White Horse Neighing in the West Wind #7

She was shocked, “Are they Han bandits?” Within a moment’s hesitation, she heard one of them call out, “The white horse, the white horse!” All the riders galloped over, shouting, “Stay still! Stay still!” Li Wenxiu cried, “Quick, gallop!”

But to the west was the boundless Great Gobi.

When she was younger, Su Pu had told her that there were ghosts in the Great Gobi. Anyone who ventured into the desert never walked out alive again. No, even if they turned into ghosts, they were unable to escape. Once someone ventured into the desert, he would walk in large circles. As he wandered around the desert, he would suddenly find a trail of footprints. He would be jubilant, thinking he had found the way out. But as he followed the footprints, he would finally realise that the footprints were actually made by him, and that he had been walking around in circles. He who perished in this manner was incapable of resting in peace, even when he had become a ghost. For he was unable to enter the heavenly paradise, and was doomed to walk in large circles continuously for all eternity.

Li Wenxiu had once queried the old man Ji, if the Great Gobi was really that frightening, and if people who ventured into it really never walked out again. When the old man heard her questions, the muscles in his face suddenly convulsed, revealing a terrified expression. He stole a look outside the window, as if he had seen many ghosts and demons. Li Wenxiu had never seen him so terrified, and did not dare to persist in her queries. She thought that this matter must be true, and perhaps Grandfather Ji had even seen those ghosts.

The white horse galloped madly. Seeing the thick yellow sands of the vast desert, and thinking about the ghosts doomed to walk in circles forever, made her extremely afraid. But the bandits were in hot pursuit of her. She remembered her parents, and remembered Su Pu’s mother and elder brother. She knew that if the bandits caught up with her she would be killed or perhaps suffer a fate worse than death. But if she went into the Great Gobi, she would not be able to rest in peace even after she turned into a ghost. She wanted to stop the horse and not escape anymore. As she looked back, she was no longer able to see the Kazaks’ tents and the verdant pastures. Five bandits were still chasing her, shouting and calling, while the remaining two had fallen behind. She heard those rough voices filled with excitement, “There can’t be any mistake, it is that horse! Catch her, catch her!” Hatred hidden in her heart for years burst out suddenly, and she thought, “Father and Mama were killed by them. I’ll lure them into the Great Gobi and we’ll perish together, exchanging my life for the lives of five bandits. After all… after all… there is no pleasure in living.” Her eyes filled with tears. Without any hesitation, she urged the white horse to gallop towards the west.

But even if they spoke very loudly, Li Wenxiu heard but paid no attention for she was not eavesdropping on their lovers’ prattle. It was as if she saw a little boy and a little girl before her eyes, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the grass like they were doing now. The little boy was Su Pu, but the little girl was herself. They were telling stories, but as to what stories they were, she had long forgotten, but the scene from ten years ago still appeared clearly before her eyes…

These men were subordinates of Huo Yuanlong and Chen Dahai’s protection agency, and had pursued White Horse Li San and his wife to the Muslim Region. Even though they had killed Li San and his wife, they had lost all trace of the little girl. They knew that Li San possessed the map to the Gao Chang Labyrinth. But since it was not found on Li San and his wife’s bodies, it had to be with that little girl. The Gao Chang Labyrinth hid countless treasures, thus the men from Jinwei Protection Agency refused to give up, and wandered about in this region, searching for that little girl. They had wandered for ten years. They did not work, and bullied the nomads on the pastures into giving them livestock by flaunting their martial arts skills. They only needed to pull out knives, and went around killing, burning, pillaging, raping…

In these ten years, they did not stop their search for that little girl. But the pastures were so vast, wherever could they start looking? The little girl could have died and her bones turned into ashes. As bandits in the pastures, they enjoyed much freedom. They felt much freer than operating a protection agency back in the Central Plains. So why would there be a need to return to the Central Plains?

Sometimes, they would discuss the treasures in the Gao Chang Labyrinth, and White Horse Li San’s daughter. Even if the girl had not died, she would have matured and would be unrecognizable. Only that white horse would remain unchanged. Tall, pure white horses like it were rare, and one could spot it from afar. But what if the white horse had also died? The lifespan of a horse was much shorter than the lifespan of a human. As the days passed one by one, they began to lose hope.

Whoever knew that they were actually able to spot the white horse? Yes, there was no mistake, it was that white horse!

The white horse was already aged. The strength of its legs was much lesser as compared to when it had been younger, but it was still able to run much faster than an ordinary horse. At dawn, it had already outrun the five bandits by a great distance, and she was unable to hear their pursuing hoofbeats. But she knew that she would leave a trail of horse prints and footprints. Even if the five bandits were unable to catch up with her now, they could still find her by following the prints. Thus, she did not dare to dally about.

She rode for more than ten li. The sun had already risen for quite some time. Riding over several sand dunes, she saw a hilly ridge in the northwestern direction. On the ridge grew lush verdant vegetation. Seeing this greenery in the desert was like seeing a heavenly paradise. Several sand dunes rising from the desert, hiding the ridge from view, thus one could not see it from far away. Li Wenxiu quaked, “Could this be a ghost hill? How come I’ve never heard anyone mention the existence of this hill?” Then she thought, “It’s best that this is a ghost hill; perfect for luring these five bandits inside.”

The horse moved quickly, and reached the front of the ridge in no time, and entered a valley. Between two hills flowed a little stream. The white horse gave a joyful neigh and dashed straight towards the stream. Li Wenxiu leapt off the horse. Using her hands, she scooped up some clear water to wash the sand and dust off her face. She then drank a few mouthfuls, and felt that the water tasted slightly sweet, and could be even considered as cool and refreshing.

Suddenly, she felt a hard object pressing against the back of her head. A hoarse voice said, “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Li Wenxiu was stunned, and was about to turn around when the voice said, “My staff is aimed directly at the back of your head. The slightest movement and you will die from serious injuries.” She felt the hard object move forwards slightly, and immediately felt dizzy. She did not dare to move, thinking, “Since this person is able to talk, I suppose he is not a ghost. He also asked me what I was doing here, which means that he must live here and therefore must not be a bandit.”

The voice continued, “I’m asking you something, why are you not answering me?” She responded, “Some bad people were chasing me, and I fled to this place.” The person queried, “What kind of bad people?” Li Wenxiu replied, “Many bandits.” That person said, “What kind of bandits? What are they called?” Li Wenxiu answered, “I don’t know. They used to be protection agents, but after they came to the Muslim Region, they became bandits.” That person asked, “What is your name? Who is your father? Who is your master?” Li Wenxiu said, “My name is Li Wenxiu; my father’s, White Horse Li San; my mother’s, ‘Gold and Silver Little Swords Sanniangzi’. I have no master.” That person grunted in reply, and said, “Oh, so ‘Gold and Silver Little Swords Sanniangzi’ married White Horse Li San. Where are your parents?” Li Wenxiu said, “They were killed by those bandits who also want to kill me.”

That person grunted in reply, and ordered, “Stand up!” Li Wenxiu stood up. That person then instructed, “Turn around.” Li Wenxiu turned around slowly. The sharp metal tip of that person’s wooden staff left the back of her head. He withdrew, and then extended the staff, so that it was pointing at her throat. But he did not exert all his strength, using only a little force to point the staff at her throat. Li Wenxiu glanced at him, and was surprised by what she saw. When she heard that hoarse, cold voice, she assumed that that person probably looked fierce and fearsome. But she saw a withered old man, who was thin and frail, and had a worried expression. He was wearing Han clothes which were extremely tattered and torn. But his hair was curly, and he did not look like a Han.

Li Wenxiu asked, “Old Uncle, what is your name? What is this place?” That old man was astounded to see that Li Wenxiu was rather beautiful. After being momentarily stunned, he answered coldly, “I don’t have a name, nor do I know what place this is.” Then they heard the indistinct sounds of hoof beats come from far away. Shocked, Li Wenxiu cried, “The bandits are here! Old Uncle, hide quickly.” That man said, “Why must I hide?” Li Wenxiu replied, “Those bandits are extremely evil, and they will kill you.” That man answered coldly, “We are strangers to each other, why do you care about my life or death?” At this time, the sound of the hoof beats came closer. Without caring that the tip of his staff was pointing at her throat, she stretched out her hand and grabbed his arm, saying, “Old Uncle, let’s escape together on the horse, or else it will be too late.”

That man shook his hand, trying to escape from Li Wenxiu’s grasp. But his shake lacked strength, and he was unable to free himself. Li Wenxiu asked, “Are you ill? I’ll help you up the horse.” She supported his waist with both her hands, and pushed him up onto the saddle. He was thin, and even though he was a man, his weight was lesser than that the weight of a well-proportioned Li Wenxiu. He sat in the saddle, swaying from side to side, as if he would fall off the saddle any time. Li Wenxiu also mounted the horse behind him, and urged the horse towards the interior of the hills. Within their delay, the five bandits had already ridden into the valley, and their cries could even be heard indistinctly. That man turned his head back suddenly, and cried, “You are in cahoots with them, aren’t you? You set a trap for me to fall into.” Li Wenxiu saw the sickly expression on his face turn to a hideous one, and a fierce light shone in his eyes. Frightened, she said, “No, no, I’ve never ever met you before, what trap would I set for you?” Sternly, he said, “You want to trick me into taking you to the Gao Chang Labyrinth…” Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly shut his mouth.

When Li Wenxiu had fled to the Muslim Region with her parents, she had heard her parents mention the three words ‘Gao Chang Labyrinth’ in their conversations. At that time, she did not understand what the term meant, and so she did not take much notice of it. Ten years later, this old man suddenly brought it up. She could not remember at once when she had heard someone mention it, and asking ignorantly, “The Gao Chang Labyrinth? What is that?” The old man saw that her expression was honest, and did not look as if she was lying. His voice relaxing, he said, “You really don’t know about the Gao Chang Labyrinth?”