Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 213 Knocking Bones Incense Slave
Caizhu asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Fu Feng said, "According to the recipe recorded in the academy, the pet is fed with a variety of spices, which make the pet's flesh and bones fragrant. When these spices are properly combined, they have many nourishing effects, enriching the flavor of the food without harming the pet. After the pet passes away peacefully, a small piece of bone is taken and made into an ornament to wear."

"I suspect that the perfumer who first created the bone-incense simply wanted to use bone ornaments to commemorate his beloved pet, so that when he smelled the fragrance, he could recall the time they spent together."

“There are many herdsmen in the western border region, and many places have the tradition of using bones as ornaments. Sometimes it is to show off their bravery and achievements, and sometimes it is to commemorate and remember them. It is not surprising,” Caizhu said.

"Yes, making this kind of incense is too time-consuming and laborious, and it also depends on one's own luck. It is also impossible to produce it in large quantities, so the common people are not familiar with it. But from some point onwards, the demand for bone-crushing incense has become greater and greater. For the royal family and nobles, the rarer and more precious it is, the more they covet it. Later, it even evolved into the cruel method of forcibly stuffing incense and soaking bones in blood."

"The so-called beloved pets were mostly sand foxes at first, but the nobles gradually became dissatisfied with using sand foxes to make bone-penetrating incense. In their minds, beautiful and obedient slaves were also beloved pets, so why couldn't they be used to make incense? In fact, those slaves were easier to control than small beasts like sand foxes. Sand foxes will scratch and bite people when they are pushed to the limit, but slaves whose lives are in their hands will not."

"Using people to make incense?" Cai Zhu'er's eyes widened, finding it horrifying.

"That's right. The nobles force their favorite slaves to eat food piled with dozens of spices, never caring whether the food tastes good or whether the spices are poisonous. Once they've given it to you, you have to eat it all. Slaves who can't eat or vomit will be beaten. Over time, those called 'scent slaves' become numb."

"They knew they wouldn't live much longer, and they were content as long as they could be beaten less each day. Later, the poison seeped into their bones, and they often writhed on the ground in pain, wishing for death but unable to. Some nobles felt that the fragrance hadn't fully permeated the air and didn't want the fragrant slaves to die too quickly, so they would send them to us for treatment... Those fragrant slaves were all emaciated but exuded a strange fragrance. I didn't think this was a favor or a memorial to my beloved pets; I only felt it was utterly cruel."

"No wonder you left the royal hospital."

"There were other reasons for leaving the big hospital... In short, I personally witnessed the scene of Xiangnu having her throat cut and bones removed while she was still alive. The incense pool in the academy was filled with fragrance all year round, but it really made me nauseous."

“I understand.” Cai Zhu’er nodded. “The gap between nobles and commoners in Mohe is very deep. Some nobles don’t even treat commoners and slaves as human beings. Even though the old capital has been destroyed and everyone has to flee to new homes, such class consciousness is still deeply rooted. Those people still feel that only they deserve the favor of the gods.”

"Heh, when Mohe was prosperous, things were still alright. At least everyone was living a relatively good life." Fu Feng sneered. "It's precisely because the country has declined that the Ti Nu has bullied the royal family and nobles. They dare not challenge the Iron Cavalry, so they can only vent their resentment and anger on the common people and slaves."

"It's truly shameful."

"What can we do? No matter how shameful it is, it is still our homeland. We can't just abandon it."

Upon learning of Xiang Nu's existence, Cai Zhu'er was deeply troubled. She knew her voice carried little weight, that she was nothing more than livestock and ants in the eyes of those nobles. But as Fu Feng had said, she couldn't do nothing and watch Mo He's situation worsen. How could business prosper if the common people were suffering?
The most effective way to change all this is to do everything possible to support Aisha in seizing power and taking over the country.

Perhaps only in this way can there be hope for Mohe to be reborn.
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Crossing the boundary marker, the caravan was approaching the territory of Mohe. Yellow sand swirled, the wind howled like knives, and the camels brayed and trotted uneasily. The guards of the delegation and the caravan gripped their swords tightly in vigilance.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose from behind the distant sand dunes, and the sound of horses' hooves approached like muffled thunder—it was the sand bandits!

"alert!"

With a sharp shout, Badan leaped onto his horse, his long sword drawn, its cold gleam reflecting the blazing sun. His figure was as imposing as a mountain, and with a sweeping motion of his blade, he first felled a bandit who charged at him.

Blood splattered on the endless yellow sand, instantly swallowed up by the storm. Aisha remained calm and collected. He addressed everyone: "Take cover where you are! Have the camels form a small circle! Leave six men to guard the supplies and cargo! The rest of the guards, follow me and charge!"

The valiant warriors responded, "Yes, sir!"

As Aisha rode past Caizhu'er, he glanced down at her and instructed, "Don't be reckless. Stay in the middle of the circle and remember to take a dagger for self-defense."

Cai Zhu'er brandished the short knife in her hand: "Don't worry, I've been doing this for a while."

Aisha was both amused and exasperated.

Indeed, she was experienced; compared to the dangerous situations she had faced before, this attack was a minor incident.

He spurred his horse at full gallop, his movements as agile as a cheetah. With a backhand motion, he drew his curved sword, its blade flashing like silver moonlight as it sliced ​​through the sandstorm. A bandit pounced from the flank, but he dodged to the side, his blade flashing diagonally. The bandit's throat split open, blood streaming down his face, and he staggered to the ground.

The bandits, numerous and powerful, roared and swarmed forward. Badan roared, charging like a tiger into a flock of sheep, his blade flashing and sweeping, causing the bandits to retreat in his wake. Aisha, on the other hand, moved like a ghost, his swordsmanship sharp and precise, each strike aimed straight for vital points. The two, leading their guards, formed a defensive formation, relying on each other, and forcefully tore a gap through the bandits' ranks, heading towards their leader.

Hiding in the overturned cargo box, watching the fierce battle raging outside the camel pen amidst rising dust, Cai Zhu couldn't help but think, "The King of Qin is such a jinx! What he says always comes true. He even predicted the exact location of the encounter with the bandits with perfect accuracy."

Watching Aisha bravely fight the enemy, she sighed inwardly. She hadn't expected the eldest prince to be so skilled in martial arts. Back in Mohe, she had only heard of the second prince, Munandon, being a warrior of immense strength, and hadn't paid attention to the eldest prince's prowess. However, the eldest prince was far more handsome than the second prince. If the noble ladies witnessed such skills, they would likely fall head over heels for him.

While she was lost in thought, the battle outside was nearing its end.

Badan's blade flashed like lightning, Aisha's figure moved like the wind, and with the guards' tacit cooperation, the bandits were forced to retreat again and again. Although they didn't manage to kill the cunning bandit leader in the end, it was enough for them to realize that this was a group they could neither defeat nor plunder, and they could only flee in disarray.

Badan flicked the blood off his knife and grinned, "That was satisfying!"

Aisha, slightly out of breath, still warily scanned her surroundings, and only after confirming that there were no more ambushes did she sheath her sword.

He returned to the very center of the camel pen, dismounted, bent down, and reached out his hand to Caizhu: "Come on, let's continue on our way."

Cai Zhu put away the short knife she was holding tightly, took his hand and stood up. She patted the sand off her body and praised, "Your Highness is valiant. I have a feeling that the journey home ahead will be fraught with danger but ultimately safe."

Aisha smiled and said, "Is that so?"

Cai Zhu'er never expected that her words were far less effective than those of the King of Qin. From the moment she set foot on the land of Mohe, everything changed.
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Next chapter: Do you feel... you trusted the wrong person?