Chapter 47: They Planned to Massacre the Village, but I Refused

Page 1/3

Ji Ci searched the black-clad men for anything valuable. From the leader’s body, she retrieved a token. The token was entirely dark black, with the words "Shadow Pavilion Seven Killers" engraved on the back.

"Shadow Pavilion?" Ji Ci narrowed her eyes.

This was the most mysterious assassin organization in the martial world, rumored never to have failed a mission.

She sneered coldly and tossed it aside. "Not worth anything."

A Qing leaned in and sniffed, then took the token in his mouth and placed it into Ji Ci’s bosom. Ji Ci tossed it away again, but this time A Qing picked it up and, twisting its body, slipped it into the cloth pouch Ji Ci had made for him. The pouch hung on his back, like a pack donkey.

Having thoroughly scavenged, Ji Ci stored the corpses in her space. The number of bodies in the space increased.

Looking at the few horses in her space, Ji Ci lowered her head, deep in thought. It seemed Dongfang Jibai had once said that to surround a city from the countryside, you must first have horses.

She decided to steal some horses back for Dongfang Jibai.

Lifting A Qing nearby, Ji Ci released a sweat-blood steed, and A Qing barked excitedly into the distance.

Ji Ci mounted the horse and rode over to the horses left by the black-clad men—there were twenty-five warhorses tied in a hidden spot.

Ji Ci took them all, even hoping those assassins would send more people after her. That way, she would have more free horses.

Mounting her horse, she galloped toward the nearest prefecture city. Without those little pests holding her back, Ji Ci’s movements were much swifter.

Traveling until midnight, Ji Ci decided to rest in the mountains.

When she pulled out the carved large bed from her space, the familiar scent of agarwood wafted over.

This bed bore too many traces of her and Dongfang Jibai.

Just lying down, she smelled Dongfang Jibai’s scent and found it even harder to sleep.

She then took out several wooden boxes and arranged them into a makeshift bed.

A Qing curled up at her feet, ears still pricked alert.

Ji Ci gazed at the crescent moon between the treetops, her thoughts drifting thousands of miles away.

“Xiao Bai, you must hold on...” she whispered, stroking her jade pendant.

On a distant mountaintop, a shadow stood tall against the wind.

He made a hand gesture to his companion, “As planned, wait until they wear each other down.”

The night wind howled mournfully. Ji Ci pulled a quilt over herself, unaware that a far greater storm was about to break.

Page 2/3

Ji Ci rose early.

When one is doing something wrong, one always has extraordinary energy.

She took out some jerky from her space, ate it with A Qing in the forest, then mounted her horse and galloped onward.

Ji Ci traveled without rest, heading straight for the Northern Di tribe’s main camp.

Changing horses constantly along the way, she finally arrived at her destination three days later.

The mountain wind howled, shaking the branches and leaves in the forest.

Wrapped tightly in her black night cloak, A Qing trotted by her feet, his dog eyes glowing faintly green in the darkness.

“A Qing, you’re on watch.” Ji Ci rubbed the dog’s head, pulling out a piece of jerky from her space and stuffing it into his mouth. “If anyone comes, bark like a wolf.”

A Qing wagged his tail happily, clearly excited about this “secret mission.”

Ji Ci crouched on the hillside, overlooking the military camp below.

This was the Northern Di garrison’s horse stable; hundreds of warhorses rested behind fences, occasionally neighing.

Campfires dotted the ground, and patrolling soldiers carried torches, pacing back and forth.

She had originally planned to storm in and slaughter the Northern Di forces without mercy.

But she worried that such heavy bloodshed would affect Dongfang Jibai’s fate.

So she suppressed her impulse.

Lying on the hilltop, she silently counted the soldiers guarding the stables.

“Twenty-seven... thirty-six... forty-two...”

“So many? Almost as many as the number of horses.”

Ji Ci frowned, displeased that following the rules had become so troublesome.

“Forget it, I’m here now.”

Dressed in her night cloak, with the silver bells removed from her hair, Ji Ci slipped silently inside. The Northern Di soldiers changed shifts again and again.

She learned the timing of the guard changes and sneaked in like a little mouse.

From the Northern Di’s windward side, she released her supernatural energy.

The glowing green light drifted like fireflies into the patrol.

Moments later, the patrol began to stagger and fall one after another.

One well-trained soldier walked at the rear, sensing something wrong. He shouted loudly, “Enemy attack! Alert! Alert!”

The camp instantly descended into chaos.

Ji Ci used the opportunity to perform lightness skill, floating like a falling leaf into the stable.

She moved swiftly, lightly tapping the backs of sleeping horses, storing them into her space.

“Who’s there!”

A soldier suddenly turned around, catching a glimpse of Ji Ci’s figure.

Calmly, Ji Ci raised her hand and threw a pebble, striking the soldier’s sleep point.

He collapsed without a sound.

“Fifty-sixth horse...” Ji Ci counted silently as her hands did not stop.

A Qing guarded the perimeter and suddenly let out a low wolf howl.

Page 3/3

Ji Ci’s eyes sharpened; she knew reinforcements had arrived.

No longer lingering, she leapt onto the last black steed not yet taken, flicking her long whip. “Giddy-up!”

The black horse neighed loudly, galloping out of the stable.

Arrows rained behind her, but Ji Ci did not look back. With a backward wave of her hand, a wall of energy blocked all the arrows.

“Chase! Don’t let her escape!” the general roared.

Ji Ci sneered coldly, then suddenly took out some soybeans from her space and scattered them behind her with full power.

The horses stopped, beginning to nibble at the soybeans on the ground, causing the pursuers to fall over in confusion.

The trio of woman, horse, and dog quickly vanished into the night.

Ji Ci rode for ten miles before slowing down, sure she had lost her pursuers.

She patted the black horse’s neck, praising, “Good horse!”

Then she rubbed A Qing’s head. “Good dog!”

A Qing wagged his tail. As the legitimate eldest dog, of course he was a good dog.

The black steed was ink-colored with snow-white hooves, majestic and extraordinary.

It seemed quite fond of Ji Ci, frequently nudging her hand with its nose.

“Looks like you hate those soldiers too.”

Ji Ci smiled and suddenly discovered a hidden pouch under the saddle. Curiously, she opened it and found a letter sealed with red wax.

By moonlight, Ji Ci made out the seal—the private seal of the Northern Di’s grand general.

“Interesting...”

She raised an eyebrow and carefully stored the letter away.

Her luck was incredibly good; she went out to steal and ended up with something so useful.

This might be helpful to Dongfang Jibai.

Suddenly, A Qing barked wildly at the bushes ahead.

The hair on the dog’s back stood on end; he had entered a state of alert.

Ji Ci watched the bushes warily. The secret letter was safely stored in her space, and a dagger appeared in her hand.

Out from the grass stumbled a ragged youth.

“Don’t... don’t kill me...” the boy said fearfully, raising his hands. “I’m just a deserter...”

Ji Ci studied him.

The boy was about fifteen or sixteen, still bearing youthful features but with clear eyes that did not seem deceitful.

“Why did you run?” she asked coldly.

She hated deserters most of all; wavering comrades could bring fatal blows to a team on the battlefield.

The boy lowered his head, “They... they wanted to massacre the village... I wouldn’t allow it...”

Tears began to fall.