The Yaksha mask was ferocious and its eyes were wide open. In the dim light, it looked even more vicious, like a murderous ghost crawling out from the ground.
I woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly found a person standing in front of the window. If I were timid, I would have been scared to death.
Yao Ying was relatively calm. She only dropped a ceramic bowl and didn't scream or shout.
Because the moment she saw the Yaksha mask, she guessed that the person in front of the window was most likely Sultan.
This is not the first time.
…
On the way to Gaochang, when we stayed overnight at the post house, Sultan Gu's house was always very close to Yao Ying's.
He stayed indoors and made no sound at all. She was hardly aware of his presence until one day when she got up at night and accidentally knocked over the stove in the room, making a loud noise. Not long after, Xie Qing came over and they cleaned up the mess in the room together. She opened the door to let the smell out and inadvertently glanced at the corridor, and saw a tall figure flash by in the corner.
Yao Ying remained calm.
She spent the rest of her journey observing the Sultan closely.
Sometimes they had to sleep outdoors in the wilderness. She slept in her clothes beside the fire, while Sultan was alone, far away from the crowd. When she woke up from her sleep, she found that he had not rested but was always on guard.
For several nights, Yao Ying was awakened by the cold. Not wanting to wake Xie Qing, she hugged her arms and shivered, listening to the howling wind. She felt sad as she thought about being far away from the Central Plains and not knowing how her brother was doing. Her eyes fell on the figure of Sultan Gu sitting alone, and her heart gradually calmed down.
The stars were vast, the fields were desolate, the snow-capped peaks were majestic, the valleys were deep, the sky and earth were boundless, and the man sitting there alone was like a towering mountain.
He shouldered all the difficulties and hardships, and with him, they were able to return to the royal court safely.
Yaoying had experienced this kind of incomparable sense of security and stability in another person.
When the snow-white flag with gold patterns fluttered in the wind, when Tanmaraka, riding a white horse, led thousands of troops and appeared in the desert full of quicksand.
So Yao Ying is not afraid of Sultan Gu.
Although Tanmarajiva is cold, she is still gentle.
The ancient Sultan god was ferocious and evil, but his every move revealed a majestic sadness, but this sadness was too harsh, and his cold edge obscured his mercy.
…
Today they stayed at the inn, and Sultan Gu lived next door to Yao Ying.
Yao Ying had just had a nightmare and might have screamed out. Sudangu heard the noise and thought something had happened to her, so he rushed over to check on her.
This means he has been awake tonight.
Yao Ying guessed that the figure was Sultan Ku, and quickly calmed down. However, she didn't expect him to come back. She climbed up and wanted to scare him, but he caught her instead. She smiled awkwardly.
Sultan looked at her in silence, without any explanation.
Yao Ying was not scared off by his cold and indifferent eyes. She leaned forward half of her body, her black hair hanging down, her eyebrows curved, her eyes like stars, and asked in a low voice: "General Su, the magician asked you to escort us to Gaochang, is it because of me?"
Sultan's figure remained motionless.
Yao Ying looked straight into his emerald eyes and continued, "General Ashina was supposed to accompany me on the mission to Gaochang, but unfortunately he was injured. Are you worried that Haidu Aling will suddenly show up, Master?"
Bisa failed to make Haidu Aling fail, and he was injured. Tanmaraka sent Sultan Gu, who had failed in his mission, to replace Bisa, probably to guard against Haidu Aling. Haidu Aling was a strong martial artist, and these guards were no match for him.
Yao Ying thought of a possibility: the main reason why Tanmarajiva's eagle had been following them was not to deliver messages as Yuanjue said, but to find the white falcon in Haidu Aling.
Tanmarajiva has already announced to the world that Haidu Aling does not dare to attack her now, but they cannot reveal their identities on this trip. What if Haidu Aling learns of their itinerary, will he take the opportunity to abduct her?
The little prince of Beirong, Jinbo, suddenly appeared in Gaochang. Haidu Aling might be nearby.
So Sultan Kublai did not dare to take it lightly.
Yao Ying stared at Sultan Gu without blinking, and asked: "General Su, did Haidu Aling follow us? Did you hide it from me because you didn't want to scare me?"
Sultan's deep blue eyes finally showed some reaction, with a hint of surprise flashing across them.
Yao Ying sighed and said, "General, just tell me the truth. With you here, I am not afraid."
She was leaning against the window, her thick black hair covering her shoulders. Her hair was jet black, which made her skin look even whiter and her eyes look clearer.
The little prince, who had been noisy all day, went to bed, and the inn was as quiet as water. Their room was at the back, and the guards outside were all asleep, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Sultan Gu was silent for a while, then he said in a hoarse voice: "Jinbo has come to Gaochang, and Haidu Aling may also appear, but I haven't found any trace of him yet."
Yao Ying smiled and said, "General, you have been through a lot along the way."
Sure enough, he had been protecting her secretly.
Sultan looked away and said, "Princess, please settle down."
After saying this, without waiting for Yaoying to speak, he gently closed the window with his hand wearing a black leather glove.
All that was left before her eyes was the gray, fluttering window frame.
Yao Ying shook her head and laughed, then opened the window again.
"General Su." She called him softly, "I want to ask the general something."
Sultan looked down at her.
Yao Ying asked with a smile: "General Su has been to Gaochang as an envoy, so he must be familiar with all the markets in Gaochang. Tomorrow I will take Lao Qi and the others to sell the goods we brought. Do you know which market has the most fair merchants?"
Sultan Gu did not hesitate and said calmly: "There is only one market in Gaochang where many foreign merchants gather. Yuanjue will guide the princess tomorrow."
Yao Ying nodded, her eyes lingering on the terrifying mask on his face for a long time.
Judging from his reaction, he seemed to have really been to Gaochang...
Sultan closed the window again.
The corners of Yaoying's mouth twitched slightly.
There was a rustling sound at the front door. Xie Qing pushed the door open and walked in. She looked alert and frowned when she saw Yao Ying standing in front of the window. She had been running around these days and Yao Ying was afraid that she was tired, so she didn't allow her to keep watch tonight. She slept next door and heard some talking. She was afraid that Yao Ying was in trouble, so she came to check in the dark.
"Ah Qing, I'm fine, get up and have a drink of water."
Yaoying sent Xie Qing away, yawned, and lay down to continue sleeping.
She did not have any more nightmares that night, even though she knew Haidu Aling might be nearby.
The next day, Yao Ying got up early and, accompanied by her personal soldiers and Yuan Jue, went for a stroll in Gaochang's busiest market.
The little prince Jinbo was still sleeping. Yuanjue left a few people to find out the purpose of his coming to Gaochang, while the others went to various places to inquire about the news.
When Yao Ying passed by Sultan Gu's room, she listened carefully for a while, but didn't hear any sound. She thought: His face is covered with scars, and he has to wear a mask to cover it up. It is too conspicuous and it is inconvenient for him to move during the day. Besides, she didn't know how long he stayed there last night, so he must be resting now.
She instructed the soldiers who stayed behind at the posthouse not to disturb Sultan Gu, and they all obeyed.
When Yuanjue heard Yaoying's instructions to her personal soldiers, his eyes flashed twice.
Yao Ying glanced at him, and he immediately looked away, looking as if nothing had happened.
A few people left the posthouse from the side door, and Qi Nian and others followed behind them in a large cart.
The only market town in Gaochang was a long street that was only wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. It was much smaller than the royal palace, but it was crowded and very lively. There were many shops and people everywhere. The sounds of hawking in various languages mixed together and echoed to the sky.
Yuanjue introduced to Yaoying what was sold in each store along the way. Yaoying listened carefully, occasionally pointing to rare items she had never seen and asking about them, and Yuanjue patiently explained them to her.
There was a small restaurant selling doughnuts on the roadside. Several people stopped there, waiting for the next batch of doughnuts to come out of the oven.
Yao Ying suddenly asked, "Is the Regent Prince also a lay disciple like you?"
Yuanjue was stunned for a moment.
Yao Ying looked at him with a smile: "The Regent King never eats with others. You bring him food. I think the Regent King seems to be observing fasting."
She has been observing for many days.
Yuan Jue's expression was stiff, but after calming down, he replied with a smile: "The guards around the king are either warrior monks or lay disciples, and the same is true for the regent king."
Yao Ying asked, "Is the Regent a martial monk or a lay disciple?"
Yuan Jue said: "He is a lay disciple."
Yao Ying continued to ask: "The Regent Prince is very skilled in martial arts. Who did he learn martial arts from? General Ashina said that they were brothers in the same school. Did they have the same master? Why are the Regent Prince's moves nothing like General Ashina's? Did they learn the same kung fu? When did the Regent Prince start learning martial arts?"
Yuan Jue had some sweat on his forehead and said, "The Regent's master is a great man. I heard that he once served as the chief of the royal guards in the palace. We have never seen him. Although General Ashina and the Regent are brothers, they learned different martial arts, so their moves are very different. General Ashina has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and the Regent has also been practicing martial arts since he was a child..."
The Hu cakes come out of the oven, emitting a rich sesame aroma, and the high-nosed, deep-eyed cake seller shouts loudly.
Yuan Jue didn't bother to help Yao Ying solve her puzzlement, and rushed forward with the other Hu people, looking as if they were afraid that they would not be able to get the cake.
Yaoying looked at his back, thoughtful.
Qi Nian drove his cart to the city office to pay taxes, and then went into the market town to trade with merchants.
Yao Ying didn't care about selling goods. She took her personal soldiers for a stroll and stayed for a long time in front of the shops selling silk fabrics, jewelry and jade. She asked about the favorite patterns of Gaochang noble ladies, what kind of makeup was popular in the palace, and whether Yuchi Damo and the Turkic princess were living in harmony.
Before sunset, she and Yuanjue and a few others returned to the inn.
The guards told her that although the little prince Jin Bo was domineering, he did not strut into the palace, but concealed his identity like them. He did not go out all day and only called some singing girls and Hu women to come over for drinks and fun.
"That's strange. He lives a life of luxury. Why doesn't he live in the palace?"
Gaochang is now a vassal of the Northern Rong. As long as Jinbo reveals his identity, Yuchi Damo will have to respect him. Moreover, he and the Turkish princess in the palace are cousins.
Yuan Jue whispered: "The little prince must have some ulterior motive!"
Yao Ying had an idea and knocked on Sultan Gu's door.
"General Su, it's me."
Soon, footsteps were heard in the room. Sudangula opened the door and his eyes fell on Yaoying's face. He was stunned.
Yao Ying stood in front of him, dressed as a Hu woman: a pale blue shirt, a pomegranate red skirt, her hair braided with pearls and jade hanging down on her shoulders, and she held a mask in her hand, covering her face.
A kind-looking old man's mask, half green and half red, like two faces.
Sultan Kumar remained silent for a long time.
Yao Ying took off her mask, a smile on her face, and she slipped under his arm into the house. She lowered her voice and asked, "General Su, can you give the wizard a message for me?"
Sultan Ku did not chase her out, but asked calmly, "What message?"
Yao Ying lowered her voice: "Jin Bo has come to Gaochang, Haidu Aling has also come, I'm afraid the Northern Rong will be in chaos. Their purpose is the same as ours, they are all here to find Wei Chi Damo."
Sultan Gu moved, and after a moment, he said, "We will go to the Royal Palace Buddhist Temple tonight to see Wei Chi Damo."
Yao Ying nodded, raised her eyes and stared at the mask on Sultan's face.
He reacted so quickly and made decisions so decisively...Why did he disappear for no reason after Tanmarajiva passed away?
Author's words: Sorry, there will be less updates in the next two days. I suddenly felt a sore throat last night, so I made some Isatis root to drink. Although I feel like I have pharyngitis, people from Hubei are really scared, especially since I went to the hospital a few days ago. Hold my thermos tightly, I'm going to drink a lot of hot water.