Chapter 62 – The Sparrow Spreads Its Wings (4)

Chapter 62 – The Sparrow Spreads Its Wings (4)

Xiahou Ji could not help but marvel.

Who was he? Although his family could not compare to the Five Great Sects or Five Great Clans, he was still the eldest son of a martial family with a respectable history. Yet, every single one of his attacks was easily parried by a girl who barely reached his waist. There was no doubt that she was a rejuvenated master.

“As expected, you are incredible!”

Amusingly, So-so was holding one hand behind her back. She was mimicking her father, who used to teach her in the same way.

“The tip of your sword must be as fierce as the wind and as heavy as a boulder!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Xiahou Ji was filled with ecstasy. To receive guidance from an eccentric master of the martial world—what greater fortune could there be?

“Yes! Thank you, General!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Within slowness lies speed! Within softness lies strength! And… wait, what was it?”

She could not remember the next words her father had told her.

Even so, Xiahou Ji's attacks grew sharper and more refined as time went on. Every word So-so spoke was a teaching of the Sword Saint himself, and he continued to gain enlightenment with each passing moment.

When the general suddenly fell silent, Xiahou Ji grew anxious. He wanted to maintain his momentum and receive a bit more instruction.

“General, please guide me a little more!”

So-so racked her brain, but she couldn't remember any more phrases. Still, she wanted to say something. Then, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Imbued with internal energy, the blade of So-so's sword deflected his attack with immense force.

Clang!

Xiahou Ji stumbled from the unexpected counter, leaving himself completely wide open.

“Carelessness means death!”

Kicking off the ground, So-so planted her right foot firmly into Xiahou Ji's chest. It was the Sweep Kick of the Mount Hua Sect that she had learned from Cheong-hae, though none of the onlookers recognized it when executed with such short legs.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Knocked flat, Xiahou Ji rolled awkwardly on the ground. Despite the many onlookers, he felt no embarrassment. Everyone already knew who his opponent was.

Though the spar was brief, he had gained immense enlightenment. His chest throbbed, but he did not care. Standing up quickly, Xiahou Ji bowed deeply and offered a cupped-fist salute.

“Thank you!”

So-so wore a broad grin. Sparring was fun, and she liked this place because they brought her delicious food when the time came.

Just then, someone approached at rapid speed, utilizing lightness skills. It was Song Gyeom, a commander of the volunteer army.

“General, we received information from a government scout. A raiding party is approaching Mayang Village, and they have requested our help to evacuate the residents.”

So-so blinked and asked, “Who requested it?”

“It was a request from General Jang-yang.”

So-so's ears perked up at the mention of Jang-yang.

“Then we must help Grandfather!”

“Yes. And you may speak comfortably to us.”

“Mm, got it!”

“Shall we set out immediately?”

“Yes!”

Song Gyeom turned and shouted, “The order to deploy has been issued!”

The three hundred volunteers lined up in formation. It was their first mission. Since most of them were battle-ready martial artists, there was no sign of nervousness on their faces.

“Then I will lead the way…”

Song Gyeom trailed off. The general in front of him was standing with her arms wide open. It was a gesture that clearly meant she wanted to be carried.

“The general requires a human carriage!” Song Gyeom called out.

A dozen martial artists volunteered. As they squatted down, So-so fell into deep thought. Naturally, the largest carriage would provide the most comfortable ride.

Clambering onto the back of the largest martial artist, So-so said, “Hehe. Thank you~”

“I shall escort you comfortably to our destination.”

Mayang Village was about thirty li away. Maintaining their formation, they marched toward the village without rest.

* * *

Slowly, the outline of a village came into view.

The volunteer army halted at the entrance of the village, scanning the surroundings instead of entering immediately. After a quarter of an hour, Commander Mu-hyeon, formerly of the Jongnam Sect, spoke up.

“It seems we are a step too late. There is a group approaching over there.”

Everyone turned their gaze to where he pointed. It was a dense reed forest about a hundred zhang from the village, filled with reeds that grew as tall as a man.

Although there was no wind, the reeds were rustling incessantly. It was obvious that a raiding party was hiding inside. They seemed to be planning a surprise attack before the villagers could flee.

Yang Heung, the advisor of the volunteer army, asked cautiously, “A battle is inevitable if we want to save the villagers. Their numbers seem roughly equal to ours. Please give us the order, General.”

Sliding down from the martial artist's back, So-so tilted her head and asked, “Are they bad guys?”

“They are absolute bastards who bring tears of blood to the eyes of innocent people.”

So-so's eyes sparkled as she watched the raiding party's movements. She could feel their murderous intent even from this distance. It was clear they were up to no good.

“So I should beat them up before they can do anything bad, right?”

Song Gyeom nodded with a solemn expression. “Yes, General. We must beat them all to death.”

Nodding, So-so drew the short sword from her waist. It was a blunt, bladeless training sword.

Just then, a soldier emerged from the reeds clutching a saber, targeting a woman who was hanging laundry nearby.

The moment he raised his weapon, So-so's eyes flared with anger and she bolted forward. Her short legs moved at an astonishing speed, executing a lightness skill that made her seem to glide across the ground.

Arriving in front of the soldier in the blink of an eye, So-so struck his wrist with the blunt blade.

“Get your filthy hands off her!”

Crack!

The sound of bone shattering echoed as his wrist was broken.

“Argh!”

Immediately following up, her short sword traced a neat arc and struck the soldier's shin.

Crack!

“Aaargh!”

As the soldier collapsed and rolled on the ground, So-so had already leaped into the reeds.

Witnessing their general charge fearlessly into the enemy ranks all by herself, the volunteers were filled with courage.

“Follow the general! Let us show these bastards the wrath of the volunteer army!”

Song Gyeom and Mu-hyeon led the charge, racing close behind So-so. By the time they caught up, a chaotic scene of punishment was already underway. The reeds swayed wildly to a chorus of heavy, dull thuds.

Thwack! Bam! Crack!

“Aaargh!”

“Ugh!”

Agonizing screams echoed through the reeds. These soldiers possessed martial arts that were barely third-rate in the Jianghu. There was no way they could withstand So-so's strikes. Her blunt sword carried no lethal intent; it was simply packed with internal energy. The soldiers struck by her training sword were instantly incapacitated, foaming at the mouth.

Awe-struck by So-so's terrifying martial prowess, the volunteers felt a thrill run down their spines.

“As expected of our general!”

“Help her!”

The sudden intrusion of the volunteer army threw the Hui raiders into a panic. Their morale had already crumbled the moment So-so appeared. The soldiers could barely put up a fight before being struck down one by one by the volunteers.

Not a single soldier struck by So-so's sword died on the spot. Instead, they were finished off by the volunteers following behind, their souls sent to the afterlife. Terrified, the remaining soldiers were completely helpless.

“Retreat!”

“Get out of here!”

The soldiers tried to flee the forest, but the volunteers had no intention of letting them go easily. Since this was their very first battle, everyone was bursting with enthusiasm.

“Catch them!”

“Don't let a single one escape!”

With fire in their eyes, the volunteers pursued them relentlessly, stabbing their swords into the soldiers' backs.

Squelch! Slash!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The skirmish ended in a flash.

After about ten minutes, the volunteers gathered at the entrance of Mayang Village. They piled the corpses in one place and searched their pockets.

Yang Heung shouted to the volunteers, “Bring everything of value over here!”

Their actions were incredibly natural. Since the volunteer army did not receive stipends from the state, looting was a necessary act for self-sufficiency. From valuables to a hefty amount of silver, the spoils were surprisingly decent.

Before long, the villagers gathered to watch. It didn't take them long to realize what was happening, as they had already heard rumors about the formation of the volunteer army.

A young woman called out in a welcoming voice, “Uncle Wang Chun!”

One of the volunteers smiled warmly and approached. He was a veteran soldier who had lived in this village for over a decade.

“Is that you, Ah-jin? Why haven't you evacuated yet?”

“Oh, Uncle! This village is all we have. Where would we go? If we leave without a single copper to resettle, we'll just starve to death.”

“Sigh…”

The villagers continuously greeted Wang Chun, and the volunteers watching this felt their hearts warm.

At that moment, Yang Heung approached So-so and asked, “General, how should we distribute the spoils?”

After a moment of thought, So-so smiled brightly and said, “Let's share it with everyone!”

Not a single volunteer objected. They had all joined to protect their homes and fight against the Hui army.

So-so grabbed handfuls of the loot and handed them to the villagers. The only problem was that she handed away nearly eighty percent of the total haul. Though briefly taken aback, the volunteers burst into hearty laughter.

“What a grand scale, General!”

“Outstanding!”

It was a massive sum for the villagers. While it wasn't a fortune, it was more than enough to cover their evacuation expenses. An elderly woman hesitated, looking flustered.

“Child, how can we accept this…”

At that, Commander Song Gyeom stepped forward and said, “Do not judge by appearances. Please show proper respect and accept it. This is General So-so, the leader of our volunteer army.”

The villagers were dumbfounded. A pretty child who barely reached their waists was the general of the volunteer army? Still, seeing the dead serious expressions of the martial artists, they couldn't help but accept.

“Ah… yes… thank you so much.”

“Thank you, General.”

“Thanks to you, we can finally leave this place.”

Seeing the villagers' profound gratitude made So-so feel incredibly happy. Helping the locals was turning out to be quite fun.

“Hehe. Where to next?”

Yang Heung quickly stepped up and replied, “If we wait in this village for a moment, the government forces will send word of our next destination.”

Hearing that they had to wait, So-so immediately pouted.

“Hmph…”

Just then, an elderly villager approached and said, “Since you have generously provided us with the funds to evacuate, we will leave tonight. Before we go, please allow us to treat you all to a warm meal. Do not refuse us.”

Instantly, So-so's face lit up, and giggles bubbled out of her.

“Hehe! Giggles! Thank you so much~”

* * *

Meanwhile, the Hanzhong army had relocated to a position thirty li behind Huaping Town.

Mount Taibai. In terms of height, it was renowned as one of the grandest mountains in the Central Plains. At the foot of Mount Taibai, the Hanzhong army had set up camp and was waiting.

They had positioned themselves here because it was the only path leading from Meixian to Hanzhong. Furthermore, the steep cliffs of the mountain range on both sides formed a narrow canyon.

They spent three days waiting here while dedicating themselves to scouting.

In the field command post set up in the center of the camp, Officer Gwak Cheol was currently delivering a report.

“General, the volunteer army's performance has been outstanding. In just a few days, they have defeated three raiding parties and successfully evacuated all the refugees from the nearby villages.”

Jang-yang nodded. “That is wonderful news. Since our feet are tied here, we must rely on the volunteer army. Make sure to deliver all the intelligence gathered by our scouts to them without fail.”

“Yes, General,” Gwak Cheol replied immediately.

“How large is the volunteer army now?”

“It began with about two hundred men, but its size has more than doubled now. Furthermore, the individual martial arts skills of their members are comparable to our regular troops.”

The soldiers of Hanzhong were elite warriors who trained in martial arts. The fact that the volunteers could match their skills meant they were a formidable force. However, because they lacked tactical training, their combat effectiveness would largely depend on the capability of their commander.

“Haha… quite reliable indeed. You said the name of the volunteer general is So-so?”

“Yes. According to our intelligence, she is a female general whose bravery is as fierce as a wild beast, earning her the moniker ‘Little Tiger’.”

“The Little Tiger… It must not be easy to command such hot-blooded martial artists. She must be an extraordinary woman.”

“The volunteers are said to trust and follow her like a god. Even our scouts are barely permitted to approach her.”

“Hahaha. Once we have some breathing room, make sure to arrange a meeting. I would like to discuss our future strategy with her.”

“Understood, General.”