Vol 2 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 17: Kidnapping

A pitch black sky blankets the earth, on the wide road there is just the sound of horse hooves reverberating. I sit in the carriage and stare towards the East, where the grand city of Chang An is becoming farther and farther from me. Some time later, the sun rises over the East, just a few slivers, but it’s already brilliant, s.h.i.+ning life on the horizon.

Slowly, in the clouds dotting the sly, a fiery explosion happens. A red round sun bursts from the flames and rises. In moments it has surrounded the vista and eliminated the darkness. There is likely nothing more astonis.h.i.+ng than a sun rise, and I’m stunned by this view outside the window. My lingering sadness dissipates and I raise my arms with a long howl, welcoming the arrival of a new day.

My howling causes the horse to almost stumble, but the driver rights it and we continue on our way. I laugh, thankful it was just one howl, anymore and I’d be in the dirt right now with an overturned carriage. The day arrives and there are more travelers on the road, so I leave the carriage roof and go sit with the driver. He’s a very hearty person, allowing me to sit there. He can tell I know martial arts, and hate being cooped up inside the carriage, so why am I not riding my own horse. I explain I’ve never learned to ride.

He pointed to Xiao Qian and Xiao Tao flying overhead, indicating I have a way with animals. If I practiced, he’s sure I’ll be a quick learner. As we head West, what was normally verdant land seems barren and run down, and I sigh about the ravages of war on the common people.

The driver sighed “Isn’t that the truth. We’ve fought two wars with the Xiong Nu in the past year, with over ten thousand soldiers dead. How many wives lost their husbands, mothers lost their sons. Add to that a famine and money going towards war, where are the common people getting money to survive. When the battles are won, only the powerful are rewarded, and the common people continue to suffer.”

I am pleased with how thoughtful he was, and he explained that he is learned and during his many travels now as a driver, he’s had the chance to meet many people and hear different points of view. I ask if it’s true that there has been cannibalism in the region, and he confirms it happened during the early Han dynasty history when there were deadly natural disasters.

I discuss how Emperor Qin s.h.i.+ Huang built the Great Wall and sacrificed tens of thousands of men, leaving him reviled in history. But scholars now understand that without the Great Wall, the Xiong Nu would have breached the border long ago and many more people would have died as a result. But he asks why we must suffer now for the greater good of people who come after us. He also has a point and I cannot refute it.

I ask if he knows about the story of how a Shan Yu of the Xiong Nu tribe greatly insulted Dowager Queen Lu? After the death of the first Emperor of Han dynasty Liu Bang, the Shan Yu sent a letter to Liu Bang’s Queen Yu. He said that since they were both widowers, they might as well just make do as a couple for the rest of their lives. It was a grievous insult, but since the Han Empire was still in its infancy and weak at that time, Queen Lu had to swallow her outrage and shame to be thus propositioned.

Since then, the Hans have send their princesses to be married to the Xiong Nu leaders to keep the peace. The hundred years of peace was purchased by the Han at the price of their most precious daughters, as well as offerings of gold. Our Han warriors are no weaker than the Xiong Nu, why must we bow to them and continue to supplicate before them?

He sighed, lamenting that he’s old now. If he heard me talk as a young man, he would immediately enlist with the Great General Wei or General Huo to go fight the Xiong Nu. I laugh it off, telling him that I was merely playing devil’s advocate to what he said, and throwing some thoughts around for discussion. He commented that while I look confident, perhaps I haven’t made up my mind about life. I’m just happy I have him for company on this long road to talk with.

He tells me that to get to Xi Yu, the faster route is to Dun Huang city, then pa.s.sing through Long Xi, on to Xiu Zai, Zhang Ye, and finally past Xiao Ye s.h.i.+. I hear the words “Long Xi’ and immediately tell him to not head there, even if we end up taking a longer way. I’ll even pay him more. He agrees and we bypa.s.s Long Xi and head directly to Liang Zhou.

When we arrive at Liang Zhou it is already completely dark. We find a clean inn to spend the night, with my requirements very low except for needing hot water and a big tub to take a bath. Life in Chang An is too comfortable, so three days on the road and I’m covered in dust and feel unbearable.

After changing water twice, I finally feel relaxed and clean. There are many hot springs outside of Chang An, but in the future I won’t have any hot springs to soak in. The hot springs in the Qing Estate……don’t think about it, don’t think about it, forget everything in Chang An.

Suddenly there was a gust of cold air that blew into the room. I notice the door has been opened a crack “Girl, don’t boil anymore water, I still have another bucket I haven’t used.”

The door closed with a sound. I picked up my silk sash with the gold bells and sent it flying to catch on the bucket of hot water. When the bells are released, I can’t seem to pull it back. I’m perplexed, what did it get hooked on? I remember telling the serving girl to put the bucket behind the paper screen so that I can retrieve it easily. How did it get stuck? I didn’t misjudge the location!

Without a choice, I decide to stop being lazy and walk over there to grab it myself. I stand up in the tub, but give the sash one more jerk for good measure. The hot water bucket doesn’t fly over, and instead the entire paper screen falls over with a resounding thud.

Huo Qu Bing is standing there, dressed all in black, his figure ramrod straight. He’s holding my gold bells in his hand, staring at me with an expression of frigid darkness.

I am so shocked that I stand there for a good second, before reacting and diving back into the tub with a horrified yelp. I was just thinking the water was getting cold, but now my body is on fire.

Thank G.o.d I asked for an extra deep tub earlier, so now with my body submerged it’s not as likely to be revealing anything. I huddle in the tub and stare wide-eyed at him.

His expression remains the same, his eyes staring directly at me without blinking. That kind of coldness, even across this distance I can feel the frost radiating from him. All my shame disappears under the piercing gaze of his frigid stare.

He’s really angry this time. No, He’s really, really, really angry this time. The angrier the other person is, the more I need to remain calm. When the enemy has the advantage, one can’t upset him more. Otherwise I don’t even know where to look to collect my bones.

I swallowed and forced myself to be calm “Don’t insult my vanity. Under these circ.u.mstances, you ought to have a man’s normal reaction. Either look at me lasciviously like a pervert, or try to be a gentleman and pretend to look elsewhere.”

His expression still remains unchanged, just giving me one more icy glare before he suddenly threw the gold b.a.l.l.s towards my head. I’m afraid to catch it with my bare hands, so I grab a robe from next to me and send it flying towards the gold b.a.l.l.s. In the air the two form a Z, and I manage to defuse the velocity with which Huo Qu Bing threw it at me. If his strength is correlated to his anger, this time he’s extremely mad.

After I retrieve the gold b.a.l.l.s, I realize that the robe I grabbed was my night clothes. I lose my pretend cool and hurriedly pull the robe into the water, and I huddle even deeper inside the tub. The water has turned cold, the clothes are next to me, but I can’t put it on. I can only stick my head out of the tub and look around, finally giving Huo Qu Bing a pitiful look.

His sarcasm is biting “You want me to have the normal male reaction, why don’t you have the normal female reaction when a woman is caught in the bath by a man?”

Did he not think I was embarra.s.sed? I was afraid of making him even more furious so I suppressed it, but now it comes right back out “Are you sure you want me to have the normal female reaction? You won’t stab me in the back afterwards?”

“It doesn’t feel good to stay in the cold water, does it?” He smirked.

I look at him, and suddenly start screaming “Help!…..Help!……There is a peeping tom…..a peeping tom……”

His looked stunned and his eyes are finally not just reflecting icy coldness. “Now you should have the normal reaction” I pointed my finger at the window “Under these circ.u.mstances, you ought to be escaping through there.”

Footsteps sound on the hallway outside and get closer. “Where is the peeping tom?” “The sound came from the inside room.” “But a 40 year old woman is staying there” “How do you know a peeping tom might not like an older flower” “Yeah, some might like my experienced allure, and what do you mean I’m 40?” “Stop arguing, we need to help the girl, a young one is staying inside so we should kick the door in.” “But if we kick the door in, we’re no better than a peeping tom, let’s knock first.”

I inadvertently laughed, the He Xi people are so different than the Chang An people. These folks are just like the cutest wolves in the wolf pack. Huo Qu Bing’s expression is weird and then he walks straight towards me. Before I can scream, he pulled me right out of the tub. My body is wrapped in a towel and then completely enclosed by a blanket.

I’m angry, and frustrated, and embarra.s.sed and I rage “You’re shameless!”

The noise outside the door quiets. But before the door is kicked in, Huo Qu Bing does behave like a normal person ought to in this instance, and he jumps out of the window. But I’m not sure if carrying me as he jumped was normal or not?

The moment he left the inn, a soldier immediately walked up to him. Based on his dress, it’s not a low ranking soldier either. He averts his eyes, pretending that he’s not seeing or hearing the me that is heaved over Huo Qu Bing’s shoulder and currently screaming obscenities at him. He respectfully said “General, these are the two fasted mounts in Liang Zhou.”

Huo Qu Bing swings on the horse and tucks me into his arms. I stopped yelling at him, worriedly asking “Where are you going?”

“Going back to Long Xi. By dawn we should be able to take a bath and be relaxed eating breakfast on the streets of Long Xi.” He replied.

“Are you insane? I’m not going to Long Xi. My bags are at the inn, and my Xiao Tao and Xiao Qian. Let me go.” I squirm in the blanket like a silk worm, trying to sit straight so I can argue with him.

“Someone will deliver your bags. I’m in a rush so I have no time to mess around with you. If you don’t behave, I’m going to knock you out. You choose. Stay awake or get knocked out?”

His words are icy cold and hard as a rock, he is clearly not joking. I quieted for some time before looking for another avenue out “I’m not comfortable like this. I want to stick my arms out.”

“I’m quite comfortable with you like this. You arms are better behaved in the blanket. If you’re comfortable, that will mean I’m uncomfortable.”

“Huo Qu Bing, you are a horrible lascivious shameless……”

……………………………………………

“Did you hear me? I called you a pervert. You’re also a……a jacka.s.s…..and a……muttonhead….” I threw out every single insulting phrase I had ever learned in Chang An.

…………………………………………….

When you are facing a brick wall, insulting and trying to punch it, but the brick wall has no reaction, in the end the end it’s myself that gets tired. I wearily and docilely rest in his embrace. The horse slowed down “I need to change horses” and before his words finished, he had jumped off one horse and onto another.

I was shocked “When you came, did you change horses like this?” “Yes.” “Aren’t you tired? Even the new horse is tired.” “When chasing the Xiong Nu army through the desert, not sleeping for three days and three nights is not uncommon. Chasing you is easier than chasing the Xiong Nu.”

I wondered “How did you get the news so fast?” He explained “Don’t forget that you are still in Han territory, and there are a lot of army bases in the He Xi region. Housekeeper Chen sent the fastest courier to bring your letter, which arrived in my hands that very evening. Tracking you took a bit of time, otherwise it wouldn’t have even taken three days.”

“That d.a.m.n Hong Gu, not listening to my orders.” “She hasn’t even berated you, and you are yelling at her? How can a general desert the army, that is a capital offense.”

“I’m tired” and I brazenly tried to change the subject. “Close your eyes if you’re tired, you’ll be able to sleep well tomorrow” and he adjusted my position so that I was leaning on him more comfortably.

“This isn’t comfortable, I can’t fall asleep.” “You’re obviously not tired enough, if you were, you would be able to sleep even when riding a horse.” “Have you slept like that before?” “Yes.” “You won’t fall asleep right now?” “No.” “That’s fine. I don’t care if you tumble off a horse, just don’t let me suffer.” “Relax and sleep” His voice was calm, no longer angry or furious.

I huffed at him. Even though it wasn’t comfortable, I actually nodded off. It was almost sunrise when we arrived at Long Xi. He just tossed me on a carpet and left without saying a word. Ay, he’s still angry!

My body is sore, but I have no time to pity myself. I start plotting how to escape. The key is how to sneak away under Huo Qu Bing’s watchful eyes. Once I enter the desert, I will become like a speck of sand. No matter the person, no one can find me.

I rolled around on the ground and managed to untie the outer sash. I dragged the blanket around looking for something to wear, but there was nothing. No wonder he just tossed me down and left. I was hopping around like a rabbit when he returned. He had bathed and changed, though it was still all black. The somber color on him looks wild and powerful, making him even more handsome.

Is this man made out of steel? From Liang Zhou to Long Xi round trip and he doesn’t looked remotely tired. I stare at him “Are you giving me clothes to wear?”

He tossed a package on the pallet and then walked out without a word. Why was it a set of black men’s clothes? It even came with a white cloth to bind my chest. I railed at him for knowing even this. Even though this isn’t ideal, having something to wear is better than nothing. I sigh and start to dress.

It’s my first time wearing male attire, but I managed to put it on correctly. I walk around a few times and find myself rather charming. Huo Qu Bing has pulled open the door flap and is laughing at me “Fix your hair first before you start preening” reminding me that my hair is a mess.

Even though I can plait beautiful braids, I’ve never done a male hairstyle before. After trying for some time, I still can’t do it properly. Huo Qu Bing, who has been sitting behind me this entire time watching me, suddenly starts laughing. I violently use my hairbrush to hit his reflection in the mirror. If I can’t hit him, hitting his reflection takes out some of my anger.

He suddenly took the hairbrush from me, and before I can ask why, he’s already grabbed my hair and started combining the mess I made. His touch is gentle as he fixes my hair. Looking at the two of us in the mirror, this image seems so familiar. Many years ago, there was also a man who loved me that carefully brushed my hair and taught me to braid it. My nose started reddening and tears came to my eyes. I lowered my head and stared at the ground, letting him fix my hair and secure it with a jade circlet.

“There is still some time, I’ll take you to the streets of Long Xi to walk around and grab a bite.” He lightly said and didn’t wait for my response before walking out.