The snow falls down gently the day he leaves. Er Yin wave to him as he rides away. Her father who is smoking watch his daughter.
"Do you like him?"
"Father! What are you... NO... stop smoking too. It stinks."
"Well i can tell that man likes you. What is his name again... ah Yan?"
"Father stop..."
"Well at least your mother is happy that she is going around saying that you might get marry."
"We have to get a bride for San Bao. Not me."
"Hmm... cause you got someone now."
"Father!!"
She walk away into her room. She sit on the bed looking at the armour that is hanging in the corner. She remember that look in Duke Yan's eyes when he said that he is leaving. He looks worst than going into a battle field.
An hour later, she hear someone screaming for her name. Her sister is screaming.
"Big sister Er Yin! Ah Yan!! He .... help!!!"
Er Yin run out and ask her sister what had happen. Beside her is a few more women. They all talk at the same time. From what they said, Er Yin understand that there is an ambush and Duke Yan who is meeting up his escort is shoot with an arrow. The women who are harvesting nearby saw what happen and they ran with all their strength. Er Yin run into her room to fetch her sword. She run and hop on her horse. Er Yin knows the road and where the ambush might be. She ride with the wind towards the area of danger. She see more farmers running off. She remove her sword from the scabbard. Holding it tight, she charge forward with her horse.
She see her fellow soldiers fighting in the distance. She jump off her horse and attack. The attackers are wearing armours and she is not. She use all her strength and slash her sword on their exposed parts. She starts to smell the blood that is in the air. The sweat pouring down her face and her hair is paste on her face as she moves around. She looks for the Duke as she attacks. She finally see his black shoes in the grass patch. She make her way there. He have an arrow stuck on his upper arm and he is sweating. His eyes look at her, Er Yin knows that he is holding the pain.
"Hold on your highness, I will find a horse to get on it."
She runs off and look around for a nearby horse. The escort team is struggling to keep themselves alive. She swing her sword and scream for strength. That afternoon, the road near the bamboo field is fill with blood and corpses. She whistle for her horse. He comes running and stop in front of her. She help the Duke up. She help him on the horse. She look around to see the escort team is half alive and ask them to get on their horses and follow her. At the entrance of the fork road, she see a few men standing with their sickles staring at her.
"Uncle Wei, please look for the head village and tell him what had happen. He must go to the city and look for the authority to report on this. Go now!"
The elder man run off while the rest look at the soldiers who are on their horses walking past them. Er Yin have no choice but to bring them to her home.
After execrating the embedded arrow, Er Yin have his arm wrap up carefully. While her siblings are helping the rest of the soldiers. A day after the imperial guards came to fetch the Duke. As the road to Er Yin's home is too small and narrow for the carriage to get to the front door thus they park at the main road and walk up to her home. Er Yin once again watch the Duke leave her house. Duke Yan ask Er Yin to look at the clues who are the attackers. Er Yin after a clean up, she ride back with her sword in her hands. She look at those corpses and check one by one if they carry anything on them that tells their identity. The authorities comes from the nearby city. They clean up the area and leave with the corpses on carts.
Everything is back to normal in the village. Except for the house that Er Yin lives in. Her mother is sobbing while her father is smoking non-stop. Er Yin is sighing in her heart.
"Ah Yin, please quit the job as a solider! You have become a killer! How can you get marry like this?!"
"I will be fine mother. "
"No you won't be! When i am dead and buried who will you depend on?"
"I have a rooftop over my head and my siblings..."
"Er Yin! Are you still dreaming! In this society, woman no matter in what stages of life they are in be rich or poor, we all must be married! We need the protection of man! We need a family unit!"
"Mother!"
"Marry that Yan guy! Marry him so that we can meet our ancestors in the eye! We will not be shamed in the underworld!"
"Mother, the ancestors will not be bother with me getting marry or not."
"Please i beg of you! Go get marry!"
Er Yin see that the sky have change and thunder rage in a distance. She pick up the sword in her hand.
"I am going to the temple for prayers. I will be back tomorrow evening."
She walk out hearing her mother wailing out loud. She hurry and walk through the dense forest. From one mountain over another. Soon the rain and darkness comes. She reach the temple and stay outside as the door is closed. She stare at the ground that is collecting the rain water. A little monk come running and look at her. He ask if she wants some food. She nod her head.
That night, the temple is quiet except for the crickets chirping. Occasionally, the monks wakes up at certain timing and start chanting. Er Yin put her sword aside and sit in the hall with them. She close her eyes to mediate with them. While they chant, she listens with her heart. Her mind is in a state of confusion. She dislike returning home. Every time her mother will have the same conversation with her. There is nothing else for them to talk about. Yet, she have to retun home and stay at least for Lunar New Year. That following evening, she retune home as promised. She sit down at the courtyard. Her mother glare at her eldest daughter. Her father and younger brother sits near the door and look at them.
"Mother, if you can find someone that wants to marry me, even though i am a solider that kills men... i will marry him. Regardless who and what occupation he holds. As long as he accept the way i am."
Suddenly her mother smile.
"Here, all of you hear that! Be the witness! I am sure that i can find one man who can accept Er Yin!"
She watch her mother walk about and talk nonstop. Er Yin knows that today is the big day for the Duke and she should let go of that talk that the Duke had said the other day. She look at the sky as she smell food is cook in the kitchen.