Chapter 43: Rescuing the Young Patriarch of the Feather Spirit Tribe

After the blacksmiths' affairs were properly arranged, Wu Er-gou came over and lowered his voice. "I just heard from the Persian merchant that the border market is going to pull off something huge this year."

Night completely enveloped the grassland border market.

Only the central bonfire area remained illuminated. The sizzling sound of roasting meat fat dropping into the fire blended with the laughter and chatter of merchants from various tribes.

Chen An sat inside the tent, twirling a bronze wine goblet between his fingertips, listening as Wu Er-gou whispered about the recent events on the grassland.

"The Yuling Tribe is finished." Wu Er-gou added a piece of dry cow dung to the fire basin, sending sparks flying onto the felt rug. "Early two mornings ago, the Jiuli Tribe, uniting with the He Da-he Tribe, the Rilian Tribe, and two other tribes, directly raided the royal tent of the Yuling Tribe. The old chieftain died in battle, the young ones became captives, and even the tribe's markers on the grassland have been uprooted."

Chen An's fingers tightening around the wine goblet.

He had personally handled the matter of the Yuling Tribe's tribute.

He never expected that in just a short month, they would meet such a fate.

"The seventeen tribes..." Chen An repeated in a low voice. "The Jiuli Tribe's appetite is growing larger by the day. Does it look like they intend to become the kings of the entire grassland?"

"Of course." Wu Er-gou curled his lip. "Tonight's so-called big deal is what remains of the Yuling Tribe's wealth—over three hundred women and children, more than two thousand head of cattle and sheep, and dozens of hunting falcons that haven't been released yet. They call it a market trade, but it's actually a clear-priced plunder."

Just as they were speaking, a commotion arose from outside the tent.

A few grassland warriors in leather armor carried an iron cage past.

Inside the cage, a dozen young girls with long braids were curled up.

Among them, a girl in red, despite her face being covered in mud, glared fiercely at the passing pedestrians, her eyes resembling those of a wounded beast.

"That's the young chieftain of the Yuling Tribe, named Siyu."

Wu Er-gou sighed. "I heard the leader of the Jiuli Tribe announced long ago that he would sell her publicly."

Just as Chen An's gaze moved away from the iron cage, he saw a group of Central Plains men riding over on horseback.

The grassland innkeeper trotted over with a hunched back, his face plastered with a flattering smile.

"Who is this person?"

Wu Er-gou spat on the ground and said, "Wei Ji, the primary official of the Ministry of Rites."

"The Ministry of Rites?" Chen An was somewhat shocked. "Why are people from the Ministry of Rites here?"

"Isn't it because they caught the scent of profit?" Wu Er-gou said with utter disdain. "This Wei Ji is the nephew of Grand Chancellor Wei."

"The gates of the rich are reeking of meat and wine, while frozen bones lie by the roadside," Chen An muttered, venting his frustration. "We toil away guarding the border, yet these people come here to reap the benefits!"

"This master brought a full twenty carts of silver this time, claiming he's going to buy up all the women of the Yuling Tribe. Just a moment ago upstairs, he even smashed a wine pitcher, declaring that whoever dares to compete with him will have their arms dislocated."

Wu Er-gou's expression shifted slightly. "Wei Ji is notorious in the capital. Relying on Grand Chancellor Wei's influence, he even dares to offend the nobility. There's no need for us to clash head-on with him."

Yet Chen An stood up and straightened his lapels. "Let's go take a look!"

The yurt was indeed bustling with activity.

As Chen An reached the entrance, he saw a plump man in a brocade robe embracing two dancing girls, pouring wine down his throat.

His face was greasy, and the jade thumb ring on his hand was larger than a fist—it was none other than Wei Ji.

"Hah, where did this wild dog come from, daring to barge into my domain?" Wei Ji squinted as he sized up Chen An, spitting a mouthful of wine onto the ground. "Didn't the innkeeper tell you your master is here?"

Chen An ignored him, his gaze falling upon the iron cage in the corner.

Siyu was kept isolated in there, her red dress stained with blood, her disheveled hair clinging to her face, yet she still held her spine straight, refusing to lower her head.

"Taken a fancy to this little wench?" Wei Ji followed his gaze, suddenly letting out a lewd laugh. "She certainly has a wild streak. After your master gets tired of playing with her, I'll let you have a taste."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Siyu in the iron cage suddenly slammed herself against the bars, roaring in an incomprehensible language, the hatred in her eyes almost spilling over.

Chen An's voice was as cold as ice. "Colluding with the grassland—according to the laws, she should be executed!"

"Laws?" Wei Ji laughed as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, slapping the table as he stood up. "On this grassland, my word is the law!"

He pointed at Chen An's nose. "If you know what's good for you, get lost, or don't blame your master for letting you walk in upright and carried out horizontally!"

The retainers beside him drew their sabers in unison, the atmosphere instantly growing tense enough to snap.

Yet Chen An remained motionless, merely staring at Wei Ji. "Release them."

"What did you say?" Wei Ji reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Do you know who I am? Grand Chancellor Wei is my brother-in-law! How dare you compete with me?"

Chen An's voice was calm and unruffled. "Stop hiding behind Grand Chancellor Wei's coattails; I refuse to believe it was his idea for his brother-in-law to brazenly seize commoner women on the grassland and collude with foreigners to traffic in slaves!"

Wei Ji's face instantly turned the color of a bruised liver.

No one dared to meddle in such matters on the grassland, but if this were brought before the imperial court, even Grand Chancellor Wei would not be able to protect him.

Wei Ji's fleshy face squeezed into a ferocious smile. "It seems that unless I give you a taste of some punishment, you won't know the master of the horses has three eyes!"

He waved a hand. "Break his hands and feet, and throw him to the wolves!"

The flash of blades instantly merged into a sheet under the candlelight.

The guards were clearly professionally trained, every strike aimed at vital points, yet they came to an abrupt halt three feet away from Chen An.

Tempered on the battlefield, Chen An was no longer the man he once was. The wrists of the first two guards to charge forward were already bleeding, their steel sabers clattering to the floor.

"Die!" the guard leader shouted in a low voice, personally wielding his saber to slash at Chen An's back.

It was as if Chen An had eyes in the back of his head; instead of retreating, he advanced, slamming his elbow viciously into the man's ribs.

With a crisp crack, the leader groaned and flew backward, overturning a table full of wine jars.

Wine mixed with shattered porcelain shards poured out, drowning the shrill screams of the dancing girls.

Terrified, Wei Ji hid behind a screen, yet still roared with a bravado that masked his fear, "Kill him! Kill him and I'll reward you a thousand liang of gold!"

Chen An's personal guards also drew their short blades to protect the flanks, engaging the guards in close combat. Although outnumbered, they relied on tacit cooperation to hold their ground without a disadvantage.

"Open the cage!" Chen An shouted in a low voice, his sword tip abruptly turning toward the corner.

"Follow me!"

Flames of fury still burned in the young girl's eyes. She picked up a broken saber from the ground and charged straight toward the screen. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Not now!" Chen An yanked her back.

With a sweeping slash of his sword, he forced back the surrounding guards. "Keeping your life alive is more important than revenge!"

He looked at the other trembling women. "Those who want to live, follow my personal guards!"

The night wind poured into the grassland.

"Wei Ji won't let this go," Wu Er-gou said, counting the heads with a trembling voice. "If he tells the Jiuli Tribe, we won't be able to stay in the border market."

Chen An wiped the blade with a cloth. "Er-gou, take the men back first. I'll escort them back to Youshan Pass!"

He looked at Siyu cowering in the corner, where the young girl was using the grassland tongue to comfort the other women.