Chapter Forty-Seven: First, Observe the Tires

As the wind whipped around with the flapping of the White-Headed Eagle King's wings, snowflakes spun and danced, scattering white petals through the air. The men, including Lu Hu, managed well enough, simply brushing the dust from their faces with their sleeves. The women—Quan Zhenzhu, her sister, and Ma Lihong—hurriedly shielded their mouths and noses with their arms.

From behind, Lu Hu heard a voice in Tiger-speak: "How dashing, how powerful, so magnificent, soaring skyward." Turning, he saw Lingding Xiaowu—when had she slipped out from the main tent? She stood beside White Dabai, eyes full of awe as the White-Headed Eagle ascended, unable to suppress her admiration.

"Oh heavens, when did this creature that Bo Yi raised appear? Nearly scared me to death!" Ma Lihong, who had been gazing intently at the eagle’s takeoff, jumped at Lingding Xiaowu’s sudden presence. When she turned and saw it was the tigress, she screamed in fright. In the chaos, she forgot to cover her face and inhaled fine dust, which sent sharp itching through her nose. She gasped, wriggled, and sneezed seven or eight times in succession.

Ever since Lingding Xiaowu had gone to coax Little Bai in the tent, Ma Lihong had been convinced the tigress would eat her. That terror had left her with a deep phobia, and now, thankfully, the presence of Quan Zhenzhu and the others nearby gave her a sense of safety—she did not faint right then.

Lu Hu, seeing this, had a mischievous idea. Smiling, he said, "Zhu Xiaoying, come with us to visit Emperor Quan. Ma Lihong, you stay here and guard the main tent. If anyone comes looking for me, have them wait."

With that, he took Quan Zhenzhu’s hand in his left and Quan Meiyu’s in his right and strode away. Zhu Xiaoying followed closely behind.

"…God, God, God Lord!" Ma Lihong, already weak-kneed from fright, felt her whole body go limp at Lu Hu’s arrangement, her words barely making it past her shoes.

Lu Hu paused, trying not to laugh, and turned: "What is it, Commander Ma?"

The arrogance she’d shown earlier—bullying the soldiers with borrowed authority—was gone; everyone secretly chuckled.

"I—I’m scared…" Ma Lihong looked pitiful.

"Scared? What are you scared of? You’re the bravest here. Entrusting the main tent to you puts my mind at ease," Lu Hu half-joked, then turned to go.

Ma Lihong was startled, then pleased: The God Lord values me so highly—I must do this job well and outshine Zhu Xiaoying. If I could surpass those two girls, maybe the God Lord would favor me alone…

As this delightful thought took hold, she felt her prospects brighten and imagined pinning the God Lord to the bed tonight. Who would dare provoke me then?

She donned the bearing of a grand lady, strode into the tent with her head held high. White Dabai stepped aside obediently, and Lingding Xiaowu had vanished.

Feeling triumphant, Ma Lihong mused: That tigress raised by Bo Yi must know my power now—the God Lord has entrusted me with such responsibility. You’re nothing but a stray; dare show off again, and I’ll kick you to death.

"Pay attention, guard the tent well. Without my word, no one enters. If anything happens, I’ll deal with you." At the tent entrance, Ma Lihong hands on hips, pointed at White Dabai and barked orders, throwing a sidelong glance at some passing soldiers.

Playing up her authority, she swept aside the curtain and entered.

Inside, the tent was empty. Ma Lihong instantly felt like the mistress, imitating Lu Hu’s manner as she walked to the tiger-skin chair.

She leaned back, legs crossed and propped on the table, cleared her throat, and called out arrogantly, "Zhu Xiaoying, you little brat, where have you been loafing? Come here and massage my legs!"

In her fantasy, Zhu Xiaoying obediently scurried over, knelt, and began to massage her legs.

"You lazy little brat, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and massage, or I’ll thrash you!" Ma Lihong felt something touch her thigh. Thinking her dream had become reality—now that she was grand mistress, Zhu Xiaoying dared slack off—she cursed and opened her eyes.

There was no Zhu Xiaoying. Lingding Xiaowu’s paw rested on her thigh, expressionless, staring at her.

"Why did the dog servant from the rear slip in here? Scared me—get out of here!" Ma Lihong, not fully returned from her dream, still thought herself the grand lady.

Lingding Xiaowu didn’t move.

So you don’t know who’s queen here, eh? Let me show you. Ma Lihong swung a kick at the tigress’s face.

Lingding Xiaowu calmly blocked her, raised a paw, and with a low growl, bared her fangs.

"Oh heavens, help! Somebody save me!" Ma Lihong snapped back to reality, seeing death before her, she screamed hysterically, then collapsed in tears.

With such a timid heart, you dare compete with me? Lingding Xiaowu spat at her and walked away.

Ma Lihong, sobbing wildly, felt something wet on her face, thinking her head had been bitten off, rolled her eyes and fainted.

Inside the tent, Little Guanyin was supporting Quan Dounan for a walk. He clutched his side, teeth clenched, moving slowly, sweat beading on his brow.

"Your Majesty, you should rest in bed," Little Guanyin said gently, distressed by her husband’s pain.

Quan Dounan exhaled a long breath: "Lying down all the time is unbearable. Maybe moving around will help me recover faster."

"Why sigh, Your Majesty? Now we have the God Lord’s help, no need to fear outsiders; what worries remain?" Little Guanyin didn’t quite dare call him son-in-law.

She’d sent guards to investigate the commotion outside and learned all about Lu Hu’s defeat of Tongtian Wu and the summoning of the eagle, which only increased her confidence in the future son-in-law.

"Sigh, it’s good to have the God Child’s help, but it seems he’s here for the Surname Shi. That one’s not easy to deal with. If Shi becomes master of Xilote, our tribe may have no place here…"

Quan Dounan, a thoughtful man, looked ahead to future troubles.

"No close danger now, but distant worries remain…" he said.

"He’s our son-in-law—he’ll support us, not outsiders. He could give us a territory, couldn’t he?" Little Guanyin was confident.

"They haven’t married yet. How can we be sure he’s one of us? Besides, we don’t know his temperament. What if he’s fickle…"

"Father, Mother, we’re back!" came Quan Zhenzhu’s cheerful voice from outside.

Quan Dounan stopped speaking, exchanged a glance with Little Guanyin, and listened intently.

Quan Zhenzhu, lively as ever, bounced in holding Little Bai, about to enter, but Lu Hu held her back and said to the guard at the tent entrance, "Please announce: Lu Hu seeks audience with Emperor and Empress."

Such courtesy and awareness warmed the hearts of Quan Dounan and Little Guanyin.

The guard loudly announced them.

Little Guanyin called out, "We’re all family, no need for such formality. Let my precious children come in quickly!"

The tent entrance brightened as the guard lifted the curtain. Quan Zhenzhu flitted inside like a bird, followed by Quan Meiyu, who entered gracefully by Lu Hu’s side.

"Daddy, your wound isn’t healed—why get up so soon?" Quan Zhenzhu stamped her foot, reproachful eyes bright as she scolded her father.

Quan Dounan, ever doting on his little girl, could only smile sheepishly.

Lu Hu bowed properly, "Lu Hu greets the Emperor and Empress…"

Little Guanyin stopped him: "No need for such courtesy among family, and you are the God Lord—we ought to bow to you. We’re exiles now, hardly even kings, so to be addressed as Emperor and Empress is embarrassing. Please call us Uncle and Aunt in future!"

Lu Hu wanted to say he could help them restore their kingdom, but reconsidered. Changli was once Great Sheng's rival—helping them reclaim their kingdom would be improper. He swallowed the words.

"Daddy and Mommy, don’t worry, God Brother will help us restore the kingdom—right, brother?" Quan Zhenzhu said mischievously, her peach-blossom eyes twinkling at Lu Hu.

Lu Hu had no good answer. He turned to Zhu Xiaoying at the door: "Guard Zhu, go to the kitchen and ask the chef to prepare nutritious soup for Uncle Quan’s recovery."

Zhu Xiaoying agreed and was about to leave when Lu Hu added, "Then return to the main tent, fetch the best wound medicine, and reapply it for Uncle Quan."

Turning to Quan Zhenzhu, Lu Hu said, "Zhenzhu, let’s help your father to bed. I’ll check if he has any hidden injuries."

"Thank you for your care, God Lord. I’m recovering well—should be fine," Quan Dounan replied, seeing Lu Hu dodge Zhenzhu’s question, understanding the matter needed careful planning.

With Lu Hu and Zhenzhu’s help, he walked to the bed and lay down.

I’m not actually a doctor—what would I know about examining wounds? Still, appearances must be kept up, or my reputation as a god might suffer.

Western medicine in these times is little more than mysticism; traditional medicine is more reliable, at least in observing symptoms.

"Uncle, stick out your tongue; let me examine your…er, tongue coating," Lu Hu said.

Quan Dounan opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue. Lu Hu stared for a long time but couldn’t tell what he’d eaten, let alone deduce any pulse.

If it were one of those girls’ tongues…hm, don’t get distracted—now I’m playing the immortal.

He adopted a mysterious air, pondered a while, looked skyward, and rolled his thumb over his middle and index fingers, mumbling indistinctly—he himself had no idea what he was muttering about.

As long as they see me calculating and strategizing, that’s enough.

He estimated that he’d already dazzled the two girls and his future mother-in-law, their hearts fluttering, eyes sparkling—just in time for a loving moment.

Lu Hu nodded with a smile: "From the pulse, your brow is full, your jaw is round, the imperial aura still lingers within, though not strong. In time, you’ll have noble help and recover fully…"

Lu Hu mixed metaphors, half-truths, and nonsense, saying whatever would please them. Whether true or not, it was God’s decree.

The Quan family, all well-read, listened as if hearing mythic tales, wishing their own skills were higher, savoring every word.

"God, God Lord, something’s wrong—Ma Lihong isn’t breathing!" Zhu Xiaoying suddenly burst in, panting, to report to Lu Hu…