Chapter 4
Book 1 Chapter 4 – Surrounded by Danger
They walked for less than 2 hours when it started raining heavily.
The 100 odd warriors wore their straw raincoats, escorting 12 horse carriages and almost 200 fine horses and moved forward with much aplomb.
Xiang Shaolong thought about Mei Canniang, thought about her tears as she parted, and felt an indescribable sadness. He almost had the urge to turn back and look for her but he remembered he had taken 200 coppers from Tao Fang and stopped himself. He is not someone who will go back on his words. He must at least work for a few months as a bodyguard.
The rain only stopped at dusk and the entourage stopped and pitched tents. 60 odd young girls came out of the horse carriages, all of them young and beautiful. A few among them were exceptionally pretty, comparable to Mei Canniang.
Although they all looked tired, but they were all in high spirits, not like slaves who have just been bought at all. They even helped to cook and talk and laugh with the warriors, which baffled Xiang Shaolong.
The girls realized that now there’s another handsome man, Xiang Shaolong, so they all made eyes at him. A pity that he has lost the mood to flirt because he missed Mei Canniang and instead he went for a walk outside the camp.
The wilderness after the rain was crisply green, the air refres.h.i.+ng.
Xiang Shaolong can’t help but feel sentimental.
No matter how pretty nature is, how alluring the world in front of him is, but surrounding him was undeveloped land, endless forests. It’s only the beginning of man’s destruction towards nature. But by the 21st century, they have reached the end of this path of no return, and humankind had to suffer the consequences.
If he has the power to change all these, would history be re-written?
"Shh!"
Xiang Shaolong was startled.
Amidst the rustling leaves, a Baiyi girl wearing a sleeveless top and short skirt, which revealed her rounded thighs, jumped out. It turned out to be the prettiest Baiyi girl he met the other day at the market.
She went to him excitedly and looked up to him, saying, "I’ve been following you for 2 days and nights." She pulled him and said nervously, "Escape quickly!"
Xiang Shaolong pulled her into his arms instead and holding her tightly by her waist, kissed her lips.
The Baiyi lady reacted fierily, even hugging his strong neck, not at all shy.
Xiang Shaolong is believing more and more that women of this era, once they meet a man they like, are more direct then women from the 21st century, and felt his spirits lifting.
The Baiyi girl left his mouth, her pretty face blushed an endearing red and said hurriedly, "My name is Xiu Yi, come back with me to Mount Baiyi! If you follow those Zhao people to Handan, you’ll certainly be killed by Hui Hu and his group of horse thieves."
Xiang Shaolong listened to her melodious voice, enjoying her voluptuous body, and his desire was just rising when he was suddenly shocked and asked, "What did you say?" In reality he only understood about 30 to 40 percent of her words.
The Baiyi girl Xiu Yi slowed down and said each word clearly, "A few days ago, our tribesmen received news, Hui Hu and his 800 horse thieves were preparing to lay an ambush for the Zhao people at Das.h.i.+ Valley to steal their women and horses. If you go with them, you’ll surely be killed. They’re a lot more formidable than Jiao Du and his men."
Xiang Shaolong finally understood, his two ill-mannered hands continuously caressing her chest and b.u.t.tocks and laughed, "Don’t worry! I have a way to deal with them."
Xiu Yi smiled coquettishly, using her chest to press against him and her arms to rub against him, asked with a smile, "I know you will not abandon your friends to save your own life, I shall not force you. But I’ve given you such useful information, how are you going to thank me?"
Xiang Shaolong smiled bitterly, "Besides copper coins, you can have anything else."
Xiu Yi disentangled herself from his arms and turned a circle in front of him, saying with a flirtatious smile, "Everyone says that I’m pretty, do you agree? I still do not know your name!"
Xiang Shaolong stared at her, all his worries gone and replied, "I’m Xiang Shaolong!"
Xiu Yi repeated it a few times, and suddenly loosened her clothes, revealing a fair body that can make any man dizzy. She said with a smile, "Would this be prettier? The men in the tribe all love to look at my body."
This is the first time Xiang Shaolong has seen a girl like that, he breathed in deeply and ordered, "Come here!"
Xiu Yi threw herself into his arms, and as she took off his clothes, she moaned, "It’s always men who have begged me, but this time I’m begging you. Come! Lover! I have not gone home for 2 days, if you did not come out I’d have gone into the camp to look for you."
Xiang Shaolong returned to camp all relaxed and looked for Tao Fang. He pulled him to a corner and told him everything that just happened.
Tao Fang’s expression became very somber and after a while, reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "You have saved my life this time. The problem now is not those horse thieves, but there’s a spy among my people."
Xiang Shaolong nodded, "Master Tao must have kept the route you’re taking to Handan very secret, not many will know about it. So if Hui Hu knows that you will be pa.s.sing by Das.h.i.+ Valley, there must be a spy who supplied him with this news."
Tao Fang was extremely surprised at his quick wit and complimented him, "I was right about you. Not only are you good looking, but intelligent and brave as well. Good! As long as I am still in power, I will not treat you badly."
Xiang Shaolong laughed to himself, it’ll be more like it if Emperor Qin said these words to him.
Tao Fang hesitated for a moment before saying, "The spy must be Dou Liang. There’s two reason why I’m so sure it’s him. Firstly he excused himself from the group for two days, so he must have met up with Hui Hu. Secondly, out of the few who knows our route, he’s the only one from Wei, and people from Wei cannot be trusted."
Xiang Shaolong was perplexed, "Since the Weis cannot be trusted, then why did you employ him?"
Tao Fang replied, "Shaolong, you have been living in the mountains, naturally you’re not familiar with the situation in central plains."
Xiang Shaolong replied earnestly, "I really want to know!"
Tao Fang explained, "We have to start the story from the part.i.tioning of Jin into 3 states, that was the beginning of the division of the whole era. It was said that the powerless King of Zhou isolated the states and after the split, Wei, Han and our Zhao kingdoms were forged and no one paid any heed to Zhou. If the past can be described as a peaceful stream, now it’s a torrential river. The change within the last ten years almost equals the change that has happened over the last 100 years. Those who are incapable will be ousted." And he can’t help but sigh as he spoke.
Xiang Shaolong cannot imagine that a horse trader like him would be so knowledgeable, and felt the urge to tell him that no matter how they struggle or fight, Emperor Qin would be the one who unite the world in future. But of course he can’t say it out loud, and even if he did, no one would believe him. So he tried to get some information, "Is Qin the strongest and biggest state now?"
Tao Fang looked at him in surprise and said slowly, "Ever since Qin used the reformative policies suggested by Gongsun Yang*, from the Wei ruling family, they’ve indeed become stronger and
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Suddenly he heard Tao Fang’s voice on the sh.o.r.e, "If Shaolong is satisfied with this woman, then let her follow you in future."
Ting Fangs.h.i.+ exclaimed, "Ah!", her expression overjoyed. If she can become this man’s mistress or maid, she’d be willing even if it means death.
Xiang Shaolong obviously knows that this is Tao Fang’s way of bribing him, so after thanking him, asked, "Have the scout returned with any news?"
Tao Fang’s eyes settled on Ting Fangs.h.i.+’s peaks, which was trembling slightly. When he bought this woman, he inspected her body personally so he knows how smooth and supple her skin is, so now he felt something. He swallowed his saliva and said, "Shaolong has guessed correctly, there’s 3 thieves running after us but they’ve been killed. We have lost Hui Hu for the time being but we must not let our guard down. The horse thieves are good at tracking, and added with our slow speed, they will catch up sooner or later."
During his life in the army, Xiang Shaolong has long become accustomed to bathing together with his teammates, so he’s not uncomfortable at all that Tao Fang is seeing him. However, for Ting Fangs.h.i.+ to be admired by him thus, he felt a little taken advantaged of, so he said "We’ll leave immediately after the meal and see how far we can travel. Give me 10 odd men, I will hide the tracks of the horses and carriages." Tao Fang is getting more and more confident of him, so he nodded and said, "We’ll depend on you, enjoy yourself!" and left.
Ting Fangs.h.i.+ turned towards him and said while hugging him, "Master Xiang! I will be yours in future."