Chapter 251
True Dragon (1)
Seeing the chestnut stall vendor greet them with a warm smile like an ordinary vendor, Xie Xuanchen also nodded back with a smile and replied, “Sure but it’s not enough to give me a discount. If you really want to do the business, you might as well use the dagger which is tied to your leg.”
The ordinary and humble looking vendor’s face showed a surprised expression for a moment, but he soon recovered and replied with a smile: “What are you talking about, My Load? I’m a good citizen, so how can I carry a dagger with me?”
“Oh~ If you are a good Han citizen, then why do you wear Buddhist scriptures of the Tangut branch of the Qiang in front of your clothes?” Xie Xuanchen was still calm and collected, as he casually said such surprising words, “Next time, when you try to impersonate a Han citizen, remember to be more careful.”
Not wasting more time, the vendor immediately threw a handful of chestnuts towards Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang in order to block their line of sight. Then he pulled out a dragger from nowhere and tried to stab Xie Xuanchen.
A viscous face could be seen after the vendor had torn apart his facade.
As soon as the vendor moved, Xie Xuanchen immediately pulled Mu Mingtang away, preventing them from being struck by hot chestnuts. After the chestnut rain passed, the tip of the dragger had already arrived close to them, making a heart pounding scene.
Seeing a person take out a dagger, people around them were all frightened and hurriedly backed away. After they had gone to a safe distance, they looked back to see what was happening and saw a well dressed handsome young man and a beautiful young woman on the other side of the street being attacked. At a glance, they looked no different from pampered young kids of noble families.
It was a well known harsh truth that once such a pampered young master or young lady was separated from the guards, they were similar to a walking fat sheep, and everyone wanted to have a taste of it. What’s worse, even though the vendor’s knife was nearing his back, the young man showed no signs of defending. He lowered his head to check the condition of the beautiful young lady beside him.
People on both sides were breaking into a cold sweat for them, wishing that they could go forward and shake that young man awake. Murmurs could be heard around them: ‘What is he doing? If you don’t hurry, you’re going to die!’
While everyone on the streets was worrying about Xie Xuanchen, across the street, someone in the high class restaurant was enjoying the scene, putting down the telescope in his hand, that person told to the people around him: “Look, isn’t that the Han prince who had just came down from the city tower?”
When these people were gazing at the lanterns, they happened to see Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang being escorted away from the city tower by guards and came down this street. They could also tell at a glance that there was something wrong with the vendor, and the people around the prince also seemed to be the vendor’s accomplices.
Inside the private room on the third floor, with the best view of the street, people were all seated and discussing the situation together. When they overheard their friend’s remark, an unknown man in a dark green robe went closer and saw the chaos on the nearby street without a need to use a telescope.
“Is that person one of our men?”
“No. Khan just wanted to inquire about the situation of the capital, so we haven’t taken any action to draw the Ye nation’s attention. However, our people are ready to attack anytime.”
Unlike the man, who was wearing dark green clothes as a Han citizen, his companion who just answered his question wore clothes different from Han clothes.
After he finished speaking, he looked at the people around him and teased his companion with a smile hanging on his lips,”Eighth prince, after you shaved your face and put on Han garments, you look like a real Han citizen.”
Ye Luyan was currently holding a telescope to take a closer look at the Han prince’s appearance, but when he heard his companion’s words, he sneered contemptuously: “Are you comparing me to that little white-faced prince? Even if I change into Han clothes, I am a Hu warrior from the inside. Men of the royal family of the Ye Nation are all white-faced just like women and they’re too weak. They wouldn’t be able to stand a single punch from our warriors.”
[TL Notes:
Tangut branch of the Qiang: In northwest China from the seventh to the eleventh centuries, the Tangut people, also referred to as the Xia, were a significant ethnic group.
Han Chinese: The name “Han” comes from the Han Dynasty that united China as one country. During the Han Dynasty, many tribes felt that they belonged to the same ethnic group. Also, the Han Dynasty is said to be the high point in Chinese civilization.
Hu citizens:- The nomadic horse-riders of the northern steppes are first mentioned in fourth century BCE historical records, and were given the name Hu, a word that is derived from the Chinese character for “meat” (rou). Those that lived farthest to the east were called the Eastern Hu by these Late Zhou dynasty scribes.]