Chapter 639: Invitation to Battle

Editor: Atlas Studios

Qi Haoran coughed lightly and looked at Chief Ji’an. Looking embarrassed and slightly angry, Chief Ji’an shouted, “Jinhua, come back quickly!”

Jinhua pouted. “No!” She pointed her whip at Liu Dahei. “Come up and compete with me.”

Liu Dahei’s expression went blank for a moment before he shook his head repeatedly. Although he wanted to show off in front of Jinhua, he didn’t want to hit a woman.

Furious, Jinhua shouted, “Are you looking down on me? You might not win against me, you know. Come up quickly.”

Hanlan quickly stood up and said, “Sister, don’t mess around. This is the military camp and you’re a girl. How can you challenge someone in martial arts here?”

“Why not? When I was in the Miao stockade, I even personally trained the soldiers and Dad didn’t say anything. You’ve learned the ways of the Han Chinese, but do you think I’m the same as you?”

Seeing that her sister was targeting her like this, Hanlan was furious. However, because everyone was watching, she couldn’t embarrass family. She took a few quick steps forward, grabbed her hand, and sneered in her ear. “I’m just afraid that you’ll cry after losing. When you messed around in our Miao stockade, everyone gave in to you because you’re Father’s daughter. No one will indulge you here. If you don’t want to embarrass Father, follow me obediently.”

Hearing this, Jinhua flared up even more. Never one to heed advice, Jinhua shook off her sister’s hand. Because she happened to see Mu Yangling stand up, she pointed at her and declared, “I want to compete with you!”

Mu Yangling was stunned. She only wanted to go forward to break up the sisters’ argument in her capacity as the host. Why was she suddenly implicated?

Jinhua said, “Didn’t you show off your skills at our Miao stockade last time? I think you’re different from those Han Chinese women. Do you dare to compete with me?”

A cold glint flashed across Qi Haoran’s eyes, who felt a tad displeased with Jinhua. Mu Yangling said with a smile, “I can oblige, but you’re not allowed to cry if you lose.”

With a snort, Jinhua said, “I won’t do such a tasteless thing. Choose a weapon.”

As she was coming to the military camp, Mu Yangling didn’t wear heavy clothes. She tied up her sleeves and asked Qi Haoran for a dagger before going forward. Waving the weapon in her hand, she said with a smile, “I’ll use this.”

Jinhua frowned. “I choose the long whip.”

To her mind, a long whip was undoubtedly superior to a dagger.

However, Mu Yangling said, “A long whip only has a chance of winning when the distance is pulled apart. Are you sure you want to use a long whip?”

Jinhua was best at using whips. Since she was young, whips had never left her side. Unlike Mu Yangling who was adept at using various weapons, this was her only option.

Mu Yangling stood opposite her and gestured for Hanlan to let go of Jinhua. Sweating profusely, Hanlan looked at her husband for help. Aware of her sister’s martial arts skills, she was concerned she might hurt the Princess Consort.

Chen Jiacai glanced at Qi Haoran, who didn’t appear worried in spite of his anger. He deduced that he had confidence in the Princess Consort’s abilities, so he secretly nodded at his wife.

Seeing as how this sister-in-law often embarrassed his wife, it was good to let outsiders teach her a lesson.

Almost as soon as Mu Yangling indicated that they could start, Jinhua lashed out with her whip. Mu Yangling nimbly dodged it and the whip hit the ground with a loud bang, leaving a mark on the ground. This was the first time everyone had the chance to witness the ferocity of a Miao girl. Some of them were overwhelmed with worry at the possibility of having to marry this woman.

On the other hand, Liu Dahei’s eyes lit up as he gazed at Jinhua in admiration.

Unlike men who only liked delicate women, Liu Dahei felt that a woman had to be able to support the family to be called a woman. Otherwise, once the man died, the family would only decline and his wife and children might descend into poverty. What was the use of being delicate?

It wasn’t as if delicateness could substitute food.

In fact, he liked that Jinhua was so valiant. If he really died on the battlefield one day, his wife and children would at least be able to continue living well. He did not mind whether she remarried or returned to her maternal family. At least she could protect the assets he left behind and protect his bloodline. That was enough.

Pragmatic as usual, Liu Dahei became more and more satisfied with Jinhua, the more he got to know her. Then, he saw the Princess Consort dodging Jinhua’s attacks one after another while approaching her step by step. His heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

Seeing that Mu Yangling was so agile, Jinhua simply spun half a circle and swept the whip over. In response, Mu Yangling turned around and dodged. She tossed the dagger into the air, switching it to her left hand before grabbing the whip with her right hand just as it was about to land. Exerting some force, she pulled Jinhua in front of her and placed the dagger against her neck. Mu Yangling said with a smile, “I do have an advantage when fighting you. I’m stronger than ordinary people.”

Jinhua was unconvinced. “How strong can you possibly be? Surely you can’t be stronger than my older brother?”

Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and looked at Ji’an Yong, who was eating meat below. She said with a smile, “We’ll know after we compete, right?”

Chen Jiacai poked his brother-in-law with his finger, who then dazedly looked up. Chief Ji’an wanted to kick him into the fire. He turned to Qi Haoran and said with a smile awkwardly, “Your Highness, we’ve embarrassed ourselves. I didn’t expect Her Highness to be so skilled…” What a joke. Never mind that his daughter competed, but now his son, too?

However, Qi Haoran said with a smile, “Coincidentally, I also want to see who’s stronger, Young Chief or my wife.”

The Miao stockade did not have the tradition of looking down on women, so when Ji’an Yong heard Qi Haoran’s words, he jumped up eagerly and asked, “Are you also born with great strength?”

Mu Yangling nodded with a smile.

Ji’an Yong drew a long saber and said in embarrassment, “I’m used to sabers.”

Mu Yangling threw the dagger to Qi Haoran and pulled out a long saber. She said with a smile, “Then let’s compete with sabers.”

Mu Yangling’s saber technique was a combination of what she had learned in her previous life and the saber technique Qi Haoran had taught her, minus the fancy movements. As a result, her moves were simple and agile. With her monstrous strength, she had to subconsciously restrain 50% of her strength. However, even so, when the sabers collided, Ji’an Yong’s purlicue still trembled slightly and he almost dropped the saber. His eyes turned serious as he fought even more carefully.

As Ji’an Yong’s saber technique was developed from countering wild beasts, as well as against opponents on the battlefield, every move was fatal. In just a short while, the two of them had already exchanged more than ten moves. Qi Haoran slowly sat up straight and leaned forward slightly, watching with bright eyes.

Chief Ji’an, on the other hand, was slightly shocked. He straightened his back and looked at the two people who were retreating and advancing.

Ji’an Yong was very familiar with his saber technique, so he had the upper hand the moment he came up. However, Mu Yangling was not bad either. Although she retreated from time to time, her defense was tight and from time to time she could throw out an attack.

Ji’an Yong originally thought that the longer the time passed, the higher his chances of winning. After all, as a man, he assumed his strength far exceeded Mu Yangling’s. Moreover, he was someone who had fought on the battlefield, and ruthlessness and experience were what counted in sparring. Unexpectedly, Mu Yangling was not weaker than him. Not only did her stamina not lessen, but as time passed, it seemed to have awakened some of the memories in her body. Her saber technique became sharper and sharper as she pressed forward step by step. Ji’an Yong was forced to take three steps back.

Ji’an Yong knew that he should end the battle quickly, so his saber technique became more aggressive…

It had been a long time since Mu Yangling had fought to her heart’s content. She forgot herself for a moment and only reacted when she heard her son’s loud cheers. Blocking Ji’an Yong’s attack, she jumped back at the same time, then sheathed her saber and suggested with a beam, “Today was fun. Why don’t we stop here for now?”

Ji’an Yong felt a little pity, but he still agreed with a smile.

Chapter end