Chapter 10: Lord Pei is Invincible and Peerless, His Name Resounds Throughout Tongzhou (Thanks to sfq)

"What a pitiful person, losing their life while unable to act according to their own will." Pei Shaoqing, who had been laughing up at the sky just a moment ago, suddenly turned compassionate. He bent down to help close Xu Zhiyong's eyes, then turned and walked toward Ye Hanshuang.

He had always been one to exterminate the living who offended him, while being incredibly tolerant toward the dead who offended him.

"Big Brother, I'll be back in a moment." Watching her elder brother approach, Ye Hanshuang did not go to meet him, but instead dropped this sentence and hurried into the nearby woods.

Pei Shaoqing didn't pay it any mind, assuming she was just going to relieve herself.

After a while, Ye Hanshuang returned, but unlike her plain appearance just moments ago, her chest had returned to its former prominence, stretching her loose men's clothing until it was bulging. It seemed she wasn't wearing a bellyband or any other undergarment, as it even swayed slightly with her every move.

"I was about to suffocate just now." She exhaled a long breath, her cheeks slightly flushed and somewhat embarrassed.

Pei Shaoqing could understand; after all, his second younger sister was tall and broad-chested, and to disguise herself as a man, she had to bind her chest with white cloth—it must have been terribly uncomfortable!

He didn't dare imagine how wonderful it would be to bury his head in there.

In this ancient era, he also wanted to use a "face-wash," and a purely natural, additive-free, technology-free ethnic brand at that.

Ye Hanshuang looked at Xu Zhiyong's corpse and said to Pei Shaoqing, "Big Brother, Xu Zhiyong was just a small pawn. Behind him are Zheng Xuancheng and Wan Guifei. What should we do next?"

"We'll take it one step at a time," Pei Shaoqing replied with a sigh. Although he said that, he was a person who preferred to take the initiative and strike first.

Wan Guifei held a high and powerful position, far away in the Capital, and was deeply favored by the Emperor; he couldn't reach her for the time being.

But Zheng Xuancheng—he had to find a way to kill him first.

"Giddyap!"

"My Lord! My Lord, are you alright!"

Following the sound of rapid hoofbeats, a group of blood-stained Jing'an Guards rode over. From a distance, they pulled on their reins, vaulted off their horses, and hurried to Pei Shaoqing's side.

"I am fine." Pei Shaoqing shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the group as he said, "Good! Very good! Not a single one missing. You are worthy of being Jing'an Guards, worthy of being the Emperor's personal troops! You have not tarnished the Emperor's prestige. Seeing that you are all safe, I am relieved. What about those mountain bandits?"

"Reporting to my Lord, they were just a group of low-life scoundrels. As you ordered, we have executed them all, leaving no survivors! It is just that we did not find the bandit leader, Xu Yuanqing."

"Everyone, that Xu Yuanqing is already dead," Pei Shaoqing said, pointing to the corpse of Xu Zhiyong not far away.

Hearing this, the group instinctively looked over there.

"Ah! This... isn't this Assistant Banner Leader Xu?"

"It really is Assistant Banner Leader Xu! How could this happen?"

Everyone was shocked and terrified, finally looking in unison at Pei Shaoqing, hoping he could provide an explanation.

"That's right, he is Assistant Banner Leader Xu, but he is also the bandit leader Xu Yuanqing!" Pei Shaoqing said in a gloomy, deep voice: "Taking advantage of the moment you were pinned down, this man blocked my path intending to kill me. Perhaps he was so confident in his ability to hide his identity, coupled with the belief that I would be doomed just like the other souls under his blade, that he removed his mask to reveal his true face. At that time, I was just as shocked, angry, and disbelieving as you all are, and I felt I had no hope of survival.

Fortunately, this heroine named Ye Hanshuang happened to pass by, intervened, and killed him. Otherwise, I would have lost my life here today, and his true face would have remained hidden forever, allowing him to continue his evil deeds, killing and burning!"

The group was suddenly enlightened and deeply shaken.

"So that's how it was! No wonder that Xu Yuanqing had been a thief for many years yet never dared to show his true face. It turns out his true face was unpresentable, and he had this other identity!"

"I truly never expected it. Assistant Banner Leader Xu was actually Xu Yuanqing. No wonder he could always escape the government's repeated encirclements. He really was hidden too deep!"

"Fortunately, Lord Pei is blessed by Heaven. At the moment of life and death, you encountered Heroine Ye and were saved. Otherwise, if anything had happened to you, the sky would have collapsed!"

"Everyone!" Pei Shaoqing raised his voice to draw everyone's attention. After the noise died down, he said loudly: "No matter how many twists and turns there were, our goal for this trip has been achieved. The Phoenix Mountain horse bandits, who have plagued us for years, including the bandit leader Xu Yuanqing, have all been wiped out. You are all meritorious officials."

"I dare not claim credit! It is all thanks to Lord Pei's well-laid plans and proper command in battle," a slightly chubby, fair-skinned young man immediately flattered him.

Although the others were a step behind, they quickly followed suit: "That's right, it is all thanks to the Lord's excellent leadership!"

A refined-looking, thin Jing'an Guard shouted: "Without the Lord's leadership, there would be no success in this bandit suppression. I clearly saw with my own eyes that the Lord was invincible, personally killing Xu Yuanqing with a single sword strike!"

In an instant, the whole scene went silent. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes—you can't just flatter blindly!

Is our Lord the kind of person who could kill Xu Yuanqing with those two moves of his? Besides, the heroine who actually did the work is standing right there. Isn't this just telling a lie with eyes wide open?

Being stared at by so many colleagues, the thin, refined Jing'an Guard didn't change his expression and argued forcefully: "I saw it with my own eyes; it was the Lord who killed the bandit leader!"

"That is correct. I only wounded the man; it was Lord Pei who took his life," Ye Hanshuang said indifferently.

Pei Shaoqing said nonchalantly: "I have already hired Heroine Ye with a high salary to be my personal guard and attendant."

The group was suddenly enlightened and felt relieved.

"That's right, the Lord's divine might is peerless. With one sword strike, he took the dog life of the bandit Xu. I also saw it with my own eyes just now."

"We all saw it, the Lord is invincible!"

"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! It was just a stroke of luck to kill him." Pei Shaoqing laughed triumphantly a few times. His gaze shifted between the chubby young man and the refined young man, and he pointed at the refined one: "You, return to the city immediately and report the good news to the Hundred-Household."

"As you command!" The refined young man mounted his horse and left.

Watching this scene, the chubby young man felt envious and unconvinced. Damn it! I was clearly the first one to do it.

"Hey you, what's your name?"

The chubby young man looked left and right, and only after coming to his senses did he realize Pei Shaoqing was talking to him. He squeezed out a dry smile and said: "My Lord, I... I didn't call out?"

"I am asking what your name is!"

"Reporting to my Lord, this humble one is Song Youcai." The chubby young man was overjoyed, a smile instantly filling his entire face as he bent over and hurried up to answer.

Pei Shaoqing said: "Go find a few carts and lead everyone to collect all the horse bandit corpses and return to the city."

"Yes! My Lord!" Song Youcai shouted in response.

…………………………

"Giddyap! Clear the way! Clear the way!"

The refined young man rode his horse into the city. Seeing the panicked crowd scurrying about, he had a flash of inspiration. While galloping toward the Hundred-Household Office, he shouted loudly: "The newly appointed Jing'an Guard Small Flag, Lord Pei Shaoqing, has already wiped out the Phoenix Mountain horse bandits and personally beheaded the bandit leader Xu Yuanqing!"

He kept repeating this sentence all the way.

"The horse bandits on Phoenix Mountain have been wiped out?"

"The Executioner Xu Yuanqing has also been killed?"

"That's great! From now on, I won't have to worry when bringing in goods. These past few years, it's been impossible for merchants to make a living!"

"It really takes the Jing'an Guard to act. Although they are arrogant and look down on everyone, their strength is truly formidable. The bandits that the County Government couldn't wipe out despite repeated attempts were cleared out the moment the new Small Flag Pei took action."

The people in the city were overjoyed, especially the merchants, who laughed incessantly, constantly speaking well of the Jing'an Guard and Pei Shaoqing.

From then on, all the people of Tongzhou City knew that a capable new Small Flag named Pei had arrived at the Hundred-Household Office, and that he had wiped out the Phoenix Mountain horse bandits as soon as he took office, earning praise from everyone.

At the same time, Zheng Xuancheng and Wang Xianling were playing chess and chatting in the backyard of the Hundred-Household Office.

"It should be about time, shouldn't it? Why is there still no news?" Wang Xianling was distracted, constantly looking up at the sun, "Is your arrangement, Hundred-Household, secure?"

Zheng Xuancheng looked calm and composed, placing a piece on the board unhurriedly, "Magistrate Wang, just put your heart at ease. With General Flag Xu and Xu Yuanqing acting at the same time, that Pei Shaoqing will definitely not be able to escape even with wings."

"My lord! Something terrible has happened, my lord!" Just at this moment, Chen Zhongyi hurried in with quick steps.

Zheng Xuancheng frowned and scolded him irritably, "What is it? Has the sky fallen?"

"My lord!" Chen Zhongyi stopped in his tracks and said with rapid breathing, "Pei Shaoqing sent someone to report that he has already wiped out the horse bandits and also killed the bandit leader Xu Yuanqing!"

"What?" Zheng Xuancheng stood up abruptly, overturning the chessboard in front of him directly; the black and white chess pieces scattered all over the floor with a clatter, and he said in shock yet with absolute certainty, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Where is the person who brought the message? Summon them here immediately!" Wang Xianling had also stood up, his face grim as he spoke.

The first round of PK starts tomorrow. Following the updates and monthly tickets are very important. Also, we are already on the new book list, though quite far back. I ask my brothers to help a friend out. Charge! Charge with everything you've got! A real man must charge!

PS: I am currently hospitalized, and I have a general anesthesia surgery scheduled for next Tuesday. I need to save the drafts I write these few days for my recovery period, so I won't be adding extra updates for the Alliance Leader status of sfqk yet; I will make up for it when the book goes on sale. Thank you! Of course, normal updates will definitely be kept stable; it's a minor surgery and I will recover quickly.





(End of this chapter)