A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

51

Far away, shepherds sang while gathering up their stock.

"An eagle flies, the sky is higher. Ah, beautiful girl, chasing young foals on the grasslands..."

Pingting couldn't help but laugh as she grabbed the sac of water from her waist.

So cold. It must be melted ice from the mountain tops.

She playfully sipped again, and this time she closed her eyes too. So sweet.

Nearly there. The tiring yet worthwhile impression people usually had was at the back of her mind but all she could think about was her close friend's hiding place. Choosing an old tree, she leaned on it to rest before closing her eyes.

Yangfeng's choice to escape everything no matter what, was that a good choice? In half a day, she'd be able to know the answer.

What about the path Pingting chose? Going to Bei Mo wasn't a bad idea as it did have blue sky and green grass. Maybe she was suited to such places, among the rough but pure and honest folks, among the less calculating people.

Gurgling water, magnificent green mountain.

Her eyes were still closed when she heard footsteps approach her.

Someone's there? Pingting opened her eyes. Another traveller was apparently admiring the view, the reins of his horse in his hands.

A man with broad shoulders, the sword that hung from his waist and the bow on his back seemed to be things he deemed important. It was difficult to tell his age due to his beard, but his eyes were bright.

When he realised that there was already someone else there, in particular a big eyed girl, he looked a bit stunned.

"Nice horse." The man wasn't interested in Pingting herself but her horse, as his eyes were genuinely appreciative.

Pingting smiled, untied her horse, time to go.

"Miss, are you willing to sell it?" His voice was loud, definitely a man of the grasslands.

He was right. This horse was one of the very best, even in Jing-An Ducal Residence. Dongzhuo, that guy, was quite nice, as he had chosen a good horse and had given a lot of money to Pingting.

"Not selling." She jumped onto her horse casually, trying to get over her joy. Pingting closed her eyes for several seconds before opening them again. "Mister, Petal Cottage is ahead right?"

"You're going to Petal Cottage?"

"Yes."

"Do you live in Petal Cottage?"

"No, I'm just looking for someone."

The man laughed, "That cottage is abandoned. You won't find anyone there."

"They moved?" Pingting was surprised, "Why move? Where did they go?" Suddenly her thoughts were muddled. Yangfeng would never move unless something happened.

Pingting decided that Yangfeng hadn't contacted her new location due to safety reasons, but this only made her more concerned about her friend.

"They moved only recently."

"Where did they move to?"

"Hey, Miss, sell me this horse." Good horses were just as important to shepherds as the girl they liked.

A corner of Pingting's mouth lifted. "Do you know what happened to Petal Cottage? What's your name?"

"I'm A-Han. Now, are you going to sell your horse or not?"

She jumped off her horse and thrust the reins into his waiting hands. "I'll give it to you for no charge. All I want to know is what happened to my friend."

A-Han shook his head violently. "I don't want something without giving anything back in return." He took out enough silver to buy two good horses and gave her the coins. "I'll tell you this; the landlord of Petal Cottage is an important person! He's the famous General Ze Yin! Who would've thought he had a small cottage in the mountains? But since the King has sought him out, given him more rewards and made him govern Bei Mo, he decided to move out of the mountains. Everyone else who had been living in the mountains has gone as well."

"Really?" Pingting frowned, pondering. She threw back A-Han's money. "Take this. I'll use it to buy your horse. After all, I do need one. She ought to have changed to a horse without the House of Jing-An security imprint a long time ago.

"No, my horse isn't that good. I can't take advantage of things like this."

Pingting untied his horse and jumped on it, then turned back towards him, winking cheerfully. "Tall guy, save up some money and marry a good wife. You're a good person!" She gently whipped her new horse, leaving peals of silvery laughter behind.

The cool air of the grasslands was enough to brighten her mood, the freshly cut grass smell was incomparable to that of Gui Le and Dong Lin. The shepherds continued their lively songs, which echoed in Pingting's ears.

"My beloved prairie, these cows and horses, the stream that flows through the young blades of grass. All this, cannot be compared to my beautiful girl..."

Pingting smiled, but it did little to conceal her worried frown.

Ze Yin, the mighty general of Bei Mo, hadn't he promised to make Yangfeng happy no matter the cost? Yet now he had decided to answer the Bei Mo King by returning into the political world; what did that mean?

Originally, she would only need half a day by horse, until she would be able to see Yangfeng, at Petal Cottage. But now, it seemed that she'd have to go even further into Bei Mo's capital ── to Bei Yali.

"You won't even let me have a few days of happiness?" Pingting wrinkled her nose up at the sky. Travelling alone had given Pingting the habit of talking to herself.

Is it really a good thing that the House of Jing-An is no longer a part of me? What about Dong Lin? Sigh, Chu Beijie...

Unconsciously she started to frown. Her fingers slowly rubbed her eyebrows as if they were rubbing away the pain she felt.

Learning how loud the people of the grasslands shouted, she brought down the whip hard. Dust came again as the graceful figure got smaller and smaller into the distance.

Dust and sunset; where were the heartbroken people?

I hope the sky has a soul, one that will give both grass and forgiveness. No matter where I go, I hope happiness follows.

Bei Mo's general, Ze Yin, only returned back to the political world after being summoned three times by the King.

It wasn't like that the Bei Mo King didn't value Ze Yin.

Back then, his reputation was someone young and brave, the idol of the naïve Bei Mo King, but then he suddenly decided to retire and gave up his promising future for a reason he refused to say.

"Must be love," guessed the Bei Mo King.

It wasn't just a saying that men often chose beautiful women over their country.

Ze Yin had stood before the Bei Mo King, his lips playing into a carefree smile. His smile was so innocent that the King of Bei Mo wondered if he really would be able to keep Bei Mo's best general by his side.

When a man falls in love, nothing will stop him from wanting to do stupid things.