Nightfall

The wilderness was cold in winter despite wind being blocked by the mountain ranges and hot springs flowing through. The discussion between the Palace and the Central Plains was at its height after a few days of it.

The cavalryman of Divine Hall had escorted the noble forth as the Chanyu’s consort loved flowers but was unable to cultivate them in the harsh weather conditions of the Wilderness. A letter had been written, pleading for the Divine Hall to allow Lu Chenjia to visit the Palace to learn about horticulture in person.

This had nothing to do with the discussion. But they had left just as the discussion came to a stalemate. It was just like the girls from the Great River Kingdom who were sending grains. They were intricately linked.

No matter the Left-Tent Palace of the Desolate Man or the various countries of the Central Plains, nobody wanted to continue to fight. The reason for the months of plundering by the and the killings that followed was due to the Desolate Man moving southwards. The first cause of this was the lack of resources and the second, their attitudes. This discussion was merely the two sides arguing about the size of their army and the amount of grains they should provide.

It was reasonable for the two sides to come together against the Desolate Man after their appearance on the surface of earth after a hundred thousand years. However, who should take charge of this? And who should send more armies?

The Desolate Man were born warriors. The hundreds and thousands of dead grassland cavalry from that battle in the north that spring was proof of this. The price one had to pay to stop the Desolate Man from moving southwards and to chase them back to the extreme cold in the north was a heavy one. Who would want to have their man charge right at the front?

With regards to this matter, the Divine Hall and the Tang Empire both maintained their strong stance. The army had been exerting its force on the frontier fortress on the North of Yan Kingdom. The younger generation of cultivators from various cults was working on it as well. The Left-Tent Palace of the grassland had suffered losses in their battle with the Desolate Man and the Chanyu could not maintain his strong stance any longer.

The discussion was mostly a battle of endurance. The discussion would naturally become smoother once a certain party backs down. The parties involved finally arrived at a consensus on the second day Ning Que and the disciples of Black Ink Garden arrived at the palace.

Before the first grass sprouted next summer, the Left-Tent Palace would head up north and attack the Desolate Man. As for the Central Plains, they had only agreed to send six thousand cavalries but had promised to provide generous monetary support as well as most of the grains and armory needed by the Left-Tent.

The news of the successful negotiation was carried by the wind and spread throughout the grassland, which exploded with hoots of celebration as well as muttered curses. The Palace camps prepared wine and food and also decided upon an impromptu Ge Mumu gathering.

Ge Mumu meant celebration in the Man dialect. It was the largest celebration held on the grassland. The Palace’s decision to hold an impromptu Ge Mumu gathering was due to the successful negotiations and also taking the opportunity to allow the civilians of the Palace to interact with those from the Central Plains in order to do away with the enmity. No one knew if it would work though.

As the music struck up and colorful flags flew in the sky, the people on the grassland grew more lively. Those who were competing in equitation and archery in the open were surrounded by crowds watching.

They wore thick robes made of leather or cotton. While they came from different lands, they stood together in their separate camps and watched the Ge Mumu gathering, the performances and cheered together.

When the lamb catching competition ended and the victor had received his prize, the anticipation for the upcoming archery competition reached its highest buzz.

An archer from the Palace was crowned the victor as his arrows were clustered on the red target. Everyone in the crowd cheered loudly.

Ning Que and the girls from the Great River Kingdom watched on in the crowd.

No one from the Divine Hall cared that the disciples from Black Ink Garden had arrived and it suited them just fine as they watched the bustle around them. Mo Shanshan stayed in her tent and practiced calligraphy as usual. Everyone was used to that and did not ask her out.

Cat Girl watched the victorious archer being paraded on the shoulders of his brethren and huffed lightly. She tugged on Ning Que’s sleeves and said, "Senior Brother, why did you not participate? No matter riding or archery, you are way better at it than them. Wouldn’t it be great if you won all the prizes?"

Ning Que looked at her and smiled, "Of course not."

He felt as if he was looking at the younger version of Sangsang whenever he looked at her. That was why even his speech was warmer when he spoke to her.

"Those who dare to showcase their skills at the Ge Mumu are all good hunters of the grassland. The Yan archer was impressive. Even if I had entered the competition, I might not win."

He was being truthful. There were many hidden talents in the Central Plains and the Wilderness. There was no guarantee that he would win. But he wasn’t being entirely truthful either. If Ning Que had given his all, no matter the lamb capturing competition or the archery competition, there was no one who could beat him.

Cat Girl looked at him in resignation and sighed, "Senior Brother, you are great at everything but you are just too humble."

Ning Que could not help but smile. He thought that no matter Mo Shanshan or Cat Girl, they would both try to butter up to him. If he hung out with the innocent girls from the Great River Kingdom for too long, he might actually float up into the air from all the kissing up they do to him.

He ruffled her hair and said, "You’ll understand when you grow up. If you always want to emerge at the top and show off, there will be one day when the wind will blow and break you."

The Great River Kingdom had always been highly influenced by the Tang Empire. They were strong and always looked toward victory. They placed great importance on glory and thought that it was as important as one’s life and would fight for it with their lives. That was why Cat Girl did not understand Ning Que. Her eyes were filled with questions and curiosity.

The Ge Mumu festival included various entertainments in the form of competitions. The Palace would also provide delicacies for those who attended the festival. Cat Girl was lured by the wafting scent of barbequed lamb and forgot her questions in a split second. Zhuo Zhihua and the other girls from the Great River Kingdom were all attracted by the scent of milk tea and other foreign delicacies and gradually disappeared into the crowd.

The agreement was a good cause for celebration. The Palace’s grassland was no doubt the safest place on earth at that moment. Ning Que looked at the various dishes displayed at the stalls with curiosity. The girls from the Great River Kingdom who sampled the dishes smiled and did not look worried at all.

A sudden commotion sounded in the distant part of the grassland. The volume of chattering and celebration increased and the winter clouds seemed as if they were about to be dispersed by a sudden heat wave.

Cat Girl held on to her barbequed lamb leg and looked around curiously with her large eyes. However, she was unable to see what was happening as she was blocked by the crowd.

"The horse race must have started."

Ning Que held her lamb leg for her as it looked as if it was about to fall from her small hands. He held out a handkerchief and gestured for her to wipe the grease off her lips. He said, "The people of the grassland are nomads. Their best skills include riding and archery. Horses are very important to them, which is why the horse race is the most important segment of the Ge Mumu festival."

Cat Girl said excitedly, "Senior Brother, I want to see it!"

Ning Que held a glistening lamb leg in one hand and Cat Girl’s hand in the other and the two walked towards the crowd.

He did not bring her to the periphery of the horse racing tracks but brought her to a slope on the outskirts of the camp. The grass on the slope had yellowed and was awaiting the arrival of spring. While the wind was strong on it, they had a great view of the tracks.

The Palace placed great importance on the Ge Mumu this year since the Central Plains was participating in it. This was especially so since they were good at horse racing. The tribe had taken down hundreds of tents especially just for this in order to make space for a large piece of empty land in the middle of the grassland.

The victor of the race was decided by speed. It was simple but exhilarating. The race had begun. Ten odd horses cantered on the grassland. Their hooves were like rain, landing on the ground and kicking up a layer of fine dust. Those with sharp eyes could see the trembling muscles of the horses beneath their glistening skin.

They empty patch of land meant for the race was fenced up. Ning Que stood on the slope and looked down on it and could make out that they had already gone through one-third of the track.

It was clear which horses were going to come first as they split into two packs. There were three horses leading the race. According to the costume of the riders, the first three horses belonged to the Palace, the Divine Hall, and the Tang army.

The horse that the Divine Hall rider rode was pure white and had strong legs. When it ran at full speed, its coat glistened like an incoming snow storm.

Ning Que was unlike most army men. He had never loved horses. But after spending years in the frontier of the City of Wei, he knew his horses well. He could not help but exclaim when he looked at the pure white horse, "That horse is not bad at all, if it had a good rider, it would be second to that dumb one."

It looked rather funny when he raised the glistening lamb leg in the air as he said that

Cat Girl held up a small knife that she had bought from a nomad earlier and was attempting to carve a slice of meat from the leg. She said unhappily when she heard that, "How is Big Black dumb? Senior Brother, you make him carry heavy things all day and don’t get him good food. Even if he’s dumb, you’re the one who made him so."

The Big Black that the young lady defended was the Big Black Horse.

...

...

There was a tent set up before the Palace tent at the horse track in order for the nobles to watch the race. They stood before the tent and watched the intense race and discussed smilingly themselves.

At the corner of the resplendent tent, the Chanyu’s consort looked at the quiet girl beside her and said, "Princess Chen Jia, it seems that this horse will not let you down."

The leading snow white horse was one that the Chanyu’s consort had gifted the young girl with last night. It was being ridden by a rider of the Divine Hall today, which was why its performance was out of the world.

The girl smiled and replied, "Thank you for your gift, princess."

The princess looked at the girl’s flawless appearance and thought of her past. She smiled warmly at the girl and said, "Only a horse that is out of the world would be fitting of the other-worldly Flower Addict. Have you thought of what you’d like to name it?"

The girl looked at the white horse which was speeding through the grassland and was filled with joy. She thought of that person never did like complicated descriptions and thought for a moment before saying softly, "I shall call it Little Snow."