26 第26章: Wood and cloth equals an umbrella

Chang'an was different from her small town in general. The city was filled with houses side by side, rather than a house on occasion with miles of mostly trees. And the way that here unlike her home, people were seen all over the place. Feiyu had led her through the streets with no intention of stopping.

Dianyu only had her chance to glance over most of the items on sale. Some were just like back home, but there was still a lot more which piqued her curiosity as she was only given enough time to mostly looking at it. Before she made a stop at a small shop. Feiyu went inside first before she followed behind her.

On the way here she had spent most of it with Feiyu teaching her some methods. But nothing definitive as of yet, since she had to get her weapon first. She was simply calling it that as anything else made very little to almost no sense either way. Trailing behind Feiyu as she went through the streets, following her because she was not familiar with the place in the first place.

Inside, all sorts of items were on sale. But without anything that truly or even really made sense. There was no rhyme or reason as to the arrangement, as she grew closer. If she could guess she will think that it had something similar to what Feiyu carried. And why there were all sorts of items with no arrangement, no attempts to make it look attractive. Because it was not meant to be so, but for the person to choose.

Before she realized that a boy was standing right beside her. He seemed slightly older, even if she could still guess that he was not yet and adult as his hair was not up in a bun. He was dressed in green robes, not holding anything on his hands. "I presume you want me to get her something."

"Yes." Feiyu went up to him.

"Follow me, this is something that we need to do alone. And I doubt anything here will suit you."

"These are fake if that's my guess." It did seem pretty normal by all means, nothing had stood out to her. Then again, Feiyu's looked like a perfectly normal instrument until she started.

"To keep up appearances. The real thing is inside." He pointed to the lattice screen —where he must have come from. "Do I need to explain to her?"

"You should, she understands but not fully." He nodded before leading her there, he headed inside first before she followed.

And whatever they learned on the way was a lot more related to her education as a courtesan. She could say that most of them were useful to have and nothing was truly useless at this point. Learning to write was important, and something which gave her an advantage. Even as she spent most nights with sore wrists.

Inside was an even more confusing matter, split into three rooms. He opened one of them before asking her to take a seat on the table. He sat right across her.

"I'm Lingfeng." With his elbow on the table, and leaning on it as he looked at her.

"Dianyu." He nodded. Before he poured a cup of tea for himself and nearly spilled it. She decided that she was better off doing it herself. She took the pot and poured for herself.

"Did you work at a teahouse or something like that?"

"I was a waitress there. My mother owned the place." She put the pot back, in the exact position. Something which she learned as a child after countless days where it was so.

"Cool." He glanced at it over. "Should have asked you to pour for me."

She merely stared at him. If anything that had not been what she will have had in mind if she could choose. Then again, she was limited by whatever she could cobble together.

"So, tell me what you know?"

"Fate is playing against us, and that we are strayers. Strayers are often targeted by them because of who they are. And that the only way we can do something was one of those objects." Even charms was a little useless from what she knows, that one slip of paper was nothing more than a distraction.

"Why is that so?"

"Because the fate seems more keen in avenging slights against itself than doing its job."

"Perfect answer." He gave a smirk. She found it rather interesting that despite all, they ended up worrying the moment someone lost control.

"Well, I didn't think the world had so much time to pick on people who disagree with it."

"Not without consequences anyway. And I do think that they really do have better things to do than go around pursuing a vendetta." And that it really was picking on people who simply decided that they wanted their life in a way that was not to the world's expectations. Which she knew was more akin to the lines of the ideal life many knew they were going to. For a man, hope to enter the civil examination and pass, marry, try to rise through the ranks. For women, it was to marry and have children.

"Then again, it proves to us that even gods can fail." And if they could, it was something. It meant that they chose their fate could not be nearly as bad as she thought. That it was not wrong to choose how their life was.

Before they both realized that they had let the matter on hand slip their mind. At least before others start to wonder just what was happening either way.

"Either way, how it is used is limited to the object. And nothing else." The way that a pipa was used to play because it made no sense otherwise. And it could no go anymore or further than that.

"So what was the most common type?"

"Instruments, or tools." That made sense since they were the easiest to use in the first pace rather than anything else. It was the easiest since they could be used. Even as she knew that ornaments wer suitable just that it might be more than anything else. As for clothes, she simply wondered whether it was possible. Since it meant that the person will have to ensure they were wearing the same clothes most of the time.

"I can't even decide what I should get." There were all sorts here that even she wasn't too certain just what she should be choosing. At least not yet.

"It takes time. Did she teach you anything?"

"Other than her instruments reacts based on what song is being played." That she figured out quite early as well due to how it was

"Well, yes. But do you know what it is using?"

She didn't know. "Your will. Your willingness to drive your own future is what drives it. And how you can control your own chi."

Will and the ability to use chi was something she didn't think was something she heard. This sounded a little more like the tales she was taught as a child. Of gods that lived for thousands of years — technically that was true now because fate was a god of sorts and it was in the shape of a person — of animals that could talk, and of the wheel of reincarnation and the ten levels of hell.

Although what she learned within herself the most had been karma. It did make sense on some level, that it was eventually repaying a person the things they have done. And reminded her that each decision had its consequence. Like her choice to run, she could never show her face which was a form of punishment but she gained freedom. And if she stayed, she will mostly stay there for the rest of her life.

But she knew that most of all it wasn't doing the right thing; but what was right for a person to choose.

"I see." She was rather pensive, as much as the young man noticed that. "How are they made?"

He was happy to answer her question as though no one else did. "From scratch, these things take time as it often has to suit your own personal style. And the shape of your will."

"I think that is enough explanations." Perhaps he figured out that she was someone who could put the pieces together to figure it out, she didn't need too much instruction. And he figured that any further this will have become a full blown conversation about anything that came to their mind.

Before he stood up and brought her to the last room. "It's time for you to choose a weapon."

From what she knew the materials has to begin somewhere. "Usually we need to find whether is it wood, metal or cloth first. Or both, that happens." And before her all she could see them. "Then we decide what sort of tool it is."

"Try using your own will." She nodded and allowed herself to do so. Metal did not seem to work for her at the end of the day, while cloth seemed to be the strongest. While wood was the second strongest, which made him raise his eyebrow.

"Well, it seems that cloth and wood appears to be the strongest." He didn't need anything else to guess it as well. He was pensively thinking of something; she could see that because he did not think.

"It's a little strange but rather clear that this is likely to be an umbrella. I don't have much idea what uses wood and cloth apart from that." Even as she wondered just how it could be done in any form. She was curious, that much was certain on its own.

"Fine by me, and I think that it'll be easier to carry around than a pipa." Besides she didn't think about how this was entirely possible in the first place. She never did like bringing a parasol with her, but if it was then it will be. Even as much as he still remained pensive.

"Does this mean anything in particular?"

"No, it's just that this is my first time having to make an umbrella so I have to ask or guess." Before he stood up and brought her out the same lattice window. Feiyu had taken a seat there, perhaps guessing that this will have taken a lot of time regardless of what happened.

"You can come in around ten days time, I should have it done by them."

Lingfeng headed back inside. She went to the top and sat beside Feiyu. "What is it?"

"A parasol by the looks of it."

"Wood and cloth, I suppose." She didn't need to think of anything else.

"Is it that easy?"

"Few people with either wood will choose a parasol while cloth they can choose to make it wearable. Although cloth is incredibly limited in terms of uses. When it comes with the two combined all I can think of is either paper or a parasol." Even then, she guessed the paper had to be rather special to include some form of fabric inside.

"That's what he told me since he couldn't figure anything else out." She could think, but she doubted she will have gotten very far either

"It is a little odd. It is odd for one to be of two bases. Most are usually one out of the three." Well, she did guess that it was good to know. Before Feiyu stood up and got them out of the place, outside was almost midday by the looks of it. And they still needed to find lodgings.

Feiyu had a small smile on her either way, where Dianyu followed until Feiyu stopped. Letting her have a chance to take a small glimpse, at the place they were stopping. She seemed to have an inkling that it was Feiyu's home or headquarters. Otherwise, there will have been signs that this was an inn, there was none.