Only then did Old Madam Huo get a clear look at the person before her—who else could it be but Yin Zhu?
There she stood, hunched over, her wounds hastily bandaged, still wearing tattered clothes, with a look of utter venom burning in her eyes.
Overwhelmed by shock and fear, Old Madam Huo felt her very heart and liver tremble.
She was terrified to the core, and yet that terror ignited a blazing fury within her.
“St-Stay back! When Ci’er returns, he will not go easy on you! You care so much about Jin Zhu—why don’t you go die in her place?! It’s because you’re a coward who fears death, and now you put on this act of sisterly devotion—who are you trying to fool?”
Smack!
Yin Zhu raised her hand and delivered a crisp, clean slap across Old Madam Huo’s face.
The old lady’s head snapped to the side, and she was left dazed for a long while.
“Guards! Guards! Yin Zhu has committed treason—she’s trying to kill her mistress! Ci’er, come save your mother!”
Yin Zhu raised her hand again and landed another solid slap.
Old Madam Huo dared not shout any further.
Because she suddenly remembered—every single maid and servant in the entire general’s mansion had been sent away.
Even if some were still in the residence, she had just punished them during the day, so there was probably no one willing to come to her aid.
“What… what do you want? Silver, jewels—this old woman can have Ci’er give you anything!”
Shhhh!
A flash of cold light streaked through the air.
Yin Zhu pulled a dagger from her sleeve.
When the icy blade pressed against Old Madam Huo’s neck, the old woman couldn’t help but shiver violently.
“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me! You don’t want to die either, do you?”
Yin Zhu let out a cold laugh. “Return my indenture contract to me, and give me one million taels of silver. For every day I don’t receive it, I’ll cut a gash on your body. If I cut too deep one day, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Old Madam Huo swallowed hard and nodded frantically. “Alright, alright, I agree. But one million taels—Ci’er will surely give it to you.”
Yin Zhu pushed the dagger forward just a little, slicing a shallow wound on Old Madam Huo’s neck, and a line of blood beads immediately welled up.
“And don’t even think about complaining to the general when he returns! I will stay by your side, Old Madam, every moment of every day. If you dare say even one extra word, I’ll take you with me before I die. That way, the four of us sisters can properly attend to you, Old Madam, down in the underworld.”
Old Madam Huo was both frightened and regretful.
If she had known this would happen, she should have sent Bao Zhu to drown Xiao Ya. That girl was all alone—how much trouble could she possibly have caused!
Yin Zhu shoved Old Madam Huo forward and made her kneel before Jin Zhu’s spirit tablet.
Even though Jin Zhu had long since vanished from the three realms and five elements, Yin Zhu still demanded she kneel.
Kneel for her own wicked thoughts, kneel for the sister who lived forever in her heart.
Old Madam Huo was advanced in years, and Yin Zhu gave her no kneeling cushion. Her two kneecaps ground against the hard, cold floor, sending pain deep into her very bones.
Yin Zhu ransacked her bed and took all five hundred taels of silver that “Huo Ci” had left for Old Madam Huo before returning to the military camp due to urgent battle reports.
The main courtyard had not yet been repaired, and the side courtyard held military secrets. After strutting around and throwing her weight about for a while, Old Madam Huo had no choice but to return to the cramped side quarters she had been holed up in for the past few days.
Though some furniture had been moved in, the place still felt desolate and shabby, nowhere near as grand as even a small side room in the former main courtyard.
Old Madam Huo thought she had already suffered enough, yet Yin Zhu still refused to let her off.
It was absolutely outrageous!
But she dared not show even a hint of it, for her life was still firmly in Yin Zhu’s grasp.
The sound of the pouring rain grew louder and louder.
Old Madam Huo knelt on the ground, the rustling rain filling her ears. Before long, the even sound of Yin Zhu’s breathing came from the bed—she seemed to have fallen asleep.
She thought about getting up to find Ci’er and get rid of this wicked servant.
But the sight of that dense, torrential rain made her lose her nerve.
What if she hadn’t even made it outside before Yin Zhu caught her again? The torment she would endure then would be far worse than what she was suffering now.
She racked her brains but couldn’t come up with a good plan, and in the end, she drifted into a heavy sleep.
Xiao Ao granted “Huo Ci” special permission to skip court sessions unless absolutely necessary, so that he could focus on drilling the troops.
Jiang Xingyan was more than happy to have the freedom. She wanted to get close to Yun Chunfeng in her dreams again, but was once again interrupted by Huo Ci’s body, which woke her up on time out of sheer muscle memory.
She tugged at her hair in frustration—she had completely forgotten about that!
So she poured all her pent-up resentment onto Xiao Chonghua, who came for training that day.
She wouldn’t let up until she had him flat on the ground every single day.
After her meridians had recovered, Jiang Xingyan noticed that the internal energy in Huo Ci’s body was actually even more formidable than before.
So she followed Yun Chunfeng and learned some self-defense techniques.
Huo Ci, disguised as Deputy General Jiang, stood off to the side, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
He wanted to teach Ah Yan the ancestral Huo family spear technique, but he could never find the right moment.
What his mother had done yesterday made him so ashamed that he could hardly lift his head.
She had acted exactly like someone petty who had suddenly come into power.
When she was down, she begged and pleaded, saying all sorts of sweet words.
But the moment she turned things around, the ones who suffered were the servants under her.
Just look at how she had beaten Wang Fu—Old Doctor Sun took one look and said it would be at least half a month before he could even get out of bed.
The look of utter disappointment in Wang Qi’s eyes when he looked at “him” pierced his heart like a sharp awl.
So this was how much he had failed in his dealings with others.
Jiang Xingyan, completely oblivious to Huo Ci’s dejected state, learned a few simple and easy moves from Yun Chunfeng and then threw herself into practicing them.
The grain and supplies from the Western Zhou had already been dispatched to the border via various side routes several days ago.
If it were Taba Hongxue, she would never have stretched the timeline out that long.
After all, their merchant caravans hadn’t gained any advantage from the Western Zhou, and a prolonged war was simply not sustainable.
Sure enough, after the Huo family army had trained intensively for three days, an urgent dispatch came from the border—eight hundred li express—bringing news of battle.
“Report! Urgent reports from both Shanhe Pass and Jingyu Pass! It appears that the Northern Luo army is gathering at the border. There have already been small-scale skirmishes in recent days, but the defending generals at each pass have held their ground and refused to engage—they are waiting for General Huo!”
Here it comes!
Xiao Ao’s heart pounded fiercely.
The Northern Luo had finally lost their patience. As long as they made the first move, the Western Zhou would not back down, whether in reason or in sentiment.
“Huo Ci!”
“Your servant is here!”
“I command you to lead one hundred thousand troops and set out today for the border. Repel the invaders and crush the Northern Luo!”
“Your servant obeys the decree!”
Jiang Xingyan returned to the military camp. Though she was anxious, she had grown more accustomed to things over the past few days and still made orderly arrangements for the soldiers to pack their belongings and say goodbye to their families.
It had been less than ten days since the soldiers had brought their families back to the camp from afar. They had just finished laying the foundations and were only waiting for clear weather to raise the main beams and build the tall structures.
Who would have thought that the soldiers would have to head to the battlefield so soon?
And yet, not a single parent, wife, or child among all these soldiers uttered a word of complaint. Instead, they all urged their loved ones who had enlisted: “Fight bravely and repay General Huo’s kindness for recognizing your worth.”
“Don’t worry about us at home—with General Huo giving the orders to take care of us, we’re doing just fine!”
“Go charge forward—we’ll all be waiting for you at home!”
Jiang Xingyan’s eyes grew warm, and she turned away, forcing back the tears at the corners of her eyes.
If it weren’t necessary, who would willingly go off to a war where death loomed at every turn?
It was simply a matter of sacrificing one’s own freedom and youth to safeguard the nation’s strength and security.
Just before setting out, Jiang Xingyan was suddenly struck by an ominous feeling.
Why hadn’t a single piece of intelligence come back from He Han, Yu Jiaojiao, Mei Shisan Niang, or the four head monks, all of whom she had sent out?
