Rainbow-colored Han Sword
When a magnificent, dazzling long dress with narrow sleeves and a cross-collar, reminiscent of a starry night, in shades of deep blue, dark green, cyan, and shimmering gold, slowly unfolded before A Qiu, A Qiu was so astonished that she held her breath.
She had never seen such a beautiful dress. Its intricate patterns shimmered with paisley designs embroidered in gold thread. It was fitted at the waist, while the skirt below overlapped and cascaded, flowing vertically when still and blooming like a flower when she walked.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, A Qiu had worn a veil to conceal her face when she came out. Now, to try on the clothes, she had to remove the veil and reveal her true appearance. The Jie tribe shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw her, and he praised her endlessly.
He said in broken Chinese, "This 'Golden Sparrow and Rainbow Robe' was purchased from Persia by my humble shop. It was specially made by the embroiderers in the royal palace, and there is only one of its kind. If it weren't for the Young Master's request, I wouldn't have been willing to take it out."
They were in the back room of an extremely grand and impressive business. When A Qiu followed Gu Yi in, she noticed that this shop was different from others; there were no noisy customers. It wasn't until Gu Yi made a specific gesture that a clerk immediately led them to the back room, and the manager hurriedly came out to greet them.
Although A Qiu was not very skilled in needlework, she could still tell that the embroidery was exquisite, with meticulous attention to detail, and the overall cut was seamless, with a cinched waist, narrow shoulders, and long sleeves that perfectly showcased her beautiful and slender figure without being vulgar.
Gu Yi glanced at it and said, "We're still missing a set of jewelry."
The Jie shopkeeper hurriedly said, "Go out and turn right, it's the third shop." Then he whispered mysteriously, "That Gaochang merchant shop received a set of gold jewelry with blue and green gemstones the day before yesterday. The stones are already quite valuable, and they were crafted by the best goldsmiths. The shopkeeper is keeping it secretly and doesn't dare let anyone see it. It's probably prepared for a distinguished guest like the Junior Tutor."
Gu Yi immediately got up, paid the bill, and left with A Qiu.
Only the Jie shopkeeper, stroking his white beard, clicked his tongue and said, "I've been doing business with the young master for many years, and in the past, our transactions have all been about warhorses and bows and arrows. This is the first time I've seen him spend money like water on a girl. Rare indeed."
The waiter chimed in, “You see how beautiful that girl is? She’s clearly Han Chinese, but her figure is just as good as a Hu woman’s. The Golden Sparrow Rainbow Dress wouldn’t be a waste on her.”
The Jie tribe boss nodded in agreement and sighed, "A fine sword is given to a brave warrior, and a silk robe is worn by a beautiful woman. As for this beautiful woman, she is quite a good match for the young master."
Adorned with precious jewelry, A-Qiu was almost in a daze amidst the endless praise and admiration from the jewelry store's staff and managers. She followed Gu Yi out of the store, and only after being blown by the night wind did she feel a little more awake.
Looking at the shimmering beaded necklace on her arm and chest, A Qiu said with a wry smile, "Luckily I wore a veiled hat, otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to get back safely."
The long veil on her hat covered almost half of her body, so the jewelry and gold embroidery on her clothes were not visible.
As Gu Yi glanced around, he subtly shielded her from the ever-pushing crowd with his arm, saying, "The West Market is currently controlled by two factions. The half that's openly under Jianzhang Master's Divine Hound Camp, and the other half that's clandestine under your second senior brother's Xingfeng Hall. Both factions are extremely powerful, and with them locked in a stalemate, the market is relatively peaceful. Even if you're carrying these jewels on the street, you'll be safe in the West Market."
Listening to the soft clinking of her jewels and feeling the ripples of her flowing gauze skirt as she walked, A Qiu suddenly said, "Gu Yi."
Although Gu Yi was aware of the surrounding movements, he was still extremely sensitive to her reaction. Hearing her call him, which was much softer than usual, he couldn't help but turn around to look at her and asked, "What is it?"
At that moment, A Qiu was also lifting the veil under her hat to look at him. Her extremely beautiful and vivid face was half-hidden under the thin mist and veil. Her bright black and white eyes were focused on him. She parted her red lips slightly and mouthed, "Thank you."
Gu Yi immediately lowered his head, pulled her a little closer to his side, and said calmly, "In the future, don't treat the tavern girl's forehead flower or the Gongye family's discarded branches as treasures to give away."
He had just finished speaking when he remembered that Ah Qiu might not be able to hear him, so he had to lean down again and, through the light veil, repeat himself in a stronger tone.
Behind the veil, A Qiu's face was already flushed, and she murmured softly, "Besides you, I've never given gifts to anyone else." In fact, in all her years of wandering the world, she didn't know many people, let alone have any close relationships with them. This was a unique aspect of the assassin's profession.
Gu Yi possessed profound internal strength and exceptional hearing. Although A Qiu's voice was soft behind the veil, it reached his ears clearly without missing a single word. From A Qiu's perspective, he saw that the originally resolute lines of his profile had softened slightly, and his voice remained steady as he said, "That's good then."
He then asked, "What else do you want?"
Ah Qiu was actually indifferent to material possessions, and was already extremely satisfied with the new clothes she had received. She turned her eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly excitedly grabbed Gu Yi's hand and said, "Don't you rarely go shopping? I want to go look at antiques."
Having received the clothes and jewelry from Gu Yi, she wanted to repay him. However, thinking of the flower on her forehead and the discarded branch, which probably wouldn't even amount to a fraction of the price of the clothes and jewelry, she felt secretly ashamed.
After observing Jinlingtai for a while, she realized that Gu Yi had a simple and elegant taste, and ordinary rich and beautiful objects would not catch his eye. So she thought of finding one or two ancient artifacts, such as bronze mythical beasts or jade tigers, to make him a desk paperweight.
Gu Yi focused his gaze, and the light veil on A Qiu's face could not obstruct his view. He glanced at her and assumed he understood her thoughts, and said calmly, "If we're talking about ancient weapons, I'm afraid no place can surpass your Divine Weapon Hall. As the head of the Divine Weapon Hall, you've probably grown up surrounded by famous weapons and ancient blades, so why bother going to such a place to try your luck?"
A Qiu smiled without answering. Before, she had been holding his arm, with their clothes separating them. Now, in a very good mood, she grabbed his hand and headed straight for the most lively part of the crowd without looking back.
Gu Yi had no choice but to follow them inside. He wondered how there could possibly be genuine antiques from previous eras on these street stalls. But Ah Qiu was, after all, the leader of the assassination attempt on Qin, and had seen so many ancient weapons; surely he wouldn't be fooled?
If she takes a fancy to something and the stall owner tries to persuade her to buy it, then he'll be in a difficult position.
Gu Yi, the renowned young master, was tricked into buying fake antiques by a roadside vendor, a thought that made him feel uneasy.
Sure enough, as soon as A Qiu squeezed through, the old man with the three wisps of beard who ran the stall immediately came over with his eyes shining and greeted her with a warm smile: "Young lady, young master, everything on my stall is genuine, all personally collected by me. Young lady, just name your price if you see something you like!"
Although A Qiu's veil concealed her face, when she bent over and turned to the side, her pleated skirt, shimmering with gold and emerald hues, was revealed. Her figure was graceful, and Gu Yi behind her, though dressed only in simple black clothes, was also tall, handsome, and outstanding. They looked like a perfect couple.
The old man had such discerning eyes that he could tell at a glance that this must be the son of some official family in Jianzhang City trying to win the heart of a beautiful woman. These kinds of men usually lacked discernment and couldn't tell the difference between truth and falsehood, yet they were generous with their money to win a woman's smile. How could he let such a fat sheep slip by?
A Qiu glanced briefly at the various bamboo, wood, ivory, horn, and bronze items on his stall, then her gaze fell on a "Han sword." She picked it up and weighed it in her hand, then tried to draw it. She saw that the blade was as white as snow and its gleam was like a mirror, making it a fine sword. However, whether it was from the Han Dynasty was seriously debatable.
The old man was initially slightly surprised, as he hadn't expected that this young woman, judging from her demeanor and bearing as a lady from a noble family, would not even glance at hairpins, jewelry, calligraphy, or paintings, but would instead be interested in the sword he had the best condition on the stall.
But upon further reflection, he immediately understood: looking at the young man in black behind the girl, although he was not carrying a sword, his eyes were sharp and piercing, and his every move was imposing and disciplined. He had seen many people from all walks of life and guessed that this young man must have practiced some martial arts.
Many sons of powerful and wealthy families in Jianzhang City also practiced swordsmanship and spear fighting to appear cultured, which was quite common in the West Market.
The young woman looking at the sword was definitely not for herself, but to give to the man she loved behind her.
Doing business like this, operating in the streets and alleys, is different from running a reputable shop. The goods aren't particularly special; the most important thing is the ability to read people and sell accordingly. If you say the wrong thing or misjudge your customer, you won't sell a single item.
The old man immediately smiled broadly and said, "Young lady, you have a good eye. This Han sword is an heirloom of my ancestors. I brought it out with great difficulty when I fled to the north. At that time, I was so poor that I didn't have many copper coins. I dared not fail my ancestors' sword, so I tied it tightly to my waist and never forgot it when crossing the river by boat."
He glanced at Gu Yi again and said with a smile, "It's just that I don't practice martial arts and have no official rank, so it's a pity to keep me. But I am a perfect match for this young master. The Han sword is noble and heavy, worthy of a king or nobleman. Young master, your career will surely be smooth sailing and you will rise to the top."
His heartfelt expression of emotion was truly moving and poignant.
When Gu Yi heard the old man say "tie it firmly to your waist," he immediately frowned. He was a germaphobe and wished he could snatch it from A Qiu's hands and throw it away right away. When he heard that the sword was actually suitable to be given to him, his usually composed expression changed completely.
If Junior Tutor Gu Yi did not wear the Moon Embroidery Sword or carry the Jade Balance Sword, but instead paraded around with this fake "Han Sword," he would surely become a laughingstock for the entire world!
But Ah Qiu seemed quite interested. Could it be that she'd lost her martial arts skills and gone blind?
When A Qiu heard the old man say this, he picked up the sword, drew it out again, examined it closely, and then laughed and said, "You just said that this sword was passed down from your ancestors, so why is the sword engraved with the six characters 'Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing'? Could it be that you are actually a descendant of the Marquis of Champion? That would be truly disrespectful."
At this time, everyone knew that Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion of the Western Han Dynasty, died at the age of twenty-one, and had no direct descendants left in the world. The old man originally thought that this beautiful young girl would naturally know nothing about weapons and would be easy to fool. Caught off guard, his face turned red, and he stammered, "Then, then I must be old and have remembered wrong, no, not this one."
Gu Yi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He said calmly, "I estimate there are at least twenty or thirty swords like this on this street, including those of General Li Guang and General Dou Xian. If you like them, we can find one with an even higher official rank. Wouldn't that be an even better omen?"
Upon hearing this, the old man became anxious and said in a rough voice, "Sir, the Marquis of Champion is already a high-ranking official! You are young, and it's already quite good that you've achieved that position!"
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