Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Can’t Think About It, Absolutely Can’t Think About It
It was indeed substantial. Tana didn’t know what to say: “How… how is it so big…”
Was this all for them?
“Of course.” Sangtu waved his hand and laughed: “Sukhe said this is just the first part. Changqing saved his life—he’d love to send ten cattle over.”
Yesterday was fine, but today the snow was already thigh-deep in some places.
If they hadn’t rescued Sukhe, by the time Alatan and the others found him, he would have frozen to death long ago.
“We were lucky to choose such a good spot.” Qiaoba sat down by the sleeping area, quite emotional: “I had people check—where we dug those traps, the snow is already so deep that horses can’t walk through it.”
Their area, being somewhat on a slope with more wind-sheltered spots, didn’t have snow as deep and the temperature wasn’t as low either.
“Yes, this year with this weather, Aotel was really right to leave early.” Sangtu thought of the Tenth Pasture’s terrible situation last night and couldn’t help feeling afraid.
As they talked, Tana had already set up the pot: “Let’s eat the meat first and talk while we eat.”
“Alright, haha!” Sangtu had also brought a pot of well-stewed meat and put it together with theirs: “I originally thought we’d eat at my place, but Qiaoba said you were probably still sleeping.”
They didn’t want to wake him up early, and they happened to be delivering horse meat, so they came directly.
Xie Changqing smiled and told them about what Batu had just told him.
Hearing that the wild horse king had appeared, Qiaoba and the others weren’t surprised: “Nuomin mentioned it this morning… but about this group of people you mentioned… the Sixth Pasture hasn’t passed by us yet, and the Tenth Pasture passed by a while ago…”
If it wasn’t these two pastures… could it be the Eighth Pasture?
“It probably wouldn’t be the Seventh Pasture.” Qiaoba chewed his meat thoughtfully: “They’re close to us. If something was up, they’d definitely let me know directly.”
After all, they had a decent relationship, and the Seventh Pasture’s location was acceptable—at least on the surface, there was no need to create conflicts.
“That’s true…”
They talked and ate in quite a lively atmosphere.
Qiaoba glanced at Xie Changqing and suddenly changed the subject: “By the way, I had Qiqige stay at Sangtu’s place instead of bringing her along. You can bring some of that ointment over later, and she can change the dressing herself. You won’t have to run back and forth in the wind and snow.”
“Alright.” This would save Xie Changqing some time, and he was thinking of making another trip to the trap area: “I think that trap might not have been intended for wild boars after all.”
That depth… and in that location.
It was dug right around the time the wild horse herd appeared in the area—very suspicious.
“That can’t be right, can it?” Qiaoba frowned, not understanding: “If the wild horse king fell in, wouldn’t that be a complete waste?”
Anyone targeting this wild horse herd was basically aiming to tame the wild horse king.
And horses, no matter how capable, were basically doomed once their legs were broken.
Just thinking about the wild horse king falling into the pit made Qiaoba feel his heart tighten.
That would really be… such a waste!
“I observed it… it really might be possible.” Sangtu held a piece of meat in his teeth, pondering: “Remember when we went to catch the wild horse king? All the other horses would run around following it, but if any horse fell behind, the wild horse king wouldn’t immediately run away.”
Xie Changqing nodded, confirming his guess: “That’s right. It’s a horse with feelings and loyalty, so after those people noticed this trait, the trap wasn’t meant for the wild horse king to fall into, but for other wild horses to fall in.”
If other horses fell into the trap, based on the wild horse king’s habits, it definitely wouldn’t leave immediately and might even come forward to check.
“So those grass ropes we pulled out at the time…”
Sangtu and Qiaoba looked at each other, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes: “So they weren’t for marking the trap location, but were trip ropes for horses!”
They had inadvertently saved the wild horse king’s life…
Xie Changqing was about to speak when he suddenly heard Batu shout outside: “Aha, there are so many people outside! Wow, so many injured people!”
The meat in their hands suddenly didn’t taste as good. Xie Changqing and the others quickly went outside.
Because he’d been praised by Xie Changqing for spotting people earlier, Batu was very excited.
Now he pointed excitedly into the distance: “Look, so many people!”
Indeed, there were many people, and they weren’t taking the Tenth Pasture’s route but walking along the edge of their pasture.
Being closer, they could clearly see that their formation was very scattered, with many people having bloodstains on their clothes.
Some people were still riding horses despite being injured, with no time to rest at all.
The livestock were trailing behind, some with people managing them, some without, and some had collapsed on the ground with no one even looking at them.
Clearly, the journey was too far and they were all exhausted.
If they hadn’t still been far from their destination, these people would probably want to sleep right where they were, regardless of the cold.
“Hm? Chaolu.” Qiaoba frowned and muttered in confusion.
Xie Changqing followed his gaze and indeed saw that Chaolu was also injured.
And he hadn’t even had time to bandage it—his leg was bright red, and it was unclear whether the blood had clotted.
“Could there still be wolves chasing from behind? They’re in such a hurry.” Xie Changqing was very puzzled.
“Probably they don’t dare stop.” Qiaoba thought about it and sighed: “This snow keeps falling without stopping. We’re fine here, but the snow on the windward side will probably reach waist-deep soon.”
When that happened, even if they wanted to leave, they wouldn’t be able to.
So even though they were all tired, sleepy, and in pain, they could only grit their teeth and keep going.
Sangtu made a sound of interest and laughed mockingly: “Hey! How interesting—they seem to… have seen us.”
Indeed, the group over there had paused.
Earlier, when Agula returned and told them that the Ninth Pasture had taken the best winter pasture, they didn’t really believe it in their hearts.
After all, the Ninth Pasture had lost so many people—they would definitely be in chaos for several days. Even if they left early for winter pasture, they might not gain an advantage, and even if they occupied a spot first, they might not be able to hold it steady.
Because they no longer had a veterinarian, they might even have to beg other pastures to let them stay together, lest their livestock die en masse during the harsh winter without a veterinarian.
But now, seeing with their own eyes that the Ninth Pasture people had not only indeed gained every advantage but were living quite happily here, many people’s expressions changed.
Especially people like Chaolu who had originally been from the Ninth Pasture—seeing their former acquaintances still cheerfully collecting cow dung and cutting grass