Chapter 158: Infatuation is Not Love

  At first, Song Chu smiled and teased a few words.

  She dared to go up the mountain, not because she was really good at calculating and predicting, but because she had walked this road many times in her past life. Moreover, her ability to survive and navigate in the wilderness was also very strong. Even so, she didn't dare to slack off, always concentrating on distinguishing the route. There were many small forks in the mountain roads, and maybe taking a wrong turn would lead further and further away, and it was unknown whether there would be unknown dangers.

  The journey was very smooth, and when the sky was about to darken, they arrived at a creek, where Song Chu gave an order to rest for the night.

  Gu Jing washed off the dust on his face by the stream, and walked to Song Chu with a splash of water. "Sir is really divine, this journey has been smooth, it's a good omen."

  Song Chu smiled and patted the grass beside him, Gu Jing sat down cross-legged next to him, his face full of curiosity, "Sir, how come you didn't use this divine skill until now?"

  "Mainly..." Song Chu leaned in close to him and said mysteriously, "It's too exhausting, can't be used casually."

  Kai nodded vigorously with an understanding expression.

  He didn't know if Song Chuyi was really good at divination, but based on his understanding of her and his intuition, he judged that she was just trying to deceive people.

  "Is the gentleman a member of the Song family?"

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, she smiled once and slightly raised an eyebrow.

  Such an expression in other people's eyes is equivalent to acknowledging Wei Jiang's statement, and she was asked why she would ask such a question.

  "My father often mentions you, sir." Wei Jiang's pale face broke into a warm and gentle smile. "He says: A person with talent but a calm and steady character is truly gifted. One who is intelligent and has a harmonious temperament is truly wise. You, sir, are such a person with great talent and wisdom."

  Talented but not arrogant or impatient, calm and composed in the world, is a great talent. Wise yet gentle and peaceful, not disturbed by external things, this is great wisdom.

  Ji Yu was taken aback for a moment. Putting aside Song Chu's usual annoying habits and playful nature, she had always been calm and composed when dealing with important matters, never getting flustered or anxious about anything. Sometimes her calmness even made people think she was irresponsible, and she would accept even bad results with equanimity.

  Perhaps this is why he was willing to be loyal to her.

  "These words make a lot of sense, but I have always had a bad temper." Song Chu's sincere self-evaluation.

  This is the most true words, but no one believes it, because at the beginning of the Song Dynasty, 90% of the time was spent in front of Zhao Yi Lou.

  "Sir is being modest." Wei Jiang said.

  Everyone says that Yiqu is a barbarian and Qin State is also a barbarian, but in fact the folk customs of Bashu are no less fierce than those of Yiqu. As for the princess's dignity, why did she enter the Ba state?

  The land of Ba and Shu has been isolated from the Central Plains culture for a long time due to its closed transportation, but as one of the earliest sources of civilization, they have a complete set of their own Ba-Shu culture. The so-called bravery is not about advocating brute force, but rather some customs that people from the Central Plains cannot understand, and the fact that the people of Ba and Shu are brave and good at fighting, inevitably giving outsiders an impression of being barbaric.

  Wei Jiang lowered his head and said, "I've come to look for someone."

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, one eyebrow was slightly raised, and he said enthusiastically, "Who are you looking for? This time I will be staying in Bashu for some time, and I can also pay attention to it along the way."

  "Really?" Wei Jiang hastily lifted his head up.

  "It's just incidental, after all there are more important things." Song Chu emphasized.

  Even so, it's better than being alone in a foreign country like Pakistan. Wei Jiang said, "Speaking of which, Mr. and this person may still know each other. He used to be a gatekeeper at General Shiya's mansion, from the Fa family, named Ji Mian, also known as Wu Mei."

  "Is Princess aware?" Song Chu was also taken care of by him when he was in the State of Wei, and it wasn't until he heard that he had entered the State of Ba that he truly put his mind to it. "Can the princess confirm that he has arrived in the State of Ba?"

  "Uh-huh." Wei Jiang nodded, "I heard that he left the State of Wei to seek another path, so I guessed that he went to the State of Chu. I brought twenty guards and a maid to search for him in Chu, but when we arrived in Chu, we heard about the expulsion of the Legalist scholars from the palace. I suspected it was him after several inquiries, and learned that he wanted to go to Qin, but on the way, we kept tracking his trail, and finally confirmed it through the owner of a wine shop in a mountain valley."

  As for why she was alone, anyone with discerning eyes could tell that she had encountered some misfortune. Song didn't ask, but instead looked at Wei Jiang with newfound respect in his heart. Firstly, because this delicate princess who grew up in the palace could endure such hardships; secondly, because of her bravery, cleverness and meticulous nature - just like how ordinary people would immediately chase after someone once they knew their whereabouts, she instead took a detour to gather more information, avoiding another futile search and unnecessary trouble.

  What a rare and precious woman! It would be a pity if she were only hidden away in the palace.

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, a pair of guards had a good impression of Wei Jiang. Seeing her feet full of wounds, they rushed to Yu Dao and said, "Help her clean and bandage them, or these two feet will be ruined."

  The jungle is humid and the same is true of Sichuan, if a wound is not cleaned for a long time, it will soon become festering and rotten.

  Ji Yu helped Wei Jiang walk to the edge of the stream, using clear water to help her clean the wound. He took a small knife and scraped off the rotten flesh, dried it with wine after wiping it dry, and then cauterized it with fire.

  From start to finish, Wei Jiang only let out muffled hums. By the time everything was done, her originally pale face had become even more bloodless, with sweat and tears soaking her skin to the point of near transparency.

  A beauty's tears can break a man's heart, but the hidden tears of a beauty are even more likely to turn these iron men into gentle souls.

  Gu Jing sneered and said, "I also want a wife like this in the future."

  Song Chuoyi patted his shoulder and wiped away the corners of his eyes, "It's all because of love! It's too damn touching!"

  Gu Jing didn't understand, "Sir, I know what infatuation is, but what is love?"

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, someone thought for a moment and said with a serious tone, "It's just that you want to make love with a certain woman, thinking about it in the morning and at night, especially wanting to."

  "Then I think about the women with good looks that I see every day, and even think about them in my dreams at night." Gu Jing said with a smile.

  "I think..." Song Chu Yi withdrew his gaze from Wei Jiang's body and looked at Gu Jing, "What you have can't be called love."

  "What's that?"

  "Call it infatuation." Song Chuoyi said.

  "Does this complicated gentleman have a lover?"

  Song Chu shook his head, leaned in close to him and said with a sly face, "I also see what looks good and..."

  "Haha, that Mr. is just like me." Gu Jing seemed to be delighted to have a common ground with Song Chuyi, even if it was a very lowly one.

  The two of them were laughing and having a great time, while Ji Yan stood by silently munching on a dry rice cake. He thought to himself, "So Mr. Song is indeed just like what Big Brother said." As soon as he realized that Song Chuyi was a girl, she immediately started judging whether or not she was good-looking. After some deliberation, her gaze finally fell upon Ji Yan with a look full of pity.

  In the past, Ji Yan was proud of his physique, but at this moment, he criticized himself for being too strong and rough, with a face that looked like a bear from afar, not good-looking at all. But big brother not only had a sturdy build, but also a handsome and rugged face, with a beautiful beard that met the current standard of a handsome man!

  As for Song Chu Yi, it's not that he's ugly, but rather Ji Bian thinks that men who are generally considered good-looking can't accept him, and the more familiar they become, the less acceptable he is.

  At night, on this small open space by the creek, looking up can see half-hidden vast sky, moonlight seeps through the gaps in the branches and leaves, falling into the creek water, as if surging starlight. Compared to watching the vast and broad scenery, it has a different kind of interest.

  Tonight, I finally don't have to sleep in the tree. Song Chuoyi spread out a woolen blanket and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

  Wei Jiang sat by the brook, gazing at the scattered light in the water with downcast eyes, her pretty lips slightly pursed, and a fragile yet resilient expression intertwined on her delicate face.

  "Princess, rest." Jiyu stopped his footsteps not far behind her.

  Wei Jiang turned around, "Mr. Ji doesn't have to call me that, just like there's no General Ji here, and neither is there a princess. Since I escaped from the State of Wei, I'm not qualified to be a princess of Wei anymore."

  A small country has no diplomatic relations, a weak country has no diplomatic relations. In the competition between Weiguo and Weiguo, besides various compromises and concessions, it is also necessary to send a most favored princess to marry into Weiguo to ease the tense relationship between the two countries. This is the responsibility that women who enjoy the honor of being a princess must fulfill, so the marriage between countries has not yet appeared to be escaped by Wei Jiang, which is the first time.

  The imperial concubine was released, but if it weren't for the Marquis of Wei wanting to let her go, she probably wouldn't have been able to leave the palace, and she brought more than 20 people with her. As for why Wei Jiang felt so guilty and tormented, it's because he felt that leaving such a responsibility to his elderly father was unbearable.

  The fact is just as Ji Yu guessed, Wei Hou married off the 17th princess that month and let Wei Jiang run away without stopping him, even secretly lending a helping hand. Wei Hou, who had spent his whole life compromising and yielding, came up with this move, it's unknown whether he wanted to make some powerless resistance or directly break free from the shackles, but one thing is certain, as the ruler of a country, a man, and a father, even if he couldn't stand up straight in state affairs, at least he could fulfill his daughter's wishes.

  "Call me Wei Jiang." Wei Jiang stood up.

  Ji Yu nodded, "I spread a felt mat beside Mr."

  "Thank you." Wei Jiang slightly bowed and went to sit on that empty cushion.

  Deep in the forest on a dark night, the sound of flowing water is murmuring, and by my ear I can still hear the faint sounds of insects like gentle rain, accompanying me into a dream, sleeping deeply and sweetly.

  The next day, when it was slightly bright, everyone got up and set off.

  At the beginning of Song Dynasty, they didn't take the winding mountain road, but instead went through the foot of the mountain. There were no reference points and a strong sense of direction was needed. Fortunately, the weather was good, it was a sunny day with plenty of sunshine, which made it easier to tell directions.

  By noon, I had entered the country of Ba a day and a half ahead of schedule. Although Ba is mountainous, once you enter, you can find some locals to lead the way to the capital, Langzhong.

  As soon as they left the mountain pass, they could see a small village. The villagers were used to seeing foreign merchants coming and going, so they didn't think much of Song Chuyi's group. On the other hand, many swordsmen who had never been to Ba Guo before were quite surprised. The clothes worn by men and women, young and old, here were completely different from any style in the Central Plains. Unexpectedly, the women here were not as ugly as they imagined, but rather some of them were fair-skinned and beautiful, wearing brightly colored clothes, with a certain charm.

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu ordered Gu Han to go to a village and find someone to lead him to Langzhong.

  A group of people dismounted their horses and waited.

  In a short while, Gu Han had not returned yet, but saw several Ba country girls watching them from a distance. Song Chu listened to their whispers for a moment, and couldn't help but curve the corner of his lips, looking like he was admiring the scenery, and quietly took a few steps back without leaving any trace.

  She had just stopped in her tracks when she heard the sound of a sword being swung.