PC Chapter 33

The child lay on the patch of grass where they usually slept, hands tied behind his back, his pale legs covered in bruises. Blood flowed from his lower body, soaking the dry grass. His once pure eyes were wide open, filled with the unbearable fear and pain of someone far too young for such torment.

They knew the child wouldn’t survive, so they made the most of it, indulging themselves in the end.

He held the child for an entire day and night, with his blood, the wolf’s blood, and the child’s blood mingling together, creating a stench that was hard to describe.

On the third day, using a rope woven from the blood-soaked grass, he strangled one of the slavers to death in front of the child’s corpse.

When his trembling hands finally let go of the rope, he suddenly wanted to see the sunset over the long river that the child had talked about. He’d described it as being just east of here—if you walked far enough, you’d see the largest poplar tree, which marked where his tribe once was. A river from the snow-capped mountains flowed past their camp, and at sunset, the surface of the water reflected the glowing dusk.

But he never got to see that river. That same night, the dogs caught up to him. They dragged him back, tied to the rear of a horse, and then broke both his legs, hanging him on the watchtower in front of everyone.

For the first time, he could clearly see the place where he had spent all those years.

It was where the grasslands met the desert. The same barren landscape, year after year, neither green nor yellow, like a ragged felt cloth infested with lice.

How ugly it was—filthy, desolate, without hope.

The scorching sun made his head spin, evaporating every last drop of moisture from his body. The vultures, growing impatient, landed on his shoulders, ready to feast, but he no longer had the strength to move.

His vision blurred as a thick cloud of dust seemed to rise between the heavens and the earth.

Then the hallucinations began. He thought he heard the clatter of iron horses approaching, like a storm—swords slicing through the air, screams and howls, the clash of steel and barking of dogs.

In the corner of his eye, a man in dark armor, riding a horse, appeared with an air of regal calm. Sensing his gaze, the man lifted his eyes, glanced at him, and then drew his bow, aiming directly at him.

An arrow shot through the rope, and before he could utter a cry, he plummeted straight to the ground, landing in front of the man’s horse.

A pair of boots, embroidered with twin dragons spitting pearls, dismounted from the horse and stood before him. From the ground, he looked up, falling into a pair of eyes filled with an intrigued gaze.

“This one is mine,” the man said to someone behind him.

Then, without another word, the man mounted his horse again, slowly riding away from the bloody scene.

That year, he was thirteen. That man had pulled him from the depths of hell and taken him away from that place.

He had nothing to repay him with, so he pledged to follow him in life and death.

Su Cen gazed into those pale eyes, his admiration deepening. The child, who had emerged from the ranks of slaves, had already fought for his life several times while others his age had not even begun to understand the world. Fortunately, his mind remained untainted, and he still understood gratitude and loyalty.

Qi Lin paused for a moment before saying, “Back then, it wasn’t the lord who ordered us to go to Buyuerhai¹Buyuerhai (捕魚兒海), also known as Lake Buyuer, is a place referenced in historical or fictional contexts, particularly within narratives set in northern China or the Mongolian region. Its name suggests a lake, likely set in a harsh, remote landscape. Such a location would typically be associated with military campaigns, nomadic tribes, or areas of natural strategic importance. In many fictional or historical narratives, locations like Buyuerhai symbolize treacherous, battle-hardened environments, often involving difficult journeys or intense conflicts.. We asked for it ourselves.”

“Hmm?” Su Cen looked up.

“The Han people look down on us Turks, both here and in the northern desert.”

Su Cen frowned slightly.

“When we kill enemies, they say we slaughter our kin, calling us cruel and bloodthirsty. If we show mercy, they call us ungrateful wolves who can never be tamed. In the military, a Turk can be humiliated at will because they know we won’t dare resist. If a Han soldier breaks military discipline, they might face a beating, but a Turk would die for the same offense.”

“If it weren’t for the lord protecting us, I probably wouldn’t be alive today either. But the lord can protect us only for so long—he can’t protect us forever. Keeping us is already a risk for him, as he can’t afford to lose the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of Han soldiers. He must consider the bigger picture and make certain compromises.”

Su Cen was inwardly shocked. He had always thought Prince Ning acted solely according to his own will, never caring about others. But now he realized that the Prince was deeply thoughtful, balancing the management of his army not by sheer force of will, but with careful strategy. Even the Prince had things he sought but could not attain, people he wished to protect but couldn’t.

“If we cannot earn respect, then we must earn fear. We don’t seek the Han people’s respect, but we want them to fear us.”

“Is that why you went to Buyuerhai?”

“The lord never commanded us to do anything specific. We chose to go ourselves. We took on what the Han soldiers feared to do, accomplishing what they could not. Out of 150 men, only 20 returned. But from that day forward, no Turk was ever humiliated again, and no one dared to provoke the Tuo Duo Three Guards.”

Su Cen fell silent, thinking of the road paved with the blood of 130 men. The 20 who returned had blood on their hands—blood of their kin. They had either succeeded or perished, sacrificing lives to earn their place.

Who were they, really? Were they men who returned from Buyuerhai or from the depths of hell?

“So when you first returned to the capital…”

When Prince Ning led the Tuo Duo Three Guards back to the capital, those with ulterior motives in the court had already planned to take the opportunity to make an example of them, to put the Prince in his place. At that time, Qi Lin, dressed in Turkic armor, had frightened the young Emperor into tears in front of the entire court. Before anyone could react, Li Shi ordered fifty lashes on the spot. The court’s lashes, strong enough to break bones and sever muscles, were usually enough to kill a man. Yet Qi Lin not only survived but walked back to Xingqing Palace on his own. That day, the people of Chang’an witnessed a man emerge from the palace, drenched in blood but walking steadily and upright. The sight became the talk of tea houses and taverns, and people were awestruck by him.

Qi Lin understood what Su Cen was referring to and nodded. “Yes, it was arranged by the lord. He had spent many years on the border, and his influence in the court was weak. He needed to establish his authority, and we needed to solidify our position.”

“Did you ever think you wouldn’t make it back?”

Qi Lin leaned back and squinted at the gauze curtain on the top of the carriage. “That day, I took a special pill that locked my meridians and numbed my sense of pain temporarily.”

Locking the meridians can numb the pain temporarily, but once they are unblocked, the piercing pain is like being pricked by needles. The locked pain then floods back all at once, enough to overwhelm a person.

“And afterward?”

“Afterward…” Qi Lin thought for a moment. “Afterward, the lord used the Life-Extending Golden Pill to keep me alive for three days, draining half of the medicine stores of Xingqing Palace.”

Su Cen recalled the expression of the eunuch who led him when mentioning Qi Lin. Though disdainful, there was a trace of apprehension—clearly, even the eunuch had been intimidated back then.

“So, even the lord is not omnipotent. In Chang’an, nothing comes naturally or is taken for granted,” Qi Lin softly rubbed a bone in his finger. “Are your parents and brothers still in good health?”

“Hmm?” Su Cen was slightly startled. “Yes, they are.”

“They treat you well?”

“…Yes, well.”

“Then you don’t know what it feels like for a father and son to become estranged or for brothers to lose trust in each other. You haven’t experienced plots and schemes, nor have you lost your dearest loved ones. When Emperor Taizong passed away, the Turks suddenly invaded, and the lord was trapped at the border, unable to make it back for his final moments. Miss Wen lived in his residence for several years, and the lord, afraid that the political turmoil would affect her, never touched her even once. Yet she still died mysteriously. When the late Emperor passed, he did leave an imperial edict, saying that if the young Emperor lacked virtue, he could be replaced. But the palace was surrounded by a deadly ambush. If the lord had dared to present the edict, he would have been killed on the spot before the Hanyuan Hall. You think he’s high and mighty, admired by all, but have you ever thought about why, out of Emperor Taizong’s fourteen sons, it’s him who stands at the top?”

Su Cen was stunned.

He had blamed someone over a single life, not knowing that this person had once held the fate of thousands in his hands. He had accused him of not understanding familial bonds, yet this man had to guard against the schemes of his own kin, walking a blood-soaked path to his current position.

Su Cen couldn’t help but touch his throat. The fact that he was still alive was truly thanks to the rare patience of Prince Ning.

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  Buyuerhai (捕魚兒海), also known as Lake Buyuer, is a place referenced in historical or fictional contexts, particularly within narratives set in northern China or the Mongolian region. Its name suggests a lake, likely set in a harsh, remote landscape. Such a location would typically be associated with military campaigns, nomadic tribes, or areas of natural strategic importance. In many fictional or historical narratives, locations like Buyuerhai symbolize treacherous, battle-hardened environments, often involving difficult journeys or intense conflicts.