“Miss, now walk after me.”
“One.”
“…One…” Unsteadily, Gu Nan mimics Xiao Lu’s step.
Although still unsteady, her posture while walking is now acceptable after months of training.
“Xiao Lu, how about calling it a day? You see, mother is not here, so no one will know if you let me go…”
Gu Nan pleads to Xiao Lu with a mournful face; the manner training is a legit torture to her.
Xiao Lu rolls her eyes, pouting. “Okay, that is it for today.”
Before Xiao Lu finishes speaking, Gu Nan bounces away as if a heavy load has been relieved from her shoulders. She pulls out a piece of wood from her waist, which was specifically crafted to help correct her sloppy stance.
Then, Gu Nan releases a long breath, falls back and lies under the old tree split legged.
Witnessing Gu Nan’s look, Xiao Lu stomps on the ground. “You cannot be like this, miss. If the old lady checks on you, you will get another beating.”
“Ugh, whatever, I prefer a beating than one more second of walking with a piece of wood.” Not paying attention to Xiao Lu, Gu Nan stays on the ground slothfully. It appears that she is not going to budge at all.
The weather has gotten warmer since the beginning of spring, as sunlight shines into the yard, covering Gu Nan, making her cozy.
Gu Nan is not wearing a women’s dress despite the repeated requests from Wei Lan. Afterall, putting on a pretty dress is intolerable to a dude like her.
Simple clothes are so much better, convenient to wear, unlike a gown for women that requires a series of protocols to put on.
Xiao Lu sits beside Gu Nan and starts massaging her shoulder, her lips curled up.
Gu Nan feels comfortable and narrows her eyes like a cat being patted. But then, her sight darkens as she sees painting fairy standing right in front of her.
“Eh…painting fairy, is there a problem?” Gu Nan somehow feels a dark omen approaching her.
“Miss,” painting fairy covers her mouth smilingly, “that was Xiao Lu’s session, and now it is time for mine.”
The peaceful announcement sends a chill down Gu Nan’s spine. She instantly remembers that it is Wei Lan’s order to let Xiao Lu teach her manners, and painting fairy teach her cosmetics.
For some reason, painting fairy suggested teaching Gu Nan dancing and instrument on that day to Wei Lan, who, after a moment of thought, figured no problem and agreed.
Wei Lan’s approval makes Gu Nan’s suffering, leaving her void of hope for the future.
Now, hearing painting fairy sentencing her to another session makes her black out.
“I taught you a few dance moves just the other day but yet to check on the result. Can you do them here, miss?”
Gu Nan gets back on her feet with a bitter expression on her face. “Yes.”
Xiao Lu and painting fairy exchange a look of tease, and then turn their sights back to Gu Nan who slowly moves to the center.
In a manswear, Gu Nan flushes into scarlet red, and suddenly puts up a weird posture.
“Miss, that is not how you do it. Here, you have to lift up your legs.”
“And here you have to raise your hands upward as well.” Painting fairy stands behind Gu Nan, correcting her movements.
She takes a peek at the flushed face of Gu Nan, and smiles.
The pleasant spring warms one, urging them to rest, and the peaceful breeze blows slothfulness into their mind.
“My lord, a letter from Wang He.” Waiting at the entrance of Bai Qi’s room, Lao Lian holds a bundle of bamboo slips.
Bai Qi is sipping tea at the moment, and frowns out of bafflement hearing Lao Lian’s report.
Wang He? Is he not at Chang Ping? Why would he write to me now?
“Present it to me.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Lao Lian hands over the letter and retreats out of the room.
Bai Qi unfolds the slips, and slowly glances over each character.
The King did not take in his advice, as he has just ordered the army of four hundred thousand stationed at Chang Ping to capture Han Dan.
*Han Dan is Zhao’s Capital. *
Pain erupts from his chest, and Bai Qi barely holds it back.
He gently rolls up the slips and leaves them on the table.
His hands drop to his sides, as he signs deeply.
After this defeat, we will be devastated.
In time, should all other kingdoms jointly attack us under the name of justice, it would be almost impossible to hold them back. At worst, Qin will be annihilated, better, severely wounded and unable to bounce back in a decade.
If that is the case, then the future of a unified world will be grim.
A drop of tear falls of from Bai Qi’s empty eyes.
My life-long career of battles… has it all been in vain?
The Qin’s legend of war sits in his room alone. The flickering candlelight glimmers on the tears all over the old man’s face.
He never hesitates on committing killings at wars in his entire life. In thirty years, he has captured over seventy cities and killed a million.
Battle of Yi Que, two hundred and forty thousand eliminated, five cities breached, Gongsun Xian captured, win.
Battle of Yan Ying, City of Yan drowned, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dead soldiers and civilians; the following year, assault on the kingdom Chu, its capital Yan breached, win.
Battle of Hua Yang, one hundred and thirty thousand Wei soldiers and twenty thousand Zhao soldiers killed, win.
Battle of City Xing, fifty thousand Han soldiers beheaded, win.
And finally, battle of Chang Ping, four hundred and fifty thousand Zhao soldiers buried alive, another win.
Those victories remove all obstacles on the path to both the east and the north side.
During the whole warring state period, two million lives had been lost, and the legendary Bai Qi by himself is allegedly responsible for half of the deaths.
However, in the end, all these killings are for what?
The king of Qin insists on heading north. If Qin gets defeated this time, all the effort that Bai Qi has spent would all be for null.
A thread of blood drips from the corner of his mouth, drops onto his robe, and finally falls onto the ground. He clenches his fists, but only to eventually release them feebly.
Is it really impossible to fight our way out of this era of warring states?
Is it really so that the heaven is merciless?
That day, Bai Qi stays motionless in his room for the whole day. The next day, he falls ill.
He is so sick that many doctors visit Wu An mansion to check on him, unusually making it lively.
However, everyone of them has no idea what causes his sickness.
Gu Nan can never imagine that the old man who used to be as sharp as a sword can fall so ill in bed.
Powerless in his bed, he can barely make sound with his trembling lips. His hair was only half white before but now has completely paled in whole.
Wei Lan stays at Bai Qi’s bedside, reprimanding him for troubling everybody. However, the redness around her eyes suggests her heartbreak.
When Gu Nan enters the room, Bai Qi opens his eyes slightly, turning them to Gu Nan.
“Is Nan’er here?”
“Yes, master.” Gu Nan smiles with her eyes red. “Geezer, you should take more rest and talk less.”
“So what? You think I cannot lecture you when I am sick? You little brat that does not know to respect elders… I can…I can take on ten of your kind. Cough, cough.”
Bai Qi speaks weakly with a faint smile on his face, but interrupted by coughs in only a few words.
“Just shut it. I will bring you medicine.” Wei Lan purses her lips, and leaves the room in a hurry.
The coughing continues for a while before stops. Bai Qi lets out a breath, and talks again to Gu Nan: “It is not a big deal to a martial artist. I just might get completely well as soon as tomorrow.”
“I can see the many doctors in and out of this room though.” Gu Nan grumbles, sitting at the bedside, lifting her eyebrows.
“Master, I do not have much money to buy you a good funeral. So, you would better not drop dead so early.”
“I do not need your money even if I die!” Angered by Gu Nan’s comment, Bai Qi gives her forehead a bump.
Gu Nan rubs her forehead. “You can still strike quite hard. Guess you can make it through with no problem.”
Bai Qi glares at her. Then, he rests a while before speaks again: “Nan’er, I need you to run another errand for me tomorrow morning. After that, you get back here; it is time for me to teach you the way with qi.”
“We are not waiting until you get better?” Gu Nan pulls up the quilt to cover Bai Qi hand that just reaches out from it.
“We are not…”
“Miss, now walk after me.”
“One.”
“…One…” Unsteadily, Gu Nan mimics Xiao Lu’s step.
Although still unsteady, her posture while walking is now acceptable after months of training.
“Xiao Lu, how about calling it a day? You see, mother is not here, so no one will know if you let me go…”
Gu Nan pleads to Xiao Lu with a mournful face; the manner training is a legit torture to her.
Xiao Lu rolls her eyes, pouting. “Okay, that is it for today.”
Before Xiao Lu finishes speaking, Gu Nan bounces away as if a heavy load has been relieved from her shoulders. She pulls out a piece of wood from her waist, which was specifically crafted to help correct her sloppy stance.
Then, Gu Nan releases a long breath, falls back and lies under the old tree split legged.
Witnessing Gu Nan’s look, Xiao Lu stomps on the ground. “You cannot be like this, miss. If the old lady checks on you, you will get another beating.”
“Ugh, whatever, I prefer a beating than one more second of walking with a piece of wood.” Not paying attention to Xiao Lu, Gu Nan stays on the ground slothfully. It appears that she is not going to budge at all.
The weather has gotten warmer since the beginning of spring, as sunlight shines into the yard, covering Gu Nan, making her cozy.
Gu Nan is not wearing a women’s dress despite the repeated requests from Wei Lan. Afterall, putting on a pretty dress is intolerable to a dude like her.
Simple clothes are so much better, convenient to wear, unlike a gown for women that requires a series of protocols to put on.
Xiao Lu sits beside Gu Nan and starts massaging her shoulder, her lips curled up.
Gu Nan feels comfortable and narrows her eyes like a cat being patted. But then, her sight darkens as she sees painting fairy standing right in front of her.
“Eh…painting fairy, is there a problem?” Gu Nan somehow feels a dark omen approaching her.
“Miss,” painting fairy covers her mouth smilingly, “that was Xiao Lu’s session, and now it is time for mine.”
The peaceful announcement sends a chill down Gu Nan’s spine. She instantly remembers that it is Wei Lan’s order to let Xiao Lu teach her manners, and painting fairy teach her cosmetics.
For some reason, painting fairy suggested teaching Gu Nan dancing and instrument on that day to Wei Lan, who, after a moment of thought, figured no problem and agreed.
Wei Lan’s approval makes Gu Nan’s suffering, leaving her void of hope for the future.
Now, hearing painting fairy sentencing her to another session makes her black out.
“I taught you a few dance moves just the other day but yet to check on the result. Can you do them here, miss?”
Gu Nan gets back on her feet with a bitter expression on her face. “Yes.”
Xiao Lu and painting fairy exchange a look of tease, and then turn their sights back to Gu Nan who slowly moves to the center.
In a manswear, Gu Nan flushes into scarlet red, and suddenly puts up a weird posture.
“Miss, that is not how you do it. Here, you have to lift up your legs.”
“And here you have to raise your hands upward as well.” Painting fairy stands behind Gu Nan, correcting her movements.
She takes a peek at the flushed face of Gu Nan, and smiles.
The pleasant spring warms one, urging them to rest, and the peaceful breeze blows slothfulness into their mind.
“My lord, a letter from Wang He.” Waiting at the entrance of Bai Qi’s room, Lao Lian holds a bundle of bamboo slips.
Bai Qi is sipping tea at the moment, and frowns out of bafflement hearing Lao Lian’s report.
Wang He? Is he not at Chang Ping? Why would he write to me now?
“Present it to me.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Lao Lian hands over the letter and retreats out of the room.
Bai Qi unfolds the slips, and slowly glances over each character.
The King did not take in his advice, as he has just ordered the army of four hundred thousand stationed at Chang Ping to capture Han Dan.
*Han Dan is Zhao’s Capital. *
Pain erupts from his chest, and Bai Qi barely holds it back.
He gently rolls up the slips and leaves them on the table.
His hands drop to his sides, as he signs deeply.
After this defeat, we will be devastated.
In time, should all other kingdoms jointly attack us under the name of justice, it would be almost impossible to hold them back. At worst, Qin will be annihilated, better, severely wounded and unable to bounce back in a decade.
If that is the case, then the future of a unified world will be grim.
A drop of tear falls of from Bai Qi’s empty eyes.
My life-long career of battles… has it all been in vain?
The Qin’s legend of war sits in his room alone. The flickering candlelight glimmers on the tears all over the old man’s face.
He never hesitates on committing killings at wars in his entire life. In thirty years, he has captured over seventy cities and killed a million.
Battle of Yi Que, two hundred and forty thousand eliminated, five cities breached, Gongsun Xian captured, win.
Battle of Yan Ying, City of Yan drowned, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dead soldiers and civilians; the following year, assault on the kingdom Chu, its capital Yan breached, win.
Battle of Hua Yang, one hundred and thirty thousand Wei soldiers and twenty thousand Zhao soldiers killed, win.
Battle of City Xing, fifty thousand Han soldiers beheaded, win.
And finally, battle of Chang Ping, four hundred and fifty thousand Zhao soldiers buried alive, another win.
Those victories remove all obstacles on the path to both the east and the north side.
During the whole warring state period, two million lives had been lost, and the legendary Bai Qi by himself is allegedly responsible for half of the deaths.
However, in the end, all these killings are for what?
The king of Qin insists on heading north. If Qin gets defeated this time, all the effort that Bai Qi has spent would all be for null.
A thread of blood drips from the corner of his mouth, drops onto his robe, and finally falls onto the ground. He clenches his fists, but only to eventually release them feebly.
Is it really impossible to fight our way out of this era of warring states?
Is it really so that the heaven is merciless?
That day, Bai Qi stays motionless in his room for the whole day. The next day, he falls ill.
He is so sick that many doctors visit Wu An mansion to check on him, unusually making it lively.
However, everyone of them has no idea what causes his sickness.
Gu Nan can never imagine that the old man who used to be as sharp as a sword can fall so ill in bed.
Powerless in his bed, he can barely make sound with his trembling lips. His hair was only half white before but now has completely paled in whole.
Wei Lan stays at Bai Qi’s bedside, reprimanding him for troubling everybody. However, the redness around her eyes suggests her heartbreak.
When Gu Nan enters the room, Bai Qi opens his eyes slightly, turning them to Gu Nan.
“Is Nan’er here?”
“Yes, master.” Gu Nan smiles with her eyes red. “Geezer, you should take more rest and talk less.”
“So what? You think I cannot lecture you when I am sick? You little brat that does not know to respect elders… I can…I can take on ten of your kind. Cough, cough.”
Bai Qi speaks weakly with a faint smile on his face, but interrupted by coughs in only a few words.
“Just shut it. I will bring you medicine.” Wei Lan purses her lips, and leaves the room in a hurry.
The coughing continues for a while before stops. Bai Qi lets out a breath, and talks again to Gu Nan: “It is not a big deal to a martial artist. I just might get completely well as soon as tomorrow.”
“I can see the many doctors in and out of this room though.” Gu Nan grumbles, sitting at the bedside, lifting her eyebrows.
“Master, I do not have much money to buy you a good funeral. So, you would better not drop dead so early.”
“I do not need your money even if I die!” Angered by Gu Nan’s comment, Bai Qi gives her forehead a bump.
Gu Nan rubs her forehead. “You can still strike quite hard. Guess you can make it through with no problem.”
Bai Qi glares at her. Then, he rests a while before speaks again: “Nan’er, I need you to run another errand for me tomorrow morning. After that, you get back here; it is time for me to teach you the way with qi.”
“We are not waiting until you get better?” Gu Nan pulls up the quilt to cover Bai Qi hand that just reaches out from it.
“We are not…”
