"Master?"
Inside the carriage, Sun Boling saw Qingnu stop and lifted the curtain, his expression perplexed. Gazing at the surrounding landscape, he asked, "Why have we stopped here?"
Qingnu glanced at him and said, "Hongluan hasn't returned yet. We're waiting for it."
Sun Boling nodded in understanding. Qingnu added, "I'm going to fetch some water. You should give yourself a good wash. You stink!"
A snake's nose might not be the most sensitive, but it wasn't completely useless.
When she spoke those words with a hint of disdain, Sun Boling became even more flustered. He lowered his head, his voice dropping. "This disciple's wretched state has offended you, Master. Please forgive me."
"Sigh... Humans are essentially nonsense-generating machines. If I really blamed you, I wouldn't have gone to Daliang to find you in the first place."
Qingnu sighed and waved her hand, heading to the riverbank to fetch a bucket of water for him.
The two waited by the river for quite some time. Instead of Hongluan, they first encountered a self-deceiving spy from the State of Qi.
He had half his body hidden behind a tree, giving off a feeling of 'hiding behind a pipa, half-covering one's face.'
"Should we pretend we don't see him?" Qingnu muttered under her breath.
Sun Boling looked in that direction, his gaze turning slightly cold. "No one should deceive my master, regardless of their intent! You behind the tree—if you are a gentleman, please come out and meet us!"
Qingnu's eyes widened. "You're so polite."
Hearing this, the man stepped out directly and bowed to the two of them. "A spy of the State of Qi greets Master Guiguzi and Mister Sun!"
"Oh, a real Qi spy is here!"
Qingnu clicked her tongue and waved him away. "Tell whoever is in charge to come. This shows no sincerity at all."
The spy looked embarrassed and nodded repeatedly before taking his leave.
After Hongluan flew back, it chirped incessantly to Qingnu about Pang Juan's actions after she left. Its tone was indignant. "I knew we shouldn't have let him into the valley! How did we teach such a black-hearted fellow? Qingnu, why don't you go back and give him a good beating?"
"Beating people is exhausting."
Qingnu shook her head and told Hongluan, "Don't be angry; it'll shorten your life. Look at me—I've only been angry a few times in all this time. My youthful beauty is all thanks to a good mindset."
Hongluan: "..."
Shameless snake!
It landed on Qingnu's shoulder and asked, "Why aren't we leaving? Who are we waiting for?"
"Him!"
Qingnu pointed not far ahead.
There, several men were literally covered in the dust of the road as they ran toward them. The leader wore fine silk robes, his hair bun meticulous. He bowed deeply to Qingnu and said respectfully, "Chunyu Kun, envoy of Qi, greets the master!"
Qingnu shifted to the side and said, "He's looking for you."
"How can this disciple be compared to the master?" Sun Boling shook his head in denial.
Chunyu Kun explained his purpose: he wanted to invite Qingnu and Sun Boling to the State of Qi.
Talent like this was unwanted by the State of Wei, but the State of Qi wanted them!
Hearing this, Qingnu lamented once more that the Great Wei was truly a talent-exporting base for the Warring States. It wouldn't be too much for the kings of Qin and Qi to kowtow to Ji Ying.
Faced with Chunyu Kun's recruitment, Sun Boling was tempted, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he looked at Qingnu.
"What does Master think?"
"Are you playing mind games with me?"
Qingnu glanced at Sun Boling and huffed. "I won't stop you from going wherever you want."
Hearing this, Sun Boling added, "Then, Master..."
"You're still trying to plot against me?"
Qingnu's eyes widened, and she dismissively waved her hand at him. "Don't set your sights on this snake, or I'll beat you."
She knew exactly what was on the minds of both Chunyu Kun and Sun Boling.
However, Qingnu was generous; she gave them the carriage, as it wasn't her property anyway. Fearing that Pang Juan might do something extreme, Chunyu Kun drove the carriage day and night, heading straight for Linzi.
After seeing Sun Boling off, Qingnu was in no hurry to return to Ghost Valley. she decided to give herself a year-long vacation.
Having spent at least eighteen hundred of the last two thousand years on vacation, Qingnu felt her holidays were still far too few!
A snake should eat, drink, and play without a care in the world.
But because of Pang Juan and Sun Boling, the name of Ghost Valley had become famous. Even though Qingnu had shirked her duties for over a year, visitors arrived in an endless stream. The beautiful mountains and waters were trampled by these people until countless paths were worn into the ground.
"Sigh, even the wild game has become scarce."
Qingnu let out a long sigh.
Hongluan tilted its head on her shoulder and said, "Isn't the wild game scarce because you eat too much?"
"Being able to eat is a blessing," Qingnu muttered, not thinking for a second that there was anything wrong with her massive appetite. It had been two thousand years; if she couldn't eat, she would have starved into a dried green snake long ago. How else could she have stayed so lively for so long?
The person and the bird bickered with each other. As they returned to the mouth of the valley, they saw a youth kneeling there. He bowed and said, "Junior Su Qin pays his respects to Master Guiguzi!"
"Su Qin?"
Qingnu hid in a tree and narrowed her eyes.
Hongluan asked, "Do you know him?"
"I know him only too well."
Qingnu clicked her tongue. She reached up, grabbed Hongluan from her shoulder, and whispered, "You, sneak in quietly, get our luggage, and let's bail!"
Hungluan, held in Qingnu's palm, shook its head and said, "You can't bail. Look down."
Qingnu froze for a moment, then looked down.
Su Qin was standing under the tree, looking up at Qingnu, who was sitting on a branch swinging her legs.
Seeing her look down, he immediately took a step back and bowed his head in greeting. "I greet the master!"
Qingnu leaned back and waved him away. "You've got the wrong snake."
Su Qin said firmly, "I entreat the master to teach me the ways of scholarship so that I may find success among the various states! Su Qin thanks the master!"
After bowing, he took some sacrificial meat from his bag and respectfully offered it to Qingnu. This move immediately captured Qingnu's heart! Of course, it wasn't that she loved to eat; it was just that Su Qin's sincerity moved her!
Ahem...
Qingnu gave a light cough and leaped down.
She snatched the sacrificial meat from Su Qin's hand and then tossed a scroll of the Treatise on the Vertical and Horizontal to him. "Take it, take it! Study it yourself! I'll allow you to stay in Ghost Valley, but don't bother me."
Su Qin clutched the bamboo slips as if they were the most precious treasure and immediately knelt, kowtowing repeatedly. "Thank you, Master!"
As Qingnu walked into the valley, Hongluan muttered in her hand, "You were bought off by a little bit of meat. How embarrassing!"
"It's against the laws of nature not to eat meat that's been delivered to your mouth,"
Qingnu said with mock seriousness. After all, it was just one more person staying in the valley. She didn't have to worry about his food or drink. Keeping someone who could forage for themselves was just a way to cultivate her soul.
Su Qin settled in the valley, and he stayed for three years. Qingnu didn't think a single book was that interesting, but he found it as sweet as honey.
Over the three years, he read the treatise Qingnu had given him over and over again.
Finally, feeling that he could now travel through the states to realize his ambitions, he came to take his leave of Qingnu.
"Thank you, Master, for the grace of your teachings!"
"Where are you going?" Qingnu asked curiously.
Su Qin replied, "Into the world, to realize my ambitions! Not long ago, Wei attacked Zhao. All the states are ignoring the powerful Qin and fighting among themselves, wasting their strength! I want to find a way for these states to resist the powerful Qin!"
Rate on N.U.
