The Woman Disguised Herself as a Man and Abolished the Prince, Married a Princess and called the Empress - Chapter 13

Wen Yan resigned from Xu Jing with soft words, and admonished Xiao Li with blunt words.

A moment later, a woman in black appeared like a ghost.

Xiong Shaoqing had expected this, and her expression was naturally calm. It was the woman who flashed a look of disbelief in her eyes, clearly not expecting to be discovered so quickly.

Looking at the secret guard in front of her, Xiong Shaoqing remembered the first time she met Senior Sister Yu at Youzhuzhai, when she had vaguely caught a whiff of this aura. She was concerned about her senior sister’s safety and knew that this matter was confidential. It was too risky to deliver it through a post station, so she could only entrust it to the person in front of her.

“I know you are my senior sister’s secret guard. I sensed you at Youzhuzhai,” she said, holding the box with both hands and handing it forward. “There is a secret in this box. It’s not appropriate to deliver it through a post station. I’ll have to trouble you to hand it to my senior sister personally.”

With that, she bowed solemnly.

The woman raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in her eyes, but it quickly returned to its usual coldness.

Her voice was low and powerful: “I am Fu Qu, the chief of Princess Qinglan’s secret guards.”

With that, her eyes were fixed on the box in Xiong Shaoqing’s hands, with an undeniable firmness: “This box is of great importance. I will personally deliver it to the princess, and nothing will go wrong.”

She reached out and took the box from Xiong Shaoqing’s hands. Then, she lightly tapped the ground with her toes, and her figure shuttled like a ghost, disappearing into the dim alley in the blink of an eye, leaving only a gentle breeze, as if she had never appeared.

Xiong Shaoqing returned to the private room of the restaurant and saw Xu Jing leaning lazily on the back of the chair, with one hand on her forehead and the other naturally hanging on the edge of the table. She thought to herself, this girl has eaten her fill.

“Have you rested enough? Follow me to the vicinity of the Xuanbing Camp. You don’t have a household registration, so you can’t get in. We’ll come back here to settle down later. In about a month, your household registration will be sent, and you can enter the camp then.”

Xu Jing’s eyes widened, and she nodded like a chick pecking at rice: “Okay! I’m all ears, didn’t miss a single word, I’ve got it all!”

Xiong Shaoqing took Xu Jing downstairs and settled the bill with the shopkeeper. She also booked a room and prepaid a month’s rent and meal money.

Thinking about Xu Jing’s walking speed, she was worried that she would be too tired on the way, so she hired a horse-drawn carriage. The two sat in the carriage, which slowly drove out of Feidu City and proceeded along the winding mountain road.

The shops and residences on both sides were slowly replaced by dense woods. The green bamboo forests swayed in the wind, making a rustling sound. Several squirrels jumped onto the branches, startling the fallen leaves.

Xiong Shaoqing noticed the look on Xu Jing’s face as she lifted the curtain to enjoy the scenery outside the window and guessed that she must have been thinking of Goumang Peak.

“Feidu City is different from Goumang Peak. You’ve never been down the mountain before. Take this month to look around. Take this money and spend it,” Xiong Shaoqing handed the bundle to Xu Jing, her expression gradually becoming serious. “You’re good at fighting and can protect yourself, but outside, never trust anyone.”

Xu Jing took the bundle with both hands, her mouth split from ear to ear, her face beaming with a smile, and her voice was as crisp as a silver bell: “Sister, I’ve etched your words into my mind. I’ll be careful when I’m out and about and will definitely not be reckless!”

About half an hour later, Xiong Shaoqing arrived at the entrance of the military camp. She said goodbye to Xu Jing and told the coachman to drive the carriage back.

Looking at the departing carriage with Xu Jing in it, she thought to herself, this girl is down the mountain for the first time, and she’s alone in Feidu City. I hope she’ll be safe and sound.

Xiong Shaoqing returned to the team as scheduled. The next day, as she was leading the new recruits in training, Commander Lin Jingmo came to inspect with the previous batch of female soldiers from the Xuanbing Camp.

“All new recruits!” Lin Jingmo’s voice was loud and powerful, echoing on the training ground. “Today, I brought 50 elites from our Xuanbing Camp’s previous batch. Next, they will be representatives to spar and exchange with you. All of you, seize this opportunity!”

At Lin Jingmo’s signal, the woman at the head walked onto the high platform with steady steps. Her eyes were sharp and firm. She lightly patted the sword at her waist, and her voice was cold but with a subtle warmth.

“New recruits, I am Xiao Li, the captain of the previous batch. I used to stand here just like you, experiencing sweat and pain, and gaining glory and growth. I’m not here to show off today, but to pass on the spirit of the Xuanbing Camp.”

She glanced around, her gaze lingering on the faces of the new recruits: “You are the new force of the Xuanbing Camp, and your future is promising. Here, you must train yourselves to become fearless heroines. Don’t disgrace our Xuanbing Camp!”

Xiao Li’s words aroused the enthusiasm of the new recruits, and a burst of warm applause rang out on the training ground.

Lin Jingmo stood tall on the high platform, her face cold. She raised her hand to suppress the noise. In an instant, the noisy training ground quickly quieted down, with only the soft sound of the wind blowing.

“Listen up!” Her voice was as loud as a bell and echoed throughout the training ground. “Next, I will announce the specific rules of this sparring session. This sparring session is divided into two stages. The first stage is the free sparring period, which lasts for ten days.

“New recruits will fully train their personal martial arts, and veterans must teach them everything they know. They must communicate with each other and make progress together. If anyone holds back, don’t blame me for using military law to punish them!” Lin Jingmo’s gaze was sharp, sweeping over everyone with full deterrence.

“In the second stage, the new recruits will be assessed first, and the top 50 elites will be selected. Then, these 50 people will spar one-on-one with the veterans. It will be a friendly match, but you all have to show your real skills, no perfunctory moves allowed!” She paused, her expression becoming more serious.

“The final result is directly linked to subsequent benefits. The winners will have their military salary doubled and get extra meat with every meal. The losers, don’t complain, train harder until you get results! In the Xuanbing Camp, strength is everything. Don’t think about slacking off if you don’t have the skills!”

As soon as she finished speaking, people below began to discuss animatedly, eager to give it a try. They all secretly made up their minds to win.

During the lunch break, Xiong Shaoqing, Huang Yu, and Peng Yongsen discussed the training plan to strive for victory and achieve results. Peng Yongsen suppressed her dissatisfaction with Xiong Shaoqing. After all, they now had a common goal, so she was also actively offering advice.

Huang Yu slapped her thigh and said quickly: “Based on my experience as a street performer, training can’t be too harsh! You have to let everyone catch their breath. If they’re always tense, their performance on the field will definitely be affected. How can they win then!”

Xiong Shaoqing nodded, quickly sorting out various training ideas in her mind, and finally put forward her own opinions and made a summary. Peng Yongsen and Huang Yu had no objection, so they began to implement the training plan that day.

The next day, the free sparring session began. The veterans’ moves against the new recruits were fast, accurate, and ruthless, taking them down in just a few moves. However, their guidance was a bit disdainful and they were unwilling to say more.

Xiong Shaoqing frowned. She had guessed that the veterans would hold back, as they would have to compete in the second stage. If the new recruits made rapid progress, it would be detrimental to their interests.

She felt a little unfair. The commander had just warned against holding back, and now these veterans were starting to be defiant.

Thinking of this, Xiong Shaoqing stepped forward without hesitation, striding up to face the veterans, her voice cold and hard: “Is this teaching or perfunctory? What’s the point of holding back!” Her words were powerful and instantly made the veterans’ faces turn ashen.

Xiao Li’s figure was like lightning, and she was there in an instant. She looked up, her gaze as sharp as an eagle’s, locking directly onto Xiong Shaoqing, with a hint of innate arrogance: “You’re the new recruit captain? What, are you questioning the experience of us seniors?”

With that, she crossed her arms, lifted her chin slightly, her eyes flickering with a provocative light, and the aura around her seemed to be declaring that an invisible contest had already begun.

Xiong Shaoqing’s expression was cold, and she met Xiao Li’s gaze without fear. With a “swish,” she drew her sword, and the sword energy howled, but she steadily pointed the tip of the sword at the ground, directly facing Xiao Li.

“What I want is fairness. If you teach with sincerity, the new recruits will naturally respect you; if you’re perfunctory, don’t blame me for being blunt. This is an insult to us.”

Xiao Li’s face was gloomy, and the aura around her suddenly became cold. Her eyes were wide with anger: “Good, new recruit captain, what’s your name?”

“Xiong Shaoqing.” Xiong Shaoqing’s expression was calm, and her voice was unperturbed.

The anger in Xiao Li’s eyes flared up with a “whoosh,” almost burning people. She took a big step forward and roared: “Xiong Shaoqing, I, Xiao Li, officially challenge you. Do you dare to accept?”

The corner of Xiong Shaoqing’s mouth curled up slightly, a faint arc. Her expression was relaxed and unhurried: “Bring it on.”

“Arrogant!” Xiao Li roared, her wrist turning. With a “swish,” she drew her sword. The fierce sword energy tore through the air, carrying a surge of anger, and went straight for Xiong Shaoqing.

Facing Xiao Li’s provocation, Xiong Shaoqing did not immediately counterattack but chose to defend. The sword light flickered, like an indestructible shield.

She knew in her heart that as the veteran captain, Xiao Li would care about her reputation. After all, they were all sisters in the same camp, and there was no need to fall out, which was also not conducive to unity.

So she chose to respond to the challenge in this way, trying to let Xiao Li calm down on her own.

Xiao Li’s chest heaved violently, her face was covered with frost, her eyebrows were raised, and her eyes were filled with the raging fire of being provoked: “Xiong Shaoqing, you coward! What kind of skill is it to just defend? If you have the guts, use all your strength, otherwise, even if I win against you, I won’t feel like I’ve won fairly!”

Her words were like thunder, making the surrounding new recruits hold their breath, while the veterans looked smug.

Peng Yongsen looked at this duel with a complex heart. On one hand, she was jealous of Xiong Shaoqing and didn’t want to see her in the limelight, but on the other hand, her opponent was the veteran captain Xiao Li, and Xiong Shaoqing was standing up for the new recruits.

Most of the other new recruits looked worried, afraid that Xiong Shaoqing would be defeated and injured, and the new recruits would lose face.

Huang Yu, however, was very calm. She saw that Xiong Shaoqing was deliberately avoiding her sharpness, and she admired Xiong Shaoqing even more.

Hearing Xiao Li’s curses, Xiong Shaoqing frowned slightly, but did not retort. She knew this was Xiao Li’s stubbornness. So, she changed her sword style and began to counterattack. Although her sword skills were fierce, she always maintained a sense of proportion.

Every attack seemed to leave room, and the seemingly fierce battle was actually controlling the balance of victory.

Xiao Li felt Xiong Shaoqing’s pressure, and although she was puzzled, she was also grateful. She gritted her teeth and tried her best to cope. The two people’s swords intertwined in the air, creating streaks of brilliant light.

The new and old recruits around them were stunned. They couldn’t tell who was winning or losing, but they could feel the strong confrontation and oppressive power.

In the end, their swords collided in the air, and they both retreated, staring at each other. Although Xiao Li’s breathing was heavy, there was no longer anger in her eyes, only respect.

Xiong Shaoqing smiled slightly. She knew that the purpose of this duel had been achieved. She deliberately pretended that the two sides were evenly matched to save Xiao Li’s face and also to teach her a lesson.

Xiao Li took a deep breath, trying her best to calm her emotions. She turned and swept her eyes over the veterans in front of her, her voice cold and filled with undeniable authority: “You all better listen up! This is the true style of our Xuanbing Camp soldiers!”

She paused, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes: “From now on, if any veteran holds back and is unwilling to sincerely teach the new recruits, don’t blame me for being heartless. I will report it to the commander and punish them according to military law! Do you understand?”

The veterans responded solemnly: “Understood.”

After that, the veterans taught everything they knew, and the atmosphere of the entire Xuanbing Camp was revitalized.

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