But there was no point in being anxious. When Chen Xing was a child, he loved the hustle and bustle of festivals. It was a pity that he was taken to the mountains when he was a teenager. He had been lonely for so many years and just wanted to have some fun.
"Okay then." Chen Xing said, "Do you remember what you said, as long as you can cure Che Luofeng, I will do anything for you?"
"Finally here?" Xiang Shu said, "I've been waiting for you to say this for quite some time. You want to be your guardian, right? I will naturally do what I promised."
Chen Xing didn't expect Xiang Shu to agree so readily and was very surprised.
Xiang Shu: "These days, I have been thinking about what you said."
Chen Xing: "Hey, wake up, this is not my request. Who do you think I am? What's the point of forcing you to be a guardian even if you are unwilling to do so?"
Now it was Xiang Shu's turn to be surprised. He looked at Chen Xing suspiciously and frowned.
Chen Xing smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the Late Autumn Festival. Can you take me out to have some fun?"
Xiang Shu stared at Chen Xing for a long time without answering, and finally said, "Okay."
On the day of the Late Autumn Festival, an unprecedented grand event was held in the Chi Le Chuan. The various tribes piled fine wine and beef and mutton in a cleared space, and put together a long table that was a mile long for people to eat and drink. The sixteen Hu people supported nearly ten competition venues, with horse riding, archery, wrestling, cattle taming, etc. It was simply a rough carnival!
Seeing such a lively scene, Chen Xing cheered and came to the side of the arena. There were crowds of people, while Xiang Shu went to prepare for the ceremony of shooting arrows to offer sacrifice to the sky. Chen Xing walked around for a long time, cheering loudly beside the lively wrestling arena, and used medical funds to gamble with the Hu people. He won a lot and bought a red pony from the Huns and rode it around.
"A miracle doctor!" The Tiele youth searched for a long time and said hurriedly, "The Great Khan is looking for you! Go to the high platform quickly!"
"Xiang Shu!" Chen Xing shouted, "What do you think of the horse I bought?"
At that time, many people had gathered in front of the stage. Chen Xing led the horse over. Xiang Shu was on the high stage, wearing a set of pure gold armor made of Tiele, revealing his beautiful chest with a lace-up, and his abdominal muscles were beautiful and neat. He was holding a jade bow, and there was anger between his eyebrows. He said, "You asked me to take you out to play, but you ran away when I woke up this morning!"
Chen Xing looked at him with a smile, and saw Xiang Shu standing tall on the stage. When he turned slightly sideways, he looked even more handsome. He racked his brains for words, but could not find a sentence to describe him in all the poetry, books and writings he had learned in his life.
"That girl is as beautiful as Ying." Chen Xing approached Xiang Shu and felt his heart pounding, almost out of breath. However, even though his heart was turbulent, he pretended to be smiling and calm on the surface.
"What?" Xiang Shu raised his eyebrows and asked in confusion.
Chen Xing jumped onto the stage and helped Xiang Shu tidy up his armor.
"You are so beautiful!" Chen Xing said, "You barbarians are so ignorant of romance!"
When Chen Xing reached the edge of the stage, the people below began to whistle. Xiang Shu pointed behind him, signaling him to move aside a little and watch from behind.
Che Luofeng also came on stage and shouted, "Has it started?"
Xiang Shu made a gesture and Che Luofeng gave an order. The Rouran trumpeters around the platform blew their trumpets one after another. All the Hu people in the Chile League immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed to the central platform.
Che Luofeng took the pair of wild geese and saw that their necks were tied with red ropes, and in the middle of the red ropes hung a golden gong the size of a palm.
Chen Xing said: "What is this for?"
Xiang Shu held the jade bow in his hand and said in a deep voice: "Open your eyes and watch."
Chen Xing: "Kill two birds with one stone? Forget it. Can you hit the target? What if you miss?"
Xiang Shu: "It would be embarrassing if I missed the target."
Chen Xing: "No... Even if it was shot, what's wrong with the goose? The goose is innocent!"
Xiang Shu announced the start of the Late Autumn Festival in a loud voice in Tiele language, but no one cheered below. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered under the high platform, making it impossible to get through.
Che Luofeng shouted, "Go!" Then he released the wild geese with both hands. The pair of geese cried together, spread their wings and flew into the sky!
In the blink of an eye, the two geese pulled each other and began to circle, then moved in unison and suddenly became small black dots.
Xiang Shu slowly drew his longbow, and the three hundred thousand people in the audience held their breath. Chen Xing was dumbfounded. Do you really have this ability? !
Then, Xiang Shu turned on the spot, and rotated the bow into a full moon. Using the force of the rotation, he pointed the longbow obliquely toward the sky and shot out three consecutive arrows - whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
That day in Chang'an City, Xiang Shu shot the Yin-Yang Mirror in Feng Qianyi's hand away from a hundred steps away. It was already a magical skill. Chen Xing never expected that he was going to use archery skills to shoot the golden gong in the air!
The wild geese flew higher and higher, and Xiang Shu fired one last arrow.
With the first arrow, the red rope broke and the golden gong fell from a height of thousands of feet to meet the second arrow with a loud "clang".
Then there was another "bang" sound, and the third arrow hit!
The last arrow caught up and pierced the golden gong, causing the internal force to shake!
Suddenly, the field was filled with overwhelming cheers, and the sixteen Hutongs shouted loudly. Xiang Shu put away his bow, and the revelry in the audience reached its peak. The atmosphere was a little out of control. Men, women, young and old, all sang and danced, spreading in all directions like a tide. Che Luofeng laughed and took Xiang Shu's hand. Xiang Shu threw away the jade bow, waved to Chen Xing, grabbed his wrist, and the three of them ran down the platform.
There were fine wines and delicacies everywhere, and everyone started drinking. Chen Xing was pushed around. He had drunk quite a lot before, and the alcohol made him feel dizzy. Che Luofeng was shouting something again, but Xiang Shu said, "Drink less! I don't want to carry you back!"
"It doesn't matter!" Chen Xing shouted.
Xiang Shu cleared the crowd, and Che Luofeng handed Chen Xing a wine bowl. Xiang Shu drank one himself. Chen Xing said, "Che Luofeng, your injury is not healed yet, drink less."
Someone passed a glass of wine to Che Luofeng. Xiang Shu, who was leaning against the long table, took it and drank it all for him. The Hu people started to make an uproar. Che Luofeng laughed, pressed Xiang Shu, pushed him onto the long table, and bent down to kiss him.
Chen Xing: "…"
At that moment, everyone was in an uproar and burst into laughter, but Xiang Shu raised his hand to block it. Before Che Luofeng could kiss him on the lips, he kicked Che Luofeng aside and shouted, "Get out!"
Chen Xing also laughed, and suddenly, for some reason, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable in his heart, as if he was pressed down, and the alcohol made it difficult for him to breathe.
Che Luofeng pretended to lie on the ground, crying "Aiya" and "Aiya". Xiang Shu was afraid that he would kick his wound, so he hurried forward to check. Chen Xing hurried over and said, "Let me see?"
Che Luofeng smiled and pushed Chen Xing away, shouting in Rouran language that he wanted to wrestle with Xiang Shu. He jumped up and rode on Xiang Shu's back, but was pulled down by Xiang Shu. Xiang Shu despised him as a waste and refused to fight with him. He waved his hand and was about to leave, but was stopped by Che Luofeng again.
"Shulukong!" Che Luofeng shouted with a smile, "I want to challenge you! If I beat you, I will be the Great Chanyu! Please let me have a hand!"
The Rouran boys shouted in unison: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Xiang Shu smiled sarcastically and simply put one hand behind his back.
The field was immediately surrounded by people, blocking Chen Xing's view.
Chen Xing put down his wine bowl and heard cheers from the circle. He suddenly felt a sudden and following loneliness. He turned away from the long table, walked out of the crowd, and came to the southern end of Chi Le Chuan.
What happened to me? Chen Xing felt confused and a heavy feeling suddenly gripped him. The sky was dark and covered the blue sky, as if a snowstorm was coming.
He climbed up the haystack and sat down quietly. He had never felt so melancholy as he did now. Was he homesick? But where was my hometown? Chen Xing held a straw in his mouth and lay down drunkenly, sinking into the haystack, looking at the gray and heavy sky, and hearing the loud shouts of the Hu people.
Chen Xing was a little annoyed. The originally lively scene became dull in the blink of an eye. Recalling the heroic appearance of Xiang Shu he had just seen, he felt a little unhappy, as if his things had been stolen. The feeling became very confused and tangled in his heart.
The shouting was getting closer and closer, and Chen Xing became even more annoyed. He sat up and shouted, "It's so noisy! What are you doing?!"
I saw a patrol team not far away running towards the grassland, spreading out in a fan shape and shouting loudly. Chen Xing was interrupted by this change, looked around blankly, jumped off the haystack, got on his pony, and rode to the center of the encirclement.
I saw dozens of Rouran cavalrymen surrounding a man. The man was wearing a black cloak, his face covered with linen, and he was holding a long stick that reached his eyebrows. He looked at the cavalrymen vigilantly.
Chen Xing had not learned the Rouran language completely, so he asked, "Who is this person?"
Almost everyone in Chi Le Chuan knew him now. When the Rouran people saw Chen Xing coming, they gave way a little. When the visitor saw Chen Xing, he said, "Tian Chi!"
The visitor took off his mask and hood. With clear eyes, red lips and white teeth, he smiled and said, "Finally I found you!"
"Tuoba Yan?" Chen Xing had never expected to run into Tuoba Yan here, so he immediately dismounted and ran over. Tuoba Yan also dismounted, laughed heartily, and hugged Chen Xing.
"I heard that the Great Chanyu took you back to Chi Le Chuan," Tuoba Yan said, "so I asked His Majesty for permission to come and find you."
Chen Xing quickly signaled to everyone that this was his friend. The Rouran cavalrymen looked surprised and saluted and left upon hearing his words.
"Are you celebrating the Late Autumn Festival?" Tuoba Yan looked over.
Chen Xing's depression was swept away with Tuoba Yan's arrival. Seeing his friend again, he couldn't help but feel happy and said with a smile: "Yeah, why did you run so far without sending a letter first? Are you alone?"
Tuoba Yan nodded, put one hand on Chen Xing's shoulder, led the horse, and walked slowly towards the Chi Le River. He said, "How are you doing here? They respect you a lot, because you are the Great Chanyu?"
"Him?" Chen Xing sneered, and briefly described what had happened in the past few days. He then said, "Should I ask someone to find Xiang Shu?"
Tuoba Yan seemed a little nervous. He looked into the distance and then at Chen Xing.
"How is the court?" Chen Xing asked again, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Tuoba Yan brought news from the Central Plains, which was just like that. After Xiang Shu and Chen Xing left, Fu Jian returned to the Weiyang Palace, and the chaos came to an end temporarily. The ruined Weiyang Palace almost made Fu Jian vomit blood, so he had to have it rebuilt as soon as possible. Murong Chong stayed in the palace that night, and was finally persuaded by Fu Jian to decide not to bother Xiang Shu for the time being.
There is only one condition for the exchange - to capture Feng Qianjun and hand him over to the Murong family for disposal.
But from Fu Jian to the civil and military officials, they all knew that the Murong family was very vengeful. They did not confront Xiang Shu directly now, but they were afraid of the ancient alliance. After all, the various Hu tribes had been fighting each other for so many years, and they had formed deep hatreds after entering the pass. Xiang Shu held such a powerful force in his hands, and Fu Jian's only hope was to keep things quiet for the time being. He could only wait for the opportunity to settle accounts in the future.
But Murong Chong had to save face. Princess Qinghe's death was unclear and he could not explain it to the world, so Fu Jian issued a wanted order to track down Feng Qianjun.
"He's gone." said Chen Xing.
"I know." Tuoba Yan said, "Later, I asked His Majesty for a special pardon. The one who did it was the Great Chanyu, and the one who plotted the rebellion was the Feng family. It has nothing to do with you... I also informed Murong Chong, so you can rest assured."
Chen Xing was a little confused and could only nod and say thank you.
Tuoba Yan said: "I said I wanted to find you back, but His Majesty told me to come and talk to you myself."
"Where are we going?" Chen Xing asked.
"Go back to Chang'an." Tuoba Yan said, "Don't you want to go back? With me here, no one will come to embarrass you."
Chen Xing suddenly understood and laughed. Tuoba Yan lowered his head slightly and looked at him seriously. There was a youthful spirit in his eyes and brows, which made Chen Xing think he was very cute.
"Let's go for a drink?" Chen Xing said, "They are celebrating a festival. This wine is delicious."
"Okay!" Tuoba Yan said immediately, "It's been a long time since we celebrated the Late Autumn Festival!"
Chen Xing brought Tuoba Yan back to the venue. After drinking, the tribes started wrestling and talking about love. In addition to the autumn harvest, the late autumn festival was also given the meaning of young men and women falling in love. Under the influence of alcohol, the Hu people began to pursue girls, doing things they dare not do and saying things they dare not say. The atmosphere was charming. Standing in front of the table filled with wine, one could already feel the various customs of the Chi Le River.
Chen Xing brought some wine for Tuoba Yan. Tuoba Yan could drink a lot. He carried the jar of wine to a tree by the river. He drank half of it himself first, then looked at Chen Xing with a blush on his face.
"Tianchi," Tuoba Yan said, "I have something to tell you. Ever since the day His Majesty mentioned... mentioned... that matter to you in the imperial study, I have been thinking about it for a long time."
Chen Xing naturally understood why Tuoba Yan came all the way to the Chi Le River even after they left Chang'an. If he said he was delivering a letter for Fu Jian, it would be fine, but the first sentence he said after meeting was "I came to find you" instead of talking about other things, which touched Chen Xing deeply.
"I know what you want to say." Chen Xing said with a smile, "Come on, do it."
Chen Xing took the initiative to clink the wine bowl with Tuoba Yan and drank. However, Tuoba Yan stared at Chen Xing in a daze.
"You are so beautiful," Tuoba Yan said with a smile, "Tianchi, come home with me. I have always wanted to marry someone like you. As long as you ask, I will agree to anything you ask me to do."
"Brother Tuoba," Chen Xing sighed, looked directly into Tuoba Yan's eyes, and said, "Thank you for coming all the way to find me. Before leaving Chang'an, I forgot one thing, which is to return it to you."
As he spoke, Chen Xing poured some honey wine on his hand, took off the ring that Tuoba Yan had given him, and handed it over.
Tuoba Yan remained silent, so Chen Xing took his hand and placed the ring in his palm.
"Okay." Tuoba Yan said.
"Give it to someone else," Chen Xing said, "Give it to someone who, at first sight, you feel that you must have him in your life."
"You are this person." Tuoba Yan said.
"No," Chen Xing smiled, "I'm not. I just happen to be the person who meets your expectations and is suitable for you, the one you think you should marry."
Tuoba Yan looked at Chen Xing in confusion, frowning slightly. Chen Xing said with a little melancholy, "You don't understand, you should give this ring to someone... so that every time you see him, your heart will beat faster, and you will always want to find a reason to talk to him more. When you see him with others, you will feel uncomfortable, when you see him sad, you will feel sorry, and when he smiles at you, you will feel very happy and joyful."
"Instead of handing someone over, everyone thinks you should marry him, and he meets all your ideas about the person you want to spend your life with, so you should be with him, thinking that he is the destined one."
Chen Xing raised his eyebrows, smiled, and suddenly understood the strange feeling that was weighing on his heart just now.
"I don't understand." Tuoba Yan was a little sad, frowning tightly.
Chen Xing said: "It's okay, promise me that you will always remember these words, and one day, you may understand them."
Tuoba Yan turned his head away, and there was only breathing between the two of them, and no more words were spoken.
"Okay." Tuoba Yan finally said.
"I'll take you for a walk?" Chen Xing said again, "I don't want to go back for the time being, Xiang Shu promised me..."
"You'd better not let the Rouran people see him, otherwise there will be a murder." Xiang Shu's voice suddenly came from behind the tree. Chen Xing was startled and said angrily: "You eavesdropped on our conversation!"
As a fellow martial artist, Tuoba Yan seemed to have known that Xiang Shu was hiding behind the tree, and said, "Great Chanyu, I am sorry to bother you."
"What's wrong?" Chen Xing said, "You either ask your guests to clean their rooms or commit murder. Do you still have any manners in the Chi Le League?"
"The Tuoba clan of Dai State once captured tens of thousands of Rouran people as slaves." Xiang Shu came out from behind the tree, having changed back into his royal robe, and said to Chen Xing, "The Rouran people are drinking heavily. If they knew who he was, they might draw their knives and stab your lover. I'm sorry I can't stop them."
"It's okay," Tuoba Yan put on the ring and said to Chen Xing, "I know you are safe, I will leave now."
"Wait," Chen Xing said, "Stay here for a few days. You've come from afar..."
"Go back and tell Jiantou," Xiang Shu said to Tuoba Yan, "I'm sorry that I don't have time to send him recently, but tell him to behave himself. If I find out about any unrest in the Central Plains, I can't say for sure. If he can't even defend his own capital, I don't mind giving you Xianbei people a beating for him."
Tuoba Yan said, "I will definitely pass on the message." Then he jumped on his horse and rode away. Chen Xing ran out a few steps and was about to stop him, but Xiang Shu grabbed his arm.
"Xiang Shu, let me go... Tuoba Yan!" Chen Xing shouted.
Tuoba Yan looked back at Chen Xing and suddenly smiled. There was a hint of bitterness in that smile, but he concealed it well. He whistled at him again.
"Tianchi!" Tuoba Yan shouted, "See you later!"
Chen Xing could only sigh, shake off Xiang Shu's arm, and look at him angrily.
Xiang Shu frowned and said, "I just went back to change my clothes, where did you go?"
Chen Xing: "How could you eavesdrop on our conversation?!"
Xiang Shu: "I happened to pass by and heard you two drinking under the tree...Chi Le Chuan is my territory, I can be wherever I want, who gave you the courage?"
Chen Xing: "You..."
Chen Xing walked angrily in front, and Xiang Shu followed closely behind. The two of them walked around the Dusk Autumn Festival venue. Xiang Shu roared, "You dare to vent your anger on the Great Chanyu?!"
Chen Xing: "What? You want to hit me again? Come on!"
Xiang Shu stopped, looked at Chen Xing, frowned and said: "What did I do to you? Are you so angry? If you don't want to stay, then get out! Follow Tuoba Yan back to Chang'an!"
Chen Xing took a deep breath, almost unable to bear it any longer, and stepped forward to push Xiang Shu. Xiang Shu did not move at all. Chen Xing was furious and yelled, "Bastard! You bastard!" As he said that, he turned sideways and pushed Xiang Shu with his shoulder. Xiang Shu was like a stone growing in the ground. He looked at him with a mocking expression, and pushed Chen Xing with his hand, causing him to stagger. Chen Xing almost fell to the ground.
Xiang Shu grabbed his wrist again, and Chen Xing suddenly felt pain and screamed "ouch!". Just as Xiang Shu was about to hit him, he heard shouts from not far away.
Che Luofeng looked drunk, his eyes were red from drinking, but there was anger in his eyes. He was followed by hundreds of Rouran cavalrymen, all dressed in armor.
"Where is the Xianbei Tuoba clan?!" Che Luofeng said, "Divine doctor! Hand over your friend!"