Song in the Peach Blossoms - Chapter 24.3

Cheng released her and turned to the sLightly scowling young man beside her, “Ah, my good fellow, your brow is dark, looks like you’ve a blood calamity ahead!”

“What are you talking about!” The youth shot to his feet.

I hurried over, seizing Cheng by the arm.

“Come now, people of all ethnic groups are one family, let’s dance together!”

But Cheng, the self-styled half-immortal, muttered, “It’s true though…”

I laughed. “Oh, Half-Immortal, then what do you see in my face?”

Cheng smiled, “I saw it long ago, the young lady will one day be wealthy beyond compare, mother of the nation…”

The skewer of lamb in my hand dropped to the ground. “What did you just say?!”

Cheng assumed a sage’s posture, “Enough! Fate is in Heaven. To reveal Heaven’s secrets invites punishment.”

“Wait!” I grabbed him. “Did you figure this out yourself, or did someone tell you?”

Half-joking, half-serious, Cheng said, “Miss Min, you seem unwilling to accept fate. Whether rich or poor, it’s all chance. Life depends on how you live it. See the boundless grasslands? They stretch without end, but walk far enough, and you’ll still find a path.”

Unexpectedly, I felt as though I’d met a confidant of Mr. Lu Xun. I stared, wide-eyed.

Cheng merely waved and went off to tell more fortunes.

Still stunned, I was pulled into the dancing crowd by A’Zi. With laughter and commotion, I forgot my earlier worries. Tired from dancing, A’Zi suddenly shoved a cup of liquor into my hands. “Drink!”

Without thinking, I tipped it back. A fiery liquid streamed down my throat, thudded into my stomach, and then surged back upward with heat. My eyes watered; I tossed the cup aside, coughing violently.

The herders burst into laughter at my expression.

Aunt Guli chuckled: “A’min is indeed a girl from the south.”

Yet when the burning subsided, it left a deep warmth and a lingering fragrance. I found the taste delightful. “I want more. Pour me another!”

The herders found this amusing, and A’zi happily filled my cup again.

This time I drank more cautiously. Sipped slowly, the liquor’s flavor was even richer, strong and fiery, yet carrying a faint grassy aroma. A sip of it with a bite of roasted lamb was a combination beyond words.

In the midst of my joy, Cheng sidled up. “How many cups is that?”

“I don’t know,” I said, mouth too busy chewing. “It’s good. You should have some!”

Cheng turned to the others, “She’s had too much already. Why isn’t anyone stopping her?”

A’zi protested, “She looked like she could hold her liquor!”

Old Man’s voice came faintly, “Enough nonsense, brew some tea!”

Hugging the wine jar to my lips, I refused to let go. Cheng cried out in alarm, rushing to grab it.

“Don’t touch my cheese!” I shouted.

“You keep drinking, and you’ll regret it tomorrow,” he warned.

Still clutching the jar, I glanced at his tousled hair and noticed his face was actually rather fine-featured. Reaching out wickedly, I pinched his cheek. “So soft…”

Cheng flushed red as a monkey’s rump, shoving me away in outrage.

I roared with laughter and began to sing at the top of my lungs, “Beautiful grassland, my home, where wind blows green grass and flowers bloom…”

The words were beautiful, but not a single note matched the original melody.

Old Man, however, was moved. “This girl truly understands our hearts.”

The night wind stirred, filling my chest with a sudden rush of heroism. I felt as though I could embrace the entire world. Spreading my arms to the starry sky, I had the fleeting illusion that I might take flight.

But dizziness overcame me. I toppled to the ground, the firelight dimming, voices fading into a whirl like wind across the grasslands. The world spun as I sank into drunken sleep.

When I awoke, daylight had already filled the world. I was inside a clean little tent, A’Zi’s younger sister was asleep beside me. My head throbbed so violently I wished I could remove it entirely. The scent of milk tea wafted in from outside. I forced myself up.

Aunt Guli spotted me and smiled. “A’Min is awake. Is your head hurting? Come have some tea.”

Gratefully, I took the cup and wrapped myself in a blanket by the fire. The eastern sky was painted a tender rose, and the grassland wind was bitterly cold. Its chill on my throbbing head cleared my thoughts somewhat.

She handed me a hot, fresh flatbread. “Eat. After a night like that, you must be hungry. You’re up earlier than I expected.”

I said, “These past days I’ve been brewing new medicines. Every three hours I had to add ingredients, so I got into the habit of waking early.”

After the soldiers’ poisoning incident, I’d devoted all my energy to toxicology, preparing long-lasting antidotes. Back when I read Grandpa Jin’s books, I’d envied the martial heroes who, when poisoned, could simply pull out a vial and save their lives on the spot. Now I had made many such remedies myself and given a full set to Xiao Xuan, who was always in danger.

I wondered how he was now. How was he handling everything? Such a vast enterprise on his shoulders, and never once had he complained of hardship.

The tea was finished, and the wind seemed to rise. I stood, thanking Aunt Guli.

But in the breeze, I caught a faintly strange scent. Looking toward its source, I saw only the boundless grasslands and the horizon’s graceful curve. Everything seemed calm.

I shook my head, blaming the remnants of drink, and started walking back.

But before I had gone five steps, another whiff of that strange smell drifted by, and this time, I thought I caught a trace of blood.

I stopped. The herders’ horses suddenly grew restless.

All around, people paused in their tasks, the men’s gazes sharpening as they all turned in the same direction. In the hush, I thought I could feel the ground tremble.

“This…”

“Wolf bandits!!”

What?!