Twists and Turns (Part 1)

Twists and Turns (Part 1)

"You... actually entered the Dao?" Qin Mo stared fixedly into Kaihime's eyes. Fine threads of radiance had appeared within them—symptoms of vital energy entering the body. Though so faint they were nearly impossible to detect, they signified the transformation of an ordinary person, shedding mortal flesh and exchanging bones.

When they cultivated that night, Qin Mo had not released his vital energy, and the amount Kaihime absorbed had been pitifully small. Thus, Qin Mo had not sensed any disturbance in the surrounding vital energy the previous night. Only today, while Kaihime dressed him and their bodies pressed close together, did Qin Mo feel the resonance of vital energy. Her newly formed dantian was simply too active.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for granting me this." Kaihime said no more. She merely knelt down devoutly, pressing her forehead to the ground to express the boundless gratitude in her heart.

Qin Mo said nothing for a long while, and Kaihime did not raise her head for a long while either. She was deeply uneasy. Qin Mo had remained silent for too long—was His Highness having second thoughts? After all, she was one of the Fusang people, and a woman besides.

"From now on, if you have questions about cultivation, ask your adoptive father more often. If you encounter any difficulties... you may also come find... this heir apparent." Qin Mo's words moved Kaihime beyond measure. Tears and snot streamed down her face. "...Kaihime swears to follow Your Highness unto death... until I fall in battle..."

"Don't speak such ill-omened words. You have the talent; I merely gave you a slight push. Go prepare my breakfast."

Watching Kaihime's busy figure from behind, Qin Mo sighed inwardly. Why the hell are they all monsters... making this heir apparent look so useless?... One after another, they reach the Dao without even using 'medicine'... I've practically got cheats enabled... and I still can't catch up to that female tyrannosaur. Now there's another one—how am I supposed to play this? Qin Mo muttered on and on, and more than half the joy from his increased cultivation speed the previous night had been crushed away.

The Great Xia army marched northward in silence and determination. The soldiers and nobles had lost the enthusiasm they possessed at the beginning of the expedition. Like a pack of puppets, they repeated the motions of marching to the beat.

Qin Mo's army was one of the rare exceptions. Their marching patterns differed every day: sometimes they advanced slowly while scouting under guard, sometimes they surged forward in wild pursuit. At night, they held competitions, hometown operas, and other entertainments every few days. Together with three ample meals a day, the Dayuan Army's soldiers grew steadily stronger, and their coordination in formation became increasingly seamless.

Half a month after leaving the Imperial Capital, Qin Mo's army finally reached the outskirts of Guihua City and camped on the spot. Guihua City had been known in ancient times as the Chile River, a land rich in water and grass. The Tatar Tribe occupied the western half of these pastures and was also the largest grassland tribe in the area.

Hu Ba had long sent a trusted subordinate back to the Tatar Tribe with news. Once the army arrived at Guihua City and set up camp, several dozen riders soon came to the gates of the camp, asking to see Hu Ba and Hu Qi.

Qin Mo did not concern himself with such trivial affairs. He only stated his decisions when setting the strategic direction, leaving the details to his subordinates. It did not matter if they handled things poorly. After suffering losses once or twice, he would gain a large group of experienced grassroots executors.

This business venture of selling salt onto the grasslands had been destined to go anything but smoothly. After dinner, while Kaihime attended Qin Mo's bath, Hu Ba and Hu Qi waited anxiously outside the tent, requesting an audience.

Qin Mo casually put on a long robe, then sat barefoot and with his hair loose upon the couch. Looking at the two grassland children kneeling below, he could see that the siblings had clearly argued. Tear tracks still lingered at the corners of both their eyes.

"Speak... and give me the details..."

"Your Highness, my elder brother colluded with the Kereit Tribe. He injured my brother-in-law Hu'er, seized many of my herdsmen, and I beg Your Highness the Heir Apparent to send troops against them. From this day forward, my Tatar Tribe is willing to pledge loyalty to Your Highness." Hu Ba lowered his head and recited his prepared lines. He was still too young; after suffering such a great blow, he had completely lost his bearings.

Seeing Hu Ba's state, Qin Mo knew someone had supplied him with this idea. It was either Hu Qi or someone else in the tribe. Perhaps they believed that, as a member of the Great Xia Imperial Clan, conquering a few grassland tribes would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

But Qin Mo knew that this was precisely a line he could not cross. After pondering for a long time, he made his decision and spoke to Hu Ba and Hu Qi.

"The only ones you may pledge loyalty to are the Great Xia court and the Emperor, not me. If you say such things again, not only will our cooperation be canceled, we will become enemies." Qin Mo saw Hu Ba raise his head, ready to speak, and stopped him with a gesture before continuing.

"We are partners. I can provide you with the necessary help, but these matters cannot be openly declared to outsiders. Go now. I will send people to give you the help you need. Also, I will remain here for only two days. If you cannot settle your internal strife within those two days... I... will find someone else."

Qin Mo was speaking the truth. With the combined strength of himself, Marquis Kaiyang, and Prince Hejian, they could sell salt throughout the grasslands. All they lacked was a partner on the grasslands. It could be the Tatar Tribe, or it could be the Kereit Tribe. He could not deeply interfere in conflicts between the grassland tribes, or it would arouse the suspicions of the imperial family and the court.

Hu Qi dragged Hu Ba, who still wanted to speak, out of Qin Mo's main tent. She was several years older than Hu Ba and knew more of Great Xia's historical affairs. Great Xia was powerful and harsh toward outsiders, but its internal struggles were equally frequent. Though outright clashes like those between grassland tribes rarely occurred, stabbing people in the back was an everyday sight. Qin Mo could not possibly leave others with something they could use against him.

That very night, the siblings received Qin Mo's "necessary help": three hundred carts of snow-white sea salt, fifty suits of full-body iron armor with matching horse-chopping sabers, and an old soldier missing one arm.

Each cart of salt weighed two thousand jin; three hundred carts amounted to six hundred thousand jin. The entire Tatar Tribe numbered only two hundred thousand people. If rationed carefully, this could last them half a year, not to mention that the clans belonging to Hu Ba and Hu Qi numbered fewer than one hundred thousand people.

As for those suits of full-body iron armor, Qiangba's saliva practically dripped to the ground at the sight of them. The first time he had seen such armor was on one of the Fusang people, a squad leader. When Hu Ba asked him how such armor could be bought, the man gave Hu Ba a contemptuous look, then lifted his armor to reveal a long scar across his body, indicating that this was the price.

Hu Ba had been deeply discouraged. His father had left him a suit of lamellar armor. Though he often rubbed it with grease, he still could not stop it from growing ever older. Great Xia's inspection of ironware flowing into the grasslands was far too strict. Besides, with Hu Ba's current build, he would need several more years before he could wear it.

But now he actually possessed fifty suits of iron armor. His courage instantly swelled several times over. He was already imagining himself leading fifty armored warriors straight into his elder brother's tent, slaughtering in every direction, then tying him up and hanging him from a flagpole to bake to death beneath the sun.

"You bought these suits of iron armor from smugglers. They have not the slightest connection to my heir apparent, understand?" Xu Liyan said coldly to the jubilant barbarians. He did not look down on them, though, because not long ago, he himself had looked much the same.

"Thank you for the reminder, General. We bought these suits of iron armor from merchants. As for who those merchants were, we know nothing." Before Hu Ba could react, Hu Qi saluted Xu Liyan and answered. Anyone sent by the heir apparent to help the siblings could not be a coward, even if he was missing an arm.