Chapter 3 — Riding on the Wind

Even if I must perish once more, as long as I do not let those wretches live in comfort, I shall consider it a profit! My gaze swept across the rolling mountain ranges before me, and I whispered to myself: Xie Yuan, I am coming for you. I want to see how you intend to escape me in this lifetime.

I traveled thousands of miles to the capital, and the travel funds in my pouch were nearly exhausted. In the capital, every inch of land was worth a fortune. If I could not find a way to survive, I feared I would die of starvation on the streets. Therefore, I struck up a conversation with the young waiter at the inn where I was staying.

"Waiter, are there any jobs for women nearby? Is there any household in need of a maid to clean or a woman to wash clothes?"

"The wealthy families in the capital looking to hire maids all demand lifetime servitude contracts. Judging by your speech, you are no ordinary person, and you have not yet reached the end of your rope. It is best not to walk down this path."

The waiter racked his brain for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Can the young lady write?"

I nodded blankly.

"Perhaps I still remember how."

"Then that makes things easy. The proprietor of the Xue Fu Bookstore loves to come to our inn for meals. Write a few pages, and in a few days when you return, I shall help recommend you."

"Me?"

I hesitated slightly.

"Indeed. Can you not write?"

I truly knew how to write. My father had also been a scholar, yet he failed the imperial examinations his entire life. Eventually, he went mad, drained an entire jar of wine, and drowned in a puddle by the roadside. All his life, he worshiped scholars and had imparted all his knowledge to me. He used to gaze blankly at my handwriting and sigh with regret:

"What a pity that Yun Niang is not a man."

Later on, my father married me off to Xie Yuan, wholeheartedly supporting him in pursuing an official career. The fellow students and esteemed mentors my father had known along his scholarly journey, he introduced all of them to Xie Yuan. He even used the money intended for writing brushes and ink to help him. From then on, he stopped teaching me how to read and write. Instead, he frequently repeated:

"A son-in-law is half a son. If Xie Yuan can pass the provincial examination, it will bring glory to my face as well."

He did not live to see the day Xie Yuan passed the examinations, as he had already ridden the cranes to the heavens. As for me, I was imprisoned by the trivialities of firewood, rice, oil, and salt after marriage, and never held a brush again. The last time I held a brush was when I wrote a letter to Xie Yuan in the capital, begging him to believe in my innocence. Thinking of this, my eye sockets inevitably moistened. Li Shi Yun, you truly are useless. You lived your life in such a pathetic manner.

"Young lady? Young lady!"

Seeing me lost in thought, the waiter called out loudly.

"What is the matter with you?"

"Oh, I am fine."

I snapped back to reality and smiled apologetically at the waiter.

"I must trouble the young waiter brother to buy me some paper and ink. The cheapest kind will do."

I took more than half the money in my pouch and pressed it into the waiter's hand.

"Done! Leave it to me, you can rest easy!"

That very day, the waiter brought back the paper and ink for me. I locked myself in my room for an entire day, filling every sheet with writing. It had been far too long since I last held a brush. When I first began, ink dripped onto the paper, bleeding outward beside my crooked and clumsy strokes. I know not when, but within that drop of ink, Xie Yuan's face was reflected. He stood from on high, mocking me, mocking me for overestimating my abilities yet still trying to overthrow him. That is right. In my past life, he passed the top examinations on his first attempt, after which he gained a beautiful and talented wife, enjoyed a wide-open official career, and eventually ascended to the position of Minister. A rural woman like me, could I truly fight against him? For a moment, I felt utterly despondent. But when I lowered my gaze, a raging sea of fire appeared before my eyes. That is right. Even if he were a member of the imperial clan, what of it? In the end, was he not still burned to death by me? Reborn and living anew was already an absurd notion. Yet it had truly happened to me, so what in this world was impossible? Heroes do not question their origins. Perhaps I am the one favored by grand fortune. Heaven granted me this rebirth precisely so that I could punish Xie Yuan! Thinking of this, my brush flew as if aided by divine intervention, writing in one continuous flow. The strokes beneath my brush transformed from clumsy and crooked to fierce and powerful, piercing through the paper, sturdy and vigorous. I lifted the sheet with satisfaction and smiled faintly. Only thus could I reclaim the calligraphy foundation of my past life. In this lifetime, I must never waste it again.

Just as the waiter had said, the proprietor of the Xue Fu Bookstore came to the inn for a meal. The waiter spoke many kind words on my behalf before him and then handed the pages I had written for him to inspect. The moment the proprietor saw them, he immediately desired to meet me.

"Lady Li."

Proprietor Xia cupped his hands in greeting toward me.

"Your handwriting is extraordinary. The brush strokes are fierce and rigid, carrying an aura of killing intent. I happen to have a manuscript in my possession that is exceptionally suited for this style of calligraphy. What price does the young lady demand?"

I replied straightforwardly:

"I have just arrived in the capital and am unfamiliar with market prices. Whatever Proprietor Xia deems appropriate, I shall accept."