Chapter 47 Gong Jie II

　　—The distant horizon conceals not only poetry and beauty, but also peril and despair.

　　The Gongyou Clan’s embassy party reached the Bear Tribe in the deep of night.

　　Gongdian and several highranking officers went to the inner city of Stone City for a banquet; the rest of the party ate at the posthouse in the outer city. Fearing recognition, Ge Wu claimed a stomachache and took Gong Jie to a restaurant in the outer city.

　　There a young man was waiting for Ge Wu. Seeing them enter, he hurried forward: “Little Stone pays his respects to Second Young Master.”

　　“Little Stone, you are well. Let me introduce you—this is Miss Gong Jie.”

　　“Greetings, Miss Gong Jie. My name is Shi Lei.” Shi Lei nodded toward Gong Jie.

　　“You do not ask why we are dressed like this?” Ge Wu asked.

　　“What should not be asked is not asked; what should not be spoken is not spoken. Your dress naturally has its purpose.” Little Stone answered cleverly.

　　“I like that about you, boy—you know the proper measure.”

　　The three sat down, ordered dishes, and talked while eating.

　　Ge Wu and Little Stone spoke of recent events in the Bear Tribe and inquired about the movements of Eldest Young Master Ge Wen; Gong Jie could find no opening and merely listened.

　　Shi Lei was the son of a wetnurse and had grown up in the chieftain’s residence of Stone City together with the two brothers Ge Wen and Ge Wu.

　　Ever since becoming a hostage, Ge Wu had maintained secret contact with Shi Lei to inquire about his elder brother Ge Wen. Ge Wu was much favored by his father Ge Xiong, yet he was after all the second son; Elder Brother Ge Wen was the first heir. Therefore Ge Wu frequently sent agents to probe Ge Wen’s affairs, hoping to seize some handle against him so that after their father’s death he himself might succeed to the chieftainship.

　　After the meal, before parting, Ge Wu instructed Little Stone not to tell anyone that he had come to Stone City that day.

　　Great Chieftain Gongdian’s party lodged one night in Stone City; early the next morning the column set out and, shortly after noon, reached the edge of the forest. There the embassy party ate a little dry rations and rested briefly. At the same time scouts were sent into the territory of the FireWorship Clan.

　　Before long the scouts reported that they had already made contact with the welcoming party of the FireWorship Clan.

　　In the distance dust rolled; a troop of cavalry came racing from the direction of the FireWorship grasslands. When they drew near it was seen to be a cavalry force of about fifty men.

　　Half the men in the troop carried large banners painted with a blackground scarlet phoenix; the other half carried stone axes. Clad in black garments painted with red phoenixes, they were precisely the ceremonial escort of the FireWorship Clan come to receive them.

　　“Daughter, do you see? The ceremonial escort of the FireWorship Clan has come to receive the Great Chieftain.” Old Wu thrust his head out of the window and looked ahead. “According to the ceremonial system between the clans, the one coming to receive should be at least of the rank of a young master of the FireWorship Clan.”

　　Gong Jie also thrust her head out and asked: “Lian Kui has two sons and one daughter—will it be Eldest Young Master Lian Shan who comes, or Second Young Master Lian Hai?”

　　“I never expected a kitchenfire girl like you to know everything.” Old Wu raised a thumb toward Gong Jie. “I estimate it is Eldest Young Master Lian Shan come to receive the Great Chieftain.”

　　Thereafter the embassy party drove out of the forest and advanced into the territory of the FireWorship Clan. This was the first time in her sixteen years that Gong Jie had left the forest. After arriving upon the broad grasslands she curiously thrust her head out of the wagon window, looking this way and that.

　　The territory of the FireWorship Clan had no forests; it was a vast plain, and therefore the field of vision was much wider.

　　Everything around was so novel to Gong Jie. Here there were no towering trees that pierced the clouds; upon the ground only lush green grass, occasionally dotted with scattered shrubs and low trees. In such an open environment she felt both excitement and unease.

　　Seeing Gong Jie’s excited appearance, Old Wu asked: “Daughter, is this the first time you have come to the territory of the FireWorship Clan? Do you know why we are called the Gongyou Clan?”

　　“That is known to everyone in our clan. The firstgeneration chieftain was named Gongyou; the Yellow Clan Celestial Gods themselves bestowed the stoneaxe scepter upon him, and thereafter our clan was called the Gongyou Clan.”

　　“Daughter is truly learned and knows the history of our Gongyou Clan as if counting family treasures. Then do you know why Lian Kui’s people are called the FireWorship Clan?”

　　“Their totem is a fire phoenix; I guess it has something to do with that.”

　　Old Wu began to talk mysteriously again: “You have answered only half correctly. Legend says that a hundred years ago the FireWorship Clan was originally called the Phoenix Clan. Upon their territory—precisely this grassland—there was once a forest as well, but that was a very long time ago.”

　　Seeing Gong Jie listening attentively, Old Wu was rather pleased with himself: “According to what the old people of our clan heard from the old people of the past, at that time the trees in the forest of the FireWorship Clan were even taller than those in our Gongyou forest. Upon those tall trees many phoenixes nested; the phoenix upon the totem of the FireWorship Clan originates from that.”

　　“How is that possible? From ancient times phoenixes have nested in our Nanyu Forest.” Ge Wu interrupted Old Wu.

　　“Young man, you must not disbelieve. At that time the Nanyu Forest was connected with the present territory of the FireWorship Clan; the area of the forest was far larger than it is now. I have heard that in early years the phoenixes frequently spat fire and injured people; the FireWorship Clan suffered greatly. In the end their clan leader actually thought of a ruthless method—he set a great fire and burned the trees. From that time they changed their name to the FireWorship Clan.”

　　“Master Old Wu, I do not believe it. If at that time the trees of the FireWorship Clan were connected with our forest, would that great fire not have burned our forest as well?” Ge Wu was full of scorn for Old Wu’s account.

　　“Young man, that is a good question. Had the Yellow Clan Celestial Gods not extinguished the great fire, the entire continent of Mu would no longer possess the Nanyu Forest. Precisely because of this matter, enmity was thereafter formed between the Yellow Clan and Black Clan celestial gods, and also between our Gongyou Clan and the FireWorship Clan.”

　　Hearing this, Gong Jie nodded: “No wonder the totem of the FireWorship Clan is a fire phoenix—so they too have origins with the Nanyu Forest.”

　　Seeing that Gong Jie raised no objection to his account, Old Wu grew still more pleased: “Still this little girl has insight. Although the territory of the FireWorship Clan no longer has forests or phoenixes, their totem has not changed, because the phoenix eats the Azure Dragon and they wish to suppress us by one head.”

　　On the left stretched a low range of hills running longitudinally; the embassy party traveled upon the grassland at the foot of the hills, following the direction of the range. On the right lay the flat grassland; in the distance herds of wild camelhorses could be seen galloping across the plain.

　　The FireWorship Clan was a people who lived upon camelhorses and was famous for producing fine mounts; they called themselves “Horse People,” and their motto was “Fine horses gallop, gold in ten thousand taels.” The Horse People obtained profit by selling camelhorses to the surrounding races.

　　After entering the heartland of the FireWorship Clan one occasionally saw the tents of herdsmen and even villages with human habitation; the population was visibly more flourishing than that of the Gongyou Clan.

　　Toward dusk the embassy party arrived near a small town. The town had only a single street; at the entrance stood an archway whose top bore three large characters: “Blacksmith Town.” On both sides of the street stood twostory buildings, one of which was a tavern.

　　The embassy party began to make camp near the town.

　　An orderly came and told the cooks’ squad that Great Chieftain Gongdian and the highranking members of the clan had been invited by Young Master Lian Shan of the FireWorship Clan to drink at the tavern in Blacksmith Town; the cooks’ squad need only arrange the meals of the remaining personnel.

　　Hearing this, Ji Mazi jumped down from the wagon and urged Old Wu and the others: “All of you hurry down and set up the pots to cook. Although the Great Chieftain and the others have gone to drink, there are still about a hundred and forty mouths; keeping their bellies full depends entirely upon us few.”

　　Ge Wu and Gong Jie were responsible for gathering firewood in the vicinity and tending the fire. It was the first time either of them had done such work; their clothes and faces were covered with ash. In their present appearance even those closest to them would not have recognized them.

　　During the day the embassy party had eaten only a little dry rations and was already ravenous; Ji Mazi prepared to boil salted meat and maize soup that evening to reward everyone.

　　Ji Mazi ordered Old Wu to go to the well in the town for water. Unexpectedly, after a short while Old Wu came running back in panic, having even forgotten the wooden bucket. Seeing the members of the cooks’ squad he said repeatedly: “A great matter has occurred! A great matter has occurred! Fighting has broken out in the town!”

　　Ji Mazi told Old Wu not to be nervous and to sit down and speak slowly. Only after a long while did Old Wu calm down enough to give a rough account.

　　When Old Wu went for water it was already growing dark; every household along the street had tightly closed its gates. Most households had already extinguished their lamps and retired; only a few still burned oil lamps.

　　The territory of the FireWorship Clan had no NightBright Flowers; nighttime illumination depended entirely upon oil lamps filled with animal or vegetable oil.

　　By the faint light leaking from other people’s windows Old Wu came to the well in the center of the town. Just as he was about to bend down to draw water he suddenly heard a crash ahead, as though something had fallen to the ground from a height.

　　He looked up and saw, in a brightly lit place ahead, a person crash out through a secondstory window and fall to the ground.

　　Immediately afterward several more figures leapt down from the second floor and engaged the first person who had landed.

　　While Old Wu was still astonished, several glittering objects shot toward him and planted themselves a few centimeters in front of his feet.

　　Looking down he discovered that what had struck the ground were several flying knives. Terrified, he flung away the wooden bucket and, caring for nothing else, fled back with his heart in his mouth.