Ying had never seen a king entourage like that before. Wu was a prosperous state compared to Yue. In Yue, the best chariot of King Goujian still could not be compared to Fuchai's ordinary chariot. It was a hot summertime. Therefore the king and his entourage were riding open chariots.
In a chariot was the king, Fuchai, and his beloved consort - Xi Shi.
Fuchai was a man in his mid-forties with a long beard. He's wearing a black robe and a tall crown on his head. On his side was Xi Shi. She's wearing a beautiful white embroidered robe. She's sitting on Fuchai's left side with her head lowered. Yet everyone still could see her beautiful stunning face.
"Look at Xi Shi! She looks magnificent, and she's wearing a lovely robe!" Ying said in amazement. "Oh, Xi Shi, Zheng Dan, I hope that you are all well! I also hope that you both could finish the mission you have to do," Ying said in her mind.
After the chariot passed, and the crowd dispersed. Ying was still looking at the chariots' entourages, which moving away from them.
"Such a beautiful chariot, such a beautiful robe, and jewelry…..I want to ride a chariot like that too! I want to have beautiful robes and jewelry like that too!" Ying said in her mind, "But I don't want to marry someone like Fuchai! And I'm glad that I don't have to serve him!" Ying sighed out of relief.
"Are you…enchanted by Xi Shi's beauty?" Yan Rui teased Ying. "Brother, she's the king's woman. Don't dream of something that you can't afford!" he laughed.
Ying laughed. She's happy that even after more than half a month, Yan Rui could not see that she's a woman - and that she's Ying that Yan Rui had been missing day and night. "I just don't get it how Shixiong knew that I disguised. I thought that my disguise skill was perfect. Never had thought…never had thought," she sighed.
"You laughed, then you sighed," Yan Rui said. "You're weird!"
"Now you know that I'm weird," Ying said. "I'm telling you, my twin sister, Ying is more weird compared to me!"
"She's a beautiful girl, unlike you! Therefore I could bear her," Yan Rui said.
Ying laughed and didn't reply. "Rui, you…if you want to see me again. Then tomorrow will be the last time you will see me. I may leave the day after tomorrow!
"So, what's your next plan? Are you going back home?" Yan Rui asked.
"I don't know," Ying sighed. "I just know that I have to leave soon!"
"Alright, I will go home and see you tomorrow. I will go home and write a letter to your sister!"
Ying laughed.
But the next day Yan Rui didn't come. He only asked a servant to go to the hotel to pass a letter for Ying.
Ying read the letter and sighed. Yan Rui was serious and wanted to propose to her.
Yan Rui didn't come to revisit Xue Ying as his mother's illness was getting worse.
That afternoon, Yan Rui was attending his mother with his father and another maid.
"Rui, you should get married soon," Madame Yan said. "Your father has introduced some girls to you, but you refused them all. You're not serious that you want to marry that wild girl from Yue, right?"
Yan Rui sighed, "Mother, that girl is very nice. You should not say that she's a wild girl!"
"Whatever! I just don't have a good impression on her," Madame Yan said.
"If Rui wants to marry her, and she's willing to accept him, you should agree and support them," Xuanye said. "As parents, we have to support our children. Besides, that girl is my teacher's disciple. They all said that Ying-er is a good girl."
"Hmm, look at you! You're also defending that girl! That girl enchanted not only my son but also my husband," Madame Yan said.
Xuanye laughed, "My wife, you're ridiculous! Your jealousy only makes your health deteriorate! Don't overthink, alright?"
Madame Yan shook her head, "Alright, alright! I'm dying anyway! Even if you have another woman, I can't do anything!"
"Mother, you have a husband like my father, and you still get jealous! I really can't believe that at this moment, you're still talking about this," Yan Rui laughed.
A servant entered the room and reported, "Mister Yan, a guest is looking for you. He said that he's your old friend from Yue."
"Alright, ask him to go to my study room!" Xuanye said. "My wife, I go and see my guest first! Rui, take care of your mother!" he said to his wife and son.
Xuanye arrived at his study room, and he was confused when he saw his guest.
His guest was a person from Yue. His hair was short, and he had tattoos on his face, but he's wearing a simple dress like the farmer of Chu or Wu State.
"Sir, I'm Yan Xuanye. May I know who you are? Is there something I can do for you?" Xuanye asked.
I'm coming here to get my recommendation letter," the young man said.
"Recommendation letter? What recommendation letter?" Xuanye was getting more confused.
"My recommendation letter to be Ou Yezi's disciple, Shixiong!" the man said with a serious voice.
Xuanye opened wide his eyes and observed the young man. That eyes were Ying's eyes. She cut her hair short and tattooed her face to disguise herself as a person from Yue.
"Ying? Are you…Ying of Yue, my junior-apprentice sister?" Xuanye disbelieved his eyes.
"I am, Shixiong!" Ying said. "I hope that you will keep your promise to me. Just now, you could not recognize me. I deserve my recommendation letter!"
Xuanye sighed and closed his eyes. "I will not break my promise. I will write my recommendation letter!"
Xuanye went to his study desk and wrote a letter to his teacher - the great blacksmith Ou Yezi. He turned his head and looked at Ying, who stood calmly waiting for her letter. Deep inside his heart, Xuanye regretted and felt guilty. "She's a beautiful girl. And because of my stubbornness, she has to cut her hair and tattooed her face. What a great sin I have against this girl!"
After he finished with the letter, Xuanye gave it to Ying and said, "You're such a stubborn girl. If only you're willing to be my daughter in law…..I will surely forge a sword for you. And you don't have to cut your hair and tattooed your face just because you want to forge your own sword."
Ying was raised in Yue State - a barbarian state. She didn't think that cutting hair and tattooing face was a big deal for people from the Central Plain like Xuanye. In Yue State, all men had short hairs and tattoos on their faces and bodies.
"What's wrong with short hair?" Ying asked. She was confused.
Xuanye sighed, "You're a girl. Who wants to marry a girl with tattoos on your face like that?"
Ying was a bit surprised, but then she laughed, and with her original female voice, she said, "Shixiong, I'm fooling you again. These are not real tattoos. I use some ink, mixed it with some liquid from wild plantation to make it convincing!" She laughed happily and showed her beautiful white teeth. Even with the 'tattoos' and dark skin, and short hair, she'd still look good-looking.
"You…you're fooling me again!" Xuanye laughed and shook his head. His eyes sparkled as he looked relieved. Somehow he's glad that the girl didn't ruin her beautiful face with tattoos.
"Hmm, actually, this grandpa doesn't look annoying if only he smiles or laughs often," Ying said in her mind.
"If I don't fool you, then how could I get this letter," Ying said. "I don't want to forge a sword only for myself. I still want to learn to make other weapons."
"Weapons? For who?" Xuanye asked.
"King Goujian! I am from Yue!"
"Oh!" Xuanye sighed. "Goujian is lucky. He has Fan Li and Wen Zhong. He also still has Yue Maiden, who trains his soldiers in swordsmanship. In the next few years, you will also help him to forge swords for his soldiers! By that time, Yue will be unstoppable!"
"Mister Yao said, it was you who ward off King Goujian's campaign last time. It's too bad that you have retired now. Otherwise, the next war will be interesting!"
"Interesting? Nothing is interesting about war, Little Girl!"
Ying frowned, "I'm not your daughter! Stop calling me Little Girl!"
Xuanye laughed, "You are not my daughter. But you could be my daughter-in-law!" He deliberately teased the girl. He forgot that his eyes sparkled when he's laughing, which made him look very young.
Ying was a bit blushed. And when she saw Xuanye's eyes, she's getting confused. She spontaneously asked, "Aye Shixiong, actually…how old are you? You look very old, but your eyes …look young!"
Xuanye realized that he made a mistake. He knitted his eyebrows and said, "I'm old enough to be your father-in-law! You, Little Girl, are so naughty! You should not ask impolite things to old people!"
Ying snorted, "Remember, I'm your junior-apprentice-brother! No matter how old you are or how young I am…you're in the same level with me!"
Xuanye laughed, "Alright, alright! You've got my recommendation letter. Come, let me draw a simple map to show you where Mister Ou Yezi lives. Don't tell any other people his whereabouts. He wants to live in seclusion, and only a few people know where he lives now."
Ying nodded and kneeled on the rug to sit in front of Xuanye and listened to Xuanye's instruction, who drew a map on a piece of cloth.
Ying folded the cloth and bowed said, "Thank you, Shixiong!"
"You are so determined to be a blacksmith! Then when you arrive there, you have to work hard. Mister Ou Yezi said that I was one of his best students. Now that I'm recommending you, I also expect you to be one of his best students!"
"I will work hard. I will not make you embarrassed," Ying said.
"When are you leaving then?"
"The day after tomorrow!"
"Come here again before you leave. I have something for Mister Ou Yezi and you!"
Ying widened her eyes, "For me?"
"A little girl like you, wandering alone. I'm pretty much worried!"
Ying looked at Xuanye, disbelieved her ears. "Hmm, could it be Madame Ling was right when she said that Xuanye was one of the kindest immortals she's ever met in her life?"
"Alright, then the day after tomorrow, early in the morning, I will come here again!" Ying said, and she grinned, "To get my gifts!" With her grin, she looked like a little girl.
Xuanye laughed when he saw her childish grin. "See you the day after tomorrow!"
Ying bowed and gave a salute with her fists. Now she showed an austere face of a young man from Yue.
As promised, two days later, early in the morning, Ying went to Xuanye's house again.
Xuanye handed a little box to Ying and said, "This is for Mister Ou Yezi. Please help me pass this for him!"
"I will," Ying said.
Xuanye saw Ying only brought with her a small bundle of a package wrapped in a cloth. It must be her clothes and personal items.
"Wait here," he said. "Let me get your gifts!" Xuanye said, and he left the room for a while.
Being alone in Xuanye's study room, Ying used her time to see Xuanye's book collection. There's a lot of books on the shelves, and Ying became very excited. She's reading a book when Xuanye returned to the study room.
Xuanye brought a cotton pad vest and a fur jacket and gave them to Ying and said, "It's freezing in the mountain during wintertime. These will be warm enough!" He also handed some money and gave it to her, "Here, for you!"
Ying was dumbfounded. She had never expected her senior-apprentice-brother would be so nice to her. "Shixiong…no need. I'll be fine!" She shook her head. "Mister Yao and Madame Ling had given me enough money!"
"Little girl, just receive it! This is all I can do to help and support you!"
Ying pondered for a while and said, "Alright. I accept it. Thank you, Shixiong! Someday, I will repay it!"
"You're my junior; don't talk about repay! Just be a good disciple of Mister Ou Yezi. Also, …" Xuanye laughed, "Just don't break my son's heart! He's a good boy!"
Ying laughed, "He is a good person! I hope that he would find a good girl for him!"
"Take care, little brother!" Xuanye said. "Hopefully, one day when we meet again, you already become one of the great sword-forger in the whole world!"
"I will, Shixiong," Ying said. She made a bow and salute with her fists. "We'll meet again someday!"
Xuanye nodded and watched her leave. He was somehow curious and hoped to see her again one day. He wanted to know how's her life will be - the life of the most stubborn girl he had ever met in more than two hundred years.