Almambet, Chubak and Serhaq also came over to Manas. Besides, they rode down the blind pass to pursue after the murderer. Konurbai fled away well before the three warriors overcame a lot of troubles and got to another end of the underground tunnel. As a matter of fact, Konurbai and his five generals were hiding in the dense forest nearby. The heroes gave up tracing the murderer in the woods due to the strong sense of frustration. Downcast in spirit, they returned without accomplishing anything. But they dared not to be negligent in their duties.
Several days later, Manas felt an unbearable itch on his neck all of a sudden when he discussed the military operations with others. Baimart was asked by Manas to check up on what was going on. To his surprise, he found that an axe without a handle was embedded deeply into the neck of Manas. Bakai was also astonished at such a long and deep cut in which the inflection had flared up. The flesh and skin around the swollen wound had turned red. “Oh, great khan, can you still remember when you were hit?” Bakai asked.
“I was taking a break in the palace three days ago when I heard those forty warriors playing a game outside. I thought Almambet and Chubak must be present. So I rode out after putting on my coat armor. But I forgot to put on my helmet. At the entrance to the palace, I seemed to catch sight of a flash. I could not tell if I had been hit by an axe or not. My neck began to itch last night. And I have been cursed with a burning heat sensation on my neck since then. I could not sleep all night long. Please pull the axe out of my neck. I cannot endure any more,” Manas recalled.
Bakai turned down his request, saying: “The axe was embedded deep into your neck. Don’t move please. Just wait until Almambet comes back. I know
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for sure that he is adept at treating the wounds.”
Manas did not accept the suggestion of Bakai. He insisted on pulling out the axe at once. Majik and Baimart tied them to the axe with a thick and long rope. Then, they pulled the rope vigorously. Whenever they pulled, the swollen wound would greatly hurt. Another eleven warriors were asked to join in later on. However, their strenuous efforts ended up in failure as well. Manas could not endure the great pain which made him dizzy. Just like a seriously wounded lion, Manas blew his top. “You guys, listen! Send for Almambet as soon as possible!” Manas flared up in a loud voice because of the aches.
Just at this moment, Almambet made it to the palace of Manas after two days of going on patrol. As soon as all the people saw him, they began to compose themselves at once. After he learned what was going on with Manas Khan, he untied the rope and put two pills with magical power into the hero’s mouth. Manas calmed down only after a short while.
According to Almambet, the axe was made of the pure steel. He had never felt that he was hit by it simply because it was extremely sharp and dipped into the poisonous solution. Pulling the axe out of the neck with a rope was the most stupid way for treatment. If others did not try to extract the axe, the wound would not be exposed to the air. As a result, the infection in the wound and the subsequent pains could be totally avoided. “You have already taken my pills. And I will apply another kind of medicine to your wound. After you go back home in the company of all the other warriors, Princess Kanikei will give you some other medicines with the magical power. Shortly after that, the axe embedded into the flesh will drop down. I make sure that you will completely recuperate in three months. If you pull out the poisonous axe right now, your health will be jeopardized. Let me handle all the matters right here. I will let Serik mount the throne temporarily. And ordinary people will not be allowed to come closer to him when they pay respect to him. Your Majesty, you need some quiet time to heal in privacy in your home town. It will take me about forty days to handle all the matters right here. After that, I will run after you. After you recover from the wound, we will come back again to knock the living daylights out of Konurbai,” the Khitan prince said.
Manas accepted such an opinion of Almambet finally. He led his large legion back home in the company of Bakai, Muzburchak and other warriors.
On the other hand, Konurbai was worrying about the result of the
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assassination all along for he could not get a definite obituary about Manas. He repeatedly doubted if he hit Manas successfully. “Are Kyrgyz people playing a prank on me right now? I am afraid that those Kyrgyz guys have probably already sent Manas back home. It is better to wear oneself out with the hard job of tracing him than to become feeble through laziness and inactivity. If I found Manas, I will behead him and keep his soldiers in captivity,” Konurbai thought. So he mounted the top of a nearby mountain at once to overlook the valley.
Manas did not forget to take a look at Beijing during his rest time. All of a sudden, the figure of Konurbai burst upon his sight. Manas had hardly seen the bloodthirsty demon when he flied into a fury. The reason was obvious: He could not put up with the atrocities comitted by the consummate villain. Manas swore to avenge himself on Konurbai for the insult, hurt and oppression given to ordianry people for a long time. “How can I go back home without snaring the wicked demon? I have to say that I am shying from being a dreadful coward fleeing away from the battlefield? As you know, a number of ordinary people are still under his control,” Manas said to Bakai. Bakai had no choice but to consent to the order of Manas reluctantly. They decided to stay there finally.
In consultation with each other, both sides agreed to carry out a decisive fight fifteen days later.
