My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

North of Yinshan Mountain, near the sacred site of Longcheng, lies the largest river valley pasture.

There was no moon tonight, only countless bonfires burning like fallen stars in the dark night, illuminating the thousands of Xiongnu tents and the densely packed people gathered here.

The royal banners and chieftain's pennants of each tribe fluttered in the night wind, yet they maintained a subtle distance from one another.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted whole lamb, the tangy scent of mare's milk wine, and a sense of oppressive yet restless tension.

"Eagles and wolves of all tribes, shamans who know the will of Heaven, and my most valiant people of the Eternal Heaven—tonight, the shadow of Mount Langjuxu watches over us, and the sound of the Onon River listens to us."

"I, the Chanyu, in the blood of my ancestors of the Luandi clan and in the name of the sovereign of the steppes, summon the wolves here!"

The open space in front of the largest golden-roofed tent in the center has been cleared.

Yizhixie Chanyu sat upright on a carved wooden platform covered with snow leopard skin, flanked by the nobles of the royal court and several of the most prestigious shamans.

Below, dozens of tribal leaders of varying sizes sat in order of their power and kinship.

"As you all have probably heard... our sacred Qionglu Wolf God Mountain—that holy relic that gathers the spirit of mountains and rivers and the soul fire of the Wolf Ancestor—has fallen into the hands of the Han people!"

"And at this very moment, they are being displayed in the border market by that brat Liu Che, like cattle and sheep for sale, or captured flags, for all to see!"

"Tonight, we have gathered the wolves to use our collective wisdom, courage, and determination to decide how to reclaim our sacred relic!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out all around.

Why are our sacred relics in the possession of the Han people?

"It must be the cunning Han people who have stolen our ancestors' ancient altar from somewhere!"

"Plundering? Why not earlier or later, but only after the Battle of Mobei? I suspect someone secretly made a deal with the Han people and leaked the news!"

A centurion from the Right Wise King's tribe glanced meaningfully in the direction of the Hunxie King.

"Nonsense! It was clearly the Chanyu... that the royal court's sacrifices were inadequate, angering the wolf god, and the sacred object flew to Han territory on its own as a warning!"

A shaman from a small tribe shouted excitedly, but was immediately forced to lower his head by the cold gaze of the Chanyu's guards.

"Shut up, all of you!"

A great shaman, his face smeared with colored mud and adorned with a necklace of nine wolf teeth, suddenly stood up, slamming his bone staff to the ground with a dull thud.

"The actions of this sacred object are ordained by Heaven! Its appearance in Han is a test for my entire clan by the Eternal Heaven and the Wolf God!"

"What good is arguing? The most urgent task is to demonstrate our people's piety and unity, reclaim the sacred objects, and regain their protection!"

"The Great Shaman is absolutely right! It is a disgrace and a responsibility for all the Xiongnu people that our sacred relics have been tarnished in Han territory!"

Chanyu Yizhixie stood up and glanced around.

"The Han emperor used this to blackmail and demand lavish gifts."

"Does anyone have a method to retrieve our clan's sacred relic without incurring any financial loss?"

After a brief silence, a young nobleman from the Right Wise King's tribe, with a scar on his face, suddenly stood up, his right hand on his sword, his voice still filled with lingering ferocity.

"Plow the lonely road! The Han people are going too far! In my opinion, we should gather our elite troops, launch a night raid on the border market, and take it back!"

"Could it be that the swords and arrows of my Xiongnu warriors cannot break through a few wooden palisades of the Han people?"

Upon hearing this, many hot-blooded young tribal warriors echoed him in hushed tones, their eyes gleaming with a warlike glint.

Yizhixie Chanyu slowly shook his head and sighed.

"How could I, the Chanyu, not wish for this? I long to immediately lead my troops south, breach the border, and personally reclaim the sacred mountain!"

"However, the Han envoy made it clear that if the Xiongnu dared to seize it by force, they would destroy the sacred object on the spot, burning everything in its path!"

"And that little brat Liu Che has already reinforced his troops and deployed generals along the Yunzhong and Yanmen lines, ready for battle."

"A strong attack at this time would not only jeopardize the sacred artifacts, but also risk reigniting the war and causing further casualties among our men."

He looked at the young nobleman with a deep gaze.

"To seize it is a last resort, a desperate measure. Are we really going to gamble the credibility of the Han people and our own sacrifices with the incarnation of the wolf god?"

"Total destruction?"

The nobleman froze, then sat down unwillingly, his fists clenched until they turned white.

The others also fell silent.

Suddenly, an old strategist known for his caution and suspicion stood up.

"Great Chanyu, gentlemen, please allow me to say something."

"explain!"

The old strategist stroked his sparse beard.

"How can we be sure that what the Han people are displaying at the border market is truly our tribe's lost Qionglu Wolf God Mountain, and not a fake... meticulously forged by Han craftsmen to deceive us and extort money from us?"

"What if we end up marrying a fake? Wouldn't we become a laughingstock?"

Whispers arose from the surroundings, and many eyes turned to the Chanyu.

Yizhixie Chanyu seemed to have anticipated this question.

He did not answer directly, but instead turned his gaze to an inconspicuous spot below—where the chief of a small tribe sat.

The young chieftain, feeling the Chanyu's gaze and the attention of everyone present, stood up somewhat nervously.

"I...I am Batel, from the Wulig tribe."

"I initially shared the old strategist's suspicions. So, I took two of my most trusted warriors, disguised as horse traders, and personally went to the border market in the clouds."

He took a deep breath.

"The Han people only carried it out for half an hour at noon, surrounding it around the fence from a distance."

"During the daytime, the black mountain peaks and the wolf god statue exude an indescribable...ancient and majestic feeling, much like the images on old shamanic scrolls and the songs in ancient hymns, but even more...more real."

He paused, then licked his chapped lips.

"But what really dispelled my doubts was that later, we spent some money to bribe a minor Han Chinese official, and after dark, we secretly climbed behind the earthen slope closest to where the shacks were stored."

As he said this, a deep sense of fear and awe flashed in his eyes.

"That night the clouds were thick, there was no moon, and the shantytown should have been pitch black."

"But...but we saw it!"

"The light shining through the cracks in the shanty!"

Batel gestured with his hands, extremely excited.

"It wasn't firelight, nor was it the light of an oil lamp; it was... a ghostly green light, flashing, flashing, like... like the eyes of a wolf, staring at you in the dead of night!"

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

"And it wasn't just the light! When the wind blew from that direction, we lay on the ground, ears pressed to the ground..."

"I heard it! There really is a sound, very low and deep, like it's coming from underground, or like it's coming from a very far place... It's a wolf howling!"

"It wasn't the howl of a wolf, it was that kind of... echoing sound, like the howl of stones and wind together!"

"Are you sure it's not a wolf howling in the distance?"

Some people questioned this.

Upon seeing this, Batel immediately raised his hand.

"I swear, by the Eternal Heaven above, I have never lied!"

Yi Zhixie also spoke up.

"The Chanyu also sent people to check, and it was indeed as he said."

"Such a divine object, how could a mere mortal possibly create it?"

After he finished speaking, the tent fell silent, with only the crackling of the campfire.

A pale green, self-illuminating light?

The howling of stones coming from underground?

Could it be that our sacred artifacts are truly with the Han people?