Chapter Forty-Four: Separation from Ji

  Congratulations to " Zhao Wu Xu 2014" for becoming the first sponsor of this book. Thank you " Wolf Star" again for your reward.

  On August 10th, the Xianbei people's most important sacrificial ritual began. The priest jumped into a trance, killed captives to sacrifice to the spirits, slaughtered cattle for divination, and the crowd chanted prayers.

  In the grand pavilion, the chiefs of various tribes gathered together, and Ma Xun was naturally among them.

  Ma Xun had seen many primitive rituals in Africa, South America and Central America, and he was no longer curious. He wasn't a folklore enthusiast and wasn't very interested in this sort of thing. Apparently, someone noticed his lack of interest and leaned over to whisper to him: "Surprise Dragon, this ritual really isn't worth watching. But there's something else that you'll definitely find interesting."

  "Hmm?" Ma Xun gave Yan Ruo a slanted glance.

  Yan Rou smiled and pointed at the Xianbei girls who were singing and dancing in the distance.

  "No need, thank you," Ma Yun said hastily, "these women are not suitable for me."

  Ma Xun was telling the truth. Since his reputation as the "Number One Brave Warrior of the North" spread, many tribal leaders and nobles have approached him, revealing that they had marriageable women in their families or tribes who were willing to be given to him as wives or concubines. Inter-tribal marriages are a common phenomenon among grassland tribes, especially for newly established tribes. However, Ma Xun's response was to decline one by one, laughing and saying that his ambition was not just to become a tribal leader. His roots were in Hebei and the Central Plains. Not to mention the unattractive hairstyles and body odor of these Hu women, even if they had beauty, how could he take a Hu woman as his wife and still mix with people in the Central Plains?

  Yan Rou seemed to see his concerns and smiled: "Don't misunderstand, Xing Long. How could I give you a barbarian woman? If I were to give you one, it would be a Han woman, and an absolute beauty at that."

  Ma Han raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yan Rou: "You're saying that she's the beauty hidden in your Golden House?"

  Yan Rou had three large carts with golden canopies, pulled by eight Bactrian camels, which followed his merchant caravan as it traveled between the various tribes. It was said that these three camel-drawn carriages were home to beautiful women collected by the Yan brothers from Dahan, Xiongnu, Western Qiang, Xianbei, Wuhuan, Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Samhan, among other places. According to the different needs of the tribal chieftains, they would select suitable women to give as gifts, which made them extremely welcome among the chieftains. This was also an important reason why the Yan brothers were able to thrive in this vast grassland surrounded by wolves, navigating with ease and freedom.

  Ma Huan had heard about this before and didn't comment on it. In this era, such behavior is actually quite normal. Moreover, this was also the survival method of the Yan brothers, he had no right to interfere. What's more, such things will be even less in the future?

  Ma Xun smiled and said, "My aesthetic view... hmm, I mean, my views on beauty may be different from yours. What you consider to be a stunning beauty may not necessarily enter my eyes."

  Yan Rou raised her head, wanting to smile, but looking around, she still held it in, and said in a low voice: "As the saying goes, 'hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once', this girl is indeed the most stunning one among the Golden House's beauties, if Xuan Long saw her, he would surely know that my words are not empty."

  Yan Rou's words were so captivating that no man could help but be moved, and Ma Hen also became curious, wanting to see what Yan Rou's golden house was like, and smiled in response.

  Ma Hu came to the Three Kingdoms, counting on his fingers, it has been four months, and he hasn't met a woman yet. He is a very normal adult man, and having such needs is nothing but normal. Unfortunately, he was forced out of the pass after mixing in Hebei for only a few days. After becoming the leader of the Han Go Department, there were many young women among the troops, including Xianbei women, Wuhuan women, Goguryeo women, and more were Han women. However, as mentioned earlier, these barbarian women were far from his requirements, while the Han women were mostly women who had been repeatedly ravaged, and he certainly couldn't add insult to injury. The only woman who could arouse his interest was Nianslave.

  Unfortunately, Nianshu is still too young, thirteen years old, and I don't know if she's fully grown yet, so we can only raise her for now. Of course, in this era, whether it's the Central Plains or the grasslands, getting married and having children at thirteen is completely normal. But under controllable circumstances, it's better to delay it as much as possible. Apples are only delicious when they're ripe, right?

  The slave is not yet ripe, and the women of the tribe are already overripe. In a situation where there is no choice, Ma Xun can only hold back. Now Yan Rou has given him an opportunity to not hold back again. Ma Xun does not have the surname Liu, and he doesn't need to exchange personal and tribal interests either. Why wouldn't he be delighted?

  ……

  As expected, at nightfall, when Ma Xun and Xing Ju had finished discussing the next day's return journey, they returned to their tent and Wu Cui came forward to report: "Yan Jun has sent over a woman, saying that the commander-in-chief has agreed to accept her."

  Ma Huan suddenly became interested and glanced at the account book, asking in a low voice: "Did you see clearly? What does it look like?"

  He scratched the back of his head, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

  Ma Xian patted him on the shoulder: "I know you don't know how to describe it, just say what happened with Bi Nü."

  Wu chased bitter smile: "This, really can't be compared."

  Ma Huan glared: "What can't be compared? Who is comparable to whom?"

  The woman covered her face with a veil...

  "......" Ma Hong was speechless for a moment, did Yan Rou really raise An Xi's female slave? And also play this kind of masked trick, would she still wear a navel-baring outfit?

  "Keep out those who are not related, don't let them in." Ma Xun said as he removed his inner armor and headscarf, lifting the curtain with his hand.

  The curtains lifted, and a faint scent wafted out. This fragrance was not an overpowering thick smell, but rather a natural woody incense with a hint of grass, light and soft, very pleasant to sniff.

  Ma Huan immediately stopped in his tracks, held his breath, and checked himself out. His body seemed normal. He carefully savored the scent again, hmm, it was probably the fragrance of a woman's perfume. Ma Huan shook his head and laughed at himself, having been surrounded by the stench of cattle and sheep on the grasslands and the unwashed bodies of nomads for too long, he had become overly sensitive to fragrances. If he were in this state now and went to a French nightclub, wouldn't he be overwhelmed by the perfumes?

  Ma Xun confirmed that there was nothing unusual and then lifted the curtain and entered.

  There was indeed a woman inside, with her face veiled. But as soon as Ma Xun saw her elegant kneeling posture in the shape of an "S", with her hands clasped together and placed between her legs, her full breasts standing out, and the white hem of her deep dress unfolding like a blooming lotus flower, he knew that Yan Rou hadn't lied. Now, all they had to do was remove the white veil from her face to confirm the answer.

  This girl is naturally Liji. Although she had prepared, it's not true to say that her mood wasn't tense. Can the plan go smoothly? What if the other party is rough and unrefined, without any charm, and directly pushes her down? Guarding her body like jade for seventeen years, of course, she can't be cheap with Yan Rou, but even more so, she can't be cheap with a coarse and rude man like a bear!

  Her old servant Liang En was also chased away by the fierce Han guards, what if the plan goes wrong, would she really have to sacrifice her life for freedom?

  Li Ji was in such a state of anxiety and indecision when the curtain was lifted, and the moment that would decide her fate arrived.

  When Ma Yun saw Li Ji, Li Ji also saw Ma Yun at the same moment, and then she was stunned.

  Seeing a young man of about the same age as herself, tall and majestic, with an air of vigor and vitality, walking into the tent and casually throwing off his armor, waist knife, bow and arrow, headscarf, and leather boots in disarray, made Xiji's heart thump wildly, leaving her breathless.

  Her already large beautiful eyes widened even more, and she stuttered: "Y-you... who are you?"

  "Ma Han, Ma Jing Long. Hmm, if you're not familiar with the name... they all call me 'The First Brave Warrior of Mo Bei'." Ma Han nodded secretly, this woman's voice was soft, charming and seductive, he liked it.

  "You're the Ma Xiong Long!" Liji couldn't believe her eyes, the robust and majestic young man in front of her was a far cry from the cruel and ruthless image she had imagined. How could this be? If Ma Xiong Long's bravery in battle was innate, then how could he, at such a young age, rise from being an unknown low-ranking officer to become a powerful chieftain with over 5,000 followers in just a few short months?

  "Look at your eyes, you must not dare to believe that the legendary me is a green-faced and fang-like mountain eagle. " Ma Xun took off his armor and sat down naturally three steps to the right of Ji - from a psychological point of view, this is a relatively subtle distance when dealing with the opposite sex. This is actually the distance where two people stretch out their hands and their fingertips barely touch. This distance is neither too far nor too close, maintaining a sense of security - at least for women.

  Ma Xun had dealings with all sorts of people, from high-ranking government officials to prostitutes in alleys, and even fugitives who would shoot recklessly at the slightest disagreement. How could he not understand psychology?

  As expected, after Ma Xun sat down, Li Ji only slightly twisted her waist and then sat still.

  "If there's no belly button show, then take off your headscarf."

  Li Ji waited for a while, but what she heard was such a strange sentence. Although she didn't understand what "navel dress" meant, the meaning of the second half of the sentence was very clear. Li Ji hesitated slightly, but still stretched out her slender hand, took down the silk ribbon hanging from her earlobe, and the gauze also lifted with it.

  Her eyebrows are like crescent moons, her eyes are like stars, her nose is like a jade flute, and her lips are like red lotus flowers. Her facial features are delicate and harmonious, with crystal-clear skin that glows with a soft pink hue. Especially when she smiles, her flower-like lips and neat white teeth sparkle together, making her lips even more radiant and her teeth seem like ivory, leaving one's heart racing and uncontrollably wanting to kiss her.

  Indeed, she's a stunning beauty! Ma Yun thought to herself, if the dolls in Yan Rou's golden house were all like this girl... No, even if they had just half of her charm, it would be enough to captivate those tribal leaders. No wonder he could stir up such a big fuss. Hmm, being able to face such a beauty and not be moved, generously giving her away, Yan Ruo's determination is truly not to be underestimated.

  Ma Xun didn't know what kind of inner struggle Yan Rou had gone through for this matter.

  At the same time, Liji's heart was also struggling. She never dreamed that the famous and feared warrior of the Mongols would be such a young man. Moreover, this person had a calm demeanor, unlike most men who would lose their composure when they first saw her. So, should she still do what she intended to do?

  Li Ji is indeed a stunning beauty, but after being visually bombarded by so many beauties throughout the ages and having had close encounters with Ma Yu, he wouldn't have looked like a country bumpkin. If one or two beautiful women could make him lose his composure, how would he have survived till now?

  "What's your name?"

  "Nu Bi Li Ji."

  "Oh, what a melancholic name! If you don't mind me asking, how old is the young lady?"

  "I am twenty-nine years old this year."

  "Hehe, you're a bit younger than me."

  Ma Xun knew that people in this era all reported their age falsely, and Li Ji had reported eighteen, but was actually seventeen. Hmm, this age is quite suitable.

  "I am from Ju Lu, where are you from?"

  "My ancestral home is in Luoyang." Li Ji blinked, slowly moving her gaze to the young man's face. Being of similar age and also Han people, he was a pleasant-looking and soft-spoken youth, so Li Ji's guard gradually dropped, and she began to open up, "The Ma family is a renowned clan, with the Fufeng Ma family being the most prominent, descended from Han General Ma Fou; secondly, there's the Fufeng Ma family's branch, Handan Ma family. Jizhou and Handan are not far apart, aren't you...?"

  Ma Xun shrugged: "I'm not sure about this either, maybe it's related, maybe it's not, but what does it matter? The nomads don't recognize you as a Ma or a Niu, they only recognize whether you're a hero or a good-for-nothing."

  Liji lifted her sleeve to cover her mouth and smiled lightly. This smile, the entire canopy seemed to brighten up, making the guard between the two people fade away, and the atmosphere of their conversation began to lighten up.

  Ma Hu's state of mind had long passed the age where he would rush to grab his gun and mount his horse at the sight of a beautiful woman. Spending a night talking with an absolutely stunning beauty was also a great pleasure. Of course, this young and strong body also needed to be satisfied appropriately, only when the right time came.

  When is the right time? Ma Xian does not know for the time being, but he has seen the auxiliary items that contribute to this opportunity - a jar of wine. Not the Xianbei people's stinky and hard-to-swallow sheep's milk wine, but real high-end rice wine (a fine wine in the Han Dynasty, with careful selection of raw materials and brewing methods, mainly for the enjoyment of nobles and banquets).

  This is Yan Rou's "matching" gift, along with wine jars and wine ladles. What a knowledgeable and interesting fellow he is! It seems that he has done this kind of thing many times before.

  Wu Zui and four Han Ge guards patrolled ten steps outside the tent, occasionally turning their heads to see the candlelight casting two silhouettes, raising cups in a toast, the figures gradually approaching, exchanging a smile, slowly retreating into the distance.

  Three Rivers ticket! Thank you.