As the four turned their horses round, they spotted a small, skinny donkey by the side of the grave, chomping grass
"I'm sick to death of dry rations," said Gu gleefully"Some roast donkey meat wouldn't be bad at all He jumped off his horse again and was about to take hold of the donkey's reins when he noticed the animal had no tail
"Someone seems to have cut off the donkey's tail and eaten it already," he observed with a smile
There was a whoosh of sound and the Muslim appeared on the donkey's backHe laughed and pulled a donkey's tail from his pocket and waved it about"The donkey's tail got covered in mud today, which didn't look very nice, so I cut it off," he said
Zhang looked at the man's full beard and crazy appearance and wondered who he wasHe raised his horse whip and rode by the donkey, striking out at the Muslim's shoulder as he passedThe Muslim dodged to one side, and Zhang suddenly found
le dix balenciaga himself holding the donkey's tail, which was indeed covered in mudHe also noticed a coolness on his head, and found his cap had disappeared
"So you're a Manchu officer," the Muslim said, swinging the cap about on his finger"You've come to attack us Muslims, I supposeThis cap is very pretty
Startled and angry, Zhang threw the donkey's tail at the Muslim who caught it easilyZhang leapt off his horse and faced him"Who are you?" he shouted"Come on! I'll fight you
The Muslim placed Zhang's cap on the donkey's head and clapped his hands in delight"The dumb donkey wearing an official's hat!" he excalimedHe twitched his thighs and the donkey trotted offZhang began to run after him, but stopped as a projectile flew towards himHe caught the cold, glittering object deftly and with a surge of fury, recognised it as the sapphire off the front of his capBy now, the donkey was already a long way away, but he picked
omega geneve a stone off the ground and hurled it at the Muslim's backThe Muslim made no effort to avoid it, and Zhang was delighted, certain that this time he had himThere was a loud clang as the stone hit something metallic, and the Muslim cried out in despair
"Oh no! He's killed my saucepan! It's dead for certain!"
The four men looked at each other dumb-founded as the Muslim and his donkey disappeared into the distance
"Was that a man or a demon?" Zhang asked finallyThe Three Devils silently shook their headsThis place is evil beyond belief
They galloped off, and early the next morning, they arrived outside the Secret CityThe paths were many and confusing, but the trail of wolf droppings was a perfect guide which brought them unerringly to the base of the White Jade PeakLooking up, they saw the cave-mouth that Chen had excavated
--
** 2 **
Chen woke towards midnight, his strength revivedUnder the
cartier tank watch light of a moonbeam shining down from the crack in the roof of the cave, he could see Huo Qingtong and Princess Fragrance leaning against one another on one of the jade seats, fast asleepIn the silence, he heard their breathing and smelt the fragrance, even more beautiful than that of fresh flowers or musk, emanating from the younger sister
He wondered again what the wolves outside the mountain were doing and whether the three of them would ever be able to escapeAnd if they did, would his brother the Emperor hold to his word and throw out the Manchus?
"Which one do I really love?" Over the past few days, this thought had been gyrating round his brain continuously"Well, which one really loves me? If I were to die, Princess Fragrance would not be able to go on living, but Huo Qingtong wouldBut that doesn't mean Princess Fragrance loves me more
The moon beam slowly shifted onto Huo Qingtong's
chanel earrings face
"Princess Fragrance and I have declared our love for each other, but although Huo Qingtong has never said a word about it, her feelings towards me are clear too," he thought"And why did I come so far to give her a message if it was not because I loved her? What is more, restoring the throne to the Chinese people will involve immense trials and tribulationsShe is a better strategist even than Brother Xu, and her assistance would be invaluable," He stopped himself, ashamed of his own thoughts
"Ah, Chen Jialuo," he whispered under his breath"Are you really so narrow-minded?"
Time passed and the moonbeam moved across onto Princess Fragrance
"With her, all I would have is happiness, happiness, happiness," he thought
His eyes opened wide and he stared up at the crack of light in the rock high above them for a long, long timeSlowly, the moonlight faded and a sunbeam began to slant in, filling the room with
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