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White Horse Neighing in the West Wind #5
Jin Yong | Novel Index | Part 5 of 23

White Horse Neighing in the West Wind #5

Translation by Junzi and goobernaculum


As the grey wolf rolled about, Li Wenxiu also took a few tumbles. But she still clung onto the wolf’s tail, never letting go. Su Pu struggled to get up. Seeing the huge grey wolf lying dead in the snow, he was momentarily astounded. Then he cried jubilantly, “I’ve killed a big wolf, I’ve killed a big wolf!” Stretching his hand to help Li Wenxiu up, he said proudly, “A’xiu, look, I’ve killed a big wolf!” He was so proud of himself that although his shoulder was bleeding profusely, he did not feel any pain. Li Wenxiu realised that his woolen jacket and soaking with blood and quickly pulled it open. She took a handkerchief from inside her clothes, and pressed down on his bleeding wound, asking, “Is it painful?” If Su Pu had been alone, he would be wailing loudly in pain. But at this moment his heart was filled with lofty heroism, and shook his head, saying, “I’m not afraid of pain!” Suddenly, someone from behind said, “A’pu, what are you doing?” Both of them turned their heads, and saw a large bearded man riding on a horse. Su Pu cried, “Father, look, I’ve killed a wolf.” The large man was pleased, and got off his horse. He saw that his son’s face was spattered with blood, and then ran a glance over Li Wenxiu’s face. He asked Su Pu, “You were bitten by the wolf?” Su Pu replied, “I was listening to A’xiu tell stories, and suddenly this wolf wanted to bite her…” Instantly, the large man’s face darkened. Gazing at Li Wenxiu, he said icily, “Are you the daughter of those Hans punished by Allah?” Li Wenxiu recognized him as Su Lu’ke, the man who had kicked her. She recalled old man Ji’s words, “His wife and eldest son were both killed by Han bandits overnight, and thus he now hates Hans terribly.” She nodded, and was about to say, “My father and mother were also harmed by those bandits.” Before she could say a word, there was a loud ‘swish’. A long reddish gash appeared on Su Pu’s face. His father had used a horsewhip to lash his face.

Su Lu’ke yelled, “I told you to hate the Han people for all eternity! But you forgot what I said, and actually went off to play with a Han girl, and even risking your life for her!” With another ‘swish’, he lashed his son a second time.

Su Pu did not dodge, but gazed dumbfounded at Li Wenxiu, and asked, “Is she really one of the Hans punished by Allah?” Su Lu’ke roared, “Isn’t she?” With another ‘swish’, he whipped Li Wenxiu’s face. Li Wenxiu moved two steps backwards, pressing her face with her hands. Su Pu had already been seriously injured by the wolf, and after being whipped twice, he was unable to support himself, and crumpled onto the ground.

Su Lu’ke was shocked when he saw that his son had shut his eyes and fainted. He carried his son, and leapt onto the horse’s back. He threw out a circle of rope, and lassoed the dead wolf’s neck. With a kick, the horse galloped off. The dead wolf was pulled along, leaving a long trail of blood in between two rows of hoofprints in the now. After riding about ten zhang, Su Lu’ke turned his head, and gave Li Wenxiu a poisonous glare, as if saying, “If I see you again, I’ll give you a good hiding.” Li Wenxiu was unafraid of his glare. But she felt an emptiness in her heart, for she knew that from this day onwards, Su Pu would not longer befriend her, and he would no longer listen to her sing and tell stories. She felt that the wind was so cold that it was unbearable, and the gash on her face hurt intensely as her pulse raced.

Sadly, she drove her sheep home. The old man Ji noticed a lot of blood on her clothes, and that there was a reddish mark of a whip on her face. Shocked, he questioned her on what had happened. Li Wenxiu simply said, “I was careless, and fell down.” Of course the old man did not believe her. But even after repeated questionings, Li Wenxiu continued to say the same thing. When he questioned her anxiously, she burst into tears and refused to speak anymore.

That night, Li Wenxiu ran a high fever, and her little face was flushed bright red. She raved continuously, “Big grey wolf! Su Pu, Su Pu, save me quickly!…Hans punished by Allah…” The old man Ji was able to guess what had happened, and was extremely anxious. Fortunately, at dawn, Li Wenxiu’s fever subsided, and she fell into a deep slumber.

Her illness lasted for more than a month. When she finally got out of bed, the harsh winter had ended. The snow on the mountains had begun to melt. The melted snow formed little streams, flowing down into the pastures. Tender blades of grass had started to appear in the pastures.

One day, Li Wenxiu awoke. She opened the door, intending to bring the sheep to the pastures. Then she saw a wolfskin mat outside the door. Li Wenxiu was stunned. The colour of the fur was exactly the same as the colour of the fur of the wolf which had tried to bite her in the snow that day. She bent down and saw that there was a hole made by a knife stab in the wolfskin’s belly area. Her heart thumped quickly, for she knew that Su Pu had not forgotten her, and he had not forgotten what he had said, secretly placing the wolfskin in front of her door in the middle of the night. She hid the wolfskin in her room, and did not mention it to the old man Ji. She herded the sheep to the pastures, and then went to their usual meeting place to wait for Su Pu.

She waited until sunset, but Su Pu did not turn up. She saw the flock of sheep belonging to Su Pu’s family, but the shepherd was a youth aged about seventeen or eighteen. Li Wenxiu thought, “Could it be that Su Pu has not yet recovered from his injuries? But then, how did he place the wolfskin outside my door?” She badly wanted to go to his tent to take a peek at him, but then she recalled Su Lu’ke’s whip.

In the middle of the night, she mustered up her courage, and walked to the back of Su Pu’s tent. She did not know the purpose of her visit. Was it to say, “Thank you for your wolfskin?” Was it to see if his wounds had healed? She herself did not know the answer. She hid behind the tent. Su Pu’s sheepdog recognized her, sniffed her body several times before trotting off, and did not make a sound. The tent was lighted by a candle made from beef fat, and Su Lu’ke was roaring loudly.

“Which girl did you give your wolfskin to? Good boy, you are young but know that you should give the first animal you killed to your sweetheart.” Every time he roared out a sentence, Li Wenxiu’s heart would throb violently. When she listened to Su Pu tell stories, he had told her about the Kazaks’ customs. Every youth would give his beloved sweetheart the precious first animal he had killed, as an indication of affection. When she heard Su Lu’ke’s yelling, her face flushed, and her heart burst with pride. They were too young to understand true love. But indistinctly, they felt the sweetness and bitterness of first love.

“You must’ve given it to that Han girl who was punished by Allah; that wretch called Li something, right? If you don’t tell the truth, let’s see whether you are stronger, or your father’s whip stronger?” She heard a series of swishes, and the sounds of a whip hitting flesh. Many Kazaks, like Su Lu’ke, strongly believed that whipping could produce strong, valiant men. One could not use gentle methods to discipline one’s son. His grandfather whipped his father in this way, his father whipped him in this way, and he would also whip his son in this way. But the love between father and son did not weaken because of this. When men dealt with other men, with friends and relatives they used fists and whips, with enemies they used short blades and long swords. But for Li Wenxiu, her parents never spoke a harsh word to her face since young. If their faces lost their smiles and tender looks, it was already a painful punishment to her. She could feel the pain of each whipping, thinking, “Su Pu’s father must hate me to the core. He is beating his own son so badly; would he beat him to death?” “So, you refuse to answer? Will you answer or not? You must’ve given it to that Han girl!” The whip continued its relentless whipping. At first, he gritted his teeth, trying to bear with the pain. Later, he cried, “Father, stop whipping, stop whipping, I’m in pain, I’m in pain!” Si Lu’ke said, “Then you’d better tell the truth, did you give the wolfskin to that Han girl? Do you know that your mother died in the hands of those Han bandits, and your elder brother was also killed by them? Do you know that they call me the bravest Kazak warrior, but my wife and son were still killed by Han bandits? Why wasn’t I home that fateful day? Why couldn’t I find these bandits and take revenge for your mother and elder brother?” At this time, Su Lu’ke’s whip was no longer disciplining his son, but venting the wild fury in his heart. Every time he whipped, it was as if he was whipping his enemies. “Why can’t those cursed bandits have a showdown with me using swords and spears? Why don’t you answer? How can I, Su Lu’ke, the bravest Kazak warrior, be unable to beat several Han crooks…” The child whom Huo Yuanlong and Chen Dahai’s men killed was his most beloved eldest son. The wife, who had been insulted and killed by the men, had been his sweetheart since young, and they had grown up together. And he was considered the bravest Kazak warrior for more than two decades. Whether it was comparing strength, fist fighting, or horse racing, he had never lost to anyone.

Li Wenxiu pitied Su Pu for being beaten by his father, and felt that his crying and yelling was also very pitiful. “He is whipping so hard; he must not love Su Pu any longer. He doesn’t have a son anymore, and Su Pu doesn’t have a father anymore. It’s all my fault; me, this Han girl who was punished by Allah!” Suddenly, she began to pity herself.

She could not bear to hear Su Pu’s cries any longer. So she returned to the old man’s hut, and removed the wolfskin from underneath her bedding, and looked at it for a long time. She was separated from Su Pu’s tent by more than two li of land, but it was as if she could hear Su Pu’s cries, and the swishing of Su Lu’ke’s whip. She liked this piece of wolfskin very much, but she could not keep it.

“If I keep this wolfskin, Su Pu will be beaten to death by his father. Only Kazak girls, girls from the Islamic faith can keep this big piece of wolfskin. Among all the many Kazak girls, who is the most beautiful? I like this piece of wolfksin a lot, it was from the wolf Su Pu killed, the wolf which he risked his life to save me from. Su Pu gave it to me, but… but his father will beat him to death…” The next morning, a bloodshot-eyed Su Lu’ke came out from his tent. He heard Che Erku hum mountain folk songs loudly. He cocked his head and gazed at Su Lu’ke, a curious expression on his face. He was smiling, and there was goodwill in his eyes. Che Erku was a famous Kazak warrior, and people from a thousand miles away knew his talent in taming wild horses. He was extremely swift when he ran. Some said that no steed could outrun him within a distance of one li. Even if he lost to the horse after running more than one li, he would lose only by the length of a nose. When the nomads in the pastures sat around fires chatting, many said that Che Erku would’ve won if his nose wasn’t that flat. Su Lu’ke never had a good relationship with Che Erku. Su Lu’ke was very famous, for his swordfighting and fist fighting skills were invincible. For this, Che Erku was secretly jealous of him. He was younger than Su Lu’ke by six years. Once, they competed in swordfighting. Che Erku lost, and suffered a long gash in his shoulder. He said, “Today I have lost, but after five years, or even ten years, we’ll compete again. Su Lu’ke replied, “In another two decades, we’ll compete again. But then, my strokes will not be so light!”