Chapter 11 The True Woman Who Slays Dragons Never Looks Back at an Explosion
You Mingjiang and Lu Xiaojia exchanged a glance.
She quickly put the oil lamp aside and immediately grabbed the broadsword beside her.
Lu Xiaojia also forced herself to sit up.
Every movement aggravated his wounds, but he paid no heed, gripping the sheathless sword. The blade trembled slightly, reflecting a chilling light.
Hai Si's father woke up with a start, rubbing his eyes and muttering, "What's going on?"
You Mingjiang raised a finger, making a shushing gesture.
Hai Si Die suddenly came to his senses, grabbed his broadsword, and quickly walked to the two men, looking at the temple gate with a worried expression.
The children were terrified and hid under the altar. Hai Hongzhu clung tightly to Tie Pinggu, while Gao Jiping protected Ye Xiang, their eyes filled with fear.
Without the slightest hesitation, You Mingjiang quickly took out the remaining broadsword from the bamboo medicine basket.
With practiced ease, she assembled the broadswords and handed them to the children one by one, gently instructing them, "Hold them tight."
In this life-or-death moment, even the weakest force, as long as it holds a sharp blade, can make the enemy wary.
Seeing You Mingjiang take out several broadswords from the medicine basket one after another, Lu Xiaojia's eyes flashed with surprise, but in the end she did not ask any more questions.
In the world of martial arts, everyone has their own secrets.
Secrets are the key to survival.
You Mingjiang approached the temple gate and shouted, "Who's outside?"
Cries and wails came from outside the temple gate: "We are villagers from the foot of the mountain, being chased by bandits! Please save us!"
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You Mingjiang frowned and decided to open the door.
Just as she was about to open the door, Lu Xiaojia reached out and pressed her hand down, whispering, "Be careful of the farmer and the snake."
She pursed her lips, offering no response, but instead took out a tiger-shaped wooden stool from the medicine basket and gently shook it with a clattering sound.
She turned to look at Lu Xiaojia, her eyes leaving no room for doubt.
From the very beginning of his life, itinerant doctors have been traveling among the poor, bringing them hope for life.
You Mingjiang would not betray his mission as a traveling doctor.
Lu Xiaojia understood her gaze and slowly released her hand.
You Mingjiang took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and raised his hand to lift the door latch.
With a creak, the heavy temple door slowly opened, and a group of villagers covered in mud and blood rushed in, trembling as they gathered in the mountain god temple.
Even on a rainy night, the blazing fire below the mountain could still be seen through the rain curtain, and thick smoke carrying the smell of burning filled the air.
As soon as the last person entered, You Mingjiang immediately lowered the bolt.
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You Mingjiang quickly glanced around and estimated there were about twenty-five people. The small mountain god temple was instantly packed with people.
These villagers were all like frightened birds.
Some of them had disheveled hair, some had missing limbs, and some were children who had lost their parents, their little hands being held tightly by other villagers.
When they saw the tiger-shaped brace in You Mingjiang's hand, their expressions calmed down a little. Then, suppressed sobs rang out in the temple.
Yu Mingjiang's eyes stung as she asked, "What happened?"
A middle-aged man, who looked like a private tutor, cried as he said, "The bandits slaughtered the entire village as soon as they entered, searching every house, stabbing anyone they saw, and burning down houses if they couldn't find anyone... The elderly in the village couldn't run away, and..."
"Who are these bandits?" You Mingjiang pressed.
"I don't know..."
The private tutor tried hard to recall: "They seemed to have said something about 'a flying dragon in the sky,' and something about 'two dragon heads'..."
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You Mingjiang's face turned deathly pale, and she clenched her fists tightly.
Green Dragon Society!
Every word the private tutor spoke was like a heavy hammer, relentlessly striking her conscience.
Could it really be that my existence brought such a devastating disaster upon these innocent villagers?
Countless memories of the Azure Dragon Society flashed through You Mingjiang's mind. She knew the Azure Dragon Society's methods all too well; they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. If they had really set their sights on her, they might very well have used such cruel methods to force her to show herself.
What's done in the martial world is done in the martial world! What kind of outlaws slaughter civilians?
She gritted her teeth, wishing she could find the murderers immediately and tear them to pieces!
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The entire mountain god temple was in chaos.
Lu Xiaojia gave the prayer mat to an old man with a broken leg.
The old man's face was ashen, and even when You Mingjiang fed him acetaminophen tablets, it did not relieve his pain.
Lu Xiaojia silently wiped the unsheathed sword.
The bandits will take a headcount and will come up the mountain no later than the next morning.
It might be a fierce battle.
Eighteen years ago, Bai Tianyu and his family were also ambushed and killed in the Plum Blossom Temple.
Eighteen years later, Lu Xiaojia also experienced this feeling.
Fate, oh fate.
He stared at the sword in his hand and suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
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Hai Hongzhu supported the weak Tie Pinggu, Gao Jiping carried the unconscious Ye Xiang on her back, and several children crowded around Hai Sidie's legs.
The young woman was holding a tiny baby whose face was blue from the cold and who could no longer cry.
You Mingjiang took the swaddling clothes and gently coaxed the baby, but the tiny infant never opened its eyes again.
It's the sixth month of the lunar calendar, so why are this child's little hands so cold?
With a blank expression, she hugged the swaddled baby tightly in her arms, and after a long while, she returned the cold little body to the heartbroken mother.
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Upon discovering that these villagers were all showing signs of fever, You Mingjiang asked Hai Si's father to cook a large pot of gypsum and rice soup.
This herbal decoction is very effective in relieving high fever.
In the hidden compartment of her bamboo medicine basket, she stored seven or eight buckets of clean well water, which she had been relying on to sustain her water supply for the past few days. Originally, she was in a hurry to set off because of the limited water source, but faced with these wounded people, she couldn't worry about that anymore.
For those who could move around on their own, You Mingjiang let them drink the soup themselves; for those in serious condition, the children had to help feed them the medicine.
Inside the mountain god temple, cries of agony and weeping filled the air, creating utter chaos. Looking at this horrific scene, You Mingjiang looked up at the armored statue of the mountain god and suddenly burst into laughter.
This damned, cannibalistic world of martial arts!
She wanted nothing more than to smash everything to pieces!
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, You Mingjiang suddenly rushed forward, picked up the ceramic bowl containing four or five slices of cured meat, grabbed the cold, hard cured meat that had already congealed with white fat, and stuffed it haphazardly into his mouth, making his cheeks bulge.
Then, she wiped her mouth and smashed the rough earthenware bowl on the ground with a loud "crack," the bowl shattering and flying porcelain.
"Go to hell!" Her eyes were bloodshot. She slammed her broadsword into the ground, gripped the tiger-shaped brace, and turned to walk out of the temple.
Where are you going?
Lu Xiaojia clutched her shoulder and asked with a frown.
"Looking for someone," You Mingjiang replied briefly.
Upon hearing this, the villagers tried to dissuade him: "You'll die! There are so many of them, going now is just suicide..."
Hai Hongzhu hugged her waist and cried, trying to stop her from going.
You Mingjiang ignored them all.
She wasn't going to die; she was going to find those who deserved to die.
"What, as if I'm never coming back?" She forced a smile and pushed everyone aside one by one.
Turning to look at Lu Xiaojia, he said, "I'll be back at dawn. Don't worry, I'll have to come back to collect my payment."
After saying that, she strode out of the temple and stepped into the rainy night. Her figure quickly disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the clattering sound of the tiger-shaped canopy echoing in the wind and rain.
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Below Jingyang Ridge.
The tiger-shaped support in his hand rattled loudly, clearly audible amidst the pattering rain.
Yu Mingjiang waded through knee-deep mud and water, step by step, until he reached the village at the foot of the mountain.
The village was quiet.
The massacre appears to have stopped.
The rain failed to extinguish the burning house; thick smoke billowed out, and the acrid smell of burning filled the air.
The charred corpses lay scattered across the ruins, and rainwater mixed with blood washed over them, forming streaks of blackish-red water, like tears of blood falling from the sky.
You Mingjiang stopped in front of the headless corpse of an old woman.
The old woman's head was neatly severed, and blood was still slowly flowing from the broken neck, seeping into the cold earth.
The head hadn't rolled far, but the murderer had arranged it so that the hands were cupping the head, and the look of terror on the face was clearly visible, with the eyes wide open, dying with unseeing eyes.
This group of people were ruthless and showed no mercy.
You Mingjiang squatted down, gently closed the old woman's eyes, put her head back on her neck, and then found some clothes scattered in the mud and water from the charred ruins and covered the old woman's face with them.
She murmured, "Rest in peace, old man. I will bear the karmic consequences of my killings and prevent further evil deeds."
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Tang Ye is an assassin from a branch of the Azure Dragon Society.
This time, the branch headquarters in various places received orders from the Second Dragon Head to select a group of the best assassins.
The best assassins don't necessarily need to be highly skilled in martial arts, but they must be ruthless and capable of carrying out cruel acts.
Supported by this awareness, Yu Ye killed as many people as there were chestnuts in Grandma Bear's basket.
The mission is to intercept and kill Dongfang Bai, the deputy leader of the Fenglei Hall at Blackwood Cliff.
I've heard that this person is a very famous figure who has made a name for himself on Blackwood Cliff over the years thanks to his wisdom and martial arts skills.
Both the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Azure Dragon Society were repeatedly hampered by his schemes.
The two dragon leaders demanded that he be eliminated.
So many people were sacrificed, one after another, but the results were not significant. Fortunately, accompanying Dongfang Bai was Tong Baixiong, an elder of the Fenglei Hall with a higher status. After being subjected to a series of attacks, Tong Baixiong was weakened, and judging from the bloodstains, he was hiding in this village. In order not to alert him, the Qinglong Society directly surrounded and massacred the entire village, and then searched each house one by one.
To prevent them from hiding in the walls or cellars of the house, Yuno and his companions are burning the house separately.
Setting fire to a house on a rainy day requires some experience in arson.
Tang Ye lazily picked up his sword, leaving the seven corpses of the family lying in a pool of blood, and then turned around and poured tung oil into the house.
He hummed a little tune and slowly lit the flammable materials in the house. The fire wasn't very fierce, so he took off the blood-stained clothes from the corpse to help it burn.
Just then, a rustling sound came from afar.
Yuno was startled.
His eyes snapped toward the source of the sound.
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The newcomer, dressed in a blood-stained short jacket, carrying a tiger-shaped saddlebag and a bamboo medicine basket on his back, walked towards Tang Ye.
Lightning flashed through the dark clouds, its blinding brilliance obscuring the face of the approaching figure.
He seemed like a traveling doctor, yet not quite an ordinary one.
Tang Ye frowned, feeling inexplicably nervous.
He only ever felt this suffocating sense of oppression when he encountered important figures in the Azure Dragon Society.
The person approached step by step, their straw sandals crunching on the charred ruins.
Tang Ye's heart leaped into his throat. He gripped the sword in his hand tightly and couldn't help but give the code: "Azure Dragon in the North."
The man's voice was clear and crisp: "A convergence of events."
It turned out to be brothers from the north who had come to provide support. However, Tang Ye did not immediately lower his guard. He narrowed his eyes, looked the newcomer up and down, and asked, "Tian Qing Zai Shui?"
The person who approached was only a few steps away from him: "Flying Dragon in the Sky."
Tang Ye remained doubtful and asked, "Who is the Grand Dragon Leader of the Headquarters?"
His gaze was fixed on the newcomer, trying to find a flaw.
The newcomer arrogantly said, "Who do you think you are, daring to pry into the Great Dragon Head's privacy?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..." Tang Ye smiled awkwardly. Hearing this answer, his doubts lessened a bit. Just as he was about to step forward to greet him, a bolt of lightning suddenly illuminated the surroundings.
Upon seeing the face of the person before him, Tang Ye was startled and frantically tried to slash at the attacker with his sword. However, the opponent was faster, easily dodging the attack with a flash, and closing in like a ghost, grabbing Tang Ye's wrist with his tiger-shaped brace and twisting it forcefully!
With a "crack," the arm bone broke, and the sword in Tang Ye's hand fell to the ground.
Tang Ye screamed repeatedly, but the newcomer did not pause at all. He kicked Tang Ye in the stomach, sending the short and stout man flying against the screen wall.
Yuno fell to the ground, and after realizing what had happened, she tried to run away in terror.
The newcomer caught up in a few steps, kicked him to the ground again, then stepped on him, pressing the tiger-shaped brace against his throat, making Tang Ye almost suffocate.
This tiger-shaped brace was originally a symbol of saving lives and healing the wounded, but in this man's hands it has become a murder weapon.
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"You are...you are You..."
Yuno, who was being trampled underfoot, stared wide-eyed at the doctor in front of him.
"You are not worthy to call my name!" The tiger-shaped cane slammed heavily into his mouth, smashing all his teeth.
You Mingjiang stroked the tiger-shaped brace, a slight smile playing on his lips: "If you die by my hand, your life will not have been in vain!"
After saying that, he slammed the tiger-shaped sledgehammer into Tang Ye's head again. With a muffled "thud," Tang Ye's head immediately splattered like a ripe watermelon, with red and white fluids everywhere!
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The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the raindrops stung my face.
The house was still burning fiercely, and the fire was fueled by the wind and rain, making it burn even more intensely.
You Mingjiang bent down and looted all the tinder, tung oil, gunpowder, and thunderbolts from Tang Ye's body.
These are all good stuff that the Azure Dragon Society bought from the Thunderbolt Hall, which saved her a lot of trouble.
She glanced at Tang Ye and murmured, "Don't worry, I'll reunite you in the underworld soon."
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The old village chief's house is at the west end of the village.
The village chief's family's bodies were thrown into the cellar, where four or five assassins from the Green Dragon Society were resting.
Outside, houses were burning down, and they were also cooking a pot of fish soup, which was bubbling and gurgling.
The main force had already withdrawn, leaving only these few to clean up the mess.
Every assassin was smiling broadly.
Besides burning, killing, and massacring villages, plundering enough valuable treasures was also a major achievement worth boasting about. This wasn't the first time they'd done something like this; they were quite adept at it.
I'm quite satisfied with what I've gained this time.
Especially Ding Gan.
Ding Gan was a veteran of the Azure Dragon Society's July 15th branch, having worked as an assassin for ten years. He had a sharp eye for valuables. The new recruits from the Eagle Claw team flattered him profusely, which pleased him.
Just as he was beaming with joy, he suddenly heard a familiar ringing of a bell.
"Clatter, clatter—"
When he saw the young itinerant doctor suddenly appear outside the door, his face looked worse than if he had seen a ghost.
Simply because he recognized the person in front of him.
A traitor to the Azure Dragon Society, formerly known as the "Phoenix," the leader of the Yazhou branch, and the Azure Dragon Society's number one monstrous healer—
You Mingjiang!
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Meeting You Mingjiang's icy gaze, Ding Gan's face turned ashen, and he stood up in disbelief.
He muttered to himself, "She's still alive?!"
You Mingjiang walked in step by step.
The tiger-shaped support in her hand was still dripping blood.
The assassins who didn't know her looked at her with surprise, as if they had seen a fish from a pot walk onto the dining table.
You Mingjiang looked around.
She walked up to the large pot of soup with a smile, and in full view of everyone, kicked the pot of fish soup over.
The scalding soup splashed out, scalding the group of assassins sitting around the pot, who jumped up with a "whoop".
In the blink of an eye, all the assassins, their eyes gleaming with malice, surrounded her.
He noticed the blood-stained tiger-shaped braid in her hand, and his throat went dry as he wondered: Whose blood is this?
You Mingjiang saw through his thoughts and smiled faintly: "This is Tang Ye's blood."
Ding Gan swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "You know, we're just following orders..."
You Mingjiang shook his tiger-shaped brace and nodded: "I know. It's just a pity... that's how you think, but others may not."
She remained expressionless, her eyes coldly sweeping over several former members of the Eagle Claw team.
Ding Gan followed her and looked over.
Even if all the newly joined assassins were combined, their martial arts skills wouldn't match his.
With a thought, he suddenly unleashed his pair of curved blades! Two gleaming blades flashed, and before the former Eagle Claw team members could react, their heads had already fallen to the ground!
Ding Gan was a seasoned killer. He was ruthless and merciless, cutting people down like vegetables. The victims didn't even have time to scream.
After silencing the witnesses, Ding Gan knelt down on one knee.
He looked up at her in a panic, his deathly gray eyes pleading, "Chief You, I have already killed all these people. Please, for my sake, spare my life."
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You Mingjiang smiled.
She slowly tightened her grip on the tiger-shaped brace, her eyes filled with a bone-chilling coldness.
Ding Gan must have been just as ruthless when he killed the villagers, right?
The villagers here must have begged him to spare their lives, right?
She gently stroked her tiger-shaped brace and said softly, "Alright, I'll let you go since you've been so obedient."
Ding Gan was overjoyed.
He had heard that You Mingjiang always kept his word, and since he was being allowed to leave, he wouldn't make things difficult for him.
He got up and hurriedly prepared to leave.
"Wait! I said... if you behave, I'll let you go," You Mingjiang said calmly.
Ding Gan stopped in his tracks, assuming that You Mingjiang still wanted to extract some information from him and had already quickly prepared his answer.
He rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile on his face, and turned around: "Chief You, is there anything else you need?"
"Pfft!" The last thing Ding Gan saw was the tiger-shaped brace coming down on his head.
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Yu Mingjiang looked disgusted, flicked the blood off his tiger-shaped brace, and said coldly, "Chief Yu? I hate it when people call me that!"
Ding Gan had violated her biggest taboo, so naturally he wasn't obedient enough. Since he wasn't obedient enough, how could she let him go?
She bent down and rubbed the red and white stains on the tiger-shaped prop onto Ding Gan's clothes, who was still staring blankly in death.
Then, she piled up gunpowder, tung oil, and thunderbolts around the corpses of the assassins.
After doing all this, she retreated outside and looked at the corpses lying scattered about. You Mingjiang gently blew on the tinderbox in her hand.
The firelight illuminated the hatred in her eyes.
"...molten copper poured into your mouths, hot iron wrapped around your bodies, steel forks piercing your chests ten thousand times, may you descend to the deepest hell never to be reborn! Only then will you be worthy of the heinous sins you have committed!"
With a flick of her wrist, she threw the tinderbox in.
With a deafening roar, it was as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split open.
The explosion sent flames soaring into the sky, and the scorching blast wave kicked up countless pieces of debris, which flew everywhere with a crackling sound.
Ignoring the pebbles brushing against her cheeks and the gusts of air whipping her hair, You Mingjiang swung her tiger-shaped brace and walked forward without looking back.
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A note from the author:
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[Good Luck Lotus] Tang Ye, Ding Gan, Eagle Claw Team: Assassins from the July 15th branch of the Azure Dragon Society. Tang Ye is suspected to be a Japanese pirate or ronin, and his weapon is a four-foot-three-inch-long sword.
[Good Luck Lotus] Second Dragon Head: Fang Longxiang.
[Purple Heart] You Mingjiang: [Angry] Come on, get a tattoo of the Three Altars Sea Meeting God Nezha, the Third Prince, on my back!
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