Chapter Thirty-Five What About

  "Is heaven and earth of the same size? Where should I put my face?"

  "What's the point of having a face when you're already as big as the sky and earth?"

  Daxi Changru rarely said a joke.

  Li Xian leaned against the bed frame with a silly smile, and the warmth brought by the quilt on his body became clearer.

  "Master, what if Ye Dajia doesn't agree?"

  "You should think like this..."

  Daxi Changru stood up, intending to leave. As he walked to the door, he smiled and said: "What if Ye Dajia agreed, wouldn't you be too lucky?"

  "If we were to attribute the outcome of this matter to luck... then I'd say I'm a bit more confident."

  "Take a nap, don't pretend to be dead in bed. Let's go out to the woods for a walk later. On a day like today, we can easily find some pheasants that have been blown silly by the wind. We'll stew them well tonight and set off early tomorrow when the sun comes out."

  "What if the wind doesn't stop?"

  "Let's just forget I said that."

  The silly poncho really caught a lot, the silly rabbit also caught a lot, so that night all the blood riders had a good meal, and after drinking hot mouthfuls of meat soup, they slept soundly.

  When the moon was still hanging in the treetops, the wind stopped, and it had only blown for a day and a half. To say that this is not even considered a decent wind on the grasslands, fierce but short-lived, compared to the winter when the white wind blows for several days and nights, it's nothing. Because of the wind blowing, so early in the morning the sky looks clean and transparent, looking at the azure blue sky that kind of transparency makes people can't help but want to shout a few sentences to feel relieved.

  Let Du Gu Rui Zhi and Dong Fang Lie Huo stay in the camp, Da Xi Chang Ru and Li Xian took 20 blood riders to pack up their equipment and left the camp early in the morning heading northwest. The journey of fifty or so miles, traveling light with the speed of the blood riders, can be reached in less than half a day.

  All the way, Li Xian rarely didn't smile and joke around, quietly even Da Hei Ma felt a bit uncomfortable. Da Xi Chang Ru knew that Li Xian had some worries in his heart, to be honest, he himself didn't have much confidence either. After all, that woman named Ye Huai Shou was too unconventional, often thinking that what might happen wouldn't happen with her, and what couldn't happen she would do just to try it out.

  For example, according to rumors in Jianghu, her father Ye Wufeng was unwilling to let her inherit the craft at first. Ye Wufeng always felt that it was unacceptable for a girl to stand by the furnace and forge weapons. Even if the number one craftsmanship in the world was lost, he would not allow his daughter to expose herself and engage in what he considered an unrefined art.

  But Ye Huaiyue was not willing to listen, and instead of ruining the reputation of the Ye family, he actually brought the reputation of the Ye family's thatched cottage to a peak, so much so that it became famous throughout the northern regions.

  And a delicate woman who looks weak and frail, lightly dressed in thin clothes by the furnace, with every swing of her arm revealing curves that make people's imagination run wild. Whether it was like this or not, no one has ever seen it before. When Ye Daxia forged and tempered weapons, outsiders were not allowed to watch, but the more mysterious it was, the easier it was for people to fantasize. Imagine Ye Huaiyu, a woman as gentle as water, forging iron, what a thrilling scene that would be.

  And Ye Huaixiu, this woman, why did she come from Jiangnan to the north and enter the grasslands beyond the Great Wall? It's a mystery. A woman having close relationships with such big shots as Yuwen Rong of Youzhou and Ashina Helü is even more incomprehensible. So, her mysteriousness grows, and people are increasingly curious about her.

  If you knew that Ye Dajia had been a signboard in a dilapidated Qinglou in Youyang County for three years, I'm afraid you wouldn't know how many Jianghu heroes would demolish that Yihongyuan in anger. Nor would you know whether the boss behind Yihongyuan was beaten to disability and castrated or directly drenched to death with 300 bubbles of hot urine after being caught. White-clothed Ye Huai, red-clothed Zhang Wencheng, among these two women in Zhongyuan, the latter is stronger than the former in terms of fame, while the former has a huge advantage in terms of appeal.

  It was because this woman was too unique, and Da Xi Chang Ru fundamentally didn't count as a Jianghu noble guest. His encounter with Ye Huai Xiu that time was purely accidental, even a bit awkward. Now, he rashly sought to go up, but in fact, he was more nervous than Li Xian.

  But if such a fine piece of meteoric iron were not forged by the most exceptional person in this world, wouldn't that be a waste of heaven's gift?

  If there's anything special about the small arc of Weak Luo Water, it can only be said that there is a small hill that barely counts as a high slope. And from last year, this high slope gradually became not ordinary, except for the small wooden building built at the foot of the high slope, it must be mentioned that someone carved seven big characters and three small characters on the large stone at the foot of the high slope. It is this large stone slab and the person who carved the characters on the stone that made this high slope gradually famous far and wide.

  Xuanwu Peak

  Leafy sleeves

  It's not worth mentioning the font that looks like a dragon or a pine tree, just looking at the meaning expressed by these seven characters will definitely be criticized by literary masters. This place is called Xuanwu Peak, and without saying that the first four words are completely redundant, the three words "Xuanwu Peak" alone are enough to make people laugh out loud.

  Within a hundred steps, you can reach the top along the gentle slope. Except for the place with inscriptions, there is not even a decent stone anywhere, and it's actually called a peak?

  Moreover, it is said that the stone was even brought from three miles away by grassland herders hired by the owner of this place.

  However, in fact since this stone was erected here, every person who came to see the inscription would praise it, either sincerely or falsely: "What a powerful and vigorous calligraphy! What a magnificent Black Ink Peak!"

  How much of this is sycophantic and self-evident, how many people stand by the stone, fantasizing about being favored and drooling over it, cannot be investigated. How many people pretend to be profound and mysterious, staring at the font, hypocritically sighing that such a character should only exist in heaven, and is rarely seen among humans. And how many people give those who sigh a disdainful look, spitting out curses, saying "your mother..."

  At the root of it all, it's because this woman who did the calligraphy is just too beautiful. Perhaps her beauty is secondary, but what's truly stunning is her reputation. Everyone knows that Ye family has a daughter named Huai Shou, and everyone knows she's incredibly beautiful, but among the hundred people who know her, there are a hundred different fantasies about her beauty, and in reality, not many people really know just how beautiful she is.

  The people of the grasslands are rough and unrefined, not understanding what etiquette is. If they see a pretty girl, they'll just take her by force if they can. But since Ye Huaiyu arrived here, not only has no one caused trouble, but even the Turkic Red Cloaks who roam freely on the grasslands don't dare to approach Xuanyu Peak casually.

  The so-called Turkic Red Pheasant refers to the elite Turkic Wolf Cavalry.

  The wolf cavalry's attire was neat black leather armor and a large red cloak, with tens of thousands of wolf cavalry sweeping across the grasslands like a cloud of red smoke. The wolf cavalry was a symbol of the Turkic royal court's authority, and ordinary herdsmen would make way for them even from a distance, bowing their heads in respect. The combat strength of the wolf cavalry was also unquestionable, as seen in the current war between the Khitan and Xianbei tribes, where both sides had deployed over 50,000 troops, but if just 3,000 red-cloaked warriors were to charge, the 50,000-strong army would immediately collapse. Of course, this was mainly due to the Turkic people's absolute dominance on the grasslands, and secondly to the wolf cavalry's formidable fighting strength.

  There was once a small tribal leader who unexpectedly discovered this place and brought dozens of people to try to take Ye Huai back. For some reason, after arriving here, they fled back to the tribe in disarray. The next night, five hundred Turkic wolf riders slaughtered the entire small tribe, with nearly a thousand people not surviving. The leader of that small tribe was even disembowelled and whipped to death, beaten into a pulp of flesh.

  Then later on, news came out.

  A prominent figure in the Turkic royal court also lived in seclusion on Mount Xuānwǔ, living together with Ye Huái Xiù.

  It's unclear who this person is, whether male or female, and there's no way to verify it.

  Some people say that the Turkic Khan's cousin, Tekin Ashina Gudu, was a guest of Ye Huaiyu. He led 10,000 wolf riders to drive away the Xianbei and then came alone to Xuānwǔ Peak with Ye Huaiyu. Others say it was one of the most favored children of the Turkic royal court who followed Ye Huaiyu here to study. Of course, not to learn ironwork; compared to Ye Huaiyu's reputation as a great talent, the title of world's number one in making weapons is not that impressive.

  She is a master of calligraphy

  She is a master of swordsmanship

  It is said that she was also a master of military strategy.

  The legendary Ye Huaiyu, perfect and all-knowing like a banished immortal.

  So, according to rumor, Li Xian and Da Xi Chang Ru's group did not rashly approach the Huai Shou Cao Lu at the foot of Xuān Wǔ Peak. If the rumors of the Turkic wolf cavalry annihilating the tribe are true, it is highly likely that a major figure from the Turkic royal court was indeed staying in the hut, meaning that a contingent of no less than five hundred Turkic wolf cavalrymen were stationed not far from Xuān Wǔ Peak.

  Although Blood Riders are unmatched in combat power, it's hard to say that twenty of them can defeat five hundred wolf riders.

  Da Xi Chang Ru left twenty cavalrymen of the Blood Riders to hide ten miles away from Xuanwu Peak, and he and Li Xian went to see Ye Huai Shou in Caolu alone.

  As for the meteorite, Da Xi Chang Ru wanted to stay in Xue Ji, but Li Xian insisted on taking it.

  Daxi Changru couldn't understand Li Xian's idea, but he couldn't beat his persistence. The two of them, each riding a horse, brought a good horse to drag the meteorite, and after observing that there was no one around to monitor, they galloped towards the direction of Cao Liu's hut.

  It's actually very adventurous to bring the meteorite over instead of having someone send it over after making sure it's safe. But I don't know why cautious Li Xianfei brought it, which is clearly out of character for him.

  All along the way was very quiet, not even a lone wolf was found.

  Far away, I saw a wooden house at the foot of the high slope, which had a quiet and serene atmosphere on the grassland.

  "Do all hermits like to play this tune of seclusion?"

  Li Xian smiled and asked.

  "She's not some transcendent being outside the Three Realms and Five Elements, she's a Jianghu person, always has been. And as for her coming to the northern grasslands of Se, from what I know, it shouldn't be to escape the world either."

  "Master, it seems like you're quite concerned about Ye Huaiyuan?"

  Li Xian asked with a smile on his face.

  "Without you, why would I care what she does?" Da Xi Chang Ru glared at him and said.

  Li Xian smiled: "Why did she come to the grassland?"

  "It is said..."

  Da Xi's mouth twitched slightly, his expression somewhat intriguing: "Rumor has it that she came looking for a man... her man."

  Li Xian was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "So no matter how big the reputation or ability of a woman is, they can't leave men behind!"

  He was laughing triumphantly when his laughter suddenly froze.

  Li Xian's body was pressed tightly against the horse's back, and an arrow flew past his face with a whizzing sound. The arrow came extremely fast, suddenly and violently! If Li Xian had reacted even one second slower, this arrow would have already pierced through his face. Fortunately, Li Xian had almost developed an instinctive reaction to bows and arrows, and even Da Xi Chang Ru might not have dodged it any faster than him.

  "Hmph!"

  Li Xian cursed in a low voice on horseback: "It's just saying that I miss men, why shoot me in the mouth?"