Chapter 91: The Heroine of Women: Zhang Zhang Jiani

Jiang Jiang Mingyu crashed heavily onto the cold, hard stone floor of the county yamen, a dull, unbearable pain throbbing in his chest, his internal organs seeming to be shaken and overturned by this sudden, heavy kick.

He struggled weakly, trying to rise; just then, a familiar figure appeared before his eyes. Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart leaped with joy, and he excitedly wanted to shout loudly, but a second later, a cold sword tip pressed against his throat, and a delicate yet chillingly cold female voice sounded by his ear: "Shut up."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu instantly shivered, cold sweat streaming down; he hurriedly stopped the rest of his sentence, like a dazed duck with its neck pinched, able only to emit a choking, gasping sound.

He carefully raised his head slowly along the sword blade; what came into view was a snow-white jade hand, the sword-holding technique quiet and refined, yet the sword move was utterly fierce; further up was a face of peerless beauty—a breathtakingly stunning beauty stood right before him.

This woman with bright eyes and white teeth, powdered like jade, had a head of ink-black long hair cascading down like a waterfall; her skin was white with a hint of red, charming and captivating.

A pair of bright, lively eyes shone; her small nose twitched; her cherry lips were alluring and dripping with charm; her snow-white neck was long and slender, her waist soft and pliable, like a fairy descending from heaven, a peerless beauty of natural perfection.

Looking at her appearance, like the moon goddess Chang'e, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was somewhat dazed. Even Liu Liu Yifei, standing beside her, seemed three shades inferior under her comparison.

Yet in this beauty's pair of phoenix eyes, there was nothing but cold killing intent, arrogant and indifferent, like the cold wind outside the window, making one dare not look her straight in the face.

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu staring straight at her, the beauty frowned slightly; her jade hand lifted gently, the sword blade grazing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's cheek and neck, leaving a trail of blood.

Her red lips parted slightly, cold light flashing in her phoenix eyes; she spoke word by word: "Scoundrel, your nature never changes!"

As soon as her words fell, the long sword in her hand pierced straight toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu's throat like a silver snake spitting its tongue.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt only a chill in his heart; this sword strike came with fierce momentum, fast, ruthless, and precise; he had absolutely no power to resist; this blow would likely take his small life.

In the flash of lightning and spark, Liu Liu Yifei, standing aside, suddenly came to her senses, her heart in utter panic.

She instinctively shouted loudly: "Stop!" This cry, almost a plea, finally made the beauty halt this fatal sword strike at the critical moment, allowing Jiang Jiang Mingyu to temporarily escape disaster.

The beauty frowned her delicate brows, slowly withdrew the thrusting long sword, and looked at Liu Liu Yifei in confusion, her gaze seeming to ask why she had intervened.

Liu Liu Yifei sized her up and down; suddenly, her cheeks turned red, hope's bright flame reignited in her eyes, and she shouted excitedly: "Chu Ran, you are Chu Ran, right?"

She trembled all over with excitement, tears swirling in her eyes, as if reunited with a close friend after many years.

Chu Ran, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu, who had nearly lost his life to Huang Huang Chaoran, were suddenly stunned: "Liu Liu Yifei actually knows this she-devil? What's going on?"

Chu Ran turned her head to glance at Liu Liu Yifei, a slight curve rising at the corner of her mouth; finally, she smiled gently: "Correct, it is me. Liu Yifei, you still remember me."

"Liu Yifei, who is this scoundrel, daring to be so rude?" She looked at Jiang Jiang Mingyu again, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes, her words faintly carrying killing intent.

Liu Liu Yifei hurriedly stepped forward a few paces, gently grasping Chu Ran's sword-holding arm, and softly persuaded: "Chu Ran, do not be impulsive. He is the newly arrived Imperial Envoy, my lord Jiang Jiang Mingyu; under no circumstances should propriety be lost."

The woman named Chu Ran looked with some surprise at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, still lying on the ground: "You are the newly arrived Imperial Envoy?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, who had been beaten for no reason and nearly lost his life, looked quite displeased: "What, I don't look like one? What do you think an Imperial Envoy should look like?"

Chu Ran, whose wrist was grasped by Liu Liu Yifei, snorted coldly and said arrogantly: "To have such a lecherous Imperial Envoy arrive, Shangmu is truly unlucky. How could a proper Imperial Envoy harbor improper thoughts toward Liu Yifei?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought secretly: Could this she-devil also have set her sights on Liu Liu Yifei?

Hearing the word "lecherous," Liu Liu Yifei's cheeks turned red with shame; she hurriedly explained: "Chu Ran, you misunderstood him. My lord Jiang is upright and honest, a good official deeply loved by the people; he would never be as unscrupulous as you say; please sheathe your sword."

Liu Liu Yifei then pulled Jiang Jiang Mingyu up and explained the situation of the poem recitation in detail to Chu Ran, stating that the poem's meaning was entirely her own work, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu had no improper intentions.

After hearing this, Chu Ran still wore an impatient expression, but for Liu Liu Yifei's sake, she could only unwillingly "hmph" in her heart, sheathed the long sword, stood aside, and said no more, though her eyes occasionally fixed on Jiang Jiang Mingyu, as if wanting to swallow him alive.

Liu Liu Yifei sensed the heavy atmosphere between the two, so she smiled and introduced: "My lord Jiang, this is my childhood close friend, Wang Chu Ran."

"She apprenticed herself a few years ago to a female Sword Saint on Tianshan Mountain, has been practicing internal energy in the deep mountains, and now her martial arts are incomparably powerful; she is a formidable female hero not to be underestimated."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned, touched the shoe print on his chest, and said mockingly: "I have already experienced her martial arts just now; indeed, she is very powerful, her strikes ruthless; she is simply a cruel, bloodthirsty female demon."

Liu Liu Yifei gave a sheepish smile, somewhat embarrassed: "It is all my fault, causing this inexplicable misunderstanding for my lord; I apologize on Chu Ran's behalf; please do not take offense, my lord."

Who knew Wang Chu Ran had no intention of admitting fault at all; she said without any concealment: "Scoundrel, you deserve it."

Since the other was Liu Liu Yifei's friend, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not say much; he only muttered quietly: "She-devil."

Wang Chu Ran immediately grew angry: "Dog official, what did you say?"

As she spoke, her hand again rested on the hilt of the short sword just sheathed.

Seeing blood might be shed again, Liu Liu Yifei quickly smiled at Jiang Jiang Mingyu once more: "My lord Jiang, you are busy; we shall not disturb you."

"We will come to visit my lord another day; farewell, farewell."

She then grabbed Wang Chu Ran's hand again and said with a tone of admonition: "You, too impulsive; hurry and leave."

Although Wang Chu Ran had a fiery temper, she still listened to Liu Liu Yifei's words. She glared fiercely at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, her eyes full of contempt and disdain, then, fuming, turned and left with Liu Liu Yifei.

As the two walked away, Liu Liu Yifei asked softly: "Chu Ran, when did you secretly return? You didn't even tell me; I thought you were in secluded cultivation in the deep mountains."

Wang Chu Ran seemed to smile: "I arrived in Shangmu early this morning; hearing from your father that you were at the county yamen, I came."

Liu Liu Yifei curiously glanced at the guards beside her and asked in confusion: "Then how did you enter so silently? These guards seemed not to notice you at all."

This time Chu Ran really laughed out loud, with some disdain: "Relying on these incompetent guards to discover my tracks? That is sheer nonsense. If they could spot my movements, all my years of secluded practice in lightness skill would have been in vain."

The two walked farther and farther, soon disappearing at the end of the long corridor.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face grew increasingly ugly; he angrily punched the ground with his fist, cursing silently that this she-devil was arrogant and conceited.

What made him angry and ashamed was not the beating itself, but Chu Ran's final, indifferent remark.

This county yamen had more than ten skilled warriors stationed; for ordinary people, it was an impregnable prefecture.

But if faced with top-tier experts like Tu Tu Kesiluo and Chu Ran, these immature guards would likely be as fragile as paper, unable to withstand a single blow.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought: If Prince Qi or Huang Huang Chaoran hired skilled martial artists with heavy gold, my life as a newly appointed county magistrate could be in danger at any moment.

He must train these people as soon as possible to suppress bandits; only through diligent practice can he hone their skills and emergency response abilities, ensuring his own safety and that of the county yamen.

In the only inn in Shangmu City, Tang Cheng sat at a peach-wood round table in the corner of the room, his face grim as he gazed out the window.

From the window, one could see the flowing crowd of pedestrians and the bustling market.

At this moment, two light knocks sounded at the door; Tang Cheng's eyes shifted, and he said in a low voice: "Come in."

A middle-aged man in coarse cloth clothes pushed the door open sneakily, glanced cautiously around, then hurriedly bowed deeply to Tang Cheng and whispered: "My lord, I have investigated everywhere as you instructed."

Tang Cheng nodded expressionlessly and gestured for him to sit and speak.

The man glanced at the door again, then quietly sat opposite Tang Cheng, looking around nervously.

"Jiang Jiang Mingyu has recently been recruiting soldiers outside the city; he has already gathered forty or fifty thousand people, and they are currently training day and night at the city defense camp."

He lowered his voice and spoke quickly: "The camp resounds with battle cries, increasing every day; this matter is already known to everyone in the city; people simply fear the power of Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Wang Zhe, so they dare not speak of it."

Tang Cheng pondered for a moment, his sword-like brows tightly furrowed, and said coldly: "To openly gather an army to rebel, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's audacity is indeed bold. He is newly arrived; surely he lacks the strength for this. Seeing his bold and unafraid demeanor, I fear that old villain Wang Zhe is secretly aiding him; the two are colluding to rebel!"

At this, Tang Cheng'an sprang to his feet and began pacing the room. His back ramrod-straight, hands clasped behind him, his gaze razor-sharp, the corner of his mouth curled in a cold smile, as if he could already see victory within his grasp.

"Let's go—take me to see for myself. Once the evidence is solid, I'll submit a memorial to Chancellor Tu immediately."

He strode toward the door with great, sweeping steps, like a fierce tiger long caged and now poised to spring,

"The moment we wipe out Jiang Jiang Mingyu and that old fool Wang Zhe, our good days will be here."

A flash of excitement glittered in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved into a sinister smile.