Chapter Eighteen: Nian Nu

  Thanks for the support from book friends " Zhao Wu Xu 2014" and "Gui Hai Xiu Yu"!

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  Two people on horseback, one in front and three behind, walked silently across the vast wilderness.

  Ma Huan turned around and beckoned with his hand: "Come over."

  Nian Nu wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, drove the horse forward, and bowed: "Master, please instruct."

  Uh, a pure and lovely loli with an exotic flair, saying "Master, please give me orders" in such a servile tone, is really making me want to do something evil...

  It's okay, Ma Yun has rolled around on the knife edge after all, what occasion to do what things, he still distinguishes very clearly. And now, it's conversation time.

  "Alright, you've had a long time to calm down and adjust, your mood should be almost recovered by now?" Ma Xuan stretched out his hand, gently twirling her wheat-colored hair. What Ma Xuan was most satisfied with was her hair, naturally soft and smooth, reflecting the sunlight, shining like strands of golden silk.

  Fortunately, although the Han slaves were all dressed in left-ribbed barbarian clothes, they still maintained their own national hairstyle habits and did not shave their hair like the Wuhuan people. The Wuhuan people may not have been as cruel as the Jurchen people of later generations who "kept their hair but not their heads", perhaps to distinguish Han slaves from their own people, nor did they force Han slaves to shave their hair.

  Nian Nu glanced at the young and handsome new master with a hint of shyness and panic, saying: "Nian Nu has just parted with grandfather, it's a bit... please forgive me, master."

  "Understanding, understanding, it's human nature." Ma Xun nodded and said, "Now I'm going to tell you what you need to do for me."

  "Master, please give orders." Nian Nu's voice was filled with an inexplicable nervousness, her slender hands grasping the reins also trembled slightly, her fingers tightly wrapped around the reins.

  Ma Xun didn't have time to care about the little girl's subtle thoughts and continued according to his own train of thought: "You're familiar with the terrain around here, right?"

  "Yes, I have lived on this grassland for twelve years and moved to six pastures. Within a radius of 500 miles, I am familiar with it." It turned out that it was not what he thought, and Nian Nu's mood was slightly relieved.

  "This guide is good, Ma Yun was very satisfied, with a smile all over his face: 'Very well, now it's noon, we'll go to that forest over there to avoid the sun, and then you can provide me with a nearby place suitable for accommodation.'"

  "Yes, master."

  The top is shaded like a canopy, and the beauty beside him is like jade. Ma Xun, with his harmless smile and infectious words, slowly eliminated Nian Nu's strangeness and fear. The children of the grassland are naturally simple and true, they will not be too pretentious, once they recognize you, they will open their hearts to you.

  Through conversation, Ma Xun finally learned that Nian Nu's unusual appearance was due to her mother being an Anxi slave girl (modern-day Iran) who had been captured by the Xiongnu people and repeatedly sold and mistreated, eventually ending up with the Xianbei people. During a conflict between the Xianbei and Wuhuan peoples, she was again taken captive by the Wuhuan. After offending a tribal noble, her face was disfigured by whipping. The once beautiful Anxi noblewoman became a universally despised ugly woman. She was then given to Nian Nu's father, who later gave birth to her. According to her grandfather, she resembled her mother before her face was disfigured and was even more beautiful than her mother.

  And what does this beauty mean to a girl with the status of a slave? It means disaster! Specifically for Nian Nu, it is not only her own disaster but also the disaster of the entire Han slave group.

  Just half a month ago, I accidentally heard that the tribal leader, Bone Li, sent someone to demand Nianslave's return. As a slave, everything belongs to the master, including one's own children. Nianslave's mother died in childbirth after giving birth to her, and her father died early, so it was her grandfather who raised her.

  Mujiao Lao Han is a very experienced veterinarian, having taken in many Han slaves as apprentices. He has great prestige among the Hans and because he is a rare talent within the tribe, even Bonehead Big Man has to give him some face. Otherwise, there would be no need for polite requests, they could just take him by force.

  For Muge, who had lost his son and daughter-in-law and only had one family member left, Nianshu was his precious pearl. How could he let the delicate granddaughter be trampled by the brutal Poli? At this time, Tangnu and other apprentices were already fed up with the abuse and repeatedly advised Muge to escape, but Muge hesitated and couldn't make up his mind. The matter of Suo'er eventually became the spark that set things off.

  Then, a storm half a month ago opened the curtain of escape.

  Ma Huan finally understood that Muji old man endured the pain of exchanging his beloved granddaughter for a weapon because he felt extremely guilty. Because of his granddaughter, everyone's lives were put in danger. At this point, as long as there was a glimmer of hope to increase their chances of survival, he would even be willing to sacrifice his life, including his most precious "treasure". Nianshu similarly felt guilty and was willing to become a slave. Everything was just to give everyone an extra chance to escape, to flee back to their hometown south of the Great Wall.

  Will they succeed this time, like those Han slaves who have fled and been caught in the five border counties of Han every year, with some succeeding but most failing?

  This is the true state of survival for the northern border people in the late Han Dynasty. Ma Xun sighed and comforted, "I haven't seen how skilled your young men are, so I don't dare to make any comments. If it were another group of Wuhuan people searching for us, with equipment and numbers similar to that of Wuma's group, then if we use the strong bows and sharp arrows I seized from the Khan's cavalry, as well as the knives, axes, and armor, our chances of winning would increase by at least 50%."

  "It would be great if that's the case, Tangu Big Brother and his men are excellent at horseback archery, and last year they even received a reward of roasted mutton from Khan Lu Wang at the Langzhong Conference. Ah! Master just said... those bows and arrows, were they seized from the hands of Khan Lu Wang's mounted guards?"

  Nian Nu was originally sitting properly on her knees beside Ma Xun, handing him water and a towel to wipe his sweat. Upon hearing this, she jumped up as if scalded by fire.

  "Sit down, sit down, don't be so excited." Ma Xun said casually while wiping his sweat, "The bow and arrow were indeed seized from the hands of Han Lu's royal guards, and the knife, axe, and armor were 'given' by a guy named Gao Gan from the Ji Zhou army."

  Nian Nu looked up at his young master with an incredulous expression, muttering: "I've heard that Khan Lu's cavalry guards are selected from the strongest warriors and best archers of each tribe... even Tang Nu couldn't get in..."

  Ma Huan nodded in agreement: "When I was in Hebei, I had heard rumors of the 'Wuwan's elite cavalry dominating Youyan', and indeed they are very formidable. If I had encountered them a month ago, perhaps it would have been me who ended up lying down."

  "Hebei! Is the master from Hebei? I heard my grandfather say that I am also a Hebei person, from a beautiful place called Handan. I really want to go and take a look!" Nianshu looked back and gazed into the distance, with infinite longing.

  Ma Xun leaned against a big tree and murmured: "I am too, haven't been back to my hometown for a long time, although it's been almost two thousand years..."

  Ma Xun said "two thousand years" with a muffled voice, and Nian Nu didn't hear clearly, thinking it was two years. At this moment, the two homesick people unexpectedly produced a wonderful resonance, and the distance suddenly narrowed.

  Unfortunately, this subtle atmosphere only lasted for a very short time, and a sudden horseshoe sound came from afar, shattering everything.

  Ma Xun suddenly jumped up, lifted the curtain and gazed into the distance for a while. He turned back with a smile and said to Nian Nu: "It seems that someone is not willing to let this pearl fall into my hands!"

  Nian Nu's face turned red as she stood up: "What..." Before she could finish speaking, her expression also changed, because she too saw the three knights rushing towards them from afar.

  Ma Xun puckered his lips and whistled, leading the three war horses to gallop around in all directions. Silver Arrow quickly ran over, nuzzling Ma Xun's neck with its nose. After a brief affectionate interaction with Silver Arrow, Ma Xun took down the leopard bow and drew out three iron-tipped arrows.

  At this time, Nian Nu had seen the appearance of the three knights clearly, and was both surprised and delighted. She suddenly threw herself at Ma Xun's feet, and begged: "Master, don't harm them. I am willing to do anything for you."

  This sentence is even more thought-provoking than the previous one "Master, please instruct", but Ma Hong didn't have time to secretly enjoy it, because he had to face three hard bows and iron arrows. And these hard bows and sharp arrows, an hour ago, still belonged to him.

  The newcomers were Tang Nu and his two accomplices.