Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Yuan Zhao, the Heaven-Prison Blade.

Yuan Zhao: “Some marshal you are—can’t even bring out five thousand taels. Pathetic!”

Xiao Hong was nearly driven mad with anger. As if five thousand taels were grains of sand in the desert!

“One thousand taels! That’s the most we can offer!” Xiao Hong said firmly.

“One thousand taels? You think I’m a beggar?” Yuan Zhao sneered, yanking her long blade in front of her. “Then I guess I’ll have no choice but to keep using the blood of your soldiers to honor my blade.”

“No one’s ever dared to threaten me like this!” Xiao Hong roared, immediately rising to fight again.

But then, the mysterious figure from the Baixiao Sect spoke: “How about you both hear me out?”

Both Yuan Zhao and Xiao Hong looked up to the sky.

The figure first addressed Xiao Hong: “Marshal Xiao, this incident was started by your men. The fault lies with your side. And your subordinates escalated the matter through mishandling, so it’s only proper that you bear the compensation.”

Then the figure turned to Yuan Zhao: “Young lady, though you carry hatred in your heart, you’ve already slaughtered nearly a thousand Great Xiao soldiers. That should have been enough to vent your rage.”

“Since that’s the case, both sides should take a step back. Marshal Xiao, you will compensate this lady with 2,000 taels of silver and promise your men will no longer trouble her, her friends, or family. And you, miss, will end this matter here and now. So long as Great Xiao’s soldiers do not provoke you again, you must not seek further revenge.”

Before the words had even fully left the mysterious figure’s mouth, Yuan Zhao cut in: “I’ll let go of the five thousand, fine—but I want three thousand taels. That’s my bottom line!”

The figure sighed, then turned to Xiao Hong: “Three thousand it is. Marshal Xiao, what say you?”

Xiao Hong looked as though he wanted to argue further, but the figure added: “Marshal, enough is enough. You know dragging this out will benefit neither you nor the soldiers of Baiyu City.”

Grinding his teeth, Xiao Hong glared at Yuan Zhao for a long moment before finally nodding. “Three thousand taels it is. I hope you’ll hold to your word.”

Yuan Zhao sneered. “Of course. I’m not like some dishonorable types.”

As she said this, she cast a scornful glance at Tuoba Yu, who was too terrified to talk back.

Right now, he deeply regretted everything. What madness had made him provoke such a devil of a woman?! Now he was really doomed. Once they got back, the Marshal would never forgive him.

Then Yuan Zhao said to Xiao Hong, “Oh, and I want actual gold and silver—no promissory notes!”

First, Great Xiao’s banknotes weren’t accepted across borders. She couldn’t just walk into Great Xiao and cash them in. Second, with the world in chaos, banknotes weren’t reliable. Real gold and silver were far more reassuring.

As they didn’t have enough silver on hand, Xiao Hong and his men had no choice but to return to the city to retrieve it.

Before leaving, Xiao Hong shot Yuan Zhao a venomous glare.

Yuan Zhao waved after them with a taunting tone, “Marshal Xiao, please be quick. I’ll be waiting right here!”

She wasn’t afraid they’d try to back out. Worst case? She’d just go back to cutting people down.

Only when their figures disappeared completely did Yuan Zhao withdraw her gaze and bow her hands in thanks toward the mysterious figure in the sky.

“Many thanks, Senior, for your aid!”

If someone from Baixiao Sect hadn’t been there to witness, she wouldn’t have dared negotiate with Xiao Hong. Because without oversight, he could have broken the agreement at any time.

But with Baixiao Sect’s involvement, it was different. If Xiao Hong dared to go back on his word, they really would make sure the entire martial world knew.

At that point, it wouldn’t just be Xiao Hong’s personal reputation in ruins—Great Xiao’s prestige would suffer too.

The mysterious figure replied with a warm smile: “A small matter. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a brave and capable young warrior.”

Yuan Zhao chuckled. “You flatter me, Senior.”

Then the figure glanced at the blade at her side. “Does your sword have a name? It has a rather unusual shape.”

Yuan Zhao paused, looking down at her newly-forged long blade. She hadn’t thought to name it yet.

But since the question was asked… she considered for a moment and answered:

“Tian-Yu Dao — Heaven-Prison Blade.”

Heaven (天, tian) as in “Tian Fushou.” (Heaven-Sweeping Hand)

Prison (狱, yu) as in “Yumen Blade.” (Hellgate Blade)

“Heaven-Prison Blade…” the figure repeated softly, then laughed. “A fine name!”

With that, they mounted their white crane and soared into the sky.

“Young lady, until we meet again!”

Once the figure was gone, Yuan Zhao suddenly turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Awooo~ awooo~” the old wolf howled anxiously upon seeing this.

Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Yuan Zhao comforted him, “It’s nothing. Don’t make such a fuss.”

But in truth, she had suffered severe internal injuries.

A Rank-One warrior was no joke. Had Xiao Hong and his men lingered a little longer, she might not have been able to keep up the act.

And once her injuries were exposed, she would’ve lost all leverage.

She quickly adjusted her breathing, then sat cross-legged and began circulating her inner energy for healing.

The Tai Xuan Canon was more effective for healing than ordinary cultivation techniques.

Seeing her shut her eyes, the old wolf quietly lay down beside her, silently standing guard.

About half an hour later, a young soldier from Great Xiao arrived, carrying a small chest.

He trembled as he placed it near her, not even daring to approach too close. He opened the box to reveal 30 neatly arranged gold ingots.

Each gold ingot was worth 10 gold taels, and 1 tael of gold equaled 10 taels of silver.

This made exactly 3,000 taels.

“Miss, I’ve left the money here for you!”

Yuan Zhao opened her eyes and swept a glance at it. Once she confirmed the amount was correct, she said coldly,

“Get lost.”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” The soldier immediately scrambled away as fast as his legs could carry him, wishing he had wings.

After her healing session, Yuan Zhao felt much better. She picked up the box and cradled it in her arms, then turned to the old wolf and said, “Come on, Old Wolf—let’s go home.”

“Awooo~” the old wolf howled joyfully and trotted along behind Yuan Zhao.

And just like that, Yuan Zhao, carrying a box in one hand and dragging the Heaven-Prison Blade in the other, gradually disappeared into the desert.

But before heading home, she and the old wolf made a detour to a red poplar grove not far from Baiyu City—she had stored some things there.

A few days ago, during her massacre of Great Xiao soldiers, Yuan Zhao had looted a number of valuables from them: money, weapons, and horses, all of which she stashed in this grove.

Now that she was heading back, she naturally intended to take all of it with her.

The money amounted to just over a hundred taels (including copper coins).

(Note: The copper coins of Great Xiao and Great Liang differ in appearance, but both circulate in Tianmen Town with equal purchasing power.)

There were around a hundred weapons, mostly standard military broadswords.

As for the horses, there were about a dozen. Though not fine-bred, they were still military horses—solid enough and worth a good amount if sold.

Once she had gathered everything, Yuan Zhao began leading the horses toward Tianmen Town.

What she didn’t know yet was that the Baixiao Sect had given her a huge surprise.

Because she was bringing so much stuff back, it wasn’t until three days later that she returned to Tianmen Town. And to her surprise, Ah Qing and Han Rang were waiting for her outside the town gates.

“Yuan Zhao!”

“Sis!”

The two of them waved wildly at her from afar, and soon Ah Qing came running full-speed in her direction.

“Sis, you’re finally back! I was worried sick!”

But as soon as she got close, Ah Qing suddenly froze, because she could feel an overwhelming sense of pressure radiating from Yuan Zhao.

This was due to Yuan Zhao’s heavy slaughter aura that had yet to fully dissipate. Ah Qing could sense it clearly.

But just for a moment. Then she quickly readjusted.

No matter what her sister became—she was still her sister. There was no reason to fear her.

She threw her arms around Yuan Zhao’s waist and said, “I missed you so much, sis!”

“I missed you too.” Yuan Zhao gently patted the back of her head.

“Awooo~” the old wolf howled at Ah Qing.

Ah Qing giggled and said, “I missed you too, Old Wolf.” Satisfied, the old wolf wagged his tail.

Then Ah Qing began patting Yuan Zhao all over. “Sis, let me see—are you hurt anywhere?”

Yuan Zhao was confused. She hadn’t told Ah Qing what she’d been up to this whole time.

Han Rang came running up behind, his face full of excitement.

“Yuan Zhao, you’re amazing!”

“What are you talking about?” Yuan Zhao asked, puzzled.

Han Rang gave her a knowing grin. “Come on, now—don’t pretend with me. We’ve heard all about your exploits. Ah Qing knows too!”

Yuan Zhao turned to Ah Qing in surprise, only to find her nodding enthusiastically, eyes shining with admiration.

This only confused Yuan Zhao more. “What are you two talking about?”

“About your massacre in Baiyu City!” Han Rang exclaimed.

Yuan Zhao froze. “How did you find out about that?”

Han Rang explained, “Baixiao Sect spread the word, of course!”

As it turned out, during the few days Yuan Zhao had been traveling back to Tianmen Town, Baixiao Sect had already spread the tale far and wide: one lone woman had slain nearly a thousand Great Xiao soldiers, battled a first-rank marshal head-on, and lived to tell the tale.

Now it wasn’t just Tianmen Town, all the borderlands were buzzing with her story. Yuan Zhao had become famous overnight.

That was a first-rank martial master she’d faced!

Unless a peerless master appeared, a first-rank warrior was already considered top-tier combat strength. And how many peerless masters were there in the world? Almost none.

In fact, not only had Yuan Zhao gained fame from this, but her actions had made soldiers from both Great Xiao and Great Liang behave far more cautiously in the surrounding villages.

Before, they acted with impunity—beating or killing commoners as they pleased—because these border towns belonged to neither nation officially. No one protected the people.

But now they didn’t dare.

Who could handle another “Yuan Zhao” coming out of nowhere?

You could lose face, lose life, lose money—triple threat.

After hearing Han Rang’s explanation, Yuan Zhao finally understood. She hadn’t expected Baixiao Sect to spread the news so quickly. No wonder they had such a fearsome reputation.

Han Rang leaned in conspiratorially. “You know what people are calling you now?”

“What?” Yuan Zhao asked curiously.

“Yuan Zhao, the Heaven-Prison Blade!” Han Rang replied with admiration.

“Heaven-Prison Blade?” Yuan Zhao was stunned. That was the name of her weapon—and she’d only told that to the elder from Baixiao Sect.

So they were behind the nickname too. No wonder the elder had asked.

Martial artists nicknames varied widely, but they were usually based on one’s martial arts style, weapons, reputation, background, or feats. Clearly, her title came from her blade.

“That’s right!” Han Rang nodded repeatedly. “Heaven-Prison Blade… what a name! If only I could make a name for myself in the martial world too!”

Yuan Zhao patted his shoulder with a smile. “Then keep working hard.”

Han Rang sighed dramatically. “That’s hard!”

“All right, all right,” Yuan Zhao said, chuckling. “Let’s head home.”

She tugged along the dozen or so horses behind her and walked toward the town.

Han Rang stared excitedly at the animals and cargo. “Yuan Zhao, are these your spoils of war?”

“Yup,” she replied without stopping.

Ah Qing asked again, “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“I am, but don’t worry.” Yuan Zhao didn’t tell the truth so Ah Qing wouldn’t be alarmed. “Just some small injuries. Nothing serious!”

“Oh, right—how did you know I was coming back today?”

“Well,” Han Rang said, grinning, “Ah Qing found out you’d gone to Baiyu City for revenge, so she’s been dragging me here every day to wait.”

“Ah! Ah Qing, stop pinching me!”

“You deserve it! Tell on me again and I’ll get really mad!”

The three of them walked and laughed their way into Tianmen Town.

But as soon as Yuan Zhao entered town with over a dozen horses, she immediately attracted attention.

A few steps in, the upper window of a teahouse opened nearby. A man in green—a fellow martial artist—leaned halfway out and cupped his hands respectfully.

“Would you be Miss Yuan Zhao, the Heaven-Prison Blade?”

Before Yuan Zhao could speak, Han Rang stepped forward. “What of it? You got business?”

The man smiled quickly. “No offense, brother. I just admire Miss Yuan’s deeds and wish to make her acquaintance.”

Han Rang waved him off. “Got it. You’ve met her now. Move along.”

Yuan Zhao had no interest in mingling with random martial artists, so she let Han Rang handle them.

And from the town gate to her doorstep, she ran into over a dozen such people—all eager to network—and all blocked by Han Rang.

By the time they reached home, Han Rang was beaming. “Wow, I never thought I’d have such a glorious moment in my life!”

Then he turned and caught Ah Qing stifling a giggle. “Ah Qing, what are you laughing at?”

She grinned and said, “Big Brother Han, remember what my sister taught me? This is called ‘borrowing the tiger’s power to act tough.’”

“You little brat! What nonsense are you spouting?!” Han Rang cried, flustered.

Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing burst into laughter.

Just as the three were about to go inside, a burst of angry shouting came from next door—and then someone was shoved out, stumbling.