Chapter 89 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo couldn't discern anything from her appearance alone; in the art of divination, she was most skilled with the compass.

Gu Zhizhuo simply took out his compass. If anyone asked, he would say he was looking at the feng shui of the military camp.

The golden compass was only the size of her palm, and it felt exceptionally light in her hand. Gu Zhizhuo's long hair fell to her shoulders, and she gently manipulated the compass with her thumb. Her eyes, like clear springs, reflected the cause and effect of the world.

Gu Yican was still somewhat unaware of the reality of his younger sister's pursuit of Taoism. He watched her with great interest, while also paying attention to Jiang Zizhou's words: "The Five Armies Commander-in-Chief has embezzled more than just provisions, Your Highness. We only have 30,000 arrows left. That scoundrel Gong Hai is trying to control us. If we let that Sun guy give him leverage..."

"Brother."

Gu Zhizhuo placed the compass on his lap and spoke with a smile.

The moment the word "elder brother" was uttered, Gu Yican shuddered. His younger sister rarely addressed him so formally.

When should the July rations arrive?

"The fifth day of the seventh lunar month."

The fifth day of each season is the day for delivering grain and salaries; this batch should actually have been delivered on the fifth day of the fourth month.

"That's easy."

Gu Zhizhu clapped his hands and said, "We just happened to discover a small path leading to the northern suburbs today. If the July rations don't arrive on time, we'll just rob them. After a few robberies, I think the Five Military Commands will behave themselves."

"The Fifth Army Battalion is Gong Hai's 'own son,' and even the horses are fed top-quality alfalfa."

Hmm.

What a vicious young woman.

The group fell silent for a moment, but these words were surprisingly comforting.

Qi Fu, who was closest to Gu Zhizhuo, excitedly agreed repeatedly. He hooked his arm around Jiang Zizhou's shoulder: "Stop dawdling. We won't argue with them. Just treat us like easy targets. The young lady is right, if we rob him a few more times, he'll behave."

This young lady of theirs does things in a very wicked way, but it's also very satisfying.

Qi Fu excitedly cracked his knuckles, clearly eager to try it out.

"Young lady, what kind of 'trick' are you referring to?" Li Qing couldn't help but ask.

Gu Yican didn't understand his sister's intention, but that didn't stop him from responding to her in perfect harmony, saying, "It's a rather hidden path that we discovered by chance today, and we even went to walk it."

Gu Yican raised his hand to show them his sleeve, which was torn by thorns, and casually said, "My sister and I have been walking for a day. The path is wide enough for two people to ride side by side. These days, it's fine if the Five Armies Commandery behaves itself, but if they still want to use provisions to control this young master, ha."

Gu Yican made a nasal sound.

Huh? Gu Zhizhuo gently ran his fingertip across the compass's celestial pool, and the still magnetic needle began to spin again.

"Young Master, where is the path?" After some thought, Li Qing calmly replied, "This humble general believes we should go again and calculate the round trip distance. Since we're robbing grain, we can't afford to give anyone a handle to use against us."

Gu Yican interlaced his fingers and said casually, "I'll take you there in a couple of days. We can seize some grain; three to five hundred men should be enough."

"Young Master."

A soldier outside the tent reported, "Captain Sun said that the rule in the army is that the strong are respected. He admits that he is not as good as the young master, but the eldest young lady should not enter the army camp as a woman. Unless the eldest young lady is better than him, he will not accept it and will never leave the Thousand Machine Camp."

Gu Zhizhuo laughed. The man surnamed Sun didn't want to leave empty-handed, so he used her as a shield.

What's the point of comparing yourself to her, fortune telling or talisman drawing?

Of course, they could just throw the person out, but Gu Zhizhuo still got up with great interest.

Commandant Sun was a newcomer.

She was too.

Commandant Sun wanted to establish his authority.

Of course she is too!

Her surname is Gu, and she is respected by everyone in the army.

But only strength can earn her the respect and trust of the military.

Seeing that his sister was happy, Gu Yican didn't stop her and quickly got up to follow her out.

Qi Fu and the others lagged behind. Jiang Zizhou quietly asked, "...Qi Fu, how skilled is the eldest young lady?"

Skills?

Qi Fu thought about it and said it was hard to say.

In terms of skill, she is far superior to the average person, and when she needs to act, she never hesitates; her movements are light and agile, and even a seasoned martial artist would be no match for her. If there is any area she lacks, it might be strength.

The man surnamed Sun is quite strong, and I heard he's most skilled with a gun.

Gu Yican walked alongside him, and as their eyes met, he asked with a tacit understanding between them: "Have you figured it out yet?"

Gu Zhizhuo raised his eyes: That goes without saying!

She already knew who it was, and was at least 70-80% sure.

Stepping out of the tent, Gu Zhizhuo immediately spotted the disheveled Captain Sun, whose face was covered in red marks and whose armor bore footprints.

The Thousand Machines Camp has been under the control of the Gu family since the time of Emperor Taizu. It's not easy for an outsider to establish himself there. That's why Captain Sun used Gu Zhizhuo as a pretext. After all, Gu Yican had brought a woman into the military camp before, but he didn't expect Gu Yican to be so arrogant and willful. If he's driven away like this, even if he returns to the Five Armies Camp, he won't have a place to stand.

Captain Sun clasped his hands and said, “Young Master, you have said that in the army, the strong are respected. I believe that Miss Gu should not enjoy special privileges simply because she has the surname Gu. If I can defeat Miss Gu, I will be qualified to stay in the Thousand Machine Camp.”

Gu Zhizhuo was dressed in a flamboyant red riding outfit, wearing riding boots, and his eyebrows and eyes were full of heroic spirit.

Children of military families possess an innate, dashing and heroic air.

She smiled and asked, "What if Commander Sun loses?"

"This humble general will leave immediately."

“Then I’ll be at a huge disadvantage.” Gu Zhizhu crossed his arms and laughed. “Winning or losing won’t benefit me, so why should I accept the challenge?”

Captain Sun said firmly, "If the young lady wins, she can stay in this military camp."

Gu Zhizhuo chuckled and retorted, "Who's stopping me from staying?"

Captain Sun choked for a moment, and after a long pause, he could only say, "Miss Gu, are you perhaps afraid?"

"Provocation won't work on me," Gu Zhizhuo said slowly and deliberately. "Disarm."

Returning to his hometown after military service meant that he was officially discharged from the army.

Upon hearing this, Captain Sun felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water. He abruptly looked up and saw a smiling, rosy face.

Gu Yican didn't interrupt at all.

In the army, whether these soldiers obeyed because their sister's surname was Gu or because of respect made a completely different difference.

Lieutenant Sun pursed his lips, and after a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Fine!"

If he slunk back today, he will never be valued again. He might as well take a gamble.

He had been on the battlefield, killed the enemy, and made military achievements.

His military rank was indeed supported by his family and promoted by Admiral Gong, but it was also earned through his own hard work and dedication.

He refused to believe that he would be defeated by such a delicate young girl.

Captain Sun surveyed the training ground, his gaze shifting from the axe to the knife, then to the spear. As his eyes fell on the spear, he was about to speak when he suddenly felt a thorn in his back. The young master's gaze was sharp as a knife, reminding him of the kick that had just been placed on his throat.

"Running away".

Gu Yican made the final decision.

Galloping archery involves continuously shooting arrows at a target while riding a horse at full gallop. It does not involve any innate differences in strength between men and women; the outcome depends solely on horsemanship and archery skills.

Clearly, if he insisted on using his advantages to compete with Miss Gu in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, the young master Gu would absolutely not agree.

Captain Sun had no choice but to agree. He couldn't help but look at Gu Zhizhuo and saw that she had tied her long hair into a ponytail with a hair tie and was smiling as she asked the prince for a bow.

Picking up his bow, Gu Zhizhuo slightly lifted his eyelids and said nonchalantly, "Just now, Captain Sun stared at the swords and spears for a long time. Did he want to see some blood? If so, we don't need targets. We'll be each other's targets, three arrows in total, how about that?"

Captain Sun's expression froze for a moment; he wasn't surprised that she had seen through his thoughts.

To his surprise, Miss Gu actually had such courage!

The young master is indeed exceptionally skilled in martial arts, undefeated to this day, but Miss Gu has grown up secluded in her chambers. She's probably never even seen a dead body, let alone a battlefield. A duel? Would she dare? She probably thinks that with the young master present, he'll go easy on her.

Gu Yican clenched his fists nervously.

He had never been this nervous, not even when he was outnumbered and ambushed three thousand enemies with only two hundred men.

But it was my sister's suggestion, and I couldn't embarrass her.

Gu Yican nodded slowly, and Gu Zhizhuo mounted the jade lion, holding a bow in his left hand, and rode into the training ground first.

"Young Master." Qi Fu was a little nervous and wanted to suggest having archers wait, but Gu Yican didn't give the go-ahead. He looked at Gu Zhizhuo in the arena and raised his hand, saying, "Strike the drum."

My younger sister wants to establish her authority.

He then had his sister establish authority.

Thump!

The war drums sounded, their dense beats echoing throughout the military camp.

The rhythm of the military drum has different meanings. The one being played now is a call to assemble. Apart from the patrolling and on-duty soldiers, everyone else rushes out of their tents and to the drill ground upon hearing the drum.

From the sound of the drums to the complete assembly of the camp, no more than a hundred breaths passed. Footsteps came from all directions, and there was no other sound.

The strictness of the military regulations was quite shocking to Captain Sun.

The dull sound of war drums tensed his nerves, but now that things had come to this, he couldn't back down and could only brace himself and head into the training ground. Meanwhile, the rumored sheltered young lady, Miss Gu, remained calm and composed, as if she belonged there by birth.

The two men rode horses and stood facing each other at opposite ends of the training ground.

The war drums fell silent.

Everything fell silent.

Gu Yican stared intently at his younger sister, then raised his arm.

The war drums sounded again, three times in total, and the two men spurred their horses into a gallop. They needed to run towards each other simultaneously; they couldn't stop, retreat, or change direction.

Gu Zhizhuo nocked a long arrow onto the bowstring and drew it to its full draw. The arrow she used was black and was given to her by Gu Yican.

Whoosh!

Captain Sun was the first to release the bowstring, and the arrow flew towards Gu Zhizhuo's head with a whooshing sound, the sharp arrowhead reflecting the light of the setting sun.

Shameless! Qi Fu was so angry she gritted her teeth.

Captain Sun was a burly man with arms as strong as barrels. He used a two-stone bow, which had a much greater range than the young lady's five-dou bow. In other words, he could hit the young lady before she even entered her range. This was the difference in strength; unless a woman was extremely strong and trained diligently, it was very difficult for her to use a bow with an arrow weighing more than one stone.

“That kid is cunning,” Jiang Zizhou said. “He just tried to fight the young lady with swords and spears; he’s shameless.”

Qi Fu's heart leaped into his throat. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he slapped Jiang Zizhou's shoulder, exclaiming with delight, "Quick, quick, look!! Look, look! Young lady's archery skills are absolutely amazing!"

On the training ground, two arrows fell to the ground. Gu Zhizhuo's first arrow was aimed at the opponent's arrow, and Captain Sun missed. Almost instantly, the second arrow was shot over again.

Gu Zhizhuo, just like before, once again missed with his arrow.

Two arrows failed to hit their mark, but Captain Sun didn't care at all.

He only had one arrow left, and so did Miss Gu. Even if the third arrow was the same, then it would be a draw.

I'm not ashamed of myself.

As a woman, Miss Gu was ultimately inadequate. As long as he remained within her firing range, she couldn't do anything to him.

No matter how good her archery skills were, the arrows could never reach her.

If it's a shooting contest, it's hard to say who has the better shot.

But in a shooting contest, I'm sure I'll win!

Commander Sun solemnly nocked the last arrow onto the bowstring and aimed it at Gu Zhizhuo.

Both involve pulling and releasing the string.

The bowstring snapped at his fingertips, and the arrow shot out with a sharp whistling sound.

The sound of drums resounded.

Captain Sun laughed heartily; he had won.

But the next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted. The arrow he had shot was flying towards him at an incredibly unexpected angle, the arrow getting closer and closer in his pupils, heading towards his head and face, which were not covered by armor.

He loosened the reins and placed his hands on his forehead.

Whoosh!

The arrow pierced his palm, and the lingering force threw him off his galloping horse.

Captain Sun looked on in disbelief.

He lost!

He actually lost!

Knock knock knock!

The war drums beat even more fiercely and intensely.

Gu Zhizhuo drew his longbow, and the jade lion strode across the training ground. Accompanied by the sound of drums, it shook its mane and proudly raised its long, slender neck.

Cheers and screams erupted from all around the training ground.

"Hey, did you see it clearly?" Qi Fu asked. "Speak, speak, speak!"

Qi Fu was busy cursing the despicable Sun kid and wishing him to fall off his horse, so he lost focus for a moment, and Sun really did fall off his horse.

Jiang Zizhou glanced at him and said in a low voice, "The eldest young lady's third arrow missed the arrow of the man surnamed Sun. The man surnamed Sun was hit by the arrow he shot himself."

By the third arrow, the two were quite close. The young woman calculated the angle perfectly, and when she shot this arrow, she not only deflected Sun's arrow but also added extra force, causing that arrow to shoot towards Captain Sun.

Sitting on horseback, Gu Zhizhuo's black hair was tied up, his long eyebrows reached his temples, and his eyes and brows were sharp and heroic.

After pacing her horse a few steps, she suddenly pulled on the reins and galloped towards the weapon rack at the edge of the training ground. Gu Zhizhuo raised her hand and picked up two red-tasseled spears, the red tassels on the spearheads fluttering in the wind like flames.

When she returned, she threw one of them in front of Captain Sun, and the red tassel swept across his face.

Gu Zhizhuo held a long spear, his eyes piercing. The tip of the red-tasseled spear pointed at him, gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

Captain Sun stared at his reflection in the tip of the spear, looking disheveled and utterly wretched.

"Lieutenant Sun just wanted to have a spear duel with me?"

"Grab the gun."

Captain Sun's breathing quickened as he met a pair of sharp, phoenix-like eyes, their gaze burning like flames. She looked down at him, her pride and arrogance like her shadow enveloping him. Suddenly, his palms, pierced by arrows, throbbed with intense pain. In that instant, all his fighting spirit vanished.

He lowered his head, his face full of dejection, and said with difficulty, "This humble general... admits defeat."

The soldiers around them raised their arms and waved.

"Young lady! Young lady!"

Several soldiers who had gone to Xiliang with Gu Zhizhuo were also mixed in, and they boasted to their comrades, "You don't believe me when I tell you, but our young lady is amazing. When we were in the Western Frontier, she could take down one of them with a single punch and make those barbarians beg for mercy with their hands on their heads."

You guys always say something different, of course I won't believe you. His comrades muttered amongst themselves, but that didn't stop him from yelling and screaming.

With a casual gesture, Gu Zhizhuo silenced the training ground, leaving only the sound of war drums. Each drumbeat resonated deeply, stirring the hearts of the people.

A soft laugh escaped her lips as she curved them into a smile: "Captain Sun, don't forget to disarm."

She spurred her horse, and the Jade Lion galloped towards Gu Yican like lightning. Gu Yican was waiting for her, and offered her his arm for a boost. Gu Zhizhuo leaped off the horse with a swift and graceful movement.

Only Captain Sun lay motionless on the ground.

As the war drums ceased, thunderous cheers erupted once again from all around.

In the military, strength is paramount.

With three arrows and a spear, the soldiers' eyes shone brightly. Their pupils reflected the young woman, not the "younger sister" who looked very much like the prince!

"A young lady like you can use a gun?" Qi Fu asked, her eyes burning with interest.

A note from the author: