Chapter 6

The fiery red sunset was about to sink below the horizon, and even the spring breeze brought a chill to the body. Bai Dong sat cross-legged on the highest mound of the ridge, his long hair disheveled and a sword scar on his face, exuding a fierce and rugged air typical of a wandering knight.

The book bag was slung under his arm, a clear sign of his status as a scholar, which he could never discard. His gaze fell on the direction from which the black-clad woman had appeared. Who were the people chasing her? Bai Dong was both nervous and somewhat curious. He reviewed his strategy and found no obvious mistakes, which finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Truly smart people always solve problems with seemingly foolish methods.

If it were someone who thought they were clever, they would have three good options at this moment: one, kill the black-clad woman and present her head for reward; two, settle her in a cave and immediately flee far away, which seemed more prudent, as a wise man avoids dangerous situations; or three, hide himself and wait until it was safe to leave.

Bai Dong, after all, had the heart of a modern person and wouldn't kill a woman for no reason; fleeing wasn't a good option either, as the sun was about to set, and even wolf packs roamed the Guanzhong Plain two thousand years ago. Fleeing down the ridge would be courting death. As for hiding, it was the worst of the worst options. If the people chasing the black-clad woman found him, they would likely assume he was an accomplice, and even pretending to be a scholar wouldn't save him then.

Now, Bai Dong was waiting for the pursuers to appear. In ancient times, the hierarchy was strict, and one could tell a person's status by their clothing. If they were from the government, he wouldn't fear they would harm a scholar. Even if they refused his persuasion and found the black-clad woman, helping in a crisis was a scholar's virtue, and they would only cut off her head and give him a thumbs-up. If they were bandits, he would have to run down the ridge and risk his life with the wolves, but that was unavoidable. So he prayed to God that the pursuers wouldn't be bandits.

Finally, someone came. Five hundred meters, three hundred meters... the figures gradually became clearer. They were five people moving swiftly. When they were about a hundred meters away, Bai Dong clearly saw that the first four were half-armored and looked fierce, while the last one seemed to be a fair-skinned young man with a copper helmet and jade crown, exuding an extraordinary aura. He could breathe a sigh of relief; such a handsome figure was unlikely to be a bandit. From his attire, the fair-skinned young man was probably a nobleman or a high-ranking person of this era.

Dealing with a high-ranking person would be easier, as it would be easier to find common ground. Without hesitation, Bai Dong ran down the mound, stuck his index and middle fingers deep into his throat, and immediately felt nauseous. He bent over and started to retch loudly, even vomiting bile. Then he fell to the ground and began to groan loudly.

"Stop!"

The young man who looked like a nobleman made a gesture, and the four armored men surrounded Bai Dong. One of them came over, lifted him up, and examined him closely before reporting loudly, "Lord Jing, this man carries a sword and a book bag, he seems to be a scholar. His hair is disheveled, and there's a sword scar on his face. From the wound, it appears he was injured by that woman..."

"Good man! Your keen eyesight would make you a great forensic expert in the 21st century. Thank you, thank you, I owe you one."

Bai Dong wanted to laugh. He had won the bet. In this era, being called 'Lord' had two possibilities: one, a duke personally enfeoffed by the Son of Heaven; the other, a respectful title used by subordinates for their superiors or commoners for nobles. The handsome young man in front of him looked to be in his twenties, and if he shaved his beard, he would probably be around eighteen or nineteen. The armored man called him Lord Jing, so it was the latter.

"Scholar?"

The fair-skinned young man walked up to Bai Dong, his gaze sweeping over the sword at his side and flipping through a scroll of the Book of Documents in his book bag. He nodded slightly, "The bamboo strips still have creases, and the book is loose, not tied up, indicating it was recently read. Sir, you are still so studious on your journey, you must be a great talent. Please accept Jing Jian's respect!"

Are scholars in this era so easy to deceive? Bai Dong barely suppressed the urge to laugh out loud, slowly got up, and returned the bow in the same manner as Jing Jian, "I dare not, I am Bai Dong of Qin. It is a great honor to meet Lord Jing. That woman..."

"Sir, you saw her? Did she harm you?"

Jing Jian showed great concern, put the book back, and walked up to Bai Dong, looking at him with infinite tenderness, which made Bai Dong's face feel hot. He thought, what's wrong with this Jing guy? Do men look at men like that? You're Lord Jing, not Lord Eunuch, right? He examined Jing Jian closely and saw a handsome and elegant figure, with skin as smooth as jade even at the roots of his beard, and eyes that seemed to speak. If this guy were in the 21st century, he could easily become a famous cross-dresser...

Wait, Jing Jian? If it's really him, he's quite famous. Duke Xiao of Qin, Ying Quliang, was a powerful man but favored this person alone. Although the official history doesn't record him having a preference for men, the unofficial history is quite ambiguous. Such a handsome young man, favored by the king, and there seems to be little mention of Ying Quliang's wife in history. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable Bai Dong felt, and he bent over to vomit.

"Yes, that woman is very fierce. She injured me with a sword and kicked me several times. I'm still not feeling well. Lord Jing, as a young hero, you must catch her and avenge me!"

Bai Dong pointed casually, "That woman fled east. Hurry, or it will be too late!"

"Sir, you have been frightened."

Jing Jian sighed and shook his head, as if to comfort Bai Dong's injuries. He gently gathered his long hair and carefully examined the sword scar on his face. His fingers were soft and smooth, which should have been comfortable, but Bai Dong felt uneasy. This guy was too strange. Could he be interested in him, trying to take advantage of him?

"Did you all hear what the sir said?" Jing Jian suddenly chuckled.

"Lord Jing, we will track that woman immediately."

"Wrong, very wrong! Since the sir said she fled, it means she is still hiding nearby..."

Jing Jian laughed even more happily, "Search this mountain ridge, don't miss a single inch of land. After being hit by my palm, it's surprising she managed to get here. She won't have the strength to run any further."

The four armored men looked at Bai Dong with strange expressions and then followed orders.

"Actually, being a pursuer is not easy. That woman runs very fast, especially in the mountains where our horses can't be used, and we can only track her on foot. My men and I haven't even had dinner..."

Jing Jian was very good at styling hair and quickly tied Bai Dong's hair into a beautiful topknot. He sighed, "Sir, your hair is so beautiful, black and thick. Unfortunately, Jing Jian didn't bring a good hairpin, so I can only tie it like this for now. Sir, you won't mind, right? Ah, if Sir could tell me where that woman is hiding, we would become very good friends, like Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya. What do you think?"

"Lord Jing, your skills are amazing. You know, when I was young, I traveled with my teacher and saw many girls in a strange place. They didn't farm, weave, or raise silkworms; they made a living by styling people's hair. They were all very beautiful, with white and soft fingers, dressed like fairies, making people feel comfortable. I always thought they were the best hairdressers in the world, but today I realize I was just a frog at the bottom of a well..."

"Styling hair for a living? That's truly incredible. Sir, you speak so interestingly. What does 'frog at the bottom of a well' mean? I've never heard of it."

"Uh, a frog at the bottom of a well... it means a frog sitting at the bottom of a well, unable to jump out, and can only see the sky through the well's opening..." Bai Dong paused, realizing this idiom came from Zhuangzi's 'Autumn Waters,' and at this time, Zhuangzi's mother was still a little girl, no wonder Lord Jing was confused.

"I see, that's very interesting. Sir, you are indeed a great talent. By the way, those women styling hair alone probably can't make a living, right? I've been to several countries, and I've never heard of such people."

"Smart people are smart. Yes, styling hair alone isn't enough to make a living. So when they meet male customers willing to pay, they provide very wonderful services, like 'health packages,' one-on-one in a private room. A handsome young man like Lord Jing, with such good hair-styling skills, would have many customers and make a lot of money if he did this business. I'm not lying, really."

With Bai Dong's patient explanation, Jing Jian finally understood the meanings of 'service' and 'package,' looking at Bai Dong with great admiration, "Sir, your words are profound. You are indeed a great scholar. I regret not having visited such a unique place. Which country is it? What's its name?"

"Ah, I traveled with my teacher in my youth and visited many strange places, many of which I can't remember. But I remember this place clearly. It's called Dong~Wan. Lord Jing, remember that."

"Dong~Wan? I've never heard of it. It must be a very magical and beautiful place, right?" Jing Jian was greatly fascinated, but he was puzzled why those women only provided 'health packages' to male customers. He thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Suddenly, he became alert, "Sir, you are a skilled debater, but do you really think you can deceive me? Qin doesn't kill scholars, but I can still make you suffer."

"Your men are back. Why not ask them?"

Seeing the four armored men return empty-handed, Bai Dong felt relieved. He didn't know if his disguise at the cave entrance had fooled them or if the black-clad woman had the resilience of a cockroach and had left on her own.

PS: Thank you to 's Qing Searched Piaowen Xue, better updates and faster!' and 'Headache or Not' for your generous tips, and to 'Nifeng' for the five-star review.