Chapter _1 Just this once...

Miles away from the Qin empire, there was a small village, where a fifteen years old skinny boy is doing work, that a grown-up would hesitate to do, pulling a ton of load with his bare hands on a cart, he built himself.

There were big statues on his cart, and everybody around him was staring at him surprisingly, a little boy like him was able to pull a huge load. He was going to the city nearby to sell those statues, his father made with all his strength. Sometimes he stops to look at his hands, red and abraded with blotches, eyes full of tears, he wiped off,

" just this once...bare with it, just this once"

every time it hurts, he says,

"just this once"

He reached the town, determinedly,

and set his cart in the market, in the burning hot sun, his sweat falling drop to drop on the ground, he started shouting to gain the attention of the people, but It was like, searching for a pin in the mud pile.

An old merchant who was standing beside him with his cart of small monuments said,

"So, you think it's easy to sell these in this city, I have been here for the last two weeks, but not even a single piece was sold, see young boy just take these somewhere else... maybe you can sell at least one of them",

That boy was disappointed by his words, but he was not on the stage of going somewhere else.

he stood there silently,

that old man screamed again,

" hey you, ... your statues are very big to be sold here, mine's are way too small and adorable, but see no one is here to buy them yet and you are daydreaming to sell yours which are huge as mountains,... ahh...stop dreaming kiddo.."

he sarcastically started laughing at him.

The sun went down after flaunting heat on that pity boy, and now this evening was bringing a cold breeze for him to quiver, ...just by thinking that he had to return with his failure, the little boy shuddered, and tears from his eyes fell on the ground...his hands were swallowed with a drastic pain.

" Now I had to return.... without getting a penny in my hands...I didn't earn anything..., what will I tell father, he'll die of grief..."

it was his last hope to sell the statues, after trying all the other nearby cities,...his patience and hopes were shredders.

He prepared himself and was ready to leave saying,

" as long as I am alive, there is hope"

But a man showed up before him in a brocade outfit and asked,

"Are these for sale kid?"

the boy replied excitedly,

"yes sir, these are, just one for one gold"

he came near to see those and asked,

" Did you make them? "

the boy replied,

" no sir, my father made these himself "

"hmm ... that's quite cheap for such an art, I'll take these all," he said.

That boy was so happy and excited, he handed over the cart to the man and said,

" thankyou sir, thank you very much...",

that man smiled and gave him a pouch full of gold coins and said,

" Why don't you come to the capital, you can sell your goods at a very good price... think about it .... you can live a good life"

He took the cart and left, that young boy was very happy, everyone around was watching him with jealousy, he silently hid the pouch and left the place in a hurry.

That man's phrases left a mark on his mind.

When he reached the middle of the forest on his way back, he picked some pebbles from the road and colored them yellow with the help of yellow flowers, around the forest and kept them in another pouch. He hid the pouch with gold in his shoes.

That was the only way to keep his gold safe.

All the merchants came for trade and has to take the foremost way to go back to their villages there was co-starvation about cruel robbers who rob or even kill innocent people for money, the young boy was traveling back with a batch of merchants, to stay safe.

On their way, they were attacked by robbers and everything they earned was robbed, they snatched the pouch from the boy and hit him, he fell down and accidentally his hair bun was untied, and long hairs from his hair bun spread all over her face, everyone there was shocked,

" That boy was a girl, ...!!"

" Look there the boy traveling with us was a girl...oh...!!"

She was a girl, Shen YanShu, she disguised herself as a boy to be safe but now her disguise was endangered.

She covered her face, but one of the robbers grabbed her hand and said,

" Beauty.....she is a beauty, ..she is mine..."

YanShu trembled with fear and anxiety..., she bit his hand and ran away into the forest to save herself,

though covered with mud, but she was indeed beautiful, so all the bandits rushed to catch her,

She ran off with all her strength till she was breathless, they keep on chasing her for a long time, but being active helped her to escape. After running a long way, she stopped and saw back, if they were still chasing behind her, but there was none. so she relaxed for a while and took a breath of relief,

her feet were bleeding due to the wounds she had during her run.

There was a river in front of her, and she went there to drink water and wash her wounds, she sat on a rock beside the river, checked her bruised feet, and removed her covering rug to clean herself. she opened her hair and wiped her body. It was a charming night, with a beautiful light falling from the moon, and with a gentle breeze flowing through, carrying the fresh smell of wildflowers and leaves.

After a valiant long and grueling day she was so tired and just sitting for a while there was giving her the comfort she was longing for.

A general, QianFan and his troop were passing through the forest, and they stopped there for taking some rest.

QianFan came roaming toward the river to get some water, and saw a girl sitting there in the wild, he hid behind a tree,

he was fascinated by her glorious appearance, her skin as white as snow, shining on top of the mountains, her long hair touching the ground looked Like waves moving back and forth, even the droplets on her hands were looking like diamonds, she was shining like a pixie reflecting the moonlight, wearing a thin layer of the white garment,

he was lost in her beauty that the bottle from his hands slipped and made a sound, Yanshu wrapped the rug beside her and ran into the bushes to hide. She panicked and so was he.

He went back and stopped his men from going that way,

YanShu was afraid, that the bandits might still be hunting for her and was hidden, silently.

QianFan came back to ask for his pardon, for scaring her, but she was so afraid to come out, after calling for a while, he thought that she was a fairy, and might have disappeared. so he returned to his tent.

YanShu hide under the bushes all night, and when the daybreak out she disguised herself again and continued her journey,

QianFan wasn't able to sleep the whole night, every time he closes his eyes, the stunning, glorious appearance of Yan Shu disturbs him, he never felt that for anyone before...

YanShu reached her home and saw that her father, Shen Yaofan was laying down on the floor coughing up blood, she was staggered,

" Oh, father, I am back, I got some money now you can be treated, you'll be fine, our lives will be better now,"

she helped her father get up and made him sit on the bed, and kept the pouch in his hands.

he was delighted that his eyes were filled, and a tear drop fell on YanShu's hand. She hugged him,

" Don't worry father everything is good now"

They were happy, but it didn't last for long, there was a knock on the door. she was going to open the door but Yaofan stopped her,

" it might be Yun, hide the money, he may be here for the money"...

YanShu rushed and hid the money under the mud pile in the corner of her house and went to open the door.

who was at the door and what YanShu has to face again?

read more....to...know...what happened to her.......after that.

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