The person inside the carriage watched as Xiao Miao dismounted from her horse and came to the tightly closed main gate. She was using her horse’s reins to bind the door knocker. Seeing her tie it very seriously and carefully, he asked the elder beside him: “Elder, what is she doing?”
The elder affectionately stroked the young man’s hair and said with a smile: “She’s preparing to lock the gate, then jump inside and kill everyone within. Binding the door knocker is to prevent the Ashina family from escaping through the gate. After all, she’s only one person.”
“There are many people in the Ashina family. Can she do it alone? Should we help her?” The young man was very excited.
“No, Helu, we and the Ashina family share the same ancestors. Since we don’t want to help them, we also cannot harm them. The descendants of the Golden Wolf King have already withered considerably. I didn’t expect another family would disappear here.”
“Then let’s help the Ashina family. Uncle Boma will definitely be able to defeat this Anji.” The young man appeared even more excited.
“We cannot. We cannot help the Ashina family. Helu, you’re thirteen years old this year and are about to become a man as strong as an eagle. You have righteousness but insufficient strength. What you can strive for now are these poor people. Since the young master of the Ashina family rode his horse trampling when Anji was giving charity to the children, he must be prepared to bear the fury from the lowest-level poor people.”
“Did you see that? Child, Anji, as an outsider, openly slaughtered the Ashina family’s cavalry on the main street, yet the Turkic people on both sides of the street were cheering for Anji. What does this show? It shows that the time has come for the Ashina family to perish. Child, remember this: don’t act against the will of the divine. That will only bring divine punishment.”
The young man didn’t really listen to the elder’s words. He excitedly pointed outside the carriage window and said to the elder: “Elder, look! She’s climbed up the wall. She’s as nimble as a cat. She’s going inside to kill people!”
The elder sighed. Seeing over a dozen war slaves carrying large shields hurrying over, he closed his eyes and said nothing.
The entrance to the Ashina family’s main gate was surrounded by people. Everyone was waiting for the outcome of events. The Turkic people’s expressions were wooden. Listening to the continuous agonized cries coming from the courtyard, their eyebrows twitched, yet they released their grip on their blade hilts. This time, the Ashina family had not a shred of justification. Among the dead children, Turkic children had originally been the most numerous. This was a spirit seeking justice for those dead children—whether or not they were Turkic people didn’t matter.
Moass frowned as he listened to the sounds of slaughter from the courtyard. Several times he wanted to untie the rope and rush into the courtyard to help Xiao Miao, but was blocked by a mountain-like burly bald Turkic man: “If Anji can slaughter the entire Ashina family, that’s her ability. Afterward, she will only receive supreme glory and won’t face any censure. But if you also rush in, the Turkic people won’t just watch you massacre Turkic people. Regardless of anything, the Ashina family belongs to the Turkic tribe.”
Xerxes didn’t care about any of this. His god was fighting inside. As a servant, how could he not rush in? Using his large shield to protect his body, he wanted to ram open that big man and rush inside first.
That big man simply delivered a heavy punch that pounded fiercely on Xerxes’s large shield. After a tremendous boom, Xerxes’s charging momentum was halted by the powerful force. His body retreated four or five steps in succession before he sat down on the ground with a thump. His left shoulder that had been carrying the shield seemed to have lost all sensation. Moass looked in shock at the clear fist imprint left on the iron-skinned shield. Knowing he was no match, he could only guard outside the gate, anxiously awaiting the battle’s outcome.
Half an hour passed. The sounds of slaughter inside gradually subsided. Occasionally a brief agonized cry would come out. That burly man glanced at Moass and said: “Your master has won. What a fine woman!” Having said this, he left the main gate and returned to the carriage. Moass saw an emotionally agitated young man leaning on the window of that white carriage.
The crowd untied the rope and struggled to push open the main gate. Behind the gate were piles of corpses, to the extent that they needed three or four people working together to push open one door panel.
The main gate was pushed open, and the corpses were pushed aside. The lake of blood that had been blocked by the corpses began to flow outward. A viscous stream of blood flowed along the threshold to the street, then began to slowly gather into a small pool of blood.
Xiao Miao was grabbing Ashina and asking him questions. Moass discovered that Ashina Botan’s eyes had already bulged out, his head drooping on the back of his neck—dead beyond all doubt. Xiao Miao still persisted relentlessly, holding a long blade and forcefully slapping Ashina Botan’s head asking him why. Her spear was on the wall. A middle-aged man in full armor was pinned to the wall by the spear. Xiao Miao’s left arm had an arrow stuck in it, and her shoulder also had one stuck in it. Her entire body was covered in bloodstains. That delicate face of hers was also dotted with specks of blood. Her whole person looked as if she had been fished out of a pool of blood.
“Your Highness, he’s already dead. He can’t answer your questions anymore.” Moass said quietly to Xiao Miao.
Xiao Miao struggled to rotate her eyeballs, looking at Ashina Botan in her hands. She also felt somewhat bored. With a release of her hand, she cast down the corpse, scraped the soles of her shoes on the sandy ground, and stepped out of the main gate.
Upon seeing those densely packed heads outside the gate, anger rose within her. Those pitiful children were lying right at their own doorsteps, all alone. Perhaps by now they had already frozen stiff.
The long blade in her hand flew out with a release, quivering as it stuck into the middle of the street. Xiao Miao said loudly: “In the western part of the city, horseback riding is forbidden. Violators will die!”
The main street immediately fell silent as a grave. The young man pulled his head back into the carriage and asked the elder strangely: “Elder, at this moment she should say that the western part of the city is her territory and violators die. How is it that she issued an order forbidding horseback riding?”
The elder opened his eyes and looked at Helu, saying quietly: “Because her purpose is very simple—it’s just to avenge those children. She has not the slightest interest in power and influence. So the appearance of such an order is very normal. She truly is an angel. Even this old man applauds her from the heart. In the Western Regions, with wind and rain swaying uncertainly, it’s time for one or two outstanding figures to appear.”
Xiao Miao was very exhausted, so she was carried back on a door panel by four war slaves. She sat on the door panel, returning to her home under the gaze of countless eyes.
The two handmaidens received their highness’s return home with the most respectful etiquette. The entrance to the home was different from what Xiao Miao had imagined. The corpses had all disappeared. The ground had been freshly covered with yellow sand again. The bloodstained wall surface had also been carefully scraped off. The stone slabs at the entrance had also been carefully washed with clean water and were very clean.
“Where did those children’s bodies go?” Xiao Miao asked the handmaidens in a hoarse voice.
“Many people came. They transported all the corpses away, including the children’s bodies. They said they would bury them properly. I saw the merchant who sells flatbread among the crowd.” The handmaiden answered quietly.
“That’s also good. This life was too bitter. Perhaps the next life will be better—at least they won’t go hungry, right?”
The handmaiden held scissors and carefully cut off the wolf-fang arrow. Xiao Miao frowned and pulled that arrow from her arm. Looking at the bleeding wound, she said sadly: “If I keep getting injured like this, how will I get married in the future?”
The handmaiden helped Xiao Miao apply medicine and bind the wound. Seeing Xiao Miao sad about this matter, she couldn’t help but say with a smile: “You will become a queen in the future. No matter how many scars your body has, you will become the supreme queen. This servant firmly believes this. Only servants like this servant care about the beauty or ugliness of the body. You don’t need to.”
Xiao Miao let the handmaiden remove her blood-soaked clothes and stood in the bathtub letting the handmaiden help wash her body. She looked down at the handmaiden’s full bosom, then looked at her own small chest. She couldn’t help but sigh again. Thinking of the scene she had seen that night, she shook her head and pondered: Why was Concubine Na Rimu’s bosom so beautiful?
Early the next morning, Xiao Miao got up very early. She still carried her basket to the entrance of her home. Opening the door, there wasn’t a single person outside. Not one of the children who in days past would wait drooling for her could be seen. Not one of those small vendors who sold flatbread and mutton at the street corner could be seen either.
Xiao Miao put down the basket in her hands and sat on the threshold in a daze. The two handmaidens stood far behind her, accompanying her in her sadness.
A white-bearded old man walked past from the alley. He was very old in years, leaning on a walking stick. His walking stick was very strange—at the very top was embedded a small sheep’s head with horns. When passing by Xiao Miao’s side, he saw the oil-yellow flatbread in her basket and the mutton cooked until falling apart. He smiled and said: “Young lady, this old man is hungry. Can you give this old man a little of your flatbread and mutton? When one is old, one doesn’t eat much. Just a little will do.”
Xiao Miao immediately became energized. Holding her basket, she came to the old man’s side and said: “Please take as much as you want. If it’s not enough, there’s more at home.” At this moment, as long as someone took things from her basket, Xiao Miao felt extremely happy.
The old man took a piece of flatbread and a piece of mutton. In front of Xiao Miao, he took a bite of the flatbread and said to Xiao Miao: “The taste is very good. This old man hasn’t eaten such flatbread in many years. Young lady, your kindness and bravery—even the sky god Tengri will smile and bless you.” Having said this, he leaned on his walking stick and left step by step.
“If you’re hungry, you can come get more tomorrow.” Xiao Miao couldn’t understand what the old man had said. She just felt the old man was very kind, very much like Master.
“Sister, I’m also hungry. I haven’t eaten anything for three days. Can you also give me a piece of flatbread and a piece of meat?” A young man wearing a cloak raised his head, revealing a mouthful of big white teeth, smiling as he extended his hand toward Xiao Miao.
“Yes, of course. I’ll get some for you right away. Get lost!” Xiao Miao had originally been very happy to get mutton and flatbread for the young man, but she accidentally saw this fellow’s soft calfskin boots. Her temper immediately flared.
“Why? You give to everyone else, so why won’t you give to me!” The young man’s cheeks flushed red. He argued with Xiao Miao, filled with indignation.
“Sell your calfskin boots and you’ll have enough to eat flatbread for half a year!” Xiao Miao looked at the young lad with contempt. She most detested this kind of fool who pretended to be poor to ingratiate himself.
The young man looked at his own boots. With his face and ears burning red, he ran away from Xiao Miao’s side. Xiao Miao laughed lightly, finding this young man very interesting.
When she turned back around, she discovered a large group of children rushing in from the alley entrance, exactly the same as yesterday…