Chapter 12: The Tale of Wang Jin- On Heroism and Stealing Birthday Presents to Mairon
161 Leagues from Dongjing, 39 Leagues away from Cangzhou
Who? thought Wang Jin, not voicing her thought aloud as besmirching a self-proclaimed unauthorized King in an Empire towards a loyal follower would not be the wisest decision in the world.
Shi Jin voiced his thoughts, however, asking, "who is this Heavenly King Chao? Since when did Dongxi Village have a king?"
That question was better phrased, but Liu Tang merely glared in response, sneering, "I wasn't talkin' to you, Sir Nine Dragons. You're not the Heavenly King's type."
"I hardly think I'm your king's type, either," cut in Wang Jin, "for am I correct that you said, 'Big Sister'?"
Suddenly her mother interrupted.
"My daughter likes elves!" blurted out Wang Sheng mid-snore. Said daughter glared at her, eye twitching, a suspicion confirmed. Her mom was fully awake and only pretending to sleep!
"Ai ai," waved off Liu Tang, "you and all the non-cat lovers. Unless ya have the body part I painted in the temple earlier, you're not the Heavenly King's type either. Says that there aren't enough red-haired people in the Empire. Currently looking for an upstanding individual, very literate, not easily bribed, that can share the tax work."
"I have never met anybody who refused a bribe. Might as well seduce an elf then," commented Wang Jin, "they are upstanding, don't care about money, and are tax-exempt."
Liu Tang shook his head, "that's what I'm sayin'. But Big Sis doesn't want an elf to grieve for her until the world ends. Or become a Moriist and try to join this Central Path thing and follow them when they die."
Shi Jin looked impressed, interrupting, "this Heavenly King Chao seems to be a most honorable woman. Perhaps we can stop by this village, Master."
"And yet," Wang Jin cut in, just as Liu Tang was probably going to bark another warning at her student, "I have heard no mention of the Imperial Court promoting anyone as a king, let alone a heavenly king of a village."
"Ai ai... just like nobody officially sanctioned ya as a legend for killing 70 trolls in one battle," he retorted.
"... you're mistaking me for another legend."
"Yah yah, point is," Liu Tang continued, "Big Sis is really good at what they do. We don't call them Heavenly King Chao for nothin'. But a king needs surrounding talent and is always lookin' for good people that can turn Dongxi Village into a city."
"We should go, Master. For are we not all heroes east of the mountains?" Shi Jin rhetorically asked.
Wang Jin sighed, knowing what was going to happen next.
Liu Tang's mouth twitched, as he stepped into the main body of the carriage, leaning his face close to her student, staring straight through Shi Jin, "your ears need some cleanin', ya mutilated freak. I was gonna warn ya a second time but your Master saved what's left of your skin. We don't take unfilial dogs. Big Sis has been telling me to be more patient, but you're an exception! The invitation is only for Dongjing's Head Arms Instructor and their mom, not you!"
"Former," muttered Wang Jin, opting to see how her student would respond rather than defend him. Her apprentices needed to stand up for themselves, after all.
"I mean no offense, sir," Shi Jin said insincerely, "but as Wang Jin's apprentice, I will go where my Master goes."
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" mockingly laughed Liu Tang with a predatory grin, as Shi Jin merely blinked at the accidental spit hitting his own face, and then Liu Tang's grin turned into a menacing snarl, "then I'll give ya the Third Gift and send ya off to your next life!"
"Just try!" replied Shi Jin as he pushed Liu Tang away, causing the carriage to shake.
Wang Sheng at this point, eyes still closed, said, "Jin'er! Stop it!"
"Enough!" yelled Wang Jin, moving in between the two men. She sighed again, turning towards an infuriated Liu Tang, giving him the best apologetic smile she could.
"I would be breaking contract law if I came to your village with only my Ma, Liu Tang," Wang Jin said, "this is a business arrangement between my student and me. So, I'd rather not be sued by an entire village. The costs to bribe magistrates are so high nowadays."
Wang Jin tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of seeing the betrayed look on her student's face with her words. But now was not the time to fight a carriage driver with her mother sitting next to her as potential collateral!
This put a dent into Liu Tang's sails, and his shoulders drooped, "aww come on. My Big Sis can help with the costs. Heavenly King Chao has great relations with the dwarves and can offer you good loan interest rates."
"What a nice gift from a visitor to your leader!" Wang Jin scoffed, "begging for money and loans like an uncultured homeless swine to a Dwarven King. Please, Liu Tang, surely once word spreads of this then all sorts of filth will enter the village wanting some money?"
"Your student may be filth, but you're not," he partially conceded, smirking at Shi Jin's rage, "I see your point, though. I'll be dropping you off in Cangzhou then."
He was about to turn and head back towards the driver's seat when Wang Jin suddenly asked, "though how did your Big Sis become this Heavenly King anyways?"
Liu Tang paused, turned his head with a smile, saying, "come to the river near Dongxi Village at either sunrise or sunset, and you'll find out."
Wang Jin had gauged the Red-Haired Devil, been a victim to his jokes, and talked enough with him to determine that most likely this was not some grand robbery scheme. So, she imagined a young woman, tall and strong, with her crimson hair unbound, flowing in the wind, facing a river, the rising sun matching the hue of her hair so that she became one with the heavens.
"Perhaps I will... one day," Wang Jin said, and her imagination replaced the image with another one. Now, she imagined a woman, spear at hand, body unblemished, with black hair unbound that shone in the sun, facing the Yellow River next to the steep bridge near Dongjing.
That Evening
180 Leagues from Dongjing, 20 Leagues Away from Cangzhou
Plum Blossom Village
They stopped along the way in Plum Blossom Village. Up until that point, Wang Jin was doing damage control on her student. While it was true that most of her motivation in gaining a new apprentice was monetary and that she feared he would not exceed his potential under her tutelage (eight other instructors had tried already!), she wanted Shi Jin to prove her wrong.
First, she told him, after some conversation, that "a warrior picks and chooses their battles. They dictate where the fights are, and they take advantage or have caution towards their surroundings." It was easy then to convince him that having a fight in the carriage was a horrendous idea because her Ma was inside.
Then she told him most of the truth, that at that moment he had not proven himself at all. That just because he could flourish a spear did not mean he could challenge the heavens. This required constant, heavy training, as well as battle experience.
They simulated all three that night in Plum Blossom Village, as Wang Jin first had her student show both his fist strength and his endurance. Her mother had retired to her private quarters in an inn. Liu Tang was off in the village tavern, eating and drinking his heart away. So, Wang Jin and Shi Jin found a quiet place where they could train.
"I see you have the technique down," Wang Jin noted as she saw her student do 20 knuckle push-ups. He was fully clothed, as her teacher ordered him to get used to training with clothes on.
"Easy enough. I can do this in my sleep, Master." Shi Jin said, bouncing up, and promptly began shadowboxing.
Wang Jin smirked, "who said you could stop? Get back on all fours. We're increasing the weight with these stepping stones until you can no longer do even one..."
Sometime later, sweat drenched Shi Jin's face as he struggled to lift the weight in addition to Wang Jin, who was sitting on top of the stepping stones that were placed on his back.
She said, "not bad. Better than both the Lance and former Archer Instructor of Dongjing's 80,000 in their first tries. But not better than the Jade Qilin. Take a rest."
He sighed in relief, as she moved all the stones from his back. Initially, he struggled to get back on his feet, panting for a bit while on the ground, but eventually he stood, fully clothed, stretching out his arms and upper body.
"I've heard of both the Lance and former Archer Instructor... 'Panther Head' Lin Chong and Sister Wengong, am I right?" he asked.
"Yes, but if you ever have the fortune of meeting the former, do not address the Lance Instructor as 'Panther Head,' unless you're looking for a fight."
"Understood!" Shi Jin said, mimicking the rigid stance of a soldier, grimacing as his upper body probably protested, "but who is this Jade Qilin fellow? And did you not have a fourth apprentice?"
Wang Jin averted her eyes as she went onto the ground in a knuckle push-up position, "someone I hope you never cross paths with. As for the fourth one, that boy was still six years old when I instructed him. Wanted him to grow into his form before strength training. Promised I'd come back in about ten years or so when their body developed but... well I guess I can't fulfill that promise now."
She then gave an annoyed side-look at her student, "are you going to put the weights on top of me or not?"
"Oh? Sorry, I did not know you uhh," Shi Jin responded awkwardly, placing each stepping stone on top of his master's back.
Wang Jin waited for some time until her voice growled in a lower tone:
"You'll sit on these weights like I did!"
"But... very well," Shi Jin replied, sitting on top of the weights, ensuring that he did not cause any of them to fall off.
Wang Jin grunted, then did her first knuckle push-up. At the same time, she did each knuckle push-up, Wang Jin grunted out in exhaled breaths, "What... kind... of... tea-...-cher... would... I... be... if... I... did... not... mod-... -el... it?
Three... of... my... stu-... -dents... would... sit... on... top... as... I... did... these... push... ups."
She stayed silent the rest of the way, inhaling and exhaling as droplets of sweat dripped from her forehead to the ground. By the time she matched Shi Jin's number of pushups, she quickly uttered, "get these weights off me!"
He immediately hopped off and took the weights off of his master. But instead of collapsing on the ground in exhaustion, Wang Jin hopped back on her feet, exhaled a few times, and dusted herself, opening her fists and shaking her wrists around.
Once she turned around, she saw a completely shocked Shi Jin with his mouth open, "... are you part-troll, Master?"
"Well... it would take a troll to kill a troll, wouldn't it?" she said with a smile as she stretched her arms around, "but no. I'm human, and I need to stretch as well after what I showed you."
Then her countenance turned neutral, as she added, "we'll be doing this in full armor eventually. Not every day though; muscles need rest, after all. Next, we'll be running."
"How far and how long master?"
"Until we can't see in front of us or you're lying on the ground in exhaustion. We'll be doing various running techniques: forward, side-to-side, zigzags, backward, so on and so forth. Keep up until you can't," she calmly responded.
Time passed as they ran around the perimeter of the village, guided by the outside torches that allowed them to see at night. The sounds of nocturnal birds occasionally greeted them, and some of them shook nearby tree branches, flying off to who-knows-where. The villagers doing their watch duties mostly ignored the pair, though eventually snickers were heard as Shi Jin finally stumbled to the ground, his body heavily panting, clothes damp from his own sweat, drool spilling on the ground.
He heard the sound of Wang Jin's feet rhythmically hitting the ground repeatedly nearby, although she was no longer moving forward or backward.
"That all?" asked Wang Jin, still mostly breathing out of her nose as she continued running in place, "I have yet... to breathe from my mouth."
Shi Jin, in between pants, wheezed words out.
"Hmm?" she asked as she halted her running, "could you say that again?"
Shi Jin chuckled softly, catching more of his breath as he sat up on his knees, "not elvish?" he asked.
"I'd be taller, then," Wang Jin retorted, a hint of a smile on her face, "still human."
She then turned around and began walking back to the village.
"Wait... can we not... rest, Master?" Shi Jin asked.
"No," Wang Jin responded, "crawl if you must, but we'll be sparring with staves now."
He audibly groaned. She ignored the protest and kept on walking.
The ensuing massacre need not be elaborated on.
The night was quiet, starlight and torches the only guides for nighttime strollers.
"... Master, forgive me if I'm being impudent," began Shi Jin, as the pair sat on the ground near the inn where they were lodging, drinking cups of warm water. His damp clothes hid the fresh bruises he had on his body.
She gestured for him to continue, "we're not in the army; say what you wish."
"... but is this not unfair?" he continued, "I had no energy when we sparred. Yet you kept on attacking. How am I supposed to learn like this? To be exhausted and then learn how to fight with weapons? I never had an instructor like you, and..."
She stared at him, not saying anything, gesturing again for him to continue.
"... and I am not sure that is a good thing."
Wang Jin waited for a few seconds, then moved closer to her student so she could look him in the eye.
"If you no longer want to be my student, say so," she said, narrowing her eyes, "be firm."
Shi Jin shook his head, averting her gaze, "you're the strongest and most durable teacher I met though; the other instructors pale compared to you."
She blinked a few times, then asked him, "does that make me a great warrior, then? A hero? Running far and being strong?"
"And your knowledge of weapons and technique," he replied.
"Hmm, those help," she said, and then she asked, "do you consider yourself a great warrior?"
"... not anymore, no," Shi Jin replied with a sigh.
"Why?"
"I just... when we met, you trounced me with a single feint with a staff. And now after tonight, how could I declare myself a hero after... after this?" he gestured towards his own body, "my whole life I devoted myself to the martial arts. My dad spent so much money hiring instructor after instructor. I always thought I was a prodigy, that they were bad teachers, but... was I just a bad student? Did they give up on me before I gave up on them?"
His eyes focused downwards now, and Wang Jin could see a watery reflection of light in his eyes.
"Is that why Mom left?" he muttered.
Wang Jin raised her eyebrows, wondering how the conversation had turned toward that topic.
"Was your mother a warrior?"
"No. Well, enough to know self-defense. I saw them do a dance with two swords," he replied, "before I was born, they wanted to go to the capital, take the civil service examination, and join the government. But then they ended up marrying my dad and I was born. We were close when I was a child, but when I got older and wanted to learn fighting, we... grew distant."
"In the same village? Eating in the same manor? Sleeping nearby?" Wang Jin asked, curious, "how did that happen?"
"My mom... wanted me to be similar to them. Literate, good with numbers, go to the capital to become a prime minister or whatnot. But I never did like books. For I am illiterate. No matter how much Mom taught me... I could not grasp our written language! I did love sitting near campfires, hearing my dad tell the stories of old, heroes that raised their banners against tyranny, the duels that lasted three days, those I loved 'specially!
"My mom was never there, though. They were in the manor, in candlelight, reading scrolls and books with titles and numbers I could not read, poring over maps I could not understand. It was the same in the daytime too. I would be out in the courtyard practicing my martial arts while they stuck themselves inside reading who-knows-what. Even when we ate, they would bore their eyes over some scroll in one hand."
He then muttered, "if Mom loved books so much, why did they not marry them instead of my Dad?"
"Books make strange bedfellows," commented Wang Jin with a wry grin. Shi Jin glared at his instructor in response.
"Ugh... Please, Master. I'd rather not imagine that!" he said in disgust, "what were we even talking about anyway? How did we get to talking about my mom? Ugh... can we talk about something else now?"
Wang Jin opted not to point out that he was the one that brought her up, instead replying, "we were talking about what makes a great warrior."
"Oh..." he said, his eyes now glancing sideways, "oh."
No word passed for a few seconds, causing her to wonder whether she needed to say something, when suddenly he asked, "what makes a great warrior? How do I become one?"
She paused for a few seconds, carefully coming up with words that she knew could either make Shi Jin understand, or doom him to a life of wasted potential. Eventually, she said the following:
"You should have deceived me earlier."
"What?" Shi Jin asked in confusion.
"When I told you to do those actions until you were exhausted, you should have saved your strength, performed enough to show your skills, and pretended to be exhausted."
Shi Jin's eyes widened.
"That is rather dishonest, Master! Why would I lie to you?"
Wang Jin gave a cold look, answering, "warfare is deception. Do you think the enemy wants a fair fight? No! They want you tired; they want to see exhaustion. Then you die, and they're off to kill somebody else."
"But... but you're my instructor! No enemy of mine!"
"Then how would you practice your deception? Your friends? Civilians? On the battlefield itself?"
"I... I... I," Shi Jin stuttered, "I know not! And-and I still do not understand! Are heroes not upstanding folk with the highest of integrity? To not resort to such foul and underhanded tricks? To model for the people righteousness and benevolence?"
Wang Jin glared at her student, saying, "Shi Jin... let the scholars who never smelled a decaying corpse, never heard the death rattle of a person whose throat they stabbed, never sliced a child soldier in half, determine whether or not you're a hero during a fight. Let them make songs of your honor and chivalry in your gallant joust with your foe. Who cares what they think? We are discussing being a warrior, of surviving battles of life and death!" she chided.
"But I would be no more than a murderer! A person who took away someone's father, mother, child... sibling! How is heroism not relevant?"
"If it keeps you sane, then think of that after you live, Shi Jin! Justify that you were the hero fighting for something greater. That you had no other choice. Yes, heroism is good, but you should not be thinking of that while fighting for your life!" Wang Jin urgently hissed, "I am not saying that there are no heroes. I am not saying you should never consider yourself a hero. You need to! I have seen too many villagers and soldiers shrivel up before my eyes, screaming long into the night, losing and killing themselves even though they survived their fight! To feel the guilt of being the survivor, knowing that your friends have passed on to places you know not. That is when you must think of yourself as a hero! To justify your actions! To justify your continued existence in this world!"
"I... I...," he said as if trying to come up with a response, but no further words came as he shook his head repeatedly. Standing he began walking away from Wang Jin, hissing, "you are nothing like what I thought you were! As the saying goes, 'never meet your heroes!' I will be bathing now. Do not disturb me!"
"Halt your steps!" she commanded, "I have one more thing to say and you can go."
Her student stopped but did not turn his head around.
Wang Jin took this as assent and spoke, a last-ditch speech crafted in her head, "the world is filled with snakes who slither above, within, and underneath fields and forests unending. It matters not how strong, fast, hardy, smart, or wise you are, one distraction or misstep is all that is needed to guarantee your defeat. Ever wondered why we military folk say the phrase, 'know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles'? That is because our enemies will try to deceive us, take our attention away for one second, and then the next we are on the ground dead. They know us, but they do not want us to know them!
"To prevent this, we must learn deception to better know our enemies and understand how they think. If I did not practice deception, then it does not matter if I can lift the entire earth on my shoulders, am swifter than a horse, hardier than a mountain. I would only be a good warrior. To become a great warrior, I need to know what my deceptive enemy thinks, to know what weaknesses they will try to exploit. For once we know the enemy, then half the battle is won already."
Wang Jin paused, then added, "knowing ourselves is done through training, sparring, and practice."
For a long while, her student merely stood there as if deep in thought. Wang Jin, meanwhile, drank more hot water, moistening her throat.
Finally, Shi Jin turned around, tears on his face, bowing and clasping his hands, speaking in the third person, "Shi Jin apologizes for their ignorant words, Master! Shi Jin understands Master's thoughts a little more now."
She shook her head, walked over to the bowed student, and responded, "come now. None of that... I am no emperor... I am no king. I do not want a dog for an apprentice! Stand up and show some pride!"
He stood up with a smile, using his wet sleeves to wipe his tears away.
"Now go bathe, eat, and rest. I won't disturb you," she urged.
"Thank you again, Master, I'll take my leave!" Shi Jin replied, walking off toward the nearest village bathhouse.
She waited until he was out of sight before she let out several loud sighs, one after another.
These Shis! I will never take another Shi for an apprentice again! They'll age me into a prune! To think that I never learned my lesson with that brat Shi Wengong! Maybe I should just abandon this gallant fool, take my mother, and leave for Dongxi Village! she loudly thought to herself, unsure which words she spoke aloud. A nearby black bird flew away from its perch on the village walls. Wang Jin turned around; her abdomen suddenly uncomfortable. So, she walked briskly, desiring to exit the village to relieve herself in privacy in the nearby forest.
Only to notice that the person handling watch duty in the village was none other than the Red-Haired Devil, Liu Tang, his hair proving to be redder than the lit torch he held.
She looked at him owlishly, and he looked back with a knowing smirk. A few more seconds passed as she put the pieces together.
"You bribed them for watch duty so that my student and I had privacy?" asked Wang Jin.
"Hahaha, of course!" Liu Tang replied.
"How considerate... And I assume you've eavesdropped the whole time too?"
"Hahaha, of course!" Liu Tang replied.
"How inconsiderate," Wang Jin said, though with more resignation than anger, "and I suppose you think me now as some trickster who wins through dishonor?"
"Hahaha, of course not!" Liu Tang replied.
"Ha. Ha. Ha," Wang Jin mocked in a lower tone, then realized what he just said, "wait... you don't?"
This time, Liu Tang did not laugh, instead moving closer, the torch revealing a toothy grin, "ya'd be perfect for our village! I've been thinkin' more on this, you see. And your talk with your student just confirmed it in my eyes. Ya don't need to be askin' for loans and such. Ya can work as our Arms Instructor! We'll pay off your obligations and give you room and board as payment."
That was actually a reasonable proposition, except for one thing, "would that not require an official Imperial Court appointment?"
He then quickly looked around, as if checking that nobody else was going to hear what he would say next. Liu Tang whispered, "Screw the stupid court! I've been telling Heavenly King Chao all about how these rising taxes are unfair. They're taxing everythin' and it's goin' up every single year! Where is our hard work going? Another palace? More books on crap I couldn't care less about? And if we don't have money, they tax our food. Land, water, desert, river, they don't care. It's all taxed! I go waltzin' inside the capital and just because I don't spend all my time indoors with a book in my face, they look down at me for lookin' like a peasant! We have to give those bastards so much already, our wealth and pride, let alone this corvée labor crap we have to do for a half-a-year!"
If this were but a month ago, Wang Jin would have reported this as sedition. But unluckily for the Empire, once they put in Gao the Ball as Grand Marshal, Wang Jin could no longer give a rat's ass about what the Imperial Court thought.
"They are, aren't they?" she rhetorically asked, "they also made it so that one could officially have the job title of 'outlaw' or 'ruffian,' but incur substantial tax penalties."
"Screw them," Liu Tang whispered, "that's why you'd be perfect for the job."
She paused, then thought for a quick second. Something seemed off here. Typically, criticism of the ruling government was NOT a requirement for a Village Arms Instructor.
Ignoring the growing pain in her stomach, she momentarily gritted her teeth and asked, "Liu Tang, you're hiding something from me. What is the REAL reason you want me in your village?"
Liu Tang paused, looked around again, and whispered directly in Wang Jin's ear, "keep this a secret. I mean it,"
She paused for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I have a plan of stealing the Birthday Gifts to the Agricultural God," he whispered.
... WHAT?
"... you realize that if you get caught," whispered Wang Jin, "you'll get slow sliced and receive the nine familial extermination punishment. Everyone you know and love will get executed. Not only that, but if this Agricultural God is real, then divine punishment awaits. And you want me to be part of this plan?"
Liu Tang moved away and scoffed in disappointment, "that's what Big Sis said too. I shouldn't have said anythin'. Not scared of some portly, jolly fellow. I relieve myself in temples, ya think I'm scared of-"
She raised an eyebrow, and said, "did I say no?"
Liu Tang stared at her for a few seconds, a toothy grin once again erupting on his face.
At this moment, her stomach audibly growled again and she grimaced, swaying, "let me think on this. I must first relieve myself outside the village. I'll be back!"
"Of course, of course," Liu Tang said, then quickly added, "the leaves are poisonous and will itch you, I can give you some..."
"No need!" Wang Jin responded, as she uncomfortably waddled outside the village.
Liu Tang's disappointment was palpable.
"I understand," he said in a resigned tone, "family comes first. Wish your mom weren't dyin'. Sucks that I can't even take you to meet Big Sis."
There was another practical reason why Wang Jin did not want to partake in his plot. For one, that would make her an outlaw of the highest degree. Then, what would most likely happen would be that both Lin Chong and Shi Wengong would likely be assigned the task of hunting her down. Maybe Lu Junyi would come out of military retirement to join the hunt too. Not to mention Generals Huyan Zhuo and Guan Sheng potentially showing up as well.
The Imperial Court probably would not send Pubu the Dog Constable, though. Wang Jin could easily win the dog over. But she doubted meat bribery would work on the others.
Lin Chong did enjoy eating meat though... The ridiculous notion of her defecting due to food had caused Wang Jin to chuckle when she was in the forest relieving herself.
But no, fighting her old apprentices would only lead to heartbreak and death. Plus, such a plot needed discretion and secrecy. If the Imperial Court sent Lin Chong to initially guard the convoy and have Shi Wengong escort it from the frontier towards the designated location, then they would immediately recognize Wang Jin. Thus, she could not go along with Liu Tang's plot.
Though in terms of serving as Arms Instructor for Dongxi Village, perhaps that could be a plan for the future.
"Maybe one day, Liu Tang, but I would like to spend as much time as possible with my Ma," she said.
"Aaah, until that day then! I'll be doing my own thing until then." Liu Tang said.
They conversed a bit more, then parted ways for the evening.
195 Leagues from Dongjing, 5 Leagues Away from Cangzhou
It was nearing midday when the carriage slowed and stopped. Her mother, fully awake, asked, "are we there yet?"
Shi Jin opened one of the silk curtains, peeked outside, and responded, "no, we're still on a forest road."
Concerned, Wang Jin asked, "Liu Tang, why have we stopped?"
There was a pause as she heard him jump off his driver's seat. There were voices, but she could not discern the sounds. Eventually, though, there was a knocking on Wang Jin's side of the door. She cautiously opened it a little, seeing the crimson-red hair of Liu Tang, then pushed it fully open.
He had a plain-looking expression on his face as he said, "someone well-dressed wants to meet ya. Their horse up ahead is blocking the road."
Wang Jin's eye twitched. That description did not help at all.
"Who?" she asked.
Liu Tang shrugged, smiling.
Liar! she immediately thought. But still, she stepped outside the carriage to meet whoever was blocking the road, ready to face the person who knew she was on this particular carriage at this particular time.
There were two possibilities and she preferred one over the other.
She would find out in the next chapter.