"You may be able to trick other people. But you can't trick me!" Xuanye said.
"Shixiong, I really want to be a blacksmith," Ying said in a low voice. She almost cried as she's angry and desperate. "You can't refuse me just because I'm a girl! If you don't want to teach me, at least…you could recommend me to Ou Yezi!"
Xuanye sighed and asked, "Who wrote this letter? Did you fake Mister Yao's writing?"
"Mister Yao knows that I want to be a blacksmith so badly. He said it's not fair if I could not be a blacksmith just because I'm a woman. Therefore, although he didn't want to write the letter for me, he allows me to write on his behalf. He saw it when I wrote the letter, and he let me used his seal."
"Alas!" Xuanye sighed, "Alright! Since Mister Yao thinks highly of you, and actually…I am almost fooled by you. So I guess I will write a recommendation letter for you!"
Ying was surprised, and she made a salute with her fists said, "Shixiong, I appreciate your kind help!"
"Not so fast!" Xuanye said. "I will write a recommendation letter for you; only….and if only, you could improve your skill of disguise. If you can pass through me, then Mister Ou Yezi will not be suspicious of you."
"Thank you, Shixiong!"
"Alright, go now! I give you a month!" Xuanye said.
Ying nodded.
She was about to leave when Yan Run hastily entered the room and asked, "Father, I heard that Mister Yao's disciple is coming to visit you. Is the disciple, is this young man?" Ying nodded her head politely. Yan Rui didn't recognize her.
Xuanye nodded.
Yan Rui turned his head to Ying and asked, "Brother, I..I wonder if you could tell me where Mister Yao lives?"
Ying knitted her eyebrows and asked back, "Why do you want to know Mister Yao's address? Do you have something to do with him?"
Yan Rui nodded his head and said, "I'm looking for Miss Ying. I forgot to ask her where she lived!"
"Why do you want to know where she lives?" Ying asked.
"I…I want to visit her! Please tell me where she lives!" Yan Rui said.
Xuanye laughed. He knew that his adopted son liked that girl so much. "My son, Yan Rui, is a handsome young man. He likes that girl. You better tell him where she is! It's an honor for her if she could be my daughter-in-law!"
Ying was so peeved with Xuanye. She turned her head and looked at Xuanye with sharp eyes, then answered, "Shixiong, it's not that I don't want to tell your son where she lives. But as you said, she's an arrogant girl. She thinks that she's gorgeous that she only wants to marry a king!"
"What? No..no…that can't be. Ying is not an arrogant girl! She's a nice, humble girl! She's not that kind person!" Yan Rui shook his head.
Xuanye laughed, "Yan Rui, you can go with Xue Ying. And if you can persuade him to tell you where she lives, then you can go and find her. But if he disagrees with telling you where she is, then I can't help you too! I don't know how to deal with an arrogant girl!"
Yan Rui nodded and said, "Thank you, father! I will retreat now!"
"Shixiong, I have to go now! I will see you again next time when I'm ready!" Ying said.
Xuanye nodded. "Take good care, junior-apprentice…brother!"
As Ying left the room, Yan Rui followed her and asked, "Brother, please tell me where Ying lives! I want to see her!"
Ying said, "She's traveling at this moment. Suppose there's anything important, perhaps better for you to write a letter. I will pass the letter to her when I see her!"
Yan Rui sighed, "Aye! Writing a letter…that will be embarrassing!"
"Why?" Ying asked.
Yan Rui only sighed. "Brother, where are you going?"
"Back to my hotel!" Ying said and hurriedly left Xuanye's house.
"Brother, brother, please…tell me where Ying-er lives," Yan Rui said while following Ying.
"Why are you so insisting on seeing her? I could help you and pass your letter to her," Ying said.
Yan Rui laughed, "I want to ask her to marry me! How can I write a letter for such thing!"
"What?" Ying shouted in surprise. "Geez! Luckily he doesn't recognize my disguise!" Ying said in her mind.
"My mother is very ill. Therefore, my mother and father want me to get married soon. I think that Ying-er is a nice girl, and also she's my father's junior-apprentice sister. She's a good perfect candidate to be my wife!" Yan Rui said.
Ying blushed. She had never thought someone would say that about her.
"She wants to be a sword-forger. So I guess you shouldn't waste your time," Ying said. "It's better for you to find another girl!"
"Unless she says no to me," Yan Rui said. "My father said he agrees if she's willing!"
"Huh, your father! I don't get why Mister Yao and Madame Ling always said that he's a good guy. He's such a rude, ugly old grandpa!" Ying said in his mind. But in her mouth, she said nothing and walked straight to the hotel where she stayed at.
She opened up her room, and Yan Rui just followed her.
"I'm not inviting you to come in," Ying frowned. She kneeled and sat on the rug and poured out some tea for herself.
When Yan Rui saw this 'young man' frowned, he just realized that he's a bit similar to Ying. He laughed and said, "Brother, when you frown, you look like a girl. You look very similar to Ying-er!"
Hearing his word, Ying no longer frowned. She laughed and said, "Hmm! Well, since you're a good person, then I'm not going to lie to you. Ying and I…born on the same day, from the same womb!"
"Ah…you and she are twins?" Yan Rui was surprised and asked with an enthusiastic voice, "No wonder I feel familiar with your face. You are a bit similar to Ying, but you are the male version!"
Ying nodded, "She and I…have the same thought and mind. Therefore, I could tell you, young man! Don't waste your time. Ying will never want to marry you!"
"Why?"
"Because…you're not appealing enough for him. She said that she only wants to marry a king, who is smarter and more handsome than Minister Fan Li of Yue!"
Yan Rui was dumbfounded. After a while, he asked, "Did Ying-er say that?"
"Of course," Ying said. "She adores Fan Li. But unfortunately, in his eyes, there's only one Xi Shi!" Ying sighed.
Yan Rui also sighed, "She's an interesting girl! I like her!"
Ying looked at Yan Rui and felt sorry for him. "She said that you are very nice and also pretty cute. It's just…she likes Minister Fan!"
"She is a silly girl," Yan Rui laughed. "Oh well, but I still want to see her! I miss her!"
Ying looked at Yan Rui, who was gazing outside. "Aye, if only Minister Fan were nice to me, like the way you're so nice to me!" she unconsciously sighed.
===============
Days passed by. And Ying still didn't give up. She's determined to be a great sword-forger. And that means she had to improve her disguise skill until Xuanye could not recognize her.
One day Yan Rui took Ying for a walk at the Helu City - Wu State's capital. She was excited as she had never visited a big city like that before.
Along the street, she would stop and look around for things she had never seen before.
When she stopped at a vendor who sold trinkets and hairpins, Yan Rui looked at her and laughed said, "Brother, you look like a girl! Only girls are interested in this kind of thing!"
Ying knitted her eyebrows and then laughed, "I was born in a small village. I've never seen beautiful things like this before!"
"Is this one beautiful?" Yan Rui asked.
Ying nodded, "It's beautiful!"
Yan Rui then took some money from his pocket, bought the hairpin, and gave it to Ying.
Ying was confused, "What…are you doing?"
"If you go home and meet Ying-er, please give it to her. I think she will like it! She can't expect a stingy brother like you to buy her a gift!" Yan Rui laughed.
Ying shook her head and said, "She will like it and will appreciate your generosity. But it will not change her mind. She is not willing to marry you for whatever reason."
"I know…I know," Yan Rui laughed. "This is not precious enough to impress her! But this is still a friendship gift for her!" Yan Rui pushed the hairpin to Ying's hand.
Ying sighed and said, "Alright. Then I represent her to say thank you."
They both walked around the city without a specific destination. Then they heard some horse were galloped and some trumpets and music noise to open up a way. It's King Fuchai and his entourage who were passing the street, heading to the palace.
"We should go there," Yan Rui said, and he pulled Ying's hand. "It's King Fuchai and Xi Shi. You have to see them!"
Ying followed Yan Rui. They stood on the street together with the crowd, who were curious to see their king and his beautiful consort passing by.
"That's the king and Xi Shi," Yan Rui said in an excited voice.