"Da Ni'er! Come here!"
The dark-skinned girl arrived at the sound of the alarm, riding her horse over the encirclement. Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, the girl continued speaking to her.
"Cut off his head."
Ya Lanyu tried to resist, but Huo Xiaolong's broadsword held her firmly in place, preventing her from moving. Then, the red-armored girl continued to speak.
"Chop properly, don't get blood all over my face."
"Yalanqing, I am your second brother!" The second prince turned and called out to Dani'er.
The man looked terrified; in this situation, his life was in the hands of the dark-skinned girl.
“Killing him won’t stop these people from obeying and surrendering; only you can.”
"Da Ni'er!" Huo Xiaolong called out again.
She was afraid she would be soft-hearted, but Wang Dani'er frowned and said...
"I know, I know. I'm thinking about how to cut you without splattering blood all over your face. You're such a pain."
"It's alright, Second Brother. You won't be alone down there. Fourth Brother is already there. You two should be able to meet, since you both died at my hands. I've already sent your concubine down with me."
"You're the same, insisting on having your concubine beat me up."
"She doesn't even know what she's capable of."
With a swift movement, the dark-skinned girl's armor was covered in blood. In that instant, Huo Xiaolong turned his head, and only a few drops of blood splattered onto her.
Da Nier took the jade pendant off his chest and put it around her neck, which made her friends look at her with a bit of disdain.
“You need to change this habit. Stop taking things from the dead and putting them on yourself. I’ll tell your mother, and she can talk to you about it,” Huo Xiaolong said.
Why are you like this?
"I don't really have any grassland habits anymore, but you still want me to change this one thing." Da Ni'er glared at her. This rascal, she's always loved to sell herself and her little sister since she was a child, and she's still like this now that she's grown up.
A leopard can't change its spots.
"The Second Prince is dead. Lay down your weapons and surrender, and you will not be killed! The Second Prince's followers may come under my command!"
The dark-skinned girl pulled out a long spear from behind her, held Ya Lanyu's head up as she shouted across the battlefield through a megaphone.
When the Xiongnu heard that the second prince was dead, and that the bravest warrior on the grasslands had died just like that, some people couldn't believe it, and some turned and ran.
Huo Xiaolong didn't send anyone to pursue them; the Xiongnu's morale had already declined, and they were no longer capable of great things.
The believers, seeing the jade pendant on Da Ni'er's body, knew that the arrogant and domineering Fifth Princess had returned to the grasslands. She also had another jade pendant, which belonged to the Fourth Prince.
Nobody is blind or stupid.
The Queen had two sons, both of whom had died at her hands. With the Central Plains army and their followers, it wouldn't be impossible for her to challenge the Grand Preceptor.
"Greetings, Fifth Princess."
"Greetings, Fifth Princess."
One by one, the Xiongnu knelt down, placing their right hands in front of their chests in salute. This was a sign of submission and a willingness to serve them.
"What do we do now?" Da Ni'er asked Huo Xiaolong quietly, her expression unchanged.
“You can make them prisoners of war, then have them surrender, and then fight alongside us,” the girl in red armor whispered as well.
"I know, but what should I say now?" the dark-skinned girl asked, her lips barely moving.
"Let's talk about something pretentious."
Wang Dani cleared her throat and looked down at the Xiongnu who had dismounted and were bowing to her, saying...
"I am Yalan Qing, the fifth princess of the Yalan Royal Court. Now that Yalan Feng and Yalan Yu are dead, according to the rules of the grasslands, from now on you will be my followers."
“I know I have no foothold on the grasslands, but I can promise you that as long as you become my followers, every person in your tribe will have enough to eat and wear.”
"There's no need to risk raiding villages on the border of the Central Plains in winter to steal food, nor to watch your child go without medical help."
Why follow these princes of the imperial court?
Isn't it all for wealth and prosperity, and to ensure that the people in the tribe have enough to eat?
Each month, a tiny golden bead—just that small bead—is the hope of this tribe.
Moreover, the facts are clear: even if they don't want to submit, they have no choice but to die.
Blood flowed like a river beside him. The Xiongnu looked down at the grass stained red with blood, realizing he had escaped death by sheer luck.
"Thank you, Fifth Princess."
Even if Da Ni'er is lying now, they have to believe her.
With a knife to your neck, you're like fish on a chopping board.
"Auntie! Do you know what Da Ni'er is wearing on her body?"
Back at the military camp, Huo Xiaolong ran to the kitchen to complain. The girl's mouth was agape, and the dark-skinned girl didn't even have time to cover her mouth.
Aunt Wang was baking sesame cakes for them, and the woman adding firewood said with a smile.
"What's wrong? What did she do this time?"
The woman was happy that all the children had returned safely. Although they had some minor injuries, they were still lively and energetic, which was good enough. The old lady didn't ask for much.
"She put the jade pendants that her two deceased brothers wore on her body."
“The person was completely dead, their head and body separated, yet she still went up to take the jade pendant and put it on herself.”
"There's blood on it."
Hearing this, Aunt Wang stood up, looked at her daughter who was flashing her white teeth and trying to please her, and the woman extended her hand.
"Hand it over, and you're not allowed to wear it anymore."
"Mom, I have to wear it out to scare people, otherwise they won't respect me."
"Don't you know how unlucky it is, child! Wearing something that belongs to a dead person on your body is bad luck, you know? You're our only son, what if something happens to you..."
Da Ni'er had heard this trick since she was a child, and in the end she obediently handed the jade pendant to the woman. The two agreed that she would wear it when they went out to scare people.
Watching her mother carefully place the jade pendant in a corner with a red cloth, the dark-skinned girl smiled and asked from behind the woman.
"Mom, what are we having for dinner today?"
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