Chapter 24 Part IV
As she walked past the kitchen to the back, she saw several small vegetable plots. At this ti, they were slightly wilted due to insufficient watering. A middle-aged woman was weeding.
"Auntie, what are you planting so much of?" Zhenzhu asked as she walked over. With nothing else to do today, she thought it might be nice to help this auntie with the vegetable garden.
"Oh, you must be Lady He. I’m Lu Shuang, the cook here. These are so herbs and spices for the young master.”
"For Brother Hao?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"Oh, you’re weeding? Let help," Zhenzhu rolled up her sleeves to start pulling weeds.
"No, Miss! You’ll get dirty," the woman exclaid in alarm. How could they let a guest of Taizi help her pull weeds?
"I can do it. At ho, I often help my father. Without sothing to do, I’ll get bored.”
"Thank you so much, Miss." The woman smiled at her, adoring her. This girl wasn’t as reserved as other ladies she had t. Zhenzhu was cheerful and adorable. Her words were pleasant to hear.
Zhenzhu helped the cook weed tirelessly. This made her think longingly of her own vegetable garden at ho. She wished she could go back to growing vegetables and raising silkworms.
"Eh? Auntie, what’s that large field behind us?" It was vast. Zhenzhu pointed to the overgrown area with bushes and weeds.
"That used to be a horse pasture. Now the horses have been moved to the other side by the river for better access to water. This area has been left unused.”
"Oh," Zhenzhu nodded. This place was ideal for a vegetable garden. It was flat and spacious. With a little clearing, it would be perfect for growing vegetables.
Zhenzhu helped Lu Shuang weed until the hem of her clothes was dirty with soil. She was so engrossed in weeding that she didn’t notice a man standing behind her, watching with his arms behind his back.
"Young Master," Lu Shuang greeted.
"Oh, Brother Hao! What are you doing here in the kitchen? Are you hungry?"
"I’m here looking for soone."
"Who are you looking for?"
"You."
"? Why? Are you going to let start deciphering the characters?" She just asked, not expecting him to agree.
"Yes."
"I knew it. You wouldn’t... wait?! I can go?" How could it be this easy? Didn’t he just firmly refuse it at noon? He might have seen the light.
The army couldn’t do without soone as talented as , right? Hehe.
"Rest well. We’ll start tomorrow morning."
"Yes!" she agreed enthusiastically.
"Oh, Brother Hao, I forgot to ask. Why leave this place unused? Why not plant vegetables here? At least it would increase our food supplies," she pointed at the overgrown area. This field used to be a horse pasture and seed to be at least a hundred mu. While it might not be enough to feed the entire army, it would be better than doing nothing.
“Military duties do not include vegetable gardening.”
“We could hire so strong villagers to help with the planting. Their wages would be less than 100 brass coins per day. It’s very cost-effective. I can help select the seeds and supervise the workers myself. How about it?” She was thinking of ways to support the army. Even if the yield wasn’t much, it would still alleviate so of the hardship. It was better than doing nothing. She planned to choose fast-growing vegetables so they could be harvested quickly.
“I’ll bring it up at the next eting. Thank you,” Yong Saiweihao nodded. How could he have forgotten that he was talking to the owner of a farm with hundreds of mu of fruits and vegetables. Her agricultural spirit was indeed strong.
The next morning, Zhenzhu woke up at dawn, excitedly preparing to decipher the character pattern. Brother Hao had told her that she could start the character pattern deciphering today.
She quickly took care of her personal matters before riding her horse to wait for Yong Saiweihao by the stream.
“Oh, Lady He, you’re here. Today you and the Young General will be deciphering the character pattern together, right? We’ve made preparations,” one of the inscription masters greeted Zhenzhu respectfully upon seeing her approach.
“Preparations? What kind of preparations?” Did they need to prepare sothing?
“We’ve arranged for so physicians to be on standby,” he gestured towards a tent. When she looked, she saw several royal physicians inside, ready with their bag and equipnt.
“Why do we need physicians? Shouldn’t they be taking care of the sick?”
“They’re here just in case sothing happens, so they can provide imdiate assistance.”
Zhenzhu frowned. Just in case? Did this have sothing to do with her? They were already jinxing her before she even started.
“Oh, I see. Thank you for your trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Miss. Please don’t worry.”
Soon, Yong Saiweihao arrived on horseback, accompanied by a large retinue of guards. Did he really need so many guards just to ride here?
“Brother Hao, I’m ready,” Zhenzhu approached to greet him before getting straight to the point. She was eager to feel the power of the character.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Oh, wait... I forgot. Baihu and Xiao She aren’t here yet. Let go find them,” Zhenzhu was about to mount her horse to search for them. Where were they playing in the camp?
“No need, I’m already here,” Baihu’s voice echoed in her mind. Suddenly, there was a mont of chaos. The inscription masters and Yong Saiweihao’s guards drew their weapons, preparing for defense.
When she looked, she saw Baihu in his white tiger form, majestically striding in. His body was twice the size of a warhorse, his white fur shining brightly, almost blinding. His erald eyes were beautiful yet fierce. Baihu let out a roar, causing so of the inscription masters to fall to their knees, unable to withstand it.
“Is... Is this a tiger?”
“How did it get into our camp?”
“Prepare to protect the Young General!”
“Is it an enemy sent to attack us?”
Everyone there was deeply alard, but Zhenzhu ran straight toward it.
“Lady He! Don’t go near it!” They shouted in panic. They couldn’t reach her in ti to stop her. So even covered their eyes, not wanting to witness the grueso scene.
Oh, Lady He, we’ve only just t, and now you’re going to leave us already.
“Baihu, you’re late. Hurry, we’re about to start. Where’s Xiao She?” Zhenzhu raised her hand to stroke its soft fur.
“What? It’s not eating her?”
“She called it Baihu. Isn’t... Isn’t that her pet’s na?”
“Yes, the cat!”
“Hey! It turned into the Great White Tiger Beast !” Lady He, you’re making others envious. Not only do you have high-tier spirit energy and are an inscription master, but you also have such a formidable beast in your possession.
If her little cat could beco a majestic tiger, then wouldn’t that single-horned green snake turn into a giant serpent? Their questions were quickly answered as Xiao She slithered in, transforming back to his normal form.
“This is too much!”
“What a magnificent beast.”
“I wish I had one like her.”
Everyone exclaid in excitent, their hearts filled with envy that they could not express. Miss, you have two of them. Couldn’t you spare one for ? They could only cry out in their minds.
Yong Saiweihao frowned slightly before nodding in satisfaction. A fine beast!
“Brother Hao, I’m ready.”
“Alright.”
Zhenzhu, Yong Saiweihao, and the two beasts entered the area where the black stone was placed. It still emitted a potent power of the character, seemingly inexhaustible.
Zhenzhu sat down on a well-prepared carpet, with Xiao She and Baihu flanking her on either side, while Yong Saiweihao took a seat behind her.
“If it becos too much, push it away,” Yong Saiweihao warned. She was only at the silver-tier; if her body couldn’t handle the white-tier energy, it could be dangerous.
“Yes,” Zhenzhu responded.
“Let’s begin.”
Zhenzhu quickly reached out and grasped the black stone. Its power was as intense as before. Yong Saiweihao gradually channeled his spirit energy into her body. Baihu and Xiao She also spread their divine creature aura to protect Zhenzhu. As the energy flowed into her, it felt like her body was a bamboo tube trying to contain a massive torrent of water. It seed as if she was about to burst, but the two waves of divine power enveloped her, making her feel more comfortable.
At that mont, Zhenzhu felt as if she truly had white-tier spirit energy. She felt imnse power, as if she could overturn the heavens with a flick of her wrist, like the most powerful being in the land. White-tier spirit energy was indeed grand.
She gradually cald her mind, focusing on the dark character once more. This ti, she had to decipher its pattern. Suddenly, the character pattern appeared. This ti, it was vivid, with all the details standing out, and they didn’t disappear like before.
anwhile, in a distant area, the man sitting before a talisman inscribed with character pattern suddenly opened his night-black eyes.
It’s happening again? This aura of the character—it’s the sa person he attacked the previous ti. However, today their power felt much stronger, unlike their previous weakness.
If they co again, I’ll just strike them down again!
The blood-ink touched the cloth once again. At that very mont, Zhenzhu felt a violent resistance from the power of the dark character. The patterns began to blur once more. She wasn’t about to let them slip away like before. Suddenly, a powerful force ca back at her, just like last ti. Zhenzhu’s heart dropped. Despite being sowhat prepared, the previous experience of severe backlash made her fear slightly.
“It’s alright. Keep going.” The steady, rock-solid voice reassured her gently, calming her turbulent mind.
In her mind, Zhenzhu struggled to morize as much of the pattern as possible. However, the pattern was incredibly intricate and detailed, requiring deep understanding and ti. But it seed as if the pattern didn’t want her to study it. It constantly attacked her whenever it had the chance. However, with the assistance of Baihu, Xiao She, and Yong Saiweihao, Zhenzhu was not injured like before.
Her expertise in strokes and complex patterns finally paid off. After spending an hour, she managed to fully comprehend the character pattern. Having done so, she wanted to leave her mark on it. Without hesitation, Zhenzhu gathered her spirit energy and struck the stone forcefully.
CRACK!
Cough, cough, cough, cough.
The defeat was proclaid through blood. From being the attacker, he now found himself on the receiving end of the backlash. His eyes flashed montarily, the defeat transforming into a fierce determination to win. His gaze blazed with the flas of an insatiable desire for victory.
Zhenzhu shouted.
“We won!”
“Quick, get so paper.”
“Here you go, miss.” One of the inscription masters, knew his duty, preparing the paper. Zhenzhu took the brush and began transcribing the intricate pattern she had studued onto the paper. The inscription masters and physicians gathered around her, peering over her shoulder with keen interest.
“Ah, why is it so complex?”
“But every part fits together in an astonishing way.”
“I’m curious about the person who ca up with this character. Aren’t they too talented?”
“They must be talented but using their abilities for evil.” One of the inscription masters grabbed his temples upon seeing the character pattern Zhenzhu drew. Do they have to remove the character this hard?
Zhenzhu spent a considerable amount of ti sketching the character. Finally, she finished.
“Done.” She bead proudly, despite her exhaustion from channeling such high-tier spirit energy. She was overjoyed that it had all worked out.
“Thank you, Lady He. We’ll study these imdiately and start removing the characters,” Qingxin carefully took the paper she handed over. This would be their task going forward.
“Are you feeling alright?” Yong Saiweihao asked.
"Don’t worry, Brother Hao. I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for your help, Brother Hao." Without him, how could she have deciphered the intricate pattern of the character?
"Thank you."
With the task completed, the young General left to attend to his duties, while Zhenzhu was surrounded by physicians checking her condition as ordered by the young man. It took an hour before she could finally extricate herself from their physicians.
"Physician, didn’t you have finished your examination?" Zhenzhu asked, pouting. At this mont, she wanted to assist the inscription masters in removing the character. But... Brother Hao, oh, Brother Hao. I said I am fine, and that ans I am fine. Why did he have to order the physicians to examine her so seriously like this?
"All done, Miss. You may go now."
Finally, Zhenzhu made her way to the tent where the inscription masters were eting. They were deeply engrossed in a serious discussion, attempting to find a way to remove the dark character.
"Master Qingxin, I think we should place the lines horizontally here. If we follow your suggestion, the knot at this point won’t unravel."
"Yes, yes, that’s right. Let’s revise it."
"Master Yue, should we adjust this point to release the energy here?"
"Good, good. We’ve resolved five more points now."
Seeing them so focused on finding a way to remove the character, Zhenzhu quietly sat down to listen and understand their progress. After observing for a while, she realized that these royal inscription masters were truly skilled in the art of characters. They could solve complex character knots through principled discussions and suggestions.
Watching them work provided her with valuable insights. Whenever she didn’t understand sothing, she would ask imdiately, unafraid of being laughed at for her ignorance. Her questions also clarified doubts for other inscription masters as well.
Her eagerness to learn endeared her to Master Yue and the experienced senior inscription masters. They appreciated the young girl who was humble, eager to learn, and unpretentious about her abilities. Her temperant was good.
"Master Yue, why does this line curl in like this? If we divert it, won’t it solve the knot on the left?"
"Yes, it would solve the knot on the left. But if we unravel everything, it will still be caught on the outer loop here," the old man pointed for her to see without any annoyance.
"Oh, I see."
She understood so, didn’t understand so, yet she could suggest an idea that helped solve problems.
The inscription masters spent three days and three nights drafting the character pattern to remove the dark character. Finally, they succeeded in completing the pattern.
"We did it!"
"Finally finished!"
"This is our great achievent!" Though they looked tired from the continuous nights without sleep, their eyes shone with excitent.
"Lady He, would you like to remove the character yourself?" Master Yue asked respectfully. Because she was the one who deciphered the pattern of the dark character, they were able to create a character pattern to remove it. Now ca the most crucial mont: the actual removal of the character. Who would be the one to do it?
"How about we all work together to remove the characters?" She suggested.
"Together?" One of the inscription masters exclaid excitedly. Typically, each inscription master worked independently when inscribing characters. Joint efforts were rare, usually only done by married inscription masters or twins. But now, they were all going to inscribe together?
"Yes, we’ve worked together from the start. So, I believe everyone should participate in this effort. Don’t you agree?" She didn’t seek personal fa. They all had poured their hearts and souls into solving this problem. If any credit or recognition was due, everyone should share in it.
"Thank you, Lady He, for considering us," an inscription master said gratefully. In truth, most of the credit was hers.
"Let’s begin," she said.
"Alright!"
Excited and pleased, they sat in a circle by the stream, discussing the scope of each person’s part in inscribing the characters. Once they had agreed, they brought out their brushes and tools, ready to begin.
"Lady He, where’s your brush?"
Zhenzhu frowned in confusion before realizing that each inscription master had their own brush for inscribing characters. But she hadn’t used a brush when she first trained.
"Uh, I don’t use a brush.”
"Oh? What do you use to channel your spirit energy?"
Zhenzhu quickly held up her index finger. She used her finger, of course. Everyone widened their eyes in astonishnt. She didn’t even need a brush to channel energy—how remarkable! But then, Lady He was no ordinary person, how could she use a common thod?
After overcoming their shock, they focused and began inscribing the characters. The intricate character pattern twisted and turned on the ground, detailed and precise. After one ke, the final stroke was drawn.
Suddenly, the ground emitted a golden glow, consuming the power of the dark character. A small black stone vibrated violently.
Crack!
It finally shattered into dust, carried away by the wind.
The oppressive power of the dark character had vanished.
"We did it!"
The chroniclers of the Yan Region recorded that in the 28th year of the Jingyan reign, on the 15th day of the second month, twenty-eight royal inscription masters and Lady He Zhenzhu, daughter of Master He Lei, worked together to remove the dark character inscribed by enemy forces to destroy the Yan army. Their combined effort freed the region from the enemy’s trap and successfully removed the dark character. It was the largest collaborative character-inscribing event in history.
Little did they know that this character inscribing would pave the way for future large-scale collaborative character inscribing by the inscription masters.
News of the successful removal of the dark character spread rapidly throughout the military camp. Initially, the soldiers were unsure if it was true and were hesitant to use the river water. However, once the royal inscription masters confird it, the soldiers rejoiced loudly throughout the camp. They had been rationing water for a long ti, sotis bathing only once every four days. Now, they could finally bathe properly.
The sight of soldiers running into the water, dressed only in loincloths that covered their private parts, made Zhenzhu’s eyes widen. What a new experience.
Naked n!
What a sight!
However, before she could ogle them, a large hand blocked her view.
"Naughty girl," a familiar stern voice said, causing Zhenzhu to get goosebumps for unknown reason.
"Brother Hao, I just want to take a quick look. Just for a mont!" Please don’t stop her. She had not seen well-built naked n for God know how long. In her previous life, she could see them on the internet, but in this life, the n were very reserved. Couldn’t she just feast her eyes a little?
Zhenzhu tried to remove his hand from her eyes. No, she just wanted a quick peek. Couldn’t he allow her to do so as a reward for her efforts in removal the dark character?
"No."
"Hey! Brother Hao, just a mont!"
"Go back to the residence imdiately." Without repeating himself, he began dragging the naughty girl away from the riverside.
"Noooooooo."
Eventually, she was dragged back to the residence. Terrible. This was so terrible. Brother Hao was so an. She only wanted a little peek, she wasn’t going to touch them. Just a look, that’s all. Just wait until she returned to Fengfu City, she would build the largest male brothel in the city. She could look whenever she wanted!
Seeing the girl’s disgruntled face, the young man couldn’t help but laugh.
"Heh-heh."
"What ‘heh-heh’? Don’t laugh at ." Since you don’t let look at others, then you must undress for to see.
"Do you want to look that badly?" Yong Saiweihao asked. The girl nodded eagerly like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Wait until you’re older."
"How old do I have to be? I’m grown up already. Will you undress for then?" Zhenzhu’s eyes widened. If Brother Hao undressed for her, she wouldn’t need to look at anyone else!
"Hmm, I’ll think about it."
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