Chapter 73 Edelweiss

The sound of horses in the distance galloping nearer caught us off-guard. The Sisters all cowered behind us; for reasons I knew not why, it was said since ancient times that the sound of horse hooves battering on the ground could frighten ghosts. I stretched my neck for a better view. The horse riders were all armed with semi-automatic rifles! First, we had eagles, and then wolves, and now, a band of armed brigands! "What awry luck we have! Has Inner Mongolia had always been so ravished with turmoil?" The riders rode past us only to suddenly double back. They yanked at the reins of their horses when they were near, and one of them called, "Is it Master Murong?" It was a woman, I realized. I stood up. "I am he!" The rest of the riders turned their steeds and drew nearer to us. It was the female thief who had tried to escape with my bag; one of Ulan's henchwomen! The riders dismounted. "Why are you three here?" the henchwomen asked. She went to her saddle and retrieved a water pouch. She handed it to us, which I took gratefully and took a gulp before Yuan Chongxi had another swig too. I offered one of the roasted wolf's leg to her and said, "Are you hungry? Do you want a bite?" The female riders looked around and noticed the wolf carcasses strewn on the ground and their eyes went wide! "My god!" one of them cried, "You'd encountered wolves?"