A Step into the Past

Book 13 Chapter 03 – The Female Warriors

Under the gaze of nearly a hundred female warriors, Xiang Shaolong and Lord Changping entered the main hall led by Ying Ying.

Xiang Shaolong has the perfect body tightly dressed in a simple warrior suit. Except for the dirty mark on his shoulder, he strolls in gracefully with his right hand on his sword hilt and his left arm swinging by his side, almost like a modern male model striding down the cat walk. Everyone in hall could not help but be mesmerized by him.

The women warriors who attacked him earlier realised that it was Xiang Shaolong who is the dream man of many Xianyang ladies. They were especially taken aback.

Ying Ying went back to her seat. Before she could sit down, another beauty next to her jumped up and whispered into her ears before resuming their seats together.

Xiang Shaolong, Lord Changping, Lord Changwen and An Gu were seated at a table full of dishes and wine. Lord Changping sighed: “Thanks to Shaolong’s presence, we brothers have finally fulfilled our sister’s demand.”

Lord Changwen was disappointed: “Why didn’t Shaolong bring Talented Lady Ji and let us have a look at her? Big Brother said he reminded you.”

An Gu smiled: “Shaolong! Now you finally got a taste of how irritating they are. Luckily, I have to leave the city for my duties. I shall pass on this burden to you. Good luck!”

Xiang Shaolong is already burdened with countless worries and sadness. Now, as he is facing these three friendly and sincere men in a place filled with young, passionate girls, his accumulated stress begin to go away. Finally relaxing, he grabbed his wine cup and was about to drink when Ying Ying’s voice rang out behind him: “Don’t drink wine! Otherwise when you lose, you will say that we are being unfair to you.”

Xiang Shaolong was surprised and suspicious. Holding back his wine cup, he turned around and questioned: “What does drinking wine have to do with winning and losing?”

The whole hall quietened down.

Ying Ying and the pretty girl seated with her came in front of him, both putting on the airs of a spoilt and stubborn character.

Behind him, An Gu sighed: “Shaolong should know their prowess by now. If they attacked openly with a fair fight, I will lose without a single complaint. Somehow, they have so many tricks up their sleeves and I was taken by surprise every single time.”

The beautiful girl stared at him and giggled sweetly. Her mouth curled up with a proud look, she plainly state: “Dear General An, I had regarded you as someone important in Xianyang City! Hng! Since young, you have always been repudiating. Commander Xiang is not like you and will face our challenges bravely.”

Xiang Shaolong looked back and exchanged a helpless grin with An Gu. Lord Changping came to his ear and whispered: “They called themselves the Royal Reviewer. Hei! They joked that Generals promoted by the Qin court has to undergo a second review with them to prove their worthiness. ”

Ying Ying impatiently cut in: “Cut the Shaolong will now compete with Dan’er in wine drinking.” When she mentioned Dan’er, she arrogantly pointed to the pretty girl beside her with her thumb.

Xiang Shaolong eyes landed on Lu Dan’er petite face and begin to scrutinize Lu Gong’s stubborn granddaughter.

Lu Dan’er’s eyes matched his gaze. She has a nice smile and her eyes are glowing with happiness, mischief and arrogance.

But she is indeed pretty and does not look a day over sixteen. In these ancient times, it is a marriageable age. But just looking at her wild and formidable aura, a weak husband will be unable to control her.

Compared to Ying Ying, she is shorter by half a head. She has a well-proportioned body and did not have any excess fats due to constant exercise. Any normal man who saw her will be aroused.

Like Ying Ying, they are energetic, lively and full of enthusiasm. With healthy complexions and white glowing skin, they are truly alluring.

However, Ying Ying is slightly more appealing than her.

Scanning her body next, Xiang Shaolong lowered his gaze and caught sight of her full and perky chest.

While he was secretly praising the full bosoms of Qin ladies, Lu Dan’er’s face reddened and she looked down.

An Gu and the Lords laughingly retaliated: “Ha! Dan’er’s face is red with embarrassment. What a rare sight!”

Ying Ying was astounded and glanced at her partner. Stomping her feet, she called: “Dan’er!”

Lu Dan’er shot a vicious look at Xiang Shaolong who has embarrassed her and denied: “Who is embarrassed? It is because the weather is too hot! Bring the wine!”

At last, Xiang Shaolong is fully familiar about these female warriors. They are just troublemakers in Xianyang City. As most of them are related to high-ranking officials and are spoilt by nature, they are able to terrorise the commoners without much repercussions.

Several giggling young ladies came in carrying a few jugs of wine. The battle is about to begin.

An Gu came to Xiang Shaolong’s side and smiled: “How is your alcohol tolerance? This lady’s liqueur capacity is not something to laugh about.”

Xiang Shaolong was curious: “Why do we have to hold a drinking contest?”

Ying Ying stepped forward and proclaimed: “Wine drinking is a man’s forte. We want to challenge you men in your best forte. Understand?”

An Gu produced a spitting sound and barked: “What are you so proud about? You wanted to get Commander Xiang drunk and then compete with him in martial arts. When you have won, you will brag about it. I know all your dirty tricks!”

Lu Dan’er is bitter about An Gu embarrassing her earlier and arrogantly retorted: “You are our defeated opponent and how dare you speak like that? You lost in the last archery contest and blamed us instead of your own incompetency. What a loser.”

Au Gu faced Xiang Shaolong with an agonized smile: “Now you should know what I mean.”

Xiang Shaolong could only smile weakly in return.

The imposing Ying Ying commanded: “Except for the contestants, everyone else return to your seats.” She led her warriors back to their seats, leading by example

Lord Changping whispered before he left: “Good luck!” and returned to his seat with Lord Changwen and An Gu.

Slightly fearful of Xiang Shaolong, Lu Dan’er sat down and raised the wine jug in front, commenting: “Let’s drink up our share of wine and compete our archery skills in the rear garden. Quick! Why are you hesitating like a woman!”

The female warriors burst out in laughter and made all sorts of jeering noises.

Xiang Shaolong felt his own tummy and realised that he had not eaten a single meal today. It is a taboo to drink wine on an empty stomach and he is bound to lose. He hardened his resolve and shot back: “Such an impatient little doll. You have already lost to me in terms of patience.” He purposely looked at her chest again and walked towards Ying Ying. Sitting down opposite her, his stomach began to rumble.

Ying Ying raised her eyebrows and implored: “Since when did you last eat something?”

Everyone in the hall laughed loudly.

Xiang Shaolong could not be bothered with her and started eating. At the same time, he was puzzled. An Gu is a great drinker and how could he lose to a young girl.

Suddenly, he was inspired and thought about the bar girls in the 21st century. Their drinks are always diluted to earn more money and also to prevent them from getting drunk.

Remembering this, he turned back and returned to the ‘battleground.’ Sitting down across her, he conveniently placed his wine in front and her and pointed to the jug she is hugging. He demanded: “I will drink your wine and you will drink mine!”

The entire hall quietened down.

Lu Dan’er was flustered and shrilled: “The wine is the same. You drink your own wine!”

An Gu laughed loudly and jumped up, exclaiming: “I see! I see! No wonder I lost the last time!”

Lu Dan’er is so furious her face became red again. She shot an angry look at Xiang Shaolong before giggling out loudly. She put down her wine jug and slipped back to her seat.

An Gu and the two Lords cheered loudly and received the victorious Xiang Shaolong back to his seat. Xiang Shaolong has never seen them so excited before.

All the girls are laughing so hard they can barely sit straight. None of them felt guilty about their trick being exposed.

Ying Ying and Lu Dan’er had a quick discussion and came up to their table. Ying Ying declared: “So it is considered a draw!”

Lord Changwen is confused: “Shaolong has obviously won. How come it is a draw?”

Displeased, Ying Ying retorted: “Second Brother has eyes that cannot see. The mark on Commander Xiang’s shoulder is left by my boot. Isn’t this a draw? To determine the winner, we must have another round of competition.”

An Gu was curious: “What happened?”

Ying Ying stubbornly interrupted: “Don’t deny it if you are a man. Come! We shall compete on strength.”

Xiang Shaolong was taken aback: “Compete on strength!”

Ying Ying charmingly smiled: “Of course we must compete in everything. I dare you to say ‘women are weaklings’ in the future.” Finishing, they returned to their table.

Lord Changping advised Xiang Shaolong: “Do not underestimate her. This woman possesses brute strength. Not many people in Xianyang City can win her.”

Xiang Shaolong noticed a huge woman coming out from the crowd and a girl bringing out a long rope and another girl drawing boundaries on the floor. It looks like a game of tug of war.

Xiang Shaolong was baffled. Women are limited by nature to be weaker than men. Even if they have a large body, they can defeat common men but not martial arts practitioners like Lord Changping. He unconsciously looked down to her feet and saw some sort of talcum powder scattered on the floor. He guessed it is another trick and suggested to the huge lady: “To prevent cheating, I suggest we take off our shoes before we compete!”

The ladies became silent and there is a strange expression on their faces.

As if this is the first time she saw him, Ying Ying stared blankly at Xiang Shaolong for a short while. Stomping her feet, she hissed: “Exposed by you again. Why can’t you give us a break?” Even her two brothers are stunned by her stubborn behaviour.

Before she finished speaking, the ladies were laughing uncontrollably and the atmosphere is very cheerful.

Amused, Xiang Shaolong went back to his seat. The three men are laughing so hard that their stomachs hurt.

An Gu held his breath and barely spoke out: “What an exciting night! All my frustrations have been vented out.”

Lu Dan’er yelled: “Stop laughing!”

Everyone stifled their laughter.

Lord Changping challenged: “What other tricks do you have?”

Xiang Shaolong understood that these females are just troublemakers who use tricks to ridicule men. They do not have any ill intentions and there is no real damage done. Thus, the people of Xianyang tolerated their antics.

Lu Dan’er proclaimed: “We have competed on tricks and Xiang Shaolong has won. Now, we will compete on real abilities.”

An Gu snorted: “What is there to compete? Can you defeat Wang Jian? Shaolong fought Wang Jian and it was a draw. You better save your breath. Come! Dan’er! Sing me a song and let’s see how much you have improved.”

Lu Dan’er made a face at him. Displeased, she remarked: “Previously, we are testing if Commander Xiang is an idi0t like you. Now we are playing for real.”

An Gu was speechless.

Xiang Shaolong smiled: “We can compete in anything but I must choose the topic. Otherwise, forget it.”

Lu Dan’er invited: “Let’s hear it!”

Ying Ying dared not underestimate Xiang Shaolong anymore and kept tugging Lu Dan’er’s sleeve.

Lu Dan’er softly assured: “We need not fear him!”

It is now the three men’s turn to laugh and jeer, making the situation extremely lively.

Xiang Shaolong raised his wine jug and drank two large mouthfuls.

The scorching wine entered his throat and he was reminded of Shan Rou. Grieved, he sighed loudly.

Lord Changwen leaned over and whispered into his ear: “Is something troubling Shaolong?”

Xiang Shaolong shook his head and summoned his courage. Facing Lu Dan’er he began: “First, you can send anyone you want to accept my challenge. This person will represent your group. If she loses, then your group has lost. In the future, you must not harass me with other competitions.”

The ladies gathered together and discussed in secret. They dared not let down their guard against him anymore.

To the three men, he commented: “Shoot the horse to capture the man, catch the bandit king and the bandits will succumb. Watch and see!”

An Gu praised: “Shaolong is so capable and vented the frustration for all the bullied men of Xianyang City.”

The ladies have concluded and Ying Ying stood up. Puffing her chest, she declared: “If we’re fighting, I will be your opponent. But you can only hit my sword and my body. If you happened to injure me, you will not be able to compensate.”

Xiang Shaolong is already aware of their unfair and stubborn ways to achieve victory. Expectedly, he exclaimed: “You will be fighting me? That’s wonderful! Let’s have a wrestling match!”

Every girl started to protest.

Ying Ying is so angry her face turned red and furiously state: “You are so demanding.”

The three men clapped loudly and cheered in approval.

An Gu seems to have plenty of ‘deep grievances’. He chortled: “After the wrestling, Sister Ying has to leave the female army and marry into the Xiang family as Shaolong has touched every part of your body. If he does not marry you, then it will really be hard for him to compensate you.”

Xiang Shaolong began to recognize how open the people of Qin are when talking about such matters and was slightly regretful. If he made Ying Ying fall in love with himself, he will have plenty of headaches in the future.

On the other hand, he felt very excited and it was like he is flirting with girls back in the 21st century.

Lu Dan’er ‘righteously’ spoke: “If this is the battlefield, weapons will be used to fight for survival. This is just a banquet friendly match. Must we watch them wrestle like that? Obviously not!”

The girls begin to protest to help Ying Ying and they are noisier than the marketplace. For a while, it was chaos.

Xiang Shaolong let out a long laugh and gathered everyone’s attention. He solemnly mentioned: “When fighting a battle, every method has to be used. When you want to capture an enemy, you may have to use some tricks. Are you going to tell the enemy that no wrestling is allowed during the fight?”

Everyone was humoured and broke out into laughter, forgetting their differences. Infuriated, Lu Dan’er stomped her feet and screamed, stopping the laughter. However, some girls continued to chuckle in the background.

Xiang Shaolong kept forcing his way: “Bring me a mat. You girls mentioned that whatever men can do, you can do better. Stop your whining and stop embarrassing yourself.”

Ying Ying held back her own laughter. Shooting him a dirty look, she swore: “You are good, but this is not over yet. We will temporary retreat and show you the might of our Qin Female Army at a later date. Dismiss!”

The four men stared in amazement as all the girls left the hall simultaneously. They did not look angry but were still giggling, showing that they have a good impression of Xiang Shaolong.

The four men were elated and drank to their heart’s content.

It was four am when they reluctantly concluded the banquet.

Xiang Shaolong left with An Gu. As they travelled down the street, Xiang Shaolong recomposed himself and officially asked: “There is something I need to bother Brother An!”

Riding beside him on this quiet street at night, An Gu smiled: “I get along with Shaolong very well. Just call me Gu. Tell me about it. As long as it is within my abilities, I will do my best.”

Xiang Shaolong noticed their escorts are not too far away from them. He lowered his voice: “I want Gu to help me seal the border leading to Chu and arrest every messenger from Qi.”

An Gu was slightly shaken: “Shaolong wants to attack Tian Dan?”

From his quick thinking and intellect, Xiang Shaolong is certain that An Gu did not take any shortcuts to earn his former rank as the Head of the Palace Guards.

Xiang Shaolong continued in a low voice: “That’s right. The real person I am attacking is Lu Buwei. The Crown Prince and Lu Gong knew about this too but this is a huge secret. Brother An may verify with them on this.” An Gu assured: “Why bother? Will Shaolong want to harm me? Leave this to me.”

After a short contemplation, he offered: “I have a plan that can cause the two armies of Qi and Chu waiting at the border to retreat by more than ten miles. I wonder if it would help.”

Xiang Shaolong was mystified: “How can Gu accomplish this?”

An Gu confidently revealed: “The Qin Chu border is an uninhabited, mountainous area. No one knows where the border line is and we assumed the river from Sanchuan is the dividing line. We can pretend to clash with their armies and I will meet the generals from Qi and Chu for a truce. To show goodwill, everyone has to retreat by ten miles. This way, when Tian Dan leaves our border, he must still travel some distance before he meets up with his own army. Even if the Qi army receives word and presses near to our border, we can use the excuse that they have crossed the border to surround them or chase them away. This will make it easy for Shaolong to execute your plan. Hei! Qin is afraid of no one!”

Xiang Shaolong was over the moon. Finalising the details with him, they went on their own ways.

On the way home, Xiang Shaolong once again experienced the uncertain feeling of whether this is a dream or reality.

He was once a homeless scavenger and now he is the top favourite subordinate of Qin Shi Huang. Moreover, he is battling the powerful Left Premier Lu Buwei and even planning to kill the legendary Tian Dan. What a feeling!

Like an invisible hand, fate is guiding him flawlessly to create history based on the history he learned.

But history did not mention anything about a man named Xiang Shaolong. Why?

What is his ending? He could not help but feel muddle-headed.