That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

It is Master Han.

I clearly told everyone not to tell him, I don't know how the old man found out.

Jiang Jingming really wanted to shout a few words at the top of his lungs.

Go back quickly, don't push your health too hard.

Don't worry, I'll be back soon.

Or is it that I've remembered all the principles you taught me?

He tightened his grip on the reins, but ultimately said nothing.

Although Master Han's figure was old, like his great name, he was like a vigorous pine tree, possessing the spirit of a scholar.

This seemingly pedantic old man may truly possess the knowledge to save the world.

When I get back, I will definitely finish the homework he assigned properly and never let Aqing do it for me again.

Jiang Jingming patted the horse and didn't look back.

......

The slanting rays of the setting sun cast a hazy, molten gold hue over the boundless grassland in front of us.

From afar, you can see herdsmen driving their flocks of sheep home, like vast clouds drifting slowly.

Jiang Jingming stopped by the stream and let the horse drink water.

"Hey! Jiang Jingming!"

A sharp-eyed boy wielding a riding crop spotted him and ran over excitedly.

Although it was early spring, when the grass was growing and the birds were singing, the wind blowing across the grassland still carried a slight chill. He was only wearing a fur vest, his strong arms were bare, and a delicate little knife was tucked into his waistband.

The boy's name was Narisong, and he was the son of the leader of the Hara tribe on this grassland.

In previous years, Jiang Jingming would occasionally use the excuse of helping Grandpa Du buy supplies to go out for some fresh air. That's when he met Na Risong.

When we first met, he showed some inexplicable hostility towards me, like a wary little leopard.

But that's how hostility is among teenagers; it comes and goes quickly.

After only a few words, the naive grassland boy believed that Jiang Jingming was a man from Zhongzhou who had come to Shulan City with his family to do business, and easily regarded him as a good friend.

Jiang Jingming leaned against the saddle and smiled at him.

"Why are you here!"

Na Risong ran right up to him before stopping, his excitement barely concealed; he hadn't seen his friend for many days.

"I'm going back to Zhongzhou. I've come to say goodbye."

Jiang Jingming told a lie without changing his expression.

You can't exactly say that you just came from the Mangya region, which your tribe avoids like the plague.

The excitement on Na Risong's face quickly turned into disappointment and reluctance.

"You're not coming back?"

"They will come back, but it may take a while."

Jiang Jingming answered with a smile, casually lifting the bundle that had slid off the saddle.

"That's fine!"

I breathed a sigh of relief that day. I had been worried that I would never see him again, and I still had so much to say to him.

"I went hunting today and killed a snow leopard this big. I'll give you the leopard pelt as a gift!"

“Remember the bandits I told you about the other day? The ones who robbed Uncle Batu! My father said that someone saw their leader dead today, and his head is hanging on the city wall of Shulan!”

"What about the girl who came to pick you up last time? Did she go back to Zhongzhou with you?"

He rattled off a long string of words before finally remembering the most important thing and frantically shaking Jiang Jingming's shoulders.

"Oh right, tomorrow is the Wolf Tournament! You promised to come watch me capture the flag, so stay overnight tonight!"

"..."

While being swayed back and forth by him, Jiang Jingming tried his best to digest the information in his words.

One of the bandit leaders died, presumably at the hands of Ah Qing, indicating that her investigation had been discovered, but had already been cleaned up.

Now that she has finished investigating the bandits, she will definitely pass through the Hala tribe on her way back to Mangya.

If I go to Shulan City now, I might miss her. It's better to stay here and wait for her.

In this way, the Canglang Tournament that I promised Narimsong to watch last time was quite a coincidence.

"Okay."

Thinking of this, Jiang Jingming simply nodded in agreement.

That day, Song cheered, took his horse, and ran towards the tribe to introduce his friend to everyone.

Jiang Jingming followed behind, looking up at the setting sun slowly sinking into the sky.

......

In the dim, indigo night sky, a crescent moon gradually rose.

The campfire was burning brightly; the nights in the grassland tribes were always more lively than the days.

Jiang Jingming sat in the corner, holding a leg of lamb skewered on a wooden stick, sprinkled with chili and cumin, roasting it until it smelled delicious.

That day, Song carried a pot of wine, plopped down next to him, and excitedly bumped his shoulder.

"You know what? The reason I was so fierce when I first met you was because I discovered that Tana and Nomin were hiding behind the tent and secretly watching you!"

Why are you looking at me?

Jiang Jingming carefully flipped the roasted lamb leg over.

He remembered that Nari Song had said that these two girls were the most beautiful in the Hala tribe.

"I just think you're good-looking. I'm so angry that I want to see who this guy is who's trying to seduce."

That day, Song poured him a glass of wine, and the wine and the light from the campfire gave both of their faces a warm, orange-red hue.

Jiang Jingming smiled and took the wine glass he was offered.

"But after I met the girl you were with, I understood them both."

Na Risong still remembers that night.

The moonlight spilled across the boundless grassland, like a layer of sparse white snow.

Jiang Jingming sat with him on the grassy slope, saying that he was waiting for his family to come and take him home.

Na Risong thought he was joking, but the next second, at the end of their line of sight, a girl suddenly rode out on horseback through the snow, her waist-length hair swaying and fluttering in the night wind.

Upon reaching the two, the white horse neighed, and the girl pulled on the reins with one hand, spun around, and dismounted with a light and elegant movement.

Under the moonlight, she raised her eyes, and in that instant, Nari Song felt that she could understand Tana and Nomin.

There could never be a girl like that on the grasslands.

Her face was as clear and transparent as glass, and her eyes were as black as ink. In an instant, the flowing moonlight seemed to stop on her.

"Aqing."

At that moment, Jiang Jingming spoke, breaking the stillness.

The girl called Aqing nodded gently, and the moonlight began to flow and reflect between the two of them.

When Song came to his senses that day, he realized that she hadn't looked at him once; her gaze was fixed on someone else.

Chapter Eight: Dowry

"Are you going back to Zhongzhou this time to marry her?"

That day, Song winked and made faces at Jiang Jingming.

"It's too early to talk about marriage."

Jiang Jingming handed the roasted lamb leg to him.

Is it cooked?

"It needs to be grilled a little longer here, until the skin is crispy, then it will taste better."

That day, Song took a closer look and offered professional guidance.

Just as I was about to help him bake, I belatedly realized that the topic had been veered off course.

"It's too early! Here, you can get married as long as you're fourteen!"

That day, Song leaned back slightly, supporting himself with his hands on the ground. The campfire that night filled him with excitement.

"If you like a girl, hang the prettiest fox pelt you've hunted outside her tent. If she likes you too, she'll accept it."

"That sounds great."

Jiang Jingming stared at the sizzling, steaming lamb leg.

He had been traveling all day and was really hungry.

Luckily, I arrived at the second day of the Hala tribe's Wolf Festival. Today, everyone in the tribe gathered together for a bonfire party.

In addition to the roe deer and rabbits hunted, a lot of cattle and sheep were also killed, and the aroma permeated almost the entire grassland.

That day, Song finally realized just how distracted the guy next to him was, who looked like a reincarnated starving ghost, and couldn't help but glare at him.

"Would you like some roe deer meat? I'll cut you a piece!"

"I'll finish eating this leg first."

Jiang Jingming poured a few drops of wine onto the lamb leg. With a "sizzle," the aroma of wine and meat mingled together, making it truly tempting.

He lowered his head and took a bite. The lamb leg was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The chili peppers stimulated his tongue, and the heat spread from his throat to his whole body. It felt incredibly comfortable.

Na Risong reluctantly leaned over and filled his wine glass.

The liquor on the grasslands was too strong, so his father prepared "Amber Light," which he bought from Shulan City, for him and his friends in Zhongzhou. The liquor had a clear and refreshing aroma.

"I'll let you in on a little secret: after the Azure Wolf Tournament ends tomorrow, I'm going to propose to Tana!"

That day, Song took a sip of wine and revealed a smile that was both excited and a little shy.

Jiang Jingming recognized the name Tana, but he didn't recognize her face and didn't know which of the two girls who were always laughing and holding arms was her.

"Does she know you're going to propose to her? Or to put it another way, does she like you?"

"I can tell she likes me!"

That day, Song lowered his voice, but his tone was very firm.

“How come you see?”

"First, she always blushes when she talks to me. Second, she always steals glances at me when she dances. Third, she sewed me leather gloves for drawing my bow the other day!"

That day, Song took out the brown leather glove from his pocket and shook it with a smile.

As Jiang Jingming listened to him count the items one by one on his fingers, he felt that it was quite convincing.

Although Aqing never blushed when talking to him.

Although Ah Qing practiced his knife skills with an attitude of "whoever comes, I'll just slash them," he didn't have time to peek at anyone.

Although Aqing didn't have much time to sew things for him, she spent every day playing around with him when he was little, and now that he's grown up, she's busy learning infiltration techniques and assassination tricks from Chen Zhuo and the others.

"I heard that in your Central Plains, you need a matchmaker to propose marriage. All that trouble of proposing, fortune telling, and betrothal is too much."

This was something Nari Song heard from a passing caravan; they had been harassed by bandits and were seeking refuge in the tents of the Hara tribe.

They brought a large cartload of agate and jade, saying it was for betrothal gifts.

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming nodded; he also found these rituals troublesome.

However, if you were a newcomer, you would probably find all these troubles to be a sweet burden.

A thousand miles of red bridal attire, a vow of three lifetimes.