Chapter 8: Update from the Empire and the Tale of Wang Jin- A Conversation With a Young Friend
But while Wang Jin was fleeing the capital, an imperial meeting occurred on the same day.
Dongjing, Third Age Year 1934
"The Emperor has arrived!" proclaimed the Chief Eunuch towards the massive assembly.
Every important minister, general, and government figure prostrated themselves and touched their foreheads on the floor.
"May the Emperor live 10,000 years... 10,000 years... Ten thousand 10,000s of years," they chorused.
The Elven scribe's left eye twitched.
"Please be seated," the Recently Crowned Emperor gently commanded.
"Thank you, your Highness," the government chorused, each person taking their respective seats in the Imperial Assembly Hall.
The Chief Eunuch pulled out a wooden slip scroll, reading directly from it, "now comes forth Grand Marshal Gao Qiu to give his military report!"
Gao Qiu pitter-pattered to the assigned location in front of the Recently Crowned Emperor where he would make his announcement. He ketoued before him.
"Please rise Grand Marshal Gao," the Recently Crowned Emperor gently ordered.
"Your servant thanks you, your Highness," he responded, rising and pulling out his own wooden slip scroll to give his military report, "there are a few matters to announce. The first is that we are in the midst of finding a new Head Arms Instructor. The second is a request..."
"We wish to interrupt your report with a question," the Recently Crowned Emperor interrupted. Gao Qiu bowed, giving assent.
The Recently Crowned Emperor continued, "we wish to inquire about the previous Head Arms Instructor. Why did they retire at such a time and what is their family and given name?"
Gao Qiu paused, and his eyes narrowed for a second, "their family name is Wang. Given name Jin. Retired due to family reasons."
"We see... Ever since our ancestors walked and fought on this land in the Elder Days, filial piety has been a cornerstone of not only our culture, but every single one of us humans living in this great Empire. Carry on."
The Elven scribe's mouth twitched.
Gao Qiu bowed, being careful not to show his face towards the Recently Crowned Emperor, "your majesty is wise and knowledgeable," he then rose to continue his report, "your servant shall continue his report. The second matter is a request from General Pang of the Last Desert's Garrison. Their seismographs have indicated a rise in the activity of wereworms. Therefore, the garrison requests more provisions, particularly flaming medicine."
"We hereby grant this request, and its execution shall be done through jurisdiction of the Grand Marshal."
"Your Majesty is wise and your servant thanks you," responded Gao Qiu, bowing, "the third request is from the Zeng Family Fortress on our Empire's western frontier across the mountains. They seek a new Arms Instructor as their last one died in a horse-riding accident."
The Recently Crowned Emperor leaned forward in his seat, "we are aware of the distance from the Fortress to our capital. We urge the Grand Marshal to deal with this matter with haste. The frontier villages and fortresses are important for our own protection and is a reflection of our austere foreign policy."
"Your Majesty is wise! And your servant thanks your Highness," responded Gao Qiu, bowing again, "those are all the reports for now."
"We thank you for your report, Grand Marshal Gao Qiu," announced the Recently Crowned Emperor, "you may be seated."
"Your servant thanks you," Gao Qiu said as he prostrated before him again. A few people twitched in the crowd.
"We ask the Assembly if there are any other matters they wish to propose or discuss," the Recently Crowned Emperor stated.
At once, a minister briskly walked forward and bowed to him at a distance, "your servant, Marshal Su Yuanjing, wishes to make a proposal before the whole court."
"We allow you to do so."
"Your servant thanks your Majesty.
The Empire is strong. We have recovered from the calamities of the Wainriders. Adding to that, our northern frontier is safe due to the Last Desert's Garrison. In terms of resources and stockpiles, our granaries are full and the armories are filled to the brim with new weapons each day. Not only that, our soldiers are trained and fit. Thus, it is in your servant's belief that now is the time to permanently secure our western frontier to allow for the settling of new land and the gaining of new resources.
Your Majesty, as we speak, our intelligence has inferred that the Wainriders seem to be concentrating their attention ever westward and southward. We should secure our frontier before they change their mind.
Your servant proposes sending an expeditionary force of 20,000 soldiers along with colonization groups to settle over the Western Mountains to solidify our control all the way to the Inland Sea."
In response, the Recently Crowned Emperor waited a few seconds, considering this request. Then he spoke, "we ask if there are any counter-arguments towards this proposal?"
General Tong Guan immediately moved forward so that he was next to Marshal Su Yuanjing, bowing before the Recently Crowned Emperor, "your servant wishes to make their retorts."
"We allow you to do so."
"Your servant thanks your Majesty.
Marshal Su makes sound points regarding our strength, but your servant urges against this proposal! Should we substantially increase our presence west of the mountains, the Wainriders will focus their attention on us again and we will, once again, be at war against a mobile enemy. Instead, I strongly urge that we formally ally with the Wainrider Confederation until the time comes where they officially become a buffer state between the Giants of the West, Kehandi in the Southwest, and Nanman in the uttermost Southwest. Let those who individually seek out the frontier do so, but the forces of Dongjing's 80,000 soldiers shall not."
Su Yuanjing turned towards General Tong, countering, "and how many more of us need to be given to these chariot-riding beasts to satiate their lust? To send us women off in foreign lands to be breeding slaves? How long shall we increase their population and bear their children? How many more new policy-created orphans will we have in our Empire or how many children will be left motherless to secure this alliance? I would rather we send emissaries to these Giants of the West. 'Allying with Distant States to Attack Nearby Ones' worked plenty of times in the past, after all."
Tong Guan responded, barking, "it is necessary for our safety! We ally with the Wainriders so they do not feel threatened by the Giants of the West, Kehandi, and Nanman. So that when the Wainriders do mass their forces and march far from their homes, that is when we strike and take their lands. Furthermore, the Giants of the West are no mere people who lay about all day eating food, drinking in taverns, and being happy with their lot. They are a strange mighty folk who somehow have a functioning economy with a nigh incomprehensible tax system, and they seek designs on the same lands as we do!"
There was a slight pause, as Marshal Su opened and repeatedly closed her mouth a few times, then shook her head, saying, "there are multiple counter-retorts I have but I wish to no longer waste the Assembly's time on this discussion, General Tong. It looks like our debate can only be settled by our Majesty," Marshal Su then turned towards the Recently Crowned Emperor, requesting, "your Majesty, please render a decision to my proposal."
Tong Guan also turned towards the Recently Crowned Emperor, adding, "your Majesty, may your wisdom illuminate the true answer towards our discussion."
A silence followed.
The Recently Crowned Emperor turned towards the Elven scribe, asking, "respected scribe. Pray tell, is it in your opinion that the elves will follow us past the Western Mountains?"
She paused, as if choosing her words carefully, then stood from her seat, bowing once, saying, "your servant cannot speak for all of the elves. Far across the mountains there are other elves, but they are of a different mind and are a proud folk with their own individual governments and kingdoms. They would only help the Eastern Empire if it benefited them in some way. As for the elves east of the mountains, the memory of the Cataclysm, the loss of our birthland due to conflicts so far away in the West, is still fresh in most of the elves' minds. I fear most would rather sunder their souls rather than go into the West."
Whispers echoed throughout the chamber as most sighed, shaking their head, not in frustration however.
With a sigh, the Recently Crowned Emperor stated, "thank you for your words, respected scribe. You may be seated. To unjustly lose their birthland as a consequence of a conflict so far away... is a sorrow that we cannot and should not fathom. We must be prudent to ensure that this does not happen to us.
We wish that everybody could only get along. That we could have a world with no fighting and no conflict. With forests filled with brothels and taverns for us to feast and drink following a hard day at work. But it seems no land in this earth is that merry nor cheery. Save for the Penglai Islands in the Uttermost West, a place inaccessible to us now."
The God of Destruction's statue menacingly glinted in the corner.
"But alas!" he added, "we must make do with what we have. We will not send our women far off in lands with strange tongues. There is enough resources and strength in the Eastern Empire to guarantee an alliance... or guarantee that whatever opposing venture the Wainriders have would meet with complete failure."
The Recently Crowned Emperor then gazed at Gao Qiu, saying, "Grand Marshal Gao!"
Gao Qiu stood up and moved towards the back of the two officials already standing before him.
"Your servant is present!"
"Guarantee us a formal alliance with the Wainriders."
"...understood!" replied Gao Qiu.
The God of Destruction's shadow kept on growing and receding, as if unsure how to take this order. At the same time the Elven scribe closed her eyes, exhaling, before opening them again.
The Recently Crowned Emperor then waved off the three officials still in front of him, stating, "you three may be seated now."
Tong Guan had a victorious smile on his face, while Su Yuanjing left with a disappointed frown. Gao Qiu, meanwhile, had a resigned expression on his face as if he realized that he needed to learn a new language rather quickly.
The Recently Crowned Emperor continued business as soon as everyone went back to their seats, "now... That matter is settled. The other reason for an alliance with the Wainriders is to guarantee the safe transport of the God of Agriculture's Birthday gifts. Let us now speak more on this matter on their contents and the logistics of its secure transportation..."
Five Days Later
100 Leagues from Dongjing
The only sound, besides the loudly rotating wheel, was the loud snores of Wang Sheng, bound to the wagon by rope, with a newly bought straw hat covering her face. Wang Jin was also bearing a straw hat, currently positioned shielding the back of her head from the rising sun. Even though her legs were absolutely killing her at this point, she had moved them an incredible distance away from Dongjing in only five days. Their destination was Cangzhou, the last of the major cities on the East-West Road before they reached the beginning of the Western Mountains. They went off to the side of the road whenever they heard the loud hooves of horses passing by, as Wang Jin worried that Gao Qiu would send riders after them. The pair ate when they needed to, drank from their many gourds when thirsty, relieved themselves when their body urged them, slept in one of the village taverns/inns scattered near the main road at night, and continued on whenever the rooster crowed. Before the start of each day, Wang Jin exchanged her wheelbarrow for a new one, usually paying a small exchange fee.
Their food provisions were running low, which meant that they needed to buy food soon from a village. Wang Jin was not looking forward to the haggling. It was already bothersome to only buy hot water and ignore the taverns' requests for them to buy alcohol. But she did not want to drive drunk.
Her mother had eaten, though not as much as Wang Jin liked. She drank plenty of liquids and often they needed to get off the side of the road in order for said liquids to leave her system. She also slept quite a bit to her daughter's amazement. Sleeping on a moving wheelbarrow in such an upright position was quite a feat.
There were times Wang Jin had to make sure her mother's chest was still rising and falling.
After defecation, they used the fabrics to clean their behinds. Hopefully, if the Elven scribe's item did the trick, only one of the fabrics containing dried grass was needed in a day or two.
Ingest "that" when cramping begins. Then rub "this" on topically over that area where the monthly water escapes, thought Wang Jin again to herself, recounting the steps from the instructions given to her.
If this were some cruel joke, Wang Jin was going to turn back around and kick that elf's ass until her soul escaped her body. The sleep helped the fatigue initially but continuous running for five days straight (albeit with hours of sleep) was making her incredibly sore and absolutely irritated. There was also the fact that her body got hotter each day and it would get harder to sweat.
Couldn't Gao Qiu just wait one more week? Was this his sick twisted way to torture her? Force her to do heavy exercise on her designated 'paperwork and evaluation week''?
Miraculously, it had not rained during the daytime. That would've flat out ruined everything. The roads would've been wet, the wheel would've gotten stuck in the mud, and so on and so forth. It rained at very convenient times in the middle of the night to allow for the road to dry.
It was three hours after dawn when she heard, from behind, a solitary galloping sound growing louder. She risked a look and immediately scowled, slowing down her pace and moving to the side. The wheelbarrow stopped, and she quickly acted, knowing full well that her next action would blow whatever disguise they had. She had already revealed part of her face, after all, even though the hat covered the back of her head.
Wang Jin hurriedly unclasped her baldric, repositioned the sabre so that it would be at her right side, then put on her baldric again. She had done that so many times in her life that she figured out how to do it rather quickly.
The hooves grew louder.
"...Wha? We're there already... Jin'er? *yawn*" said Wang Sheng softly as she woke up.
"Horse archer behind me," Wang Jin whispered, her back still turned towards the incoming horseman.
At once, her mother's face lost its foggy appearance, clarity appearing in her eyes, and she turned her head towards the rider.
"Bow on back, not in front," she replied.
"Strange," Wang Jin muttered.
She recognized who it was immediately based on the helm alone. Afar it looked like a helmet with two wings sprouting upwards towards the sky. But upon closer inspection, they were actually flame tendrils curving towards the air, forming a crown of golden flames enveloping an iron helm. The center of the crown was engraved a brilliant jade oval, in which the character,"史", was etched. The top of the helm was a fletch, as if someone shot an arrow directly through its center, where only the end of the arrow could be seen.
This was the helmet of Dongjing's Archery Instructor of 80,000, Shi Wengong.
Wang Jin had recalled the day when Lu Junyi gifted the specially designed piece to Shi Wengong as a birthday gift. And given that Shi Wengong was still wearing it…
This was no time to reminisce, as Wang Jin laid her left hand on her sabre's hilt. If her mother indicated that Wengong had pulled out her bow, that would be when Wang Jin would turn around, unsheathe the sabre at the same time, and block the body part where she thought the arrow was going to be aimed. Or, at the very least, surprise her former student enough to miss.
Like that would ever happen; Shi Wengong never missed.
"Bow still on back, a couple more seconds, daughter," Wang Sheng hissed, untying the knot of the bag that contained all the weapons they carried.
Among archers in the realm, Wang Jin knew of only one other archer who was equal to Shi Wengong, and that was General Pang Wanchun of the Last Desert's Garrison. There were ways to deflect arrows from most archers, though. The former Head Arms Instructor knew of certain shield-less weapon techniques that could deflect most arrows. Wang's personal favorite was swirling two sabres in front of her at such a speed to deflect all projectiles. Five years ago, she could do it easily. Now though... even if she had two sabres (she carried only one), Wang Jin was not confident that she could deflect even one of the Archer Instructor's arrows. Shi Wengong was a cerebral assassin, targeting body parts that most would not consider blocking.
Wang Jin knew that the best area to target was not her former student directly, but the horse that carried her. An accurately thrown sabre would do the trick. Next, she needed to grab a weapon from the wheelbarrow. Then came the tricky part of subduing a taller armored foe who was an expert in all combat styles... and Wang Jin's legs were in no shape to fight for long. This could very well be the last fight Wang Jin would ever have, and it would likely end in death.
The galloping crescendoed, though Wang Jin was not sure whether what was louder: the thudding of her own heart beat or the horse's hooves.
"Slow your heart Wengong, I can see your bow move before you shoot," came an unbidden memory.
Then out of the corner of the eye the horse's head appeared, not even acknowledging the wheelbarrow. Shi Wengong had not even angled herself to fire. Instead, the rider, in full lamellar armor, galloped ahead of the pair.
Wang Jin exhaled multiple times. Now all they needed to do was wait until she rode off into the distance...
Only to see that Shi Wengong had dismounted 25 feet ahead of them and began walking towards them. The helm gleamed from the rising sun, like a frozen fire atop an oval green jewel.
"Careful daughter," cautioned Wang Sheng, "I suggest the..."
"Swordbreaker," interrupted Wang Jin, attaching the sheathed weapon to her left hip. The swordbreaker, from a distance, appeared to be a regular sword, except that if one looked closer it was no sword. The blade was thick, like a carved long rectangular prism with a sharp steel edge. This blade was made specifically for disarming, and if the opponent's sword grip was strong enough, the swordbreaker would damage any normal sword that was its target. The weapon was heavier than a sword, but in Wang Jin's peak, she could wield it like a kitchen knife with one hand. Though she knew that Shi Wengong usually fought with a spear at closer range, Wang Jin wanted to neutralize the armor if words were not enough.
"... the staff because of its longer reach," muttered Wang Sheng, "just use words and don't get your ass killed. Your brat has armor and you have cloth."
"...I know, Ma," she responded. Wang Jin walked forward, taking a few deep breaths to steady the thudding in her chest. She looked around herself seeing travelers very far in the distance behind and ahead of them. Unsure whether to be relieved or worried, Wang Jin walked forward to meet her former student.
Sooner than when she would've liked, they were within five feet of each other. Shi Wengong looked a little less pale, perhaps because she received a bit more sunlight. There were those same bags under her eyes, though they now were less apparent. Perhaps she was finally getting some sleep? Meanwhile, Shi Wengong also spent some time eyeing her old master's entire body.
Seconds passed.
This silence aggravated Wang Jin.
"Well out with it, brat! I'm in no mood for your nonsense. You said, what was it, 'I'll take more than your hair the next time we meet'? Well maybe I should have started praying, because I don't want your blood on my hands."
Shi Wengong raised her eyebrows. This further annoyed Wang Jin.
"Master, exhaustion seems to have settled on you. Your skin is peeling, I can see your body begging for rest. Is that a straw hat? Your legs are vibrating too."
Shi Wengong then gave a disgusted look at her former master, continuing, "you need to bathe. Have you even done so since we last met? You smell."
Then with an almost mocking aside, she added, "Master, shorter hair does not mean you no longer need to take baths."
"Baths cost money and I'm in a hurry," replied Wang Jin, "now tell me why you're here or I'll skip to the part where I break your neck."
Shi Wengong's eyes flashed and narrowed in an instant. Wang Jin placed her left hand on her sabre's curved hilt. Then, the archer sighed, and her former teacher returned her hand to her side.
"Frontier work, not murdering you in broad daylight," she responded, "you would be dead already, after all. Need I risk a close combat fight with the legendary Wang Jin?"
"Hmph," Wang Jin grunted, looking around, this time seeing caravans and people closer in the distance heading towards them, "in a road with so much travelers. I know you. You would've tracked us down until we travelled on a less than open road, and then you would've fired your arrows at me."
Wang Jin then gave a confident smirk towards her former student, which did not reach her eyes, adding "not that you could ever kill me; I would have deflected them. I have more tricks up my sleeve than you know."
Shi Wengong laughed.
Wang Jin successfully prevented herself from trying to throttle her former student.
Then Wang Jin, changing the subject, asked, "So you left your Lance Instructor comrade all alone in the capital then. With those snakes?"
Her former student's mirth quickly evaporated as she glared in response, "Sister Lin can take care of themselves. They have family and friends. Why drag Lin Chong down to the West with me?"
"You're saying 'Sister Lin' again? When did that happen?" Wang Jin asked in surprise as the caravans approached ever closer. Wengong's horse had pranced outside of the road and had begun grazing on the grass.
Shi Wengong's eyes softened, "I told Sister Lin that I was going to leave. Lin Chong... convinced me to have a celebration. I had fun... Most fun I had in a long time," then her eyes hardened again, "but I am loyal to the Empire, and I shall obey the Empire's orders."
The last statement angered Wang Jin, so she retorted, "...and there you were, last we talked, yelling about how I was abandoning the two of you."
"You. Did. Just. Th-!"
"Yet you run off like a puppy chasing after a stick thrown by that sad excuse of a Grand Marshal. You should change your family name to 'Gou.' It suits you, you dog official. 'Abandon the only one who defended Wang Jin' 'ruff!' 'Go across the mountain!' 'woof!' 'Go launch yourself against the Wainriders' 'Arf!'" Wang Jin testily said, raising and lowering her register mockingly.
"Shut… up!" yelled Shi Wengong, a growing anger alighting her features as she seethed with every word heard, "just shut up! Unlike you, you insidious bat, I have hope for the Empire. And… unlike you, I am not running away from the problems I created! If anything, you're the one who abandoned us!"
Wang Jin's expression turned weary, as she responded, "we've been over this already. What more will it take to show you I wasn't abandoning you, huh? You took my hair! What else would you like, huh? An arm? A leg? A liver? My middle fingers? What else do you want?"
"No… you need to listen to me, Master," responded Shi Wengong as she took a deep breath or two, as if collecting her thoughts, "You think you're doing the right thing, that you're being brave. Well, you should've stayed in the capital and rose within. You could've gained the Imperial Court's attention with your talent. But nooo, you're too good for that. Too good for us! What did you think would happen, huh?"
This roused Wang Jin, who immediately answered, "that you would've immediately petitioned The Emperor directly to become the next Head Arms Instructor. On the same day even! Think, you mopey ghost-faced moron, what is the pastime for nearly all Emperors? Hunting! Do they use hammers and swords to hunt? No! They use bows! BOWS! Part of your responsibility is to teach them how to shoot!"
"Well, that have been a good idea... SIX DAYS AGO WHEN YOU WERE IN MY HOUSE! You think I can read minds?! We're not elves!"
"You should've figured that out yourself! The old Shi Wengong would have! You stupid idiotic 250-pound egg!"
"Well the old Shi Wengong is dead! And quite frankly you can die too for all I care!" roared Shi Wengong, "what do you know of me? What do you know of pain, to have your heart literally torn out and shred into 10,000 slices?"
"Pain, huh?" repeated Wang Jin, a darkened look souring her features slowing her speech to make sure her former student heard every word, "have you ever heard and smelled one of your friends be roasted alive? Have you ever seen and heard a troll slowly rip apart bones, muscles, and organs as they slowly chew the body parts of a still-living friend? To see people you've known since childhood get mangled, crushed, killed in more ways than you can count? To be responsible for digging six feet into nightcrawler-filled mud to put their decaying bodies in? Just like I told you back then, I know loss, and mine was permanent!"
"A quick death instead of torture, huh?" cackled Shi Wengong, "well maybe we should've all died fighting that troll. So that you can once again add another tall tale to your stupid list! To be the survivor in another tragic story. Oh, I feel soooo sorry for you, Master. So... sorry!"
10 years ago, Wang Jin would've leapt forward and uppercut her former student's jaw. But she knew where to hurt Shi Wengong, and it was not her body.
Wang Jin stepped forward, and said in a low voice, "but wasn't that whole troll experience the beginning of the happiest period in your life?"
This left the archer shocked and speechless.
Wang Jin saw the betrayed look in her former student's eyes, but continued, "oh yes, and what a happy time it was! Getting to hear all of it, both me and Lin Chong, seeing Shi Wengong grin and giggle. Looking like a doe instead of a hunter. One of the happiest people on earth. Flowers and other crap would grow as you pranced about happily on the road. How the hell you could even concentrate to fire a bow is beyond me because your thoughts were always elsewhere. Where training and meetings became an excuse for something more. It was all sunshine and fireworks for you, wasn't it? And then what happened?"
The betrayed look now looked downright murderous, and her pale face was growing red with anger, "I will seize you by the entrails and drag you all the way to Dongjing!" thundered Shi Wengong.
Wang Jin's eyes glinted, and she was just about to move her arms towards her weapons when she then finally realized that there were gasps in the background. She looked all around her, first seeing her mother who had palms covering her face and then also saw the growing crowd of people that were surveying the scene on the East-West Road. A few dwarves were counting coins and talking with each other, as if they were betting on some action that was to happen. Some artists were out on the ground, painting and drawing feverishly the scene of an armored figure and a peasant arguing over some topic. Even a bunch of the river-elves were listening from a distance. There were witnesses, and Wang Jin relaxed, knowing that the dog official, also known as her former student, would not blatantly break the law.
"Great job, my pea-brained former student. You just threatened to kill a peasant in front of pretty much every being on Earth. No wonder you were left-"
Shi Wengong suddenly closed the gap between them, her fist raised. Wang Jin's right hand went to her swordbreaker. Too late!
…But nothing happened, and for a second, Wang Jin saw a reflection of herself, weak and fearful, in the cold eyes of Shi Wengong.
Shi Wengong smiled, her eyes did not, as she whispered, "you're mortal, after all, Master. Pray that we do not meet again."
She then calmly stepped backwards, whistled for her horse, and turned away from her former master. When the horse came, she mounted it swiftly, riding away towards the Western Mountains. The back of her flaming helm gleamed gold in the sunlight as she rode off.
This left Wang Jin alone, adjusting her hat, trying to calm herself down as she realized that Shi Wengong was this close to caving her throat in with one punch, as she would've been too late in unsheathing the swordbreaker. Why was she going for a weapon instead of just blocking with her arms? If only she was not so irritated from her monthly-
No, that was just an excuse. For all the bravado and her brain knowing that Wengong could kill her, she was truly not anticipating one of her students to actually try and do so. She should've expected it... Shi Wengong's anger was something she saw firsthand, and this realization pissed her off even more.
And apparently, Wang Jin also needed to bribe everyone in the crowd to hush up about this event. The situation just kept getting worse and worse.
Might as well hand myself back to Gao Qiu! I'm such a dumbass! she silently berated to herself.
Oh, and she began to feel the cramping.
Could this day get any worse?
102 Leagues from Dongjing
Well, now they didn't really have any more money left. There went most of her savings from the past 10 years. Curse that brat for not helping clean up the mess, though really after thinking on it, much of the fault lay with Wang Jin as well. She easily bought off most of the fellow humans because her stench seemed to give her an advantage in haggling; bathing was a big deal in the Eastern Empire, even amongst the common folk. She wasn't exactly sure how that gave her the advantage, but it worked. The artists were a bit more difficult, as some of them were used to drawing stench, but they did not really dent her savings. However, the dwarves were a hardier bunch and had a notoriously high overhead for the customary bribe. They took most of the remaining money she had left. She really needed to stop at the next village to... rob it or something. Maybe get some money from mercenary labor if that was at all possible.
Wang Jin guessed the elves found the event entertaining. They always did like unique conversations that creatively utilized language.
Her mother was mostly silent the whole time, usually a bad sign. This meant that she was really thinking about some grand topic and was planning another long lecture to her daughter. She had only talked to request food, drink, or a location to relieve herself.
On the bright side, the medicine the Elven scribe gave Wang Jin worked for the cramping. Now she just needed to find the nearest village to apply the topical substance and then see if the rest of it worked according to the instructions. She was not going to do so by the main road, as the visual would provide unnecessary questions for the passerby. This was best done in private.
Really, it seemed the medicine also had a serene calming effect on her temper too. Even thinking about Shi Wengong made her reminisce about the good times they had, memories of the snarky laughter they used to share, the quiet back-and-forth commentary they had during meetings, of pride in the archer's ability to quickly figure out techniques with a myriad of weaponry.
When Shi Wengong was mentally sound, she was one of the more complex people Wang Jin ever met, even when the former was a child. The daughter of a constable and a female courtesan, she enlisted as a budding soldier to avoid the possible fate of being sent off as one of the chosen women to prevent anymore Wainrider attacks. That, like Lin Chong's mother, ended up being Shi Wengong's mother's fate. With Shi Wengong's pale skin and her tall height, marks of great beauty, she would've been among the first chosen. Yet at the same time, she could've avoided her fate by passing the Civil Service Examination. She was usually calm and collected, but her anger was like swift lightning from a blue sky. Snarky yet kind. Was talented with all weapons, but became an archery instructor. Strong and gentle. Brave yet cautious. Cynical yet loyal. She was full of traits that seem to conflict with each other, yet they were balanced at the same time.
Then everything changed after one night.
Thinking of happier times, a memory came to Wang Jin of three recruits she had been eyeing as potential apprentices. When they approached, one was shiny-eyed, eager to learn. The one in the middle had a focused look already befitting a soldier. And the third one was aloof, and did not seem to want to be there at all. The first two were Lin Chong and Shi Wengong.
She missed those days.
Hmm, the medicine really was making her more thoughtful than usual. Elves and their ways. They could be the richest people on earth if they ever became merchants.
Wang Jin was musing, slowing herself to a brisk walk as she guided the wheelbarrow forwards the whole time. Up ahead was a sign that most likely led to the next village. As she moved more forward, she read the name of it:
"Shi Family Village"
The medicine's mental side effects wore off like a gust through fog, a stream of curse words escaping her mouth like water through a burst dam.
Will Wang Jin enter this village? If so, what awaits her next on her journey? The next chapter shall answer these questions.