Chapter 261: The Grassland Festival and Horse Racing

When Song You awoke from his nap, he found seven or eight small fish neatly lined up beside him. Lady Calico was soaking wet, sprawled out on the grass in the sunlight, fast asleep.

The world remained vast and open. The jujube-red horse had returned as well, now standing in the shade of the tree, peacefully grazing.

“...”

Song You let out a long breath, unhurriedly getting up to clean all the fish. Hearing the noise, Lady Calico lifted her head, glanced at him a few times, then rolled over and went back to sleep.

Dinner that evening was grilled fish and roasted groundhog.

They fell asleep beneath the starry sky.

His clothes, dried in the sun all day and blown by the wind through the night, were fully dry by the next morning. Only then did the trio—one man, one cat, and one horse—resume their journey.

They traveled through the vast grasslands.

In Yanzhou, where the land was wide and the population sparse, walking alone in such an expansive world could indeed evoke a sense of solitude. But once that feeling was accepted, it became nothing to fear. Instead, it brought a profound sense of inner peace and openness, as vast as the land itself.

Traveling alone was one of the most common forms of cultivation. It was the same for everyone.

Sometimes, while climbing a hill, Song You would spot a distant white yurt. Occasionally, when he lit a campfire to stay the night, packs of wolves would cautiously approach, testing their luck. On rainy nights, he’d find a tree to sit under until morning. On clear nights, he’d lie on the earth, gazing up at the endless river of stars flowing across the sky.

As General Pu had mentioned, sometimes he’d be invited as a guest by local herders. Other times, he’d be stopped by officials from the imperial pastures, suspicious because his jujube-red horse bore no rein or saddle marks.

Encountering people was a blessing—he could ask for directions. Not meeting anyone was a blessing too—it allowed him to enjoy the solitude.

Song You traveled slowly, covering only a few dozen li each day. Most of the time, he rested, lost in thought, attuning himself to the spiritual resonance of the world. Gradually, he approached the place that General Pu and his officers had spoken of, where the Horse Racing Festival would be held.

On the road, he began to meet fellow travelers heading in the same direction.

After chatting with an overseer from the imperial pastures, Song You learned that the festival wasn’t originally called the Horse Racing Festival; it had its own name and was a ceremony to worship the heaven and earth.

However, much like the temple festivals in the Central Plains, when so many people finally gathered together—especially on this vast grassland where seeing a crowd was a rare event—it naturally evolved into more than just a simple ceremony.

There must be singing and dancing performances, trade exchanges, as well as various entertainment activities and events that facilitated marriages between men and women.

Everyone was an ordinary mortal in this world, a living being with flesh, blood, and thoughts. The seven emotions and six desires[1], and the mundane aspects of human life were naturally things that could not be left out from the festival.

Among these, the most lively activity was the trade exchanges on the grasslands, where people trade for daily necessities, along with activities like horse lassoing[2] and horse racing. The military was most focused on horse racing, so they called it the “Horse Racing Festival.”

The road ahead slowly became clearer, showing obvious marks of being trampled by horses and wheels.

Song You walked steadily, along the road.

Lady Calico transformed into a little girl, following beside him and tapping the roadside grass with a bamboo stick.

From time to time, young men rode past him on horseback, and families riding horses slowly overtook him. There were also ox-drawn carts and horse-drawn carts carrying goods, making clattering noises as they moved along the road. Everyone who saw Song You's jujube-red horse, which had neither reins nor saddle, couldn't help but throw him a curious glance.

Whether it was due to their naturally warm nature, or perhaps the vast, open grasslands and the long time without speaking to anyone, many people greeted him as they passed by, some in the local dialect, others in the official language of Great Yan.

If he couldn't understand, Song You would simply smile and nod. If he could understand, he would engage in conversation.

Although part of Yanzhou was grassland and bordered the northern frontier, it had belonged to the Central Plains since the Yu Dynasty, for over a thousand years. The Great Wall[3] had already been built in the north, and except for times when the Central Plains dynasties were weak and could be overrun, it was mostly controlled by the Central Plains rulers. Even the locals in this grassland, though similar to the people of the northern frontier, were actually quite different by now.

This was especially true with the different methods of governance of this grassland of Yanzhou by each dynasty. The previous dynasty had been governed by a northern king. However, the northern king had been overly loyal to the previous regime, and when Great Yan conquered the world, they also overthrew him.

Now, the northerners of Yanzhou were increasingly culturally aligned with the Central Plains, even pursuing education and the imperial examination. Many had entered the court as officials, a reflection of the strength and inclusiveness of Great Yan.

Beyond this grassland, the rest of Yanzhou was much like other states. The Daoist fortune-teller Song You had met earlier had come from Yanzhou.

As they walked, a shout suddenly came from behind. “That Daoist Master!”

The voice was clear and youthful.

Song You couldn't help but turn around. It was a young boy riding a yellow horse, his face tanned from the sun. When he smiled at Song You, his teeth were very white.

It seemed like he had come with his family to attend the Grassland Festival, and he was accompanied by siblings and two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, all of whom also smiled at Song You.

“Greetings,” Song You said, lifting his head.

“Are you also going to the Grassland Festival?” The boy on the horse gradually caught up.

The boy was also riding a

Beiyuan

horse, though it was taller than Song You's jujube-red horse.

“Yes, I’m just going to see the festivities.”

“It's just ahead, not far.”

“Thank you.”

“Why aren't you riding your horse?”

“Walking is fine.”

“Heh heh, is it because your horse is too small, and you're worried that carrying such a heavy load might crush it?” the boy said, laughing heartily.

A few of his siblings, varying in age, also laughed along with him.

Song You could sense that there was no malice behind their words, so he replied, “Indeed, I’m worried about tiring it out.”

The jujube-red horse continued to walk silently ahead.

Only Lady Calico couldn’t help but stop, standing by the side of the road, her head held high as she stared at the boy who had spoken.

Riding a horse was faster than walking, and the boy and his group slowly passed by Song You, moving ahead.

However, the boy still turned around and kindly reminded them, “Although it’s not far, if you’re not riding, you might not make it before nightfall. The grasslands are easy to get lost in at night, and there are wolves. It’s best to reach the camp for the Grassland Festival before nightfall, or be careful that your little girl might get carried off by wolves.”

“Thank you.” Song You smiled and waved them off.

The little girl continued to stand in the same spot, her head held high as she stared at him, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. She only hurried to catch up once he had walked farther away, and her Daoist master had also gone farther ahead.

Walking was indeed not as fast as riding, and countless people passed by the Daoist. Both sides turned their heads and exchanged glances numerous times. However, the Daoist’s steps remained steady. Even though he initially wanted to rest a bit more, Lady Calico seemed eager to reach the Grassland Festival’s camp sooner, so Song You, naturally, followed her wishes and hardly stopped.

By evening, they finally saw the camp.

It was a vast area of white tents, large and small. Except for the few large tents arranged more neatly in the center, the rest were scattered about haphazardly. Some of the larger tents were as big as a room, while the smaller ones could barely fit a single person.

In the center, people had piled wood and were starting a bonfire, and there was a large open area around the camp, already trampled by horses to the point where no grass could be seen. People were riding horses and galloping about, their loud shouts ringing out.

The two people and one horse slowly walked forward.

The sounds around them suddenly grew lively, the voices of many people blending together, making it a bit overwhelming for them, as they had been traveling through the grasslands for days without much company.

The man and the little girl couldn’t help but glance at each other.

“Eh? Sir.”

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them.

Song You turned to look, and it was the same young boy.

The boy grinned and said, “We meet again!”

“Quite the coincidence.”

“Where are you staying?”

“We don’t know yet.” Song You paused to speak with him. “Probably just find a place to settle.”

“There are a lot of thieves at the Grassland Festival. Without a tent, if you leave your things on the ground, they might get stolen, and even your horse could be taken.” The boy bluntly warned, laughing as he spoke. “And sometimes, after people leave, they can't find their spot again. When their things are stolen, they even think they’ve gone to the wrong place.”

“Then we’ll have to be careful.”

“If it rains, it’ll be even worse.”

“Yes.” Song You replied, looking up at the sky. “Fortunately, it won't rain for the next few days.”

“How do you know?”

“Just a guess.”

“Do you know magic?”

“Just a little.”

“Really?”

“Just a bit.”

“I heard that at night, there are people who know magic, very powerful, and they perform spells. I’ve never seen it.”

“Is that so...“

The boy was talkative and enthusiastic, and Song You didn’t quite know how to respond. They chatted a few more times before parting ways.

Ahead, there were countless tents, with people coming and going in the center, along with cattle, sheep, and horses. Song You led his jujube-red horse through the crowd, while the little girl carefully avoided the adults and the horse manure on the ground, staying close behind him.

Everywhere, people were drinking, conversing, and speaking loudly.

The bustling sounds came from all directions.

Although Great Yan was currently strong and even those far away in the Western Regions took pride in speaking the official language of Great Yan, this was not something for the poor common folk. Most of the people here are speaking their local language, and the majority of the voices around Song You were incomprehensible to him, so he quietly observed their expressions, sensing their emotions.

He could tell that people were worried, likely troubled by the chaos of war and the presence of demons.

However, there was also a lot of joy and excitement.

He could also tell that some were old acquaintances, while others were strangers from different parts of this vast grassland of hundreds of li. It seemed that introductions were not necessary; once they sat down, they became friends.

Occasionally, there were those whose language he could understand, mostly merchants and officials from this area.

Song You walked around, eavesdropping on conversations from merchants who have come from other parts of Yanzhou, and chatting with friendly officials. He almost had a clear understanding of the proceedings of this Grassland Festival.

The formal ceremony for worshiping heaven and earth would take place five days from now, and these five days were also the celebration of the Grassland Festival.

Every morning, there was a horse race, and the rules were very simple: one person would ride one horse, and the winner was determined by speed.

What differed from Song You's expectations was that the official horse races were mostly participated in by children. This was because the children here grew up riding horses, and their horsemanship was not inferior to that of adults. Riding the same horses, and in races that required little technique, adults could not outrun children.

If adults wanted to race, they could do so after the official event, gathering their friends or other adults, setting their own rewards, and racing for fun.

In the first few days, the winner received a sheep, and on the last day, the prize was a horse. In the afternoon, there was a horse lassoing contest, which was the true game for adults.

In the evening, it was time to relax, with people gathering around bonfires to sing and dance, and some even engaged in wrestling.

The intervals between events were mostly for trade.

As Song You walked through, he saw many tents filled with goods. People spontaneously brought things to sell or trade, and there were also merchants who had traveled from other places, as well as tents specifically for prostitutes.

Whenever he heard the sounds of heavy breathing from inside a tent, the Daoist would quickly usher the little girl away. But the little girl, on the other hand, was drawn in by curiosity. She would stop and stare at the tent. The Daoist's urging could only make her stay put. It was already working—if he hadn’t urged her, she would surely have run over to lift the curtain and peek inside.

Afterward, the Daoist had no choice but to hold her hand.

When he held her hand, Lady Calico became obedient, allowing herself to be led along. At most, she would turn her head in different directions, casting curious glances around.

1. This refers to various human emotions and desires. The term “seven emotions” comes from

The Book of Rites

, referring to happiness, anger, sadness, fear, love, hatred, and desire. The term “six desires” first appeared in Master Lü’s

Spring and Autumn Annals

, referring to human desire for life, desire against death, and the desires of human organs such as ears, eyes, mouth and nose for sound, color, taste and aroma. Later, the term “seven emotions and six desires” came to be used to describe people’s emotions and desires in general. ☜

2. Horse lassoing is a traditional Mongolian sports event, originally a skill used by herders to capture and manage their horses. It has since evolved into a distinctive sports activity, with two main types: pole lassoing and rope lassoing. ☜

3. The Great Wall of China is an extensive bulwark erected in ancient China, one of the largest building-construction projects ever undertaken. ☜