Ying pondered for a while. She's an immortal. She couldn't die, and that's her advantage. With her immortality, she would be able to save Fan Li, Goujian, or others. But of course, she can't use that reason to answer Fan Li.
"Because I see that King Goujian is a righteous man compared to King Fuchai!" she said. "That's why I want to help him to win this war."
Fan Li smiled and said, "But after we destroy Wu, what will you do?"
"I…I don't know!" Ying said.
Fan Li said, "A righteous ruler is hard to be found. King Goujian is a good friend in hardship. But after we destroy Wu, will he still be righteous and kind to those who currently help him?"
"But you're helping him now! I trust your judgment!" she said.
"What if I say…that it's not King Goujian who is using me as his strategist, but it is I who is using King Goujian and his army to take revenge on Wu?" Fan Li laughed.
Ying realized one thing, and she asked, "Mister Fan, so all of these things…do you do all of this just because of Xi Shi?"
Fan Li was surprised by her question. He gasped and answered, "At first; no. But later, yes. I have failed her, and I have to destroy Wu and take her back to Yue! I have promised her that I will bring her home one day! She must have been suffered in these past few years!"
Ying lowered her head and recalled the last time she was with Xi Shi and Zheng Dan that day inside the chariot.
"Xi Shi is fortunate to have you who always loves her!" Ying said. "If…if it isn't Xi Shi who is in Wu now, then probably…the circumstances will not be like this!"
Thinking about it, Ying began to ponder.
Fan Li was also pondering. If, at that time, Goujian granted Fan Li's wish to have Xi Shi stayed at Yue, then probably, right now, Fan Li wouldn't want to wage war against Wu.
"If that day, I didn't fall into those bandit's hands, I would not have met my masters. And I wouldn't become a sword-forger," Ying said in a calm voice. "If I'm not a sword-forger, today I won't be here to help King Goujian and you to wage a final war to wipe Fuchai and Wu State! Don't you think it's all predestined?"
"Predestined? Hmm, I remember our last conversation last time. And what about slaves? Are they also predestined to be slaves forever?"
"I want to hear your opinion, Minister Fan!" Ying said.
Fan Li was a sophisticated man. And although he loved Yue Maiden, sometimes he missed talking with a beautiful woman who was intellectually parred with him. With Xi Shi, he could talk about poetry and music. With Ying, he could always discuss philosophy and other matters.
Therefore, Fan Li enjoyed his time talking and chatting with Ying. Almost every day, he chatted for hours with Ying. He had never expected that his wife - Yue Maiden was jealous of Ying.
That night when they're playing music and chatting, Ying and Fan Li didn't realize that someone was watching them. It's Yue Maiden.
Yue Maiden was a skillful warrior, and for many years she had been training the Yue soldiers. Under her training, the soldiers of Yue gained their reputation.
Her beauty, her low and straightforward profile attitude made her popular among the soldiers, King Goujian, and the other ministers.
Although Fan Li always kindly treated her, Yue Maiden knew that somehow Fan Li still loved Xi Shi. He loved a sophisticated woman who played music and spoke in poetry, unlike a simple woman like her.
At the same time, Yue Maiden came to realize that she's not an ordinary human. She sometimes thought that her love life with Lord Ejun was just her delusion, but she could tell that she's not delusional. She didn't grow old, while Fan Li grew older. She could not grow old, and her wound quickly recovered, unlike another normal person. She had to find out who or what she was.
That night, Yue Maiden decided to leave Fan Li. That night she just left Fan Li without any word.
Fan Li knew that sooner or later, Yue Maiden would leave him. He just had never expected that she would leave him before they win the war against Wu.
If only Yue Maiden managed to meet Ying and talked to her, things would probably be different. She would know about her immortality, and she didn't have to leave Fan Li just because of her jealousy and insecurity.
Unfortunately, a single rash decision might ruin a whole life or even change the entire course of history.
=======================
Time flies and Ying had finished the swords she promised to Goujian. Goujian and his military officials were ready to march to conquer Wu.
Ying insisted that she wanted to join the battle. Goujian agreed and put her to be a leader of three thousand soldiers under Fan Li.
"Ying, this is your first battle. I'm worried about you!" Fan Li said. "It's not that I don't believe in your ability. But you have contributed a lot to our country. You don't have to go to the battle and risk your life."
"I still want to go to the battle!" Ying said.
"You're a woman!"
"When I was a child, I saw King Goujian, the queen, and you returned from Yue. From that day onward, I always think that someday I want to be a hero! And now, it's time for me to go to the battle and be a hero!"
"You don't need to go to the battle to be a hero. Even Xi Shi and Zheng Dan; are they not heroes in their ways?"
Ying sighed, "They are heroes for me. Since I know their sacrifice might be greater than my sacrifice!"
"I don't know which is better. Become like Xi Shi and Zheng Dan, living and serving Fuchai - someone they don't like, but treating them well and truly loving them. Or becoming like me, I don't need to serve anyone, but then I have to wander around and not be able to settle down!"
Fan Li thought that she said 'settle down' as in marriage. Ying should be in her early thirties by now. A bit too late for any female in that era to get married. And he knew that one of the reasons why she's not married was because of him. He knew that she still liked him after so many years. He could see it through her eyes when she gave him the sword that she forged.
Although Ying was beautiful and more beautiful than Xi Shi, Fan Li had no feeling for her.
"I'm sure that someday you will be able to find an awesome man to protect you, and you will be able to settle down by then!" Fan Li said.
Ying was surprised to hear it. She realized that Fan Li got her wrong. She laughed and said, "I didn't mean that kind of settle down! I think that I won't marry anyone for the rest of my life!"
"You're still young. You should not say that!" Fan Li said. He just then realized the woman in front of him was no longer young. She only looked young.
"I don't want to talk about that! Let's talk about our battle preparation! I've been trained for years for this battle! And probably, I'm still alive today because of this battle!" Ying smiled.
She took the sword that she forged and pulled it out of the scabbard. She had intended to give that sword to Fan Li, but he refused it. Although at first she felt rejected by Fan Li, she didn't feel sad for long. She liked that sword, and she's grateful that Fan Li refused that sword.
As soon as she pulled the sword from its scabbard, her face was illuminated by a faint blue light. The light emitted from the sword reflected flowed on its surface like water. Indeed it was an excellent sword.
Ying observed her sword with a proud, happy face. She was smiling but not really smiling.
Her lips as beautiful as the cherry blossom in the third month.
Dark curved unpainted eyebrows and beautiful complexions.
Her eyes were bright and showed her contented heart.
She took a silk handkerchief and threw the silk on the air. As soon as the silk flew in the air, Ying moved her sword to slash the silk into pieces. The way she moved her sword was more elegant and beautiful than any dance that Fan Li had ever seen before.
Fan Li observed her and was astonished. Such a lovely amazing lady, with such a beautiful sword in her hand. Fan Li was a man with a high taste of aesthetics. The beauty in front of him was indeed rare. He didn't know the reason why he found her to be a scary formidable woman. She was a kind, talented, smart, and lovely woman. But there's something in her, something he couldn't describe that made him quiver.