Оnсе thе yellоw dust stirrеd uр bу thе hooves sеttlеd, the thirteеn riders had lоng vаnishеd withоut а trаce!
Сhapter Two
She hаd bеen unсonsсiоus fоr mоst of thе night!
In thе fоurth wаtсh, neаring dawn—Yelü Lie sаt in а tiger-skin аrmchair, oсcasiоnally glаnсing аt thе dосumеnts on the tаblе, and аt оthеr times thоughtfully оbsеrving the femаlе cаptive who lаy unconsсiоus оn the thiсk sheepskin-соvеred hеаtеd bеd. Shе wаs cоvеred with а broсade blаnket mаdе оf silver fох fur, bеnеath which she wаs completelу naked; she wаs quite slendеr, with skin as dеliсatе as an infant’s, and an unimaginable snow-white complexion.
The so-called secret documents had been sewn into the lining of her clothes; her garments now lay torn and scattered beneath the table. In truth, whether the documents were found or not mattered little to him, for even if they had reached Western Xia, they would have been of no use to their Great Liao Kingdom.
Western Xia was notorious for "leaning on the strong and bullying the weak." Li Yuanhao had declined the Great Song’s offer of amnesty but had put on a submissive face toward Great Liao, doing everything possible to curry favor. On one hand, they coveted the gold, silver, and jewels sent by Great Song; on the other, they secretly reported to Great Liao that Great Song was about to send a secret envoy to Western Xia, attempting to reap the benefits from both sides!
Yelü Lie gave a faint, cold smile, picked up the documents from the table, and burned them to ashes over the candle flame. This raid was merely to make Great Song and Western Xia understand that in this lawless territory lurked a group of terrifying assassins, a group that committed every imaginable crime, unrestrained by any nation. Of course, the gold, silver, treasures, and fabrics seized in the process would allow them to celebrate a prosperous new year; however, he had not expected to capture a woman, nor that she would stir in him a desire for possession.
Who was she? What was her relationship with Jun Chengliu? The Jun family controlled the economic lifeline of southern Great Song; if they could bring down the Jun family, it would throw Great Song into chaos for a while, would it not? Then, Great Song would likely have no surplus resources left to covet Great Liao. Ha! This account was far from settled!
He walked over to her—around her snow-white neck hung a piece of blood jade tied with a red thread, engraved with two seal script characters: "Qiluo":
What did this signify? Her name? Snow-white gauze—could someone truly be named after fabric?
She was the first person to strike him, and she was a southern woman with no strength to speak of! She had inflicted upon him the greatest humiliation of his life. Given his violent temper, he should have killed her long ago. Yet this girl’s nature was even fiercer; she would rather take her own life than give him the chance to strike—in that moment, he decided he wanted her!
However, she truly was a handful!
"Young Master!"
A respectful call came from outside the tent.
"Enter!"
Duoluo Qi led in an elderly matron carrying clothes. The untouched food on the table indicated that the beauty on the heated bed had not yet awakened.
"She—has she no other injuries? Or did you strike too hard?" On her snow-white wrist, exposed outside the fox fur blanket, the marks left by his grip were clearly visible; had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that southern women were so delicate.
If a mere light grip could produce such results, then the blow from the Young Master…
Yelü Lie shot Duoluo Qi a sharp glance, displeased at the excessive attention Duoluo Qi was showing toward the woman on the bed.
"She should awaken soon! Has the message been sent back to Shangjing? Any response?" He sat on the edge of the bed, effectively blocking any possible line of sight toward her.Duoluo Qi respectfully said, "The Khan hopes you can return to the Northern Court within a month to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Matters here can be entrusted to Dahe Jiyao or myself. The Khan wishes the Young Master to focus his attention on the year-end hunting of the Yilijin from each tribe. You know, the ambition of Duoluo Zhiwa, the Yilidong of the Duoluo tribe, goes beyond merely becoming the Chieftain of the Eight Tribes." Though Duoluo Qi was a subject of the Duoluo tribe, his heart leaned toward the Yelü Tribe.
Yelü Lie did not even furrow his brows. There were still three months until the end of the year, and the position of the overall leader of the Eight Tribes, elected every three years, was coveted by many. Although the Yelü Tribe was currently in power and had governed with great order, making each tribe strong and prosperous—even the Great Song feared them—the main clan itself had encountered problems. The formidable military strength of the Eight Tribes was the main force for maintaining internal stability and repelling external threats. In previous years, the Khan had concurrently served as the Chieftain of the Eight Tribes. However, a year ago, the Empress Dowager announced that this year’s Chieftain of the Eight Tribes would be selected from among the eight Yilijin. Returning military authority was meant to appease certain ambitious tribal chiefs who had long protested that the court treated them as puppets. Moreover, the court’s ministers heavily favored Han People, causing the true Liao People to fall out of favor.
Such agitation, accumulating day by day, might lead the Great Liao to self-destruction even without the Great Song launching an attack. Therefore, the Empress Dowager announced the abandonment of the Khan concurrently serving as the Chieftain of the Eight Tribes. However, this position must not fall into the hands of ambitious individuals. Thus, the Empress Dowager favored him for the role, believing he could undoubtedly achieve victory in multiple contests. At least given the current situation, the Yelü Tribe must firmly grasp military power.
"Young Master—"
"Go and rest. I have my own plans." Yelü Lie waved his hand, already knowing everything Duoluo Qi wanted to say.
Duoluo Qi had no choice but to fall silent, allowing the old maidservant to set down the clothes before exiting the tent together.
Yelü Lie walked to the bookshelf, took down a scroll, and spread it out on the table. It depicted the military deployment of the Eight Tribes and detailed the achievements of the current Yilijin from each tribe. Apart from the elderly Sunshi Aomohui, the rest were newly appointed Yilijin in recent years. The youngest was the twenty-four-year-old Dahe Woshan, and the oldest was the forty-year-old Kuge Yande. However, the ones requiring the most attention were Duoluo Zhiwa and Xi Changkun... He picked up a brush and began writing annotations on a white sheepskin scroll.
※ ※
When she opened her eyes and saw the top of the tent, she immediately recalled everything she had experienced. She sat up, her panicked eyes scanning the tent she was in. Aside from a bed—a large bed covered with expensive furs—there were also two Grand Preceptor chairs draped with tiger skins and a comfortable-looking lounge chair woven with patterns of flying birds. In the center stood a low Eight Immortals table, surrounded by soft cushions on all four sides. On either side of the tent were large wooden cabinets—one resembling a bookshelf and the other a wardrobe. The furnishings were simple, not particularly luxurious, yet the tent exuded an indescribable aura of authority. The floor was covered with a Persian carpet, exquisite and valuable. The first thought that came to her mind was—this tent must belong to that blue-eyed bandit leader."Ah!" Jun Qiluo gasped softly, seeing her bare body, she hurriedly pulled up the fox fur blanket; at the same time, the tent flap was flung open, and a massive figure strode in.
It was him! It really was him! That blue-eyed bandit!
She knew she had to maintain a cold, aloof expression; even while completely unclothed, she couldn't weaken the dignity befitting the eldest daughter of the Jun family. But—she couldn't do it! Especially when she was bare-chested and her lower garments were in disarray...
She could only clutch the blanket tightly and shrink back into the corner of the bed! With eyes that wanted to be cold and proud but were filled with terror, she watched him warily, her expression tense as she bit her lower lip until it turned white, blood seeming to flicker in and out of sight. And he, as if savoring her fear, wore a mocking smile, stopping his figure at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms, one hand lightly rubbing the stubble on his chin, his wicked blue eyes roaming over her up and down. His gaze seemed to be challenging hers! She commanded herself not to shrink from his piercing stare; even though she was completely naked, she still had to have pride!
Then, he placed both hands on the edge of the bed, leaning his entire upper body toward her. Jun Qiluo gasped, his face almost touching hers! His masculine breath swirled around her lips, like a light kiss, yet also like a tease! She quickly turned her face away, but his hand was faster, turning her face back, and then his lips descended upon hers...
Her punches and kicks felt like hitting an iron plate; the other seemed unaffected, while she only hurt herself. No! She wouldn't let any man bully her like this! No man could toy with her! So, she bit down hard on his lip...
"Ah!"
He swiftly pulled away from her lips, but at the same time, he clamped down on her slender wrist bones, almost crushing them...
Knowing that struggling was useless, she still clenched her teeth, refusing to cry out in pain again; she knew she could endure it, no matter how painful the torment, she just had to grit her teeth. At worst, she could die! Crying out in pain was the act of a coward; that earlier cry of pain had already brought shame upon the Jun family.
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