xymnovel Chapter 31 The Hunnic Hostage, Mu Yun Ling Yuan
Chapter 31 The Hunnic Hostage, Mu Yun Ling Yuan
Xuanxu Continent, Northern Frontier.
The north wind tore at the sky and earth like a hungry wolf, and the goose-feather snow mixed with the yellowish sand and dust, stirring up a chaotic yellowish-brown in the sky.
The distant mountains resembled the spine of a lurking beast, undulating faintly in the wind and sand.
Even the sunlight, which should have been blazing, was devoured, leaving only a pale, bleak gray, helplessly painted across this desolate landscape.
Surrounded by mountains on three sides, this place resembles a crouching tiger, and is the location of the royal court of the Hu people.
The rammed earth palace walls have been stained dark and dull by years of wind and snow, and are covered with mottled marks.
On the wall, the black wolf-head flag fluttered in the gale. The ferocious wolf head totem embroidered with silver thread on the flag was sometimes clearly visible and sometimes disappeared in the swirling sand, silently telling the story of the unique fierceness and the vastness of life and death of the grassland tribes.
Inside the palace tent, a brazier burned pine resin and dried cow and sheep dung, crackling softly and releasing a unique mixed aroma. It was warm and cozy, yet it could not dispel the faint loneliness that permeated the tent—a deep-seated, bone-chilling isolation belonging to those who were staying away from home.
A young boy sat upright on a couch covered with a whole glossy black bear skin.
At the tender age of fifteen, he already possessed striking features: sharp, bright eyes and bright eyebrows; a high, straight nose like a distant mountain carved from jade; and lips with a clean, sharp edge like a cold blade.
He wore a silver fox fur brocade robe specially made by Hu craftsmen, with dark blue thread embroidered with cloud patterns, which made his figure stand out like a pine tree on the snowfield that has not yet grown but has already shown its spirit.
But those eyes, though bright as cold stars, held a calmness and depth that were completely out of character for their age, as if they had concealed the hardships and tribulations of the northern frontier for twelve years in the deepest part of those pupils.
The tent flap creaked open as a sudden gust of wind and snow pushed it open, and a general dressed in traditional Xiongnu attire bowed as he entered.
He wore a sable crown and a black leather armor, with lingering snowflakes and dust still clinging to the edges of the armor plates.
The scimitar with a bone handle at his waist made a dull thud as it moved, lightly tapping against the armor plate.
The general knelt on one knee as he entered, his right hand pressed firmly against his left chest, his voice deep and resonant like the beating of a war drum.
"Your Highness, the Great Chanyu has quelled the rebellion of the five tribes, and the Xiongnu tribes are now unified! The Great Chanyu has specially ordered his minister, Huyan Zhuo, to brave the wind and snow to respectfully welcome Your Highness back to the Muyun tribe!"
juvenile--
Mu Yunlingyuan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the frost that had formed on General Huyan's armor as if it were a tangible object, finally settling on the face with rough lines etched by the wind and sand.
His voice was clear and melodious, yet carried a perfectly balanced detachment, unlike the unrestrained and rugged nature of the Hu people, or the frivolousness of ordinary wealthy youths.
"Thank you for your hard work, General Huyan, for braving the wind and snow."
He nodded slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the rough, warm bear fur on the edge of the couch. The touch was familiar and profound, just like the seemingly peaceful but actually precarious days he had spent in Hu Ting over the past twelve years.
"The matter of returning to my unit cannot be rushed. Allow me some time to make preparations and settle my belongings with my close associates. I will depart at dawn in three days. What does the General think?"
Hu Yanzhuo quickly lowered his head even further:
"Your Majesty, I am ordered to welcome you. How dare I presume to speak further! All arrangements will be made by the Crown Prince!"
"Hmm." Mu Yunlingyuan nodded almost imperceptibly, gesturing with his sleeve, but his gaze had already turned to the chaotic snowy scene outside the tent, his voice softening slightly.
"Go and rest. On your way, please call Cang Ye over for me."
"Yes!" Hu Yanzhuo bowed again and steadily withdrew.
The moment the tent flap closed again, the howling of the wind and snow outside suddenly subsided, as if the thick felt of the tent had shut them out into another world.
Silence returned to the tent, except for the occasional faint crackling sound of pine resin popping in the brazier.
Mu Yun Lingyuan did not move immediately. He slowly leaned back into the bearskin couch and closed his eyes. His long eyelashes, like folded black butterflies, cast two faint shadows beneath his eyes.
My breathing was steady, but my heart swelled slightly with the flickering firelight. Memories of the past, mingled with the scent of wind and snow outside the tent, surfaced in my mind like faded paintings, one frame at a time, then spread out again.
He was not originally from this world.
Twelve years ago, he was a young man in another time and space, busy with ordinary affairs and looking forward to the future. A car accident without warning reversed time and space, and his soul wandered. When he opened his eyes again, he had become Mu Yun Ling Yuan, the eldest son of the Chanyu of the Mu Yun tribe in the northern border of the Xuanxu Continent.
The body of a three-year-old child houses a soul already mature. On the unfamiliar and vast grassland, he begins to "twist and learn" again.
From the initial bewilderment and secret elation upon discovering the mystery of "time travel," to quickly seeing through the cold, brutal laws of tribal warfare and the survival of the fittest in this world, all that remained was a deep-seated unease and constant vigilance.
This Xuanxu Continent is vast and boundless, yet there are no historical records of any dynasty in his memory to refer to.
Countless creatures live in scattered communities, bound together by tribes, where power determines rank and status, and pastures and livestock determine prosperity and decline.
The boundary between civilization and barbarism is blurred here; only survival and strength remain eternal themes.
At that time, the Muyun tribe was a powerful and prestigious clan in the northern frontier.
Unfortunately, the old Khan's grandfather, Muyun Shuo, was ambushed and killed in a crucial battle with the Changning tribe for control of the salt lake due to faulty intelligence. He also lost his main force.
The sudden death of the commander-in-chief was like a lion with its neck broken, and the power of the Muyun tribe collapsed in an instant.
The five major Xiongnu tribes that had long coveted the territory, as well as the Chidi, Guifang, Shanrong, Tufang, and Quanhu tribes under their rule, moved at the mere mention of the news. Like a pack of wolves pouncing on their prey, they swarmed forward, not only plundering the grasslands and livestock on the outskirts of the Muyun tribe, but also engaging in endless battles among themselves for the sake of profit.
The Muyun tribe was in a state of panic, with its major branches becoming increasingly disloyal. The once vast tribe was on the verge of disintegration, and its centuries-old foundation was in danger of being destroyed in an instant.
His father, Muyun Lie, who was appointed Chanyu in a time of crisis, worked to turn the tide and preserve the tribe's foundation and bloodline.
In order to reclaim the glory and Khan's throne that belonged to the Muyun tribe, they had no choice but to endure humiliation and personally go to the court of the Hu tribe, who had been allied with the Muyun tribe through marriage for generations, to humbly beg for help.
To show his sincerity, Mu Yunlie made a solemn promise: after the matter was completed, he would permanently cede the most fertile and lush grassland in the western part of the Mu Yun tribe, Kehu Pasture, to the Hu tribe, and also offer a thousand fine horses from the Western Regions, ten thousand taels of gold dust, and countless cattle and sheep hides.
All he asked for was the help of the barbarian cavalry to quell internal strife and suppress foreign aggression.
However, oaths made on the grasslands often prioritize profit over righteousness. Although the Great Khan of the Hu tribe had a past relationship with the ancestors of the Muyun tribe and coveted the richness of the Kehu Grassland, in chaotic times, empty promises are most easily scattered by the wind.
Only by using blood relatives as collateral and placing them before the tent can the alliance between the two families be truly secured and trust temporarily gained.
At that time, Mu Yun Lingyuan, as Mu Yun Lie's only legitimate son and the rightful eldest grandson of the Mu Yun tribe, had an unparalleled noble status and naturally became the most "suitable" one in the selection of hostages.
So, not long after his third birthday, wearing a brocade robe that his mother had hastily made overnight, which was still too big, he left the golden royal tent of the Muyun tribe, where he was born and raised, and embarked on the long journey to the royal court of the Hu tribe, amidst his mother's suppressed tears and endless worried gaze.
His mother quietly slipped a book of poems from the Central Plains, carefully wrapped in animal hide, into his arms; her fingertips were icy cold and trembling.
This separation lasted for a full twelve years.