Chapter Two: Knife Horse, your escort has been intercepted by dogs.
In the seventh year of the Great Cause, Hexi Corridor.
The yellow sand fills the sky, and a cart bumps along the Gobi.
A man sits on the cart's axle. He wears a bamboo hat, carries a horizontal sword at his waist, and has a scar that diagonally crosses his face. His gaze is like the stones on the Gobi, both cold and hard.
Knife horse.
A small head pokes out from the car, about seven or eight years old, with bright, sparkling eyes.
"Dad, how much longer until Dunhuang?"
"Shut up."
The knife horse does not look back.
Little Seven pouts and shrinks back into the car.
Suddenly—
"Hush!"
The knife horse tightens the reins.
The cart comes to a sudden stop.
Ten feet ahead, on top of the sand dune, sits something.
White.
It's furry.
Wearing a brown backpack, it was propping its face up with its paws, watching the sunset.
A... Shiba Inu?
The swordsman gripped the hilt of his sword and squinted.
It's not surprising to see dogs in the Gobi Desert.
Strangely, the dog was so clean, as white as snow, without a single stray hair.
What's even stranger is the way it looks at people—like it's watching a play.
"Oh dear, we have a guest."
Kurumi stood up and shook its fur.
Dust and sand flew everywhere.
It leaped down from the sand dune and landed silently.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, could you please tell me the way?"
Kurumi stood up, paws on the backpack straps: "Which way to Dunhuang?"
Xiaoqi climbed out of the car, her eyes wide: "The dog... the dog talked!"
Dao Ma didn't move.
His hand was still on the knife.
"monster?"
"This is a dog-spirit organization," Kurumi corrected. "It's a formal, government-affiliated organization with full social insurance and housing fund benefits."
“……”
Dao Ma remained silent for three seconds.
"Get out of the way."
"Don't be so cold."
Kurumi flipped his paw and produced a sheepskin map: "Look, I'm really lost. This godforsaken place doesn't even have a road sign, what a disaster."
Map unfolds.
The drawing on it was crooked and messy, and there were even dog paw prints marked in the crucial parts.
Dao Ma glanced at it.
His gaze grew even colder.
"You're holding the map upside down."
"ah?"
Kurumi turned the map around and squinted at it.
"Oh, that's true."
He stuffed the map back into his bag and grinned, "So where exactly is Dunhuang?"
Dao Ma did not answer.
His gaze fell on Kurumi's back.
Five horses emerged from behind the sand dunes.
Five men on horseback, dressed in black and masked, with curved swords at their waists.
A murderous aura filled the air.
Xiaoqi was so frightened that she shrank back into the car.
Dao Ma slowly rose to his feet, drawing his sword half an inch from its sheath.
"Your accomplice?"
"Don't wrong a good dog." Kurumi glanced back. "I don't know them."
The leader in black rode forward, his voice hoarse: "Dao Ma, hand over the goods."
"What is that?"
“You know.”
The leader waved his hand.
Four men in black dismounted and surrounded the area in a fan shape.
Dao Ma jumped off the carriage shaft, his sword fully drawn.
The blade reflected the setting sun, gleaming with a bloody light.
"Xiao Qi, don't come out."
"Hmm!" came a muffled reply from inside the car.
Kurumi looked around and raised its paw: "Hey, I'm just asking for directions. You guys do your thing, pretend I don't exist."
It wanted to escape.
The leader pointed his sword and said, "Leave that dog here too."
"Why?" Kurumi protested, "Benku doesn't have any darts!"
“You saw it,” the leader said coldly. “If you saw it, you must die.”
“……”
Kurumi sighed.
"Benku hates this kind of unreasonable behavior the most."
It put its schoolbag on the ground and started rummaging through it.
The men in black exchanged glances, two lunged at Dao Ma, and two lunged at Kurumi.
A flash of light!
The swords and horses moved.
Step forward, charge ahead, and slash horizontally with your sword!
"when!"
The first man in black caught him, his hand cracking from the impact.
The second man in black attacked from the side.
The swordsman turns to the side, then strikes with the hilt of his sword!
"Bang!"
The center of the front.
The man in black was sent flying backward, blood gushing from his nose.
Clean and efficient.
On the other side.
Two men in black had already rushed up to Kurumi.
Kurumi is still rummaging through her backpack.
"Wait, wait, almost there... found it!"
It took something out.
One root....a cat stick?
It's made of feathers, and a bell hangs from the top.
The man in black was stunned.
"Take this!"
Kurumi waves a cat toy.
The bells jingled.
The man in black's eyes gradually became vacant, his gaze following the feather as it swayed from side to side.
left.
right.
left……
"thump."
The first man in black collapsed to the ground, snoring loudly.
The second one shook his head vigorously: "Demon, sorcery!"
He gritted his teeth and charged forward.
Kurumi tossed the cat toy aside and replaced it with something else—
watering can.
Sizzle—
Water mist sprayed onto the face of the man in black.
"Ahhh! My eyes!"
The man in black covered his face and screamed in agony, then collapsed to the ground and rolled around.
Kurumi put away the spray bottle, looking completely innocent: "It's just pepper spray, is it really that serious?"
The leader's face turned ashen.
"waste!"
He personally rode over, raising his scimitar high, and slashed at Kurumi!
Dao Ma tried to stop them, but was entangled by the remaining two men in black.
The scimitar was about to fall—
Kurumi calmly took a small mirror out of her bag.
Raise it, and point it at the sun.
reflection.
The spot of light shone directly onto the horse's eye.
"Hissing sound—!"
The horse was startled and reared up on its hind legs!
Caught off guard, the leader fell from his horse.
Kurumi stepped forward and pressed his claws against his chest.
"Now, can we speak properly?"
The leader gritted his teeth: "Who...who are you?!"
"Benku said he was asking for directions."
Kurumi tightened his grip: "Who sent you? What do you want to steal?"
The leader sneered, "Kill me then."
Why would I kill you?
Kurumi tilted his head: "I am a civilized dog, I do not kill."
It took something out again.
This time it's a seal and ink pad.
"But I need to leave a mark."
Dip a claw in ink and smack it onto the leader's forehead.
Red Seal: "This thief has been identified. Don't come again."
The leader was so angry he was trembling all over.
Over there, Dao Ma had already dealt with the last two men in black.
He sheathed his sword and walked back.
He glanced at the leader's forehead and his lips twitched.
"you……"
"I've got you covered." Kurumi clapped her paws. "You're welcome. Just pointing out the way was enough."
Dao Ma remained silent for a moment.
"Dunhuang is eighty li to the west."
Thanks.
Kurumi slung her backpack over her shoulder and turned to leave.
It stopped again.
"Oh, right."
It turned its head and looked at the carriage.
"That thing in the car... it has a strong demonic aura."
Dao Ma's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"What did you say?"
“That wooden box,” Kurumi gestured with his paw, “three feet long, one foot wide, carved with lotus patterns. Inside is—”
"Shut up."
Dao Ma stepped forward, his killing intent radiating outwards.
The temperature in the Gobi Desert plummeted.
Xiao Qi peeked out of the car timidly: "Dad..."
Kurumi glanced at Dao Ma, then at Xiao Qi.
Suddenly I realized.
"Oh—you're protecting that thing, not for the money."
It grinned.
"Is it because of this kid?"
Dao Ma's hand, gripping the sword, had knuckles that were white.
What exactly do you want?
"Nothing."
Kurumi walked to the carriage, his nose twitching.
"This demonic aura... I've smelled it before. It comes from the Western Regions, a forbidden item in Buddhism, called 'Moro Bone,' right?"
Dao Ma's pupils contracted.
How did you know?
"Benku knows everything."
Kurumi leaped onto the carriage shaft and used its claws to lift the curtain.
Sure enough, there was a wooden box inside the car.
The lotus pattern, three feet long, faintly exudes a black aura.
Xiaoqi huddled in the corner, hugging her knees, looking at the box with fear.
"Kid, have you been having a lot of nightmares lately?" Kurumi asked.
Xiao Qi nodded: "In my dream, there were... many hands grabbing me."
"That's right."
Kurumi's claws pressed against the wooden box.
The black mist, like a living thing, tried to entangle its claws.
But the moment I touched the white fur—
"Sizzle!"
The black mist receded.
"Moro bone, an evil object made from human bones by a demonic monk from the Western Regions. It can absorb the essence of living beings, and it especially likes children."
Kurumi turned to look at Daoma: "Did someone tell you that this thing can cure Xiaoqi's illness because you took this escort mission?"
Dao Ma remained silent.
It was accepted by default.
"stupid."
Kurumi bluntly stated, "The Moro bone can only transfer symptoms, not cure them. By placing Xiao Qi with it, you are essentially using him as bait to attract evil spirits to possess him."
"What should we do?" Xiaoqi asked, her voice trembling with tears.
"Simple."
Kurumi opened her backpack and began rummaging through it.
Dao Ma stared warily: "What are you going to do?"
"Exorcising evil spirits, what else could it be for?"
Kurumi pulled out a bunch of garlic cloves.
Hang it around your neck.
He then took out a Bagua mirror and clipped it to his waist.
Finally, she pulled out a bottle... floral water?
"Come on, kid, give me your hand."
Little Qi obediently reached out her hand.
Kurumi sprayed some floral water into his palm.
"Wipe your forehead."
Xiaoqi did as instructed.
A cooling sensation spread, and the jumbled whispers in my mind suddenly disappeared.
His eyes lit up: "No, I don't feel uncomfortable anymore!"
"Six Gods brand exorcising water, honest and trustworthy for all ages."
Kurumi sprayed some more onto the wooden box.
The black energy churned violently, emitting a sharp hiss!
The wooden box began to vibrate.
“Hold it down!” Kurumi shouted.
Dao Ma pressed down on the wooden box.
Kurumi quickly forms hand seals with his paws—although dog paw hand seals look a bit comical.
"The mysteries of heaven and earth, the root of all energies—behave yourself!"
He slammed his palm on the box lid.
"Buzz!"
A burst of golden light erupted.
The wooden box fell silent.
Most of the black mist dissipated, leaving only a faint layer.
Kurumi wiped away non-existent sweat: "It's temporarily sealed off. But this stuff can't stay; we need to find a place to purify it."
"Where to clean?" Daoma asked.
“Dunhuang, the Thousand Buddha Caves.” Kurumi jumped out of the car. “There are Buddhist protective barriers left by eminent monks there, which are perfect for countering this evil spirit.”
It looked westward.
The sun had already set halfway down, and the world was a pale yellow.
"Eighty li...we'll have to travel at night."
"You want to come with us?" Dao Ma frowned.
"Otherwise what?"
Kurumi shrugged: "If this evil thing causes trouble again halfway through, can you two handle it?"
The sword and horse remain silent.
He looked at Xiao Qi.
Xiaoqi is gazing longingly at Kurumi, her eyes filled with dependence.
"……what ever."
Dao Ma sheathed his sword and got back into the carriage.
Kurumi hopped into the passenger seat—if the carriage had one.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
With a wave of its claws, it gave an order, like a general issuing a command.
The carriage started again, grinding through the yellow sand.
The black-clad leader, left behind, had a red mark on his forehead that stood out starkly in the setting sun.
He got up, gritting his teeth as he watched the carriage disappear into the distance.
He pulled a bamboo tube from his pocket and pulled the string.
Fireworks shot into the sky and exploded in the twilight.
……
night.
The night in the Gobi Desert is bitterly cold.
The carriage was parked in a sheltered spot, and the campfire crackled.
Xiaoqi, wrapped in a blanket, fell asleep next to him.
Dao Ma silently wiped his horizontal sword.
Kurumi lay by the fire, his paws supporting his face as he gazed at the stars.
What exactly are you?
Dao Ma suddenly spoke.
"A dog."
"Dogs can't talk, they can't exorcise evil spirits, and they don't use those... weird things."
"That's because you're inexperienced."
Kurumi rolled over, belly up to the fire: "I've traveled to countless worlds, I know a lot."
"Multiverses?"
“It’s just many worlds.” Kurumi gestured with his paw. “Like here, it’s considered upper-middle martial arts. I’ve been to higher ones and lower ones.”
Dao Ma remained silent.
The firelight danced on his face, casting flickering shadows of his scars.
Why are you helping us?
"idle."
“……”
"Okay, to be honest."
Kurumi sat up and said seriously, "Kurumi is collecting stories."
"story?"
“Every world, every person has a story.” Kurumi’s eyes gleamed in the firelight. “Your story, Xiao Qi’s story, the story of that wooden box… I want to hear them all.”
Dao Ma paused for a moment as he wiped the blade.
"My story isn't very interesting."
"That's not necessarily true."
Kurumi pulled a small notebook out of his bag, a charcoal pencil tucked between his fingers: "Come on, tell me. Who gave you that scar on your face?"
Dao Ma subconsciously touched his face.
"...myself."
"ah?"
"When I was learning to use the sword, my master said that a swordsman without a scar on his face wasn't a true swordsman," Daoma said calmly. "So I cut myself."
"That's ruthless."
Kurumi jotted down two notes in his notebook: "And then what? How did you become a bodyguard?"
"I've killed too many people, I want to change my way of life."
"Were all those killed people who deserved to die?"
“……”
Dao Ma did not answer.
He looked at the sleeping Xiao Qi with a complicated expression.
Kurumi understood.
"I understand. To protect something, they killed people they shouldn't have killed."
It closed the notebook.
"This story is alright, it's full of bitterness and hatred."
“……”
Dao Ma sheathed his sword, lay down, and closed his eyes.
"Go to sleep, we'll be on our way tomorrow morning."
"Okay."
Kurumi also lay down, her tail covering her nose.
The campfire gradually died down.
The owl cries.
……
The next morning.
As dawn broke, the carriage set off again.
Around noon, an oasis appeared ahead.
Poplar forest, lake, and a dilapidated inn.
"Stop for a moment, resupply," Daoma said.
The carriage entered the oasis.
A tattered flag hung at the entrance of the inn, bearing the words "Dragon Gate".
Behind the counter, the shopkeeper was a one-eyed old man, who was using an abacus.
He raised his eyelids slightly when he saw the guest arrive.
"A quick bite or a place to stay?"
"Let's have a snack. Two bowls of noodles, a pot of wine, and feed the horses." Dao Ma tossed over a few copper coins.
Where's the dog?
"It solves itself."
Kurumi had already jumped onto the counter, tapping the surface with her paws: "Do you have any meat buns?"
The one-eyed old man stared at it for three seconds.
"Can dogs talk?"
"The dog can even order food. Bring me a basket, with lots of fatty meat."
The old man silently turned and went to the kitchen.
Xiao Qi tugged at Dao Ma's robe: "Dad, this place... feels strange."
Dao Ma patted his shoulder, signaling him to be quiet.
He surveyed the inn.
There were three tables of people sitting in the lobby.
One table was filled with people dressed as business travelers, but their hands were calloused – hands that had been holding knives.
At one table sat two foreign monks, chanting sutras with their eyes closed, but their ears were twitching—listening to everything around them.
The last table...
He was a scholar.
He was dressed in a blue robe and a silk turban, leisurely sipping his tea.
It looks the most harmless.
But Dao Ma's gaze lingered on him the longest.
The scholar looked up, smiled, and nodded.
Dao Ma looked away.
The noodles have been served.
Dao Ma took a bite first to confirm that it was not poisonous before letting Xiao Qi pick up her chopsticks.
Kurumi's steamed buns have arrived too.
It picked one up with its paws and took a bite.
"Pooh!"
I threw up.
"This meat isn't fresh!"
The one-eyed old man sneered: "In this desolate wilderness, we should be grateful to have anything to eat."
"But you can't use human flesh."
Kurumi broke the bun open, revealing the meat filling inside.
Dark red with strange patterns.
The entire room fell silent.
The man at the business travel table placed his hand on his waist.
The Hu monk opened his eyes.
The scholar stopped drinking his tea.
Dao Ma slowly put down his chopsticks.
"Shopkeeper, can you explain this?"
The one-eyed old man squinted his single eye.
"You flatter me, sir..."
"Benku never jokes."
Kurumi jumped off the counter and walked to the center of the lobby.
The nose twitched.
"There must be a lot of things buried underground in this inn, right?"
It stomped its paw on the ground.
"The smell of blood has been there for at least three years."
The one-eyed old man's expression changed.
He took a step back and reached under the counter—
He pulled out a cleaver.
"I was planning to wait until you finished eating before we set off..."
He grinned maliciously: "Since you're courting death, then now's the time!"
"Smack!"
He patted the counter.
The inn's doors and windows slammed shut instantly!
The man at the merchant table stood up and drew his scimitar—the same style as the men in black from yesterday.
The Hu monk also stood up, revealing a short blade beneath his robe.
The scholar... is still drinking tea.
But a cold glint flashed at his fingertips.
“A shady inn,” Kurumi nodded. “I knew it. Running an inn in the Gobi Desert is definitely not legitimate.”
Dao Ma had already shielded Xiao Qi behind him, and drew his sword.
"How many people?"
“Seven,” Kurumi counted. “Eight including the shopkeeper. Those two foreign monks are tough, and the scholar… is unfathomable.”
"I will deal with the barbarian monk and the scholar."
Dao Ma pointed his sword horizontally and said, "You take care of the rest."
"Why should this unit be assigned to menial tasks?"
"You were the one who chose the steamed buns."
“……”
Kurumi sighed: "Fine."
Battle is imminent.
The three business travelers rushed over first!
Kurumi neither dodged nor flinched, but instead pulled something out of his bag—
Loudspeaker.
"Hello? Let me test the sound."
It brought the horn to its mouth and took a deep breath.
Then--
"Woof! Woof woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof—!!!"
The ear-piercing sound was deafening!
The furious barking of the dogs was amplified tenfold by a loudspeaker, causing dust to fall from the roof beams!
The three who rushed in screamed and covered their ears, bleeding from their seven orifices!
Even Daoma frowned and took a half step back.
The two foreign monks' expressions changed drastically. They immediately sat cross-legged and chanted scriptures to resist the sound waves.
Only scholars...
He put down his teacup.
"interesting."
The scholar smiled.
A flash of cold light appeared at his fingertips, and three silver needles shot towards Kurumi!
Kurumi swept its tail, knocking away the silver needles.
"Playing with hidden weapons? I can do that too!"
It flicked its paw.
Throw out a few...
A yo-yo?
The yo-yo spun in the air, making a buzzing sound.
The scholar frowned and stepped aside.
But the yo-yo suddenly changed direction and circled back from the side!
"Puff puff puff!"
Three yo-yos accurately hit the scholar's acupoints.
His body stiffened, and he was unable to move.
"Acupressure yo-yo? Never seen anything like it before, have you?"
Kurumi grinned.
Over there, Dao Ma had already engaged in combat with the two Hu monks.
The Hu monk's kung fu was unpredictable; his movements were like a ghost, and his short blade was used to attack the lower body.
But Dao Ma's sword...
Faster.
The sword, gleaming like the moon, carries the killing intent of the battlefield with every strike.
Ten moves.
The first Hu monk was stabbed and fell to the ground.
Twenty moves.
The second Hu monk had a broken blade, and blood was drawn from his neck.
Dao Ma sheathed his sword and turned around.
The one-eyed shopkeeper was so frightened that his cleaver clattered to the ground.
"Please, good sir, spare my life..."
"Who sent you?" Dao Ma asked.
"It's...it's a nobleman from Chang'an...saying he wants to intercept a镖客 (bodyguard/escort) carrying a wooden box..."
"name."
"No, I don't know, I really don't know! They only said it was someone from the palace!"
In the palace?
Dao Ma frowned deeply.
Kurumi walked up to the scholar and poked him with its paw.
And you? Which side are you from?
The scholar, though struck on acupoints, was still laughing.
"Tomosero."
Three words caused Dao Ma's expression to change drastically.
"Zhi Shilang... are you one of the 'Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust'?"
"It's just a pretext," the scholar laughed. "Dao Ma, what you're protecting... it's too complicated. Hand it over, and I can guarantee your safe departure from Hexi."
What if I don't pay?
"Then today will be the day you perish in the Gobi Desert."
The scholar had barely finished speaking.
The sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside the inn.
Dense as thunder.
At least thirty riders.
Dao Ma walked to the window and looked out through the crack.
Outside, a dark mass of cavalrymen.
They were all dressed in black, riding black horses, and carrying black flags.
The flag is embroidered with a golden wolf's head.
"Turkic Golden Wolf Guard..."
Dao Ma's hand, gripping the sword, had bulging veins.
"Even the Turks have come."
He turned around and looked at the wooden box.
"What secret does this thing hold?"
Kurumi jumped to the wooden box and pressed its paws against it.
Sensory function when eyes are closed.
Three seconds later, he opened his eyes.
"Benku understands."
"What?"
“This is not Moro bone at all.”
Kurumi slashed with his claws, and the wooden box lid popped open.
Inside, a piece of white bone lay quietly.
But the bones were covered with densely packed scriptures.
It is not Sanskrit.
yes……
"Turkic script," Kurumi read aloud, "'Blue wolves and white deer, the royal tent reopens; where the sacred bones point, the Khan returns'..."
It looked at Dao Ma.
"These are the remains of the previous Khan of the Turks. Whoever obtains them is qualified to inherit the Khanate."
Dao Ma's face turned ashen.
"I was used."
"more than."
Kurumi then pointed to the small print at the end of the text: "There is another line here—'This bone is hollow, containing a map of the Sui Dynasty's border defenses.'"
The entire room fell silent.
Outside the inn, the voice of the Golden Wolf Guard leader could be heard:
"Dao Ma! Hand over the sacred bone! I'll spare your life!"
Inside the inn, Zhi Shilang smiled:
"Now you understand? This escort mission was a dead end from the very beginning."
Dao Ma looked at Xiao Qi.
Xiaoqi gripped his clothes tightly, her face pale.
"father……"
Dao Ma took a deep breath.
He raised his sword horizontally.
"I've accepted the shipment, and I have to deliver it."
"Even if what you send is something that will bring disaster to the country and its people?" Chishiro asked.
"A镖客 (bodyguard/escort) doesn't ask about the goods."
The sword's tip pointed outwards.
"If you want it, come and get it yourself."
Kurumi watched this scene and wagged its tail.
"That's interesting."
It took out a Dao Crystal from its schoolbag and tossed it around.
"How about this, Benku will help you... try a different way of playing."
With a clench of its claws, the Dao Crystal glowed.
The light enveloped the wooden box.
The bones began to change, twist, and recombine...
Three seconds later.
What lay in the wooden box had turned into a...
A giant dog bone toy.
It still had teeth marks on it.
“……”
Dao Ma: "..."
Tomoshiro: "..."
The Golden Wolf Guards outside the inn waited for a long time without any movement, and their leader grew impatient.
"Charge in!"
The door was kicked open.
Thirty Golden Wolf Guards surged into the main hall.
Then, everyone froze in shock.
They saw Dao Ma holding a sword, the scholar being acupunctured, the Hu monk falling to the ground, and the shopkeeper kneeling.
as well as……
A white dog is holding a toy bone in its mouth and wagging its tail.
"Woof!"
Kurumi threw the bone at the feet of the Golden Wolf Guard leader.
Their eyes were expectant, as if saying: Pick it up, hurry up and pick it up.
The leader stared at the bone for three seconds.
He looked up, his forehead veins bulging.
"You...you're playing me?!"
"No, no."
Kurumi raised his paw: "The sacred relic is right here, the real thing. It's just that I... upgraded it."
"upgrade?"
“That’s right,” Kurumi said seriously, “Now it not only symbolizes a sweat patch, but also functions as a pet. Look, it can be used for teething, as a toy, and even—”
It pressed its paw against a part of the bone.
"Woof woof woof woof woof!"
The bone made a barking sound.
The Golden Wolf Guards looked at each other in bewilderment.
The leader roared, "Kill them! Search!"
Cavalry charge!
The inn lobby instantly turned into a battlefield!
Swordsmen charged forward, their blades flashing like a waterfall!
Kurumi didn't try anything fancy this time.
It slammed its schoolbag to the ground.
Claws forming hand seals.
"This library is in a hurry—Heaven and Earth are boundless, and the universe borrows its power!"
The backpack opening was open.
Endless golden light surged forth!
Golden light transformed into ropes, weaving through the air and binding the charging Golden Wolf Guards one by one like dumplings.
Thirty people, thirty ropes.
Within three breaths, they all collapsed to the ground.
The leader, the last to be bound, struggled and roared, "Sorcery! This is sorcery!"
"That's called efficient work."
Kurumi clapped its paws and walked up to him.
"Go back and tell your Khan that the sacred bone treasury has been confiscated. If you want the Khanate, fight for it yourself, and stop coveting the bones of the dead."
It then took out a Dao Crystal and stuffed it into the leader's pocket.
"Here you go. Hold it tight and imagine what you want—like wisdom, courage, or a book (a guide on how to legally inherit the Khan's throne)."
The leader was stunned: "You...you're not going to kill me?"
"As Benku said, civilized dogs do not kill."
Kurumi turned around and looked at Tomoyo.
"What about you? Do you still want to fight?"
Chishiro smiled wryly: "We can't beat them."
"Alright then."
Kurumi released his pressure points.
Chiseiro flexed his wrist and gave Kurumi a deep look.
Who exactly are you?
"Just passing by."
Kurumi jumped back into the carriage and waved his paw: "Daoma, are we going or not? It'll be dark if we don't leave soon."
Dao Ma sheathed his sword, picked up Xiao Qi, and got into the carriage.
The carriage drove out of the oasis.
Behind me, the inn was filled with people tied up, and a toy bone was barking.
……
evening.
The city walls of Dunhuang are in sight.
The carriage stopped on the sand dunes to rest.
Xiaoqi fell asleep from exhaustion.
Dao Ma looked at Kurumi.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes, the road ahead is still long." Kurumi looked eastward. "Next stop... let's go see the Central Plains."
He took a Dao Crystal out of his bag and handed it to Daoma.
"Keep this safe."
Dao Ma accepted it.
Crystal clear and radiant.
It's the same one given to Sun Wukong.
What can it do?
“There are many,” Kurumi grinned. “But the most important thing is—when you don’t know what to choose, hold on tight and listen to your heart.”
It jumped off the carriage.
"By the way, that piece of true holy bone was purified and buried in the Thousand Buddha Cave by this repository. If anyone asks about it in the future, just say that it was taken away by Buddha."
"That wooden box..."
"Keep it as a souvenir. Next time you take on a shipment, check the goods first."
Kurumi waved its paws and walked on the sand.
The white shadow faded into the distance.
The sound drifted on the wind:
"This crystal can give birth to all things, just like the name of this storehouse, 'storehouse full of rice,' wishing you rice in your storehouse every day."
"See you in the next anime."
Dao Ma gripped the Dao Crystal tightly, staring at the disappearing white dot.
for a long time.
I looked down at Xiao Qi, who was fast asleep.
I gently patted his head.
"Let's go, into the city."
The horse-drawn carriage headed towards Dunhuang.
The setting sun cast long shadows of a person and a car.
Meanwhile, on the eastern horizon, Kurumi had already pulled out his next book.
On the cover, young men in red stand holding swords.
(Qin Shi Ming Yue).
"The Hundred Schools of Thought..."
Kurumi's eyes lit up.
"I've heard that Confucian food is delicious, Taoist wine is tasty, and Mohist mechanisms are fun—"
It grinned, revealing its canine teeth.
"Benku came to freeload a meal."
$BNB $Kurumi
