Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chen Sanshou felt that lighting up a house was no easy task for one person.

Both murder and arson require considerable skill.

This kid looks really good at it.

Ye Ci felt the same way. He unintentionally thought of many novels he had read in his previous life, such as the arson at Bowangpo and the burning of Chibi.

This shows that they are all afraid of the cold.

Rumbling--

The sound of iron hooves came from afar, sending a chill down one's spine.

Chen San leaned against the broken wall, looking out at the dark mass in the distance.

The sound grew louder and louder until it was deafening, until it abruptly stopped.

Ye Ci remained calm, setting fires everywhere as if burning piles of firewood.

Don't be surprised, fire, like money, is more beautiful the more you have.

He passed by the restaurant where he had eaten noodles.

I'm a little hungry.

Ye Ci rubbed his stomach and decided not to cook at this restaurant, but to go inside and eat something.

So he threw the firewood on the ground and went inside.

The sound of iron hooves shattered the tranquility of the town.

Ye Ci seemed to remember something, and he turned his head.

A barbarian rider spotted Ye Ci.

The two looked at each other from a distance.

Ye Ci took the bow down. This bow was more robust than the one the escort agency had given him before; it had been snatched from a master of the Gale Camp.

He bent his bow.

Nock the arrow!

An arrow was shot.

The arrow grazed the barbarian soldier's cheek and landed on the broken wall beside him, the arrow tail rustling.

There were two more men behind that barbarian rider.

At the same time, six eyes followed the direction of the arrows, and before they could react, three more arrows pierced the air, carrying immense destructive power.

Instead of shooting at them, it broke the supporting beams of the house.

The dilapidated house collapsed with a crash.

"You son of a bitch! You inhuman beast!"

Chen Sanshou's angry shouts echoed throughout the entire town.

Ye Ci closed the door and decided to find something to eat.

Upon entering the restaurant and reaching the kitchen, they found the door blocked. They gently pushed it twice, but it was firmly shut.

"I'm hungry, can I ask for some food?"

Unfortunately, the people inside wouldn't listen.

"Little bunny, open the door."

At this moment, Ye Ci suddenly missed his previous life, and he even wanted to sing it out loud.

Because there may not be another opportunity in the future.

If you're really going to die, why not make it easier?

"Ye Ci, please leave quickly! Don't attract attention!"

Ye Ci was stunned for a moment; he recognized the voice of Master Shen Wanzhou.

He believed that if Chen Sanshou couldn't survive, this ordinary person should have died long ago, and on the battlefield, money couldn't buy life.

"Master Shen, I'm a little hungry. Eating something will give me the strength to kill the barbarians."

"You're going to kill barbarians again? You're going to kill me..."

Shen Wanzhou's voice trembled as he said, "You warriors... you have no humanity whatsoever when it comes to life and death. I've only survived by hiding in a cesspool. Don't try to harm me again!"

"Oh, so you got dumped by Chen Sanshou. But this restaurant is already surrounded, you can't hide anymore. They'll search every room, and when they find the doors are barricaded, they'll be even more certain that someone is hiding here."

With a slight effort, Ye Ci pushed the door open.

He saw two corpses on the ground, one belonging to the shopkeeper and the other to the waiter.

Shen Wanzhou reeked of a pungent stench and huddled behind the stove, trembling with fear.

At this moment, Ye Ci lost his appetite.

Because his feet were slippery, and he stepped in a pile of poop.

A deafening sound echoed outside, as if a building was collapsing and a fight sounded extremely intense.

Footsteps came from the doorway; someone was cautiously approaching.

The person peeked out.

Ye Ci brought down his sword, and blood splattered out.

Pfft!

The corpse fell heavily to the ground, and the stench instantly diluted the foul smell, making Ye Ci feel much more comfortable.

"here!"

More footsteps approached.

"Be careful, that man from Qian is very cunning."

"Shieldbearer, come here..."

"..."

Ye Ci calmly walked to Shen Wanzhou's side and slammed his fist into the wall. With a loud bang, a hole was shattered.

He kicked it twice more, making the hole even bigger, so that Shen Wanzhou could run out.

Outside are streets and alleys.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow flew over, and Ye Ci dodged to the side, then drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

A barbarian archer hiding in the shadows clutched his throat and collapsed in agony.

Then, hurried footsteps came from outside.

Just then, the sound of weapons clashing was heard, followed by the sound of flesh being cut open.

Ye Ci saw a house next door, which seemed to be a blacksmith shop. A head popped out of the house and waved.

"Huangguoshu Waterfall?!"

"Over here!"

Ye Ci quickly ran over: "Why are you back?"

"I've come back to save you," Huang Guoshu said. "I can't leave you here alone. Otherwise, when I look back on the past, I will be saddened by the loss of my elder brother, and when I write my biography, my trembling hands will be unable to record my great achievements."

Ye Ci took a deep breath: "I didn't expect you to be like this..."

Huang Guoshu tilted his head slightly, his tone calm: "As a man determined to become a Martial Saint, I will never abandon my brothers. Why do I practice martial arts? It's to protect my brothers and my family. When facing powerful enemies, I must stand with my respected elder brother so that my martial arts can become even stronger..."

"Bullshit!"

He was kicked away from behind, and then the person grabbed Ye Ci's arm:

"We're surrounded too! We can only go back to Qingniu Town. There's no escape... This time, barbarian soldiers are everywhere! It's like stirring up a hornet's nest!"

Ye Ci was stunned. He looked at Jiang Ding'an, then at Huang Guoshu, who gave him a somewhat embarrassed smile.

This kid...

To be honest, this kid has a great attitude.

At that moment, a piercing roar echoed outside; it was Chen Sanshou's.

"You're not a human being! You're not a human being!"

Then came a heavy thud: "I wasn't cursing you! I was cursing that beastly bodyguard! Please spare me, sir! I beg you, spare me..."

"He's dead! Those barbarians leave no survivors!"

Shen Wanzhou, trembling as he scrambled over, looked around before prostrating himself on the ground and repeatedly kowtowing to Ye Ci.

"Can you please save me!"

Ye Ci covered her nose and looked at him: "Is there any benefit?"

"what?"

Shen Wanzhou felt that Ye Ci was very calm, as if he had something to rely on.

Otherwise, what benefits would one want in this situation?

He grasped at a straw, crawled forward two steps, and said, "I'll pay!"

Ye Ci covered her nose and took two steps back.

"If you can save me, I'll give you money and perhaps even marry my daughter to you. From then on, you'll be a member of the Shen family, and the Shen family will help you with everything, whether it's cultivation or joining a sect..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sound came from outside the blacksmith's shop.

"Come out!"

Accompanied by the steady sound of horses' hooves, Green Snake's clear and melodious voice drifted in.

"What should we do?" Jiang Ding'an asked.

Ye Ci said calmly, "I'm going out."

"You'll die."

"Everyone has to die eventually."

"We can fight in urban areas..."

"You don't understand urban warfare. I can hold out for a while on my own, but I'm afraid I can't do it with you all..."

"Then why did you go out?"

"Because they're looking for me."

After Ye Ci finished speaking, he patted Huang Guoshu on the shoulder: "Kid, do you believe I'll kill the Green Snake?"

"Could you really be a hidden master!" Huang Guoshu's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Bragging."

After saying that, Ye Ci stepped out of the blacksmith shop.

Fires raged throughout the town, crackling and popping.

Firelight illuminates the sky, beacon smoke carries away a soul.

Ye Ci stood in front of everyone.

The streets and alleys were blocked by a dense array of barbarian soldiers. When he came out, Green Snake's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and then he narrowed his eyes.

She hung the spear on her horse, crossed her arms over her chest, and created a full, curvaceous silhouette.

"Which unit of the Jianwu Army are you from?"

"I'm not from the Jianwu Army, and I don't know where they are. If I had to say I have any connection with them, it would be that when General Jianwu was ennobled, I got a quota to return home and went back to my hometown. Now I'm a镖头 (bodyguard/escort), and this time I was just going with my senior brother to Lingshan County to pick someone up. I didn't expect to run into you all."

The green snake pondered, for in fact she believed what Ye Ci said.

When she killed Chen Sanshou, he cursed her incessantly. He didn't even hate the Green Snake who killed him; he only hated the head镖师 (镖师 is a term for a镖师 who is skilled in deception and espionage).

"You know that in order to capture you, my team was torn to pieces, and it also attracted all twelve units of the Gale Camp to come here, chasing you all over the territory, causing chaos in the entire Jiaozhou Prefecture. Now we have been completely exposed."

"It's a misunderstanding," Ye Ci said.

Green Snake was taken aback; he hadn't expected this answer.

Just now, that Chen Sanshou was kowtowing and begging for mercy, like a dog.

The young man before them had a calm and unwavering gaze.

"I admire your courage to some extent."

Green Snake narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, seemingly with regret, and said, "There are still six or seven commanders outside, and they wish they could devour you! A mere internal energy martial artist has caused us to run around in circles; this is no misunderstanding..."

"Then say it again, and I can rephrase it."

"Say what again?"

Jiaozhou Prefecture was in complete chaos.

"Yes, Jiaozhou Prefecture is in complete chaos."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"..."

Green Snake took a deep breath, her lips twitching. She stared intently at Ye Ci, seeing no panic in this man, only calm.

"You are indeed a warrior. Would you like to join us?"

"I don't want to."

Why?

"I used to be a member of the Jianwu Army."

"Do you care a lot about this honor, or do you admire Marquis Jianwu? Let me tell you, sooner or later we'll kill him with our own hands!"

The green snake raised its voice, its tone becoming more forceful, and a hint of murderous intent crept in.

Ye Ci nodded: "You said what I needed to say in the second half of your sentence, so I can only say thank you."

"what?"

Green Snake opened her mouth, but couldn't speak for a long time. She realized that Ye Ci's answer, "He is from the Jianwu Army," didn't seem to mean what she thought it meant.

In his words, Jianwu Army and Jianwu Marquis did not have the same meaning.

At that moment, the cry of an eagle pierced the silence of the sky.

Sharp and clear, it swept across the dome.

The tips of the flowing clouds cut through the pale sunlight, scattering dappled light and shadow on the ground.

The wind came with the cry of eagles, stirring the wine flags at the alley entrance and also ruffling the stray hairs at Ye Ci's temples.

At this moment, Ye Ci gripped the long sword tightly.

"Come on!" he said.

"What's coming?"

The green snake suspected that its ears were broken, so it squinted its eyes, trying to see more clearly.

Then, what she saw next was somewhat unacceptable to her.

She saw Ye Ci casually throw his longbow to the ground, followed by his quiver and then his scabbard.

Is she about to take off her clothes?

What is he going to do?

The surrounding barbarian soldiers all showed expressions of surprise.

Although their leader, Green Snake, had a scar on her face, it didn't detract from her good looks and excellent figure.

As men, they all had fantasies about her to some extent.

Ye Ci discarded the burden and then said, "I know the rules of the Southern Barbarians. Now that so many of you are capturing me, I can issue a challenge. You can set the rules."

Barbarians disdain bullying the weak with numbers, so in this situation, the captured can issue a challenge.

But winning doesn't guarantee survival; it could be the next challenge.

"challenge?"

People around whispered among themselves, and then a burly figure pushed through the crowd, a broad-bladed heavy axe hanging from his waist, the blade still stained with undried blood.

"I'll do it," the man said.

"Step back!"

The green snake rebuked angrily, then narrowed its eyes, looked at Ye Ci, and said, word by word:

"You want to take on the challenge?"

"Yes."

"I will be the opponent."

"it is good."

Do you know my cultivation level?

"It doesn't matter."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding barbarian soldiers began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Is this kid crazy? He dares to challenge the Green Serpent Commander!"

"He died in one move!"

"He probably doesn't understand the gap between them; he's so arrogant..."

"Shut up!"

The green snake stopped all its chatter and then continued to look at Ye Ci:

"Which unit of the Jianwu Army did you belong to?"

"Wolf Tribe".

What official position did you hold?

"Soldiers."

Upon hearing this, the surroundings immediately fell silent, and all eyes were fixed on Ye Ci.

One soldier led them on a three-day chase, making them believe they had found the trail of the main force of the Jianwu Army.

One soldier attracted all twelve squads of the Gale Battalion.

He was just an ordinary soldier returning home!

He had finally returned to his hometown, but now he was about to die.

It looked rather desolate.

Seeing that she didn't make a move, Ye Ci reached out and tugged at her belt, tightening it a bit.

The green snake's eye twitched slightly.

The surrounding barbarian soldiers involuntarily gasped as he pulled at his belt, but when they saw he was tightening his trousers, they silently exhaled.

They even worried that some people might go insane before they died.

I don't know why.

The resentment that the barbarian soldiers had harbored during the pursuit dissipated considerably for no apparent reason.

Perhaps it's because of admiration.

"Which camp of the Wolf Tribe were you in before?" Green Snake asked.

"Scout Camp"

"Troops".

"pioneer."

"hiss……"

A look of surprise and doubt flashed in everyone's eyes.

"The Wolf Tribe is the vanguard, and the scout battalion is the one that goes out to explore. You're the vanguard of the scout battalion? And you think you'll survive to return home? How could someone like you be allowed to go home!"

Green Snake's series of questions showed that she couldn't believe the result.

She couldn't believe that the best of the best could survive.

They also didn't believe that someone who could survive so long was just an ordinary soldier.

"It all depends on luck to survive and return home. Of course... there were also some centurions who were really nice people and saved me."

"Some?"

"With the death of the sergeant, I will have to be reassigned to another unit."

"How many died?"

"Thirty or forty, I guess..." Ye Ci estimated.

How many times have you fought against us?

"A little over one hundred."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Since I didn't even make it to the first round, I'm going straight to 100,000 words to see how it goes. I hope you can help me by giving me a boost on Tuesday.