1 Chapter 1
White Disaster
A ferocious wolf head totem hung high above the golden tent, and a dim oil lamp shone on the snowy wolfskin rug. Li Hengqing wrapped himself tighter in the fox fur coat, but the poisonous chill seemed to have penetrated deep into his bones, making it impossible to find even a hint of warmth.
It was half a month ago that I traveled from the modern agricultural laboratory to the body of the princess sent by the Dasheng Dynasty to marry Beidi.
"It's still getting colder." She muttered to herself, stood up and lifted a corner of the thick felt curtain. The strong wind from Mobei, sharper than a knife blade, immediately rushed in mercilessly, blowing on her face and causing pain.
Seeing this, the two maids who had been idle in the tent immediately stood up to stop her, their unfamiliar Central Plains dialect carrying obvious rebuke: "Princess! Please come back soon, the Khan will blame us."
Li Hengqing did not look back, but looked across the night sky at the brightly lit Khan's main tent not far away. Under the howling north wind, the quarreling sounds were still faintly audible.
The maid anxiously said, "Princess!"
Just then, a group emerged from the side door of the main tent, led by an elderly man dressed in elaborate ritual attire and holding a bone staff. He glanced up at the leaden sky, shook his head, and left with a solemn expression.
Li Hengqing then sighed almost inaudibly, returned to the couch, and stared at the flame of the animal oil lamp, as if in a trance.
The system panel in my mind was flashing ominous numbers:
Current ambient temperature: -18°C
[Abnormal strong cold air activity has been detected. The ambient temperature will drop sharply below -40°C within twelve hours, accompanied by a severe snowstorm. Please prepare for it.]
Her slender, beautiful eyebrows knitted slightly. This wasn't just a sign of a heavy snowfall; it was a disaster unprecedented in the tribe's history, a raging snowstorm powerful enough to engulf all life on the grasslands.
A maid's whisper came from the corner of the tent: "Great Shaman Wu Rigen just came out. Look at his face... He must be saying again that the Snow God is angry this year and it's all because of that woman from the south."
"Yes, so slender, it looks unlucky. We are the people of the sky, how could the Khan marry a..."
Li Hengqing didn't understand the awkward Northern Di language, but the system thoughtfully provided her with real-time translation. A princess abandoned as a pawn by her homeland, a stranger ostracized by her new family as a bad omen—this was her current situation.
At this moment, a fierce argument suddenly broke out from the main tent, and not even the tent could block it out. One of the voices was particularly violent and loud.
The system prompted again: [A key figure, Tug, leader of the Black Hawk tribe, advocates moving south to resolve the survival crisis.]
To the south lay Li Hengqing's homeland, the Dasheng Dynasty. Li Hengqing wasn't surprised by this man's proposal. Faced with natural disasters, people had few options: save themselves or plunder. For the Northern Di, who valued military prowess and were known for their cavalry and archery, marching south to plunder the rich Central Plains seemed like an option that ran in their blood.
However, the Dasheng Dynasty has not been prosperous in recent years, otherwise why would Li Hengqing be here?
Sure enough, the system panel flashed a dazzling red light:
[Grassland Blessing System Urgent Task Release: Resist the White Disaster.]
Mission Description: A devastating snowstorm is approaching, with estimated livestock losses exceeding 70%. The grasslands will be plunged into famine and chaos, and armed conflict may be unavoidable. Prove your worth and reduce the livestock mortality rate to below 30%.
[Task Reward: Primary Technology Blueprint Library, 5000 points.]
Li Hengqing's eyes narrowed as she opened the system points store. Her initial points were low, so she could only choose from the primary drawings. However, she didn't hesitate for long.
The construction drawings of the semi-underground emergency snow-proof greenhouse and the basic Beidi language ability were successfully exchanged.
She stood up and said to the two maids in the corner in slow but standard Northern Di dialect, "Please take me to the Khan's main tent."
One of the maids retorted subconsciously: "The Khan has ordered..."
The other one, who was more clever, suddenly changed his expression and quickly pulled his companion to his side: "K-Khadun, do you speak Northern Di?"
Then, didn't this weak Central Plains woman in front of them understand everything they had just discussed?
Li Hengqing smiled slightly and spoke more slowly: "Is my Northern Di language not good? I say, please take me to the Khan's main tent."
She spoke softly, her voice not loud, but the two maids dared not disobey and could only nod in agreement: "...Yes, yes."
When Li Hengqing's slender figure appeared at the door of the main tent, the deafening quarrel inside the tent came to an abrupt end.
Several gazes instantly focused on her, a mixture of scrutiny, suspicion, and undisguised contempt.
The young man in the main seat wasn't as imposing as the legends said. Instead, he had a slender build and handsome features. Even his thick wolfskin cloak couldn't hide his broad shoulders and lean waist. His eyes, as sharp as a hawk circling over the grasslands, stared intently at her, the uninvited guest. He was Helian Xiao, leader of the Northern Di Alliance and the Canglang Tribe, and Li Hengqing's husband.
"Get out! This is not a place for women!" A burly man with a full beard roared in stiff Chinese. He was Tug, the leader of the Black Hawk tribe.
Li Hengqing ignored him. She looked past everyone and looked directly at Helian Xiao.
As the leader of the Northern Di tribal alliance, her husband had unquestionable decision-making power.
She opened her mouth, still speaking standard Northern Di dialect, with impeccable pronunciation: "Great Khan, I have a way to ensure the tribe's cattle and sheep survive the winter safely."
The moment the words fell, there was a moment of silence in the main tent. Even the most arrogant Tuge was stunned. After a while, he sneered: "Nonsense! Don't think you can fool the birds in the south by learning a few wolf howls--"
"Tuge, let the princess finish." Helian Xiao interrupted Tuge unhappily, leaning forward slightly, listening attentively.
No one dared to challenge the young and vigorous new Wolf King, and they were instantly silenced. Tuge gnashed his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Thank you." Li Hengqing nodded politely and asked the maid beside him to unfold the blueprint.
"This greenhouse is half built underground, drawing on the earth's own warmth to keep it warm. It's sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with the opening facing south, minimizing heat loss. The walls are reinforced with a mixture of straw and mud, and the top is covered with compacted soil, making it strong enough to withstand the strongest snowstorms."
Surprise flashed across Helian Xiao's sharp eyes, and he asked in a low voice, "How do you ventilate the underground? There are too many livestock, and they'll suffocate."
"Like a tent, with felt curtains hung at both ends," Li Hengqing answered fluently. "When the wind and snow are strong, close the north door and slightly open the south door to ensure warmth and ventilation at the same time."
"Where are the building materials?" Helian Xiao asked again.
Li Hengqing: "We can use local materials. The excavated earth and hay do not need to be transported. We only need some extra wood for the main beams."
The young wolf king pondered for a moment. The atmosphere in the tent was extremely tense and everyone was waiting for his decision.
Tuge couldn't hold back and said anxiously: "Batur, think carefully! The ominous witch in the Central Plains, this might be a trick!"
Helian Xiao glanced at him and finally stood up. His tall figure brought a strong sense of oppression. He spoke in a commanding tone that brooked no room for questioning: "In the face of the white disaster, the people of Cang Qiong should unite as one. The princess is the princess of Nansheng and also my queen. The shaman of the grassland has blessed us."
"Supplies and manpower will be dispatched by the princess, and I will personally be in charge. The rest of the tribes will decide whether to participate or go through the disaster on their own."
Li Hengqing felt relieved, knowing that his bet was right. This Helian Xiao was definitely not the reckless man who only knew how to use force as rumored in the Dasheng Dynasty.
However, the challenges are far from over.
Most members of the Canglang tribe fear the Khan, and even if they have doubts, they dare not openly disobey Li Hengqing.
But when this slender and fair princess, who looked out of place on the rugged grassland, walked into the crowd with the blueprint and drew lines to give instructions, suspicion and contempt inevitably appeared on everyone's face.
The people assigned to her moved slowly and evasively. Some even deliberately piled the excavated earth in the wrong place and then laughed in the Northern Di language, which they thought Princess Nansheng could not understand.
Li Hengqing understood that Helian Xiao could give her power, but he could not give her the wealth that matched it in an instant. She could only earn it with her own hands.
She did not scold loudly, but asked the maid to take off the snow-white fox fur for her, picked up the unused shovel, walked to the frozen soil where the line was marked, and dug down one shovel at a time with all her strength. Her skillful movements gradually calmed the noise.
Her cheeks, illuminated by the torch, were red from the cold, and her delicate hands, belonging to a princess, were covered in blisters. Finally, the centurion in charge of overseeing the work could no longer bear it and tried to snatch the shovel from her hand: "Princess, you are a noble lady, let us do the rough work."
The shovel was held firmly in Li Hengqing's hand, not moving at all.
"In the face of a great disaster, what's the point of having rich people?" She continued speaking in Northern Di dialect, her tone calm and composed. "The cattle and sheep are waiting for the greenhouse, and every detail of the greenhouse must be taken seriously. The Great Khan trusts me, and I must ensure that this matter is foolproof."
After that, she began to demonstrate how to mix hay and soil in the best proportion, her movements meticulously.
The gazes of the men present were fixed on her at some point, their faces flushing with embarrassment. They looked down on the foreign princess, unable to carry anything, yet they could not help but admire the strong man who toiled alongside them.
I don't know who took the lead, but a shout broke out from the originally hesitant crowd, as if they were injected with new strength, and everyone threw themselves into the construction of the greenhouse with full enthusiasm.
Their efficiency was surprisingly top-notch among all the teams. However, Li Hengqing's attention was drawn to the progress of another team not far away. That group was small, led by a stocky, taciturn middle-aged man. Their speed wasn't the fastest, but every step was extremely solid. The mortise and tenon joints in the pillars fit perfectly, far more neatly than those of the other teams.
Li Hengqing was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected such a skilled craftsman to exist in this nomadic tribe with its rudimentary tools. She secretly memorized the man's appearance, thinking: After I get through this, I must meet this talented person.
Helian Xiao, standing not far away, took in all of this. His personal guard observed her expression and whispered, "Khan, this princess... is extraordinary."
Helian Xiao nodded, but said: "My Khatun."
With everyone working together, dozens of semi-underground greenhouses were built.
The wind and snow continued all night long, like the roar of a god.
It was not until noon the next day that the dome began to show the color of the clear sky.
Li Hengqing personally opened the greenhouse, and the cattle and sheep came out safely, with the lambs circling around her affectionately.
The system prompt sounded at the right time: [The mission of resisting the white disaster has been completed. Congratulations to the host for obtaining points and the primary technology blueprint library.]
The centurions were still counting the cattle and sheep when the crowd roared with cheers, their gazes toward Li Hengqing filled with respect. If it weren't for her status, they would have surely lifted her up high.
Li Hengqing accepted everyone's kindness with a smile, but her eyes quietly searched the crowd. However, the sturdy figure who had impressed her during the construction process was not among the celebrating crowd.
She became even more curious and asked Helian Xiao beside her in a low voice a few questions. She learned the craftsman's name: Agula, and the location of his tent.
The tribe did not suffer no losses, but these losses were negligible compared to the expected tragedy, and did not even require extensive reconstruction.
Other tribes that followed suit in building greenhouses also received good news.
Unfortunately, some were happy while others were sad. The messenger carrying the Black Eagle totem stumbled back on a skinny horse, bringing news from the Black Eagle tribe and Tuge's resentful message.
"Chief Tug said... the Black Hawk Tribe suffered heavy losses in this white disaster." The messenger's voice was hoarse. "He blames it all on you, Khan, for failing to lead the alliance south in time. Instead, you were deceived by an outsider..."
The atmosphere froze instantly.
The messenger swallowed and continued, "Therefore... Chief Tug has announced that in order to allow the Black Eagle Tribe's livestock to recover as quickly as possible, the Holy Salt Lake shared by the tribal alliance will be temporarily closed. Until their cattle and sheep recover, no one and no livestock associated with the Gray Wolf Tribe are allowed to approach the salt lake!"
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