very heroic and quite beautiful.
But even though he accelerated his horse, by the time he landed at the entrance, he could only watch helplessly as the group rode away.
Helpless, he could only ask Gu Chengyan who the visitors were.
Gu Chengyan held the five-colored rooster in his arms and shrugged helplessly. “They said they were people of the First E-qi.”
First E-qi?
Iron Pillar was stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses. “So it was her, that… she is a good person, but it’s a pity”
“A pity for what?”
Iron Pillar was embarrassed to say directly that it was a pity she had married the Wolf Lord, so he could only explain from the side: “Although the Tara E-qi is not the most beautiful on the grasslands, she is very righteous.”
“In those days, the Alishi tribe split and the Wolf Lord fell on hard times. It was she who secretly saved the Wolf Lord and hid him in her carriage, allowing him to keep his life.”
“Later, she took very good care of the Wolf Lord as well. No matter what the situation was, she accompanied him through it together. If it weren’t for her and the Balasi tribe… the Wolf Lord could never have achieved dominance.”
Gu Chengyan nodded; this was what they often called a “shared-hardship wife.”
“Then, what about the others?”
“Ah? Oh…” Iron Pillar thought for a while. “The Second E-qi was… was offered by the Oro tribe after the Wolf Lord dominated the royal court. She really is a rare beauty on the grasslands. She was already pregnant when she arrived at the royal court.”
Gu Chengyan let out an “eh.”
“Yes, the Wolf Lord originally raised that child as his own, but later, because of the power struggles among the Teqin (Princes), the child was forced to be sent back to the Oro tribe.”
“Then… she truly is a beauty.”
Iron Pillar nodded. “As for the Third E-qi, she… she is a Uyghur. She knows how to handle affairs and also how to cause trouble. Her Han name is Bishosha.”
“Before I went to receive you, she heard the news and brought her own cousin and clan sister to the sleeping tent, seemingly intending to offer them to the Lord…”
Gu Chengyan frowned. “Then what about the Fourth E-qi?”
If he remembered correctly, Iron Pillar had told him on the road that the Wolf Lord had four wives, and even called him the Fifth E-qi.
“I was just about to tell you this!” Iron Pillar clapped his hands and explained his experience of just now. “The Rongdi were originally one tribe, all surnamed Boyan.”
“The grassland Wolf Lord you’ve heard of who can command all beasts and lead the wolf pack was also when we were all surnamed Boyan.”
“Later, the Rongdi had internal strife, and many small nations split off, including the Xirong which was destroyed by you Han people. After a period of chaos subsided, the numerous tribes of today were gradually formed.”
“The main branch of the Boyan clan became the Akinit tribe of today, and their cousins became the Balasi tribe of today.”
So that was it.
Gu Chengyan had previously wondered why one tribe used “uncle” or “cousin” as a surname, because Balasi meant uncle or cousin in Rongdi.
As for terms like Boyan and Akinit, they had meanings of white, pure, sacred, or divine.
However, what did this have to do with the Fourth E-qi?
“Don’t be impatient,” Iron Pillar drank a sip of water. “The Fourth E-qi is surnamed Akinit, but her background is somewhat complicated she was the apple of her tribe’s eye, but was kidnapped by the Xirong when she was small. After the Xirong kingdom was destroyed, she became a slave and was sold to the royal court.”
“She was young and beautiful with a graceful figure. She was noticed by the Wolf Lord while serving at a banquet, and later it was discovered that she was actually Akinit. She was highly favored, and within half a year, she gave birth to the Seventh Teqin.”
“However, you know an E-qi who is high-born and favored by bearing children easily becomes a thorn in others’ sides. So she was framed and lost favor. Then she was exiled, along with her seven-year-old Seventh Teqin.”
Gu Chengyan listened and shook his head helplessly:
As long as it was a royal family or a royal court, truly, whether in the Central Plains or the grasslands, there were endless intrigues and mutual entrapments.
Temurbagen had been busy all day, and having said so much, he was also a bit tired, so he got up to cook the meal.
“If the weather is good tomorrow and your body is also better, shall I take you to see the foot of the Snow Mountain?”
Taking the familiar wild vegetable soup, Gu Chengyan smiled and agreed.
The smoke from the courtyard’s cooking fire rose steadily, orange lamp light shone through the window onto the withered yellow ground in the courtyard, night fell, and the wilderness was silent.
In the pine forest below the snow line of the Holy Mountain in the distance, however, a group of at least several dozen wolves emerged slowly, nobody knew when.
Among the wolf pack was a vague human figure, watching the smoke of the small courtyard with burning eyes.