Chapter 714: 333 Counterattack (two updates)_2 Chapter 714: 333 Counterattack (two updates)_2 She quickly composed herself, saying, “I…I will try playing the piece again.”
But her performance still fell short of desirable.
Nervous sweat was appearing on the palms of her hands.
Quite strangely, despite her audience not being her teacher, she felt more unnerved than she ever had around him.
“I apologize. I should have been more focused…” she bit her lip, whispering, “I might not be able to visit anymore starting next month… I… I am getting married…”
Her age was not high, merely sixteen, the present dynasty did not resemble the predecessors, and no one would blame a girl for marrying at the age of eighteen or nineteen.
However, this also depended on the concrete situation. An affluent daughter could afford to wait, whereas daughters of a low-income family like hers had to marry off early.
It was said that girls in the countryside married off even earlier. On this comparison, she found herself fortunate. With luck, she held off marriage until sixteen, and during an opportune time, she enrolled in the girls’ school. It was in this institution she made the acquaintance of the young lady, receiving multitudes of guidance from her.
No one would be there to play the guqin for her anymore.
When would Little Jiang Li learn to play guqin proficiently?
“These last few days, I have been wanting to bid you farewell… to thank you. The greatest thing I’ve gained from school is meeting you. My family was planning to cease my schooling, but the tune you modified for me won me the favor of my music teacher. With his persistent persuasion, my family allowed me to continue for another half year.”
As Li Wanwan spoke, her cheeks turned slightly pink, “Speaking of which, you played a big part in this marriage. My guqin playing skills attracted a young master from a noble family, he sought my hand from my father.”
Even though Gu Jiao did not see her face, she did not have difficulty discerning the hopeful anticipation in Li Wanwan’s words. It seemed that she also liked that young master.
“Young lady, can…I give you a gift? You have taught me so much, I would feel guilty if I depart without giving anything. Please accept this token of gratitude. It is not expensive, just a small medicine pouch. I hope you would be pleased with it.”
“Hmm.” Gu Jiao responded in a rather indifferent manner.
Li Wanwan’s heart leaped with joy. She produced a small medicine pouch, which she had kept in her sleeve for several nights, from her sleeve. Fearing it might be too light to throw, she added a few dates into it.
“Here, young lady, catch!”
She threw the medicine pouch over the courtyard wall.
Gu Jiao caught it with one hand: “Thank you.”
Seeing this, Li Wanwan smiled brightly: “It’s my pleasure! Well, I must take my leave now! I will try to play more tunes for you in the next few days. If there comes a day when I am not here, then it means…I will not come anymore.”
Towards the end, she felt a hint of loss.
She didn’t want to part with the young lady.
She wondered whether she could ever meet such a person who was both a teacher and a friend.
She packed her guqin, picked up the box and left.
A small silk sachet landed directly on her guqin box.
Surprised, Li Wanwan asked, “Young lady?”
“It’s a wedding gift.” Gu Jiao replied.
Li Wanwan let out a joyful laugh, her smile was childlike.
“Lady Gu! Lady Gu! Someone is asking for the doctor to make a house call, saying it is very urgent!” a messenger hurried over.
“How urgent?” Gu Jiao asked
The scared young man said: “The…The hand is severed! Completely cut off! It’s a woodcutter!”
This was a major surgery, she will have to go in person.
“Alright, I will go.” Gu Jiao claimed her small backpack and let the young boy, who drove the cart, take her to the large house on Qingliu street, which the boy had mentioned.
After a while, the boy sensed something strange: “Huh? This is not the way to Qingliu Street!”
The boy, leading the way on horseback, didn’t turn back to reply: “There’s roadwork on that path. We have to make a detour.”
“Is something wrong? Are we on the wrong path?” Gu Jiao asked in a placid voice.
“It’s a little bit of a detour.” The boy muttered.
Gu Jiao pulled aside the curtain slightly and took a look at the streetscape.
Not every street in Capital City was bustling. Some located on the outskirts were rather desolate.
This was an old street, with sparse pedestrian traffic and very few shops. As they went further, they observed a historical road flanked by two wheat fields.
Indeed, there were fields in Capital City, but they were all situated in the more isolated areas.
“What a suitable place for an ambush…”
This was an instinct honed from her past life as an assassin, scanning locations subconsciously to judge their suitability for operations.
But just as this thought brushed across her mind, she stopped in her tracks.
It was an assassin’s intuition.
Gu Jiao let down the curtain and, with a swift motion, lifted the front cover. She shot a silver needle, which hit the boy leading the way right on target.