Golden leaves drifted through the Populus euphratica forest outside Kucha City as Zhang Yifan's team of Wooden Oxen hurried back toward Cyan Ox Village, the red hair-ribbons tied to the oxen's tails fluttering in the autumn wind to cast delicate red blurs. Suddenly, the hurried ringing of camel bells echoed from behind. Ali, the Persian merchant, came galloping on a camel, his turban slipping behind his head. "Young master! The Wooden Ox from Wusun is on fire!"
"What fire?" Zhang Yifan stopped in his tracks, seeing Ali holding half of a scorched Wooden Ox model to his chest. The ghost-face carved by Huwa on the ox's head was burned into a crooked, squinting mess. "Could he have secretly dismantled the anti-theft tail?"
Ali nodded frantically. "He wanted to learn your mechanism and shoved goodness knows what into the gears, and the Wooden Ox started smoking!"
Chapter 21