Chapter 117: Graye

After retrieving their treasures from the Hu camp, a new dilemma arose. The cunning Hu, fearing the Han might escape, had destroyed the supply carriages. With no vehicles left to transport the gifts, the prospect of each man carrying a crate on foot was hardly practical. Fortunately, there was a skilled carpenter among the envoys. After spending a morning’s labor, he managed to cobble together a cart capable of holding the crates. The burden, however, fell upon Tang Jian, who could no longer wait comfortably inside a carriage; he was forced to proceed on horseback.

The items recovered from the tents were substantial. Some of the Hu possessed a stronger will to survive than the average Han, and their stockpiles consisted mostly of grain, animal meat, and scavenged wild vegetables—anything edible was considered a treasure. This set them apart from Xiao Zhi and his former band of outlaws; only bandits who knew how to secure their own survival could endure the frozen, snow-swept grasslands.

After consolidating their supplies, they had enough food to last about three days, which left Tang Jian quite satisfied. In such treacherous, desolate lands, one had to weigh the safety of following refined Han officials against that of dealing with bloodthirsty Hu. To Luo Gan, the answer was neither; since the embassy began, every day had been spent in trepidation, a torment far worse than being locked in a prison cell.

Luo Gan was not alone in this sentiment. Yan Shan, unable to sleep at night, had grown listless, his appetite failing him—though, in truth, there was little to eat beyond dry rations and the occasional fish caught through holes hacked into the ice. When luck favored them, they would process the catch and carry it as provisions. Xiao Zhi, while not allergic, found fish a poor substitute for real meat; it lacked substance, and every meal felt like a form of torture.

Luo Gan longed for the delicacies of Chang'an and even missed the simple flavors of Anping County. Though far inferior to modern culinary techniques, those home-cooked meals now felt like a luxury. Their horses had entered a state of exhaustion, lacking the vigor they had possessed when leaving Chang'an. The biting wind made riding a miserable ordeal, and stopping only left them exposed to the freezing cold. Many in the party were coughing or suffering from runny noses, their faces pale or flushed with the harsh bite of the frost.

"If only we could find a place to rest!" Luo Gan pleaded with himself countless times. Even a brief respite would be a relief.

Qin Yang led three men ahead, scouting the path and leaving markers for those behind. Tang Jian, the Duke of Ju, rode at the forefront with a speed few could match, forcing his guards to remain hyper-vigilant to ensure his safety. This urgency pushed the group forward, and soon they caught up with Qin Yang. Before them lay a small encampment of Turks. Qin Yang had waited for Tang Jian to arrive and decide their course of action.

"The landscape is a vast, white void. We lost our way and stumbled upon this place, but it appears to be inhabited by Hu," Qin Yang reported.

Tang Jian climbed a rise to survey the scene. Qin Yang was right. Below, torches flickered, casting light upon the ice and snow. Women were busy caring for children, who were bundled in thick layers of clothing, playing in the snow to stay warm. Men were dispersed throughout the camp; some kept watch, while others returned on horseback from hunting. It was a peaceful scene, appearing less like a den of savage bandits and more like a temporary settlement of nomads.

"How much food do we have left?" Tang Jian asked.

"One day at most. If we have lost our bearings and continue blindly, we are bound to run into trouble."

Tang Jian understood this well. Wandering aimlessly would only invite more misfortune. The Hu before them offered a potential opportunity—a chance to secure supplies and confirm their location.

Yan Shan, like a newborn hedgehog, lacked the quills to defend himself and could only shiver in fear. "Leader, we are confronting the Hu again? It was a miracle we weren't killed last time. Must we walk straight into the trap again?"

Xiao Zhi felt as though Yan Shan had become a different person on this journey, growing timid and fearful—especially after their abduction by the Hu, which had clearly left him traumatized.

Luo Gan comforted him, saying, "If the Duke of Ju intends to go, we go with him. But our situation is dire. We were supposed to be only a day’s journey away, but we have certainly gone the wrong way. Two days have passed, and we haven't seen a single town; we are in the middle of nowhere. Finding a tribe, at least, is a chance."

Yan Shan suddenly felt as though he were suffering from a deep incompatibility with this harsh environment, unable to transform from a frail youth into a rugged survivor. A single stone ripples the water; for Yan Shan, who had only hoped to achieve something by Luo Gan's side to earn a living, the stakes had grown beyond his control. He had not only met the Duke of Ju but had become part of the embassy to the Eastern Turks. He thought that if he could survive, he would return and boldly declare his love for Yunniang, and reconcile with his family... The biting wind blinded him, and suddenly, he collapsed into the snow.

His vision turned to chaos, a deep and lonely darkness. He could no longer hear the others; even the passage of time vanished, leaving only a sense of the void.

"Yan Shan! Yan Shan!" A voice seemed to drift from afar, ethereal and hollow, calling his name. Was it Luo Gan? Xiao Zhi? Who could it be?

A sliver of light tore through the black shroud, growing wider and wider until he saw a strange face.

A girl with dusky, yellowish skin and hair reaching her waist, Gelaye, sat beside him, watching him with gentle eyes. Yan Shan was instantly drawn into a beautiful, exotic tenderness as the girl held his hand, her gaze lingering.

"You're finally awake!" The voice was deep, gravelly, and strong. Yan Shan froze.

"I'm talking to you! What is wrong with you? You were unconscious for so long—if you hadn't woken up, we would have tossed you into the snow!" Gelaye’s face, which seemed as delicate as a doll’s, shifted from worry to fury in a heartbeat.

Yan Shan, still believing he was hallucinating, slapped himself. "This must be a dream, right? How could such a strange thing happen? A woman this beautiful is actually a man? How ridiculous!"

Gelaye watched as Yan Shan collapsed back onto the bed, trying to fall back asleep to escape reality. She delivered a crisp, satisfying slap across his face, followed by a punch to his nose as hard as iron. Before Yan Shan could return to his dream, he was completely leveled, his nose bruising instantly.

"Who is ridiculous now?"