Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 87: Old Friend

The merchants left with their goods after they got out of danger. Before leaving, they offered gifts as thanks and asked Buddha's son to accept them.

Several monks stepped forth to tactfully turn down the offerings. They spoke gently and comforted the merchants, and performed a puja for the dead merchants in the name of Tumoroga.

The merchants were moved to tears.

Yaoying and her personal soldiers were temporarily placed in the ranks of the Royal Court's Central Army.

The Northern Rong and other tribes she had seen in the West had hair draped over their left shoulder. Most of the Royal Court cavalry also had braided hair trailing down their back, but they were dressed differently from the Northern Rong.

The Central Army's cavalrymen wore blue jackets, light armor, white robes, and wielded long swords and curved bows. The white robes were embroidered with intricate patterns, and each of them had personal servants who ran errands and did odd jobs for them.

Unlike the brave and warlike soldiers of the Northern Rong, they seemed to have a good sense of etiquette. Although they were disgusted by Yaoying's public desecration of their Buddha's son and glared at her, they did not insult her to her face.

However, Tumoroga's two personal soldiers treated Yaoying much worse; they had her horse taken away, and ordered her to travel with the most low-class slaves.

The most important point: she was not allowed to mention Tumoroga's name, and she was not allowed to look at Tumoroga.

The chubby, round-faced soldier pointed at Yaoying and shouted, "You shameless Han girl. One more look at our king is a desecration of our king!"

Yaoying looked at the beginning of the procession. The large snow-white banner fluttered and rose in the wind. Tumoroga was riding at the very front, and she could only see a thin back.

Among the whole army, only he wore a vivid maroon kasaya, his figure pure, cold, and solitary.

Looking like a god.

The soldiers in the Central Army were clustered behind him, looking at his back with fervor and devotion.

The personal soldier followed Yaoying's line of sight and was so angry that his face turned red, shouting and blocking in front of her: "Han girl, don't look at our king! Not even a single glance! Look again, and I'll gouge out your eyes!"

The corners of Yaoying's mouth twitched and she withdrew her eyes.

The soldier glared at her and called for the soldiers, "Keep them at the end of the ranks! Don't allow this Han girl to come one step closer to the king!"

Yaoying followed behind the Central Army with her personal soldiers and looked back at the valley.

Sand and dust rolled across the horizon as Haidu Aling left with the Northern Rong soldiers.

Yaoying and her men walked at the end of the Central Army. The soldiers' slaves, all men, saw that she was a lovely-as-a-flower young Han girl and looked at her curiously, treating her fairly well.

From their mouths, Yaoying learned that this place and Sha City were very close to each other. Tumoroga has just sworn the alliance with Wakhan Khan in Sha City, and the moment the army had left Sha City, a scout reported that Haidu Aling intercepted and killed some of the Royal Court's caravans. He immediately led the army to deter the Northern Rong people.

Yaoying had lingering fears.

Haidu Aling went to Sha City, giving them a chance to escape. They ended up escaping from the camp and got lost, actually running the whole way towards Sha City!