Chapter 24
The next morning, before dawn, Li Xinjun was already awake. She found a comfortable spot in the courtyard outside her room and began to meditate, practicing the inner energy cultivation techniques that Abbess Jingping had taught her. It had become a daily ritual for her. She wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible, to share Song Ling’s burden and protect her.
Grand General Duoluo, also an early riser, was practicing his martial arts when he spotted Li Xinjun meditating under a tree. He was delighted. As a lifelong martial arts enthusiast, he had already developed a fondness for Li Xinjun, and seeing her practice martial arts further increased his admiration for her.
“I didn’t know you practiced inner energy cultivation, young lady. Which sect do you belong to?”
Li Xinjun, hearing his voice, gracefully drew a circle in the air, withdrawing her inner energy. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
“General, I haven’t formally become a disciple of any sect. I learned some swordsmanship from Sister Ling and then received this inner energy cultivation manual from Abbess Jingping at the Tianshan Sect. I’ve been teaching myself.”
“Impressive, very impressive. Would you mind demonstrating your skills for this old man?”
“Of course.”
Li Xinjun picked up her sword and began to practice in the open space of the courtyard. Her swordsmanship had improved significantly, and combined with her newly acquired inner energy, her movements were fluid and powerful. Grand General Duoluo watched with approval.
After completing a series of movements, Li Xinjun sheathed her sword and looked at him.
“General, what do you think?”
“Not bad, young lady. You have good form. How long have you been practicing?”
“Almost two years.”
“Such skill in less than two years! You have a natural talent for martial arts.”
“But I feel like I’m not good enough. When we were in Chen Family Village, I found it difficult to fight the jiangshi with a sword. I tried using a broadsword, but it was too heavy for me to wield effectively.”
“Yes, a broadsword would be challenging for someone of your stature. Ah, wait here a moment, young lady.”
Grand General Duoluo suddenly remembered something and hurried back to his room. He returned a moment later, holding a weapon.
“Try this Japanese sword. I acquired it from a Japanese spy. It can be used for both thrusting and slashing. It’s lightweight and might be suitable for you.”
Li Xinjun took the sword and drew it. The blade was incredibly sharp, curved like a crescent moon. It was clearly a high-quality weapon. She practiced a few movements, testing its weight and balance.
The sword felt perfect in her hand, neither too light nor too heavy, easy to control. She practiced with enthusiasm, lost in the joy of wielding this new weapon. When she finally stopped, she examined the sword closely and noticed a character engraved on the hilt: “star.” She was smitten.
“Well, do you like it?” Grand General Duoluo asked, smiling.
“I love it!”
“Then I shall gift it to you.”
“Really? Thank you, Grand General Duoluo!”
“Hahaha, you’re welcome, you’re welcome. And calling me by my full title is so formal. Just call me Grandfather from now on.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.” Li Xinjun smiled sweetly.
Grand General Duoluo had two sons but no daughters. His sons were both military officers, stationed at the borders, and neither had children yet. He genuinely adored Li Xinjun, her charm and spirit reminding him of the daughter he never had.
“My dear, I shall teach you a sword technique that will complement this sword perfectly.”
“Wow! Really? Thank you, Grandfather! I will practice diligently!”
“Starting today, meet me here every morning at this time, and I will train you for an hour.”
“Yes! Thank you, Grandfather! I’m so happy!”
Li Xinjun, overjoyed, hugged Grand General Duoluo impulsively. The old general blushed, flustered by the young woman’s embrace. He was grateful that no one else was around to witness his embarrassment.
“Hahaha, alright, alright. Let’s begin your training.”
To avoid further awkwardness, he quickly diverted Li Xinjun’s attention to the sword technique. Despite his age, Grand General Duoluo moved with surprising agility and power. His swordsmanship was impressive, his strikes infused with inner energy, leaving deep gouges in the ground.
He demonstrated a few basic movements and then had Li Xinjun practice them. Wielding her new Japanese sword, she mimicked his movements with precision. Although she hadn’t yet mastered the use of inner energy, she was a quick learner and soon had the basic form down. Grand General Duoluo nodded approvingly.
During her time in the capital, in addition to assisting with the jiangshi problem, Li Xinjun trained diligently with Grand General Duoluo every morning, combining his teachings with the inner energy cultivation techniques she had learned from Abbess Jingping. Her martial arts skills improved dramatically, and she could now hold her own against most petty thieves and soldiers.
To further hone her skills, Grand General Duoluo often took her to the military camp to spar with the soldiers. The people of the capital, both commoners and officials, knew that Grand General Duoluo had taken in a granddaughter, the young woman who had been commended by the Emperor for her contributions to the disaster relief efforts. Grand General Duoluo, proud of Li Xinjun, introduced her to everyone he knew. She quickly became a well-known figure in the capital.
The recent jiangshi outbreak had caused widespread fear and panic. Li Xinjun’s arrival and her knowledge of jiangshi proved invaluable to the court’s efforts to contain the situation. The people of the capital adored and admired her. Coupled with the title “Reincarnated Guanyin” bestowed upon her and Song Ling by the Emperor, she was now known as the “Little Fairy” by the people of the capital.
Today, Minister Chen and Grand General Duoluo took Li Xinjun to the Prime Minister’s Mansion for a meeting to discuss the jiangshi problem. Another attack had occurred the previous day at noon. The Emperor’s edict, restricting people’s movements to specific hours, had been effective in preventing further incidents for a while. However, yesterday, as people were out shopping, a group of jiangshi suddenly appeared and attacked.
By the time the soldiers arrived, the jiangshi had vanished, leaving behind only the injured. Those who had been attacked claimed that they had been dragged into alleyways from behind, so no one had seen the assailants. The injured were now being held in the prison for observation.
The Emperor was furious upon hearing the news. The people were already suffering under the restrictions, and now they were being attacked even during the permitted hours. What were they supposed to do? They couldn’t be confined forever. The Emperor issued a decree, ordering all officials to convene and find a solution to the problem within a month.
Li Xinjun sat quietly, listening to the officials’ discussion. Most of them were merely complaining, offering no constructive suggestions.
“Prime Minister, how are we supposed to fulfill the Emperor’s decree?”
“Yes, yes! One month is not enough time to find a permanent solution! This is impossible!”
“Prime Minister, can you persuade the Emperor to rescind the decree? At this rate, we’ll all lose our heads over this!”
Li Xinjun grew increasingly frustrated, thinking to herself that this was not a strategy meeting but a pity party. However, she couldn’t leave. She sat there, fiddling with her fingers, her boredom evident. Grand General Duoluo, noticing her disgruntlement, leaned in and whispered,
“What’s wrong? You seem unhappy.”
“Nothing. I just think these officials are useless. Instead of trying to find a solution, they just complain and whine. And they dragged me here to listen to their nonsense. It’s annoying.”
“Hahaha, young lady, do you have any suggestions? Tell this old man.”
“It’s not a brilliant idea or anything. Just a thought. But they’re so loud that I can’t even think straight.”
Grand General Duoluo, hearing this, slammed his fist on the table. “Bang!” The room fell silent. All eyes turned to him.
“You called me here for a discussion, yet you offer no solutions and just keep complaining! A bunch of grown men, acting like gossiping housewives! Is this the behavior of high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty? If the Emperor saw you like this, I bet he’d send you all back to your villages to farm!”
The officials, chastised by Grand General Duoluo, lowered their heads, not daring to speak back. The Prime Minister, seeing their silence, tried to smooth things over.
“Grand General, do you have any suggestions? If so, please enlighten us.”
“Hmph, I don’t have any suggestions, but my granddaughter said she has some ideas. However, you were all making so much noise that she couldn’t think straight.”
“Miss Li, what are your thoughts on this matter?” the Prime Minister asked, turning to Li Xinjun. All eyes were now on her.
“I was thinking that these jiangshi are probably driven by hunger, which is why they’re willing to risk exposure to get blood. If that’s the case, then continuing to confine the people is pointless. It’s not a permanent solution, only a temporary measure to slow down the casualties. Shouldn’t we be trying to find a way to eliminate all the jiangshi? Wouldn’t that be better?”
“Yes, you make a valid point. But that’s what we’ve been trying to do. Unfortunately, we haven’t found a way to completely solve the problem yet.”
“You’ve been complaining more than contributing ideas, of course you haven’t found a solution!” Grand General Duoluo interjected.
“Grand General, it’s not that we don’t want to contribute, but we haven’t thought of an effective solution yet,” one of the officials protested.
“Prime Minister, how about this? I propose that everyone share their ideas, regardless of whether they’re effective or not. Then we can combine them and see if we can come up with a viable plan,” Li Xinjun suggested.
“Yes, that’s the best we can do for now. Alright, I’m giving you all one day. Everyone must write down their ideas. We’ll meet again tomorrow and combine our ideas to see if we can find a workable solution.” The Prime Minister issued his orders.
The meeting concluded, and the officials, nodding their agreement, filed out of the room, their earlier complaints forgotten.
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