Chapter 115: This Slash Is the Price of Your Subordination Insulting the Superior

Chapter 115: The Price for Your Sins Below

At the same time, far away in the southern reaches of Shu Zhou Prefecture,

Within a dense forest.

The surrounding trees within a hundred li had been cleared completely. Some stumps remained, others were uprooted entirely, their roots left exposed, the earth leveled smooth.

Around the perimeter, bonfires flickered, casting light upon the scene.

On this cleared expanse, dozens of temporary wooden huts stood arranged in orderly rows.

On the outer wooden fences, the banners of the Xiao family flew alongside the carved wolf heads of the Wu Meng Mountain tribe.

Several guards in black armor patrolled the perimeter.

It was deep into the night, yet Xiao Jinghong had not yet rested.

She bent over the desk, attending to various official matters, her eyes calm and steady beneath the half-mask, her wolf-hair brush moving swiftly across the paper, writing characters with precision.

Not slow in the least.

These days, she spent her nights handling affairs related to the market surveys and design documents, managing the affairs of Ding Yuan Army.

Fortunately, Su Zhimeng had helped, organizing everything according to urgency, allowing her to attend to both matters.

Otherwise, if these official documents were delayed by even a few days, it would bring trouble both to the market and to the Ding Yuan Army.

After busy half an hour, Xiao Jinghong finished all the official papers, checked them once more to ensure nothing was overlooked, then rose and said:

"Zhimeng."

Outside, Su Zhimeng, who had been bent over writing something, heard the sound and hurried over.

Xiao Jinghong pointed to the four stacks of documents on the table and ordered:

"These four matters concern the harvest season. Give them to Yan Hong, make sure he delivers them to the military governor's office by tonight."

"The matters concerning the new troops training at Xuanjia, Tiebi, and Canglang—send word by pigeon, tell them not to let their guard down. I'll check them again once I'm done here..."

Su Zhimeng took note of everything, lifted the documents, and rushed out.

After she left,

Xiao Jinghong sat down at the desk, took a hard, cold pastry, and ate it slowly with tea.

Though her gaze remained calm, some thoughts still piled up in her mind.

Mostly concerns about the market construction with the mountain tribe, some about the Ding Yuan Army, and the rest were about the Xiao family.

Now that the market's location had been decided, and the contract with the mountain tribe was finalized, once the blueprints were ready, they could begin construction with all due haste.

With the combined strength of the Ding Yuan Army and the mountain tribe, they would soon bring prosperity to all regions of Shu Zhou, and even the prosperous Jiangnan Fu and Kyoto Fu of the Wei Dynasty.

At that time, the Ding Yuan Army would no longer have to worry about money and supplies.

As for the Xiao family...

Xiao Jinghong placed the last piece of pastry into her mouth, chewed slowly, then withdrew two letters from her sleeve.

One was signed "Chen Yi," the other "Chen Qingzhou."

She laid the two letters open on the table. The one on the left was the first letter from Chen Yi, containing a poem titled "Summer Night Thoughts."

The one on the right was one she had received a few days prior.

It, too, contained a poem, titled "Summer Night Second Thoughts."

"Last night's stars and last night's wind,

East of the painted tower's courtyard, west of the fragrant hall.

Though I have no phoenix to fly with,

My heart has a thought, a single point of light."

Xiao Wanyu looked at the glowing characters of "Summer Night Second Thoughts," and her weary spirit in recent days eased somewhat.

Though she found the casual naming by Chen Yi a bit amusing.

"Since there are two thoughts, why not call the first one 'First Thought'?"

"Probably because my husband was too lazy to think of a new name."

Xiao Jinghong guessed correctly—Chen Yi had indeed been too lazy to come up with a new title when writing the poem.

Though she guessed it, she didn't let it bother her.

"Regardless, this poem's ambiance is truly beautiful."

"A single point of light in the heart..."

Xiao Jinghong sighed softly. Her thoughts now lay focused on the Ding Yuan Army, while her heart...

At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted, her eyes turning cold as she looked toward the wooden huts outside.

"You've come three times now. What is it?"

Though her voice was soft and did not disturb the others' rest within the camp, it carried ten miles, reaching a wandering swordsman's ears.

It was none other than "Blade Demon" Liu Lang.

At that moment, he gazed at the distant fires of the camp, his expression not as casual as when he was in Shu Zhou Prefecture, but grave and serious.

"General Xiao, your esteem is deeply appreciated."

Liu Lang spoke earnestly: "Liu has come three times, but until just now, I had not yet made up my mind."

In fact, five days ago, Liu Lang had found Xiao Jinghong.

He had intended to challenge her directly.

But when he first saw Xiao Jinghong, only catching sight of those calm, still eyes like a ancient well, he had been terrified.

In his heart, a voice kept echoing—Do not lay a hand on her!

You will die!

You will certainly die!

Liu Lang believed this with all his heart.

He trusted his intuition, this secret of his roaming the northern deserts.

So on that first occasion, he said nothing and left directly.

But after two days of hard contemplation, Liu Lang could not bear the thought of not showing his blade, so he left.

Then came the second time.

He merely glanced once more.

Still, his entire body trembled with terror. Liu Lang had no choice but to leave again.

Until this moment.

When Xiao Jinghong inquired, Liu Lang could no longer suppress his fear.

It made him feel rather ridiculous.

His name was "Blade Demon," yet when he encountered a match he could not overcome, even his blade trembled.

Liu Lang thought, clenched his teeth, and continued: "General Xiao, may I... challenge you?"

The matter of the challenge...

No matter how hard he tried,

[The text ends abruptly here, as the original Chinese text does.]

The last three characters felt like a mountain pressing down on his body, making it impossible for him to speak.

At that moment, Xiao Jinghong’s voice echoed around him: "You dare challenge me?"

Liu Lang’s spirit loosened slightly, and he hurriedly nodded in agreement.

But the outcome left him disheveled—his body refused to let him nod, silencing his words.

A long silence followed.

Liu Lang was about to retreat when a figure appeared before him.

It was Xiao Jinghong, dressed in snow-white robes, her face masked.

Liu Lang froze, "You... you..."

Xiao Jinghong stood atop the tree branch, her hands neither gripping a sword nor holding a spear, calmly gazing at Liu Lang.

She studied him from head to toe, then spoke faintly: "I’ll give you a chance. Draw your blade."

Liu Lang opened his mouth: "I, I..."

His hand slowly reached toward his waist, moving as slowly as an elderly man.

Yet veins stood out on his palm, his internal energy surging wildly, yearning to gather strength.

Unwittingly, his goal shifted from challenging Xiao Jinghong to drawing a blade.

One strike, and it would be done!

Liu Lang clenched his fists, his face twisted in a look of manic fury, roaring wildly:

"Ah!!"

His hand finally grasped the hilt, and he withdrew it with a sudden force.

A single strike, concentrating all his lifelong learning, pouring all his strength into it, was finally unleashed—

A blade flash streaked out, soaring a hundred feet.

The blade’s light was like moonlight, illuminating the surrounding forest.

The bark of the trees on the branches, the tender green leaves—all were clearly visible.

Where the blade passed, nothing remained undivided, all split in two.

But in the next instant—

"Click!"

A sharp sound rang out.

Xiao Jinghong pressed two fingers against the long blade, easily breaking it and pinning it between her fingers.

"Only this?"

"I..."

Before Liu Lang could finish his sentence, Xiao Jinghong flicked her fingers, the broken blade slicing across his chest and abdomen, sinking into the soil below.

In an instant, the forest fell silent, as if the wind and rain had ceased.

No wind, no rain, no sound.

Xiao Jinghong glanced at him and calmly said: "This strike is your offense against me."

"Get lost."

After speaking, Xiao Jinghong turned and walked back to the camp.

She was a general of Wei, not some wandering warrior.

If not for Liu Lang interrupting her thoughts, she wouldn’t have drawn that blade.

"Wait, wait..."

At that moment, Liu Lang seemed to regain his senses. He looked at the broken blade on the ground, then at the blood seeping from his chest, and spoke:

"You... you didn’t kill me?"

"I... I was robbed by you, Xiao family’s medicinal herbs..."

Xiao Jinghong paused in her steps.

After a moment of silence, she said without looking back: "When you meet my master next time, ask him to say hello."

"Master?!"

Liu Lang seemed to think of something, his eyes widening: "Y-you..."

Xiao Jinghong didn’t give him another glance, vanishing into the distance.

Liu Lang opened his mouth but said nothing more, standing there, watching the tree branch, his chest bleeding profusely.

As raindrops fell in the forest, they pattered loudly, and the mountain winds howled.

He stood there for a long time.

Liu Lang’s gaze fell on the distant camp, and he suddenly shouted:

"General Jinghong, this debt of my blade, I will repay in the future!"

"And the one who robbed me of Xiao family’s medicinal herbs—is the Liu family of Jingzhou!"

"They are about to attack Xiao family’s medicinal hall soon!"

In the distance, a voice replied with three words: "Understood..."

(End of chapter)