Scourge Messenger

Chapter 80 Trivial Matters in the Military Camp
"The one next to the Night Squad Leader is..."

"What a beautiful wife..."

"I don't believe she's as strong as a centurion. How could such a pretty young lady be as strong as the governor and his men?"

"You remember that bastard from Building Six? A few years ago, after he became a messenger, he acted all high and mighty, and he often went to brothels without paying. He didn't believe it either. Yesterday, when the night squad leader wasn't around, he went over and flirted with her. I heard he broke three or four ribs and was beaten so badly he was hanging on the wall."

"Hey, Bu Liugu is here. This is going to be good."

Pingcheng military camp, early morning.

When Ye Si and Jiang Shi appeared at the same time, the nearby clerks couldn't help but stare at them. Ye Si, the "Secret Realm Maniac," was already quite remarkable, and now with the addition of the stunningly beautiful and exceptionally powerful Jiang Shi, they had become the hottest topics of conversation in Pingcheng.

They didn't know Jiang Shi's given name, only that his surname was Jiang, so they all called him Jiang Niang.

"Jiang Niang!"

A military officer blocked the road, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Jiang Shi: "Why didn't you come out when I looked for you yesterday? Were you feeling unwell? I know Doctor Guan well; why don't you ask him to treat you?"

"No need, move aside, we're going to the secret realm."

“Jiang Niang, you’re going to the secret realm just to accumulate battle merits to exchange for tokens, right? Why go through all this trouble?” The officer carefully untied the bag on his back and took out a ring-pommel sword without a hilt. The blade gleamed with a faint blue light, deep and chilling. “Jiang Niang, you are skilled in swordsmanship. This Qiu Mo sword is perfect for you.”

"A rare and priceless treasure, Qiu Mo!"

"Bu Liu Gu Zhen is actually so willing to do this!"

"Isn't this a family heirloom of Bu Liugu's family? How dare he give this away?"

Jiang Shi glanced at Qiu Mo, the ring-pommel sword, and nodded: "How much are you planning to sell it for?"

"This is for you!" the officer of the Baibao Army shouted. "A famous sword for a beautiful woman, Jiang Niang, with Qiu Mo in your hands, you will surely rise to even greater heights and become famous throughout the Central Plains!"

"I want this knife. If you give it to me, I'll take it."

Upon hearing this, Officer Baibao was overjoyed, but Jiang Shi quickly added, "But even if I take this knife, I will not have any goodwill towards you, nor will I grant you any requests. Perhaps I will reciprocate with something of equal value in the future, but I cannot guarantee that. If you know this but can accept it, then I will accept it."

The officer was stunned. Jiang Shi's words were so blunt that he had no room for illusion. However, it would be too embarrassing to take back the gift in front of everyone, and Jiang Shi's beautiful face, which could be both angry and happy, was right in front of him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Please accept Qiu Mo! This is my own free will!"

Jiang Shi nodded, accepted the rare token Qiu Mo, and then said, "Just a reminder, I will give this knife to Ye Si."

"What?" The officer was dumbfounded.

"This is for you..."

“But Ye Si needs it more than I do, and since it’s mine, I have the right to dispose of it,” Jiang Shi said calmly. “Are you going to back out?”

"I, he..."

The officer blushed and didn't know what to say. Someone next to him seemed to burst out laughing, and he immediately turned around and glared at them. The soldiers immediately shut their mouths and pretended nothing had happened, but the faint laughter still lingered around him. After a brief hesitation, he finally couldn't hold back and asked with red eyes, "Jiang Niang, do you really not understand my feelings? Why won't you accept my true love?"

“Because my body and soul, everything I have, my life, already belong to someone else,” Jiang Shi said. “No matter what you want, you can’t have it. Whether it’s your sincerity or anything else, it’s all trash to me.”

The entire military camp was in an uproar, and the soldiers were in an uproar. Although the people of the North were known for their unrestrained style, Jiang Shi's open confession was rare in this era. Moreover, Jiang Shi possessed both beauty and strength, which immediately made countless people look at Ye Si with envy and jealousy.

The officer was struck dumb, collapsing to the ground, his entire body turning ashen.

Jiang Shi handed Qiu Mo back to him. The officer took Qiu Mo blankly and looked up at Jiang Shi. It's unclear what he saw or imagined, but he suddenly perked up, pointed at Ye Si, and shouted, "Ye Si, I challenge you to a bet! The loser is never allowed to approach Jiang Niang again!"

"I'll use Qiu Mo as a wager. If you've got the guts, don't hide behind a woman! Dare to accept the challenge?"

Ye Si didn't respond; instead, Jiang Shi asked, "How do we bet?"

The officer felt a pang of pain in his heart, and the others looked at Ye Si with a hint of mockery. Jiang Shi made the decision for Ye Si, and Ye Si didn't react at all, which proved two things: Jiang Shi cared about Ye Si a lot, and Jiang Shi had absolute control over the two of them.

They couldn't guess that the reason Jiang Shi was in charge of all the dialogues was simply because Jiang Shi was the main controller (the character primarily controlled by the player) at that moment.

"Don't worry, no one will die." The officer said menacingly, "We'll have a civilized contest! No tokens, no clothes, just take turns punching each other in the chest. Whoever falls first loses!"

He wasn't stupid; news of Ye Si's extraordinary combat prowess had already spread throughout Pingcheng. In a direct, open battle, he might not be able to defeat Ye Si. But in a war of words, he was much more confident.

The Baibao military had strict discipline, and such lively duels were extremely rare. Hearing that a fight was about to break out, the surrounding area immediately erupted in commotion. Jiang Shi and Ye Si seemed stunned, standing motionless without responding. The Baibao officer interpreted this as a sign of their insecurity, and became even more confident: "Ye Si, you don't even dare to engage in a risk-free duel like this? Do you intend to spend your whole life as a coward hiding behind Jiang Niang?"

"Are you sure you really want to gamble like this?" Ye Si spoke, but his tone was a bit strange. It was more of a reminder than a question, like when you see someone eating shit, you can't help but point out that it's shit.

"Sure!"

"Then come on."

The two took off their shirts and tokens, standing face to face with bare chests. Ye Si said, "You go first."

"Alright!" There's no gentlemanly courtesy in the North. Since Night Four is so presumptuous, Officer Baibao will grant his request!

With a powerful punch, Officer Bai Bao felt pain in his fist, and a red mark appeared on Ye Si's chest. But even so, Ye Si remained standing still, his face expressionless.

"now you."

The officer took a deep breath and tensed all his muscles.

His choice of a literary contest was clearly well-prepared.

Bu Liugu's family has a set of hard qigong passed down from the Northern Territory. One must be beaten and bathed in medicine every day from youth. The downside is that it takes several years to master it. There are no shortcuts. Talent is meaningless in this skill. But the advantage is that even a fool can master it. As long as you are willing to invest money and time, you can definitely hone this defensive skill to its peak.

After mastering the basics of hard qigong, one's defense increases significantly, and the sensation of pain is greatly reduced. Therefore, Officer Baibao was not afraid to fight Night Four. He only chose the method of verbal combat to ensure his victory. He was certain that in a battle of alternating blows, even a second-rank messenger could not withstand as much damage as him!
With the first punch, he only felt a slight itch, with no pressure whatsoever.

With the fifth punch, he started to pant a little, but still felt relaxed.

On the tenth punch, he started to feel a little short of breath, but he still kept his chest up.

The twentieth punch nearly knocked him to his knees, but he forced himself to stand up straight.

With the thirtieth punch, he felt his internal organs spasming, and it felt as if one of his ribs had been broken.

The thirty-sixth punch.

Before collapsing, Officer Baibao's body arched like a shrimp, and he vomited up his breakfast with a loud groan. He struggled to lift his head, looking at Yoruichi, who remained expressionless, and wanted to ask, "Aren't you in pain?"
Ye Si's chest was already bruised and blackened; he didn't know any hard qigong, and several of his ribs were broken. But even so, Ye Si didn't utter a sound. He took a step back, silently endured all the attacks, and then retaliated with the same force.

Officer Bai Bao, on the other hand, was getting weaker and weaker, and the pain was making it impossible for him to clench his fist.

Impossible! How could Ye Si possibly be more patient than me? He must be about to break down too; he's just pretending!

Officer Bai Bao took a deep breath, dispelling the pain in his chest, and roared as he threw his thirty-seventh punch.

The punch stung; it felt like Yoruichi's chest was about to cave in. Yet Yoruichi didn't fall. He stared blankly at the officer, and then—

Snapped!
With a muffled groan, Officer Baibao collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again. Gasping for breath, he weakly whispered, "You won."

After a moment of silence, a deafening roar of cheers erupted in the military camp, with everyone chanting "Night Four!" and "Night Team Leader!" That's the kind of place the military camp is; as long as you're strong or a victor, you'll rightfully earn everyone's respect.

I've truly lost this time. There are no excuses. This is my area of ​​expertise, this is the method I chose, but I still lost.

Qiu Mo is gone, and so is all face.

Suddenly, my lips were stuffed with something oily and fragrant.

"How about a roasted chicken leg?"

The officer stared wide-eyed as Jiang Shi stuffed a roasted chicken leg into his mouth.

"Eating roasted chicken legs will help you recover from your injury quickly," Jiang Shi said. "Then I'll take Qiu Mo with me."

The officer slowly sat up straight, eating a roasted chicken leg, watching Jiang Shi and Ye Si enter the military camp. For some reason, tears streamed down his face as he ate, and he shouted, "Jiang Niang, I won't give up—cough cough cough!"

Gai Louxian, who was not far away, saw this scene and sighed deeply.

He originally intended to formally register Jiang Niang into the Heijo Hyakupo, but now it seems... shallow waters can't support a true dragon.

If Jiang Niang stays any longer, it will likely cause more trouble. Bu Liugu was the first to be lustful at first sight, but he certainly won't be the last. In the past few days, nearly ten families have come to him to inquire about Jiang Niang, and one of them even came from the City of Never Sleeps—Jiang Niang has only been here a few days, and her reputation for beauty has already spread to the City of Never Sleeps?
Bu Liuguzhen is the son of a commander, and given his unwavering affection for Jiang Niang, he clearly won't give up so easily. However, Jiang Niang and Ye Si, ruthless individuals who hone their skills in the secret realm every day, are unlikely to be submissive; one day, a conflict will inevitably erupt between them.

The only solution now is to find someone at a higher level to stabilize the situation and, incidentally, pass these two hot potatoes to them. The Pingcheng military camp is too small and doesn't offer the future they desire.

A nobleman's image flashed through Gai Louxian's mind, and he immediately summoned a clerk to write a letter: "Lord of Lecheng County, your humble servant Gai Louxian, the Protector of Pingcheng, has recently received two visitors from the Pingcheng camp..."

(End of this chapter)