Chapter 115 This stab is the price you pay for your insubordination
Meanwhile, a thousand miles south of Shuzhou Prefecture.
Inside a dense forest.
The forest within a radius of hundreds of feet was cleared away, some trees were left as stumps, some were uprooted, and the soil was leveled.
The surrounding campfires provided illumination.
As you can see, dozens of temporary wooden houses are neatly arranged on this open space.
The outer wooden fence is adorned with the Xiao family's red flag and a wolf-head statue of the Wumeng Mountain tribe.
Several Xiao family guards dressed in black armor were patrolling the area.
It was already late at night, but Xiao Jinghong had not rested.
She was working on various official matters at her desk, her eyes calm and unwavering beneath the half-mask, as she used a wolf-hair brush to either circle or write a few words.
The speed is not slow.
These days, because she has to oversee the surveying and design of the trade routes, she has been dealing with Dingyuan Army affairs late at night.
Fortunately, Su Zhenyue helped her organize things in advance according to their urgency, allowing her to handle both ends.
Otherwise, if these official duties are delayed for several days, it will not be good for the trade market or for the Dingyuan Army.
After busily processing all the official documents for half an hour, Xiao Jinghong checked them again to make sure nothing was missing before standing up and saying:
"Pillow on the moon".
Su Zhenyue, who was also writing something at her desk outside the door, heard the sound and hurriedly ran over.
Xiao Jinghong pointed to the four stacks of books on the table and instructed them:
“These four books are related to the summer harvest. Give them to Yan Hong and tell him to deliver them to the Commandery overnight.”
"Regarding the training of the new troops in the three towns of Xuanjia, Tiebi, and Canglang, I can just send a message by carrier pigeon. Tell them not to slack off, and I will inspect them after I finish what I'm doing here..."
Su Zhenyue wrote everything down, then grabbed the booklet from the table and hurriedly ran out.
Wait until she leaves.
Xiao Jinghong sat down at the table, picked up a cold, hard pastry, and ate it in small bites with his tea.
Although his eyes were calm, his mind was still filled with thoughts.
Most of it was trade with the mountain tribes, a little was Dingyuan Army, and the rest were all with the Xiao family.
Now that the location for the "mutual market" has been chosen and the contract with the mountain tribes has been signed, construction can begin on a large scale once the blueprints are completed.
With the combined efforts of the Dingyuan Army and the mountain tribes, merchants from all over Shu Prefecture, and even the prosperous Jiangnan Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture of the Great Wei Dynasty, could be attracted within half a year.
At that time, the Dingyuan Army will no longer have to worry about money and food.
As for the Xiao family...
Xiao Jinghong stuffed the last piece of pastry into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and then took out two letters from his pocket.
One letter was signed "Chen Yi," and the other was signed "Chen Qingzhou."
She laid the two letters out on the table. The one on the left was the first letter Chen Yi had sent, containing a poem titled "Thoughts on a Summer Night."
The one on the right was the one she received a few days ago.
It also contains a poem, titled "Thoughts on a Summer Night".
"Last night's stars, last night's wind, the painted pavilion to the west, the cassia hall to the east. Though I lack the wings of a colorful phoenix to fly with you, our hearts are connected by a single thread of understanding."
Looking at the shimmering glow of the moon on the page in "Thoughts on a Summer Night," Xiao Wan'er felt much more relaxed, her mind, which had been weary in recent days.
However, she found Chen Yi's casual naming behavior somewhat amusing.
"If there are two options, why wasn't it called 'one option' before?"
"It's probably because my husband is lazy."
Xiao Jinghong guessed correctly; when Chen Yi wrote the poem title, he was indeed too lazy to think of a new name.
However, despite guessing it, she didn't care.
"Overall, the imagery of this poem is very beautiful."
"A meeting of minds..."
Xiao Jinghong sighed softly. Her mind was now entirely focused on the Dingyuan Army; as for Chen Yi…
Just then, her thoughts seemed to be interrupted, her eyes turned cold, and she looked out of the wooden house.
"You've come three times now, what brings you here?"
Although the sound was soft and did not disturb the rest of the others in the camp, it traveled ten miles and landed in the ear of a wandering swordsman with a long sword at his waist.
It was none other than "Knife Madman" Liu Lang.
At this moment, he looked at the camp in the distance amidst the firelight, his expression no longer as casual as it had been in Shuzhou Prefecture, but rather solemn.
"Please forgive me, General Jinghong."
Liu Lang said seriously, "Although I have come three times, I had not made up my mind until the moment before."
In fact, he had found Xiao Jinghong five days earlier.
I originally intended to go directly to their door to challenge them.
But when he first met Xiao Jinghong, he was intimidated just by looking into those calm, unwavering eyes.
At that moment, a voice kept echoing in Liu Lang's mind—Don't lay a hand on her, or you'll die!
They will definitely die!
Liu Lang firmly believed this.
He trusted his intuition, which was the secret to his rampage across the northern deserts.
So that time he didn't say a word and just left.
After two days of deep thought, Liu Lang, unwilling to remain unarmed, decided to leave.
Then came the second time.
I only glanced at it.
He was still trembling uncontrollably.
Liu Lang had no choice but to retreat again.
Until this moment.
When Xiao Jinghong asked the question, Liu Lang could not suppress his fear either.
This made him feel ridiculous.
His name is "Knife Maniac," but when he encounters an opponent he cannot defeat, even his blade will falter.
Liu Lang thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and continued, "General Jinghong, would you... would you accept my offer..."
The challenge!
No matter how hard he tried,
The last three words felt like a mountain pressing down on him, making it impossible for him to utter them.
Just then, Xiao Jinghong's voice rang out from the surroundings: "You want to challenge me?"
Liu Lang felt relieved and quickly nodded in agreement.
But the result left him feeling dejected—his body was preventing him from nodding and stopping him from speaking.
There was a long silence.
Liu Lang gave up and was about to leave when a figure appeared in front of him.
It was none other than Xiao Jinghong, dressed in white like snow and wearing a mask!
Liu Lang paused, "You...you..."
Xiao Jinghong stood on the treetop, holding neither a sword nor a spear, calmly watching Liu Lang.
After looking her up and down, she said calmly, "I'll give you a chance. Draw your sword."
Liu Lang opened his mouth: "I, I..."
His hand slowly reached for the long sword at his waist, as slowly as an old man.
However, there were clearly visible blue veins on the back of his hands, and his internal energy was also circulating wildly, trying to accumulate power.
Unbeknownst to him, his goal had shifted from challenging Xiao Jinghong to simply striking with his sword.
One slash, and that's it!
With a fierce determination, Liu Lang's face contorted as he roared as if he were insane:
"ah!!"
His hand finally gripped the hilt of the knife, and he pulled it out sharply.
Then, he unleashed a strike that embodied all his life's learning, a strike with all his might—
A streak of sword light shot out a hundred feet.
The sword intent was like moonlight, illuminating the surroundings.
The wrinkled bark and tender green leaves on the trees are clearly visible.
Wherever the blade passes, nothing escapes its cut, everything is cleaved in two.
But the next moment——
"Click!"
A crisp sound was heard.
Then Xiao Jinghong used only two fingers to hold the long sword in place, easily breaking the blade and trapping it between his fingers.
"Is that all?"
"I……"
Before Liu Lang could finish speaking, Xiao Jinghong flicked his finger, and the broken blade, like a crescent moon, sliced across his chest and abdomen before disappearing into the soil below.
In an instant, the wind and rain in the forest seemed to stop.
There was no wind, no rain, and no sound.
Xiao Jinghong glanced at him and said calmly, "This strike is the price you pay for your insubordination."
"Go away."
After saying that, Xiao Jinghong turned around and returned to the camp.
She is a general of the Great Wei Dynasty, not a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of martial arts and chivalry).
If Liu Lang hadn't disturbed her mood, she wouldn't have made that move.
"etc……"
At this moment, Liu Lang seemed to have just come to his senses. He looked at the broken sword on the ground, then at the faint bloodstains emerging from his chest, and said:
"You...you're not going to kill me?"
"I...I robbed your Xiao family of their medicinal herbs..."
Xiao Jinghong paused slightly.
After a moment of silence, she said without turning her head, "Next time you see your master, please give him my regards."
"Master?"
Liu Lang seemed to have realized something, his eyes widening, "You, you..."
Xiao Jinghong ignored him and disappeared in a flash.
Liu Lang opened his mouth but didn't continue speaking, just staring blankly at the treetop, letting the blood flow freely from his chest.
The raindrops pattered as they fell through the forest, accompanied by howling mountain winds.
He stood there for a long time.
Liu Lang's gaze fell on the distant camp, and he suddenly shouted:
"General Jinghong, I, Liu Lang, will repay this kindness in the future!"
"Furthermore, the person who sent me to plunder medicinal herbs was the Liu family of Jingzhou!"
"They are about to make their move against the Xiao family's pharmacy!"
Then, three words were heard from afar: "Understood..."
(End of this chapter)
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