In the midst of thousands of troops, an arrow shot out like lightning towards Chen Xuan. His expression turned fierce. With a twirl of his spear, he deftly deflected the oncoming arrow.
The arrow flew with great force. When it collided with the spear, the impact numbed his wrist.
Chen Xuan secretly braced himself. He saw Helian Zhen sitting high on his horse, drawing his bow with his right hand. A wild and menacing smile played on his lips. In the blink of an eye, another arrow hurtled towards him!
Chen Xuan raised his spear and deflected it again. Then he charged straight into the battlefield. In a short while, he had claimed the lives of numerous Xiongnu soldiers.
He thrust his spear through a hefty Xiongnu warrior who looked to weigh around two hundred jin. Just then, Helian Zhen's arrow was already in front of him. With a fierce smile, he lifted the dying Xiongnu as a shield. The arrow instantly pierced through the man, who stared wide - eyed as blood oozed continuously from the corner of his mouth. In just a few breaths, he was dead.
Chen Xuan tossed the body to the ground and raised his eyebrows, provocatively looking at Helian Zhen, whose face suddenly changed.
"Come again," he mouthed silently.
They were looking at each other from afar. Logically, Helian Zhen couldn't have read his lips. But as soon as Chen Xuan finished, his already dark face turned as black as the bottom of a pot!
"Courting death!" he spat out these two words venomously. He whipped his horse and galloped into the battlefield.
He was going to take Chen Xuan's head to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers!
The distance between them closed in an instant.
Chen Xuan composed himself and raised his spear to meet the enemy.
No matter what, he would never retreat in this battle.
On the grassland.
The army had set out. Helian Zhen had taken many men with him. In the tents, only women could be seen most of the time, and only a few patrolling men could be spotted occasionally.
Hua Jing was doing her makeup in the tent. She had a gorgeous face with a pair of almond - shaped eyes that slanted upwards slightly at the corners. Her every glance was full of charm.
A maid walked in and whispered behind her, "Madam, Lady Tamu has summoned you."
Hua Jing was from the Central Plains. Since Helian Zhen doted on her, she didn't like to be called a concubine. So she pestered Helian Zhen to let the servants call her "madam".
Before, everyone looked down on her. But she was cruel. Once a maid misaddressed her, and she cut off the maid's head with a knife.
The Great Lady was furious and tried to get rid of her. But Helian Zhen just laughed heartily. His eyes were full of admiration for her cruel nature. He didn't punish her at all and even rewarded her with all the tea and silk from the Central Plains.
Tea and silk were not particularly precious in the Central Plains, but on the grassland, only the chief could use them.
Giving these things to a concubine was a great honor.
From then on, the servants never dared to look down on her again.
However, Helian Zhen's other wives and concubines disliked her even more.
Hua Jing gave the maid a disdainful look. The maid's hand trembled, and she immediately knelt on the ground. "Madam..."
"Now that the King is away, are these people going to deal with me again?" Hua Jing's voice was soft and sweet, like honey laced with poison. She twirled her braid with her finger and smiled, her eyes curving. "Alright, I'm not punishing you. Why are you kneeling? I'm just a concubine. If Lady Tamu summons me, I have to go."
Lady Tamu was a secondary wife. She couldn't stand Hua Jing's coquettish looks.
The maid was sweating so much that her clothes were almost soaked. She stammered, "Before the King left, he said that if Madam was not in the mood... it would be okay not to go."
Hua Jing laughed softly again. She stood up, her body as supple as a snake. "I wouldn't dare. If I don't go and anger her, what if she poisons me?"
The maid turned pale, wishing she was deaf and couldn't hear anything.
People around Hua Jing never served her for long. They were either killed or maimed by her. But Helian Zhen just loved her vicious nature and indulged her in everything.
Hua Jing slowly walked towards the tallest tent. When she reached the door, a little bird landed on her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed, and she suddenly screamed, "Ah!"
She raised her hand and hit the gray bird. As the feathers fluttered, the bird screeched twice and flew away.
A few feathers landed on her hair. She withdrew her hand and kicked the nearby tent angrily. "Where did this bird come from! Don't you know I'm most afraid of birds? Hurry up and drive it away!"
The maid quickly stepped forward and waved her hand. The bird had already flown away, so her action was just to appease Hua Jing.
Hua Jing grabbed the feathers and threw them on the ground. "Bad luck! I'm not going in!"
With that, she turned around and stormed off.
The curtain of the tent behind her was suddenly lifted. "Hua Jing! Where are you going!"
Tamu Rina walked out with a dark face. "The Great Lady is still inside. How dare you not go and pay your respects?"
Hua Jing turned her head and gave her a malicious smile. "I don't need you to tell me what to do! If you have the guts, go and complain to the King!"
"You!" Tamu Rina was so angry that her face turned ashen, but she was helpless. She could only watch Hua Jing walk away.
Hua Jing had always been lawless. Helian Zhen just loved this about her, which made her even more arrogant.
The Great Lady slowly opened her eyes inside the tent. "Tamu, come back."
Tamu Rina angrily sat down in the tent. "Look at how she is! She doesn't put you or me in her eyes at all. If this continues, where will we be able to stay?"
The Great Lady smiled faintly, but a look of disdain flashed in her eyes. "She's just a plaything. There's no need to argue with her."
A low - born slave from who knows where, and she can't even bear a child. So what if she has the King's favor? Even the most beautiful face will fade with age. Relying on her beauty to please a man?
She should be prepared to be abandoned when she gets old.
The Great Lady held great power and disdained to argue with such a low - class slave.
Hua Jing walked deeper into the grassland. Soon she reached the border of the patrol area. A guard hesitated and stepped forward. "Madam, it's not patrolled further ahead. It might be dangerous."
Hua Jing took out a whip from her waist and lashed it at him. "Get out of my way!"
The guard's face changed. He dared not show his anger and had to step back.
Hua Jing glanced at the maid following behind. "You too, get out!"
The maid was a bit scared and wanted to say something, but a guard behind her grabbed her and shook his head at her.
He had tried to persuade her. If something happened, he would have an excuse to defend himself in front of the King.
Anyway, she was used to being lawless and vicious, and no one could stop her.
Hua Jing whistled, and a black horse galloped towards her. She mounted the horse and ran forward without looking back at the two people behind.
The wind howled in her ears. She kept running until there was only a vast expanse of green in the world.
She pulled on the reins, and the horse slowed down. It slowly walked to a lake and lowered its head to drink water.
An eagle circled in the sky, then let out a shrill cry and flew away.
A few bubbles rose in the lake. Suddenly, the water rippled continuously, and a black - clothed man emerged from the lake. He was completely soaked and looked rather disheveled.
Hua Jing looked at him and laughed without hesitation. "Oh, isn't this the Third Prince? Long time no see. What, have you switched to being a fisherman?"