Chapter 34
Chapter 34: The Rules of the Grassland
Well… it wasn’t really that he was weak—this just hurt too much.
Xie Changqing fixed his leg in place, using wooden sticks tied tightly to prevent deformation.
Of course, for comfort, he stuffed some gauze inside—very considerate of him.
After dealing with the leg injury, Xie Changqing was finally able to examine the head wound.
The head injury was actually relatively more dangerous.
Since it was an external wound, the cut was deep and full of debris.
Earlier, when Suhe had washed it himself, he’d only cleaned away the dried blood scabs that had oozed out—he hadn’t dared to be rough with the actual wound.
Xie Changqing spent a long time washing out some of the debris from inside.
It still wasn’t completely clean—he’d have to work out the deeper pieces bit by bit.
Therefore, he needed to disinfect first.
When he started disinfecting, Suhe woke up again.
There was no helping it—it just hurt too much.
He opened his eyes and said in agony, “Brother, why don’t you just put me out of my misery?”
Don’t do it bit by bit like this—if there was some grudge between them, just give him one quick stab.
Xie Changqing said helplessly, “This wound is very messy and deep. You probably hit the wall when you fell and got scraped along it.”
So there wasn’t just grass debris inside, but also stone particles and such.
If he didn’t clean it thoroughly now, it would fester and become infected.
“Then I’d have to take a knife and cut out all the rotted flesh, scraping away any infected tissue from inside the wound.”
Then stuff gauze in to prevent leaving a big hole.
Just thinking about that scene made Qiaoba’s spine go cold.
Suhe didn’t need to be told—his face went pale as he gritted his teeth. “Fine, go ahead.”
“Good! A real man!” Qiaoba gave him a thumbs up.
Hearing this, Suhe clenched his teeth, thinking that no matter how much it hurt, he wouldn’t make a sound.
As a result, Xie Changqing immediately picked out a wooden splinter that had been embedded deep inside.
“…Mmph!” Cold sweat instantly beaded on Suhe’s forehead, his hands gripping tight enough to make his veins bulge.
But there was no other way. Xie Changqing said helplessly, “Since it’s an exposed wound, I have to clean it quickly. This anesthetic is for animals—I can’t use it on you.”
The syringe was for veterinary use, huge—it would scare people just looking at it.
And since the injury was on his head, he could only use some topical medicine.
Otherwise, treating an external wound might end up making him an idiot, which would be…
By the time everything was cleaned, disinfected, and treated, Suhe’s back was completely soaked.
Xie Changqing applied medicine and wrapped his head round and round with gauze. “Are you dizzy? Do you feel nauseous or want to vomit?”
Suhe, eyes closed, gradually relaxed and said breathlessly, “…Yes.”
He’d just been forcing himself to endure it without making a sound.
“Mm, that means there’s some concussion.” After securing the bandages, Xie Changqing began washing his hands and cleaning his instruments. “Rest quietly, try to lie flat, don’t rush to get up. I’ll come check on you tomorrow—if the situation has improved, you can get up and walk around a bit.”
He couldn’t stay lying down constantly either, or his muscles might atrophy.
Haierte, who’d been watching the show from inside, was suddenly called out too: “The same goes for you.”
“…Oh!” Haierte nodded obediently.
Only then did Qiaoba come forward eagerly: “Suhe, how did you end up running over there? Were you coming to our pasture, or…”
Catching his breath, Suhe said wearily, “I wasn’t originally planning to come to your side…”
After receiving the information from Nuomin and the others, they’d immediately set out.
But they had a lot of people—it wasn’t like the Seventh Pasture where they could just leave when they wanted and travel when they needed to.
Even rushing as fast as they could, they’d only reached the foot of the mountain this afternoon.
There was still more than a day’s distance from here, but their winter pasture location from last year had already been taken by someone else.
So Suhe figured he’d scout ahead first, with the main group following slowly behind.
“I ran for ages—it was already evening when I found a suitable spot. It was pretty far from your place, but at least there was some grass.”
It was just bad luck that the snow kept falling. If he took the original route back, it would be too slow, and he was afraid he wouldn’t make it.
So he took a shortcut, thinking that since this was Qiaoba’s territory anyway, taking a shortcut wouldn’t matter.
Who would have thought he’d fall straight into a pit?
Speaking of this, Suhe was still indignant: “Qiaoba, what are you guys doing, digging such a big pit in a perfectly good road? Lucky it was me who fell in—if it had been someone else, believe me, there would have been a fight.”
“Ugh.” Qiaoba sighed, quite speechless. “Don’t even mention it—I want to find that bastard too.”
This pit wasn’t something they’d dug.
“…Huh?” Suhe was completely confused, asking in disbelief, “But this is your pasture…”
The kind of thing where someone went to another person’s pasture to dig traps—that really affected their actual interests and added considerable risk.
If they actually caught the person, there would definitely be a fight.
If the consequences were serious, or if the person dared to resist when they caught him, even beating him to death would be justified.
The rules of the grassland were just that harsh.
“Yeah, I’m planning to send someone to keep watch.” Qiaoba thought it over, his eyes somewhat dark. “When I catch him… hmph!”
“Alright, alright, it’s ready—let’s have something to eat!” Sangtu and the others had been preparing for a while.
Sangtu looked at Xie Changqing and said with a smile, “That stuff Changqing brought us last time—oh, the grass fruit—the meat really does taste better when cooked with it!”
He’d not only boiled some but also roasted some meat.
Mutton with dried mushrooms and radishes, a whole big pot full.
Sangtu’s wife was very grateful to Xie Changqing and served him a heaping bowl of mutton: “Here, try this—the skin’s completely tender.”
“Alright, thank you…” Xie Changqing was somewhat helpless—his bowl was piled high with meat.
But he hadn’t finished his flatbread that evening, and by now he was indeed hungry.
He picked up a piece of mutton that had been stewed to perfection, its texture clearly visible with every fiber saturated with rich broth.
The moment it entered his mouth, the lamb’s tender juiciness and mellow flavor burst together on his tongue.
First came the sensation of the meat’s delicate smoothness—with just a light press, the meat separated between his teeth, that fresh tenderness seeming to dance in his mouth.
Then the flavors of the spices added during stewing surged forward, the grass fruit’s aroma perfectly blending with the lamb’s natural deliciousness, creating a wonderfully complex and lingering taste.
The rich meaty fragrance kept echoing in his mouth—with each chew, the aroma grew stronger, rising through his nasal passages and making him unconsciously close his eyes in bliss.
It was as if his entire being was filled with this fresh fragrance, happiness arising naturally.
“Plenty of salt!” Sangtu stood with hands on hips, very proud. “How is it? My cooking’s not bad, right?”
“…Mmph! Delicious!” It wasn’t just good—it was absolutely delicious. Suhe couldn’t even lift his head as he ate. “Really tasty!”
Hailetu, who was eating mutton nearby, suddenly spoke up: “Uncle, I want to go guard that place.”
This came out of nowhere, leaving Qiaoba somewhat confused: “What?”
Everyone looked over. Hailetu continued gnawing on his mutton while saying calmly, “The trap.”
Being stared at by so many people made him nervous—he almost choked and quickly drank some soup before explaining: “That trap you mentioned—I’ll go guard it.”
“How could that work? In this freezing weather.” Qiaoba drank some soup and said naturally, “I’ll go myself.”
Although Hailetu was strong, he was still just a kid.
This time it was Nuomin who’d sent them to the Tenth Pasture—otherwise they wouldn’t have taken such a big loss.
Now Haierte was bedridden, and who knew how long it would take him to recover. How could he possibly let Hailetu go guard some trap?
“What’s the big deal?” Hailetu finished eating and wiped his mouth. “I’m strong—if someone really shows up, I can catch them.”
Qiaoba laughed and still shook his head: “I have a gun.”
No matter how strong you were, you still feared bullets.
That was true, but Hailetu thought about it and said, “But you sleep heavily at night. Nuomin said when you went to guard the wild horse king…”
“Alright, alright, stop talking!” Qiaoba’s expression changed and he immediately agreed: “Fine, fine, pack up later and come with me tomorrow!”
Really, there was no helping this little rascal.
Suhe nearby was grinning and egging him on: “What happened with the wild horse king last time? You guys went to catch the wild horse king too?”
Qiaoba stammered awkwardly, “Nothing much, just that the rope wasn’t strong enough…”
“The rope was plenty strong—didn’t you guys pull me back with it today?”
“Uh, maybe I remembered wrong. That day the horse didn’t run fast enough…”
“How’s that possible? Your Lightning runs incredibly fast, and that horse of yours is great too—I lost to you last time.”
Qiaoba threw up his hands in defeat: “You remembered wrong!”
“Haha!” Suhe couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out laughing.
But as he was laughing, Xie Changqing suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked, “So you guys went too?”
The laughter stopped abruptly, a flash of regret in Suhe’s eyes.
“…We went.” Suhe shook his head, reluctantly saying, “It’s just that… our timing was off, and we just missed it.”
“Oh? When did you go?” Xie Changqing continued pressing.
Suhe coughed and said vaguely, “Can’t remember clearly—it was probably early autumn… I think…”
“How could that be?” Qiaoba stared at him suspiciously and said in surprise, “Didn’t you say you went in early spring?”
“Uh…” Suhe struggled for a moment, then stubbornly said, “Ah, maybe I remembered wrong…”
Xie Changqing nodded and said pleasantly, “Early spring should have been perfect timing—so how did you let it escape?”
This time, Suhe’s face turned red, and for a long while he couldn’t get a word out.
He and Qiaoba made eye contact, then both guiltily looked away.
Well, both of them were about the same—they’d both taken big losses at the hands of the wild horse king.
Xie Changqing cheerfully knew when to quit while ahead and picked up his medical kit: “Alright, I’ll head back then.”
In just this short time, the snow outside had already covered their ankles.
“If it keeps snowing all night, we’ll probably have to walk everywhere tomorrow. Sigh…”
Qiaoba lifted the curtain and also sighed: “Good thing we have fewer people this year and managed to set up shelters for everything, otherwise the livestock would be in trouble.”
Hearing this, Suhe got anxious: “The snow hasn’t stopped? Then what am I going to do? No, I have to get up—I need to go notify them…”
He’d left markers at the new winter pasture location, but he still hadn’t notified the people from his pasture.
Since he was injured like this, he’d had no choice but to deal with his wounds first. Earlier, with all the people and commotion, he hadn’t thought about the snow still falling outside.
But now hearing that the snow had been falling continuously, he got worried.
Their people from the pasture hadn’t arrived yet!
“You lie down! How can you go in your condition!” Qiaoba quickly turned to stop him.
“My leg can be broken—what about all the people from our pasture!” Suhe struggled to get up.
He really couldn’t worry about anything else now—he’d go on horseback even wearing just his underwear.
Everyone quickly stopped him.
Never mind that his head was still spinning—the key point was that it was so late and so cold. An injured person making that rough journey would completely ruin his leg.
On the grassland, if your leg was ruined, you weren’t far from death.
“Besides, your horse… is already dead.” Qiaoba sighed.
Finally, having no other choice, he pressed Suhe back down: “Enough! Stop struggling! I’ll make this trip for you!”
“…Huh?” Suhe was stunned.
Wait, his horse…
“Abu!” Nuomin was getting anxious but couldn’t really speak up, so she just called his name once.
But Qiaoba was informing them, not asking for their opinion.
Since he was going, he didn’t delay any further and directly lifted the curtain to get his horse: “Sangtu, pack me some dry rations.”
“Oh, alright.” Sangtu’s wife efficiently went to pack the dry rations, even stuffing in some sliced dried beef, filling up a big bundle.
But Sangtu also went to get his horse, taking the bundle: “I’ll go with you.”
Xie Changqing thought about it and frowned: “I’ll come too.”
“That won’t do!” Even Qiaoba turned around to look at him: “You cannot have anything happen to you!”
Facing the wind and snow, Xie Changqing looked toward the distance.
The fierce wind was like an ancient beast, carrying snowflakes as it raged across the grassland with sharp howls.
Looking out, the grassland and horizon seemed to merge into one, all a chaotic mix of white and black.
Occasionally, a few withered grass stems trembled in the wind, stubbornly standing upright—the only signs of life in this cold, snowy night.
“With snow this heavy and the roads so difficult, there’s no telling if they’ve run into problems. If something really has happened, having me there means I can help however I can.” Xie Changqing pulled his scarf tight, his expression calm. “I happen to have all my things with me, so I can leave immediately.”
Qiaoba and Sangtu exchanged glances, lowering their eyes in thought for a moment.
Although they really wanted to refuse—they truly didn’t want Xie Changqing to come with them on this dangerous trip.
But…
They had to admit, Xie Changqing had a point.
Just like today’s situation—without Xie Changqing, Suhe would definitely have died.
“…Fine.” Finally, Qiaoba gritted his teeth: “Then come here, I’ll get you different clothes.”
He took off his wolf-fur outer coat and was about to put it on Xie Changqing.
“That won’t do.” Seeing this, Sangtu’s wife got anxious and quickly brought out Haierte’s fox fur: “Just wear Haierte’s. He’s injured and can’t go out recently anyway, and you’re different builds—he wouldn’t be warm in yours.”
“Right, right, and his mittens too.” Hailetu wasn’t polite at all and directly gathered up Haierte’s complete set: “All of this can be used.”
Xie Changqing had no time to refuse before they bundled him up thoroughly.
Not only that, but Hailetu also mounted his horse: “I’m taking all this stuff with me—I’m strong and can help carry things! I’m useful!”
What he feared most was people thinking he was useless.
“Mm, that works.” Qiaoba thought about it, and he and Sangtu both took their rifles.
Actually, the safest approach would be to wait until dawn before setting out.
Because with the snow falling, they were likely to encounter wolves in the wilderness.
But fearing that the people from the Tenth Pasture might die on the road, they could only take this gamble.
That was several hundred lives at stake!
Before they set off, Suhe suddenly shouted hoarsely: “Changqing! Qiaoba! Sangtu! Hailetu!”
The four of them turned back to see Suhe in the most reverent posture, dragging his injured leg, respectfully kneeling and kowtowing to them: “May the Eternal Blue Sky protect you—you will all return safely.”