The large tribes set up their royal courts, appointed their kings of the left and right wings,[1] and designated some lower-ranked tribal leaders to complete their control over the steppe.
However, as the steppe was too vast, a truly ambitious person would sometimes rise and overturn the original hierarchy of power.
Hassan felt he was currently witnessing such a change. When he heard the howling of the wolves, he was no longer afraid. Instead, he even felt a little excited.
The power displayed by his master had surpassed the level of all the other lords in the grasslands. That was the power of the gods.
After Yan Liuyuan sent the wolves away, Hassan and the others led the remaining horses and cows on the battlefield back to the tribe. The mutated horses were now the main mode of transportation for the nomads in the grasslands, while oxen were mainly used for transporting supplies.
When the wolves attacked this group of people, they were even specifically instructed by Yan Liuyuan not to harm the horses and the cows. This, in Hassan’s eyes, was truly a miracle.
After all, wolves were carnivores, so to be able to make them give up their prey, who else but a god could do something like?
On their way back, Yan Liuyuan kept silent the entire time. When they were about to arrive at the tribe, Xiaoyu suddenly said, “I shouldn’t have countered your orders in front of the others.”
Xiaoyu looked a little gloomy. She had followed Yan Liuyuan to the grasslands and knew exactly what he wanted to achieve. Unifying the grasslands was only the first step.
She could not stop Yan Liuyuan from wanting to do this, nor did she have any intention of stopping him, much less have any reason to stop him. So she just quietly watched everything from behind Yan Liuyuan.
Xiaoyu knew very well that the young man next to her was likely no longer the little brother she used to have. He was now the leader of a tribe. In the future, he would even become the leader of many more tribes, eventually setting up his own royal court to take control of the entire plains.
Therefore, she might not be able to talk to Yan Liuyuan like she used to.
But… she did not want to see this young man who used to be innocent and naïve fall into the abyss.
But after she said that to him, Yan Liuyuan suddenly smiled and said, “Thankfully you’re here, BIg Sister Xiaoyu.”
A strong gust of wind started blowing again, causing Yan Liuyuan and Xiaoyu’s clothes to flutter. Yan Liuyuan continued saying in the wind, “Sometimes, I really wish that my brother were still here with me. If it were him, it would probably be easier for him to unify the plains. But I know that he doesn’t have such thoughts. He was never an ambitious person and just wants to protect the people around him.”
Xiaoyu listened quietly.
“Regardless of whether my brother admits it or not, he’s still a good person in my heart. Actually, Big Sister Xiaoyu, you were right to stop me today. I was just thinking that if my brother were still alive, he would definitely hate this tyrannical me.” Yan Liuyuan sighed.
“He won’t.” Xiaoyu shook her head and said softly, “You’re the most important person to Xiaosu. Even if you fall into the abyss, he’ll still pull you out from it.”
“Mhm.”
Xiaoyu was very important to Yan Liuyuan. Only with her by his side could he continue being clear-headed.
On this day, Yan Liuyuan stood atop a grassy hill and looked south. He remained there from dusk until night, then from night until dawn.
Hassan came out of his tent several times and looked at the back of his master from afar. He felt his master looked a little lonely.
In the morning, when Yan Liuyuan returned to his tent, he was surprised to see a young girl kneeling inside.
Yan Liuyuan asked, “You’re Hassan’s daughter?”
The girl was a little timid. “Father asked me to come and serve you.”
Yan Liuyuan smiled helplessly. “You may leave. I have my own hands and feet, so I don’t need anyone to serve me. By the way, what’s your name?”
“Tsetseg.” The young girl answered timidly, “It means ‘flower.’”
“How old are you?” Yan Liuyuan asked again.
“13. I’ll be 14 in another three months,” Tsetseg answered.
Yan Liuyuan nodded. “Alright, I’ll remember it. Go on back to your mother now.”
But just as Yan Liuyuan was about to lie down and rest, Tsetseg ran out and brought in a basin of hot water and a cotton cloth.
She soaked the cotton cloth in the hot water and went to wipe Yan Liuyuan’s face. Yan Liuyuan asked, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Dad said that you’re a god who’s the protector of our tribe, so I don’t have to be afraid.” Tsetseg said.
Yan Liuyuan was stunned. It was not because Hassan had called him a god, but because he said that he was their “protector.”
He softened his tone. “I’m not a god. I’m just a normal person like you.”
“But you can command the wolves and command the eagles in the sky.” Tsetseg said, “And the girls in the tribe… they all say that you’re very good-looking….”
By her second line, Tsetseg’s voice softened.
Yan Liuyuan was indeed different from the males in the tribe. He did not have rough skin that was damaged by long exposure to ultraviolet rays, and his appearance was also more “defined.”
So many girls in the tribe were saying that only a god could look so good.
Xiaoyu had also mentioned this to Yan Liuyuan. Yan Liuyuan wondered how long it had been since these nomads saw people from the Central Plains.
When Tsetseg saw Yan Liuyuan not respond to her after a long time, she got a little anxious. “I can help comb your hair, wash your clothes, and cook for you. Dad wants me to stay in your tent. He says that… I’m yours from now on. If you chase me out, I’ll be very embarrassed.”
Yan Liuyuan was stunned. What kind of tradition was this?!
He laughed and said, “Then come help me comb my hair, but you don’t have to remain in my tent every day. After you bring hot water over in the morning, you can go back to your mother’s side.”
“Don’t I have to come over at night?” Tsetseg asked softly. To be honest, she wasn’t ready for this yet.
“No,” Yan Liuyuan said with a smile.
Then Tsetseg sat down behind Yan Liuyuan and wiped his hair with a wet towel, being careful and meticulous about it.
After a moment of silence, she could not help but say, “You’re not as dangerous as I thought. They’re all saying you made the wolves kill a lot of people yesterday, much more than the people we have in our tribe. But Big Sister Xiaoyu said that you’re a very nice person, so she told us not to be afraid of you.”
Before this, Tsetseg had lied. When Hassan told her to come to Yan Liuyuan’s tent, she was indeed a little scared.
But now she really was not scared anymore.
Yan Liuyuan did not respond to Tsetseg. Meanwhile, Tsetseg continued chattering, “If I only need to come over every morning to comb your hair, I can still go gathering with others during the day.”
Yan Liuyuan wondered, “Gathering?”
“Going out to gather some of the edible fungi,” Tsetseg explained. “Otherwise, we can only drink milk or go hungry. Dad said that many of the cows and goats died in the blizzard, so we can’t eat them anymore. We have to wait until they give birth next year.”
[1] “Worthy Prince of the Left (East)” and “Worthy Prince of the Right (West)” | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuqi_King
