Chapter 57
“Miss, where did you study? Why does your internal energy carry a scorching aura?”
Moon Immortal’s words changed Ye Rui’s expression at once. Even the air seemed to freeze.
Lu Yihua didn’t know what a scorching aura was, but seeing Ye Rui’s grave reaction, she immediately became wary too.
Even if the other party was the respected Moon Immortal, if she meant to harm Ye Rui, Lu Yihua would never let her get away with it.
“Moon Immortal, there are some things you shouldn’t pry into. You only need to know that I have no intention of hurting you.”
For a moment, Ye Rui even wanted to kill her. But after thinking it through, she decided against it. The other woman had only suspected something; she wasn’t ruthless enough to kill someone just because her whereabouts might be exposed.
Moon Immortal frowned and said nothing. Ye Rui went on, “For the sake of me saving you, please don’t reveal where I am. Just pretend you never saw me.”
Moon Immortal frowned again. After a moment of silence, she said, “Miss, I understand. You saved my life today, and I swear I will never reveal your whereabouts.”
Moon Immortal knew all too well the trouble the Heart-Scorching Art had once brought to the martial world. Back then, its owner had been branded a heretic and hunted by every faction; the Wangshu Sect had taken part as well.
She had only learned this because her grandmaster, on her deathbed, had confessed it to Moon Immortal’s master. It turned out that in those days, in order to obtain the Heart-Scorching Art, they had not hesitated to twist that person’s identity, pursue him relentlessly, and even seize his wife and daughter to use as leverage.
After that incident, the grandmaster had remained in seclusion for years. It was only three years ago, when she emerged again, that she told Moon Immortal’s master what had happened and ordered her, together with the remaining disciples, to keep righteousness in their hearts and never repeat her mistakes.
Later, Moon Immortal went searching for everything related to the Heart-Scorching Art and learned that the scorching aura came from it. She had also memorized the sensation described in the texts: blazing and overbearing like fire, yet it did not injure the meridians; instead, it helped break through bottlenecks.
That was exactly what she felt now. The efficiency of forcing out the poison had increased severalfold.
She knew the Heart-Scorching Art was taboo in the martial world and would only attract greed. Naturally, she would not harm the woman who had saved her life.
With Moon Immortal’s assurance, Ye Rui finally relaxed. Half an hour later, all the poison had been forced out, and the task was finally complete.
Moon Immortal’s body was still somewhat weak, but she insisted on getting up to cup her hands to Ye Rui. “I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life.”
“Oh, no need, no need. I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing!”
Ye Rui hadn’t expected that one day she would be able to say those words. Before joining the army, she had also gotten a taste of the jianghu.
Moon Immortal didn’t say whether she accepted it or not. That cold, proud face lifted as she looked at Ye Rui for two breaths, as if trying to remember her.
“I cannot linger here. Please take care, both of you.”
Her white robe fluttered like moonlight as she turned away; in that instant, it was as if she had taken Ye Rui’s longing for the jianghu with her.
Perhaps the jianghu was only another battlefield of power struggles, but Ye Rui still wanted to go and see it for herself...
**
Days on the road were always spent beneath the stars and moon. Passing through the three cities of Yuanzhou, Ye Rui never had time to properly look around, nor the chance to see what the three cities of Yuanzhou, where the Great Yan trained its troops most successfully, actually looked like.
Wenzhou City was also crossed in haste. More than half a month later, when Ye Rui’s bottom was practically being shaken into eight pieces, she finally arrived at Qingzhou City.
She remembered that Yu Lang was now serving in Qingzhou City, but information from Qingzhou City was almost completely cut off from the Capital City; after coming here, he had sent no messages back to Xie Tinglan.
If Yu Lang knew she had come, wouldn’t there be a chance Xie Tinglan would find out too?
There was another thing as well: Ye Rui still didn’t understand what Xie Tinglan’s purpose had been in sending Yu Lang to Qingzhou City.
After entering Qingzhou City, Ye Rui finally let out a breath. This place was three thousand li from the Capital City; no matter how long Xie Tinglan’s arm was, it couldn’t reach here. Yu Lang was the only hidden danger. Ye Rui first found an inn to stay at and did not rush to see the prefect of Qingzhou City. She needed to rest first and take a look at the situation here.
The moment she entered the city, she noticed that Qingzhou City’s walls were towering and thick, built from dark stone bricks; worn by years of wind and sand, they looked heavy and ancient. Iron-spiked armor hooks hung above the city gates; the garrison wore armor and carried spears, patrolling without pause. The sound of their armor echoed through the streets and alleys, letting Ye Rui feel the city’s unmistakable military discipline and strict order.
Walking through the streets, she saw broad roads but little sign of prosperity. Weapons shops, blacksmiths, and armories lined the streets; soldiers came and went in a steady stream. Taverns were the most common establishments, yet the smell of alcohol wasn’t especially strong. Inside, rough soldiers and martial artists drank from large bowls and spoke loudly.
Most of the common people were merchants and military households; their speech was blunt and direct, with far fewer twists and turns.
When the winter wind swept through, the dragon-emblazoned banners of Qingzhou City snapped violently, and the entire city seemed filled with sternness and killing intent, like a sleeping iron beast that could awaken to march at any moment.
Ye Rui wandered the streets for a while. After eating a simple meal with Lu Yihua and her three senior brothers, she was finally ready to go to the prefect’s residence. Unexpectedly, before they had even finished eating, a middle-aged man in armor, dusty from travel, came striding up to Ye Rui.
He was accompanied by two guards. His gaze first fell on the wooden box on Ye Rui’s table, then on Ye Rui herself. “I am Sun Zhong, the prefect of Qingzhou City. May I ask this lord’s honorable name?”
Sun Zhong cupped his hands and was extremely respectful. This startled Ye Rui; her first reaction was that her identity as someone from the Xie residence had been discovered.
Seeing that Ye Rui did not speak and looked somewhat startled, Sun Zhong quickly realized the misunderstanding and immediately explained, “There is a mark left by that lord on your box, which is how I knew you had been sent by her.”
Ye Rui had been left a little dazed by all the repeated “lord,” and only after a moment did she remember that there really was a mark on the wooden box: a dragon-claw insignia, very similar to the dragon-claw on the Qingzhou Army’s banner.
When entering the city, security had been extremely strict. The guards had checked not only her travel document but also her box. Ye Rui remembered that the guard had originally intended to open it, but after seeing the dragon-claw insignia, he had said nothing and let her through.
It seemed Mu Xue and Sun Zhong had long-standing contact, and Sun Zhong appeared to hold Mu Xue in very high regard.
Mu Xue’s identity was becoming more and more interesting.
“This was given to me by her; there is also this letter of recommendation.”
Ye Rui stood and handed the items to Sun Zhong, then added, “This may be abrupt, but we’re here to enlist.”
Sun Zhong’s dark eyes brightened. After taking the letter of recommendation, he quickly opened it and glanced through it. Then he laughed heartily twice. “Since you were recommended by that lord, you’re surely a blessing to our army!”
Sun Zhong looked very pleased, but Ye Rui felt a little guilty. She had never been on a battlefield, and she didn’t even especially like the many rules of military life. She had no idea whether she could do the job well.
Still, since this was the exchange condition between herself and Mu Xue, she had to do it properly no matter what.
After Ye Rui and the others introduced themselves, Sun Zhong led them to the prefect’s residence to discuss enlistment in detail.
The prefect’s residence was located in the north of the city. It wasn’t especially grand, only slightly taller than an ordinary residence’s walls, with more guards and nothing particularly notable. It was said the military officials here upheld the same virtues as the Eldest Princess once had, never wasting silver where it shouldn’t be wasted; the prefect’s residence had also been built hastily, with little concern for extravagance.
Past the entrance was a courtyard, then a discussion hall. In the center of the hall stood a large, detailed map showing Qingzhou City’s borders and the lands of the various barbarian tribes.
Ye Rui glanced at it and saw small flags placed at specific points on the map; she immediately knew those were defensive strongholds. Before coming here, she had bought a map along the road and studied it day and night, so seeing this large map now felt familiar enough.
“Lord Ye... Miss Ye, please wait while I take a look at this box.”
Along the way, Sun Zhong had still been calling her “Lord Ye” at every turn. Ye Rui truly couldn’t stand it, so she told him to just call her by her name. She would call him Brother Zhong; there was no need to keep saying lord this and lord that, which sounded awkward.
Sun Zhong took out a special key from his breast pocket. After unlocking the small lock, he didn’t avoid the others; he took out the contents and looked through them sheet by sheet. There was indeed a thick stack.
Yes, those were paper... no, wait! Ye Rui looked more closely and her expression changed drastically. Those weren’t paper at all; they were clearly stacks of crisp white banknotes!!
And each one was worth at least ten thousand taels!
Heavens, she had actually been guarding so many banknotes all this way. It was a good thing no one had come to rob them; otherwise, even if she had ninety-nine lives, she still couldn’t have paid back that much silver!!
Lu Yihua’s eyes also widened. She had always been poor, and being called a little poor ghost by Mu Xue had long since become normal to her. But now, seeing so many banknotes, even her heart seemed to stop for a moment...
It turned out she really was a little poor ghost; seeing that many banknotes made her feel like she was about to die.
“Hm. The banknotes sent this time total twenty million taels. Arrange for the weapons, grain, all kinds of armor and protective gear, as well as the city-defending weapons on the walls, to all be upgraded once.”
Sun Zhong gave his orders in an orderly manner. Only after finishing did he turn to Ye Rui and apologize. “Military matters cannot be delayed. Please forgive us.”
He had left Ye Rui and the others waiting there for about a quarter of an hour; now that the arrangements were done, of course he had to apologize immediately.
Once the hall doors were closed, everyone sat down to talk.
There was tea in the hall, but it had long gone cold. Sun Zhong didn’t have anyone replace it; instead, he got straight to the point. “Miss Ye, have you read the recommendation letter from that lord?”
“I haven’t.”
Naturally, Ye Rui would not open someone else’s letter of recommendation.
Seeing this, Sun Zhong walked up to her and handed the letter to her. “Tomorrow, you and Miss Lu may be assigned to the Qingzhou Phoenix Army. As for the other three, they may be assigned to the Spirit Fox Army.”
Ye Rui took a look, and Lu Yihua leaned over with her. After the two of them finished reading, they exchanged a glance in tacit understanding; both of them went pale and felt their scalps tingle.
They would have to start from the lowest rank, as ordinary foot soldiers; they would be responsible for standing guard, keeping watch, and carrying supplies, meaning they would be part of the vanguard that charged at the very front in battle. Life as a foot soldier was harsh; not only would they have to stand night watch, they would also have to chop firewood and carry water.
The sky was falling...
**
The plane trees in Xie Residence’s Tinglan Pavilion were covered in accumulated snow; when the wind blew, much of it would shake loose. The bleak scenery always made one feel a little more sorrow in the freezing cold.
After taking the antidote, Xie Tinglan slept for an entire day and night. Since Ye Rui had left, this was the first time she had slept so long, as if she were trying to make up for all the sleep she had lost before.
Ri Xi came to take her pulse almost every two hours. Feeling her body temperature gradually warming, Ri Xi finally relaxed somewhat.
At noon today, Xie Tinglan finally woke. Ri Xi, who was steeping tea, hurried over to take her pulse, only for Xie Tinglan’s first question to be, “Have you heard anything about her?”
Ri Xi looked troubled and shook her head. “Not a single word. This subordinate has been to Rain and Mist Pavilion several times, but Mu Xue refuses to say anything.”
Xie Tinglan sighed and, exhausted, closed her eyes. Ri Xi then said, “My lord, the cold poison in your body has been cleared. But your foundation is damaged, and you must recover properly.”
“Mm.”
Xie Tinglan gave a quiet response. “How long did this official sleep?”
Her face was a little haggard, but compared with her former ghastly pallor, her complexion was much better now. After Ri Xi helped her sit up, Xie Tinglan looked out the window, her gaze distant, as though she were trying to use the wind to find someone.
“A day and a night.”
After saying that, Ri Xi added, “My lord, something major has happened in court.”
Xie Tinglan withdrew her gaze and looked at Ri Xi instead. Strands of hair at her temples had turned white; they had only appeared recently. It didn’t make her look old, only gave her a more somber air.
“The eldest legitimate son of the Helian family, while handling the famine victims in Jingshui City, embezzled disaster relief silver and is now wanted by the imperial court. According to the law, he is to be executed; however, he has yet to be found.”
After hearing this, Xie Tinglan’s lips curved slightly, and a trace of coldness appeared in her eyes. She smiled. “So it’s that one clearing out those who refuse to behave. I’m afraid Helian Ying set his sights on Golden Phoenix Palace, otherwise she wouldn’t have struck so ruthlessly.”
Ri Xi was somewhat puzzled. “How did that one operate this matter?”
Xie Tinglan thought for a moment, gathered the quilt around herself, and said, “That one has always associated with the women of the great families. Tea gatherings and wine banquets are her opportunities to gather intelligence. I don’t know how many have already willingly submitted to her, but she has carefully expanded her network for a long time; I’m sure she knows quite a few secrets already.”
“Besides, she has also cultivated many hidden agents. If she wants to find someone’s fatal mistake, that would naturally be easy. The leverage she holds must be so much that even the high officials of the entire Capital City would be afraid.”
Xie Tinglan touched her stomach; she was a little hungry. She suddenly thought of how Ye Rui always ate with such relish and such obvious greed, and a dense ache rose in her heart again.
“Helian Ying will show himself.”
Xie Tinglan was about to get out of bed when Ri Xi hurried to support her, bending down. “Why?”
“To find a way to live.”
Ri Xi didn’t understand, and Xie Tinglan gave a cold laugh. “But he doesn’t know that the path he thinks is most likely to save his life is actually the most terrifying road to death.”
**
Within Rizhao Temple, beneath the solemn Buddha statue, Helian Shaohua stood straight with her hands pressed together in prayer.
She wore a plain white palace robe, and her hair was held up with only a simple jade hairpin, so graceful and clean that she looked like an immortal untouched by the mortal world.
She heard movement behind her. The first to turn was Shen Zhuiying; she stepped forward and stood protectively behind Helian Shaohua, watching the disheveled, miserable man with caution.
“Sister, sister! Save me! This time you have to save me!”
Helian Shaohua was not surprised by that anxious, trembling voice. She turned slowly and said in a low voice, “What my brother has committed is a capital crime. How could I save you?”
Helian Ying’s hair was in disarray, his eyes bloodshot, his face filthy with sweat and grime. Even his fine robes were dirty, as though he had rolled around in the mud.
“Sister, you and His Majesty are deeply devoted to one another; His Majesty will surely listen to you. Please, save me. I don’t want to die!”
Helian Ying dropped to his knees with a thud. Yet Helian Shaohua’s face curved into a smile, and that smile made Helian Ying shudder.
“Does my brother still remember what you said back then, when you learned I could no longer bear children?”
Behind Helian Shaohua was the golden Buddha statue; under that solemn presence, the cold smile on her lips looked even more sinister.
Helian Ying staggered back in fear, only to realize the guards had already surrounded him from behind.
“You said—what a pity; my little sister is just a useless good-for-nothing now.”
Helian Shaohua bit down heavily on the word “useless.” Seeing Helian Ying’s eyes nearly bulge out in terror, she smiled and said, “Does my brother know why even the crimes you hid so deeply were dug up by the Ministry of Justice? And do you know why you were able to pass through so many layers of guards and reach this palace?”
Helian Ying was so terrified he could no longer stay on his knees; he collapsed to the ground instead. Even in winter, cold sweat poured from him, and his whole body trembled.
“You should have been kinder to the person lying beside your pillow. Then you might not have brought this disaster on yourself.”
The moment she finished speaking, a woman came out from the inner hall, smiling brightly as she said, “Your Highness, this subject’s wife has prepared the vegetarian dishes...”
Before she could finish, the richly dressed woman saw the man collapsed on the ground. At first she was stunned; then she smiled gently. “In the end, Your Highness still guessed right. Hell had no gate, yet he forced his way in.”
“It was you—! You betrayed me—! You venomous woman!”
Helian Ying cried out in heart-rending anguish, tears welling in his eyes; mixed with the red threads in them, it looked as if blood tears might spill out.
The woman, however, didn’t care at all. She only laughed. “If it comes to venom, I’m far from your match. Whenever things went even slightly against your wishes, you took it out on me with fists and kicks. Have you forgotten? Every child in my belly was kicked away by you; then you turned around and said I’d miscarried myself, and even tried to slander me for carrying on with the guards!”
The woman walked to Helian Shaohua’s side and continued, “You made my life worse than death. Letting you die by beheading is already merciful!”
After hearing this, Helian Ying threw his head back and laughed loudly, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world. Helian Shaohua spoke with disdain. “Do you know why this palace let you in?”
She stepped forward, looking closely at Helian Ying’s agonized expression. “Because I wanted to watch with my own eyes—”
“you stop breathing.”
**
For two consecutive years, Jingshui City suffered drought. Helian Ying had been ordered to distribute disaster relief and soothe the suffering of the people. However, he embezzled the relief silver for himself; the disaster victims received no aid and died one after another, and even a small-scale plague broke out.
This alarmed Emperor Yuan, who ordered the Censorate to investigate the Jingshui City matter, with the Ministry of Justice assisting. Within just three days, Helian Ying’s embezzled relief silver was recovered. The Censorate also found account books on him recording his corruption, and more ledgers were discovered at the Helian residence.
To preserve its reputation, the Helian family cut off its own limb and cooperated with the investigation, sacrificing Helian Ying. But Helian Ying received help from one of his guards and successfully fled, though he was then wanted by the imperial court.
However, three days later, Helian Ying attempted to seize Empress Helian Shaohua as a hostage in hopes of a slim chance at survival, only to be cut down by the Empress’s guards and finally brought to justice.
All of Helian Ying’s personal wealth was confiscated. Yet Emperor Yuan, in consideration of the Helian family’s act of sacrificing one of their own for the greater good, did not pursue the rest of the clan, though he still fined them one hundred thousand taels of silver. As for Helian Shaohua, she had been frightened at Rizhao Temple and fallen mildly ill; she was now recovering in Golden Phoenix Palace.
Today, Xie Tinglan finally returned to court. Her spirits seemed much improved; she could now spar verbally with the ministers and even made Duke of Wei so furious that he nearly fainted on the spot.
During the days Xie Tinglan had been ill, the court had lacked some of its usual oppression. Now that she was back, the ministers were all on edge, fearing that if they couldn’t outargue her in a single exchange, she might just anger them to death. Of course, dying of anger wasn’t the real problem; the real fear was that Xie Tinglan hid killing intent in her words, and every sentence she spoke could put someone to death.
After court adjourned, Xie Tinglan requested permission from the Emperor to visit Helian Shaohua, and the Emperor granted it.
Inside Golden Phoenix Palace, Helian Shaohua reclined half-lying on a soft couch. Her robe draped over the side of the couch, and a censer on the tea table sent up wisps of fragrant smoke, tinting the book in Helian Shaohua’s hand with the same scent.
“Your Highness, regarding the Helian family, is there anything else this minister needs to clean up afterward?”
Xie Tinglan sat beside the tea table, idly toying with the chess pieces on it. She held the red cannon piece for a long while, as if another person’s shadow were reflected in the character on its face.
“Yes.”
Helian Shaohua slowly lowered the book, her lazy appearance unadorned by makeup. Though she didn’t look haggard, there was still a touch of weariness about her.
“I still want you to deal with one person.”
She casually set the book down beside her. Xie Tinglan looked up at her. “Who?”
“Helian Yong.”
Xie Tinglan raised a brow, a meaningful smile curling at her lips. Helian Yong was Helian Ying’s second son, a mere Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Rites. He had no real ability; he had only been able to work in the Ministry of Rites because of the protection of his family.
Helian Ying had originally been the Helian family heir they had focused on cultivating, but now that he had been executed, the burden naturally fell on Helian Yong.
Helian Chi only had two sons, and the eldest legitimate son was dead, so Helian Yong had become the heir by default.
“However, I do not want him to die so easily. I want Helian Chi to suspect that he is the one who betrayed Helian Ying.”
After saying that, Helian Shaohua picked up the book again and read it quietly.
Xie Tinglan knew Helian Shaohua was moving so quickly against the Helian family because the Helian family had planted hidden agents in Golden Phoenix Palace. There were too many secrets hidden here; naturally, Helian Shaohua had to strike back.
Besides, if both sons died and Helian Chi did not want the family’s authority to fall to collateral branches, then the women of the Helian family would have a chance. As for that woman of the Helian family... never mind; Helian Shaohua was laying out her own board, secretly taking control of one of the greatest noble clans in the Capital City, the Helian family.
As for how she would control it, Helian Shaohua had her own plans; Xie Tinglan need not worry about it.
“This minister obeys.”
Xie Tinglan nodded and placed the cannon back on the board. Helian Shaohua saw this and could not help sighing. “Have you heard anything about her?”
“No.”
A gray darkness fell across Xie Tinglan’s eyes. Her hidden agents had searched everywhere, yet found nothing. Was Ye Rui really safe? And where was she now?
“If she means to hide from you, then no matter how you search, you won’t find her.”
Although Helian Shaohua’s gaze remained on the book, her heart was on Xie Tinglan. “Tinglan, she’s that clever; she’ll surely find a way to protect herself. Don’t worry. Besides, that one doesn’t seem like someone who would hurt her just to take revenge on you.”
Xie Tinglan tightened her fingers. Thinking of Mu Xue’s face, anger flared in her chest again.
“Now that you’ve just detoxed, you need to recuperate. This palace believes we will surely find traces of her.”
After all, she was a child she had watched grow up; Helian Shaohua truly couldn’t bear to see her sink into despondency. From the perspective of the court, if Xie Tinglan let her guard slip even slightly here, she would be swallowed whole. She could not afford to fall.
“Mm. This minister will definitely find her.”
Xie Tinglan’s gaze deepened. Her fingertips gently traced the raised and sunken parts of the cannon piece, as if pondering something...
**
The Qingzhou military camp in winter was still full of vitality. Foot soldiers held long sabers and trained in neat formation; some were on patrol, others doing rough labor. Everyone had their duties; beneath the bitter cold wind, they still maintained proper order.
What was especially noteworthy was that this entire camp was made up of female soldiers, a very special troop in Qingzhou City known as the Phoenix Army.
Ye Rui and Lu Yihua were squatting in a corner of the camp. Their faces were a little grim, but their hands kept washing dishes nonstop. The inner energy they circulated warmed their hands; in winter, fingers were most likely to stiffen in water, and Ye Rui had never imagined her internal energy could be used this way.
Every day she cursed Mu Xue; every day she wanted to quit the army. But whenever she thought of the main quest Hu Tu had given her, she could only force herself to endure.
Become a squad leader within one month.
A squad leader? She couldn’t even walk out of this kitchen area right now; how was she supposed to become a squad leader?
Because they were new recruits, even though they had been personally sent here by Sun Zhong, they received no special treatment. They had to start from the lowest level at everything: chopping wood, lighting fires, cooking, washing dishes.
At first, Ye Rui had been responsible for cooking. But after the soldiers only ate for one day, the kitchen’s head cook forced her into the back to wash dishes.
Fine; so what if she had put in too much salt? Was that really enough to call her the Hell Chef? She just hadn’t known how much salt to use for so many people! Back then, when she cooked for Xie...
At that thought, Ye Rui’s hand froze over the dishes. Darkness again settled in her eyes, and only after a moment did she slowly resume moving.
“It’s too cold.”
Lu Yihua let out a cloudy breath and looked around. The few female soldiers washing dishes with them had already been unable to bear it and were holding their hands in front of their mouths and noses to warm them with their breath.
“What kind of task are they actually going to give us? Surely we can’t just keep washing dishes here.”
Lu Yihua had originally wanted to accomplish something great, but they had already been in the Phoenix Army camp for ten days. Aside from chopping wood, lighting fires, cooking, and washing dishes, they had done nothing else.
No, that wasn’t entirely true; they had done one thing. On the first three days, the fat girl in their squad had tried to put them in their place as new recruits by fighting them. In the end, of course, the fat girl lost, though both she and Lu Yihua were injured too.
Still, that private brawl hadn’t changed their fate of doing chores. It had only improved their relationship with the female soldiers in the same squad quite a bit; one could say they got to know each other through fighting.
Especially the fat girl who had started the trouble. Lu Yihua still didn’t know how she managed to sneak buns from the mess hall every single day. Every night, she would tear one bun into several pieces and share it among her sisters.
“Come on, it’s time to chop wood.”
Ye Rui finally finished washing the dishes. The moment she stood up, her lower back ached. These jobs really wore people down; no wonder Lin Aunt had always had medicinal plasters stuck to her back and waist.
Thinking of that, Ye Rui suddenly realized something and quickly shook her head, telling herself inwardly: I can’t keep thinking about the Xie residence. That’s all in the past now.
Every day after washing dishes at noon, Ye Rui would lead a few people to chop firewood. Because she had already demonstrated her martial skills when she first entered the camp, she was naturally highly regarded in this martial world–revering military camp. Even the squad leader looked at her differently, and she could also call on the older soldiers in her squad to go chop wood with her.
The Phoenix Army camp bordered Flaming Phoenix Forest, and the barbarian Crow Tribe also bordered Flaming Phoenix Forest. The two sides sparred across the forest. They often encountered each other in the woods before, and every meeting ended in a fight to the death, so chopping wood had become a dangerous task.
However, Ye Rui had been in the camp for ten days and still hadn’t run into the Crow Tribe.
It was said the Crow Tribe was the most adept among the barbarian peoples at fighting in forests; their ambush tactics and superior archery had caused the Phoenix Army no small number of losses.
Every time Ye Rui entered Flaming Phoenix Forest, she was especially cautious. A hunter’s instincts made her alert to everything in the woods, especially after, two days ago, she saw a few enormous footprints belonging to men in the area near the Phoenix Army camp.
The Crow Tribe was tall and broad, with large hands and feet, so their footprints were easy to recognize. After Ye Rui reported this to Li Xiaowei, the army set traps in that area and dispatched patrols at regular intervals.
To this day, no trace of the Crow people had appeared.
Flaming Phoenix Forest had many pine and fir trees. Since winter arrived, the leaves had fallen away, and the branches spread like ghost claws. Mist lingered between the trees; at a glance, it looked like countless skeletons draped in veils, preparing to dance, which was somewhat eerie.
Whether Ye Rui was lucky or unlucky was hard to say. After entering that area, she quickly sensed an ambush and led a few sisters to hide in a secluded spot.
Because they had been ambushed, the hiding place they were in couldn’t be exposed, so they couldn’t launch smoke signals for now.
The six of them were hidden behind a huge rock, and even now, thinking back to the ambush, they still felt lingering fear. They had originally been searching for dead wood when Ye Rui suddenly shouted, “There’s an ambush!”; then everyone reacted just as they did in training, forming pairs back-to-back and going on guard.
Sure enough, just as everyone had taken up back-to-back formation, arrows tore through the air from the forest. With warning already in place, they blocked the arrows with their weapons, then quickly retreated under Ye Rui’s direction.
There must have been at least several dozen arrows. They only had six people; Ye Rui naturally wouldn’t risk it. Relying on her familiarity with the forest, she quickly led the five others behind the giant rock and caught their breath.
“Heavens, those Crow people are really shameless. When I grow up, I’m going to flatten their whole tribe!”
Fatty Pang was a tall, sturdily built woman. Holding back the urge to draw her long saber, she ground out the words in a low voice, then turned to Ye Rui. “You always have the most ideas. Got any plan?”
Fatty Pang usually had the hottest temper and feared nothing. She was the sort who would fight whenever something happened; Ye Rui looked at her with that energy and felt that even alone she would still want to go out and brawl.
“Right now, it’s bad for any one of us to separate. We still need to send word to the people coming on patrol soon.”
The message couldn’t get out yet. If they couldn’t notify the sisters coming to patrol, then those sisters would also be caught in an ambush.
“Now, Lu Yihua and I will go trigger the traps first and wear them down a bit, drawing their attention. Feather, you run the fastest; after I and Lu Yihua trigger the traps, you head back to camp and send word.”
Little Feather’s name was Xiao Yu. She was thin, skilled in lightness kung fu, and excellent at carrying messages; she was clever and agile, so Ye Rui trusted her.
“Fatty Pang, you take the rest and head in the opposite direction from Little Feather to buy her time.”
After Ye Rui finished speaking, Fatty Pang immediately agreed. “Relax; I guarantee I’ll get it done!”
The six of them split up. Ye Rui and Lu Yihua used their familiarity with the terrain to take a remote path to the trap mechanism. Along the way, they found no Crow footprints, nor any trace that the enemy had tried to erase footprints; it seemed they had not tracked them to the giant rock.
Entering Crow territory once more, Ye Rui and Lu Yihua exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, cut the trigger rope. From afar came a rustling sound; then a net sprang up from the ground, trapping several tall figures inside. They chattered in some unknown language.
That was the Crow Tribe’s language; Ye Rui and Lu Yihua could understand one or two phrases. Since joining the camp, they had to learn a few Crow phrases every night, but by then everyone was already exhausted and sleepy, so their learning efficiency was naturally poor.
Even Ye Rui hadn’t learned much. At this point, she could only make out that they were shouting things like “Save me!” and “Hurry!”
Soon, several people ran out from behind tree trunks, hacking at the incredibly tough trap net with knives. Seeing an opening, Ye Rui immediately nocked an arrow, drew her bow, and shot at one of the men with a red cloth strip tied at his waist.
Whoosh—
The arrow pierced straight through the back of that man’s neck. He didn’t even have time to struggle before collapsing rigidly to the ground.
Ye Rui remembered what the squad leader had said: among Crow Tribe squads, the one with the red cloth tied at the waist was the captain. Capture the ringleader first; once the squad captain was dead, the Crow people would fall into complete disarray.
And that was exactly what happened. After the man fell, several others panicked and scrambled in confusion, drawing their sabers and shouting in chaos, while the men trapped in the net screamed even more miserably, sounding like pigs about to be slaughtered.
Though, that was an accurate description.
Ye Rui nocked and drew again, and with a few more whooshing shots, she killed the other men outside the trap. Lu Yihua heard more footsteps closing in; she immediately sent up the smoke signal, then fled the scene with Ye Rui, no longer lingering in battle.
At the same time, Xiao Yu had already found reinforcements. Seeing the smoke signal, she hurried toward Ye Rui’s direction.
Later, fierce combat broke out between the two sides. From the shadows, Ye Rui loosed several cold arrows and killed all those Crow squad captains. It was the first time she had truly experienced the cruelty of the battlefield. There was no room for pleading or retreat here; every strike was meant to take a life, and the snow-covered ground was quickly stained with patches of blood.
The battle ended quickly. The Crow Tribe suffered a crushing defeat; bodies lay everywhere, and they were all but annihilated. The Phoenix Army had not won such a satisfying victory in a long time.
Everyone saw Ye Rui’s archery and her calm, steady command in the face of danger, which was what kept the Phoenix Army’s casualties to a minimum. No one died; only more than a dozen were injured. On the way back, everyone kept praising Ye Rui and replaying the battle in their minds. It could only be described as exhilarating.
Ye Rui could be said to have made a name for herself in one battle. Fatty Pang even said that the few Crow people who fled in panic shouted that Ye Rui was a reincarnated Asura.
One had to know that among the barbarian tribes, there was only one person ever called an Asura: the Eldest Princess.
It was also on that day that Ye Rui finally learned the Eldest Princess’s name—Yan Xue.
Xue?
Fatty Pang beside her was still talking, but Ye Rui didn’t hear a single word.
No way. No... way?
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Author’s note: Little Ye is growing quickly!
[doge][doge]
TL Note:
the jianghu (江湖) = the roaming martial world of fighters, sects, and its own rules outside official society.
little poor ghost (小穷鬼) = a teasing way to call someone very broke.
Hell had no gate, yet he forced his way in (地狱无门他却闯进来) = an idiom for walking straight into disaster.