one 1
That afternoon, Liu Qingye followed his master's order and walked from his retreat to the edge of the grassland, carrying a stone on his back. He was familiar with the route because he was punished to walk there every time. There was a tall poplar tree at the junction of the grassland and the Gobi Desert. Perhaps it was the tallest one. You could see its strange branches from a distance. Sometimes, you could even see a mirage by climbing to the top of the tree.
But this time, as he approached the poplar tree, he suddenly saw a Uighur boy jumping down from the treetop, angrily putting his hands on his waist and shouting at him: "Hey, what are you doing here?"
Liu Qingye had been wandering on the grassland with his master since his parents were defeated in the anti-Qing uprising. He could understand Uyghur. Seeing the young man's impolite look, he was puzzled and replied in Uyghur: "Why? You can come, but I can't?"
The young man glared at me with his brown eyes, obviously very angry, and said, "You can come anytime, but not today!"
Liu Qingye was a little angry and asked, "Why, have you reserved this tree for today?" He didn't want to cause trouble, but seeing that the Uyghur boy was so unreasonable, he couldn't help but get angry. He threw the hundred-pound stone on his back heavily to the ground, shaking the dry earth three times.
The Uighur boy obviously saw that he was very skilled and took two steps back, but then he stepped forward again and said, "What's the matter! Is it a big deal that you are very strong? Do you know the rules?"
"Let's see who doesn't know the rules!" Liu Qingye said angrily, punching the stone, sending debris flying everywhere.
“Of course it’s you!” the Uighur boy roared and pounced forward with his arms outstretched.
Liu Qingye had not expected him to attack suddenly. He was stunned and was pressed on the boulder by his shoulders, causing pain on his back. He was furious and raised his left hand to hold down the boy's hands. At the same time, he hit his arm with his right elbow. The boy was in pain and his body was swaying. He could not stand steadily. Liu Qingye took the opportunity to kick him in the lower body and knocked him to the ground.
The Uighur boy fell down with his teeth grimacing, but he refused to admit defeat. He limped to his feet and waved his fists to hit Liu Qingye again.
Liu Qingye dodged his blow by gently turning his head. While he was unable to retract his fist, he grabbed his pulse point with one hand, grabbed his upper arm with his other hand, shouted "lift", and swung the Uyghur boy up. Although he wanted to teach this overbearing young man a lesson, he had no intention of hurting anyone, so although the force of the swing was fierce, it was reduced to 30% when he threw it down, and the boy just fell flat on his back.
The young man must have seen stars after eating this thing, and he kept cursing in his dialect.
Liu Qingye didn't know what he was cursing at the moment, he just scolded: "This grassland is not yours, you want to be the king, this is the end."
As he spoke, he looked at the sky. Although it was still early, he still had a long way to go. Besides, his master had told him that people's hearts were unpredictable and the court's lackeys were everywhere. He had told him not to show his martial arts skills. If his master knew about his impulsive behavior, he didn't know how he would be punished! Thinking of this, he rubbed his hands hurriedly and prepared to carry the boulder again.
“Don’t run, you little brat!” The Uighur boy suddenly shouted, and rushed over with a dusty face, hugging Liu Qingye’s feet tightly, “Don’t run, you little brat! The fight isn’t over yet!”
Liu Qingye held the boulder with both hands, and his legs and feet were pulled like this, and he immediately lost his balance. He instinctively let go, and the boulder fell straight down - right at the head of the Uyghur boy. He was terrified and shouted, "Be careful!" But it was too late. Seeing that the boy was about to be buried under the boulder, he quickly thought of a way out and fell backwards, rolling on the ground, dragging the boy away from the threat of the boulder.
It was only a moment, but life and death had already gone through several rounds. The Uyghur boy almost lost his life, and Liu Qingye almost broke his legs. The two of them lay on the ground, still in the position where the Uyghur boy hugged Liu Qingye's legs, but they were both pale and speechless.
"Thank...thank you..." The Uyghur boy came back to his senses after a while and stammered.
Liu Qingye shook his hand. His master had taught him every day to be chivalrous and to save people from danger. However, he pointed to his legs and said, "Isn't it time for you to let me go?"
The Uighur boy smiled sheepishly, loosened his hand, and then chatted and scratched his head: “I almost died… Hehe, thank you.”
Liu Qingye dusted himself off and stood up.
“Wait!” The Uighur boy also got up and grabbed Liu Qingye’s sleeve and said, “You defeated me and saved my life. I’ll give you this tree.”
"Give it to me?" Liu Qingye was puzzled. "This tree is not yours. Besides, I don't want it. Why give it to me?"
"You're fighting me even though you don't want me?" The Uyghur boy was even more surprised, "Isn't today your birthday?"
"Birthday?" Liu Qingye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What does this tree have to do with birthdays?"
“This…” The Uighur boy was stunned for a moment, and finally burst into laughter, “Ah… It’s not your birthday… Misunderstanding… Misunderstanding… Haha… It’s really a misunderstanding…”
Seeing him laughing foolishly alone, Liu Qingye shook his head and went to hug the stone.
But the Uighur boy stopped him again and said, "My name is Moler. It was just a misunderstanding. Let's be good brothers now."
Liu Qingye was stunned for a moment, nodded slightly, and said: "Well, my name is Liu Qingye."
"Liu-Qing-Ye--" Moller repeated with his tongue rolling, and then his eyebrows lit up with joy, "Ah, you are Han Chinese! All of you Han Chinese names are so difficult to pronounce. However, I like you Han Chinese. Miss Dan Ying's mother is Han Chinese, so is Aunt Wu, and... our master also often interacts with Han Chinese..."
Liu Qingye felt that this Uighur man was talking incoherently. If he continued chatting with him like this, his master would surely find out. He replied vaguely, "Really?" and went back to moving the stone.
But Moller dragged him on and on: "Hey, do you know Miss Dan Ying? She is the most beautiful woman on our grassland. I fought with you today, actually for her!"
"For her?" Liu Qingye asked curiously, "I don't even know her, how can I be related to her?"
Moler chuckled and said, "You are a Han Chinese, so you don't know the rules of our Ale tribe. We have a legend that on your eighteenth birthday, if you climb up the tallest poplar tree on the grassland, the person you see in the mirage is your destined lover. I turned eighteen today, and I have been waiting here for most of the day, just to see Miss Dan Ying in the mirage!"
Liu Qingye couldn't help laughing: "Your legend is quite strange. If there was no mirage today, would you still be single for the rest of your life? Or, if there was a man in the mirage, would you still..."
"Puh, puh, puh!" Moller spat several times, "Don't curse me with such lies - but I'm not afraid of you cursing me, I am determined to see Miss Dan Ying. I can't see her in the mirage during the day, so I will go back to watch over her at night. Anyway, I will see her when I am eighteen years old."
Liu Qingye smiled and said, "Then I wish you good luck!" Then he carried the boulder on his back and walked back.
"Hey, you are so strong!" Moler shouted from behind, "I am considered the strongest man in the Ale tribe, and you are stronger than me. There will definitely be a beautiful girl who will fall in love with you!"
Liu Qingye was stunned: A beautiful girl? He had never thought about it. His life was full of reading, martial arts, and anti-Qing and restoration. He was almost 18 years old, and he didn't even have a friend, let alone a sweetheart like Moler! He suddenly felt a little sad, and felt like the stone on his back was pressing him so hard that he couldn't breathe.
"Hey..." Moller didn't know what he was thinking, his voice was still cheerful, "Although you are strong, but we have a deal, we are brothers, you can't steal my Miss Dan Ying!"
Liu Qingye smiled quietly under the stone: "We Han people say 'a friend's wife should not be cheated', I will never do such a wicked thing."
"Okay, you said it!" Moller shouted loudly, "I also heard from Miss Dan Ying that you Han people believe in 'once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back'! When I marry Miss Dan Ying in the future, I will definitely bring her to see you, so that you can see the beauties of our grasslands!" After that, he seemed to be in a good mood and sang at the top of his voice: "The grassland, the horse on the plain, the rouge on the horse's back is more beautiful than the flowers; the flowers reflect the moon, the moon shines on the sand, the song in the sand reminds me of my home..."
Liu Qingye listened, every sentence was loud and clear, every word was clear, every sound was affectionate. He couldn't help but silently ponder the lyrics "Rouge on horseback is better than flowers", which sounded like it was talking about the beautiful Miss Danying.
He was a little curious and wanted to turn around to see if there was really a mirage in the desert and if there was really a girl inside. But he held back - his master had said that the disciples of Songqiao Academy would spend their entire lives expelling the Tartars and restoring the Han people's country - other things, alas, whether it was the beautiful legends of the Ale tribe or the carefree Uyghur youth, had nothing to do with him.
However, after walking a hundred steps, Liu Qingye turned back. Not because of the mirage, but because he heard the sound of horse hooves. In this hot afternoon when the air was still and there was no wind, the sound of horse hooves was almost knocking on the ground, vibrating, coming from under his feet.
He stopped and turned around to count the number of people coming from afar - in the distorted scenery of the Gobi Desert, there were at least ten horses flashing by, coming from the southeast, galloping under the scorching sun.
Liu Qingye's blood froze for a moment, then boiled again: They were all Qing soldiers wearing dark blue patched uniforms and red tassels on their hats! How did they get here? Could it be that his and his master's whereabouts had been exposed? His first thought was to run away, but his master said that the Manchu Tartars killed my compatriots and occupied my country, so we should kill them one by one. How could he run away like this as a disciple of Songqiao Academy?
He put the boulder down and strode back to the poplar tree.
Moller saw him coming back and asked, "Liu Qingye, what are you doing?"
But Liu Qingye did not answer. His eyes were fixed on the Qing soldiers and cavalry. He secretly concentrated his strength on his fists, waiting for the Qing soldiers to get close so that he could kill them without leaving a single piece of armor.
Moller looked at his nervous expression and said with a smile, "What's wrong with you?" He pushed him twice, but he couldn't move him at all. He felt even more puzzled and said, "You want to see the mirage? Then watch it with me! But -" He looked at the horse team approaching in the distance and said, "Do those people want to see it too?"
Liu Qingye just didn't answer, holding his breath and concentrating. Then he saw the horse team approaching, eight soldiers, covered in dust, some of them were injured, in a very miserable state. The guy with a copper-colored face in the lead glanced at Liu Qingye and Moler, and then started shouting in Manchu dialect.
Moller tugged at Liu Qingye's sleeve: "Hey, what are they saying? How come you can't understand a word they say?"
Liu Qingye didn't understand Manchu either, but he was about to make a move, but Moller pulled him so hard that he couldn't throw his fist. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed and shook Moller's hand: "I don't know!"
In a hurry, he did not notice that he was speaking in Chinese. He had a shaved head and a braid, so it was hard to tell whether he was Manchu or Han, so the copper-faced Qing soldier spoke to him in Manchu. Now, after hearing what he said, he spoke in Chinese: "We are the subordinates of General Fu Cha Kang, and we came here to form an alliance with the thirteen Uyghur tribes. We were just attacked by criminals, and our interpreter and guide are dead. Do you know how to get to their tribe?"
Liu Qingye was shocked when he suddenly heard the three words "Fu Cha Kang". Isn't this the culprit who led 3,000 cavalrymen to encircle and suppress the anti-Qing patriots in Songqiao Academy as the master said? His parents died in this battle. Now the murderer of his father has come to his door, and he is extremely jealous!
"Little brother, do you know?"
Liu Qingye smiled coldly and said, "I know! I know how to send you to hell!" Before he finished speaking, he had already risen from the ground and slapped the horse's head with a "slap". The beast immediately foamed at the mouth and fell down. Immediately, the Qing soldier with a copper-colored face also fell down. Liu Qingye did not give him a chance to breathe, and stepped on his chest with the momentum of falling, and the man fainted immediately.
The remaining Qing soldiers probably didn't speak Chinese, and when they saw Liu Qingye suddenly attack, they were yelling something. But they also saw that this Han boy was an enemy, not a friend, and it was useless to ask any more questions. They jumped off their horses, drew their swords and attacked Liu Qingye.
Moller was so frightened when he saw this scene: "Liu Qingye, you...what are you doing?"
"It's none of your business!" Liu Qingye tried to grab the long sword that was coming towards him, but the man's swordsmanship was so exquisite that it was just a feint and it passed by in a flash, and he missed it.
"Why is it none of my business?" Moller rushed towards the Qing soldiers behind Liu Qingye, "You just saved me, who are these guys? Are they robbers?"
"It's none of your business!" Liu Qingye shouted again, dodging the blow with his head tilted, and kicked Moller out of the circle, "Go back, don't die!"
Moller, however, was stubborn. He fell to the ground with a thud, but shouted, "Miss Dan Ying said that good brothers should be loyal!" He then pulled out a dagger from his boot and broke into the circle again.
Liu Qingye secretly groaned. It was not easy for him to deal with seven people alone. Now there was a troublemaker named Moler. It was not a bad thing! Just when he was annoyed, he felt a strong wind whistling in his ears. It was a long knife that chopped him down. He hurriedly shrank his neck to avoid it. In front of him was a dazzling white light. Another knife almost slashed at his nose. Although he dodged it by luck, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Moller had no idea why Liu Qingye had started a fight with the Qing soldiers. He kept yelling in Uyghur: "How dare you bully my brother Moller! Watch out!" He swung the dagger incredibly fast, but without any method. He hit whatever he hit, because he was naturally strong. Several Qing soldiers were stabbed by him accidentally and were seriously injured.
Liu Qingye took advantage of the moment when Moller was about to stab a Qing soldier, swung his arm, flipped in the air, kicked the soldier in the face, and while he was falling backwards, he grabbed his sword and chopped off his head with one blow.
The remaining soldiers screamed even louder, and Moller was also shocked: "Liu Qingye, you...you killed someone..."
Liu Qingye himself was also stunned: Although he had been hiding from the court's lackeys with his master for so many years, this was the first time he had killed someone. The dead man's face was so terrifying that his hands could not help but tremble. However, as his master said, he wanted these Manchu Tartars to pay with blood, so how could he be soft-hearted? He immediately crossed his long sword across his chest and said, "It's none of your business. These people are evil people who have an irreconcilable hatred with me!"
Moller was stunned for a moment, not understanding what was going on. But he suddenly pointed to the sky and said, "Oh no! It's a sandstorm!"
Liu Qingye didn't care about all that and continued to fight with the Qing soldiers with his sword. The sword was so powerful that water couldn't penetrate it. His men also dodged and moved swiftly. In a blink of an eye, several more people were injured.
Moller shouted anxiously, "Liu Qingye, it's bad, a sandstorm is coming! Run!"
