45 By Hook Or By Crook

Ying and Mister Yao returned to their house. Madame Ling excitedly welcomed them home.

"How's the trip?" Madame Ling caressed Ying's face and asked, "And why my lovely daughter doesn't look happy?"

Ying only smiled but didn't answer.

"Does Ying get a good sword for her?" she asked Mister Yao.

Mister Yao sighed and shook his head.

"How come?" Madame Ling was confused. "How come Xuanye doesn't want to forge a sword for her?"

Before Mister Yao replied, Ying had already said, "Madame, do you know what kind of person Xuanye is? He's such a narrow-minded man. And his wife is even worse! He doesn't want to forge a sword for me, nor willing to take me as his disciple as I'm a woman! I know I was wrong. I pulled his hand sleeve! Although he's my senior-apprentice brother, he's more suitable to be my grandfather.."

"Grandfather?" Madame Ling was confused and turned her head to her husband.

Mister Yao only smiled at her and gave her a signal with his eyes to let her disciple rant.

Ying kept on ranting said, "I pulled his hand sleeve spontaneously, said that I wanted to be his disciple! But then he was furious at me. Did he think that I have an intention on him? Who has any intention to an ugly old grandpa like that?"

Madame Ling giggled, as she could imagine what was going on between Xuanye and her disciple. She hugged Ying and patiently said, "What? How could be so rude to my beautiful disciple?"

"That man is crazy! And then, this is the craziest part! His wife cried and yelled! She said that I'm trying to seduce her husband!" Ying ranted as she was not happy.

"Perhaps, his wife was jealous since you're so beautiful!" Madame Ling laughed.

"Although he's a general and rich, he's such an old grandfather. Who wants to seduce him? Not me! I only want to learn metallurgy and be a blacksmith, be a great sword-forger! Nothing else. If that old grandpa doesn't want to teach me, then I will go by myself and find out where Ou Yezi lives!" Ying said.

"But no one knows where he lives now. Also, too many people want to learn from him. If Xuanye wants to recommend you, then it's still possible. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to!" Mister Yao sighed.

Ying frowned. "He's the first immortal I know after you both. I hope that other immortals are not as cocky and arrogant as that old grandfather!"

Madame Ling and Mister Yao laughed hearing her rants.

"You know, Crown Prince You died because of his crazy wife's jealousy! Luckily it's the crown prince of Wu who died. If it's the crown prince of Yue, or King Goujian, or Fan Li who died because of her…I will definitely make a calculation," Ying snarled.

"Xuanye is one of the kindest immortal I know!" Madame Ling laughed. "I guess it's because you're too beautiful. That's why he's not friendly at all to you!"

"Mister Yao, Madame Ling, I still want to be a sword-forger. Since Senior-apprentice brother doesn't want to take me as a disciple, then perhaps…I have to try to find Ou Yezi!" Ying said.

Madame Ling widened her eyes, disbelieved what she heard.

Mister Yao said, "Ying-er, Xuanye let you choose a sword from all of his collections," he sighed and continued, "And I had picked the best quality sword for you. But then you just gave that sword to Yan Rui. Now because of your choice, you don't have a good precious sword!"

"Huh? Xuanye let her choose a sword from his collections?" Madame Ling asked.

"He's very generous to us!" Mister Yao said.

"Hmph!" Ying snorted. "I only want that sword, or I forge my own sword!"

Mister Yao and Madame Ling looked at her and said nothing. That girl was too stubborn and determined.

===============

Two months later, when Ying went to another village to visit Qian and buy some food supplies, Mister Yao and Madame Ling got a visitor.

"Mister Yao, Madame Ling," the young man bowed politely. "My name is Xue Ying (Snow Eagle) from Kuaiji, Yue State.

"Oh," Mister Yao said. "Please come in and have a seat!"

Both Mister Yao and Madame Ling were a bit confused. They felt familiar with the young man's face. He was a handsome man, perhaps in his early twenties. He wore a nice blue robe with his hair tied in a bun, just like the man from Chu State. Why a man from Yue dressed like a man from the Chu State?

"Young man, who are you? And what makes you come here?" Madame Ling was curious.

"I heard that my sister is your disciple. Therefore, I come here to see her!" the man said politely.

"Your sister? Who?" Mister Yao said.

"Ying of Kuaiji, Yue State!" the man said. "She's the one who was supposed to be sent to Wu, together with Xi Shi and Zheng Dan. She told me that she lives here!"

"Ying?" Mister Yao and Madame Ling were shocked when they heard it. "She had never told us that she had a brother!" They looked at each other confused.

"Alas," the man said in a sad tone. "We're twin siblings. We're so close and were inseparable. Before she was taken to the palace by the queen, we always shared the same bed, even the same clothes….how could she never mentioned me to her masters?"

Mister Yao and Madame Ling were confused. Ying was an immortal. How could she have a twin sibling? But the man indeed very similar to Ying. Only his eyebrows were thicker and looked more masculine. He's basically Ying in a male version.

"Ying said that her father adopts her. And she's an only child!" Madame Ling said.

The man lowered his head to the degree that Mister Yao and Madame Ling could not see his face. Then he made a voice, almost like someone sobbing.

"Are you….does Ying's father also adopt you?" Madame Ling was confused.

The man nodded while still lowering his head. "My sister," he said with an odd crying voice. "How cruel she is to me…"

Madame Ling and Mister Yao looked at each other. Either the young man was lying, or Ying was hiding something from them.

"Unfortunately, right now, Ying is not here. She will be back home tomorrow. Tomorrow, you shall come again," Mister Yao said.

After a moment, the man took a deep breath and raised his head. With a confident voice, he said, "I don't need to wait until tomorrow. I'm sure she will show up shortly!"

Madame Ling wanted to say something. But the man in front of her laughed out loud and covered his mouth with his hands.

Madame Ling and Mister Yao were more shocked to hear that was Ying's voice.

The man in front of them then made a kowtow and, while still laughing, said, "Teachers, please forgive your student's mischievous conduct!"

That was Ying's voice.

The man then raised his head, while trying not to laugh and untie his hair, said, "Mister Yao, Madame Ling…it's me!"

"Ying-er?" they both asked at the same time.

Ying nodded and said, "How is it? My twin brother is pretty convincing, huh?"

Mister Yao was surprised and amused at the same time.

Madame Ling pinched Ying's hand and scolded her, "Naughty girl! You're teasing your teachers!"

"Aww, Madame Ling! Please don't pinch me too hard," Ying laughed.

"What are you up to?" Mister Yao asked in a serious tone. He knew that Ying was not a naughty girl who did things without any purpose.

Ying smiled and said, "Mister Yao knows me better! Indeed I deliberately do this….to pave my way to be a sword-forger!"

Mister Yao widened his eyes. He could guess what Ying was trying to do. "Are you trying to deceive Xuanye?"

"That's my intention!" Ying said. "If you two seniors who meet me and see me every day for almost three years could fall into my trick. Then I'm sure I could deceive Xuanye!"

The two senior immortals disbelieved that their disciple could come up with such a plan. How could they approve Ying's trickery to trick Xuanye - one of the kindest immortal they've ever known?