Beauty, Power and Intrigue Chapter 78

White Blade, having been frightened once, finally did not dare to chase the horses anymore, but everyone clearly noticed that as long as White Blade was running outside, the horses’ speed was nearly twice as fast as usual.

Ji Yu was quite happy about it, but Song Chuyi was being tossed about in the carriage to the point of wishing she were dead, grinding her teeth in hatred. On top of that, Longgu Buwang dragged her into lessons every day, which was even more exhausting than doing hard labor.

Was this what they called the wheel of fortune turning?

Song Chuyi slammed the bamboo slips onto the table with a fierce throw. “I quit!”

With that, she flopped down like a corpse into the soft bedding and refused to move no matter how Longgu Buwang called out to her.

Come to think of it, Longgu Buwang could only make Song Chuyi suffer in this one respect. If it came to playing mind games, ten Longgu Buwangs tied together would not be a match for one Song Chuyi.

“Sir, I want to be someone like Pang Juan,” Longgu Buwang said.

Song Chuyi’s vision was swaying from the bumping, and through the blur, she saw Longgu Buwang’s determined expression. She could not help but prop herself up, extend her index finger to hook his face toward her, and lean in to look at him carefully.

“I’m serious,” Longgu Buwang said.

He truly was serious – Song Chuyi could tell.

Longgu Buwang stepped back a little, and because space was limited, he could only perform a basic standard grand salute. “I beg you to teach me.”

“Why? When the outcome is already known, why repeat the same mistakes?” Song Chuyi said.

Because the moment he saw such a powerful cavalry, the blood in his entire body boiled, and he knew it could not be calmed. Even though the path Pang Juan had walked already made clear that this was not a good way out, Longgu Buwang still firmly believed that training strong soldiers was a meaningful endeavor. Most importantly…

Longgu Buwang said, “I like it.”

With that, he raised his eyes to look at Song Chuyi. She stared at him expressionlessly. After a moment, she suddenly burst out laughing. “Excellent, straightforward and bold – what spirit!”

How many people in this world act under the banner of saving the common people and saving the great Way of the world? How many are prepared to stake their entire lives on a single phrase – “I like it”?

“I can teach you to the best of my ability, but before that, there are some things I must make clear to you,” Song Chuyi said, her smile fading.

Longgu Buwang bowed. “I respectfully await your instruction.”

“If in the future you serve some state, you must not reveal whose disciple you are – that is the first point. Second, Pang Juan’s path is not necessarily impossible to walk; it is just that he was too obstinate, narrow-minded, and unable to tolerate others. If you take this path, regardless of success or failure, you must have the momentum to swallow mountains and rivers and the breadth of mind to accommodate a hundred rivers. Can you do these two things?” Song Chuyi asked solemnly.

The momentum to swallow mountains and rivers, the breadth of mind to accommodate a hundred rivers?

Such boldness – Longgu Buwang liked it, but those who could achieve it were few and far between.

After a brief silence, Longgu Buwang answered resolutely, “I can.”

Song Chuyi looked at the youth before her who had already found his direction, and she felt a faint stirring in her heart.

In this era where human life was precarious, life and death were truly as commonplace as everyday meals, and people willing to die for their aspirations and ambitions were everywhere. But to be willing to walk a rugged road – one that might end at a cliff – for the sake of preference required more than just impulse.

In the days that followed, Song Chuyi acted as if nothing had happened and continued to amuse herself at Longgu Buwang’s expense.

Longgu Buwang was often spun around in circles by her tricks. Every time he felt his thinking had become more rigorous and his observation more sharp, Song Chuyi would always catch him off guard. All the way to Xianyang, he never once managed to turn the tables.

Each time, he would still fly into a rage, but gradually, he felt he was becoming more and more able to view things calmly, and his patience had grown several times greater than before.

The procession was about to enter Xianyang. Ji Yu urged his horse faster and approached the Qin soldier serving as squad leader who was guiding the way, cupping his hands in salute. “Squad Leader Meng.”

“What is it?” Squad Leader Meng returned the salute and asked.

The people of Qin held great respect for the brave and fierce. That day, when Ji Yu had deflected a crossbow bolt with a single arrow, Squad Leader Meng had become quite courteous toward him – though it was entirely different from the distant manner he had shown before.

Ji Yu said, “My lord has instructed us to act secretly. Xianyang has many merchants and travelers; if we go directly to the official inn, we will inevitably attract attention. Is there any way for us to enter privately?”

“A small matter.” Squad Leader Meng said immediately. Seeing Ji Yu’s puzzled expression, he explained, “Your envoy has already spoken of this to the assistant official. The assistant official has already sent a fast rider to relay word to Xianyang. The route we are taking leads to the north side gate, where there will be people to receive you. They are very experienced in this.”

“Many thanks.” Ji Yu looked at Squad Leader Meng, who was inexplicably in a great mood, and felt puzzled.

He rode his horse to the side of Song Chuyi’s carriage and observed the group ahead. Just now he had wondered whether it was because Squad Leader Meng had not been home in a long time, but after watching for so long, it seemed that Squad Leader Meng alone was so delighted that he could not suppress it.

After pondering for a while, Ji Yu still knocked on the door of Song Chuyi’s carriage. “Sir, Ji requests an audience with you.”

“Request what audience – just come in.” Song Chuyi leaned against the side of the carriage and said lazily. With White Blade not outside making merry, the carriage was much steadier.

Ji Yu had the carriage stop for a moment. Once he boarded, he was greeted by a peculiar sight – Song Chuyi propping her head on one hand while holding up a piece of dried meat with the other, and White Blade tilting its head back with its mouth open, motionless, waiting for the meat to drop.

“Sit wherever you like,” Song Chuyi said.

Ji Yu knelt down by the door. “Sir, Squad Leader Meng’s mood is very off – the smile on his face is nearly impossible to suppress.”

“Hey, maybe he got word that his wife back home gave birth to a son, and he’s come back just in time to see him,” Song Chuyi said, then laughed at her own joke.

He had said he’d guarded Wu Pass for ten years. If his wife really had given birth to a son in Xianyang at this time, Squad Leader Meng probably wouldn’t be smiling – he’d be furious.

Ji Yu frowned. “Sir.”

Song Chuyi spread her hands helplessly, and Bai Ren’s head swayed along below, following the dried meat.

“The Meng clan is an old aristocratic family of Qin. He could have originally enjoyed his family’s protection and gone straight to wealth and glory, but because of the reforms he fell to his current state. Shang Yang is about to die – how could he not be happy?” Song Chuyi said.

This was actually quite obvious. The reason Ji Yu hadn’t thought of it was that he didn’t know much about the Meng clan’s background, and couldn’t imagine the impact of the reforms – couldn’t imagine what connection a lowly squad leader would have with a great family.

“Thank you for clearing up my confusion, sir.” Ji Yu set his mind at ease, immediately ordered the carriage to stop, and withdrew. He still had to coordinate with the Qin escort envoy.

Longgu Buwang poked his head out of the window and was immediately greeted by a vast desolation – across a great stretch of land, even withered grass was rare. A stretch of yellowish-brown soil extended all the way to the horizon, meeting the gray-blue, high and distant sky in a boundless expanse.

“Didn’t they say Qin is so wealthy that the people have no land left to farm? With such a huge stretch of wasteland, why has no one cultivated it?” Longgu Buwang said.

Song Chuyi tossed the dried meat into White Blade’s mouth and rubbed her sore arm. “You think everywhere is as fertile as Wey? Qin is dry. This area has no water source for irrigation, and the soil isn’t suitable for farming either – you couldn’t even grow a bird here.”

“Sir, ‘bird’ this and ‘bird’ that – isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Longgu Buwang couldn’t help saying.

The carriage slowly came to a halt, and someone outside said, “Do you have a reception token?”