Xia Xi was a bit taller than most women but obviously much shorter than most men, however the teenager in front of him hadn't fully developed yet and was more than half a foot shorter than him. Even though he knew that the person in front of him had the power to decide his fate, Xia Xi still felt a little weird.
The King of the Barbarians was actually an eleven or twelve-year-old boy?
While he was startled, the young man slightly squinted his eyes and looked at him up and down. He in front of him, and asked in substandard Chinese: "You are what Xia Chao sent me to wed. The wife, Princess?"
Xia Xi restrained his thoughts and nodded lightly, "Yes," He saluted him again, "Greetings to the King."
The young man seemed to be somewhat satisfied and stretched out a hand to him, "I'm here to welcome you. From now on you will be my wife, the Queen of my Barbarian clan. From now on, you must completely forget your home country, forget the kingdom of Xia, and do your best to serve me; to be kind to me and bear my children to continue my ancestry."
An immature teenager saying something like that would normally make one want to laugh, but the surroundings were quiet, there was no strangeness in the expressions of others. It was enough to show that although this teenager was young, his prestige was sufficient. Xia Xi looked at the palm that was much smaller than his, only slightly hesitated, and placed his palm on top of it. He replied respectfully: "Yes."
Xia Xi followed the King's honor guards into the city of Yudu full of anxiety. Yudu seemed ready to welcome him. It was quite lively. The people's shouts were loud and scary, and Cai Huan hid behind him, scared and trembling all over. She tightly grabbed the hem of his clothes and asked in a whisper: "Her Royal Highness, they- are they going to eat us?"
Xia Xi calmed down and said softly: "No," He still felt uneasy. Although he was now dressed as a woman and looked as delicate as one, half of him was still a man. If he was discovered, how would he end up?
When entering they Palace, Xia Xi could finally attest that the Palace of the Barbarians was indeed very magnificent. There were huge stones everywhere and it was entirely without fine decorations like those in the Kingdom of Xia, it overall looked quite practical. Xia Xi was sent inside one of the rooms in the Palace, it was dotted with furs of various animals. They had obviously been treated, but the smell still caused Xia Xi discomfort. He hadn't even began adjusting himself to the Barbarian's style when several maids with big waists and strong arms walked in, they were carrying clothes and accessories in their arms, talking to Cai Huan and Xia Xi in a whirlwind. Xia Xi didn't understand a word. The leading maid didn't seem to have a good temper, she started to undress him directly, Xia Xi tried to resist a few times but with no results. After a while, only a set of a white undercoat was left on him, his face flushed with shame. Fortunately the maid didn't take it off as well, she instead ordered the others to dress him in a new set.
The clothes of the Barbarians were completely different from the clothes of the Xia kingdom. They were simpler but the unknown fabric was thick and heavy and wasn't as soft as silk or satin. Xia Xi's long hair was also combed into the style of the locals, the beautiful black hair was braided into dozens of slender braids with some jewels woven into it. After they finished, he took a look at a bronze mirror and saw his whole person look completely different. Like a barbarian woman.
Cai Huan had also been forced to dress like a local maid. She was obviously not happy. Her eyes were red and she looked at Xia Xi with an aggrieved expression. Xia Xi felt helpless, knowing that he was unable to do anything. After a while, the handsome man who could speak Chinese walked inside and said warmly: "My Queen, the auspicious hour has arrived. Please go and worship our god with our King."
The Barbarian flags were painted with wolf heads, the entire nation believed in the Wolf god, they worshipped the Wolf god as the only god. Whenever there was any major festival, they would light up the beacon tower. Xia Xi didn't understand their etiquette at all. All the ceremonies were done under the guidance of the handsome manΒ- the prime minister of the Barbarians Sang Sangmu. Standing on the highest platform, Xia Xi could see the dense crowds of people underneath. The people wore crescent knives on their waist, all of them looked very excited. When they opened their mouths and smiled their white teeth gleamed, intensifying the fear in Xia Xi's heart
He felt like a sacrifice.
After the worship was complete, Xia Xi was sent back to the room he had momentarily occupied. This time the little King came back with him. The King had been holding his hand, chin raised like he was an adult. He turned his head from time to time to glance at him with a joyful expression in his eyes.
When they arrived in the room, Xia Xi saw many guards and maids standing inside. The maids held some basins; the first basin contained a piece of bloodied flesh and the smell of it made Xia Xi's stomach roll. He quickly turned his face away but was soon told that he needed to drink a bowl of wolf blood, and eat a piece of raw meat from the basin alongside the King.
Xia Xi's face turned pale with fright but he didn't dare resist. He watched the young King carve off a large piece with a sharp knife, throw it into his mouth, chew it a few times, and then swallow it. When the knife was passed to him Xia Xi's hand trembled but he still took it. He had never dealt with raw meat so he didn't know how to start. Finally, he hesitatingly cut off a small piece- wishing that the size would make it run down easier through his throat. He didn't even dare to chew and just directly swallowed.
In spite of this, a strong fishy sensation remained in his throat, making Xia Xi feel sick enough to vomit. His actions obviously dissatisfied the people around them. The young King frowned but didn't say anything. He brought him a bowl of still steaming wolf blood and said, "Drink it all."
Xia Xi trembled and noticed the expressions of people around them 'witnessing the ritual', he guessed that this ceremony must be very important. If he violated it, he might be dragged off and beheaded without a word. So despite the rejection from his body, he peacefully received the bowl of steaming blood; put it on his lips, and drank it with closed eyes until his head was tipped over.
The overpowering smell made Xia Xi feel as if he was drowning in a sea of blood. The warm liquid trickled down his throat and poured into his stomach until not a drop remained on the bowl. Xia Xi felt that his soul seemed to have been put out of its place and wondered how his legs weren't shaking. At least he didn't faint flat on the ground, nor retch immediately after.
His rather neat action won the favor of others. The young King smiled with satisfaction, he took another bowl of wolf blood from a server and drank it. He then raised his hand to gently wipe off the remaining blood on Xia Xi's mouth and said happily: "From now on, you will be my wife."
Xia Xi smiled reluctantly.
While other people participated in the grand dinner held outside the Palace, Xia Xi hugged the spittoon he had brought in and vomited. Cai Huan's face was pale and she kept asking: "Your Highness, the things you just ate, was it not human flesh or blood?"
Xia Xi shook his head and continued vomiting for a while, almost vomiting up bile, but a persistent fishy smell was still insistently stuck inside his mouth. When midnight came, he began to feel a bit more comfortable. Cai Huan had fallen asleep on his pillow because of tiredness. Xia Xi moved her to another smaller bed and covered her with a quilt, he turned around and saw someone staring straight at him.
It was his husband, the King of the Barbarians.
Xia Xi's blood ran cold, the boy began to spit out a string of words in his language. His tone was quite excited, but Xia Xi could not understand a word of it. He looked at the other blankly and gradually saw that the young man was drunk with wine; his face was all red and his footing wasn't very stable. Xia Xi reached out to support him, the boy stopped immediately, he just quietly stared at him with his beast's eyes. After a while, he smiled in satisfaction and allowed Xia Xi's assistance.
He wasn't that old yet, Xia Xi could still easily support him. There was only one master bed in the courtyard, it seemed to be the only appropriate place to sleep in for the night. Xia Xi helped the boy sit on the edge of the bed and saw that he was still wrapped with heavy layers. After thinking about it, he reached out and removed the boy's hair crown. The boy didn't stop his movements, this was an obvious signal that his actions were still appropriate. Xia Xi carefully unraveled his hair, took off his coat and pants, and then finally his shoes and socks.
Although Xia Xi had never served other people, he had been observant since childhood and had a good memory, so he was doing well at serving the little King now. There was a smell on the little boy's feet, Xia Xi didn't think it was too bad, he stood up and wanted to get a pot of hot water. But the moment he stood up, the young man suddenly grasped his hand tightly, with great strength, and said something in the Barbarian's tongue.
Xia Xi didn't understand the Barbarian language but inferred that he should've been asking about where he was going. Xia Xi whispered softly: "I'll fetch you water and wait until you've finished washing."
The boy let go of his hand but his eyes were still staring at him intently, even when he walked outside, he followed him with his head tilted. Xia Xi had needed the hot water before and knew where to find it. He found a tub and filled it with water but didn't find a new cloth towel. After hesitating, he soaked and wrung out the cloth towel he was using, he walked over to the boy. and began washing his face.
With a single swipe, a black layer appeared on the cloth towel and the skin on the boy's face suddenly looked a bit whiter.
The Barbarian people didn't like being clean. It was normal to take a bath every ten or eight days. Xia Xi had heard of it before, but only confirmed it at that moment. He felt a bit surprised.
After all, the child in front of him was no ordinary person.
Xia Xi didn't dare to show any strangeness on his expression and continued to wash the teenager's face. After wiping his face clean, the basin of water became dirty and unusable. Xia Xi could only change the water again, wipe the boy's hands and arms, and then finally wash his feet.
The sight of Xia Xi washing his feet seemed to have pleased the young King. He rubbed Xia Xi's slender fingers with his big toe and asked in jerky Chinese: "You are titled Princess, then what is your name? We would be intimate, so I should call you by your name."
Xia Xi said: "My name is Xia Xi, the King can call me Xi'er."
"Xi'er?" The teenager savored the two syllables carefully, seeming to like it. He tried to say it several times but with a different tone, he asked, "Was I right?"
In fact, his tones were wrong, but Xia Xi nodded, "Yes."
The teenager jumped with joy and suddenly rubbed his fingers again, he said: "Why don't you ask my name?"
The concubines of the Xia kingdom couldn't use the Emperor's name, even the noble Empress, but Xia Xi knew that since he was now in the land of the Barbarians, he would no longer need to abide by Xia rules. So he obediently asked: "What is the name of the King?"
The teenager watched him, spitting out five or six long tones from his mouth, speaking again in the Barbarian's language. Barbarian names were extremely long and even if it was translated into Chinese, it wouldn't make sense at all. Xia Xi tried hard to remember while the boy urged Xia Xi to say his name. His pronunciation still seemed to be inaccurate even after trying for several times, Xia Xi looked at the teenager timidly. He was afraid that he would lose his temper.
The young King seemed to be very upset. He pursed his mouth slightly and suddenly said, "My teacher also gave me a Chinese name, Chu Lan, you can call me this."
Xia Xi couldn't tell which characters it represented, but he didn't dare to ask more, he nodded gently, "Alright, Chu Lan."