C17 Chapter 17

General Lang immediately gave the order. “Deputy Chen, bring those two here so she can get a look at them. Once she confirms it, execute them on the spot.”

“Yes, sir!”

Deputy Chen went to carry it out. Before long, he returned with two men. In the moonlight, they were dragged forward.

Both were shaking like leaves. Not knowing why they’d been hauled in, they’d still been clinging to a shred of hope.

But the moment they saw Tang Yao standing beside General Lang, they understood. Their faces went ashen, and they collapsed to the ground.

Deputy Chen struck once for each of them, killing them where they lay.

She hadn’t expected avenging the person she used to be to be this easy.

If there was anything left of her old self to witness it, could she finally rest?

A faint smile touched her lips as she said to General Lang, sincerely, “Thank you.”

The time for the surprise raid was close. General Lang asked, “Now that you’re leaving the Wind God Camp, where are you headed? I can send someone to escort you.”

“No need. I can manage on my own,” Tang Yao said, easy and unbothered.

General Lang’s gaze darkened with a hint of disappointment. If he escorted her, he could’ve found out where she planned to settle.

He pulled a pouch of gold from inside his coat and tossed it to her. “Then go. Now.”

Tang Yao caught it and opened it for a quick look. Inside were gold beads.

She knew gold held its value in any era. Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it—and having money on hand never hurt.

“Consider it a loan. If I get the chance, I’ll pay you back.”

“No,” he said. “That’s your reward.”

General Lang turned away and had Deputy Chen pass the order to prepare for the raid.

Tang Yao smiled, said nothing more, and headed down the mountain under the clear moonlight, stumbling now and then on the uneven path.

Before she even reached the bottom, shouts of battle erupted from above, rolling like thunder...

It wasn’t hard to imagine the Xikun Kingdom would take a brutal loss this time.

Tang Yao stayed in the small town at the foot of the mountain for two days, but heard nothing—no word at all on whether General Lang had won or lost.

Even the townspeople figured the killing up on the mountain was nothing more than the mountain god throwing a tantrum.

That probably had a lot to do with how slowly news traveled around here.

The gold beads General Lang had given her really came in handy. She stayed at the biggest inn in town to rest and recover for several days, and in that time she more or less got a handle on the lay of the land—this continent she’d ended up on.

The Cangming Continent was divided into five regions: east, west, south, north, and central. Each region was ruled by one or two imperial dynasties, and across the whole continent there were eight ancient dynasties in all.

Where she was now lay within the Star Moon Dynasty, which ruled the southern region. And the enemy they were fighting was most likely the Xikun Kingdom, also in the south.

Cangming’s history stretched back so far no one could trace its true beginning. The dynasties, though, rose and fell again and again. Massive wars broke out whenever territory was up for grabs, and while ordinary people suffered for it, a culture that prized martial strength took root.

But the “martial” they meant here was nothing like what Tang Yao understood by the word.

They said true masters could turn scattered beans into soldiers, call up wind and rain, command the changing of the seasons, tame beasts and control fire, even summon and direct ghostly troops.

If she really wanted to live freely on this continent—doing whatever she pleased, going wherever she wanted—there was only one path: find a way into one of the academies in the various nations, then, through the academy system, advance to the Four Sects, the highest schools on the continent.

The Star Moon Dynasty had only three academies: Flying Star Academy, Royal Academy, and Immortal Feather Academy.

Of the three, Royal Academy was the most famous. Most of its students were the children of the royal family, high-ranking civil and military officials, and prominent merchant houses.

Flying Star Academy, though, was said to be the strongest. In competitions between the three academies, it always took first place, and it sent the most students on to the Four Sects.

Immortal Feather Academy lived up to its name—there were more beautiful women there than anywhere else. People said the girls looked almost otherworldly, light and graceful as feathers, which was why it drew so many applicants every year.