The capital of the Western Rong, Xijing City.
This city is located in the northern hinterland of the Western Rong territory. It was the capital city established by Danmoji after he unified the Western Rong. It was named Xijing, modeled after Shangjing, the capital of the Great Jin Dynasty.
September is the time when pastures are lush, cattle and sheep are plump, and warhorses are strong and healthy. Every year during this month, when Danmoji's heart ailment is not serious, he would gather the best warriors from all of Xirong for a martial arts competition in the suburbs of Xijing.
The tournament lasted a week and included horseback riding competitions, archery competitions, and battles with wooden swords and spears. The ultimate winner would be personally awarded prizes by King Danmoji and recognized as the Wolf Leader of the Western Wyverns, meaning "warrior who leads the wolf pack," and would be entitled to wear the Wolf Leader's special black cloak.
Because the Western Rong people valued martial prowess, Wolf Leader would receive the respect and support of the Western Rong people wherever he went, and would enjoy great honor.
The soldiers all longed to win this title, making the competition exceptionally fierce, with spectators often exceeding 100,000. The event was eventually cancelled due to Danmoji's worsening condition.
Last year, Su Wan cured Danmoji's heart disease, and after nearly a year of recuperation, Danmoji finally made a full recovery.
The first thing he did after recovering was to revive the Wolf Leader Tournament, which had been suspended for several years.
When the various tribes of the Western Rong learned that the competition had resumed, they immediately sent their best warriors to participate. People from all directions of the Western Rong also rode to Xijing to watch the competition.
Today is the third day of the competition, and the horse riding competition is reaching its climax.
Below the field, the warriors of the Western Rong rode their steeds, chasing each other and kicking up clouds of dust. The surrounding crowd cheered and shouted, their voices echoing through the sky. The drummers swung their drumsticks, striking the war drums with a deafening roar.
At the very center of the viewing platform sat King Danmoji of the Western Rong. He was much thinner than before his illness, yet he was full of energy and radiant with spirit. Seated beside him were the kings of various Western Rong tribes. Everyone watched intently as the warhorses galloped, some shaking their heads and sighing, others showing joy.
Dressed in her finest attire, Chu Mingyao sat beside Prince Danma, watching the competition unfold before her with an expressionless face.
She had no interest in watching either the intense match in front of her or the abundant fruit laid out on the table.
A rider on a chestnut horse crossed the finish line first, eliciting a burst of enthusiastic cheers. Danma stood up happily, clapping loudly and shouting, "Well done, well done! You are a true rider of the Chakala tribe!"
Sitting in the very center, Danmoji smiled and turned to talk to the tribal king beside him.
The rider pulled on the reins, lifting his horse's front hooves off the ground, and shouted, "Your Majesty, watch! I will surely claim the title of Wolf Territory!"
"Good, good, that's the spirit we need!" Danma shouted in approval.
He clapped his hands twice more, then turned to Chu Mingyao and said, "Princess, you should also stand up and cheer for this warrior."
Chu Mingyao stood up, raised her hands, clapped them at the rider, and whispered, "Leave for a moment."
Danma sat down with a smile, took an orange, peeled it, and said, "Go and come back quickly, the competition later is your father's rider competition."
Chu Mingyao nodded, then bowed slightly to Danmoji and said, "Father, I shall take my leave for now."
Danmoji nodded and said, "Hurry back, my rider will be competing in the next round." The tribal king next to him laughed and said, "Your Majesty, I bet you're going to lose badly again this time, hahaha."
Seeing that both father and son were engrossed in the competition, Chu Mingyao felt heavy-hearted. She turned and stepped down from the platform, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd, gazing towards the capital.
After returning to Xirong, she couldn't contain her feelings and revealed Su Wan's secret to Danma.
Danma found it unbelievable and was amazed repeatedly, but after learning the whole story, he expressed his opinion.
“Since this is a deal between Su Wan and that creator, we don’t need to worry about it. Besides, the creator wants to save your founding emperor of Southern Chu. You are, after all, a member of the Southern Chu royal family, and you have no right to interfere in the affairs of your ancestors.”
Chu Mingyao said, "But my sister not only saved Father, but also saved our lives. I can't bear to see her die like this."
Danma said, "We've already repaid her kindness. If we hadn't gone to her rescue during the Battle of Xiping Pass, she and the Emperor of Jin would have been wiped out long ago. Doesn't that count as repaying her life-saving grace?"
Chu Mingyao was speechless for a moment.
She knew Danma was right. Her feelings for Su Wan stemmed more from Su Wan's help to Southern Chu. Southern Chu was her homeland; Su Wan had sealed off the Gui River estuary, saving Southern Chu. She had also facilitated peace talks between Southern Chu and the Great Jin Dynasty, preserving Southern Chu's independence. These were the reasons for her gratitude towards Su Wan.
Unfortunately, these matters have nothing to do with the Western Rong. Southern Chu is Southern Chu, and Western Rong is Western Rong; she truly cannot make demands of Danmati.
Seeing her somber expression, Danma smiled and put her arm around her shoulder, saying, "Father has fully recovered. We'll be holding the Wolf Territory Tournament soon, and you'll be happy watching the competition."
Chu Mingyao nodded and didn't mention Su Wan again.
These past few days, she's been torn between two options, counting on her fingers how many days Su Wan has left.
Su Wan's life will end in November. As the date draws closer, she becomes increasingly restless and unable to eat or sleep.
Su Wan's life or death is tied to the sacred land of Southern Chu. To help Su Wan, she must offend the family of divine healers, essentially going against her ancestors. This is the first obstacle. The second obstacle is that to help Su Wan, she can only rely on the power of the Western Rong army. However, Danma isn't interested in this matter; instead, she's preoccupied with preparing for the Wolf Territory Tournament. She can't force Danma to do anything.
On the day the Wolf Territory Tournament was about to begin, she received devastating news: the Empress of Great Jin had been captured by a giant eagle and disappeared.
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