Chapter 484
Despite their attire being as ordinary as everyone else’s, and their appearances rather nondescript, their actions were smooth and natural, as if ingrained in their bones, akin to walking or running. It was evident that these people were far from being ordinary citizens.
“Uncle Ping, I want to test my skills against them!” Bai Jinzhi said with a look of innocence.
“We are mere commoners. How dare we spar with the Commandery Princess!” one of them hastily spoke up. “If we accidentally injure your precious body, we would be guilty of an unforgivable crime!”
Bai Jinzhi smiled. “Shen Yanzong, you have a good eye for people. They even know idioms! It’s rare for ordinary families to have educated people. Since they’ve studied, why not take the imperial examinations?”
Seeing Bai Jinzhi’s intent to chat with these people, Shen Yanzong glanced at Lu Ping. Seeing that Lu Ping remained silent, Shen Yanzong stood obediently aside and smiled. “It’s just a coincidence!”
“We’ve read a bit, but… we’re just not cut out for it! So, we stopped studying!” the man added.
Bai Jinzhi tilted her head and glanced at Lu Ping. Understanding her signal, Lu Ping unexpectedly made a move on the man.
The others clenched their fists and tensed up, uncertain if they had been discovered.
“Hey, Uncle Ping! We agreed that I would test the new recruits today… why did you make a move!” Bai Jinzhi shouted at Lu Ping and then looked at the others. “Who among you will spar with me? If you defeat me, you’ll be able to protect my elder sister when we go to suppress the bandits!”
Then, Bai Jinzhi also made her move.
Upon hearing that they would protect Bai Qingyan, it was as if an opportunity had presented itself. Killing Bai Qingyan would be easier. Thus, the man sparring with Lu Ping and the one exchanging blows with Bai Jinzhi immediately became more fierce and aggressive, their every move filled with lethal intent.
Lu Ping’s fight was intense. After dozens of moves, Bai Jinzhi found herself slightly caught off guard and had her throat locked. Bai Jinzhi froze, and the man quickly released her and knelt to apologize. “This commoner was careless! Please pardon me, Commandery Princess!”
A red mark had already appeared on Bai Jinzhi’s neck. She couldn’t help but marvel at the skill… How impressive!
Looking over at Lu Ping, the person battling him also displayed extraordinary skills. Their movements were agile, and each move was a death strike, leaving no room for mercy. This seemed like the techniques taught to death warriors of noble or imperial families, designed solely to complete a mission.
Bai Jinzhi gently touched her neck and scanned the dozen or so tense individuals. She called out to Lu Ping. “Uncle Ping! That’s enough! These people have decent skills!”
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping withdrew his moves, and the man also stopped.
“I didn’t realize your skills from the southern border were this good!” Shen Yanzong said with a smile. “No need to hold back. If everyone learned these excellent techniques, it might save lives in the future!”
The man who had just sparred with Lu Ping, seemingly the leader, cupped his fists and saluted Shen Yanzong. “Years spent at the southern border require us to learn some skills to fend off the occasional Xiliang raiders!”
Lu Ping nodded seriously. “That’s true! But with such skills… it’s a pity to waste them as ordinary soldiers. How about this, Young Master Shen… What if we let each of them lead a team to train? The princess doesn’t need over a dozen guards. Before departing to suppress the bandits, we can have the teams battle each other. Whichever team wins can guard the Princess. Of course, guarding the Princess and ensuring her safety will also earn ten gold coins!”
Shen Yanzong understood Lu Ping’s intention to force these people to give their all. He nodded repeatedly. “I think that’s a good idea! They should all want to protect the Princess. After all… it’s safer to be near the Princess, and they can earn gold! Give it your all!”
After speaking, Shen Yanzong, Lu Ping, and Bai Jinzhi went elsewhere to inspect.
The dozen people gathered together, watching Bai Jinzhi and Lu Ping walk away. Someone said, “Leader, should we just go ahead and kill the Princess of Zhen now? If we keep delaying, I’m afraid…”
“Yes! Moreover, this poison acts up every month, causing unbearable pain. In half a year, it will take our lives. I’m afraid we won’t make it back in time! We’ll all die in the Jin Kingdom!” another whispered in agreement.
“If we go ahead and kill, how many of us would survive? We might all perish here. Although we are death warriors, who wouldn’t want to live if there’s a chance? The pain of the poison is nothing compared to death!” The leader wiped the sweat from his head, his eyes calm and deep as he stared in Bai Qingyan’s direction. He rewrapped the cloth around his hand and wiped the sweat from his nose. “Since I brought you here, I want to take you back! Wait a few more days… after we go up the mountain and deal with the Princess of Zhen, we’ll return to Xiliang! If we still can’t deal with the Princess, we can resort to desperate measures then!”
With the leader’s command, the others rejoined the group and continued training together.
Shen Yanzong quickly divided the new recruits accompanying them up the mountain into twelve teams after Bai Qingyan and her group left. He had his people and the Xiliang assassins train the new recruits, awaiting the selection of the guards for the Princess of Zhen before the bandit suppression.
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Bai Jinzhi rode her horse slowly beside Bai Qingyan, recounting the day’s events at the training ground. She said, “I’ve seen those people’s skills. Every move is lethal! These are death warriors’ techniques! And although they tried to hide it, their posture during salutations was identical. They were definitely trained, not ordinary citizens!”
Now, Bai Jinzhi had become more composed, thinking things through more carefully, unlike her previous impulsive actions. Bai Qingyan was very pleased.
She raised her hand and patted Bai Jinzhi’s head. “Well done. Those people are assassins from Xiliang, likely targeting me. But it’s alright. Now that they’re in the military camp, teaching the new recruits, they are being put to good use!”
“But that’s too dangerous, Eldest Sister!” Bai Jinzhi knew from their brief exchange that those people were skilled.
With such skills and mischievous intentions towards Bai Qingyan, how could Bai Jinzhi not worry for her sister’s safety?
“If they wanted a desperate fight, they wouldn’t have joined the military camp in the first place. They would have attacked Bai Mansion directly! Don’t worry… The situation is still under control, and nothing will happen!” Bai Qingyan, seeing Bai Jinzhi’s furrowed brow, softened and reassured her. “Besides, Shen Yanzong manages the camp meticulously. They wouldn’t be able to leave to ambush Bai Mansion even if they wanted to!”
As the sisters spoke, they arrived at the gate of Bai Mansion.