Black now had its front hooves in the air, its hindquarters resting on A Jing's horse. Its lips were pulled back in a comical, strange expression, and it let out a series of joyful, drawn-out whinnies.
Yang Ruo Ning, having never witnessed such a scene, stared blankly for a few seconds before suddenly realizing what Black was doing. She clutched her head and cried out, "Black, what are you doing? What on earth are you doing?!"
In the time it took to turn her head and speak to A Jing, Black had mounted A Jing's horse!
The situation was so embarrassing that Yang Ruo Ning felt her face might explode from shame. She covered her gaping mouth with both hands, looking at Black in panic and confusion, unsure whether to go forward and pull Black away.
While she hesitated, A Jing pulled her aside. "Don't go over there. They're mating, it's dangerous for you to go near."
"I know..." Yang Ruo Ning dared not look back at him. "Then your horse..."
God, Black, how could you do such a thing in front of A Jing and me? Where am I supposed to put my old face?
In just a minute, Black finished its business, shook its tail, and trotted off to graze. *Wow, what a scumbag horse,* Yang Ruo Ning thought, her face flushed. She avoided A Jing's gaze, stammering, "Um... if your horse has a baby, I mean, a foal, I'm willing to cover all the feed, all the costs... or, if you don't like it, I can raise the foal myself..."
After a few seconds, not hearing a response from A Jing, Yang Ruo Ning nervously looked up at him, only to meet a pair of eyes as bright as stars.
A Jing looked at Yang Ruo Ning and burst into laughter, which soon turned into hearty guffaws.
Yang Ruo Ning watched A Jing's laughter anxiously, not understanding why he was laughing so much. "Ah..."
"Don't worry, Miss Yang, there won't be any foals," A Jing said, finally curbing his laughter. He explained to her.
"Oh, really? Are you so sure? What if..."
"There definitely won't be."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Because my horse is a stallion."
WhAt?!!! Wait, what did you say? Your horse is a stallion?! But Black is also a stallion...
Black, you actually...? Yang Ruo Ning felt like her jaw had dropped. She whipped her head back to look at Black, recalling its various eccentric behaviors, and finally understood with a nod.
That night, Yang Ruo Ning told Han Dan Chun about Black's embarrassing incident.
She sighed, "My horse just publicly came out to me in such a tragic way."
"..." Han Dan Chun was speechless for a moment.
Yang Ruo Ning continued, "I've been telling it about which mare looks good for a while now. It must be tired of my behavior, it must be so disappointed in me, right? But no matter what choice it makes, it's my horse, and I'll always love it."
Han Dan Chun gave a dry laugh and said, "I've noticed that whether it's animals or people, the good-looking ones tend to like the same sex."
Yang Ruo Ning nodded in agreement. "Yes, there have been psychological studies on this. Good-looking people are more narcissistic, so Black is too self-absorbed to look at any mare."
"Is Luo Yuan also like that?" Han Dan Chun asked A Jing.
A Jing shot Han Dan Chun a look sharp enough to kill. "Lord Luo likes women."
Even across the campfire, Yang Ruo Ning could feel the displeasure radiating from A Jing, but Han Dan Chun was rather dense and not good at reading expressions. He said, "I read a book about Luo Yuan and another man."
Yang Ruo Ning's eyes lit up. "Really?" she immediately asked.
"Really."
"Is it in our tent? Which book is it? I want to read it first."
A Jing sighed softly, clearly at a loss with the two of them. "Lord Luo is not like what is written in the book."
Yang Ruo Ning pouted, retorting, "A Jing, do you know Luo Yuan that well? Why do you know those stories aren't true?"
"Because I..." A Jing paused. "Never mind, as long as you like it."
Yang Ruo Ning then asked A Jing, "How is Han Dan Chun progressing? With his current skills, can he fight a master on his own?"
"A master?" Han Dan Chun found her question amusing. "Yang Ruo Ning, don't even think about it."
With A Jing present, Yang Ruo Ning didn't retort, only expressing her dissatisfaction with a fierce glare.
"Miss Yang, martial arts cannot be mastered overnight. A Chun is already quite talented, but he just needs more time," A Jing said.
*Fine, anyway, Shaman Granny and Han Dan Chun both think assassinating King A Qi is my own business. It's understandable that Shaman Granny can't openly help me, but Han Dan Chun's perfunctory attitude is a bit dissatisfying. After all, he's supposed to become king after King A Qi dies, but he doesn't seem that eager.*
After his practice, Han Dan Chun went back to his tent to sleep, leaving Yang Ruo Ning and A Jing behind. Yang Ruo Ning intended to finish the book in her hand before sleeping, but she was feeling restless and couldn't concentrate. She thought about going for a walk. A Jing, however, said he knew a beautiful place and asked if she wanted to see it.
"Do we have to go at night?" Yang Ruo Ning asked.
"Yes, you can only see it at night," A Jing replied.
They rode their horses to a large expanse of tall grass. Under the starlight, the tall grass looked dark and a little frightening. A Jing walked ahead. Seeing Yang Ruo Ning's hesitation, he smiled and said, "It's alright, trust me," and extended his hand. Yang Ruo Ning hesitated for a moment before stepping into the grass that reached her calves.
The rustling of her clothes against the grass disturbed the small insects resting on it. Yang Ruo Ning saw a flash of emerald green on a distant grass tip, and then, one by one, emerald lights began to illuminate the entire patch of grass. Beneath their feet, too, emerald lights rose from the tall grass. Soon, these emerald lights filled the entire sky, making it impossible to distinguish between starlight and fireflies.
Yang Ruo Ning tilted her head back, stunned by the unbelievably beautiful sight. "Wow," she said, her mouth agape, and walked forward cautiously. As she moved, more fireflies rose from beneath her feet.
"This is too beautiful!" Yang Ruo Ning exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement. She turned to A Jing, "How did you find this place?" Not hearing a response, she looked up to see where A Jing should have been ahead of her, but he wasn't there.
Yang Ruo Ning quickened her pace and climbed a low hill ahead. On the other side of the hill, a wide valley unexpectedly opened up. In the center of the valley was a small lake, its surface shimmering. By the lake stood a tall, heroic figure.
Yang Ruo Ning was mesmerized by the beautiful scenery before her. When she came back to her senses, A Jing had already walked up to her. He handed her a cluster of small wild flowers he had just picked.
Yang Ruo Ning heard A Jing say, "I thought you would definitely like it here."
"Ruo Ning, leave this place with me."
"I can't, A Jing."
**********************
At this moment, Yang Ruo Ning was staring blankly at the bouquet of flowers A Jing had given her last night. She hadn't thrown them away. She found a broken pottery pot, put the flowers in it, and they seemed to have completely adapted to life in the pot, blooming vibrantly.
A Jing had asked her to leave with him, and Yang Ruo Ning had refused.
Yang Ruo Ning had said she couldn't leave yet and saw a flicker of complexity in his eyes.
This man in the mask seemed sincere. Although... she had only known him for a little over ten days, but hey, the male and female leads of Titanic fell in love in three minutes. People always fall in love in mysterious ways, don't they? Perhaps it was a glance, or an accidental touch of hands.
And her? She knew that in that moment last night, everything around her had blurred, and only A Jing's figure by the lake had become clearer...
Yang Ruo Ning shook her head, as if trying to drive the thought away. In such a situation, anyone with a heart of stone would be moved, wouldn't they?
Behind her, someone lifted the curtain and entered. Yang Ruo Ning turned to see Han Dan Chun. He walked in and collapsed onto the bed, looking rather dejected. Yang Ruo Ning asked him what had happened.
"King A Qi is returning."
"Huh?" Yang Ruo Ning jumped up.
King A Qi had been away for over a month, 'fighting wars' with his troops. The 'war' was actually attacking other tribes, burning and plundering. Now he was returning ahead of schedule.
But Yang Ruo Ning hadn't found any solutions yet.
She jumped up, biting her fingernails, pacing back and forth in the room. Han Dan Chun, annoyed by her restlessness, said, "What are you so anxious about? No matter what happens, you'll be leaving in a few months anyway."
Yang Ruo Ning stopped. She was a bit annoyed by Han Dan Chun's attitude. "Han Dan Chun, you saw that mass grave filled with bodies, and you heard what Shaman Granny said. I know you don't want to be king, but at least be more proactive. Don't always pour cold water on me."
"You're from another world. What does the life and death of these people have to do with you?"
"Just because I'm from another world doesn't mean I'm a cold-blooded devil. Also, don't you think, as royalty, you should take responsibility when your people are dying?"
"Hmph, my people? They have nothing to do with me," Han Dan Chun said coldly. "Besides, it's not your place to tell me what I should or shouldn't do."
Yang Ruo Ning was shocked by his somewhat cold-blooded attitude. She remembered his solemn and serious expression that night when he and Shaman Granny were performing rites for the dead. That expression couldn't lie; she knew he actually cared.
"But that night you..." Before she could finish, Han Dan Chun interrupted her. He said, "The only person I care about in this world is there. She was thrown there like livestock. She has long since turned to dust, buried beneath the pile of corpses. My eulogy that night was for her."
"My mother was a slave from Bian Liang," Han Dan Chun said, standing up and walking towards the door. As he was leaving, he turned his head to Yang Ruo Ning and said, "So, I hate this place. I want to go to Bian Liang, my mother's hometown."
"Yang Ruo Ning," he said, "Don't bother trying. When the time comes, just leave."