Song Chuyi grinned, “Compared to Zhangzi, I’m far inferior.”
“Zi” is a term of respect. The “Zhangzi” Song Chuyi referred to was Zhang Yi.
“Come on, stop dragging me into this.” Zhang Yi laughed. After spending these days together, he had come to understand Song Chuyi’s temperament somewhat. “I wonder who you learned from, to know so much at such a young age?”
Tao Ding’s reputation was not prominent among the various states. Song Chuyi must have been thoroughly familiar with the situations in each state to be able to casually mention his name.
Song Chuyi suddenly gently reined in her horse. Zhang Yi noticed and stopped as well, turning to look at her.
As evening lights were just beginning to shine, the cool night air mingled with the orange glow of the lamps, blending into a peculiar kind of light. With a faint smile on her face, Song Chuyi cupped her hands in salute and said, “Brother Duanrong, I am of Daoist origin, sixteen this year, a native of Song. As for my master’s sect… heroes need not ask about one’s origins. You and I met through adversity. When each of us has achieved our own success in the future, we must drink three hundred cups together. Since you are unwilling to wade into these waters, let us part ways here today.”
Now that Song Chuyi had been reborn, her master’s sect would probably no longer recognize her. If she reported it, in the future people might suspect her of falsely claiming the Daoist name.
“Good.” Zhang Yi agreed readily. “Since you have unspeakable difficulties, there’s no need to say. The bond of our acquaintance remains. I’m going to Qin, Huai Jin, if you leave Wey in the future, come find me and we’ll drink and talk freely, how about it?”
“It’s a deal,” Song Chuyi said.
Zhang Yi saluted on horseback, then raised his whip and galloped away down the broad street, leaving a trail of dust behind.
The two were exceptionally kindred spirits. Both had originally harbored the intention of becoming sworn brothers, but on second thought, when they met again in the future, it might well be as enemies. What use would sworn brotherhood be then? It would only be a bond entangling each other. Better to be free and unburdened. Even if in the future they served different lords and faced each other in battle, it would surely be a thorough and exhilarating fight. Zhang Yi knew that although the divination Song Chuyi had interpreted was absurd, there was one indisputable fact: his two senior fellow disciples had indeed fought each other to the death for a lifetime. He and Su Qin could never serve the same lord in the future.
Only when Zhang Yi’s figure could no longer be seen did Song Chuyi dismount, reach out to pat the horse’s head, and lead it by the reins along the street. The two guards also silently dismounted and followed her on foot.
The wind howled through the street. Song Chuyi could not help but shiver, but after being in the cold wind for a while, her skin felt somewhat warm.
The two guards followed for a while. Seeing Song Chuyi wandering aimlessly, one of them could not help asking, “Master Huaijin, aren’t we going to visit Tao Ding?”
The two guards Ji Yu had assigned to Song Chuyi were one named Ji Huan, a centurion who, though not handsome, had a magnificent and burly build – the type women liked most – and another named Yun Ruo, an ordinary soldier.
Without turning her head, Song Chuyi knew the one asking was the centurion Ji Huan. “Can you find his residence?”
Ji Huan said, “I am visiting Suiyang for the first time, so of course I cannot find it.”
“I’m also visiting Suiyang for the first time,” Song Chuyi said matter-of-factly.
Behind her, Ji Huan frowned, and Yun Ruo also looked at her with some unease. They had originally thought that Song Chuyi wandering back and forth on the street had some deeper meaning – weren’t men of strategy supposed to be unfathomable? Turns out it was simply because she couldn’t find the place.
“We’ve arrived.” Song Chuyi interrupted their thoughts.
The two were delighted and looked over, only to see that it was a clothing shop whose owner was tidying up and preparing to close. Seeing Song Chuyi and the others standing in front of the shop, though the three were dressed in rags, they held three fine horses by the reins. The owner took the initiative to ask, “You three have been lingering in front of my shop – are you here to buy clothes?”
“Indeed,” Song Chuyi replied. “I’ll trade one sturdy horse for three sets of clothes and some food. Would that be acceptable?”
Bartering was a normal form of trade at the time. Even though Suiyang, as a capital city, mostly used coins and silk for purchases, such transactions were not refused.
The shop owner stepped out of the doorway, looked at the three horses, and asked, “Which one do you intend to trade?”
The owner knew horses. Song Chuyi had clearly just seen his gaze linger for a moment on the black steed behind her. That one was a warhorse that had campaigned with Ji Yu, and its bearing was naturally beyond compare to ordinary horses.
Song Chuyi turned and looked at the three horses. The other two were about the same, so she reached out and casually pointed at one. “That one.”
The owner felt somewhat disappointed, but a sturdy horse in exchange for what Song Chuyi had just mentioned was more than enough. “Fine. Please come in, all three of you.”
The three tied the horses to the posts in front of the door and followed the shop owner inside.
An ox-fat lamp was lit. The owner needed only one glance at the three figures to know what sizes of clothing they needed.
He brought out several garments from the counter – some silk, some ko-hemp cloth and linen. And the silk one was actually women’s clothing.
Ji Huan and Yun Ruo’s expressions changed drastically. Ji Huan barked, “You old man, how dare you insult us! We are three men – why bring out a woman’s garment?”
“This old man’s shop never cheats on prices, much less dares to insult anyone.” The shop owner glanced at Song Chuyi, his meaning all too clear.
The two were greatly alarmed and immediately turned to look at Song Chuyi with furious gazes that said, “You liar!”
“Shopkeeper, bring me a hemp robe of the kind a scholar wears,” Song Chuyi said.
Ji Huan’s eyes were bloodshot, almost as if they would bleed. He said through gritted teeth, “How could you deceive us?”
They had been besieged by Song for days and had long since run out of food. Suddenly two people had appeared who could save them from dire straits. For Song Chuyi’s sake, more than two thousand of them had endured cold and hunger, searching the mountains and forests for one of her friends for most of the night. Now, learning so suddenly that this scholar was actually a woman, Ji Huan’s mind exploded with a roar. He forgot everything about Song Chuyi’s speech and learning, convinced only that she had toyed with the two thousand Wey soldiers in the palm of her hand.
“I never said I was a man.” Song Chuyi had long grown accustomed to others questioning her abilities because of her gender, so she merely said indifferently, “As long as I can do what I promised, does it matter whether I’m a man or a woman?”
Seeing the two men’s expressions soften somewhat, Song Chuyi continued, “Aren’t the two of you carrying swords? If I fail to deliver, you may take my head.”
The shop owner, seeing the two guards brimming with killing intent, hardly dared breathe. He held out a black wide-sleeved hemp robe to Song Chuyi with both hands.
Song Chuyi grabbed the garment and asked, “Is there a place to change?”
“Please follow me.” The shop owner’s attitude was far more respectful than before. He bowed slightly and led Song Chuyi away to change.
A moment later, Song Chuyi emerged in a dark wide-sleeved robe. Her forehead was full, her nose bridge straight, and her figure showed no curves. Dressed in men’s clothing with her hair bound up, she actually looked like a young man.
By this time, Ji Huan and Yun Ruo had also calmed down. Song Chuyi was right – she held the lives of their two thousand soldiers in her hands, but if she lacked the ability to save them, they could kill her with a single sword strike.
Even so, the two were no longer as relaxed as before, and their attitude toward Song Chuyi had clearly changed.
Ji Huan and Yun Ruo took turns going in to change clothes. Then the three took some food from the owner, asked for directions, and prepared to go visit Tao Ding.
