122. Today, the Barbarian Girl Emulates A-Man

The assassins were bolder than Ye Chang had imagined.

Shortly after Ye Chang and Shanzhi abandoned their carriage and dashed into the woods, the pursuers reached the edge of the forest. The dense trees did not cause them a moment's hesitation; they plunged in with swift, predatory intent.

The tangled branches proved difficult for men on horseback, but they were decisive, immediately dismounting to continue the chase on foot.

Without bows, Shanzhi might have dared to turn and fight, but against archers, even if he were twice as capable, his only option was to flee. Fortunately, during their martial training, Ye Chang and Shanzhi had made it a daily habit to run along mountain paths, granting them considerable speed. Though the gap was closing, their pursuers could not catch them immediately.

However, Ye Chang soon realized something was wrong. They were fleeing in a blind panic, while the pursuers were cutting across the straight path to intercept them.

The two sides were now very close, and with the forest so dense, the assassins could not use their bows either, abandoning them in favor of swords and blades. Ye Chang was frantic; he had no time to ponder who might have sent these men.

Shanzhi met the attackers head-on, leaping to kick aside a man blocking their path. "Go!"

Ye Chang knew this was no street brawl with thugs. Remaining here was useless, while running away might actually serve a purpose—these men were clearly after him. Using the opening Shanzhi had created, he bolted. He could hear Shanzhi’s continuous, furious roars behind him. Glancing back, he saw the monk acting like a man possessed, using one assassin as a shield to knock down two others before breaking through the encirclement again.

Seeing that Shanzhi had escaped, Ye Chang picked up his pace. But after twisting and turning through the woods, he realized the monk had not followed him; instead, it was three assassins who had caught up.

Although Ye Chang had been practicing martial arts with the monk, relying on only a year of training to defeat three assassins was the stuff of common folktales. Knowing this, he did not charge but instead veered away.

They were not far from the hostel gathering point now; through the gaps in the trees, he could see the buildings. "Help! Help!" Ye Chang screamed, sprinting wildly, losing all sense of poise or composure.

In his frantic dash, he heard a sharp shout behind him. Without thinking, he lunged forward. He felt a chill against his head, and his hair bun seemed to be grazed by something, coming undone and nearly blinding his vision.

This dive caused him to roll down the slope, putting more distance between him and his pursuers. Just as he was about to scramble up, a voice rang out from ahead: "Kill!"

The voice was terrifyingly close, as if right in front of him. Ye Chang closed his eyes and sighed. It was too close to dodge. His mind went blank, devoid of any thought.

Time seemed to freeze. Then, he heard a scream, and something hot splashed onto his back. He glanced back to see one of his pursuers standing rigid before collapsing to the ground.

"Ah?"

They were barbarians. A dozen of them appeared before him, and the leader was none other than the woman, Ashima.

Though rescued, Ye Chang was more confused than ever. First, the identity of the assassins: Who would try to kill him? Wang Jin? Zhang Pei? An Lushan? Wang Yuanbao? Or someone else?

As he tallied them up, he realized he had offended quite a few people. Yet, upon reflection, he hadn't provoked any of them; they had all come for him for no apparent reason. If not for the plans he had laid over the past year, these enemies would have picked his bones clean long ago.

He quickly dismissed those names. Wang Jin, Zhang Pei, and Wang Yuanbao could not possibly command such elite, capable men. Only An Lushan might, but his most reliable subordinates were Hu tribesmen, and these attackers did not look like them.

As he pondered, the barbarians swarmed the two remaining assassins. Seeing the odds, the attackers turned and fled. The barbarians prepared to pursue, but Ashima called them back.

"Master Ye, why are you here, and why were you being hunted?" Ashima asked, looking surprised.

Ye Chang gasped for air, struggling to steady his breathing. Just as he was about to answer, Ashima’s expression shifted. "No, they're coming back. Let's go!"

With that, she grabbed Ye Chang and ran. He heard the faint sounds of pursuit and, remembering the assassins had bows while the barbarians only had short blades, he ran as fast as he could, silently praying that nothing would happen to Shi Shanzhi.

They ran for a long time until they reached the banks of the canal. With no pursuers in sight, Ye Chang steadied himself, ready to thank Ashima, but he caught a strange, mocking glint in her eyes.

A bad feeling rose in him. Before he could react, she swung her arm, and he heard a buzz behind his ears. A sword hilt struck the back of his head, and he lost consciousness.

"Pack him up and take him," Ashima commanded.

The barbarians bound him, stuffed him into a sack, and hauled him onto a boat already waiting at the shore. Ashima boarded with a smile, tossing a small gold ingot to the boatman squatting at the bow. "Set sail."

"Right away!" the boatman beamed.

"Princess?" one of the barbarians asked. "Are we really taking this Han man with us?"

"Naturally," Ashima said firmly.

When Ye Chang awoke, his head was throbbing. He didn't open his eyes immediately, choosing to carefully sense his surroundings. This ordeal was completely unexpected. He had left the city after the market competition specifically to avoid trouble, only to be hunted down. It proved one thing: he had been targeted during the competition, and when he packed his bags to leave, his enemies had anticipated his move and prepared the ambush.

He had chosen that time to leave because the roads were empty, but that had only played into their hands. This realization left him stunned: his opponent was not only meticulous and possessed loyal, powerful subordinates, but also understood his personality well.

Who could it be?

He didn't dwell on the identity of the enemy; if they wanted his life, they would meet again soon enough. He needed to consider his current predicament. He had fallen into the hands of the barbarians rather than the assassins. These barbarians should have been in the capital waiting for an audience with Emperor Li Longji, so why were they outside the city? Why save him, only to knock him out and abduct him?

Suddenly, Ashima’s voice sounded in his ear: "Master Ye? Master Ye?"

Ye Chang opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his aching head. He silently vowed that once he returned, he would recruit warriors and equip himself with a dozen house guards; he would never travel with only Shanzhi again.

"Awake?" Ashima sat half-kneeling on the boat deck, smiling at him.

The cabin was dark and damp. Ashima, used to the humid south, didn't mind, but Ye Chang, uncomfortable with the wetness, crouched.

"Thank you for saving my life," Ye Chang squinted. "But why did you knock me out and bring me onto this boat?"

"My apologies," Ashima said, imitating the etiquette of a Tang lady before laughing. "But without that, I feared I wouldn't be able to invite you along."

"Oh?"

"Master Ye, you promised to help our Yexi Tribe. Why did you abandon us?" Ashima stared at him before speaking bluntly. The Tang gentleman was too complex for her to read, and she had no interest in playing mind games.

"I introduced you to Princess Yuzhen. What happened? Did you fail to reach an agreement?"

"Why do you persist in lying, Master Ye? You know very well that you, the Princess, and your Great Tang have sold us out." Ashima sneered, revealing white teeth. "You Tang people, in order to get the Meng clan of Nanzhao to fight the Quanrong for you, sold out our Yexi Tribe. In your words, this is called 'sacrifice'."

Ye Chang wasn't embarrassed, just surprised. Princess Yuzhen had told him about this, but how did Ashima know?

"Did you think we were fools? You Tang people look down on us as barbarians, but we are just as clever as you," Ashima said sharply. "Master Ye, I have found out that neither you nor Princess Yuzhen have any intention of helping us. You only want to take advantage of us and seize our kapok."

It turned out that after Ye Chang left, Princess Yuzhen had summoned Ashima several times, only to ask about the customs of the Six Tribes without ever mentioning aid. When Ashima asked for an audience with the Emperor, Yuzhen brushed her off. Yuzhen was proud and made little effort to hide her true thoughts in front of the barbarian girl, allowing Ashima to spot the ruse. She had then bribed a steward in the Princess's household to learn the truth.

Realizing the Tang had no intention of aiding them, Ashima had lost hope. Since her mission could not succeed, she had prepared to return.

"I am curious," Ye Chang said, not bothering to defend himself. "If you were returning, shouldn't you have gone south through the Ziwu Valley and into Jiannan? Why were you at the East Gate, and why are you on a boat now?"

"Because I intended to go to Wolong Valley to invite you south to help our tribe protect our borders and enrich our people," Ashima smiled sweetly. "I never expected that before I could depart, you would come to me. It is clearly a sign from the Taoist ancestors—you truly are the Zhuge Kongming of our Yexi Tribe!"

After Kongming’s campaign in the south, the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice had spread there. In the Tang era, the Six Tribes worshipped their own totems alongside the Taoist ancestors. She folded her hands in prayer, clearly believing this was a great blessing.

Ye Chang was stunned. "This... do you mean you want me to go to the Yexi Tribe?"

"Exactly. Don't you like kapok? You can have as much as you want there," Ashima said proudly. "Our mountains have gold and copper for weapons and treasure. If you love wealth, take it. If you love power, we will make you a Qingping Official—like your Tang Prime Minister—to plan and manage all matters of state."

The offer was incredibly generous. If she weren't a young woman, Ye Chang might have asked, "And what if I love beauty?"

Ashima looked at him eagerly. "What do you say, Master Ye?"

Ye Chang gave a bitter laugh. "I am unworthy, and I have no desire to serve in a foreign land. Lady Ashima, why force me?"

"Rest assured, Master Ye. Once we defeat the Mengshe Tribe, we will command our armies to fight the Tibetans and serve as the southwestern shield for the Great Tang for generations to come," Ashima promised. "When that day comes, if you wish to stay in Yexi, you will have eternal wealth. If you wish to return, with such a great achievement, you will surely rise to the top in the Tang."

She was relentless, covering every angle. Even his hesitation about becoming an enemy of the Tang had been addressed. But that wasn't the reason. Ye Chang had no interest in being a Prime Minister; he knew his own limits. He was good at big-picture concepts, but if it came to practical administration, even the post of a county magistrate would give him a headache. He liked wealth, but he already had ways to earn it.

"I am flattered, but I am truly overwhelmed," Ye Chang mused for a long time, appearing hesitant. When Ashima was about to press him, he said slowly, "It is just that I do not possess the ability."

"Master Ye, you Tang people are so frustrating. You always speak in circles," Ashima said, unhappy. "I have seen what you are capable of. Let me be honest: you are coming with me. Just tell me what conditions you need to serve our tribe willingly."

Seeing Ye Chang remain silent, Ashima flushed. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "My father, Bochong, is the lord of Yexi. I have no brothers. If you are willing, I will marry you. Our son shall be the lord of Yexi."

This was a forced abduction of a man... Ye Chang scratched his head. He couldn't answer this easily; if he hurt the young lady's feelings and she became vicious, she might just have him killed.

"This... I dare not, I dare not. I truly lack the talent and the fortune," Ye Chang said as gently as he could. "I..."

"Our Yexi Tribe are the 'White Barbarians.' My ancestors were Han people who fled the Central Plains during the Jin Dynasty," Ashima said, finally losing her temper. "Do you look down on me? Look!"

She threw a booklet at him. Ye Chang looked down and saw it was *The Illustrated Commentary on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms*—something he had concocted himself.

"What?"

"You have already taught me how to deal with you," Ashima huffed. She had intended to use kind words, but since Ye Chang wasn't buying it, she dropped the pretense.

"What do you mean?" Ye Chang was even more bewildered.

"I will treat you just as Cao Mengde treated Xu Yuanzhi," she declared.

Ye Chang was dumbfounded. Was this what it meant to shoot oneself in the foot?