Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Trouble Comes Knocking

Could they really be here because of the old general’s death?

Sure enough, that group of Great Xiao soldiers quickly approached the noodle stall in front of Yuan Zhao’s house. Without a word, they surrounded the stall entirely.

Leading them was a young officer, around twenty-five or twenty-six, with a stern face. He spoke coldly: “Was it you who killed General Tuoba?”

He didn’t even give Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing a chance to explain and had already passed judgment.

Yuan Zhao frowned. “What is the young general talking about? I don’t understand. Who is this General Tuoba?”

But the young officer replied in a tone that allowed no doubt: “I’ve already investigated thoroughly. General Tuoba beat your grandfather to death, and soon after, he disappeared. No one else could be the killer but you two!”

When Yuan Zhao tried to speak again, the young officer cut her off. “Enough! I said it was you, and that’s final. No use trying to argue!”

With a wave of his hand, several soldiers drew their blades and charged at the sisters.

Yuan Zhao was stunned by the Great Xiao soldiers’ arrogance.

If that’s how it is…

Suddenly, chopsticks shot out like a rain of arrows, each one hitting the attacking soldiers precisely on their wrists.

Clang! Clang!

“Ahhh! My hand! My hand!”

Their blades fell helplessly to the ground as they clutched their injured wrists, wailing in pain.

Ah Qing looked toward Yuan Zhao, clearly hoping for praise. Yuan Zhao smiled and nodded at her.

The young officer roared, “How dare you fight back! That proves you’re guilty beyond doubt!”

Yuan Zhao sneered, “Weren’t you already convinced we were guilty? How ridiculous to say this now.”

“Very well, then!” The officer laughed angrily. “Didn’t expect to run into someone tough today. Let’s see how arrogant you still are in a moment!”

He then charged at Yuan Zhao with a punch.

Ah Qing was about to intervene, but Yuan Zhao pulled her behind. Ah Qing had only recently begun learning martial arts—she could handle regular soldiers but was no match for a martial artist like the officer.

Yuan Zhao raised the kitchen knife she used to cut beef, holding it upright.

Clang! 

The officer’s fist slammed into the flat of the blade.

Even with Yuan Zhao’s inner energy reinforcing the knife, it left a shallow dent.

But then…

Snap! 

His wrist broke.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Blood gushed out. The officer staggered back, his face pale, staring at Yuan Zhao in terror.

“Y-You’re a second-tier martial expert?”

Second-tier martial expert? What was that supposed to mean?

He continued, “No wonder… No wonder you could kill General Tuoba!”

On the border, a second-tier martial artist was already among the elite. Only the commanders of both Great Xiao and Great Liang could match someone of that level.

The officer’s expression twisted, “How dare you injure me like this! Aren’t you afraid Great Xiao’s army will raze Tianmen Town to the ground?”

Yuan Zhao chuckled coldly, “Do you think I’m ignorant? Would you dare? If you act recklessly, Great Liang’s army will also move. When two armies clash, can you afford the consequences?”

His face changed again and again—because what she said was true.

There had always been a tacit understanding between Great Liang and Great Xiao: small groups could move freely along the border, but the moment a large force acted, the other side would respond in kind.

Yuan Zhao continued: “And you want to push me? You should know that people like me, lone martial artists, if provoked, won’t confront you directly. If I go into hiding and kill dozens of your soldiers a day in secret, what could you possibly do about it? Let’s see how many troops you have for me to kill!”

The young officer was shaken. He hadn’t expected this woman to be so ruthless.

Yuan Zhao said coldly: “Those who kill must be prepared to be killed. Your so-called General Tuoba killed my grandfather and I killed him in return. It’s only just! I won’t kill you today, but remember—this ends now! If not, I won’t hesitate to drag us all down!”

The young officer’s face contorted with rage, then he finally gritted his teeth and shouted, “We’re leaving!!”

The wounded soldiers hurriedly began to retreat.

Yuan Zhao suddenly called out: “You can leave, but the weapons stay!”

The officer shouted in fury, “Don’t push your luck!”

Yuan Zhao sneered, “You bullied me first. I’m sparing your lives—you should thank me for my mercy!”

“You…” The young officer was furious, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and ordered, “Leave the weapons!”

The soldiers dropped their swords on the ground.

After they left, Ah Qing asked: “Sister, did you really kill the man who caused Grandpa’s death?”

Yuan Zhao smiled, “Didn’t you hear everything just now?”

Ah Qing looked at her with admiration, “Sister, you’re amazing. If Grandpa knew, he’d be so proud!”

Yuan Zhao flicked her on the forehead, “Alright, tidy things up, we’ve got customers.”

“Okay~” Ah Qing replied cheerfully.

***

Meanwhile, the young officer stormed away in a foul mood. When someone blocked his path, he barked angrily: “Who dares stop me!”

A man stepped forward and saluted respectfully, “Humble citizen Wu Yaozu greets the General.”

Seeing his face, the officer’s rage deepened. “It’s you! How dare you show yourself in front of me again!”

Wu Yaozu bowed hastily, “Please calm your anger, General. I didn’t know that wretched woman was so capable. It’s my fault you suffered disgrace. Please give me a chance to redeem myself!”

It turned out this whole ordeal was instigated by Wu Yaozu, the eldest grandson of the Wu family elder.

He had overheard the officer’s investigation into Tuoba’s disappearance and informed him that Old Zhao had been killed by General Tuoba, and that Yuan Zhao was skilled in martial arts.

The officer naturally assumed she was the killer.

The officer, suppressing the pain in his wrist, asked, “Oh? And how do you plan to redeem yourself?”

Wu Yaozu narrowed his eyes, “General, are you aware of Great Liang’s ‘Dark Night Pavilion’?”

The officer nodded, “I know of it. So what?”

Like Chasing Wind Tower, the Dark Night Pavilion was also a martial underworld organization—one specializing in assassinations.

Wu Yaozu grinned wickedly, “Since it’s inconvenient for you to deal with that woman directly, why not hire the Dark Night Pavilion to handle her?”

The officer squinted, “But they’re in Great Liang territory and I can’t cross the border.”

Wu Yaozu bowed, “Don’t worry, General. I can do it. There’s a Dark Night Pavilion branch in Heishi City, not far from Tianmen Town…”

The young general smiled when he heard this, “Very good, then I’ll leave this matter to you!”

“I obey your command!” Wu Yaozu quickly bowed and agreed, but then he suddenly looked embarrassed, “General, it will cost a lot to mobilize the Dark Night Pavilion, and I am really short of money…”

Upon hearing this, the young general took out a purse from his bosom, weighed it twice and said, “It’s not impossible for me to help you, but you must remember that this is something you did alone, and it has nothing to do with me.”

After all, he was still afraid of Yuan Zhao’s threat.

If the assassination fails and his involvement is exposed, and the woman really goes to the Great Xiao military camp to carry out the assassination as she said, he cannot afford the consequences.

“Don’t worry, General. I will keep my mouth shut.”

However, the young general’s gaze passed over Wu Yaozu and fell on the people behind him. Then he waved his hand casually, and streams of energy shot out, killing those people on the spot.

Wu Yaozu was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

“General, please spare me! General, please spare me!” He immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

“I trust you, but I don’t trust them. The fewer people who know about this, the better. So I can only ask them to go to the underworld to see the King of Hell.”

Wu Yaozu quickly replied, “Yes, yes! This humble one wouldn’t dare leak a single word!”

The young general casually tossed the money pouch in front of Wu Yaozu and turned to leave.

“Remember what you said. I might not be able to deal with that girl, but killing you would be effortless!”

Only after the young general had walked far away did Wu Yaozu dare to climb up from the ground. He looked at the corpses of his clansmen, his expression shifting rapidly.

***

Meanwhile, after finishing a day’s business, Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing took the weapons left by the Great Xiao soldiers to the blacksmith shop. Yuan Zhao wanted to forge suitable weapons for both herself and Ah Qing.

The old blacksmith had been forging weapons in Tianmen Town for decades and had made many weapons for people of the martial world. Although he couldn’t forge legendary blades, creating a solid, practical weapon was no problem.

He also had a sharp eye, so he immediately recognized the large sabers Yuan Zhao brought as the standard weapons of the Great Xiao military.

Of course, he didn’t mention it. He was just a blacksmith—he forged metal, and that was all.

“What kind of weapon do you want, miss?”

Without hesitation, Yuan Zhao answered, “A saber!”

The blacksmith said, “Aren’t these all sabers already? What kind of style are you looking for?”

Yuan Zhao shook her head. “These sabers are too light for me.”

Too light? These were already considered heavy sabers.

“Then tell me your requirements.”

Yuan Zhao thought for a moment and said, “I want a saber that’s six feet long, one palm-width wide, with a heavy body, a sharp edge, and a broad spine.”

The blacksmith was stunned.

A six-foot (approx. 1.98 meters) long saber? That was taller than her! Could this girl even wield such a thing?

Seeing him in a daze, Yuan Zhao asked, “Well? Can you make it?”

The blacksmith nodded. “It can be done, but are you sure you want something like that? Not to mention the weight, the length will make it hard to wield.”

Yuan Zhao waved her hand. “Just forge it the way I said. Whether I can use it or not is my concern.”

The Hellgate Blade needed to be big and heavy to be effective—that was also why Ah Qing couldn’t train with it effectively.

“…Alright, if you insist.” The blacksmith agreed, then glanced at the pile of sabers on the ground.

“If you want to forge a good blade, though, this material might not be enough.”

“This isn’t enough?” Yuan Zhao was surprised.

“Correct,” the old blacksmith nodded.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhao fell into deep thought.

If that was the case, she’d have to retrieve the rest of the materials she had hidden outside the town.

After confirming her own weapon needs, Yuan Zhao asked Ah Qing, “Ah Qing, what kind of weapon do you want?”

Ah Qing thought for a bit and replied, “Can I have hidden weapons?”

She only knew one martial technique, Heaven-Sweeping Hand, which was well-suited for hidden weapons.

Yuan Zhao nodded. “Of course. Hidden weapons are great. With them you don’t need to get close, it’s much safer this way.”

The blacksmith asked, “What kind of hidden weapon? There were many types—needles, throwing knives, darts, mini-arrows, etc.”

Thinking back to how it felt to use chopsticks as throwing weapons earlier, Ah Qing asked, “Can I use chopsticks?”

“Chopsticks?” The blacksmith was stunned again.

These two sisters were something else. One wanted an absurdly large saber. The other wanted chopsticks as hidden weapons.

Strange things happen every year, but this year’s been especially weird.

After stating all the requirements, Yuan Zhao said to the blacksmith, “Master, that’s all we need. I’ll bring the rest of the materials to you later.”

She paid him a deposit of 20 taels of silver.

Weapon forging wasn’t cheap. Even though Yuan Zhao supplied the materials, the blacksmith still charged a high price. Forging Yuan Zhao’s saber would cost 40 taels.

Saving up money only for it to be gone in a flash—what a tragedy!

After leaving the smithy, Yuan Zhao said to Ah Qing, “Ah Qing, you head home first. I need to run an errand outside the town.”

Ah Qing nodded, “Okay, big sis. Come back soon.”

After parting ways, Yuan Zhao sprinted toward the outskirts of town and soon reached the spot where she had killed General Tuoba and his men.

The place was covered in sand dunes, and due to the strong winds, the terrain had changed drastically making it impossible to find her hidden weapons by sight alone.

She placed her hand on the ground and slowly adjusted her energy field until her aura merged with the surrounding environment. Soon, she sensed a mass of metal buried nearby.

Retracting her hand, she chuckled to herself. “I wonder if I could use this skill to find gold mines?”

She walked straight to the spot and began digging. Before long, she had unearthed all her hidden weapons.

By the time she returned to town, it was almost dark.

She carried over a dozen blades on her back, cradling Tuoba General’s heavy saber in her arms. It had the most weight and the best quality.

“Is it enough?”

The old blacksmith gradually nodded. “Yes, yes, this is more than enough!”

More Great Xiao military-standard weapons!

The old blacksmith marveled to himself. This girl either has powerful family backing… or she’s one ruthless woman.