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墨書 Inktalez
Qi is more suited for this position than she is. That's how the world works; if a woman has any ability, she will be seen as an anomaly, and it is absolutely impossible to stand above men. In the past, she could command attention and had quite a reputation in several countries, but that was because others did not know she was a woman. Her mother, even on her deathbed, could not close her eyes, probably out of fear that Qi would be exposed again.
Sighing, she cupped her fists towards the two and said, "I apologize for the disturbance. Today's events were my recklessness; I hope for your forgiveness."
The Vice Commander snorted lightly, perhaps feeling that such a simple apology after having struck someone lacked sincerity.
Young Master Rong noticed her poor expression and asked with concern, "Where are you headed?"
She looked up at the sky; the azure expanse had not a single cloud, only the sun hanging high above, its dazzling rays causing her to squint. This extreme blue, extreme brightness, extreme stillness, and extreme vastness made her feel as if her vision had widened and her heart was at ease.
The earth is vast; how could there be no place for her?
She replied, "Wherever I go will be where I belong."
Young Master Rong said, "If you have nowhere to stay, you can come with me. My family has considerable ancestral property to ensure you won't have to worry about food and clothing."
She found it somewhat amusing; had even a prince of a nation fallen to the point of having nowhere to stay?
She did not lack places to go; she still had many things to accomplish and would not be without a home. Even without anyone else, she could establish a place of her own. Moreover, she still held thoughts of that person—her true love, Ji Xun.
However, these days, what occupied her mind most was not him but Zhong Xue—the very Zhong Xue she wished to see suffer a thousand cuts. The Yan Army's defeat and being besieged were all thanks to him. Especially from what the Vice Commander said, she learned that during the Battle of Chengyang, he conspired with Wang Shumeng and Lin Jun to stab her in the back. Although she did not die by his hand, her death was inextricably linked to him.
And then there was that incident by the river; if he hadn't impersonated Ji Xun, how could she have lost her innocence? All wars stemmed from this; everything was due to that spring affair—Ji Xun's heartbreak, her fury, and those thousands of warriors who bled on the battlefield. She must avenge all these grievances.
After bidding farewell to them, she set off alone. Yet the grand ambitions in her heart could not outweigh the harshness of reality. On the second day of her journey, she suddenly realized she was lost and once again felt foolish about her sense of direction.
She originally intended to go to Zhao Kingdom but somehow ended up on a path toward Wei Kingdom, making her doubt whether she had actually meant to go there all along.
She asked people for directions everywhere, and after a while, she unexpectedly encountered someone who was also lost.
It was a carriage, with a very thin horse that seemed to have gone days without a proper meal. The person on the horse was equally thin, looking gaunt and hungry.
As soon as he saw her, he repeatedly asked, "How do I get to the State of Chu? Where is this place?"
At the moment she saw him, she felt an inexplicable connection. Especially since he looked very familiar, almost like...
"Jing Ren, is that you?"
Jing Ren also recognized her and exclaimed in surprise, "It's you, San Chun." He then tightly grasped her hand. "I knew you left the State of Chu and have been searching for you everywhere. I've been looking for over half a year and finally found you here."
She was speechless; it was rare to find someone who couldn't even find their way home. However, he called her San Chun—who was San Chun?
She wanted to ask him, but he kept talking about how hard it had been for him since they parted. He had traveled through several countries, and every time he thought he was close to returning home, he would lose his way again. Once, he even ventured northwest and nearly got killed by the Xiongnu. When he left, he hadn't brought anyone with him and had only a small amount of silver. Eventually, he ran out and had to beg his way to this place.
Hearing about his experiences made her sigh inwardly; he was a Prince of Chu, someone who had lived a life of comfort—how could he endure such hardships? It was remarkable that after wandering for over half a year, he was still alive. Moreover, in the past two years, various countries had ceased hostilities. Under the advocacy of Chengyang Jun, trade among several nations had become closer, and border checks were not as strict as before; otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to travel between so many countries.
Though she was also directionally challenged, she knew that this place was still far from the State of Chu. It seemed that he was even more lost than she was.
Having recognized each other, they set off together. Along the way, he kept calling her "San Chun." When she asked him why, he blinked and replied matter-of-factly, "You are San Chun."
From his words, she learned that there was someone named San Chun whom he knew; it seemed he didn't realize she was Yan Dan. In his eyes, she was merely someone who looked very much like Yan Dan.
She was astonished—could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
Since coming out of the mountains, she had been preoccupied with worries, lacking the heart to groom herself and having no time to look in a mirror, and of course, she had no mirror to look into.
While passing through a town, they found a grocery store that had many large copper mirrors available for free use. She picked up the largest mirror, and when she saw the person reflected in it, she nearly jumped in fright. Although the person in the mirror looked very much like her, she could instantly recognize that it was not her but her sister, Ju Dan.
Why? How could this happen? Ju Dan, how could she have become Ju Dan?
If she had become Ju Dan, then where was the real Ju Dan?
Her hand trembled, causing the copper mirror to fall to the ground and scratch itself.
This caused trouble; the shopkeeper hurried over and grabbed her, saying, "You have to pay for what you broke."
She forced a smile; if she had money on her, she would have bought one long ago instead of using a free mirror here.
She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I have no money."
The shopkeeper became anxious. "No money and still using a mirror?"
As he turned to leave, the shopkeeper refused to let go and began cursing.
Seeing her being harassed, Jing Ren walked over and kicked the shopkeeper hard in the chest. The kick was so fierce that the shopkeeper fell to the ground and couldn't get up. He was used to being domineering and didn't realize that his actions were wrong. After hitting him, he pulled her away and left.
She felt uneasy inside and repeatedly scolded Jing Ren for being too harsh. Jing Ren listened with an expression of understanding; he seemed to feel he was at fault and wanted to apologize to the shopkeeper. He turned back into the store and took some silver coins from behind the counter before leaving.
Assaulting someone and committing theft—he had added crime upon crime.
She couldn't help but shake her head and sigh. It must be that he had survived all this time by such means. With his mediocre skills, how had he managed to run rampant without getting killed?
In fact, Jing Ren had also taken quite a beating, with bruises all over his body. The money he stole was often taken back by others; otherwise, how could he be so destitute and emaciated? He had a bad temper and didn't know how to handle situations, which led him to suffer a lot along the way.
She told him to return the money, but Jing Ren refused to give anything back. Just as they were grappling with each other, a group of soldiers chased after them, shouting, "Catch them! Thieves!"
She guessed that the Shopkeeper must have woken up and reported them to the authorities.
Seeing the soldiers getting closer, she couldn't care less about the money anymore. The two of them took off running down Main Street. Jing Ren originally had a carriage, but it was already surrounded by soldiers, making it impossible for him to go back and retrieve it. They ran out of town; although they had stolen money, they lost the carriage in the process. This deal was more of a loss than a gain.
For the next stretch of their journey, they relied on the money Jing Ren had stolen to survive. She ate the steamed buns bought with that money and felt too embarrassed to blame him too much. She thought of it as money earned from selling the carriage, which made her feel a bit better inside. However, without the carriage, it would be even harder for them to travel quickly.
Of course, if she were more open-minded, she could interpret it differently: without the carriage, they wouldn't get lost as far since they were traveling on foot. After all, how far could they go on just two legs?
She thought about first sending Jing Ren back to Chu State and then making another trip to Zhao State to rekindle her connection with Ji Xun. Perhaps with two directionally challenged individuals together, they would offset each other's shortcomings and not get lost over two or three journeys. However, their funds were nearly depleted; if they wanted to travel quickly, they needed to find a way to make a living.
She asked Jing Ren what skills he had, but he shook his head vigorously. It made sense; as a pampered young master, how could he possess any survival skills? It was unfortunate that she was also someone who had been well taken care of; she could eat but couldn't farm.
In the past, relying on Yan Dan's reputation would have ensured her favorable treatment in various countries, but now...
Sighing deeply, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as she bumped into someone ahead of her. The person wore a large hat that partially obscured their face and hurriedly muttered an apology before walking away.
She didn't pay much attention and walked a few steps further when she suddenly heard someone behind her say, "I've seen poor people before, but I've never seen anyone as poor as you."
She turned around and saw that the speaker was holding a purse that looked just like hers.
"I thought, 'Oh, you stole my money...' but then I realized she didn't have any money to steal, so I added the word 'bag' and said, 'Oh, you stole my money bag.'
The person wearing a hat suddenly looked up, their two round eyes shining brightly. They smiled at her, revealing two prominent front teeth that resembled a groundhog.
The more she looked, the more familiar this person seemed. Wasn't this the Robber she encountered a few days ago? How did they end up as a thief now?
The person sighed, twirling the money bag in front of her with one finger, their mouth forming an exaggerated pout. 'You too, you're getting worse and worse. How did you end up so poor?'
She snatched the money bag from them and half-jokingly said, 'If you have money, why not help us out?' How could a wealthy person possibly be a thief?
To her surprise, the thief actually pulled out a bag of money from their pocket and handed it to her. 'Here, this is Ten Gold.'
She blinked. 'Are you really giving me money?'
They shrugged. 'It's not mine anyway.'
That was true; their money was all stolen. So helping him spend it could be considered a form of relief.
Of course, she didn't know that this money wasn't stolen but rather something someone had left with him. After all, that person had left their bundle on the cart for quite some time without returning, so it naturally belonged to him now. As for giving it to her, it could be seen as returning property to its rightful owner since that person had so many complicated ties with her."
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