After bathing, Longgu Buwang went to look for Song Chuyi. He knocked on the door many times, but there was no response. Worried, he pushed the door open and went in.
As soon as he entered, he saw Song Chuyi kneeling by the window, with a map spread out in front of her, while she quietly looked outside, as if she did not know he had come in.
Longgu Buwang could not understand. That map was almost worn out from how much she had looked at it – what was so interesting about it? On the way here, Song Chuyi had looked at it several times every day, and when he asked, she said she was looking at the general trend of the world. But Longgu Buwang knew that Song Chuyi had a very good memory. Having looked at it so many times, the map had probably long since been printed in her mind, and for planning the route, there was no need at all to keep holding on to the map and staring at it so desperately.
“Sir.” After sitting for a while, Longgu Buwang could not help calling softly.
Song Chuyi turned her head back, looked him up and down, and thought to herself that after he put on clothes, one really could not tell that he had such a good physique.
Seeing that her expression was still not quite normal, Longgu Buwang said worriedly, “Has the plan run into obstacles? The Lord of Qin refuses to agree?”
“If it were really only that, then that would be good.” Song Chuyi exhaled a string of misty breath, which was swept away by the cold wind from outside the window.
“Only that?” Longgu Buwang was a little uneasy, and his voice rose.
Song Chuyi dug at her ear and said casually, “What are you shouting for? You scared me.”
If that were the case, then it was not that Song Chuyi was too full of confidence. Qin was currently in the midst of a great turnover within its court, with all kinds of forces stirring restlessly. If the Lord of Qin refused to attack Wei, she had many reasons with which to persuade him, and there was a great chance she could convince him. But the matter she was facing now was as if in thick fog: she could not see the way ahead, nor could she see the road by which she had come. This feeling of confusion and isolation in the world was truly vexing.
“Take a look – is there anything wrong with this map?” Song Chuyi pushed the map in front of Longgu Buwang. She had decided to cut through the fog immediately.
Actually, Song Chuyi had thought about it for a long time just now, and there was already a vague answer in her heart. Although Longgu Buwang had never traveled far from home, he had read a great many books, especially military ones. Among those who studied military strategy, almost none failed to look at maps. Over the past few days, she had been looking at this map all along, and often, when she looked at it together with Longgu Buwang, her finger would deliberately trace across that area, yet he had never said anything was missing there.
“This place – is it drawn correctly?” Song Chuyi pointed directly at that area.
Longgu Buwang looked for a good while, then said, “There’s nothing wrong with it, is there? It’s just that Jigu City is drawn between Qin and Wei, so one can’t tell which state it belongs to.”
Although this was already within her expectations, when she heard the answer, her heart still sank a little. Even though Longgu Buwang was often led around in circles by her teasing, she had never doubted his intelligence and learning.
In her previous life, Yangcheng was only a tiny patch of land, but in the general sense, it was a small vassal state. In recent years, the seven powerful states had continually destroyed and annexed the small states, like wolves devouring flesh, and Yangcheng was, after all, the only last little scrap of meat left between Qin and Wei. The person who drew the map should not have carelessly lost it, nor would Longgu Buwang fail to know of the existence of this small state.
At this point, she could already be certain: it was not that the state of Yang had been destroyed, but that it had never existed at all, because on this map there was simply no place called Yangcheng.
Did this also mean that the original Song Chuyi did not exist either?
But that old swordsmith clearly still remembered an astrologer – that was her father from her previous life…
“This map was specially drawn by my father when he sent people out to study abroad. Generally speaking, there should not be any mistakes with it,” said Longgu Buwang.
Song Chuyi was silent for a moment before she steadied her emotions. “Do you know where Zhuangzi is now, and how many disciples he has?”
“I do not know. Zhuangzi lives in seclusion in the mountains and fields, and he also enjoys traveling. It is said that when he encounters scenery he likes, he will stay there for a period of time, so very few people know his dwelling place. As for how many disciples he has taken in, I am afraid not many people could say clearly either.” Longgu Buwang was puzzled. Song Chuyi’s thoughts really jumped around too much – why, when asking about the map, did she suddenly ask about Zhuangzi again?
“What is it?” Longgu Buwang asked.
“Nothing.” Song Chuyi tossed the map aside and said, “The Lord of Qin is more decisive and efficient than we imagined. The matter has long since been handled. These next couple of days, do not read either. Rest well; we will be on the road again.”
Seeing that she seemed to have returned to her usual state, Longgu Buwang gave a dazed response and was shooed back to rest.
Song Chuyi had already quickly analyzed her current situation and for the time being could only come up with two possibilities. First, because of her rebirth, this world had changed; or perhaps because the world needed to change, she had been given the chance to be reborn. Second, she had been reborn into a place similar to the original world, and this world had a certain connection with the original world. She was herself, and yet not her original self.
“Damn it, what kind of screwed-up nonsense is all this?” Song Chuyi irritably scratched at her slightly messy hair and decided not to think about it anymore. Some things were destined to be impossible to figure out with one’s head alone; the more one thought, the more muddled one became. After all, she could find no absolute evidence for these matters. Thinking too much would be like what her master called the dream of the butterfly – one could no longer tell the real from the false.
Song Chuyi was unwilling to fall into that kind of confusion, so it was still better to look at the present, to look at what was right before her eyes – that was more practical.
“Sir, the Lord of Qin summons you,” Ji Yu said as he knocked on the door.
“Hm?” Song Chuyi’s eyes lit up. She quickly opened the door and asked, “Could it be that he wants to have a candlelit night talk with me?”
Ji Yu looked at her speechlessly, all disheveled as she was, and let out a faint breath, maintaining his calm as he said, “I do not know, but you may need a moment to wash up. Fragrant bathwater has already been prepared.”
Song Chuyi punched Ji Yu on the chest with her fist. Just as she was about to praise him for being thoughtful, she drew in a breath and stared wide-eyed. “Commander Ji, what a chest you have.”
“You flatter me, sir. This way, please,” Ji Yu said, his expression unchanged as he stepped aside for her.
Song Chuyi smacked her lips and walked toward the bath chamber. Ji Yu called for Ning Ya to prepare a change of clothes for her.
Soaking in the bath, Song Chuyi was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. “A fine auspicious day – good heavens, you really have been far too kind to me.”
Not only did they give her one chance at rebirth, but knowing she would be in a bad mood today after discovering the truth, had they specially arranged these three handsome men to comfort her? Even if it was only a little looking and a little touching, it was already enough to make her heart bloom with joy. Unlike before – father dead, mother dead, doing hard labor, dying and coming back to life over and over, finally getting a couple of peaceful days, and in the end still dying young… No, passing away in the prime of beauty.
Having found herself a bit of fun, Song Chuyi washed hastily, got herself in order, and immediately rode to the palace.
Having been through far too many hardships, Song Chuyi had long since grown accustomed to finding joy in bitterness. To her, the affairs of the world were no more than this. Something like the world changing could not compare to a song and dance before her eyes, a delicious meal, or a man’s… nice chest.
