Wang Jian couldn't quite put into words what he was feeling.
From a distance, he hadn't seen clearly, but now he realized that this "youth" was actually a woman.
Although she was dressed as a man, her aura and the way she moved gave her away. There was an extra touch of lightness and a lack of heaviness.
It was a face chiseled like jade, as if meticulously crafted by someone, without a single flaw. Unlike the astonishing handsomeness, she wore a loose, dark green robe, her neat long hair hanging over her shoulders, exuding a unique temperament.
Her eyes were as sharp as sword blades, yet they carried a hint of indifference and laziness.
It was rare to see such a sharp gaze on a woman, or perhaps it was a rarity in this world.
"I say, what are you doing?" Gu Nan raised his eyebrows, wondering what this person was thinking after calling out to her and then standing there in a daze.
"Ah." Wang Jian snapped out of it, awkwardly patting his clothes: "I am Wang Jian, I have seen this lady, brother."
Since she was dressed in men's clothing, she must have her reasons, and Wang Jian didn't want to expose her secret.
Wang Jian?
Gu Nan's mouth twitched. Her history wasn't great, but she at least recognized this name.
One of the four great generals of the Warring States period, a key contributor to Emperor Qin Shi Huang's unification of the six states, the great general Wang Jian.
This person was a late bloomer, only starting to stand out during the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The previous kings, Zhaoxiang, Xiaowen, and Zhuangxiang, did not use him.
It must be around 260 BC now.
As for Qin Shi Huang, at the time of the Battle of Changping, it should have been the year before his birth.
I didn't expect to meet this guy in a place like this. Should I consider myself unlucky?
Gu Nan didn't like getting involved with these people. Her dream was to be an ordinary person, eating and drinking, or to be a landlord, buying a few maids. Heh, to live a carefree life every day, that's how life should be.
She was already involved with Bai Qi, and if she got involved with this Wang Jian, and there was a real war, and he dragged her onto the battlefield, where would she cry? She wouldn't even know how she died.
"I have seen you." Thinking of this, Gu Nan made a gesture with her hand as a response: "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first."
It's better not to have any friendship with such people, Gu Nan decided and prepared to leave.
"Ah, then, goodbye." Wang Jian lost his previous momentum and mumbled a sentence.
Watching Gu Nan walk away, his eyes were filled with a bit of nostalgia.
That girl, however, was quite heroic.
The place to buy horses was in the east market, where there were several stables, and they also sold some fodder and horse gear.
"Hey, sir, do you want to see some horses, fine horses that can travel a thousand miles?" A horse groom's eyes lit up when he saw Gu Nan.
He had never seen such a beautiful "man" before. The clothes he wore were not exquisite but definitely not ordinary material, and he should be a wealthy young master. And looking at his curious glances, he was probably someone who didn't know the business, and maybe he could make a profit.
Gu Nan heard someone calling out to him, saw the horse groom, and walked over: "How many horse sellers are there in this place?"
"There are only five horse sellers here," the groom rubbed his hands: "But when it comes to good horses, there's only this one. Not to brag, sir, look at these, each one is a rare good horse." He took the reins of a horse nearby and led it to Gu Nan.
It was a black horse, with a shiny coat and well-developed muscles distributed on its body, indeed looking quite extraordinary.
"How much is this horse?"
"Hehe, sir has a good eye. Not much, eight big coins, and this horse is yours."
Eight big coins? Gu Nan looked at the horse gloomily, she only had five big coins on her.
"I'll go to another place to look."
"Don't go, sir, take a look, it can be cheaper."
After nearly half an hour of fussing, Gu Nan had walked to the last horse-selling place.
She had seen the first four, but the ones she liked were too expensive, and the cheap ones she didn't like. It was probably helpless.
Well, let's take a look at this last one first. If there really isn't any, I'll go back home in a few days and come back to see every day. Maybe I can get some time off from tomorrow's homework.
"Guest, look at the horse." The groom who was leaning against the stable saw Gu Nan coming and hurriedly came to meet him.
Their stable was at the end of the street, and there were few people coming, and they couldn't sell a few horses a day. He was also worried about whether he should change the place for this.
"How much is a horse here?" Gu Nan, after all, was short of money, so he had to ask first.
The groom had been in business for so many years and was a person who could observe and judge. Seeing Gu Nan like this, he had some understanding and introduced: "This good horse is seven big coins, and a slightly worse one can be two or three big coins."
"Then can you show me around first?"
"Of course, sir, this way, please."
The groom led Gu Nan into the stable, which had about a dozen horses, all different breeds and colors.
Gu Nan saw a black horse locked in the outermost part at a glance.
The horse's coat was not very good, but the color was pure black. The reason Gu Nan saw it at a glance was because it had a scar on its face. It was about seven or eight centimeters long, running through the eye.
It added a fierce look to the horse. Seeing Gu Nan looking at this side, it glanced at her lightly and then looked away.
The groom saw Gu Nan looking at the black horse and said embarrassedly: "Sir, the horse you're looking at is not easy to deal with."
"Why?" Gu Nan frowned in doubt.
"When we caught this horse, it was like this, listless, not fast, not strong, and hard to train. It's impossible to ride. If you ride it, it will throw and bite, looking like it wants to die. If it's a good horse that's hard to train, it would be fine, and it could be sold, but unfortunately, it's not a good horse itself, at most it's an average category." The groom sighed, seemingly regretting catching this horse back.
Not fast and hard to control. Gu Nan frowned when he heard this.
The black horse heard the boss's words, as if it understood, and disdainfully turned its head.
Gu Nan walked to the front of the stable and looked at the black horse inside, who was listlessly eating horse grass. There were many scars on its body, some just scabbed, and some still bleeding.
The black horse noticed her and looked at her. The eyes under the scar were clear.
An indescribable feeling... that provocative look
After a while, Gu Nan withdrew his gaze, glanced at his mouth: "Boss, I'll take this one."
"Sir, are you sure?" The groom asked with some worry.
"Mm." Gu Nan took out the money from his waist and handed it to the groom: "How much?"
"Well, then I'll charge you one big coin."
Gu Nan paid, took the reins of the black horse, and walked out of the stable.
——
The sun was about to set, and the street became a bit yellow. There were fewer people on the road, and the stalls were preparing to close.
"Dada."
A person and a horse walked on the street, and the black horse pulled the reins, but didn't struggle again.
"Hey." Gu Nan looked at the horse beside her, which was half a head taller than her: "If I didn't bring enough money, I wouldn't buy one like you. But since you've followed me, work hard, and I'll make sure you eat and drink well in the future. Do you hear me?"
I don't know if the horse understood or not, its clear pupils dilated, then it seemed to disdainfully glance at Gu Nan, and its hooves stomped on the ground.
"Hum." It snorted.