Chapter 20: The People’s Worship
The Boer Grasslands tribe was holding a grand autumn hunting bonfire feast within their felt-tent camp.
The people of the grasslands were known for their rugged personalities, loud voices, and fierce expressions. They drank, played drinking games, and their laughter echoed across the area.
Among them, the largest and most intimidating figure was the Khan of the grasslands, Yan Chaoyue, who sat at the prominent position at the head of the feast.
A burly, muscular general with a large beard approached Yan Chaoyue, holding a bowl of some animal’s blood to offer as a drink. “Khan, I offer you a cup!”
“Let’s celebrate the great success of this autumn hunt!”
Drinking blood in place of wine was a traditional way of showing respect in the tribe. The bearded general had been hoping for a promotion for quite some time.
Although the general’s face looked fierce, he became even more terrifying when he smiled.
As he raised the drink to the Khan, he noticed that the Khan was frowning at him, his face twitching.
A chill ran down the general’s spine. What had he done to offend the Khan?
Meanwhile, Yan Chaoyue’s heart also skipped a beat. He stared at the bowl of blood in the general’s hand with dread.
His facial muscles tensed, and he appeared stern and commanding, but beneath the table, his legs were shaking uncontrollably.
Help! He couldn’t keep up this act of being a tough man for even one more day!
The grassland tribe was too terrifying. He just wanted to go home!
The general had waited for a long time, and Yan Chaoyue, bracing himself, reluctantly raised his bowl to clink it with the general’s.
But he was so nervous that even his hand holding the bowl trembled.
The grassland people’s drinking bowls were almost as large as their faces, and the force of the clink couldn’t be controlled.
“Bang—”
Yan Chaoyue’s hand slipped, and the bowl fell to the ground, shattering into pieces!
The general’s face immediately darkened, becoming even more frightening.
‘It’s over. I’m doomed.’
Sure enough, the next moment, his youngest brother, Arunna Danyu, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Big Brother, what is the meaning of this? How dare you treat the heroes of our tribe like this!”
His second brother, Arunna Danyan, joined in, adding, “Big Brother, are you upset because the bearded general’s words were mocking you for not catching a single animal during the autumn hunt? You’re angry, aren’t you?”
“Can someone with such a temper really be suited to be the Khan?”
At that moment, a high priest in the tribe stood up to chime in, “Khan, with all due respect, during such a sacred time as the autumn hunt, you didn’t catch a single animal. This might be a sign from the Grassland Guardian that your abilities are lacking.”
“In my opinion, we should hold a tribal duel to select a new Khan!”
Many of the generals present had witnessed the Khan’s poor performance during the hunt in recent days—he couldn’t even hold his bow steady.
One of them sighed, “Ever since the Khan recovered from his illness, his condition has not been the same.”
The atmosphere in the room grew tense!
Tuo Baisong, Yan Chaoyue’s trusted personal aide, looked around with concern. Support for him was dwindling.
Yan Chaoyue, now under attack by the court, felt his mind go blank. He was finished—he was going to die.
Just as he was about to send a message in the group chat asking for help, he saw that Jiang Lili had sent a red envelope.
‘Wuwuwu’, he thought, ‘Is this Jiang Lili sending me money for my coffin?’
But without thinking much, he clicked on it anyway.
When the red envelope opened, an image of a pair of wild geese appeared. Yan Chaoyue stared in disbelief. What was going on?
The moment he opened the red envelope, a pair of wild geese suddenly descended from the sky, crashing onto the banquet table with a loud bang!
Seeing what had just fallen from the sky, everyone was stunned!
Wild geese, the symbol of good fortune!
Yan Chaoyue’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head in shock. Could this pair of wild geese carry him away and help him escape from the scene?
While Yan Chaoyue was still stunned, his loyal aide, Tuo Baisong, had already dropped to his knees in front of him, shouting loudly, “The Grassland Guardian has manifested!”
“The wild geese symbolize good fortune. This pair of wild geese is a gift from the Grassland Guardian to the Khan!”
Tuo Baisong glared at the ministers who were still in a daze, “You fools, why are you still standing? Kneel and worship!”
“The wild geese fell from the sky and landed in front of the Khan. This means that the Khan is the greatest winner of the autumn hunt, without even having to lift a finger!”
“You all are trying to provoke the Khan, but not even a finger of the Khan can be compared to yours!”
Yan Chaoyue snapped out of his stupor, secretly amazed. Damn, Tuo Baisong had a godlike understanding of the situation!
The people of the grassland believed in the Grassland Guardian. They trusted that it was the Guardian who ensured their prosperity and food. Now, the Khan, under attack, had the Guardian intervene on his behalf, showing support!
The ministers, who had been standing frozen, suddenly dropped to their knees, shouting in unison, “The Grassland Guardian is mighty! Long live the Khan!”
Although Yan Chaoyue didn’t have the courage to act bravely, he wasn’t brainless. He quickly joined in, slamming his hand on the table and angrily pointing at his troublesome younger brothers, “How dare you make reckless assumptions about the intentions of the Grassland Guardian? You’ve angered the Guardian, and now it has manifested to support me!”
“The wine bowl was accidentally knocked over by me, and yet you’ve blown it out of proportion!”
The faith in the Grassland Guardian had been ingrained in them since childhood. Even though Danyu and Danyan were still in shock, they had no choice but to accept the reality before them.
As they had attempted to force the Khan out of power, a pair of wild geese had descended from the sky, landing right in front of the Khan.
Had their actions angered the Grassland Guardian?
Danyu and Danyan, their hearts filled with resentment and fear, unwillingly dropped to their knees and kowtowed, “The Grassland Guardian is mighty! Long live the Khan!”
As for the most superstitious high priest, he had already dropped to his knees and was banging his head against the floor, “I was foolish! Please forgive me, Grassland Guardian!”
Those who had spoken out earlier repented for a long while, and the banquet continued. After that, no one dared to cause any more trouble.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lili, seeing the notification on the group chat that read, “Yan Chaoyue has claimed the pair of wild geese you sent,” fell into silence.
[Jiang Lili: You brat, I accidentally sent the red envelope! Give me back my geese!!! @Yan Chaoyue]
[Yan Chaoyue: Treasure Li! Sister Li! Dad! Don’t say anything more, from now on, you are my reborn parent! Love from Boer Grassland (heart emoji)]
Jiang Lili was left confused. What the heck? She couldn’t understand what Yan Chaoyue’s message meant: [Calling me dad won’t help, give me my geese back, they were mine to look after!]
[@Yan Chaoyue: The red envelope sending option is gray on my side. It seems only you can send red envelopes in the group.]
Seeing this message, Jiang Lili immediately became anxious. This darn chat group had really caused her a lot of trouble.
“Miss, thank you! But where are my geese?”
Jiang Lili looked up to see the hunter uncle, smiling awkwardly as he walked over, “Sorry, I’ve kept you waiting. I was really in a hurry.”
Jiang Lili was covered in a cold sweat, her face flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t come up with a proper excuse, “Uh, uh, the geese flew away?”
She made a flying gesture.
The uncle was confused, “Huh? You weren’t pecked by the geese, were you?”
Jiang Lili shook her head and emptied the candy from her pocket, stuffing it into the hunter uncle’s hands. “Uncle, take these candies for now.”
She demonstrated how to unwrap the candy, then added, “I’ll make it up to you with a pair of geese another day, just name your price.”
Fearing that the hunter’s family might go hungry due to the lack of game that day, she quickly suggested, “Also, bring your family over. I’ll treat you all to dinner.”
The uncle’s eyes lit up as he took the candy. Sweets like these were rare in the mountains, and they were very expensive in Linzhou. His family had never tasted such treats, and he was sure his wife and children would be very happy to get them.
“No need, miss. These candies are enough. My family still has some dried beef.”
The uncle happily left with the candy in hand, and Jiang Lili sighed in relief. Thankfully, the people in the village were friendly.
After dinner, Jiang Lili went to bed early. Tomorrow, she would be heading to Linzhou!
