RWNEFE -Chapter 243 Am I a Great Beauty, or a Great Warrior?

“I’ve long heard that General Abu Khan is a great warrior of Turkic—a true hero!” Shen Lanxi said. “As it happens, I, Shen Lanxi, am still missing the title of Great Warrior.”

Let Abu Khan become the stepping stone beneath her feet!

Abu Khan let out a cold, contemptuous laugh. Did she think becoming a Great Warrior was that easy? This woman truly didn’t know her place. Throughout history, Great Warriors had always been men. She, a mere woman, dared to compare herself with men—surely the gods would punish her!

Shen Lanxi saw the disdain in Abu Khan’s eyes and sneered inwardly. In the next instant, strength surged through her arm.

Up!

Clang—

The sound of the blade’s hilt scraping against the stone base rang out, followed by a low hum as the twin edges cut through the air.

In the next moment, Shen Lanxi swiftly drew out the massive blade. Her body moved like a swimming dragon as she dashed out of the tent, and then—right outside—began testing the blade!

Everyone hurried after her.

Abu Khan, his face iron-dark, chased out as well.

They saw Shen Lanxi bring the blade down in a single strike. The yellow earth seemed to boil as it exploded open, tearing a centipede-like fissure across the ground. That crack snaked for more than ten meters, deep enough to swallow an entire hand.

Calling it “splitting heaven and earth” would not be an exaggeration.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath of shock.

Like a real centipede, the fissure branched into countless offshoots—each branch like one of the centipede’s legs, the joints resembling gaping wounds cleaved open.

What did this mean?

Anyone who practiced martial arts knew: with a strike like that, it wouldn’t just hit the target—people standing to the left and right of the target would also be unable to escape.

Saying that a single blow could reap ten or twenty lives was no exaggeration!

Yet in Shen Lanxi’s hand, the Companion Star Blade was like an ordinary halberd or spear. It wasn’t just that she didn’t look strained—she looked as though she were holding nothing at all.

Suddenly, Shen Lanxi flicked her wrist and sent the blade soaring more than ten meters into the air.

Those standing close by turned pale.

Some stumbled backward; others cried out in alarm.

“General, be careful!”

From that height, even if it didn’t cleave someone in two, it could crush them to death.

When the blade had struck earlier, they had clearly felt the ground tremble several times—there was no doubt this weapon was extremely heavy.

No wonder Abu Khan had reacted the way he did. It turned out he simply couldn’t lift it!

A cold, ruthless smile appeared on Shen Lanxi’s face. She caught the falling blade with one hand and slammed it down into the ground.

With a metallic hum, the earth seemed to turn into tofu—the Companion Star Blade plunged halfway in.

The west wind howled, whipping the tents until they flapped violently.

The sound of the blade cutting through the air made it seem as if the Companion Star Blade had gained a will of its own, humming endlessly.

Between heaven and earth, it felt as though there were no other sounds—only the wind battering the tents and the blade’s resonant hum.

Shen Lanxi turned to Abu Khan and smiled. “General, am I a great beauty, or a great warrior?”

For a long time, Abu Khan could not come back to himself.

He stared straight at Shen Lanxi. There was no longer any lust in his eyes—only shock.

Was she really a woman?

How could a woman possess such terrifying strength?

He liked women who were gentle as water—not ones brimming with murderous aura like this!

“General,” Shen Lanxi said sharply, “those two thousand dan of grain—will you deliver them to me, or shall I come and collect them myself?”

At the last words, her edge was unmistakable.

Abu Khan’s expression changed. He withdrew his gaze from the Companion Star Blade.

His face twisted slightly, his eyes shifting—then they landed on “Zhou Yunyue.”

“She is the princess sent for the political marriage?” Abu Khan asked, lifting his chin and forcing disdain into both his tone and bearing.

Knowing he was deliberately changing the subject, Shen Lanxi sneered inwardly but replied aloud, “Indeed.”

Abu Khan frowned and sized Yinxing up from head to toe with the gaze of someone appraising an object’s worth.

“It’s not enough for this general alone to see her. Once I return to the imperial court, I will summon the finest painters to produce several portraits of the princess and present them to the Three Tribes. Only then can we discuss which of the three tribes the princess will marry into!”

“As for the grain you mentioned, this general plans to send it together with the princess’s bride-price!”

“It’s getting late. This general must hurry back to report!”

With that, Abu Khan turned and strode swiftly toward his carriage.

Before long, the road was filled with the dust and wind kicked up by Abu Khan’s departing convoy.

For quite some time, Sun Zhong and the others stood there with their minds completely blank—until Shen Lanxi pulled the Companion Star Blade out of the ground and had the guards carry it back.

Ban Sicao asked in confusion, “General, why didn’t we seize the chance to demand the grain?”

Shen Lanxi cast him a quiet look.

“Let Wei Dongzhu explain it to you.”

Wei Dongzhu said, “The Northern Expeditionary Army and the Pacification Army are about to exchange troops. The general is buying us time.”

Ban Sicao smacked his forehead. “You all talked about swapping armies—I heard it clearly. How did I not think of that?”

Xiao Fang teased, “All you think about is who to drug so they’ll eat obediently and get their fill.”

Ban Sicao retorted, “I think you’re the one who’s hungry!”

…

Two memorials requesting grain appeared one after the other on the imperial desk in the royal study.

Emperor Renxiao stared at the two memorials, his head aching.

His son really knew how to cause him trouble.

If it were only Shen Lanxi asking for grain, he could respond as he had before with Dongchuan. But with the addition of the Third Prince, if he granted one, he had to grant both; if he refused one, he had to refuse both.

Otherwise, if word reached Shen Lanxi’s ears, resentment would surely arise.

“Wang Bao,” the emperor asked, “tell me—should I grant it or not?”

Wang Bao smiled cautiously. “This old servant knows nothing at all. Your Majesty truly puts this old servant in a difficult position.”

Seeing his clumsy, distressed look, Emperor Renxiao chuckled.

“Put aside the Third Prince’s status. Treat them both as ordinary generals. Speak boldly—I won’t blame you no matter how much you say.”

Wang Bao didn’t dare take those words at face value. A single joking remark from someone above could cost servants like him their heads.

“Your Majesty… you truly want this old servant to speak?”

The emperor’s face darkened. “What, am I really so fickle that you won’t even tell me the truth?”

Startled, Wang Bao quickly knelt to beg forgiveness. Over the past year or two, Emperor Renxiao’s temperament had indeed become increasingly unpredictable.

“Your Majesty, it’s not that this old servant is unwilling to speak—it’s that I fear saying the wrong thing and earning your displeasure!”

The emperor frowned impatiently. “Speak!”

Wang Bao said, “Then this old servant will be bold. Whoever wins the war and handles the task beautifully should be given the good things.”

After hearing this, Emperor Renxiao first frowned, then fell into thought.

The Third Prince, relying on his past merit in pacifying the southwest, had grown more and more unrestrained in his conduct. In the northwest, he was provided with fine food and drink, yet he had handled the task so poorly.

On the other hand, Shen Lanxi had asked for not a single coin or grain, yet had firmly pinned the rebels down in Dongchuan.

“Your Majesty, have some tea to moisten your throat,” Wang Bao said, carefully pouring a cup as a palace maid brought it over.

The fragrance of ginseng slowly spread. After taking a sip, Emperor Renxiao felt especially refreshed—even the pent-up heaviness in his chest and abdomen dissipated considerably.

“This tea was brewed with the ginseng Lanxi sent, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Wang Bao replied quickly. “This old servant keeps track of the days—one slice a month, not a bit more!”

Satisfaction filled the emperor’s face.

“Lanxi is thoughtful.”

“Very well—let it be as you said. Whoever performs the task best will receive the provisions!”