Wanqingsi

Chapter 76 Gift of the Knife
Thousands of horses are galloping, and horses are galloping.The people of Yaoyue kicked off the horse racing meeting with a sacrifice of fresh mare's milk.After Ulay gave the order, he rushed out. He was not riding the black horse of Starry Night, but a handsome white horse with a gold and silver carved saddle and elegant bridle.Chibei told me that the white horse is especially respected by the Yaoyue people. It is said that it is a god horse that has been conferred by the Changshengtian Zen, and it is the incarnation of the heavenly horse. Herdsmen often worship the white horse as an idol.And the white horse that Prince Ulay rode, with black eyes, black hoofs, pure white coat, not a single stray hair, shiny coat, no scars or scars on every organ, is a real horse.It was a wild horse that Ulay tamed on the prairie when he was 16 years old. Since he rode this white horse to participate in the horse racing competition at the age of 16, he has won the golden knife in the horse racing meeting for seven consecutive years. Until two years ago, Ulay Feeling that they couldn't keep blocking other warriors' opportunities to perform, they proposed not to participate in the horse racing meeting. The people of Yaoyue never saw the heroic appearance of their respected prince grabbing the knife at the horse racing meeting. They didn't expect Ulay to participate again this year.

The golden knife provided to the warriors in the horse race competition is to invite the most skilled craftsmen of Yaoyue Kingdom to make one every year. After the knife is cast, a shaman wizard is invited to hold a grand ceremony to pray for the blessing of the Longevity Heaven. , and then enshrined in the shrine for one year. On the day of the horse racing meeting, the golden knife is invited out and hung on the pole of the Luma Fengqi flag fluttering in the wind on the field. The warrior who wins the golden knife first wins.At this time, the golden knife symbolizing bravery, ability, and wisdom was hanging on the flagpole far away from the arena. It was so far away that I couldn't see the golden knife. There was a dazzling golden light shining.The horses galloped towards the end of the grassland and disappeared into the horizon. I asked Chi Bei in surprise, "Why didn't they go to grab the knife?"

Chi Bei smiled slightly, and said: "Before taking the golden sword, you have to go through a pre-determined route. That route created some obstacles for the warriors who took the sword.

I see.Suddenly, I asked again in doubt: "Then how do you know that those warriors have passed the test?" What if someone speculates and doesn't come back from the route they stipulated?

Chi Bei smiled and said, "Boss Ye, be patient and don't be impatient, you'll know in a while."

As soon as the voice fell, a thick white smoke curled up from the distant horizon, and then there were two sharp and violent sounds like signal bombs, one long and loud, and one short and dull.Chi Bei laughed and said, "37 warriors have already crossed the Moon River."

"Moon River?" Such a nice name, I asked curiously, "How do you know?"

"That's what the smoke and the sound of the signal flares told us." Chi Bei smiled, "Every obstacle is supervised, and the warriors participating in the competition must take back a white horse and silver embroidered at each obstacle. The small flags of eight fine horses. The warrior who finally got the golden knife must show five small flags of different colors at the same time. White smoke, and a cannon was fired to tell the people on the field how the game was going."

I nodded and said with a smile: "From Brother Chibei's words, these obstacles must be set up very hard."

"That's right." Chi Bei nodded, with a rather smug expression, "Let's say that the Moon River is wide, the water is fast-moving, the depth of the river is uncertain, and we have set up traps in the river. To cross the river, in addition to Relying on the experience of the knights, the bravery of the mounts, and a little bit of luck, otherwise it will be very difficult to pass."

While talking and laughing, a second puff of white smoke floated into the air again, and the signal flare sounded again.After repeating this five times, Chi Bei told me that there are still seven warriors who have passed the five barriers, and these seven winners are those who are eligible to win the golden knife.Just as he was talking, he saw a few black dots appearing on the horizon, and the sound of "da da" hooves approached. Sure enough, only seven knights returned to the arena.Chi Bei smiled and said, "The wonderful game is officially starting now."

I looked at the arena and saw knights scrambling towards the Lumafeng flagpole on the arena. In order to prevent others from reaching the flagpole first, the knights on horseback used various tricks to stop their opponents from advancing.I couldn't help laughing, recalling the scenes of interception and entanglement on the football field, which were somewhat similar to the situation in front of me.Even so, Ulay still took the lead and rushed ahead of everyone.Chi Bei said happily: "It seems that Prince Ulay won this horse race meeting again."

I was somewhat disapproving: "He rides a better horse than others, even if he takes the knife, there is nothing to be proud of."

Chibei glanced at me in surprise, and argued: "The horse that Prince Ulay rides is of course a divine horse, but the horses of these participating warriors are also one of the best horses in a hundred. Moreover, since the divine horse was tamed by the prince, Riding it is also a matter of course, other people have nothing to be convinced, if they have the ability, they can also train a similar horse to compete."

Isn't this an exaggeration?Since it is a competition, of course it has to be in a relatively fair environment. If Ulei is replaced by a horse that is the same as the others, can he be so brave?I quite disagree, but I am too lazy to argue with Chi Bei. He completely regards Ulay as a mythical figure, and it is pointless to discuss with a monk whether Buddha is more holy or God is greater.

At this moment, Ulay had already rode his horse and rushed to the flagpole with the golden knife hanging on it. He jumped and grabbed the thin flagpole. I exclaimed "ah!" The flagpole couldn't bear the weight of his burly man at all. Unexpectedly, his leaping movements seemed to be as light as a swallow, and he climbed to the middle of the railing at once, and quickly climbed to the top of the flagpole like a dexterous monkey. The thin flagpole was not bent by him at all.

It seemed that the golden knife was already in Ulay's pocket. No wonder he didn't want to play it after playing for a few years. It was so cheap that he got the golden knife, and he got tired of playing it a few times.Unexpectedly, there was a sudden change in the arena at this time. A knight following Ulay saw that His Royal Highness was about to win the golden sword, so he swung out the whip in his hand. The whip seemed to have eyes. He swung it to the top of the flagpole all at once, and rolled the golden knife down.

"Ah!" I whispered nervously, and the Yaoyue people who watched the game at the camp for a while were also surprised.Seeing the golden knife being swept away by the whip, Ulei immediately jumped off the flagpole, dexterously rolled in mid-air, chasing the whip like a snake dancing, and at the same time drew out the small long knife on his waist and threw it at the whip.The knife chased the whip like lightning, and immediately cut the whip into two without mercy.The golden knife fell down uncontrollably, and Wu Lei's body rolled in the air as lightly as a swallow. In an instant, he grabbed the golden knife that fell in midair, and leaped gracefully back onto the back of the white horse. He held the golden knife high in his left hand, in a heroic posture Riding sassily on the horseback, the white horse turned around and galloped towards the camp.

"Okay!" Chi Bei stood up excitedly, and the girls and wives in the neighboring tents also screamed excitedly.I looked at Ulei's vigorous expression and smiled faintly.On the grass in the middle of the camp, the girls from Yaoyue Kingdom who were dancing just now sang the "Horse Praise Song" together: neck like a lion, eyes like stars, whistle like a tiger, vigor like a deer, Ears like wolves, capillaries like phoenix tails, tails like rainbows, steel crows smashing thousands of mountains..."

During the singing, Ulay had already rushed back to the camp, and the knights behind him followed him back to the camp.Girls from Yaoyue Kingdom, holding flower garlands, surrounded Ulei and put the garlands on Wu Lei's head; girls holding celebration wine also went up to them, and offered silver bowls full of kumiss; Girls, sprinkle the petals of flowers on the heads of their heroes.The scene suddenly became lively, with colorful petals flying all over the sky, complementing the pink cheeks of the girls.Ulay tied the blue, yellow, red, white, and green five small flags together, and tied them to the golden handle of the golden knife. The king of Yaoyue Kingdom, sitting at the head of the camp, smiled and applauded, and the spectators followed suit. Applause, gongs and drums sounded, and for a while, the camp burst into thunderous applause and cheers!
After everyone's enthusiasm calmed down a bit, the king asked with a smile: "Ulay, you haven't participated in the competition for two years, why did you decide to participate and win the knife this year?"

"Father, I want to give this golden knife to a beautiful girl." Prince Ulay looked at the king and said in a deep voice.

As soon as Ulay finished speaking, girls screamed from every tent.I shook my head and couldn't stop laughing. The women on the grassland are really outspoken and cute. If it is a woman from Tianzhao Kingdom, even if she likes this prince no matter how much she wants to get that golden knife, she still has to pretend to be reserved. expresses his emotions so frankly.

"Oh?" The king looked at his favorite son and asked with interest, "Which girl do you want to give the golden knife to?"

Ulay turned his head and looked around the tents on the left and right, and the crowd suddenly fell silent.Ulay's gaze fell on me, blue eyes sparkling like sapphires, a sunny smile on his lips.

He walked towards me, and the crowd made a "buzzing" sound, looking at their highness the prince with speculation and doubts.Wu Lei walked up to me, held the golden knife in both hands, suddenly knelt down on one knee, and looked at me with his head up.Wu Lei saw that his actions had completely achieved the effect of attracting everyone's attention, and smiled at me: "Miss Ye, 'No feathers, no matter how big the wings are, you can't fly; no manners, no matter how good-looking you are, you will be ridiculed'." To express I warmly welcome you to Yaoyue Kingdom, please accept this most sincere gift representing my honor."

The surrounding area was completely silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on me. I looked at everyone's envious, doubtful, surprised, guessing, disappointed, and jealous eyes. I am a woman, but you still want to make me the focus of others' attention, don't you?Chi Bei said from the side: "Miss Ye, this is the most sincere gift from our prairie people, accept it quickly."

I came back to my senses and looked at Wu Lei, who was half kneeling on the ground. He looked at me firmly, holding the golden knife in his hand. Bar?I smiled helplessly, took the golden knife in Ulei's hand with both hands, and said, "Little girl, thank you for your kindness."

The crowd started to "buzz" again, and the king of Yaoyue Kingdom who sat first looked me up and down, then turned his head and said with a smile to Wu Lei: "My lord, this is the one who solved your puzzles, and also solved them." The three girls who paid tribute to the mysteries of the statuettes?"

"Reporting to my father, it is this Miss Ye." A smile appeared on Wu Lei's face.

"My lord really has a good eye." The king of Yaoyue Kingdom laughed loudly, "Congratulations, father!" As he spoke, he raised the silver bowl full of wine in his hand.

"Thank you, father!" Ulei took the wine bowl Chi Bei handed him, held it up against the king of Yaoyue Kingdom, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then the king announced that the winner of the horse race was Prince Ouray, and let everyone drink and have fun at the event.The songs were sung again, the dances were danced again, and everything seemed to be back to the way it was at the beginning of the race meeting.I glanced at Ulay, who was sitting in our tent, and felt a little uneasy.Under the peaceful surface of singing and dancing, those probing gazes that occasionally rest on me make me feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles.My eyes stopped on the golden treasured knife on the table, the gemstones embedded in the scabbard were shining brightly, flowing with a seductive glow.

——2006, September, 10
I was disconnected while chatting in the group yesterday, and I couldn’t log in anyway, hehe, sorry, let me explain to the big guys in the group.

(End of this chapter)