Chapter 39: An Interesting Woman
"Shang Xinlei."
Qian Gongyu’s voice trembled as she leaned close to ‘Jiang Ten’s’ ear and whispered, "She’s the fourth young lady of the Shang Family, the most beloved daughter of Shang Xuanwen. Her two elder brothers hold immense power, and she herself ranks eleventh on the Hidden Dragon List—she’s one of the most powerful women in the Liang Kingdom… I thought it was just a collateral member of the Shang Family, I didn’t expect it to be her!"
Yan Qing wasn’t as emotional as Qian Gongyu. After all, he had seen his share of top-tier rich beauties—like Ying Ru Shi, the County Lord of Lecheng he met in Qi—he had even splattered her with blood on the spot.
The Hidden Dragon List piqued his interest a bit, but now was not the time for questions.
"Fourth Lady Shang."
Even with his face a mess, Luo Weijin still forced a polite smile. "This little matter hardly needs to trouble you, right?"
"Since it’s a small matter, why not drop it altogether," Shang Xinlei followed his words. "There’s no need to ruin everyone’s fun over something so trivial."
Luo Weijin was momentarily at a loss for words. It wasn’t that he couldn’t argue with Shang Xinlei’s reasoning, but he could hear that she had made up her mind to protect Qian Gongyu and her guard.
If he insisted on pursuing it, it would be showing no regard for Shang Xinlei’s face.
Just like Qian Gongyu couldn’t fall out with Luo Weijin earlier when he humiliated her family, Luo Weijin now found it difficult to push forward over a single punch and risk offending Shang Xinlei—faced with unpredictable consequences, people tended to endure losses they could bear.
Humans are social animals, even Messengers are no exception.
Those who can live in isolation from society are either gods or madmen.
Just when it seemed the conflict had been resolved, an unexpected twist occurred.
"This is not a small matter."
A girl in military attire parted the crowd and walked to the front, facing Shang Xinlei directly. She had a petite figure, tight clothes and long boots, completely out of place among the formally dressed crowd, but her nobility and arrogance remained undiminished—or rather, the ability to dress however one pleased on such occasions was itself a mark of nobility.
Since Shang Xinlei was slightly taller, the girl stopped three or four steps away to maintain eye level.
"According to Volume 22, ‘Litigation Law’, of the Liang Code, any servant who assaults the principal kin or grandparents of their master shall be hanged; if injury is caused, execution shall follow. Moreover, according to the rites, the imperial family rules the realm, followed by aristocratic clans, then noble families, with commoners last." The girl said, "For someone of lowly background to injure someone of higher standing, punishment is only just."
"Our Great Liang rules by law and distinguishes ranks through ritual. If the hierarchy is reversed, and servants may harm their betters, how are we different from the northern barbarians?"
The tent fell into silence. No one dared speak, because the girl confronting Shang Xinlei wore a purple ribbon on her wrist.
Only three families in all of Liang were qualified to wear the purple ribbon—she hailed from a top-tier noble clan whose fate was tied to that of the nation itself!
How could families of lesser nobility dare meddle in a clash between a Red-Gate aristocrat and a Purple-Ribbon noble?
"Jie Yuanshao, you are absolutely right."
Shang Xinlei suddenly smiled and spread her hands. "It was my oversight—let’s drag her out and execute her, then."
Qian Gongyu’s face turned pale, her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to her knees. Across from her, Luo Weijin lit up with joy, straightening with pride, his gaze toward ‘Jiang Ten’ and the others filled with venom.
"Hold on!"
Jie Yuanshao halted the guards and said, "The Qian Family guard was at fault, yes, but only because you, Luo Weijin, provoked Qian Gongyu first, insulting her household and prompting the guard to strike in defense of their master’s dignity. From the standpoint of loyalty and righteousness, the Qian Family guard is blameless!"
"Violation of hierarchy should be punished by law; but loyalty and righteousness should be rewarded by ritual!"
Shang Xinlei proposed, "Then why not execute him, then bury him with great honor and erect a monument in his name?"
"Once dead, a man cannot return to life. Can men of loyalty and righteousness be squandered over a petty affair like this?" Jie Yuanshao slowly shook her head and looked at Luo Weijin. "The Yunfu Luo Clan descends from a Prime Minister, but you, Luo Weijin, lack a statesman’s magnanimity. Instead, you’re belligerent and petty, making enemies everywhere, and show no respect for your subordinates. We nobles were not born to trample on others, but to lead the ignorant masses onto the right path. That punch from the Qian Family guard was retribution you earned. I hope you recognize your fault and can still become a pillar of our Liang Kingdom."
Luo Weijin stared wide-eyed at Jie Yuanshao, trying to read her expression, but no matter how he looked, her young face remained serious and solemn, not a trace of jest.
He finally realized—she meant every word.
She truly believed that!
If a commoner had said this, Luo Weijin would have dismissed it like a barking dog; if it came from a noble of similar standing, he’d feign agreement but sneer behind their back; but these words came from Jie Yuanshao of the Purple-Ribbon clan, fifth in line to inherit the Jiangbei Military Command!
"You’re right, Lady Jie," Luo Weijin took a deep breath and bowed his blood-dripping head. "I was wrong."
"But the death penalty can be spared," he looked at the expressionless "Jiang Ten," "but a servant hitting a noble scion can't go entirely unpunished, can it?"
Even at the risk of offending Shang Xinlei and Jie Yuanshao, Luo Weijin had to say it. Being slapped in the face by a servant at such an important event—many were already snickering at him behind his back. Even if he retaliated now, his lost face couldn’t be recovered. But if he didn’t retaliate, it would be even more humiliating, even a disgrace to the Luo Family. Then he’d be stuck at home forever, eating and waiting to die as a breeding stud.
"There must be punishment, of course."
Jie Yuanshao pointed to the woods outside the tent. "As everyone knows, the longer one lasts in the Mansu Woodland, the higher their personal and overall scores. According to its rules, each person may stay inside for up to six hours per day, no more than three days in total."
"If that’s the case, why not require the Qian Family guard to persist in the Mansu Woodland for a full three days, totaling eighteen hours? If she exits early on any day, she receives whipping punishment—five lashes for every hour short. If she fails, she gets whipped; if she succeeds, the final rewards are shared by all, and everyone benefits."
She scanned the group. "Does anyone object to this arrangement?"
Qian Gongyu immediately said, "The Qian Family has no objections!"
Luo Weijin’s mouth twitched, but he still said, "The Luo Family has no objections."
This farce had finally come to an end. Luo Weijin left the tent without a glance back. Clearly, with blood still in his mouth, he didn’t have the dignity to remain.
Qian Gongyu also wanted to flee, but someone she couldn’t afford to offend blocked her path.
"Apologies," Shang Xinlei stood before them and politely said, "I have a question for your guard… may I ask, is your sword a token?"
"Yes."
"Huh!?"
Qian Gongyu looked at ‘Jiang Ten’ in shock, then glanced at the white iron straight blade. Since ‘Jiang Ten’ had never displayed the power of a Messenger, Qian Gongyu naturally assumed she wasn’t one. And non-Messengers couldn’t possibly own a token—in Liang, even prospective Messengers had to scramble like dogs for a chance to earn one. Who would’ve thought an ordinary person would have one?
Shang Xinlei seemed to have noticed already. She asked, "May I take a look?"
"No."
Even through the screen, Yan Qing could see Qian Gongyu frantically winking—her lovely double eyelids blinking like Morse code. Her expression seemed to scream, ‘Say yes and I’ll do anything you want.’
Whether sentimentally or logically, Yan Qing had no reason to refuse such a simple request from Shang Xinlei. Sentimentally, she had been the first to stand up for ‘Jiang Ten.’ Logically, she had no reason to covet an ordinary first-stage token like the white iron straight blade.
Yet Yan Qing still had no intention of changing his mind.
For some reason, his first impression of Shang Xinlei was extremely bad—like seeing the neighbor’s brat standing in front of his prized Gundam display case. He had a strong premonition: ‘She’s going to cause me trouble.’
Despite never having met before, even though Shang Xinlei appeared as the perfect good girl—from looks to background to demeanor—he simply disliked her. Yan Qing couldn’t explain it and chalked it up to personality mismatch. Who’d have thought he could dislike a pretty girl?
Even after being refused so bluntly, Shang Xinlei didn’t get angry. Instead, she asked with interest, "Are you really the Qian Family’s guard? If you’re worried about the trial in the Mansu Woodland, I can exempt you from punishment. If the Shang Family wishes to protect someone, even Jie Yuanshao can’t lay a finger on you. You just have to become one of us..."
"She’s a Qian Family guard!" Qian Gongyu immediately stepped in front of ‘Jiang Ten,’ her face flushed. "She’s my guard—Qian Gongyu’s guard!"
Shang Xinlei looked at the mother-hen-like Qian Gongyu and chuckled. "Alright, alright, I was being presumptuous. After all, with a guard this beautiful and loyal, who wouldn’t be fond of her… I’m Shang Xinlei. Pleased to meet you."
"Qian Gongyu. Her name is Jiang Ten."
"Then I’ll see you both tomorrow. Rest well for the Mansu Woodland trial." Shang Xinlei waved goodbye with a smile. "But my offer still stands, Jiang Ten. You can come find me anytime."
Even though her wall was being knocked down right in front of her, Qian Gongyu still mustered her courage—since the intruder was someone she couldn’t afford to offend—and gave Shang Xinlei a fierce... glare.
But even that glare made her nervous afterward, and she quickly dragged ‘Jiang Ten’ back to her carriage.
...
...
Shang Xinlei returned to the second floor of her carriage—yes, as a Red-Gate noble, her family could afford a double-decker carriage with sixteen horses. Even in the wilderness, they could live in a landbound palace of extreme luxury.
She sat at her desk, pulled out a piece of xuan paper, and began sketching. In no time, she completed a simple drawing of the white iron straight blade. Then she pulled a book from the shelf titled Blade Speech, which recorded nearly all known blade-type tokens from ancient times to the present—of course, it only included tokens from the first to third stages.
After a brief comparison, Shang Xinlei confirmed that none of the blades in the book resembled the white iron straight blade. She could conclude it was a newly emerged blade-type token.
A new token often signaled the appearance of a new secret realm. If it were anyone else investigating, they would have been overjoyed and immediately plotted to extract the secret realm’s location from the bearer.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t Shang Xinlei’s first time seeing the white iron straight blade.
Jiang Ten in the Mansu Woodland.
An Wu of Anguo Temple in Chang’an.
And... Yellow Dog of the Thieves' House.
These individuals came from scattered regions with seemingly no connection, yet they all possessed tokens from the same secret realm.
"Things... are starting to get interesting."
Shang Xinlei’s body trembled slightly. She subconsciously bit her nails. Even though she still knew nothing, just the realization that she "didn’t know" was enough to make her tremble with excitement.
She felt like she stood before the curtain of the world. Though she still couldn’t glimpse the secrets behind it, she now knew how to lift one corner of it.
"But Jiang Ten’s attitude toward me is strange… Could it be that she recognized me?"
Shang Xinlei opened a jewelry box and took out a pair of sunglasses. When she put them on—though her face remained otherwise uncovered—the reflection in the mirror showed someone else. Someone who resembled her, yet clearly was not her.
The others at the Thieves' House all thought she barely disguised herself by casually wearing sunglasses. But in truth, her disguise was the most flawless of them all.
First-Stage Token · Sunglasses of the Mortal.
Though it was only a first-stage token, her father had obtained it years ago from an accidental venture into a secret realm. It was the only pair in all of Liang. Its effect was simple—it made everyone unable to recognize the wearer.
Shang Xinlei had tested the sunglasses’ power many times and was confident that the others from the Thieves’ House couldn’t recognize her.
So Jiang Ten’s dislike of her wasn’t about recognition—it was pure.
"She actually dislikes me…" Shang Xinlei opened the window and glanced at the distant Qian Family carriage. "What an interesting woman."