Chapter 40 Mistakenly Thinking You're a Visitor from Canglang
Guan Ye lightly weighed the copper coin, recalling the weight of the corundum in her palm earlier. She closed her eyes and calculated the specific gravity. The corundum was heavy, while the copper coin was light. The copper coins of the Great Jin Dynasty were all cast with a fixed ratio of copper and iron. Guan Ye had a rough estimate and was confident in her judgment. She put away the copper coin and gestured to ask the Western Regions man how much goods he had.
How much more? The Western Region man sized up the young girl, whom he had never seen before in the Ghost Market. He had initially thought she was just there to amuse him, but she actually wanted to buy something? The Western Region man cleared his throat and lowered his voice, saying, "A promise is a promise. If you don't buy after we've agreed, you won't be leaving here."
Upon hearing this, Guan Ye couldn't help but take another look at the man. "You speak Mandarin quite well."
The man from the Western Regions spread his five fingers and waved them at Guan Ye, "I have five hundred jin, can you eat that much?"
"Whether you can eat it or not depends on your price," Guan Ye said calmly. "Vajra sand isn't very useful, and you won't have much use for it. If the price is right, I'll report back to my master. If it's too high..." Guan Ye held up two fingers, "I'll take two hundred catties first."
"What a clever little girl!" The man from the Western Regions laughed heartily. "Trying to lower my price? You've come at the wrong time. My chief advisor has already placed an order for three hundred catties. Your two hundred catties won't bring down the price. One hundred catties of diamond powder can be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver. Do you have two hundred taels of silver?"
Guan Ye untied the money pouch, weighed it in her hand, and handed it to him. "Here is a deposit of twenty taels. I will bring people to pick up the goods in three days."
"A deposit? Only twenty taels?" The man from the Western Regions crossed his arms and didn't even bother to take it.
"Twenty taels it is." Guan Ye said firmly. "Isn't the rule of the Ghost Market that the deposit is always ten out of a hundred? What? Is your rule different from others?"
The Westerner, exposed, chuckled and calmly took Guan Ye's money pouch. He opened it and saw that it contained real silver ingots, then tucked it into his pocket. "Three days later, come find me, Wan Qixi, here again."
Wanqixi, Guan Ye remembered this name.
Guan Ye turned around, and the wooden boat carrying A Jiu was slowly approaching. Guan Ye was overjoyed that the deal had been made. Before the boat even got close, she nimbly jumped on, splashing Wan Qixi, who was standing on the rocks, with water. Wan Qixi tore off the dirty veil covering his face and showed a mouthful of yellow teeth to Guan Ye's back.
The wooden boat rocked gently. Guan Ye grabbed A Jiu's wrist, steadied herself, and looked at him. Beneath the fox mask, her eyes were bright and piercing. Even through the mask, one could feel her bright, sunny smile. No matter how tough a man's heart was, it would melt in her eyes.
Seeing that Ajiu didn't move, Guan Ye deliberately teased him, imitating how he came, slowly sliding her wrist along his hand, and deliberately rubbing the calluses on her thumb against his palm, feeling the trembling of the blood vessels in the man's hand. Guan Ye suppressed her laughter, stood and gazed at the faintly visible cave entrance, without turning her head to look at him.
As they passed through the deep tunnel, the sunlight grew increasingly dazzling. Guan Ye opened her hand to shield her eyes, and through the gaps in the sunlight, a rainbow suddenly appeared before her. Guan Ye lifted her mask, tilted her head back, and took a deep breath of the refreshing air outside the cave, feeling a rare sense of comfort.
As the wooden boat docked, the old woman gently tapped the mast to make room for the two of them. Ghost-faced Ajiu strode ashore, seemingly hesitant. After a moment of pause, he turned and reached out to Guan Ye. Guan Ye didn't hesitate and took his hand. With a forceful pull, she was already at his side. The man tried to pull his hand away, but Guan Ye held on tightly, so he had no choice but to let her hold it and dared not move.
"Ah Jiu," Guan Ye said impatiently, "I've made the deal. The Ghost Market actually has diamond powder. I ordered two hundred catties. We'll come back in three days."
The man shifted slightly, the ghost mask perfectly concealing his emotions. The girl before him wasn't wearing a long cloak that dragged on the ground; instead, she wore a clean and neat dark green outfit. She wasn't carrying a sword, so she probably didn't know swordsmanship, but the heroic spirit between her brows revealed her connection to weapons. He sensed a similar aura about this girl to himself.
"A-Jiu?" Guan Ye let go of his hand and darted in front of him. "I'm talking to you."
The man gazed at her flushed cheeks. The girl was pretty but not strikingly so. In the capital city, where women were plentiful, such a person would obviously not be suitable for the role of a seductress. However, she had bright eyes and white teeth, and the sparks in the depths of her pupils were like wildfire. Her overall demeanor was far superior to that of other women.
Guan Ye approached and looked again. Just as she slightly raised her wrist, several men in black appeared out of nowhere. The leader darted forward and blocked her way in the blink of an eye, his expression serious and wary of her.
“You are…” A dark shadow flashed before Guan Ye’s eyes. The mysterious person from the Tianhu Workshop on the night she first arrived in Rongdu, the mysterious person who looked so much like Ajiu, could it be… “Ajiu…” Guan Ye murmured to herself, “You are not Ajiu.”
Guan Ye was not afraid of the man in black. She reached out and lifted the man's fanged ghost mask. The mask fell to the ground, and under the ghost mask was A Jiu, but not A Jiu. He had thick eyebrows and bright eyes, and looked just like A Jiu. However, his brow bone was smooth and clear, while A Jiu had a deep scar on his brow bone.
"Who are you?" Guan Ye's fear from that night had subsided. It was nearly dusk, and the man's tall figure was shrouded in twilight. The fierceness between his brows had faded, and his eyes, which were fixed on her, were now gentle and tender.
"How dare you!" Luo Yichen, the leader, drew his sword to block Guan Ye.
Mu Chenbi shook his head at him. Luo Yichen looked her up and down and saw that the girl was unarmed and had only doubts in her eyes without any malice. He then stepped back slightly, but still gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and dared not be careless.
"And who are you?" Mu Chenbi smiled, involuntarily holding his breath. "Vajra Sand? You're a visitor from Canglang, from Xingguo Ward."
"I... mistook you for someone else." Guan Ye stepped back, bowed to him, and then turned and walked quickly into the Ghost Market Cave.
Mu Chenbi couldn't help but take a few steps after her, but Luo Yichen quickly blocked his way, saying, "It's getting late, you can't go any further."
Mu Chenbi could not hide his disappointment, recalling the girl's radiant smile when she mistook him for her own, so bright and beautiful. It was like sunlight spreading across the dimly lit ghost market; her smile was like a ray of light piercing the darkness.
"She seems to be..." Luo Yichen tried hard to recall, "It was her! She entered Tianhu Fang after you." After a long while without Mu Chenbi's response, Luo Yichen scratched his head and asked again, "Is she really from Xingguo Fang? Ajiu, who is Ajiu? Did she mistake someone for someone else?"
Mu Chenbi turned around heavily, opened her clothes, and slowly walked away. She called herself "Ajiu" again. The girl's eyes were innocent and she was definitely not doing it on purpose. She really had mistaken someone for someone else. That "Ajiu" must look very much like her to make her mistake her twice. And that Ajiu was still in the Ghost Market.
Mu Chenbi looked back at the entrance of the Ghost Market Cave. For a moment, he wanted to wait for Ajiu to come out and see how much this person resembled him. Mu Chenbi shook his head and mocked himself. It was just a face. What did it matter if it looked like him or not? There were thousands of people in the world. Mistaking one for another was nothing. Why did he take it to heart?
"Should I send someone to guard this place?" Luo Yichen asked again.
"What for?" Mu Chenbi asked, somewhat displeased. "Xingguo Ward is meant to serve the country. They are all loyal and patriotic men. Do you need to keep an eye on them?"
"This subordinate dares not," Luo Yichen said, bowing his head. "From what you're saying, that girl is really from Xingguo Ward?"
"Go and inquire about it tomorrow." Mu Chenbi's heart stirred again. "Is there a female foundry in Xingguo Ward?"
"A female blacksmith?" Luo Yichen asked doubtfully, "Are there really women in the world who forge iron?"
Mu Chenbi gently clenched her fist. She held her own hand so naturally. The girl's skin was fair and smooth, and her hand was damp and moist. The moment she touched it, she felt a chill run down her spine. Then her hand slid down, caressing her palm and lingering... She must like that man named Ajiu. Mu Chenbi opened her palm. Her palm was hot, as if it still retained her body heat. Her hands were also different from others. If she were a noble lady raised in seclusion, how could she have developed rough calluses?
That night she threw the cloak to him with her right hand, today she held his with her left, the calluses on both hands... Mu Chenbi spread his hands, already having the answer in his heart.
"You've been with me for so long, yet your knowledge is still so shallow." Mu Chenbi took a deep breath with his hands behind his back. "Of course there are female blacksmiths in the world. They existed in the past, and they certainly exist now."
"Your subordinate is forgetful. You mentioned it to me." Luo Yichen wished he could slap himself. "You repeatedly sneaked into Tianhu Workshop at night to find... the things left behind by that female blacksmith. Her name is... her name is... Lu..." Luo Yichen tried his best to recall, but the name just wouldn't come out.
—The Jin state had three thousand swordsmen, and the swordsmanship of Chaoge was the best. At the age of twenty, when they were in their prime, their sword dance amazed Huating.
Cui Jin said that this woman named Lu Chaoge was not only a swordswoman but also a remarkable blacksmith. She was a master of various techniques, combining the strengths of different schools, and was most skilled at combining different types of iron ore to achieve power exceeding that of a single ore. She had forged a "Chaoge Sword," which was praised by all who saw it as a masterpiece of craftsmanship. In the Blood Crossbow case, the Lu family was wiped out, and all the weapons they had forged were destroyed. Mu Chenbi searched the entire storeroom but could not find a single piece of Tianhu Workshop's forgings. Lu Chaoge's skills had vanished without a trace. He had repeatedly sneaked into Tianhu Workshop at night, hoping to find any trace of Lu Chaoge, but unfortunately, he could not find her.
Mu Chenbi originally thought that Xingguo Fang, which had been dormant for a hundred years, had no more amazing skills, but that girl had ordered Vajra Sand just like him. Three days later... A breeze swept across Mu Chenbi's face, and he finally smiled with relief. Three days later, they would meet again.
On the shore of the underground lake, Guan Ye stared at the wooden boats gliding across the water, cursing herself for being too careless and getting on a pirate ship. She blamed herself for being too complacent; she had only just made a deal and jumped on without even getting a good look at the person. If A Jiu knew, he would definitely laugh at her for being stupid.
"Guan Ye!" As the wooden boat drew nearer, A Jiu, her face filled with anxiety, leaped aboard from the bow, still half a zhang from the shore. "Where have you been?"
Ajiu gently lifted her somewhat bewildered face with both hands, looked her over carefully to make sure she was alright, and then breathed a sigh of relief. "I couldn't find you anywhere in the Western Regions. I figured you must have gone somewhere else to wander around. Grandma led me around in circles several times but we still couldn't find you... I thought..."
"Did you think I was kidnapped?" Guan Ye's face was held by him, and she puffed out her cheeks and tried to open them. A Jiu slowly let go, but couldn't help but caress her again. Guan Ye touched his brow bone and his scars, over and over again.
Ajiu lowered her hand with difficulty, letting Guan Ye continue her work. When she saw Guan Ye stop, she smiled and said, "You said Lou Cangyu is ruthless. You were quite ruthless when you treated my wounds. If you had been more careful, you might not have been left with a scar."
"A-Jiu." Guan Ye touched his hand, and A-Jiu gently grasped her slender wrist, then slowly squeezed his fingers between hers, interlocking them. Guan Ye tightened her grip slightly, and A-Jiu held on even tighter, his fingertips gently rubbing her long knuckles. Guan Ye felt the breadth of the man's palm, as if her whole body was enveloped in his hand.
Ah Jiu held on so tightly, terrified that Guan Ye would disappear again, afraid that he would lose this girl he had already taken a liking to in the blink of an eye.
"A-Jiu," Guan Ye called again.
"I'm leaving." A-Jiu's voice was unusually low and gentle. "If we don't leave now, and we get back late, will you take the punishment for me?"
"I saw him again." Guan Ye murmured. The man's radiant face appeared before her eyes. Seeing him again today, Guan Ye was no longer afraid. "The person who looks a lot like you."
"Oh?" Ajiu shook her hand. "He's come to the Ghost Market too? It seems he's just like us."
“He must be from a noble family, and he was accompanied by several guards,” Guan Ye recalled. “Everyone carried a sword, just like you and Xiao Ma.”
After walking through the long corridor, the sun was setting outside, and the dazzling sunlight was gone, replaced by a deep twilight. The two walked out hand in hand, tilting their heads to look at each other and smiling.
"—That must be someone like Young Master Pei."
If possible, Ajiu wishes the road beneath her feet would never end.
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