It seems that the Great Zhao Kingdom is still in a stable world. There are no Tianliang bandit troops in the south, and no barbarian raids in the north... People live a rich life and the world is peaceful and prosperous.
But she knew that this was just an appearance. In fact, the Great Zhao was surrounded by enemies, and countless people were suffering and displaced, like a drifting wasteland.
All that's left behind in this bustling area are corpses scattered all over the ground.
"Where has the fleeting youth gone? The sound of autumn is rustling again..." Xi Heng recited a line of poetry softly.
"Oh, with a crazy emperor like Zhao Qianyuan, it would be strange if Great Zhao didn't decline."
She shook her head and went downstairs to practice swordplay.
On the way, she met the maid who helped her bath yesterday, and asked Xi Heng what she wanted for breakfast.
"I don't have the habits of a young lady, so the food will be simple." Xi Heng answered casually: "I'll go to the courtyard to warm up, and I'll bring breakfast to the room in an hour."
"Yes." The other party looked quite submissive.
Xi Heng passed the other person and went downstairs to the open area in the backyard.
She closed her eyes and calmed her mind, slowly drawing the long sword from her waist, her breathing gradually became long and even, and then she raised the sword and swung out sword moves smoothly.
The graceful long sword flashed frequently in the air like a dragon, cutting through the sky with sword whistles and ringing sounds. The body movements were either pointed or raised, legs were raised, sleeves were turned up, steps were stepped and turned, and the pauses and starts were all full of a fierce momentum that made people retreat.
After half an hour, Xi Heng finished another set of sword techniques, and there was a soft applause around him.
Turning around, I saw Yan Hongji who had come into the yard at some point.
"Senior sister is so cool." She praised.
"What's so cool..." Xi Heng shook his head and turned to ask the other party: "Junior sister, do you want to practice sword with me?"
"I don't need to. Since I returned to the capital, I have been busy with various affairs. The habits I developed in the Sword Academy have inevitably been abandoned."
Hongji waved her hand and began to explain her intention: "Butler Lou has already drafted the contract for Senior Sister to be a guest of our Yan family. When Senior Sister is free, you can call her to sign it."
"Let's finish our sword practice today." Xi Heng didn't care.
Hong Ji nodded and talked about another matter: "I heard this morning that a mysterious female warrior killed many high-ranking members of the Qingle Gang in the south. I think it was done by my senior sister, so I came here to thank you."
"No need to thank me." Xi Heng was a little disappointed. "It's a pity that I couldn't attract their leader and destroy them in one fell swoop."
"Yesterday's incident happened suddenly. Even if it is not enough to disband them, it is enough to keep them quiet for a few years." Hong Ji said, "Senior sister helped me with all her heart, and I should repay her. But I can't figure out what she needs or wants, so I came here to ask."
"What do you want..." Xi Heng was really stumped by this question.
Yan Hongji couldn't give her what she really wanted.
As for other worldly things, Xi Heng also has little desire.
It is enough to have enough money for your own use. Jewelry and clothes do not need to be too expensive. Just wear whatever you like.
In Huamanlou, his room was fully equipped with all kinds of daily necessities, and there was a maid to take care of his food and clothing. Now Xi Heng no longer had anything special he wanted in life.
If Yan Hongji were to look for traces of immortals or methods of transforming energy, she probably wouldn't get much. Although the other party was a child of a wealthy family, their activities were limited to the mundane Qinxie Changxiang...
Xi Heng looked at the other party, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and finally he only stated his current goal:
"I want to achieve dark power."
Yan Hongji was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Sister, do you need to find a pill to replenish your Qi and blood?"
"No, my Qi and blood are almost there." The girl said calmly, "But I still feel that my sword intent is far from enough and I still need to refine it."
"Sword intention?" Yan Hongji almost blurted out that he wanted to give his senior sister a good sword.
But she still remembered the teachings she had received in the Red Line Sword Academy, and knew that sword intent had nothing to do with the sword in one's hand, but rather the intent in one's heart.
"Refining the sword's will requires killing people." Xi Heng said:
"If you need to eliminate any enemies in the future, leave it to me."
……
in the future.
As one disturbance after another arose and subsided, a rumor about a woman named Blood-Clothed Woman gradually spread in the capital.
It is said that she often wears a dark red robe, and the long sword on her waist is always stained with blood. Whenever she draws the sword, she will see hideous wounds on others' bodies, with blood gushing out.
According to folk legend, she was the daughter of a wealthy family in the capital. She could not stand the dirty deeds and despicable means of the city's evil gangs and Qin, Xie and Changxiang and their surrounding areas, so she fought violence with violence everywhere.
Many gangs of all sizes in the inner city that bullied men and women suffered a blow, with most of their top leaders being killed overnight and even their bodies disappearing.
The Blood-Clothed Woman started out as a member of the Qingle Gang, which ran a brothel business, and later killed many Ming Jin masters from larger sects with her sword. She was even able to fight back when surrounded by three or four Ming Jin masters. Rumors in the martial arts world concluded that she was a young An Jin master with amazing talent.
However, it was not long before all the speculations about the identity of the woman in blood-stained clothes were interrupted by a notice from the government.
The government has found out through various traces at the crime scene that the woman in blood-stained clothes is a wanted criminal who had emerged in Zhaocheng in recent months and had killed a constable.
This man was fond of using a sword and often wore red clothes. The sword wounds he left were straight, and from time to time there would be some inexplicable signs of corrosion and broken bones, and even hideous and terrifying mummies, appearing at the scene.
All the impressions matched each other one by one, and the government increased the reward for the woman in blood-stained clothes several times, and invited many expert detectives to participate, determined to bring this person to justice!
……
Two months later, the alley of Qin Xie was filled with flowers.
Xi Heng, who was called "Bloody Clothes" by the people in the martial arts world, was standing in front of a bronze mirror, trying on a new set of lighter-colored clothes that Yan Hongji had ordered for him.
Although the main color of this dress is still red, the color is slightly lighter and the look is more casual. It is paired with a waist-length skirt that is pink and white with peach blossoms painted on the surface. Behind the open coat, there are two fish entwined in the shape of Tai Chi, which looks exquisite and elegant.
After Xi Heng got dressed, he casually used a hairpin to tie his hair into a hanging style, lifted his bangs and tucked his hair behind his ears, and simply wore a red rope with pearls on it as a headband, highlighting his gentle temperament.
No matter how you look at her, and no matter who looks at her, probably no one would recognize her as the blood-stained swordsman who caused a big disturbance in the city.
Xi Heng is now wearing a red robe, and his temperament is warm and gentle, not the cold and murderous swordsman in the night.
"Do you like it, Senior Sister?" Yan Hongji watched Xi Heng change his clothes and couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Since she was a child, people around her always praised her for her beauty and liveliness, but now standing next to her senior sister, she felt that she had become a supporting role.
"Not bad." Xi Heng pinched his sleeves and moved around, his open fur coat and long skirt spreading outwards like a blooming flower.
The hem of her skirt fell, and she looked at herself in the mirror again. She looked good in every way, except...
Why do I always feel like something is missing from my chest?
Whenever Xi Heng dressed up, he always felt that it was not perfect and felt frustrated and dissatisfied.
He turned his head and stared at Yan Hongji's well-proportioned figure beside him, which was curvy where it should be and curved where it should be curved, and he felt even more disappointed.
She patted her chest, held her breath, and finally could only sigh helplessly.
Yan Hongji was being watched from the side, and seemed to be vaguely aware of what Xi Heng was thinking. After hesitating for a moment, she opened her mouth and whispered:
"Don't be discouraged, Senior Sister. You will get what you deserve in the future."
"Who are you saying has flat chests...and I'm already 19 years old." Xi Heng's inner disappointment was not relieved at all by the other party's comfort.
Yan Hongji blinked and lowered her voice: "Why not eat more Guifei mangoes? It is said that they can have some effect..."
"..."
Let's quickly get around to this weird topic.
Xi Heng waved his hand and started talking about business: "What is your mission today? Who do you want to kill?"
In the past two months, she has wiped out many small gangs involved in black and gray businesses in the capital. She has killed ten people in Dacheng of Ming Jin and even used magic to drive away a master of Dark Jin.
Until today, I feel that the sword intent in my heart has become increasingly refined, and has reached a certain threshold, only lacking this final step.
"I'm not here to ask Senior Sister to take action today." Hong Ji failed Xi Heng's hope:
"On the contrary, I came here specifically to remind you, Senior Sister, that the government has been investigating the so-called Blood-stained Women in recent days. Most women with some martial arts skills have been affected. Fortunately, they are all from aristocratic families, so they were only questioned a few times."
"Please wait until the recent strict investigation by the government is over before taking any other action," said Hongji.
"Tsk, I understand."
Xi Heng said this helplessly, then sat back in front of the dressing table and continued to dress up.
Hongji knelt slightly and saluted, then quietly left the room.
"The sword intent is just a little bit short... As long as there is another warrior who can fight for a few moves, or someone I really want to kill, it will probably be enough."
Xi Heng sighed softly: "But the officers and soldiers outside are searching more and more strictly, and it is difficult to kill people at will."
"The amount of Qi and blood is still a little short of breaking through the last few tendons and bones, but this is easy. I just need to use the Life-Taking Technique again."
Xi Heng looked at himself in the bronze mirror and whispered to himself.
"Come to think of it, I wonder how Senior Sister Hong Miao is doing now, whether she has killed her enemy...will we be able to see her again in this life?"
"It doesn't matter whether I can or not." Xi Heng has decided to use the Life-Taking Spell again. Her physical lifespan in this life will not be too long.
After that, you can reload the game and meet him whenever you want.
While I was thinking about this quietly, there were a few more soft knocks on the closed door.
dong dong.
"Come in." Xi Heng glanced at him and responded easily.
The wooden door opened with a bang, and it was Yan Hongji who walked quickly into the room.
Only this time, her eyes were clearly panicked, and her posture was not as natural and casual as before.
"Senior sister, um, there's someone coming down here..."
There was some uneasiness in her tone, and she hesitated, which was rare.
It seemed that in an instant, Yan Hongji changed from a behind-the-scenes boss with a panoramic view of the overall situation to a hesitant girl in the martial arts hall who didn't know what to do.
"Are the detectives here to investigate?" Xi Heng was not that afraid. If all else failed, she would just show her identity as a princess.
"No, it's that...that one." Yan Hongji also realized his own gaffe. He took a deep breath and then his words became steadier.
"Yes, there is a distinguished person who wants to see Senior Sister." She finally made it clear.
"Noble lady? The Miss Chu Xiao from before?" Xi Heng was puzzled.
"It's not her, it's hers, hers." Yan Hongji tried to say: "Her father."
"Father...?" Xi Heng was also stunned.
Chu Xiao is actually a royal princess who hides her identity and comes to have fun outside the palace, so her father should be...
"Zhao Qianyuan?!"
"Hush!" Yan Hongji, as an ordinary citizen of the capital, was suddenly startled when she heard the name and immediately said, "Senior Sister, don't call the emperor by his name!"
Especially when the emperor is downstairs.
"How did he get here?" Xi Heng was surprised and confused at first.
Yan Hongji said: "He just said that he wanted to meet the poet who wrote the poem 'The clouds are like clothes, the flowers are like faces'..."
"what?"
Xi Heng didn't expect that the mad emperor didn't find out her identity, but came to her because of this matter.
Could it be that she and that crazy emperor really have some kind of father-daughter connection?
"He's waiting downstairs. If you don't want to see him... I can take you out through the back door." Yan Hongji swallowed.
Xi Heng really didn't want to see him.
But if you still want to live in the capital, you can hide for a while but not forever...
"Why not?" Xi Heng suddenly stood up: "Let's go meet him!"
……
Chapter 37: Becoming a God
The building is full of flowers.
Entering the building, you pass by the lotus pond and the small bridge, and walk around the hall behind the finely embroidered rosewood screen.
The ground was covered with a red carpet with gold edges and painted with orchid and plum blossom patterns. Many wide red beams supported the building straight and evenly. There were portraits of women or pictures of flowers, pavilions and mountains and grasses on all four sides. Strings of floodlight lanterns were hung evenly and symmetrically everywhere.
There are many vases and flower pots with intricate porcelain painting styles on both sides. The large pots are planted with orchids and Luoyang flowers, while the small pots are planted with chrysanthemums, camellias, etc., adding a sense of dignity and grandeur to the interior.
It was early morning and there were only a few guests in the room.
