Jinting Han people

Chapter 25: Releasing Auspicious Signs (4k)

The young men had a good harvest on this hunt. They shot and killed about six deer, and together with the rabbits caught by the sable before, it was enough for them to brag about when they returned.

However, when everyone was riding back, the other young men could not help but look back frequently, repeatedly gazing at the eight-foot warrior who was hunting with armor-piercing arrows. Although he was just a guard, his majestic and heroic figure on horseback still impressed the descendants of the founding fathers and even made them yearn for him.

Shi Chao couldn't suppress his curiosity and simply asked Jia Mi, "Where did you get this warrior who is even more powerful than my sixth uncle's guards? Could the bow he just used be the most difficult five-stone bow?"

Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, Jia Mi felt quite pleased with himself. He did not answer directly, but turned to the guard and said, "An Yu, speak for yourself."

The warrior then spoke, speaking in rhythmic Chinese: "I am a Xianbei from the Shiwei tribe in the northern desert. My name is Yanyu. The bow I use is indeed a five-stone ox horn bow."

They turned out to be Xianbei people, no wonder they were so brave! The young men suddenly understood, and then they felt a little envious.

In recent years, Hu people have become quite common in Luoyang.

After all, Luoyang had a thriving human market, and Hu chieftains from Bingzhou and Liangzhou frequently traveled thousands of miles to traffic in human beings. Scholars would gaze at Luoyang's West Market and witness hundreds, even thousands, of Hu people thronging the market, ropes tied around their necks, awaiting selection by their new owners. This, for a time, led to the Hu people being equated with slaves, but this did not include the Xianbei.

Since the founding of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Qiang and Di peoples of Liang and Liang provinces, the Xiongnu of Bing province, and the Jie people of Ji province have all submitted to the Western Jin Dynasty. However, the Xianbei remained a major threat to the imperial court. A few years ago, Tufa Shuji led the western Xianbei in a rebellion, defeating the imperial court three times in succession. In the past two years, the Murong Xianbei in the northeast have also refused to submit to the emperor and have repeatedly attacked Changli. Both of these forces were far less powerful than the Tuoba Xianbei active in the Hetao region. It is said that the current Minister of Works, Wei Guan, has repeatedly submitted memorials stating that the Tuoba Xianbei will be the country's greatest threat in the future.

Therefore, in the minds of the young men at this time, the Xianbei were undoubtedly synonymous with bravery, and Jia Mi, who had a Xianbei as his guard, was naturally even more impressive. Jia Mi laughed heartily and boasted to the crowd, "Yan Yu, don't you know how to shoot vultures? Show us!" Yan Yu then cut the venison he had just dismembered into strips and threw them to Zhang Wei, Chen Zhi, Xun Chuo, Pei Gai, and others, instructing them to thread the venison onto sharpened wooden poles and hold them high up to attract vultures.

Unexpectedly, a moment later, they saw several dark shadows appear in the sky, circling them in circles. Yan Yu then drew his bow and arrows, waiting for the vultures to swoop down and peck at them, then released them. He fired three arrows in a row, and every one of them hit the target.

A vulture had an arrow in its wing and was struggling on the ground, kicking up dust and its fallen feathers dancing in the wind, but it just couldn't fly. Seeing this, the young men all laughed out loud.

Slowly, the sky darkened. The group put away their bows and arrows, urged their horses to move faster, and finally arrived at the cave. The attendants began to prepare lunch, and the young men began to rest.

Shi Chao was a little depressed at this time. This trip was originally organized by him, but he didn't expect that all the limelight would be snatched away by Jia Mi. This made him very unhappy, but he couldn't get angry in front of everyone, so he went to the cave entrance alone and stared blankly.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" A hand patted his shoulder, startling Shi Chao. He turned around and saw that it was Liu Xian.

Liu Xian held two cups of freshly boiled honey water in his hands. He naturally handed one cup to Shi Chao and then stood beside him.

"No, nothing, just getting some fresh air here." Shi Chao replied in a muffled voice.

The environment at the cave entrance was indeed perfect for enjoying the breeze. Beside it was a gurgling rocky stream, in the distance a pool of water, and on both sides were boundless dense forests swaying in the wind. When the wind blew, one's entire soul seemed to rise and fall with the world. Liu Xian could see that he was depressed, and comforted him, "Don't be sad. I came here today and this is the first time I've seen your archery skills. It's so amazing! I was shocked!"

Shi Chao's expression softened slightly, but he still muttered, "What's the point? No one cares."

Liu Xian ignored his insincere words, found a rock to sit on, and then said with a smile, "How can it be useless? There are eight of us in our group, and you are the only one who shot two deer with your own hands. That's quite remarkable. In a few years, when you come of age, you will definitely be more powerful than An Yu. When you become a general in the future, you may even be sent to suppress the Xianbei."

Shi Chao was quite satisfied with this answer and smiled, but then he thought of something and couldn't help but look back at Jia Mi, who was resting with his eyes closed. A layer of gloom covered his face again: "It's useless. By that time, Jia Azhen will have become the prime minister thanks to his two aunts. I will still be suppressed by him for the rest of my life."

"Don't be so absolute. Life spans fifty years, and who can predict for sure?" Liu Xian recounted his historical readings, "Han Xin was just a wandering knight in his early years, and He Jin was just an unknown butcher in his youth. But didn't they eventually become powerful and famous?"

Shi Chao asked: "Then how did they do it?"

Liu Xian also asked this question, and Little Ruan Gong answered: "Patience, waiting, and a little bit of luck."

"Luck?" Shi Chao smiled. He looked out at the mountains and said casually, "If I'm lucky, I'd like to see that white deer again."

He obviously didn't mean it when he said this. After all, even a child knows that luck is unpredictable. Life is a process of constantly being disappointed by the hope of luck, and then learning to be self-reliant.

But sometimes, luck is like a louse under a fur coat, always likes to bite people inexplicably when they are not feeling any pain or itching.

At that moment, a bush on the mountain path swayed slightly, and a white object emerged from it. A closer look revealed a fawn, all white. Slightly larger than an average yellow dog, its slender limbs and sleek fur evoked both solemnity and endearment, like the official script on an inscription. In the setting sun, the deer's eyes shone brightly, making it look like a fairy made of snow fungus.

Liu Xian and Shi Chao were both stunned for a moment. It was Liu Xian's first time seeing such a beautiful creature, and it was like a stream of clear water flowing into his mind, washing away all his distracting thoughts. He was left with only pure admiration, staring intently at the white deer.

The white deer also turned around as if it had telepathy, raised its head and called softly to Liu Xian, then suddenly turned around and ran away.

"It's a white deer! Bi Ji! Chase it!" Shi Chao didn't even bother to ride his horse. He immediately picked up his bow and arrow and ran down the mountain path. Liu Xian didn't take anything and ran after Shi Chao.

Logically speaking, humans shouldn't be able to catch up with the white deer. But the white deer was still young and didn't run very fast. Although it had opened up some distance at the beginning, it was still unable to completely shake off the two of them. Then it turned another corner and suddenly jumped into the dense forest, which further affected its speed. Liu Xian and Shi Chao struggled to advance through the dim forest, and could only see the shadow of the white deer rising and falling in front of them. After running for a while, both of them were out of breath. But the white deer was obviously also exhausted, and its speed began to slow down. The two sides ran like this, one in front and one behind. After an unknown amount of time, Liu Xian and Shi Chao finally ran out of strength and stopped to catch their breath. Correspondingly, the white deer also stopped, tilting its head to look at the two uninvited guests chasing it.

At this time, the sunset had almost disappeared, and night was about to fall. The air was filled with the strange rustling sound of wind blowing through branches.

Shi Chao was a little unwilling, but he didn't even have the strength to draw his bow. He could only lean towards Liu Xian and sighed, "Another wasted effort..."

Liu Xian continued to stare at the white deer, his gaze fixed on it as he replied with a smile, "How could that be? Haven't we already gotten what we wanted and seen this white deer?"

Shi Chao understood what he meant. After all, before they arrived, Liu Xian had said that even if they couldn't catch the white deer, it wouldn't be a problem; at least the world would still have a chance to see it. Shi Chao had agreed at the time, but humans are animals that always want to go further. Once they see something, they naturally want more. Shi Chao remained silent for a moment, staring at the white deer in the distance with a gloomy look.

Liu Xian also understood Shi Chao's thoughts. If he went back like this, his good friend would probably have a hard time sleeping today. At this moment, an idea struck him, and he suddenly said to Shi Chao: "Xi Nu, throw down your bow and arrow."

Shi Chao didn't understand why, but out of trust in Liu Xian, he did it anyway.

The bow and arrow landed on the grass with a clanking sound, startling the deer and causing it to leap back two steps, only to then turn back in surprise. Seeing it possessed a certain intelligence, Liu Xian slowly pulled out two candied fruits from his sleeve pocket and quietly tossed them into the open space in the middle.

The white deer was somewhat bewildered, but when the strong fruity aroma reached them, it couldn't help but move slightly closer. After a cautious glance, seeing the two people didn't move, the white deer moved cautiously, like a virgin leaving her marriage. It took about half a minute before it finally reached the candied fruit and lowered its head to chew.

When the white deer looked up, Liu Xian tossed two candied fruits between them. The white deer hummed happily and took a few steps forward. After repeating this several times, the white deer's hostility had almost completely subsided.

When the white deer was only about seven or eight steps away from him, Liu Xian gave Shi Chao a hint, and the two of them quietly walked up to the white deer, sprinkled all the remaining candied fruit on the ground, and reached out to touch it at the same time.

The moment his fur was touched, the white deer shook slightly, raised its head and mooed twice at Liu Xian, then continued to lower its head to eat the honey.

The moon had already risen, its dappled light streaming through the treetops, scattering over this rare auspicious sight. The cool breeze and the hazy night made this moment seem unusually hazy and dreamy, but the cool, soft touch of his hand clearly told the young man that this was real.

For Liu Xian and Shi Chao at this moment, they didn't know what to say or do. After the supreme joy, they only had one thought left: to remember this moment forever.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the north. Liu Xian looked over and saw a small flame rapidly approaching through the leaves. The noise startled the white deer, and it quickly jumped out of the two men's hands and began to run back.

The man on horseback was stunned, and before he could think much, an arrow shot out from the darkness, hitting the deer's hind leg. The deer, unable to stand up, immediately fell to the ground. Its front hooves kept kicking at the air, but no matter how hard it struggled, it could not get up.

Liu Xian was also startled. He immediately turned around to look. When the horse in the distance galloped in front of the two of them, he finally saw clearly that it was Wang Zhou.

Wang Zhou, holding the bow in one hand and the reins in the other, dismounted swiftly and said to the two men with a smile, "Good fellows! You ran so fast that we couldn't see you when we came out. We've been looking for you for ages, and you're here!" He then stepped forward to look at the white deer that had been shot, and said with a smile, "Why didn't you just kill it? Why let me shoot you with this one arrow?"

With that, Wang Zhou pulled out the Fubo Sword from his waist and was about to bleed the white deer. Seeing the gleaming blade thrust forward, the white deer knew its end was near. Its neighing ceased, its hooves stopped kicking, and tears welled up in its longan-shaped eyes.

Seeing this, Liu Xian couldn't bear it any longer. He stepped forward to stop Wang Zhou's hand and said, "The white deer is a sign of good fortune and is very intelligent. Wouldn't it be a pity to kill it? Let it live and let it go."

Wang Zhou scoffed at this remark: "You are just a scholar. All things were created by Heaven to support mankind. If I don't kill it now, how can it survive this arrow? It will only be food for tigers and leopards. It would be better to peel off its skin and make clothes and hats, which would be considered to be making the best use of it."

After saying this, he tried to push Liu Xian's hand away, but Liu Xian still didn't let go, which made him very impatient. He simply pushed hard, pushing Liu Xian so hard that he staggered. Seeing that Liu Xian was still trying to stop him, his patience and outward kindness disappeared, and he turned to curse: "Get out of here, you traitor!"

Liu Xian was furious, his head pounding with blood. Suddenly, he made a decision and lunged forward. Wang Zhou, thinking he was going to push him, stretched out his arm to block it. Unexpectedly, Liu Xian struck at Wang Zhou's wrist, snatching the Fu Bo Sword from him! He then reversed the blade and roared back at Wang Zhou, "You pig herder!" He was about to strike Wang Zhou, but Shi Chao, standing nearby, was quick to pull him back.

Holding the sword, Liu Xian felt an immense amount of strength. He said to Shi Chao, "Xi Nu, this is none of your business." Turning to the stunned Wang Zhou, he said, "You can come and test your sword."

Liu Xian then walked towards the white deer without looking back. He pulled out the arrowhead from its leg, picked up some foxtail grass from the ground, chewed it up, and applied it to the wound. He then tore a piece of cloth from the corner of his clothes and applied a simple bandage to the injured leg. The white deer remained motionless, staring at him silently the entire time.

After everything was done, Liu Xian looked very relaxed, even smiling. He patted the white deer, and the white deer stood up as if on cue, mooed at him again, and then stumbled into the depths of the dense forest.

When the white deer's silhouette was completely obscured by the moonlight, Liu Xian turned and looked at Wang Zhou beside him. He was still standing there, bewildered, his right hand even holding it loosely. Liu Xian returned the Fu Bo Sword to him, called out to Shi Chao, and then set off on his own way back.

The moon was already rising among the mountains, its pale golden clouds mingling with the deep brown of the Milky Way. Emerging from the dense forest, the azure sky above seemed within reach. Countless snow-capped peaks shone purple under the moonlight. Since the dawn of time, countless peaceful mountain moonrises had been like this. If I hadn't seen my own footprints in the snow, I'd have found it hard to imagine what had just happened.

The three of them didn't talk along the way. After returning to the cave, they had dinner, chatted with their companions as if nothing had happened, and then fell asleep.

　I'm currently testing the waters for this update. It's very important to keep reading. I hope everyone will read and vote. Your support is my motivation to update. Thank you~
　　I would also like to thank my book friends Twelve Hours Man and Mysterious Little Bun for their tips.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)