MHNEB 22 (2/2)

Book 1:  Now we don’t hear the loom shuttle; we only hear our daughter sighing.

第22章 慈悲木兰

Chapter 22: Benevolent Mulan [Part 2 of 2]

-xxx-

Bai Ma and the other Lushuihus kept communicating in Hun language, and it can be seen that most of the Lushuihus did not agree with the conditions posed by “Hua Mulan”.

Gai Wu shut his mouth and kept his usual silence.

"Your father (2) can't bear to watch this anymore ..." A man's voice suddenly sounded.

After a while, a few strong men carrying a young man with blood-covered robes as they flashed out from the back of Qiuyuan Temple. The wandering swordsman behind them started to shout excitedly: Cui Lin is here! Cui Lin is here!”

It was Gao JinLong, the boss of the wandering swordsmen in Liang County, who said he “can’t bear to watch this anymore”.

With a "Cui Lin" here, the current situation has changed again.

The Cui family members had a jubilant expression as they watched their family’s young master being carried out from the worn-down temple. 

At this moment, these wandering swordsmen, wearing sackcloth shirts, have become akin to legendary figures in their opinions. 

Gao JinLong asked the wandering swordsmen to bring Cui Lin to the Wei Army. He pointed at the LuShuihus, scolding: 

"All of you here better obediently agree to General Hua's conditions and get out of Yu City and its surroundings. If Yu City has any ordinary civilian that died, thereafter the wandering swordsmen would follow your tracks and chase after you. We chase after all of you here till we die!”

"What the boss said is right!”

"All of you, this bunch of LuShuihus, hurry up and get out of here!"

"Pissing us wandering swordsmen, wherever you go in the future, the Great Wei Army would heed to our information and follow you wherever you go!"

If the sound of "Hua Mulan" made Gai Wu full of apprehension, then, when the wandering swordsmen came back with "Cui Lin", it made Gai Wu wonder whether his decision was correct or incorrect. When the boss of the wandering swordsmen here said that "We would chase after your tracks till we die," it made Gai Wu almost crushed his teeth. 

The LuShuihus here was a cavalry army, who came and went like a fluttering wind. Sometimes they may scatter, and sometimes they may gather. If the employer has any requests, they can immediately join into a battle, and they would never reveal their tracks.

The Northern Wei Dynasty prized those with calvaries. There were many different racial groups calvaries and horses were not any particularly rare animal. Around the region, nobody would bat an eye to it if anyone appeared riding a horse. 

But by being the target of these wandering swordsmen, that's might not necessarily be the case.

They are the best scouts and spies, and they will stare at your every move.

He Mulan saw that the LuShuihus were shaken at this point. With a wave of "Pan Shi" in her hand, she pointed her sword at Gai Wu.

"Promise me, or uphold your rules and die, your choice."

.

.

.

Gai Wu's lower jaw was shaking, Bai Ma was holding his tears back, and all the Lushuihu's faces seemed to be covered in a layer of shadow. 

At this point, Cui Lin was rescued. Even if they used the lives of the ordinary citizens at Yu City as a bargaining chip, the Liang County’s army would never let them leave here. 

It is not easy to walk down the road to offend Great Wei. They had kidnapped Cui Lin and offended the Han nobility. Now, if they add on the trouble they had with the wandering swordsmen, with the current situation, it is almost impossible to save the two eminent monks. It had become a difficult thing to accomplish even if they merely wanted to stay in the city now.

.

.

.

So, Gai Wu spoke slowly.

“I, Gai Wu, along with my subordinates under me, for the rest of our living years, will not harm the lives of any ordinary civilians……”

With his hands cupping over his injured waist area, he inhaled, as he spoke word by word:

“If I go back on my vow, the Gods and Buddha will abandon me!”

When the words “abandon me” spat out, Gao JinLong took a long breath. The soldiers, the magistrate, and Cui family members, as well as He Mulan, all showed relaxed expressions.

"Let your subordinate head to the surrounding villages and towns to release the ordinary civilians that you are currently commanding ..." He Mulan looked at Bai Ma with a stiff expression. "I will personally head down and see for myself. If nothing had happened to the villages and the towns, I would return again.”

"If your people let go of the ordinary civilians and are willing to leave Yu City, the county magistrate will naturally release you."

She was referring to the hundreds of soldiers that were surrounding the 50 over horsemen. 

Cui Lin was rescued. If they really started fighting, they could fight without fear now. 

Gai Wu turned his head to You Ke’s direction. Liang County's soldier seemed unwilling to let go of this matter. He wanted to say something to add on, but You Ke pressed on his shoulder.  

The young magistrate nodded solemnly.

"If you let go of the ordinary people and leave Yu City, I won't let Yu City's soldiers harass you. As for the Royal Court, I will naturally report what had happened. Whatever the consequences are, this official is willing to bear all consequences.” 

As soon as he said this, that soldier who originally wanted to comment on something obediently shut his mouth.

Gai Wu looked at You Ke momentarily and finally gave a few instructions in the Xiongnu language. After Bai Ma fiercely kicked the air a few times, he unwillingly took out a small white flag from Gai Wu's bosom,. He loudly hollered to the 20 over Lushuihu calvaries as he waved the flag.

These horsemen had received their orders. They were apparently dumbfounded, so they surrounded Bai Ma as they repeatedly cried out their responses. 

Bai Ma pointed at Hua Mulan, then, pointed at Gai Wu, said a few words in the Xiongnu language, and waved the white flag in his hand. No matter how unwilling those horsemen were, they could only turn their horses and head for the way they came.

The sound of their whisperings could be heard from time to time, but no one knew what the Lushuihus were talking about.

They didn't understand the Xiongnu language, but some people here understood.

Cui Lin, who had been delivered to You Ke by the wandering swordsmen, leaned on the friend's arms and nodded at him.

You Ke has been friends with him for many years. Naturally, this means that the LuShuihu-ren were not going to cause problems. He sighed, as he helplessly wondered where to place his hands. His eyes were red, as he weakly comforted: "Although you have suffered, fortunately, your life is not in harm’s way. As they say, one is bound for good fortune after surviving a great disaster…..."

You Ke kept murmuring but did not receive Cui Lin's response. When he carefully glanced at Cui Lin, Cui Lin had already started to slowly shut his eyelids that were smeared with tears and blood. 

It was as if he had endured the urge to faint for such a long time, just to give You Ke a nod.

.

.

.

He Mulan saw that the matter was settled, and almost did not hesitate to turn around to leave.

“Hua Mulan.”

Gai Wu suddenly called out.

He Mulan stationed her body on the spot suspiciously and turned her head to see what else the “General that lost to her” had to say.

Gai Wu didn't say anything, he just threw something to Hua Mulan with a painful expression.

A bomb!

A hidden weapon!

With conditional reflexes, He Mulan quickly withdrew her weapon!

Clatter, clatter.

A wooden sculpture that was dressed like a Xianbei man was cut off by He Mulan and broke apart on the ground.

Gai Wu displayed an expression of being badly jarred. 

He Mulan looked at the woodcarving on the ground dumbly, and for a moment, she did not know what Gai Wu meant.

This woodcarving is extremely ugly, she is not able to see the face or the head of the carving. It appeared like a work produced by a wild savage.

Could it be a cursed doll? 

Outrageous!

She nodded her head to Gai Wu, placed Pan Shi away, walked towards her steed, Shadow, flipped up onto her horse, and snorted in her heart.

‘Sorry, I don’t believe in witchcraft at all. ’

.

.

.

"General Hua, you are going to…..." You Ke brought Cui Lin to the Cui family members and shouted at Hua Mulan.

"Go home!" He Mulan rode away without looking back.

Where she goes first is self-evident.

No one would condemn her for not going to other villages first. If they were in her shoes, they would rush home first too.

You Ke was a little worried. Hence, he directed the cavalries in the army to follow Hua Mulan on their horsebacks. For a while, the sound of the hoof beats was extremely loud. Then, the men started to chase He Mulan’s shadow anxiously. 

She went by like the wind.

He Mulan lightly tapped “Shadow” using her feet.

This is a steed that could understand human nature. It felt it’s owner's anxiety, and used its fastest speed to gallop.

The LuShuihu horsemen in white looked at He Mulan in surprise and followed them back to Yu City and the countryside. Perhaps due to the competitive natures between the riders, these white horsemen also sped up and were unwilling to fall behind the famous steed “Shadow”.

Faster!

Go even faster!

The horses' feet stretched out and pulled forward on the ground as they powerfully stretched out again. The horses kept repeating such actions, as they speedily headed for the south of Yu City.

The 10 over riders separated on different roads and rushed to different villages. Only the white horsemen who had to go to Yingguo Township to send out the orders and the soldiers who followed Hua Mulan to inspect the township followed behind He Mulan’s back. 

From a distance, it seems that these horsemen are following behind the footsteps of He Mulan, but fearing her valiancy, they kept a few horse-lengths away to show her respect.

.

.

.

Gradually, the high wall of Yingguo Township stood in front of He Mulan. Hua Father’s figure entered within her view in an unbelievable manner. 

The old man who often had his back bent was riding a warhorse, wearing his armour, acted as a soldier, stood in the crenel and directed the villagers and the Hu-ren as both parties were locked in confrontation.

Behind the wall, the villagers in Yingguo Township, who usually only wield rakes, held on to the spears made of solid and slender bamboo and wooden poles sharpened on the top of the pole, standing in rows to block the gaps in the mud wall. 

Unexpectedly, Yingguo Township resisted the cavalries of the Lushuihus with such a simple rampart wall.

He Mulan's tears burst out of the rim of her eyes. 

It was an emotion that solely Hua Mulan should have that rushed out suddenly. It caused her to loudly shout in a tearful tone: “Father!” 

-xxx-

(2) 老子 (lao zi): literally translated to "This Old One". However, it's more like a slang trying to imply that he has a higher status. Brutes often used it to express themselves. Gao JinLong is a young man, but he chose to say it. Therefore, a more apt term to be used here would be "Your Father".

-xxx-

Fleur's Corner:

We are finished with the first verse of the story. Unexpectedly, Hua Gu takes the cake for me in this chapter.

Next update by next week. 

-xxx-

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter