Chapter 71

Translator: Aristophaneso

All the servants were astonished. The Feng Family girl had disappeared after she was banished, and no one had ever heard the madam mention her name, so people had just assumed that she was dead. And if she was dead, then she was dead — nobody cared. Why was she now at the Sheng Family place in Jiang Huai? And why was she returning to the Qiu Mansion?

“Madam!” Auntie An broke free from the grasp of the other servants and rushed forward. “Please, you must listen to me, it really was the Feng Family girl...”

“Drag her out!” Madam Qiu cried out angrily, gesturing heavily before returning to the room.

Feng Zhiwei smiled as she swept by Auntie An crying miserably on the ground, her sleeves fluttering in the wind, her gait not disturbing even a single flake of dust.

The next day, Feng Zhiwei did not need to report to duty, so after signing in, she returned to her Feng Zhiwei attire and waited outside the city gate for the homecoming.

Just as she arrived at the gate, she saw a group of foreigners galloping towards the city, dust billowing out behind them like a storm. The people lined up at the gate hurriedly dodged to the sides, but were unable to avoid the cloud of dirt and debris that followed.

The soldiers guarding the gates frowned and murmured to each other: “The Twelve Tribes of Hu Zhuo! More and more unreasonable every day!”

Feng Zhiwei’s gaze followed the arrogant horsemen and she also frowned. The United Twelve Tribes of Hu Zhuo was collectively the largest tribe that lived in the Duo Lun steppes. They were of the same ancestry as the people of Da Yue, but there ancestors had lost the struggle for the crown and fled to the south, eventually occupying the southwestern region of Duo Lun.

In the years since, they had continuously lost their struggles against the Da Yue people and had voluntarily sworn allegiance to Tian Sheng, paying tribute to the Emperor. But in truth, the tribute demanded was simply a token’s worth, for the Twelve Tribes occupied the steppes between the domain of Da Yue and the lands of Tian Sheng, providing a formidable barrier of defense for the Tian Sheng Dynasty. In return, the dynasty sent many foodstuffs every winter.

Now that Tian Sheng and Da Yue were preparing for war, the loyalty of the United Twelve Tribes of Hu Zhuo was more important than ever. It was rumored that Hu Zhuo had dispatched an honor guard of ten thousand troops and their King’s son, sent to Dijing to pay their respects and demonstrate their loyalty and support to the Tian Sheng Emperor. In return, the Imperial Court had begun treating these tribesmen with greater respect and affection, and it seemed like this generous treatment had already birthed new arrogance in the steppe’s people.

Feng Zhiwei did not intend to find trouble, so she met calmly with the Qiu Mansion butler and entered the carriage, but just as the carriage was starting off, someone came along and knocked against the carriage window’s glass.

Though it was with the gesture of a knock, this one move smashed the glass window and shattered the expensive material.

A man laughed from outside the carriage: “I’ve heard that the young, wealthy daughters of Dijing are beautiful and delicate beyond comparison. Since it’s so difficult to meet one, let me take a look.”

He spoke carelessly, but his carelessness seemed to front an extreme self-indulgence, as if everything in this world would bend to his orders and no one would bar his way.

The Qiu Mansion’s Butler Zhang was terrified — before he had left the mansion, the Madam had repeatedly reminded him to treat the young miss with respect, and even though he had been unhappy with the order, he did not dare go against the Madam’s will, but this unexpected disaster had actually befallen them.

Even though the Tian Sheng Dynasty officials and nobility were romantic and carefree, they remained incredibly serious with their daughters. If a stranger randomly flirted with their unmarried daughter as they passed the street, it would definitely affect the prospects of her marriage in the future.

And so Butler Zhang brought the guards forward, but just as he moved, several strong horses moved to block his way, their hoofs stomping down in a mighty roar, eight crimson-gold bullwhips flying out like nimble snakes, tossing the Qiu Mansion guards aside.

The horsemen moved quickly and in concert, their faces covered by their wide-brimmed hat, leaving only stubbled, sharp chins in view.

The man who had broken the glass with his finger did not pay the bustle any mind, peering in attentively in search of this young, wealthy lady.

The glass was shattered and the curtain lifted, and as the bright light streamed in, Feng Zhiwei hurriedly turned away.

But before she could turn, the man’s eagle eyes had already seen her face, and after a moment of dazed silence, he burst out in laughter.

“Oh the Immortal Heavens!” He laughed so hard he shook. “No wonder the wealthy daughters are always hiding themselves away! They are all such unpresentable, yellow-faced girls!”

Are you ill?” He reached forward curiously to turn Feng Zhiwei’s chin. “Are the central plain’s women all this weak?”

As he spoke, his movement froze.

In the dim light of the darkened carriage, a glimmer reflected from his wrist.

An inch below his wrist, right on top of the vital tendon in his hand sat a blade of sharp, broken glass, pressed unhesitantly against his skin.

“The central plain’s women are indeed all this weak.” Light glimmered in Feng Zhiwei’s eyes as she spoke, her tone warm and gentle. “And if I am scared, my hand might shake, and with this tremble, the mighty steppe-man’s bow arm will be as weak as a central plain’s woman.”

The man outside seemed to think for a moment, though from Feng Zhiwei’s angle she could only see an angular chin and straight nose.

“Central plain’s women are not only yellow-faced, but also cunning.” The man laughed loudly, not moving away, but instead twisting his wrist and flicking his finger outwards, breaking the glass shard in two, slashing one part into his skin and sending the other piece towards Feng Zhiwei’s eyes!

The man would rather risk the injury to his hand than retreat!

“Nanyi!” Feng Zhiwei called out quietly.

Within the dark corner of the carriage interior, a servant girl in cyan clothing dropped her walnuts and lifted a hand, slapping out horizontally.

The robe’s sleeve fluttered like a floating cloud, but the wind that followed was as a raging thunderstorm, flashing out for a moment before disappearing, easily slapping the man away. The man’s huge body could not resist, and he was tossed away into the distance where he smashed into a grocer’s stall.

The crowd of people gathered around only saw the arrogant man laughing at the young lady within the carriage, reaching inwards, and before they could sigh for this young lady’s misfortune, the man had been blown away as if by a fierce wind, tossed miserably into the distance.

Before the people could react, the delicate black carriage was already moving, and they were only left with a woman’s calm comment.

“What an outstanding Reaching heaven-no road to hell-head forwards feet backwards-seven up eight down-monsters wildly dancing-hands waving feet trampling-four directional concealment -octaginal pipa-wild geese alighting on sand in a flowing river with duckweed-flying Kungfu skill1!”

The people were stunned in place and were trying to decipher this mouthful of a Kungfu skill name, and by the time they could react, the carriage was already long gone.

In the distance, the man’s guards were freeing him from the ragged clothing and socks of the second-hand clothing stall. A flowery undershirt sat on his head, a ripped Taoist robe around his waist, and colorful stockings hung from his ears, as the man stared numbly in the direction of the carriage.

In the light of day, the man’s swollen face obscured his features almost beyond recognition, but his pair of amber, wine eyes were deep with a fascinated glimmer.

“Hey! Central plain’s woman!”

Feng Zhiwei paid no mind to what had happened, treating everything as a joke. She was in a very good mood today, and would not be so easily angered.