The fiercest soldier of the border army

The night wind swept through the backyard of the mansion, rustling the withered grass on the walls.

Wei Zong was referring to the crippled horse that was intercepted in Wenchi County, as well as the bandits who kidnapped the horse halfway.

Tang Shun had great use for both of them, so he deliberately brought them back to Tingzhou.

The bolt on the backyard gate was pulled open, making a sound.

The room was dimly lit, with only an oil lamp placed on a stone platform in the corner, its flame flickering weakly.

A lame man, curled up on a haystack, suddenly looked up when he heard the noise. His face was filled with fear, and his lips trembled as he couldn't speak.

The man scrambled to his knees before him, kowtowing repeatedly: "My lord, spare my life! I haven't done anything wrong! I'm truly innocent!"

Ever since the soldiers brought him along, Ma the Cripple had been living in constant fear, begging for mercy everywhere but no one paid him any attention. Now that he finally saw Tang Shun, he couldn't stop begging for mercy.

Cheng Feng sneered, "Damn it, who said they wanted to kill you? Are you deaf or stupid?"

Ma the Cripple trembled all over, not daring to retort, and simply lowered his head even further.

Tang Shun waved his hand to stop Cheng Feng, squatted down, and looked him straight in the eye: "Don't be afraid. I brought you here to protect you."

Ma the Cripple froze, raised his face, and looked blankly at the face that the people of Wenchi had praised as a god.

"If you stay in Wenchi County, you won't survive tonight," Tang Shun said calmly. "You should know that someone doesn't want you to utter another word while you're alive."

Ma the Cripple opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something, but then swallowed his words back.

"My lord's intention is to bring you out and save your life!"

Cheng Feng stepped forward and roared, "Do you understand that you'll be using that Wenchi County magistrate as evidence in the future?"

"We're not doing anything to him now because Wen Chi can't be allowed to fall into disarray! Don't you fucking understand?"

Ma the Cripple was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, Your Excellency, for saving my life! You gave me this life, and I will go through fire and water for you from now on..."

"Get up," Tang Shun interrupted him, standing up. "Eat and drink well. In a few days, come with us to Lingzhou. As long as you tell the truth, no one can touch you."

After saying that, Tang Shun turned and walked towards the door, punching Cheng Feng on the way. "Not bad, now you know how to think more deeply?"

Cheng Feng grinned, "That's right, now I'm a worldly man too."

Zhu Hang, suppressing a laugh, said, "You should say it's all thanks to the magistrate's excellent teaching!"

Cheng Feng was taken aback and scratched his head.

The group laughed and made a ruckus as they headed towards another room.

This side is more secluded, with a thick door panel and an additional horizontal bolt on the outside.

Two soldiers guarding the entrance, upon seeing Tang Shun and his entourage arrive, quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Before Tang Shun even got close, he could hear a constant stream of cursing coming from inside.

"Corrupt official! Is that corrupt official here?!"

"You bastard! If you've got the guts, kill me! What kind of skill is locking me up? I'll change my surname if I even flinch!"

Tang Shun paused, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What a beautiful chili pepper!"

Pushing open the door, the light from the oil lamp was brighter than in the previous room.

A woman sat in the corner, her hair disheveled, bound tightly with ropes.

Hearing the noise, she turned her head sharply, her eyes sweeping over like knives.

"Oh, you're here?"

She sneered, "This corrupt official is personally interrogating me? What? Afraid his incompetent subordinates are useless?"

Tang Shun didn't answer, he just looked her up and down.

I only caught a glimpse of her during the daytime battle and didn't get a good look, but now I realize that this woman is extremely beautiful.

Her skin was a healthy honey color, with a light blush from years of riding horses; it wasn't delicate like white porcelain, but rather exuded a touch of arrogance.

His eyebrows and eyes are long and upturned, with the corners of his eyes slightly upturned. When he smiles, his eyes curve into crescent moons, but when he turns cold, they are like sharp blades.

The bridge of his nose is high and straight, and the tip of his nose has a slightly fleshy feel, which softens the fierceness of his eyebrows and eyes.

He was lean and upright with sharp shoulder and back lines, a slender yet powerful waist, and had thin calluses on his knuckles and shallow muscle lines on his forearms from years of holding reins and wielding short knives.

What a beautiful wildflower with thorns!

Tang Shun sat opposite the woman with an imposing air, while Cheng Weiliang and the other three stood behind him.

Tang Shun lowered his head and asked, "Do you hate us?"

"Pooh!"

She spat on the ground, less than half an inch from Tang Shun's boot, and said, "A bunch of filthy corrupt officials, dragging me here like this, who else should I hate but you?!"

She gritted her teeth and asked angrily, "What happened to my brothers? What became of them in the end?"

During their confrontation, Tang Shun slapped her unconscious with great force. When she woke up, she was already in this place.

She had no idea what happened along the way or where she was now.

Tang Shun looked down at the spittle on the ground, then looked up at her and laughed, "You are a prisoner, but you don't have the awareness of a prisoner."

"A prisoner?" she scoffed. "Kill me or torture me, just use a knife! What's the point of locking me up here? Is it fun to humiliate me?"

Tang Shun crossed his legs. "How could something as satisfying as using a knife be so easily accomplished?"

"If we wanted to use knives, you wouldn't be alive now."

She narrowed her eyes, scrutinized Tang Shun for a moment, and scoffed, "So what do you want? Want to sleep with me? Come on then!"

"I'll just pretend I got bitten by a mosquito!"

The room fell silent instantly.

"puff--"

Cheng Feng's eyes widened, and Zhu Hang almost burst out laughing, quickly covering his mouth.

Liang Enyi and Wei Zong were desperately trying to suppress their laughter, glancing at Tang Shun's expression out of the corner of their eyes.

Tang Shun burst into laughter, his hearty laughter echoing in the cramped cell.

"Not bad." He nodded. "You're bold enough, and you're quick-witted enough."

Instead of backing down, the woman stepped forward, looking up at him and saying, "Scared? You know I'm not someone you can easily bully?"

"I'm not afraid." Tang Shun looked at her, then suddenly leaned forward and lifted the woman's chin. "It's just that it would be a waste for me to enjoy such a delicate beauty all by myself."

She was taken aback.

Tang Shun said slowly, "Since you are determined to die, I'm sure you won't tell me even if I ask, so I won't ask you."

There's a saying in the military: "You can't miss out on a good woman, and you can't waste a bad one."

"I have fifty or sixty brothers under my command who have risked their lives, but they have never enjoyed any good fortune."

Having said that, Tang Shun shouted, "Zhu Hang!"

Zhu Hang instinctively stood up straight and said, "Present!"

"Go, tell the brothers to take their pants off and line up. Everyone gets a share!"

Zhu Hang's spirits lifted. "Yes!"

After saying that, he was about to leave.

The fierce aura of the female bandit surnamed Shen vanished instantly. Her eyes widened, and she stammered, "No...you...no...I..."

Tang Shun stood up and looked down at the woman, gently comforting her, "Don't be afraid, just think of it as being bitten by mosquitoes fifty or sixty times, it'll be over soon."

"No...no..."

The woman was speechless and didn't know how to refute him for a moment.

She finally understood what it meant to give someone a taste of their own medicine!

The woman's face began to turn pale, her previous shrewishness completely gone. Her voice trembled with tears, "You...you should ask! You didn't even ask me, how do you know I wouldn't tell?"

Tang Shun smiled. "May I ask?"

The woman nodded, "Yes!"

Tang Shun asked again, "Can you answer?"

The woman nodded repeatedly, "Yes! It really can!"

Tang Shun sat down again, a bright smile spreading across his face. "Quickly, untie Miss Shen..."