The Innocent Heart - Chapter 6

“Treat it is! Just lead the way!” Perhaps because his appetite had been whetted, Huo Qubing did not dwell on the matter of who was paying.

Seeing this, Guan Yueyao was even more delighted. She turned back and noticed that the wound she had inflicted on the corner of the boy’s mouth was no longer bleeding, but it still looked rather alarming.

“Is the corner of your mouth alright?” she finally remembered to inquire after her defeated opponent, asking with a touch of guilt.

“I’m not a girl. What’s a small scratch like this? It’s fine!” Fortunately, though Huo Qubing was born to wealth, he was not one of those spoiled, pampered rich kids. He neither felt offended by such a minor injury nor did he take it seriously.

Moreover, in Huo Qubing’s eyes, Guan Yueyao was a martial-arts-skilled peer.

She neither bowed and scraped to him like the household servants or commoners, nor did she cold-shoulder him like many of the aristocratic youths in the capital, who often spoke sarcastically because the Wei family had humble origins yet was deeply favored by the Emperor.

Being around Guan Yueyao, Huo Qubing felt relaxed. He didn’t need to maintain a solemn high-status demeanor, nor did he need to guard against sudden verbal attacks.

Although, in Huo Qubing’s opinion, the youth named Guan Yueyao still carried a degree of hooliganism, likely picked up from roaming the streets, his character was not entirely bad.

He could perhaps be considered the first decent playmate his age he had found in years.

Huo Qubing was lost in thought when he suddenly felt his arm grabbed and was pulled to his feet. Next, his chest was heavily patted. “You’re a good kid! Let’s go get some mutton!”

Then, before Huo Qubing could recover his senses, the youth named Guan Yueyao slung an arm over his shoulder and semi-dragged him toward the broken wall.

“Third Brother, wait at home, alright? I’ll bring you back two mutton bones when I return!”

Huo Qubing looked in astonishment at the suddenly cheerful youth, who even paused to instruct the small dog wagging its tail and attempting to follow them.

“Why is that dog called ‘Third Brother’? Are there three dogs here?” Huo Qubing asked curiously, watching the puppy still relentlessly trying to catch up with them.

“Huh? I’m the Big Brother, you’re the Second Brother, so of course it’s the Third Brother,” the youth in front of him answered confidently and self-righteously.

“You’re actually comparing me to a dog in terms of seniority!” Huo Qubing was instantly furious upon hearing this but did not shake off Guan Yueyao’s hand, merely glaring at her harmlessly.

“Don’t you like it? Why not?” Guan Yueyao was confused. Having lived in the modern era for over ten years, she was accustomed to the modern urban mindset where people treat cats and dogs as pets and members of the family.

However, in the eyes of a Han dynasty person at this time, a dog was merely a type of livestock that also served the function of guarding the home. Who would regard the family’s future reserve of meat as a family member?

“It is nothing more than an animal. How can it be grouped with people?” Huo Qubing said solemnly.

“But sometimes, an animal’s emotions are far purer than a person’s. Like means like, and dislike means dislike. You don’t have to worry about its betrayal; you only need to single-mindedly love and trust it,” Guan Yueyao did not like Huo Qubing’s argument about animals. She, too, put away her smile and retorted.

“Sometimes, the longer I stay with people, the more I start to like dogs,” she said, then, feigning profound wisdom, uttered this sentiment she had often encountered online.

“Hmph,” Huo Qubing couldn’t resist mocking her, “it is merely an animal’s fawning, begging with its tail for food, yet you manage to read so much meaning into it.”

The two continued to bicker as they climbed over the courtyard wall. Residents of Han dynasty Chang’an were separated by the fang (neighborhoods) and the markets, making shopping rather inconvenient.

Presumably propelled by his earlier craving, Guan Yueyao pulled Huo Qubing, intending to head toward the mutton market located in the southern part of the city. But after only two steps, she felt her momentum checked. She looked back to see Huo Qubing standing still, refusing to move another step.

“Why aren’t you walking?” Guan Yueyao looked at the boy beside her suspiciously, not understanding the reason.

“I rode a horse here today. We don’t need to walk there,” Huo Qubing said with a touch of pride.

Rode a horse? Guan Yueyao was intrigued. In all her life, the closest she had ever been to a horse was riding those overly docile geldings in a park when she was a child.

Huo Qubing’s words reminded her of the gallant scene she had seen on television as a child, with heroes galloping past. She couldn’t help but feel a longing for that experience.

Huo Qubing led her around a slight bend to an inconspicuous corner, where a strikingly magnificent, tall horse immediately caught Guan Yueyao’s eye.

Guan Yueyao did not know how to judge a horse, but she instinctively felt that this white steed was exceptionally beautiful, almost spiritual.

“Isn’t it magnificent? This is a treasured horse bestowed by the Emperor, named Benxiao (Rushing to the Heavens). It can travel a thousand li a day and is a rare find from the Western Regions,” speaking of his beloved horse, Huo Qubing couldn’t help but boast, showing how much he adored this horse.

As Huo Qubing spoke, he reached out and untied the reins, leading the horse out. Having followed his maternal uncle Wei Qing since childhood, riding and archery were his strong suits. Although Benxiao was tall, mounting it was not difficult for him.

Guan Yueyao stood by the horse’s side, watching Huo Qubing step onto a low cabinet carelessly discarded by the roadside. With a swift movement, he flipped over and was securely seated on the horse’s back in the blink of an eye.

Then, the boy extended his hand to her.

“I have never carried anyone else on Benxiao. You are the first,” the boy smiled at her. Guan Yueyao offered her hand. She then felt a tightening in her arm, and with a single pull from the boy, she was lifted onto the horse’s back.

Huo Qubing did not linger. After hoisting Guan Yueyao onto the horse, he turned the horse’s head and urged Benxiao toward the mutton market.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the streets of Chang’an were crowded with people. Even though Benxiao was a rare and excellent steed, there was little room to maneuver on the narrow streets within the fang.

“Out of the way! Out of the way!” Huo Qubing was greatly displeased with this pace of travel. Being an impatient person, he simply raised the whip in his hand and cracked it twice in the air.

The commoners, fearful of the whip landing on them, quickly scrambled out of the way. The crowded street finally opened up a narrow, elongated path before Huo Qubing.

Huo Qubing, satisfied, squeezed the horse’s flank and snapped the whip, galloping with Guan Yueyao toward the main avenue in the center of Chang’an City.

This was Guan Yueyao’s first time riding a horse, especially at such high speed. To say she wasn’t scared would be mere bravado, an attempt to fool the young boy in front of her.

But soon, the thrill of rapid motion, like the wind tearing past, took over her mind. The rush of adrenaline made her instantly fall in love with the feeling.

She suddenly seemed to understand why those reckless bikers who sped through the streets in her past life were so obsessed with it.

The surrounding streets and scenery flashed by her in a blur, as if only she and the boy in front of her on horseback were standing still.

Guan Yueyao simply turned her head to observe the boy sitting squarely in front of her.

Huo Qubing was still shorter than her, his head bobbing slightly right in front of her eyes. The golden cap fastened atop his head reflected the sunlight, dazzling her eyes with a golden glare that almost made them water.

“Your strength is incredible! You were able to lift me up with one pull!” The rushing air caused by the horse’s speed weakened the sound, forcing Guan Yueyao to shout loudly near the boy.

“Hmph, that’s nothing. I can now draw a heavy bow of one hundred and twenty jin! Lifting you is no different than lifting a chick!” When speaking of his skills, Huo Qubing forgot his modesty, his chin raising slightly.

However, Guan Yueyao was not skilled in riding or archery. She had absolutely no concept of what kind of arm strength it took for a twelve-year-old to draw a strong bow of one hundred and twenty jin.

“Is that so? Then you must be very capable,” Guan Yueyao praised him dryly.

Huo Qubing did not realize he was casting pearls before swine, misdirecting his full passion toward an amateur.

He was accustomed to the flattery of those around him; even the Emperor had once praised his riding and archery skills highly. Yet, the little beggar sitting behind him was so nonchalant.

Thinking of this, Huo Qubing’s heart tightened. Could it be that he also possesses some extraordinary, secret skill?

Chatting on horseback, the two gradually rode out of the neighborhood and onto the main road of Chang’an City.

This was one of the “Three-Lane Roads” that connected the north and south city gates. Guan Yueyao had seldom paid attention to the streets of Chang’an before, but now she noticed that this road was constructed with remarkable neatness and grandeur.

There was more than one such San Guda (Three-Lane Road) in Chang’an. As the name suggests, the road was divided into three lanes, separated by planted grass and trees.

Each lane was wide enough for four chariots to travel abreast. The left and right lanes were for exiting and entering the city, respectively, without mutual interference. The central lane was reserved exclusively for the Emperor’s use, and no one else was allowed to cross it freely.

Chang’an at this time had 12 city gates, and the roads connecting those gates were all these Three-Lane Roads, which divided the magnificent city into eight avenues, nine lanes, and one hundred and sixty fang.

The two traveled at a moderate pace along the grand avenue of Chang’an. Although the youth on the back was dressed like a small beggar, the superb horse under them clearly signaled the rider’s extraordinary background.

In this metropolis, rife with powerful aristocrats, the wealthy youth of the Five Mausoleums were innumerable. The powerful and noble families, indulged by the imperial family, engaged in contests of power and wealth, leading to a children’s rhyme about people “suffering hunger and cold, chasing after pellets.”

As for galloping horses through the city, it was a common occurrence. Even the residents had long become used to it. As soon as the sound of hoofbeats was heard from afar, the surrounding pedestrians would hastily move out of the way, fearful of disturbing a noble personage.

Naturally, in a large city like this, if some feared them, others did not.

After Benxiao ran for a bit longer, a group of youths, similarly dressed in finery—and perhaps even more splendidly than Huo Qubing—rode their horses and crossed in front of the pair, blocking their path.

“Ha! Look who it is! Isn’t this the nephew of the stable boy Wei Qing and the songstress Wei Zifu?” The leading youth pulled on his reins, turned his horse’s head, and completely blocked Huo Qubing’s path with his horse.

“Get down!” Huo Qubing did not respond to the youth’s provocation. Instead, he turned to Guan Yueyao behind him and said.

Guan Yueyao was currently furious at the other party’s disrespectful words. She was fiercely protective of her own. Now that she considered Huo Qubing a friend, she would not tolerate others bullying him, not even with verbal insults.

Suddenly hearing Huo Qubing’s command, she was initially startled, but although she didn’t know why, she obeyed and jumped off the horse.

It was only then that the people opposite noticed Guan Yueyao’s presence. A contemptuous look flickered over her body, and then the leading youth laughed aloud: “Indeed! The bastard son of a slave still only hangs out with beggars!”

No sooner had his words fallen than he felt a sudden tightness around his neck, and he was abruptly yanked off his horse.