Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 53 The Number One Under Heaven, Cui Zhufeng
The assassins, caught off guard and subjected to a torrent of abuse, now looked grim. It wasn't just the offensive insults, but also the fact that this suddenly appearing woman had effortlessly suspended all their hidden weapons in mid-air, showing no sign of falling.

How much inner strength would it take to do that?

The thought that a task that was supposed to be a sure thing had failed so badly left everyone unable to laugh.

At that moment, the woman who had been cursing happily turned her head to look at Ying Jiuque, somewhat displeased.

"Didn't I tell you to go back right away? Why are you still wandering around the streets?"

"Uh... my esteemed friend, actually I'm already quite fast. It's just that our speeds might be a little different..."

From the moment Jiu Que saw this female knight-errant, he was certain she was the kind person who had warned him twice before. However, the world of a great knight-errant might be quite different from that of an ordinary person like her.

Jiu Que didn't say anything at this moment, but glanced worriedly at the situation in front of him. Could this hero handle so many assassins? He wondered if anyone would come to his rescue...

The female warrior casually waved her sleeve, and the hidden weapons that were frozen in mid-air all turned around and shot rapidly toward the assassins in their terrified gazes.

"Crackling" and "splattering"—after a series of chaotic sounds, a pile of immobile 'corpses' lay on the ground.

The few assassins who had knocked their hidden weapons to the ground looked extremely grim. As they stared at the woman who had suddenly appeared, a guess began to form in their minds.

"You are... Cui Zhufeng?"

That legendary number one martial arts master?

The female warrior glanced at them casually, and with a wave of her hand, several leaves suddenly flew over from the lush willow tree by the roadside. Although they were extremely soft plant leaves, they made a clanging sound like metal at this moment.

Regardless of whether she was Cui Zhufeng or not, she had no intention of letting this group of people leave standing up.

Clearly, the remaining few were just putting up a last-ditch effort, and they fell one by one after the leaves flew past.

Jia Twenty-Three and Yi Eleven were now warily protecting Jiu Que, watching this unknown martial artist, ready to take Lord Ying away at any moment. They could still hold off and even kill the assassins before, but against this woman, they couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance. The difference in skill was simply too great, and besides, hand-to-hand combat wasn't their forte. They were now sweating profusely. Failing the mission and being punished was a minor matter; if someone like Lord Ying, capable of creating such exquisite weapons, were to perish here, they would be sinners deserving of a thousand deaths!

However, Cui Zhufeng didn't take the two kids seriously at all. With a casual flick of his fingers, the two were sent flying by an invisible gust of wind.

"Both little ones are injured, yet they're still so stubborn. People like you are the most frightening thing in my life. Lord Ying, I have a favor to ask of you. Aren't you investigating the Worry-Free Cave? Are you taking responsibility for the women who have been captured?"

Jiu Que's eyes lit up.

"Senior means...you rescued those women who were hidden? Take responsibility! I can take responsibility." "That's good."

Cui Zhufeng was very satisfied.

For a江湖人士 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world) like her, avoiding contact with the government is best, but there are at least two hundred women imprisoned. She dislikes trouble more than anything in her life, and although she rescued those girls, figuring out how to settle them has become a problem.

She was a江湖人士 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), free-spirited and unpredictable. How could she possibly have time to plan their remaining years? Such troublesome matters should be left to the government, and luckily, she knew an official who was absolutely not afraid of trouble.

Without further ado, he led Ying Jiuque and two still vigilant guards towards the south of the city. Along the way, Jiuque wanted to strike up a conversation with her; after all, she was a highly skilled martial arts master. What young man like Jiuque wouldn't secretly envy those chivalrous heroes who roamed the martial world, living a carefree life? And this was a highly skilled female martial artist—truly the epitome of a hero in Jiuque's eyes!
Cui Zhufeng was highly skilled in martial arts, but surprisingly easygoing. She would answer almost anything Jiu Que asked, mainly because she found Jiu Que very agreeable, unlike those officials who held their positions in vain.

"Senior, were you the kind person who alerted people in Wuyou Cave? How did you find them? And what about those hidden women? You know, the city patrols have been searching the whole city for the past two days, they're almost going crazy, but they haven't found that many abducted women. Is there a trick to this kind of thing?"

As soon as he said that, Cui Zhufeng, who had been in high spirits, looked rather displeased.

"If you're lucky, it won't happen."

"Ah? This..."

Yes, Cui Zhufeng is highly skilled in martial arts, almost invincible in the world, but she has one extremely fatal flaw: she has terrible luck.

Almost everywhere she went, trouble seemed to find her. Like this time, on a whim, she went to the capital for a trip, only to be tricked by some clueless men who mistook her for a weak woman. Could Cui Zhufeng tolerate this? Of course not. She immediately beat the man who tried to abduct her until he was unable to move. However, she then discovered that she wasn't the only woman being abducted.

Large numbers of women and children disappeared without anyone noticing, yet the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture did not take any action.

This doesn't make sense. Generally, the first reaction to the disappearance of someone in a household is to report it to the authorities. Even if the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture is inactive, they will at least make a note of it and send someone to search the place. But this time, Cui Zhufeng deliberately threw the complaint at the gate of the Prefectural Government, and the constables who came out only glanced at it before their expressions changed. They took the complaint back and never came out again.

Clearly, they weren't going to get involved. This piqued Cui Zhufeng's interest, and at the same time, it fueled his anger.

Everyone says it's a peaceful and prosperous era, so how can such disgusting things still happen right under the emperor's nose? She did save quite a few abducted women, and those women all had one thing in common: regardless of their size, they were all beautiful and graceful.

What purpose could there be in arresting girls like these? It's nothing more than for dirty desires.

As a woman herself, Cui Zhufeng found this situation utterly disgusting. Having discovered Ying Jiuque, a rare female official, she secretly helped her, and now it was time for her to repay the favor. The girls were weeping and wailing, most of them heartbroken and contemplating suicide. Even with her unparalleled martial arts skills, she couldn't do anything to these children. However, Ying Jiuque, as an official, surely had a way.

As they approached the residence where the girls would be housed, Cui Zhufeng's mood improved considerably. However, when she saw the thick smoke billowing up from the direction of the residence, her face instantly turned cold, and she vanished in a flash.

(End of this chapter)