Walking in the cycle of reincarnation

Chapter 51 Anda

Zhang Nanfeng stared at her intently.

He couldn't understand a single word of those syllables, which were rough and rolled with the tongue.

But he could hear the earnestness and anxiety in her tone, like a string stretched to its limit.

He shook his head slightly.

Wanyan Yue stopped speaking abruptly, first realizing what was happening, then her brow furrowed with surprise and doubt.

She gazed at the strange white wolf before her, pondering to herself.

How could the eyes and ears of the Eternal Heaven, who patrols the world, not understand the Northern Plains language? Yet the gesture of shaking his head was clearly not fake.

Without thinking too much, she hurriedly took out the leather map she had hidden close to her body from her bosom and spread it out on the snow.

The morning light shines on the tanned leather, and the mountains and rivers meander like charcoal ink, with vermilion ink spots like drops of blood.

Wanyan Yue knelt before the painting, her slender fingers first lightly touching the mountain ridge patterns on the painting, which was exactly where they were at this moment.

Then, following the veins outlined by charcoal ink, it slowly wandered and finally landed in a designated mountain hollow, tapping its fingertips heavily twice to indicate that this place was important.

She looked up at Zhang Nanfeng, and when he followed her gaze, she withdrew her hand, crossed her arms and tightly gripped her shoulders, curling up as if she were bound by shackles.

Then, with his right hand, fingers joined like a knife, he made a light, sweeping motion across his arm, as if to cut or bind. Finally, he pointed directly at the mountain hollow, his eyes blazing.

Zhang Nanfeng took in the whole series of actions and understood their meaning.

First comes the predicament, then the breakthrough, and finally the destination is revealed.

She wanted to save people.

He was secretly surprised.

This decisive and proactive nature is completely different from Meng Jinchuan in his previous life, who blindly believed in miracles and was full of delusions.

The young girl had just crawled back from the brink of death and had barely eaten when she was already thinking about risking her life to save others.

This resolute and decisive nature is completely different from Meng Jinchuan's previous life, when he blindly believed in miracles and was full of devotion.

Seeing that his gaze was fixed, Wanyan Yue knew that he understood her meaning, and quickly began to gesture again.

She knelt on one knee, one hand poised as if holding the reins, the other lightly patting her thigh, shaking her head repeatedly. Then, she shifted slightly, assuming a galloping posture, and nodded emphatically.

Then she flipped her hand and waved it towards Zhang Nanfeng, then placed it on her chest, then pointed towards the mountain valley, and finally gazed at him with her eyes full of invitation to travel together.

Zhang Nanfeng read it quietly and instantly understood the whole situation.

The journey is arduous and cannot be undertaken on foot; a mount must be found. She will handle the matter of finding a horse on her own, and I only ask that you accompany her on this perilous journey.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded.

The fire in Wanyan Yue's eyes suddenly exploded, turning into a genuine smile.

Her smile was very faint, the corners of her lips lifted for a moment, but because the bloodstains on her face were not clean, they appeared dirty and shiny.

She picked up the dagger stuck to the side, got up and left.

He could take three steps, but then suddenly stopped.

As if remembering something important, she slowly turned around, her index finger lightly touching her heart, and her lips parted slightly as she spoke, word by word:

"Wanyan Yue".

Zhang Nanfeng narrowed his wolf-like eyes slightly.

Wanyan Yue raised her hand and pointed at him, then lowered it back to herself, clenching her right fist and pounding it heavily on her chest.

This is a gesture by which the warriors of Kitahara pledge their loyalty to heaven and earth and to their brothers.

She struck with extreme force, snowflakes falling softly from her shoulder, and the wound on her wrist reopened, but she was completely unaware.

"Adachi".

Zhang Nanfeng was momentarily lost in thought.

In his previous life, he was a rat, whom Su Chan regarded as a beacon of hope and a pet. In his next life, he was a toad, whom Meng Jinchuan knelt before as if he were a god, and whom Meng Cang respected as if he were a sharp blade.

Throughout his two lifetimes, not a single person had ever treated him as an equal and a fellow traveler.

He gazed at the girl's eyes, which were gleaming from the wind and snow, and let out a very low whisper, which was his way of acknowledging her.

Wanyan Yue seemed to have received a tremendous promise, and a moist look appeared at the corner of her eyes, but she did not let the moisture fall.

She gripped the dagger tightly, raised her hand to grab a strand of long hair stained with blood and matted together, and slashed it with her other hand.

The chipped dagger was terribly blunt, so she repeatedly pulled it like sawing wood, strands of dirty black hair falling onto the white snow like withered raven feathers.

In a short while, his once waist-length black hair was completely cut off, leaving only uneven short hair.

A morning breeze blew, and she looked up.

Without her long hair to cover her face, her entire face was exposed to the sunlight.

With slightly high brow bones and upturned eyes, his youthful features were tempered with a rebellious and heroic air, making it difficult to distinguish his gender for a moment. Only the thin line of blood on his neck, sliding down his chin, added a touch of tragic beauty to this dashing and heroic spirit.

Zhang Nanfeng watched silently, the scales in his heart tilting slightly in favor of the girl.

Wanyan Yue rubbed her face, brushed away the stray hairs, and pulled her coat tighter around herself.

She didn't look back again. Holding the dagger, she strode into the wind and snow, her back as thin as a narrow knife drawn from its sheath.

Zhang Nanfeng stood there, watching her walk further and further away, feeling none of the unwavering determination she once had.

For the people of the grasslands, horses are their legs and their lives, second only to their scimitars, and are priceless.

The girl was penniless; the only thing of value she possessed was her broken-blade dagger, which couldn't even buy her a decent saddle.

If she wanted the horse, she would have to risk stealing it. But with her wrist injured and her strength not yet recovered, how could she possibly withstand the herdsmen's clubs and vicious dogs?

Thinking of this, Zhang Nanfeng let out a low sob and followed.

He didn't take the main road, but instead chose to detour along the upwind ridge, using the wind to conceal his scent, and followed the thin figure from a distance, pinpointing her location solely by the faint fox odor at the tip of his nose.

Wanyan Yue traveled swiftly, stopping frequently along the way to unfold the leather map and examine it against the sunlight.

Her gaze wandered among the dark-lined mountains and rivers, her fingertips lightly touching several vermilion marks to check the terrain and orientation one by one.

They dared not go to the main camp of the Tuotuo tribe, for there were herdsmen and shamans. But getting too close to the sacred mountain was also not an option, as the herdsmen revered the mountain spirit and dared not raise large animals nearby.

Her gaze settled on a river valley area depicted in light ink on the map.

In winter, when the water sources freeze, most tribes have already moved to sunny, warm slopes to escape the cold, leaving only a few herders who cling to the old riverbanks, enduring the harsh winter by chiseling ice to obtain water.

Moreover, this place is backed by low hills that can block the wind, and it is not far from here, making it the best place to find horses.

Wanyan Yue's gaze sharpened, she quickly put away the leather map, changed direction, and stealthily moved along the shadows of the mountain ridge.

Zhang Nanfeng caught a whiff of that scent from afar and realized that her route was not blind but rather traceable. He felt somewhat relieved, but still remained vigilant.

After traveling for about an hour, the wind and snow gradually subsided.

Wanyan Yue lay hidden behind a snow-covered hill and quietly peeked out to look ahead.

In the sheltered valley ahead, several gray-brown felt tents were scattered among the withered grass, with wisps of smoke rising from the seams. Three or four ponies were tethered to the tents, grazing on the dry grass under the snow.

She gripped the dagger tightly, a calm and stern look far beyond her years flashing in her eyes.

A hundred feet away, Zhang Nanfeng hid behind a rock, his wolf-like eyes narrowed, taking in the movements of the felt tents and the number of horses in front of him, observing the situation quietly.