Eastern Palace

Chapter 27

"All right." I clenched the machete's handle and said, "I'll inform him that." He Shi nodded and loosed the water pocket from his saddle, then told me: "Go straight east for three hundred miles. If you don't find Chanyu's tent there, you could turn north. It is not far away from the left Guli (an official title of Tujue), just about a hundred miles." "I know." He Shi hit hard at my horse with his machete back and shouted: "HEEYA!!" The little red horse jumped out and the cavalry of Yuezhi clamored for that. While the little red horse ran fast like a flash of lightning and ran out miles away in an instant. I kept looking back and found that the dense cavalry of Yuezhi marched towards He Shi gradually as if the ants were moving before the rain. Then He Shi and dozens of cavalries of Tujue were surrounded by them, like grains of rice surrounded by a colony of ants.

There were some cavalries who wanted to chase me, while they all were shot ten horse away from me – although He Shi was begird, there was no one could avoid his shooting. Falling and rolling to the ground, these men could not gain around on me. The little red horse ran faster and faster, and the sky was dark gradually. At last, except the white gonfalon, all things faded away in the dark.

I galloped at full speed on the prairie. No moon and stars in the sky, it was so stuffy as to drip from the sky. I had never seen such weather and it seemed to rain. It was a terrible thing to meet a heavy rain on the prairie. I looked up and only found the sky was dark completely, like an upturned iron pot. There was no moon and star so that it was hard to identify the direction. I was really afraid that I went in the wrong direction.

There was nothing in the grassland so that one could rush without any worries. I rushed in the dark for half the night and fortunately, the cavalry of Yuezhi didn't come up. But He Shi and dozens of cavalries of Tujue didn't break through the enemy. I was worried about He Shi's safety and afraid that I went in the wrong direction. So, I was anxious and angry and nearly cried out. At that moment, after a loud crack, a streak of purple lightning cut through the dark night, brightening for a while, then the thunder followed it and rang.

It was really going to rain and I had to find a shelter. Lines of lightning like stiff snakes were stalking around in the sky with dark clouds. By the light of these lightenings, I saw the rocks in the distance. It turned out that I had been running along Tian Gen Mountain for half the night. But I was still at the foot of the mountain.

It was better to find a shelter than being caught in the rain. I urged the horse to move forward. The little red horse dexterously stepped over the rocks. I was afraid that the gravel would hurt the horseshoe, so I dismounted from the horse and walked with it to get under shelter. The heavy rain had already been "squatting" down, and the thick white tendon-like rain was striking people constantly, making me very painful. The rain poured through my clothes and flowed into my eyes. I couldn't even open my eyes, wiped the water on my face, and finally saw a big stone protruding out. It was a good place to shelter from the rain.

I climbed up to shelter under the protruding boulder, curling up there with my little red horse. The thunder was rumbling, with the fast and heavy rain. I was unutterably worried about He Shi. The little red horse half knelt under the rock. It seemed to understand my anxiety, licking my palm with its tongue once in a while. I held the little red horse's neck in my arms and murmured, "Are He Shi and others alright..." It rained hard outside, and the water from the hill rushed down in front of the boulder to form a white curtain. The mist gradually came under the rock, which made me feel like a drizzle.

I had no idea how long had the rain last, but it stopped gradually. Water ran like a clattering brook beside the mountains and rocks. The wind blew away the dark clouds and a bright moon appeared.