Art of the Wolf
You land on the other horse’s back successfully if clumsily, having abandoned your rearing steed. It was an easy hop that took Yunzi by surprise, bringing the two of you face to face. She was more shocked than angered. The moment you arrive, however, she drives her foot towards you, hoping to knock you off before you have recovered from your landing. You barely manage to avoid it, twisting to the side. Your hasty dodge puts you in a poor position, your right heel touching thin air. Yunzi steps towards you aggressively, pressing her advantage with speed - she could knock you off with another blow. You brace yourself.
Then, her horse begins to move. Neighing loudly, it breaks into a trot. You can hear the crowd shouting; from the corner of your eyes, you see men beginning to run towards the horse. Even after having crouched down to steady yourself, you feel like you may be thrown off at any second. The princess, however, is caught by surprise, letting out a little yelp as she loses her balance and latches on to you for just a brief while, falling into your arms.
You see her eyes widen as she registers her mistake. Too late. You grab her left arm with both hands and pull, using the motion to balance yourself in the process - she attempts to resist, but cannot fight your strength. The princess falls. You’ve won.
Yunzi’s leg kicks out, unexpectedly sweeping you off your feet. You realize that her hand has been gripping the collar of your robes tightly, and you are pulled down along with her.
She should still hit the ground first, you expect. Her desperate attempt won’t rob you of your win.
Her thin fingers dig into your collar-bone as she twists.
She swings herself above you in mid-air, using her grip on you as leverage.
You have got to be kidding me, you think, as you slam into the ground. Her knees follow, sinking into your abdomen and compounding the pain. The reversal has happened so fast that you barely had time to register it, but at the very last second, the princess has somehow snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Yunzi gets off you unsteadily, her legs trembling. Panting from the exertions of the fight, she gives you a weak, contemptuous kick in the ribs before staggering towards the horse with a concerned look on her face. You’re still winded from that last blow and can’t offer her any reply. Wheezing on the ground, you can see that the horse is bucking and whinnying, a rather alarming amount of foam coming from its mouth.
Hopefully it’ll be okay.
A shadow falls over you.
“Good job, Jing,” says Shun cheerfully as he bends over your fallen body. He reaches out a hand. You clasp it, allowing him to help you to your feet. You see that the princess and several other tribespeople are dragging the struggling white horse away. When she turns to glare daggers at you, her eyes are wet, upset at the ailment that has stricken the horse. You get the feeling that she is blaming it on you.
Meanwhile, the Ashina are cheering loudly, some of them having started blowing on horns and flutes in an impromptu performance. Others are dancing to the music. It almost looks like a celebration. Several burly men and rough-looking women come up to you and pat you on the back, speaking excitedly and unintelligibly in their language. You cannot do anything but give them a confused smile, still groggy from hitting the ground. As they lead you away from the waving, grinning Crown Prince, a little girl with a cheeky smile runs up on her stubby legs and puts a garland over your neck. You wonder what it’s for.
***
“You’ve spent the last half hour expressing your irritation with the princess, Jing,” groans Shun, pinching your gloomy face. “I know you hate losing in a match, but she did beat you fair and square.” The both of you are resting in a tent, waiting for news from the Duke of Xiliang.
“I’ll admit that,” you say grudgingly, “though you think she could be a bit more gracious about it, being a princess and all. Anyway, if we were fighting on solid ground, I would have won.” You rub your aching stomach, sore at your loss. “So, what did the duke say?”
The prince’s face turns serious. “Stay out of his way for a while. Your horse-jumping stunt made him really angry. It was too reckless.”
“You think it was too reckless?”
“Well, it was fun to watch, but I wouldn’t have tried it. For multiple reasons. I’m sure it will work out fine in the end, however.”
You are about to ask him what reasons, when Bulun Khan comes sweeping into the tent. You remember your manners and drop to one knee, though Shun, being Shun, merely greets the khan with a smile and a lazy wave. A tall Ashina with a powerful build follows Bulun into the tent, his face seemingly carved from stone. His hair hangs in multiple braids.
“There’s no need to be so formal,” laughs the khan as he drops to the ground and sits down without a care. He beckons at you to do the same. You bow and proceed to sit cross-legged, facing him.
“Have you come to terms with Xiliang?” asks Shun directly. The khan places both hands on his thighs, leans forward, and replies, “Yes, Prince Shun. The Ashina will be a voice of moderation in the upcoming kurultai. We will tell them that the Tang are full of young tigers,” -he gestures at both you and the prince when he says that, “-and will not be easy prey. However, the current Khagan is a man who takes advantage where he sees it. Despite what we may say, he knows that your borders are weak, and porous to his raids. Our words will only buy you time. The Pugu and Bayegu tribes are pressing for full invasion, and their influence grows by the day.”
Shun nods, bowing his head respectfully. “That will be sufficient, Bulun Khan. The Tang thanks you for your understanding. It is better for us to grow stronger together. There is enough in the world for both the Tujue and the Tang.”
“Indeed. I have always been convinced of the importance of cooperation, but we needed to show the representatives of the other tribes what we already knew. They have witnessed a great performance from the Han today and will return impressed,” says the khan. “I apologize for not being straightforward, but it was necessary to see what you would do. More importantly, what should we do with the young lad that just declared his love so publicly?”
“What?” You sputter.
“Right, I guess you didn’t know,” explains Shun calmly, though there is an amused glint in his eyes. “For a man to give up his own steed and cross over to a woman’s horse is a confident declaration of undying love amongst the Ashina.”
“I didn’t… well, forget about that,” you groan. You understand that rituals are rituals, and symbolism overrides intent. At least you will be returning to the capital soon, where you can forget about all that has happened here. Who cares if you mistakenly professed love to that girl? Something else concerned you more. “Was our match just a show, then, wise khan?”
“Oh, let me guess,” says the khan with a grin. “You dislike the idea of having competed falsely, in a rigged match? Even if you lost, you wanted to lose in a meaningful competition?”
You nod.
“Do not worry about that, kid,” says Bulun. “My wayward daughter reacted entirely out of her own impetuousness. I had other plans for this visit, but she acted rashly and jumped to conclusions about her marriage prospects, devising a ploy to challenge you and show how much better she is. It was unexpected to me too, but I decided to work with that instead.” The khan’s sly smile tells you that he is rather more cunning than you gave him credit for… or perhaps that is just the slyness of adults.
He continues cheerfully, “Even though you lost today, the Ashina will be very happy to see you challenge Yunzi again. Already my people say that they haven’t seen such a show since my own trial against my dearly departed wife. They think it is only a matter of time before you marry Yunzi, and have already started celebrating in earnest at the prospect of adding a promising young man to the tribe. Then again, they need very little reason to bring out the music and alcohol, so do not be too alarmed.”
“Challenge her again? I am sorry, noble khan, but we will definitely kill each other if we have a second match,” you mutter bitterly but politely.
That just seems to feed the khan’s amusement, and he roars in laughter. “That’s exactly what she said! You two really are alike, kid. Xu Jing, was it? Well, Xu Jing, there is no hurry. You may return to challenge her anytime before the age of maturity, before both of you turn twenty. I highly doubt there is any other man that would be able to take her.”
“I must decline, great khan. With all due respect, I do not get along with your daughter in the slightest. It would be an unhappy marriage. If I had won, I would have to honour my word, but it seems that I have lost. I have accepted my defeat.” Of course, you haven’t really gotten over it, but you feel the need to make your intentions clear to the khan, and swallowing your loss appears to be the quickest way to do so.
The khan’s eyes only twinkles in a manner that suggests he understands something that you don’t. His good humour does not seem to fade at your rejection. “If you say so, Xu Jing. That is fine, young people have their own minds and will do as they desire. Now, in recognition of your bravery and entertaining display, I would like to present you with a gift that honours your skill.” He beckons the tall man behind him to come forward.
“My name is Huluzi,” bows the man. “Brother to Bulun.” His voice is coarse and guttural.
“Huluzi is the strongest warrior in the tribe,” boasts the khan. “Xu Jing, he will impart to you a technique of the Ashina.”
Shun’s eyes brighten up at the sound of that. “Marvellous. Jing, do it,” he dictates, pointing a finger at me. It looks like you have no choice but to accept.
***
You find yourself back in the open field with Huluzi. He stretches himself and gives your body a look over. “You have a natural gift for martial arts, Xu Jing,” says Huluzi. “The clan of the wolf has many techniques, but here are the three that I think will suit your level of skill and physical capability the most. I will instruct you in one technique, as per the khan’s request.”
A. Langya Fist. (狼牙拳 Wolf’s Fang Fist). A wolf pack harries and coordinates their movements to bring down their prey. This unarmed technique focuses on continuous, rapid moves to wear down an opponent’s guard.
B. Yinglang Step. (影狼步 Shadow Wolf Step). A wolf is silent and stealthy in its hunt. This qinggong technique teaches the user to move swiftly, gently and quietly in the wilderness to avoid attracting attention.
C. Tujue Shuzan Bow (突厥速寁弓 Tujue Swift Bow) A Tujue nomad is known for his mastery of the bow. This flexible bow technique allows its user to fire an arrow quickly while on the move.
We're definitely coming back here, oh yeah.
