Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 99 What a coincidence! (Seeking monthly votes mid-month!)

The rising sun, like shattered gold foil, slowly broke through the thin mist that permeated the valley in the early morning.

The sunlight slanted across every inch of the valley, turning the scattered pebbles on the cliff face into a warm gold.

In the valley, Yu Rui's men were methodically moving the armor.

Those two-piece armors, meticulously crafted from fine iron, gleamed with a cold, hard, and dazzling luster under the sunlight.

The edges of the nail plate are polished to an extremely smooth finish, yet their sharp texture remains undeniable.

When the plates collide with each other, they make a crisp "clanging" sound.

Yu Rui stood to the side, finding the sound exceptionally pleasant, more moving than any carefully composed music.

The men worked swiftly and carefully loaded the armor pieces onto the carriage, afraid of accidentally damaging the precious equipment.

The shoulder armor rested firmly on the breastplate, and the leg guards were neatly stacked on top of the arm guards, each layer perfectly aligned and without the slightest misalignment.

They also specially padded the nail plates with soft linen to prevent the nail surfaces from being scratched by the bumps during the carriage ride.

These one hundred sets of fine iron two-piece armor were quite heavy; even if they were disassembled and stacked, they would still fill three and a half carriages.

They have now prepared four carriages in advance, which provides more than enough space and better protects the armor.

Even so, the weight of the armor is still clearly visible.

The carriage wheels left much deeper tracks on the ground than usual.

……

At the edge of the wasteland, two dark-skinned old hunters, Kang Jinhu and Kang Jinlang, were slowly leading Yu Xiaobao's team forward.

They have successfully led Yu Xiaobao, who was eager to find Tuoba Junxie and Balimo, to where he was supposed to be.

Yu Xiaobao sat inside the carriage, unable to contain his anxiety any longer.

As dawn breaks, Ba Limo and Tuofa Junxie will definitely continue their journey back!
I don't know if I can catch up.

"Faster, faster! Don't let them get away!"

Increasingly agitated, Yu Xiaobao couldn't contain himself and loudly ordered his men outside the car.

Yu Xiaobao was anxious, but Ba Limo was even more anxious than him.

Ba Limo leaned over the saddleless horse, his body pressed tightly against its back, desperately urging the horse to run forward.

He charged through the knee-high weeds, his hooves kicking up dirt and grass that flew everywhere, and the dew that had condensed on the grass was kicked up by his legs.

Ba Limo's heavy breathing sounded like a broken bellows, each breath accompanied by a heavy panting sound.

He had a deep knife wound on his left arm, from which blood kept seeping out, soaking through his brown clothes.

Behind them, three fine horses swooped in like arrows released from a bow.

Bald Falcon, riding at the front, chased closely while shouting loudly, his voice full of ferocity.

"Ba Limo, you're dead! Dismount and face your death, and I might leave you with a whole corpse!"

The bald-haired falcon's voice echoed across the wasteland, carrying a strong sense of threat.

Ba Limo ignored him completely. At this moment, he no longer cared whether he could survive. He only had one thought in his mind: to escape back to the tribe.

Even if he eventually dies, he must explain to the tribe who killed him, and he cannot let himself die in such an unclear way.

The Bali tribe was indeed not as powerful as the Tufa tribe. In this wasteland, their strength was far less than that of the Tufa tribe. However, the people of the Bali tribe also had their own backbone and were by no means submissive sheep.

This blood feud must be avenged, no matter what!
Bald Falcon watched as Ba Limo circled around ahead, gradually fleeing towards the vicinity of Canglang Gorge, and he was extremely anxious.

He knew very well that if Balimo successfully escaped back to the tribe, it would be much more difficult for his elder brother to annex the Bali tribe.

It's not that we can't win, but the losses would be too great, making it a losing proposition.

However, if the Bali tribe had not been annexed, he would never have been able to escape responsibility for losing his armor.

At that time, his elder brother will definitely not let him off easily. Even if he is not killed, his status in the tribe will plummet.

Thinking of this, Bald Falcon Xie chased even faster, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified.

Pulling down, he could clearly feel the horsepower beneath his legs gradually weakening, and a sinking feeling settled in his heart.

If things continue like this, he will probably have a hard time escaping back to the tribe, and sooner or later he will be caught up by Bald Falcon.

He glanced back and saw that the bald-headed Falcon Demon, with two attendants and three horses arranged in a triangular formation, was still closely following behind him.

With a determined clench of his teeth, Ba Limo yanked the horse's mane, squeezed the horse's belly tightly between his legs, and spurred the exhausted horse to charge down the nearby hillside.

Having just rounded a huge rock, Balim immediately rolled off his horse.

His movements were swift and agile, showing no sign of slowing down even with his injuries.

"Go!" Ba Limo shouted, slamming his knife into the horse's rump.

The horse, in pain, neighed and, with its last ounce of strength, galloped forward, disappearing into the grass ahead.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ba Limo scrambled and crawled into the dense thicket of thatch grass nearby.

The thicket of thatch was so lush that it completely concealed him as he lay prone on the ground.

But he knew very well that if Bald Falcon stopped and searched him even slightly, he would have nowhere to hide.

But he has no other choice now and can only take a gamble.

As expected, Bald Falcon did not stop. Seeing that the horse seemed to be running even faster than before, he became even more anxious and immediately spurred his horse to catch up.

Previously, Ba Limo had been lying on the horse's back, with most of his body hidden by the horse's back. So when he rolled off the saddle, Tu Fa Junxie really didn't see him clearly in the rush.

Seeing the three horses gallop past him, Ba Limo's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally calmed down a little.

But he dared not delay in the slightest, and immediately crawled out of the bushes and ran up the mountain.

He knew that although crossing mountains and valleys would be slower and consume more energy, it was the safest way for him at the moment.

"Ugh, you bastard!"

Before long, Bald Falcon realized he had been tricked.

The horse lost its owner's control and ran forward for a while before stopping.

Bald-haired Falcon Demon caught up quickly, only to find an empty horse in front of him, realizing he had been tricked.

His face turned ashen with rage: "Damn you, Ba Limo! If I catch you, I'll skin you alive!"

Bald Falcon suddenly pulled on the reins and ordered his two men, "Turn back and search! Find that bastard!"

The three immediately turned their horses around and searched back along the original route.

This time, they dared not ride too fast, keeping their eyes fixed on the roadside bushes and rock crevices, afraid of missing any clues.

Just then, Yu Rui and his entourage slowly drove out of the valley.

Fifteen strong men, each with a wary expression and armed, escorted four horse-drawn carts eastward along a barely visible country road, nestled at the foot of the mountain.

The carriages were carefully covered with a thick layer of wild grass, and then covered with sturdy lacquered cloth, completely concealing the carriages.

And so, their convoy ran right into the bald-headed Falcon and his two companions, who were on their way back searching, on this remote country road.

For a moment, both sides were stunned.

The three bald-haired falcons had been chasing each other for half the night and had just gone through a fierce battle, so they looked extremely disheveled.

Their clothes were covered in dust and blood, their hair was disheveled, their faces were exhausted, and their eyes still held a hint of resentment.

On the other hand, Yu Rui and his group were full of energy and high spirits.

They had been resting and recuperating in the valley, showing no signs of fatigue.

only……

Bald Falcon's gaze quickly fell on the four carriages, and his eyes became strange.

That must contain the armor he lost before, right?
To his embarrassment, he now only has three people with him.

His men got separated while chasing and besieging the people of Balim.

Three exhausted people were facing fifteen strong and burly men; the difference in strength was simply too great.

"Master Bald?"

When Yu Rui saw the bald-headed Falcon Demon, he was startled, feeling a sense of panic as if he had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.

He forced himself to remain calm and greeted the bald-headed Falcon Demon.

The bald-headed Falcon Demon was even more flustered than him. He forced a smile and revealed an ugly grin: "Ah, Young Master Yu."

"What are you doing here, Bald Lord?"

"Well... haha, Falcon Demon is on his way back to the tribe."

Bald-haired Falcon chuckled twice and asked, "Didn't Young Master Yu return to Dailai City? How come you're here?"

"Hehehe, would you believe me if I said I got lost?" Yu Rui chuckled dryly. Seeing that there were only three of them, and they were all exhausted, their fighting strength was definitely greatly reduced. He had already decided to kill them.

Bald-haired Falcon said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't believe you, but where are your camels, young master? How come the camel caravan has disappeared, and instead four carriages have appeared out of nowhere?"

As he spoke, he discreetly hid one hand behind his back and quietly gestured to his two subordinates.

Yu Rui also held the reins in one hand and put the other behind his back, subtly gesturing to his subordinates.

"Hehe, this is a long story. Sir Baldhead, why don't you dismount and I'll tell you the details."

“Alright, Mr. Yu, please.”

"Bald man, please."

The two men simultaneously made a move to dismount, but in that instant, the bald-headed Falcon suddenly hid in the stirrup, quickly shifting his body to the side of the horse's belly, and then spurred the horse to gallop diagonally.

Yu Rui was prepared. Upon seeing this, he immediately drew his sword, spurred his horse forward, and shouted, "Stop him!"

At the same time, the bowstring twanged and the arrows pierced the air with a whooshing sound.

Arrows rained down on Bald Falcon and his men.

The two men beside the bald-headed Falcon charged diagonally to the left and right, but were unfortunately hit by a hail of arrows.

They let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell heavily to the ground.

The horse lost control and galloped away in fright.

Bald Falcon managed to dodge a volley of arrows by hiding in the stirrup.

But Yu Rui had already drawn his sword and was charging forward at full speed.

Bald-haired Falcon Demon was alone and outnumbered, and dared not linger in battle. He only wanted to shake off Yu Rui's pursuit as soon as possible and escape to safety.

However, after he barely managed to parry two attacks, four or five knights rushed over from the side and surrounded him.

These knights were all agile and coordinated perfectly, with four or five gleaming lances trapping him in the middle.

"Snapped!"

One of the knights swung his lance sharply, the shaft striking the bald-headed Falcon Evil hard.

The bald-haired falcon fell heavily off his horse, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

The tips of the spears, each over a foot long, were pointed down at him, pinning him down firmly.

Bald-haired Falcon struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.

He slammed the knife to the ground, glared coldly at Yu Rui, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Did you, Young Master Yu, rob the goods of my Bald Hair Tribe?"

Yu Rui rode up to him, bowed slightly, and revealed a meaningful smile on his face.

“Since you’re selling mountain goods on my Yu family’s territory, how can I call that robbery? That’s called confiscation.”

Bald Falcon trembled with malice, wishing he could rush up and tear Yu Rui to pieces, but the sharp tip of his spear was already pressed tightly against his body.

"Sir?"

The armed warriors turned to look at Yu Rui, awaiting his next instructions.

Yu Rui pondered for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

He could certainly order the immediate execution of Bald Falcon Evil to prevent future troubles.

But then he thought again that Tuofa Junxie was one of the leaders of the Tuofa tribe, and also the younger brother of the Tuofa tribe chief.

This person might still be useful in the future.

As long as we keep him under our control and bring him back to "Dailai City", there will be no future troubles.

Thinking of this, Yu Rui ordered, "Tie him up!"

His men responded and tied the bald-headed Falcon Evil up tightly with a cowhide rope.

……

In another part of the wasteland, Yu Xiaobao stood beside a pile of campfire ashes, lost in thought.

The wind on the plain carried bits of withered grass, covering his black boots with a thin layer of white frost-like powder.

Beside the ashes of the campfire, seven or eight corpses lay scattered haphazardly.

Some were curled up, their hands still gripping their weapons tightly;
Some lay face up, eyes wide open, as if still harboring the resentment and anger of their dying moments.

Dark red bloodstains soaked into the wild grass beneath him.

Several entirely black crows flapped their wings and fled towards the mountain.

"Damn it, it's too late after all."

Yu Xiaobao's voice was full of frustration and resentment.

His original intention for this trip was to act as a peacemaker, hoping to mediate between the Tufa tribe and the Bali tribe before the conflict escalated completely.

Of course, the so-called "mediation" was just his pretext; he was secretly plotting his own scheme.

It all depends on which side is more sensible and willing to take the initiative to show goodwill and establish a friendship with him.

At that time, he, as the "arbitrator," will naturally and without hesitation favor that side.

But what was the result? The horrific scene before us speaks for itself.

The two sides have clearly broken off relations completely, and it's a fight to the death. There's no room for him to maneuver anymore.

"Third Master, shall we continue the pursuit?" Kang Jinhu cautiously stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"Chase? What the hell are you talking about! Just go back!"

Yu Xiaobao turned around abruptly and waved his hand impatiently.

His disappointment was as deep as his initial expectations.

Yu Xiaobao turned around lazily and strode towards the carriage.

Upon seeing this, the group turned around and returned to the long-abandoned country road.

This wild path stretches across the front of the mountains, its surface covered with gravel and weeds, clearly indicating that it has been untouched by human hands for a long time.

The trail leads south at one end and north at the other, like a silent bond connecting the two ends of the wilderness.

Just then, a follower pointed into the distance and said, "Look, who is that?"

Yu Xiaobao's men quickly drew their weapons, spread out warily, and assumed attack stances.

Having just witnessed a brutal firefight, they knew all too well that in this perilous wilderness of Longdi, any unidentified group could be a hidden, deadly threat, and a moment's carelessness could cost them their lives.

On the other side, Yu Rui rode at the very front of the convoy.

Suddenly, he saw the group on the wild road ahead.

Yu Rui was startled and immediately reined in his horse, looking towards the opposite side.

Why are people appearing one after another in this desolate wasteland where it's rare to see even a soul on ordinary days?

Upon closer inspection, although the distance was still quite far and he couldn't make out the faces of the people on the road, his gaze was quickly drawn to a carriage in the other group.

That was his third uncle Yu Xiaobao's car!
Yu Rui was deeply impressed by this car because Leopard's car was just too "flashy".

The carriage uses an extremely exquisite "carved red lacquer" technique, with layers of red lacquer applied to the wooden frame, and then intricate cloud patterns carefully carved on the red lacquer.

Gold leaf is cleverly interspersed among the cloud patterns. When sunlight shines on it, the gold leaf reflects a dazzling light, making the entire carriage look exceptionally luxurious and eye-catching.

What's even more eye-catching is the canopy on the roof, which is made of pure copper and polished to a mirror-like smoothness.

When the sun shines down, the canopy reflects the brilliant sunlight, and even from a distance, you can clearly see that dazzling light.

With such a "flashy" design, it's easy to spot even from a distance, let alone a short distance.

"Third uncle?"

Yu Rui was even more confused. He simply couldn't understand why his third uncle would be here.

"Sir, what should I do?"

A guard quickly rode forward, approached Yu Rui, and spoke while gently gesturing with his chin.

Yu Rui looked in the direction the guard indicated and saw the bald-headed Falcon Evil, who was sitting on the horse with his hands tied behind his back, twisting his body uneasily.

Yu Rui looked at the bald-headed falcon, then at the four carriages completely covered with tarpaulins, and finally at his third uncle's "flashy" carriage. For a moment, he felt his head buzzing.

On one side is the bald tribal chief he has captured, on the other side is the armor that cannot be exposed, and on yet another side is his third uncle who suddenly appears.

This is how to do?
Yu Rui was caught in a dilemma, as Yu Xiaobao's men seemed to have recognized their identities.

So, the knights, protecting Leopard Lord's "flashy" carriage, began to slowly drive towards them.

P.S.: It's mid-month, so I'd like to ask you all for a monthly vote. Thank you!
(End of this chapter)