Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 13: Female Hero Qingyu
Zhu Wen was a little surprised. At such a critical moment, why didn't his senior brother rush to save his junior sister and instead recalled the past? But since Meng Kai was like this, there must be a reason. He could only prick up his ears and listen.

"That happened many years ago," Meng Kai said. "At the time, my master and I were traveling around, making friends with heroes and preparing to raise an army."

As he spoke, Meng Kai ordered someone to find a carriage for Zhu Wen, lifted him onto it, and ordered the cavalry to follow the messenger to investigate the situation.

"Junior brother, let's talk while we walk." Meng Kai showed an expression that made Zhu Wen feel at ease.

"At that time, she stood quietly by the roadside, her clothes ragged and covered in blood..."

Meng Kai paused and said, "But in her thin hands, she was holding two bloody heads! At that time, I didn't see any fear in her eyes, only deep hatred."

"Can you imagine? An eleven-year-old girl killed the man who kidnapped her and the man who trafficked her, then cut off her head and held it in her hands?"

"Junior sister told us at the time that she was the daughter of a hunter in Shanzhou. Her father was educated, but he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, so he had no choice but to inherit the family business. Her parents were both skilled in martial arts, able to hunt tigers in the mountains and shoot bears with arrows. Unexpectedly, the human traffickers gained her parents' trust under the pretext of buying their furs, then ambushed and killed them, and abducted her to Qilu."

"She endured countless hardships along the way, feigning pity and weakness to let the enemy down, only then did she find an opportunity to kill her enemy. However, her grandfather and mother would never return..."

Zhu Wen was shocked. He didn't expect that his junior sister had such a past.

Meng Kai couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy when he heard her father, a man of both literary and military talents, yet repeatedly failed in the imperial examinations and could only work as a hunter. His father, Zhu Cheng, nicknamed "Zhu Wujing," was a man of profound learning and respected by his fellow villagers. Yet, in a world where high-ranking nobles held high positions and scholars from humble backgrounds languished in poverty, he could only work as a private school teacher.

Meng Kai sighed deeply. "If it were simply out of pity for her, Master would have arranged for one of his subordinates to adopt her. But she's so brave and courageous at such a young age, which is truly admirable. Junior Sister is not as simple as you think. Her archery skills are also inherited from her family, and her foundation is quite solid."

"No wonder," Zhu Wen said, "Looking at the way she draws the bow, it must be a foundation she's been practicing since she was young."

"Not only that..." Meng Kai said with a teasing look, "Although she's young, her close combat skills aren't necessarily any worse than yours. And like you, the more desperate the situation, the more motivated she becomes to fight and kill. In my opinion, she'll be fine."

Zhu Wen was stunned, wondering why Meng Kai was so confident, seemingly unconcerned. He had mentioned the suffering his junior sister had endured with a look of sympathy, clearly showing deep affection. So how could he act as if his junior sister's life was at stake, and yet he acted as if it had nothing to do with him?
As they were talking, the team had already arrived near the battlefield where they encountered the enemy. A strong smell of blood hit their noses, making their nasal cavity feel dry.

Zhu Wen looked up hastily, only to see corpses strewn across the field, the bodies of men and horses piled up. A sense of foreboding welled up in his heart. He could no longer see the red-clad figure, only the red-maned horse standing alone in the field, neighing towards the north wind. He cried out inwardly, "Danger!" But then he heard a familiar voice:

"Ban Fanlang, why should this female hero bother you?"

At this moment, the carriage carrying Zhu Wen was closer to the battlefield. He saw a slender figure standing in the center of Gai, holding a precious Biluan sword. He wore a slim-fitting battle armor the color of emerald, shining with the sun, and as smooth as the finest Hongzhou celadon. The lotus-like armor on his chest formed a semicircle, covering his soft breasts, revealing a striking and smooth figure.

However, no one dared to disrespect her, because blood was dripping from her knife, and it was obvious that she had just beheaded many people.

The woman had skin as white as snow, an oval face, a prominent nose, distinct features, and a pair of large, bright eyes. It was none other than Duan Hongyan. But Zhu Wen couldn't detect any of her usual cuteness. Instead, he sensed a piercing malevolence. She was like a blue lotus blossoming from a sea of ​​blood, a cold beauty that pierced his bones.

On the ground, there were scattered scraps of red cloth. It was obvious that this set of armor was usually hidden under Duan Hongyan's clothes.

Ban Fanlang, always full of heroic spirit, rushed to the front. He had just killed a cavalryman of Song Wei's army with a single blow of his sword, but when he saw the man's unfriendly expression, he immediately showed a friendly look: "Lady, calm down. General Meng heard that you were in danger, so he brought us here in a hurry..."

"Oh?" Duan Hongyan said coldly, "How could I be in danger?"

Meng Kai smiled bitterly and asked, "Where are the others?"

"They all died in battle. So I killed all the Zhongwu Army cavalry." Duan Hongyan's eyes were cold as she scanned the corpses of men and horses scattered across the ground. She then raised her white jade-like left palm, revealing a deep blood scar that was visible to the bone. "But this lady also took a knife to her hand, and it hurts terribly."

She stood in the center of the battlefield, blood dripping from her knife, like a female Asura. "Fortunately, the food and fodder are fine. Oh, and before I killed that little leader, he was still shouting that if their leader, Wang Jian, hadn't come in person, he would have shaved my Qinglian Battle Armor and his men into sliced ​​skin and roasted duck. That was hilarious."

She recounted all this with a tone that seemed indifferent, as if she had long been accustomed to killing.

As she spoke, her eyes wandered and landed on Zhu Wen's face. She looked a little bewildered, and then uttered two words: "Nice to meet you."

Zhu Wen was stunned, and Meng Kai smiled apologetically, "Let me introduce you. This is my junior sister, Duan Qingyu." Seeing Zhu Wen's bewildered expression, Meng Kai turned his head and whispered in his ear, "What happened back then was too much for my junior sister, so she's suffering from soul-leaving syndrome. If she's cornered or provoked, Duan Qingyu will come out. At this time, Ban Fanlang must respectfully call her Lady Qingyu, or he'll be attacked."

Zhu Wen suddenly understood. He had heard of the Soul Separation Syndrome, but he had never imagined that it could cause such a change in personality, as if two completely different people. It was truly a world of wonders.

"Your name... is Zhu Wen, with the courtesy name Liangyu?" Duan Qingyu seemed to be searching her mind for memories. It was clear to her that she had memories of another personality, but they were quite vague, as if they happened to someone else and had nothing to do with her.

After a while, she added, "You don't look like a gentleman at all."

When Zhu Cheng named Zhu Wen, he used a sentence from the Book of Documents: "A modest gentleman is as gentle as jade", hoping that his youngest son would grow up to be a romantic and elegant person.

"Oh, my dear... I have met the Jade Heroine. I was injured by bandits and am ill, so I cannot pay my respects to you. I am truly rude to you, my lady. What a pity..."

Zhu Wen held his forehead with his hand and pretended to stand up, step down from the sedan chair and salute. His tone was pretentious and he sounded just like those pedantic scholars. It was obvious that he was making fun of those "poor fools" who only knew how to read books. Meng Kai, Ban Fanlang, Dai Xiaolou and others couldn't help laughing. Although Duan Qingyu looked "as beautiful as peach and plum, and as cold as ice", she couldn't help but smile, with a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips.

She then looked at the cavalryman whose face was bruised by Zhu Wen. "Boy, didn't you escape without much fighting? I remember the Zhongwu Army couldn't hurt you. What's wrong with your face? Who hit you?"

The cavalryman sighed, "General Zhu heard that I had abandoned the Jade Lady and escaped alone. He was furious and, despite being injured, slapped me in the face..."

Duan Qingyu's face showed surprise, then she shook her head. "Alright, this lady hero understands." Turning her head, she said to Zhu Wen, "Judging from your injuries, you were injured by that old thief Song Jue's Eight Bloody Battle Techniques, right? After returning to camp, I'll report this to Master. The next time we engage in battle, please help me cut off that old thief Song's head."

Meng Kai thought to himself that while his master was formidable, he wouldn't be able to defeat the Heavenly Blade Song Jue quickly. If Song Jue was to be killed, Alliance Leader Wang would likely have to intervene. This was naturally a rational assessment, but since his junior sister had always admired his master, he naturally wouldn't interrupt and upset her.

After returning to the camp, everyone learned that Qi Kerang had also been forced back to the camp by Huang Chao. This tentative battle ended with a small victory for the Cao army. The biggest achievement of the battle was naturally that Zhu Wen killed Ye Luoliang, a brave general of the Pinglu army.

Hearing Duan Qingyu and Meng Kai mention that the leader of the Zhongwu Army cavalry was called Wang Jian, Huang Chao's eyebrows twitched slightly: "This kid Wang Jian... I know him, no, I should say I know him very well."

Huang Chao's nephew, Lin Langjun, said, "Uncle, since Wang Jian is a member of the government army, how could he..."

"You should know that I am an old colleague of Mr. Fan from the Huaiyang Gang, and we have worked together for many years. The Huaiyang Gang also deals in salt. Ten years ago, Mr. Fan sent him to contact me about the salt business, so I know him."

The Huaiyang Gang, also known as the Eagle Claw Sect, is famous for its "Powerful Eagle Claw Kung Fu".

"This man was only twenty years old when I first met him. He was already incredibly clever, managing the accounts meticulously and earning him considerable favor from Manager Fan. Interestingly, because he was the eighth child and a scoundrel in his youth, he stole donkeys, earning him the nickname 'Thief Turtle.' I was quite fond of him back then, and I invited him to dinner several times."

A purple-faced man nearby asked, "Excuse me, Marshal, since Wang Jian is so highly valued by Manager Fan, why did he join the Zhongwu Army as an officer?"

This man had a square, purple face, thick eyebrows, round eyes, and numerous blisters. He was Dai Xiaolou, a brave general under Huang Chao, wielding a tiger-headed golden spear. Dai Xiaolou had previously participated in Meng Kai's rescue of Zhu Wen from Song Jue.

Huang Chao replied, "A few years ago, Shopkeeper Fan offended the Xuanwu Jiedushi for some unknown reason and was about to be imprisoned. Wang Jian stepped forward to take the blame and was sentenced to prison."

"After being imprisoned, he heard that Manager Fan had failed to take care of his wife and children, and that his wife had remarried and his family property had been seized by relatives. So he escaped from prison and hid in Wudang Mountain. A Taoist priest, impressed by his extraordinary bone structure, wrote a letter recommending him to Cui Anqian, the governor of Zhongwu. Gradually, he rose to become a captain and was highly regarded."

"When I heard about this, I knew that although Wang Jian had suffered a great loss, he had gained a reputation in the martial arts world as a righteous man, which would definitely benefit him."

Meng Kai took over the conversation: "So, when the Huaiyang Gang was in turmoil last year, and Gang Leader Fan's entire family was killed in the fight, I'm afraid it was retribution for his dishonest behavior."

"Wang Jian is currently in Song Wei's camp. He's resourceful and resourceful, making up for the shortcomings of Song Wei and Song Jue. If he can fully unleash his talents, then we won't just have to worry about Snow Marshal Qi Kerang."

At this point, Huang Chao slammed the knife ring on his waist, making a clear sound, and his words were as resounding as iron. "But from my perspective, even if that old villain Song Wei knew that Wang Jian's suggestion was correct, he would find it difficult to make up his mind to adopt it."

(End of this chapter)