Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

Xi Heng then used his light-footed skill to leap onto the rooftop, staring at the little beggar running quickly through the dimly lit street below, and silently followed him from the rooftop.

The child navigated through several damp alleys, then struggled to climb through a dog hole, and followed a shortcut to a small, dilapidated courtyard.

Lanterns were lit in the courtyard, and a dozen or so children of varying ages stood side by side, the oldest being about twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest looking no more than two or three years old.

Two ugly-looking middle-aged men and a hunchbacked old man were in front of them, wielding bamboo sticks and harshly scolding the young children sitting below.

"You eat my food and drink my water! You can't even earn two copper coins a day! What use are you bunch of good-for-nothings to me?!"

The man shouted, holding a bamboo stick, and then lashed out at a little beggar next to him.

The child cried out in pain as he was hit, his whole body trembling and whimpering.

"You still know pain!" the adult shouted.

"You bunch of bastards should have been lying on the street freezing to death. I'm the one who brought you here to feed you! You beg for so little that you can't even afford food! I might as well break each of your legs!"

"No, no... Father, we can beg, we can." A boy cried again, sniffling.

"If you don't get five copper coins tomorrow, I'll cripple you first." The man said viciously, then scanned the room again: "Where's Yun Gouzi? Still not back?"

The children below looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Did he run away? He dared to run away?!" The skinny man slammed his bamboo clappers down again, shouting, "No need to beg for money tomorrow, go find him for me, I'm going to break both of that dog's legs! Whoever finds him gets candy!"

Upon hearing that there was candy, the children below instinctively revealed greedy eyes.

But before they could finish their little scheme, the child known as Cloud Dog clutched a small piece of silver in both hands and ran back to the courtyard.

Upon seeing this, the man holding the bamboo clapper shouted, "Why are you coming back tonight?"

"Money! Money!" The child came panting to the man and opened his arms.

Upon seeing the glittering silver coins, the other party's attitude immediately improved, and he laughed heartily: "Good! Good! Yun Gouzi got some silver today, so he'll get a piece of candy today."

"Thank you, Father." The child knelt down.

"Silver?" The hunchbacked old man and the other man behind him also revealed greedy eyes and came closer to check.

Xi Heng sighed on the rooftop. The silver she had given him was enough to buy ten catties of sugar, but the other party had only given her one piece.

She then revealed herself, sitting on the rooftop and saying:

"This is no way to exploit children! Treating homeless children like slaves is truly despicable."

"Who?!" The man holding the bamboo stick was startled and turned around.

"You don't deserve to know."

Xi Heng drew his sword and leaped downwards, his sword flashing as he thrust it straight at his opponent's neck.

Ordinary people naturally have no time to dodge; as soon as the blade enters their flesh, a large amount of blood sprays out.

The man clutched his throat, his eyes wide open, and swayed as he fell forward, his forehead hitting the blue bricks and bouncing slightly.

"Martial... Martial artist!" The hunchbacked old man was the first to react, placing his hands on his chest and begging for mercy: "My lord, spare my life."

"Spare?" Xi Heng didn't understand the word. With a flick of his longsword, half of his head flew into the air again.

"Sir, don't kill me, don't kill me!" The other man who hadn't spoken until now said in a trembling voice, "I was forced into it! I didn't want to eat with them."

"Eat?" It took Xi Heng half a second to understand what this meant. He felt nauseous and chopped off the other's head with a sweep of his longsword.

Seeing the three men's unseeing faces as they died, she felt a little more at ease.

The girl wiped the blood off her sword, sheathed it, and turned her gaze to the many children who had collapsed in the corner beside her.

The children, of varying ages, trembled under her gaze.

“If you’re all truly homeless, then stick together for warmth. Even if you continue begging, it’s better than being controlled by those guys.” She turned and left.

After walking a few steps toward the gate of this small, dilapidated courtyard, a figure suddenly blocked the way.

He wore a straw hat and a tattered gray-black cloak with several sword marks and faded bloodstains on the edges. A plain sword sheath was clearly visible at his waist, and his exposed face was covered in wrinkles.

Xi Heng placed her right hand on the scabbard, preparing to draw her sword, believing that the other party was an accomplice of the villain who enslaved children and was coming to cause her trouble.

It was only a moment later that I realized that the figure was somewhat familiar.

Many memories flashed through her mind, and after a moment she recognized where the sense of familiarity came from.

The other party seemed to be the great hero Guo Zhengwo, whom she had come to find on this journey.

The newcomer's eyes, hidden beneath a bamboo hat, quietly surveyed the bloodied corpses in the dilapidated courtyard, then swept over the stunned children, before finally settling on Xi Heng.

"Those people are dead, and these children won't fare any better," the old man said.

"Although you may feel relieved after killing them with one sword, they will still develop back into the same way they were before. They will either be controlled by others again, or they will be respected and subservient according to age and size, because that is all they know."

What does that have to do with me? I'm just here to kill people.

Although Xi Heng thought this way, she still needed this chivalrous Guo Zhengwo's help, so she put on a respectful demeanor towards a senior figure in the martial arts world, clasped her hands in a fist and said:

"Senior Guo, I didn't expect you to be in this city too."

Guo Zhengwo ignored him and continued speaking: "I learned about what happened here yesterday. At first, I also wanted to get rid of them, but after observing them for a day, I realized that although they were evil people, they had indeed taken good care of these children. Even if it was for the purpose of enslaving them for profit, these people did raise children who should have died and helped them get through the harsh winter. I was willing to persuade them to abandon evil and do good. But today, you have already killed them."

"Master Guo is kind-hearted," Xi Heng replied simply.

She herself couldn't quite understand it; if you want to kill, just kill, why think so much?

"I'm asking you," the old man said, his hands behind his back, looking quite mature for his age.

"You may be doing a righteous and virtuous deed by killing evil people, but if you kill them, the children may die even faster and suffer even more. What should you do then?"

"I don't know, I've never thought about that." Xi Heng casually made a joke.

Guo Zhengwo shook his head and said, "It's not that good people will live better lives just by wielding a sword to kill evil. The chivalrous deeds of you and me, the people of the martial arts world, often make the situation more awkward. We can't save the people of this world just by relying on our martial arts skills."

Xi Heng disagreed with this statement: "As long as those who deserve to die are killed, good people will naturally live better lives."

“But before long, even good people will turn evil.” The old man denied it, saying, “There is evil in people’s hearts. As long as they have power and strength, malice will breed and spread.”

“Then kill some more,” Xi Heng said, “until no one dares to do evil anymore.”

"Who in the world has this ability? Even if you make those corrupt officials, village bullies, gangsters, and mountain bandits kneel down and let you kill them, you could never kill them all even if you swung your sword for a lifetime."

He said, "Even if there were... just like when Emperor Taizong of Zhao raised his army with his sword, he slaughtered all the treacherous and violent villains of the previous dynasty, Wu. But isn't Zhao in the same situation now? Treacherous officials frame loyal ministers, and incompetent rulers mislead the country, causing the people's livelihood to deteriorate. Rebellions break out in the southeast and barbarians emerge in the northwest. There are refugees everywhere, and the country is on the verge of collapse..."

"Individual bravery can solve a temporary problem, but it cannot solve the problems of the world."

"To relieve the world from its troubles, we still need to learn and spread the Way, to carry on the learning of the sages of the past, so that we can bring peace to future generations."

"It's better to educate people than to kill them," Guo Zhengwo sighed.

“What Elder Guo said is different.” Xi Heng objected: “There are too many people in this world who deserve to be killed. If we don’t make them pay for their blood debts, we can’t vent the people’s grievances… You may be a kind person, but if you want to save the country and the people, you can’t be too kind.”

She was once an emperor, though she only sat on the throne for half a month, but she still had some insight.

"Can't be too kind?" A hint of doubt appeared in the other person's eyes.

"Killing is for the sake of protecting life; cutting off karma is not the same as killing a person," Xi Heng stated bluntly.

"As for how to ensure the peace and stability of Great Zhao, it is necessary to establish a sound and strict legal system and a prosecutorial agency... This is difficult to achieve at present, and we must first develop science and technology, so that the grievances and sufferings of the people can reach the capital directly without being blocked. In this way, the people can supervise the officials, and the people and officials can govern and benefit each other. The prerequisite for this is to first settle all the chaos in Great Zhao, use the great power of the army to sweep away the chaos in the world and establish a stable world, and then slowly plan for peace in the world."

Xi Heng had already considered these things when he was emperor, but he lacked the power and resources to push them forward.

Afterwards, in order to rally the people of the world to help her seek immortality, she will probably sit on the dragon throne again, and in the meantime, she can try to build the Great Zhao into a peaceful and prosperous era.

After all, searching for immortal traces alone is not as effective as mobilizing the entire national strength of the Zhao Dynasty.

"Slaying karma, not killing people?" The old man stared at Xi Heng for a long time, then suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"I am Princess Zhao Xiheng of the Great Zhao Dynasty."

…………

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Turbulent Sea

"I am Zhao Xiheng, the legitimate daughter of the Great Zhao royal family," Xiheng said calmly.

"If we follow the order of succession, then I should be sitting on the throne now. However, I have been wandering outside for too long and I am unwilling to fight for it."

"Your Highness?" Guo Zhengwo was taken aback for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He immediately clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "No wonder your face seemed familiar. It turns out you are a descendant of the royal family. I was disrespectful earlier."

After hearing about this identity, his initial doubts gradually dissipated.

It was quite peculiar and surprising that a commoner, a rough-and-tumble martial artist, would utter those words.

However, if the other party is a member of the royal family, it would not be surprising to find such lofty ambitions.

Guo Zhengwo even had a premonition that what the other party said might actually come true in the future.

Therefore, the attitude became more respectful and polite.

"No need for such formalities, sir."

It turns out that my title of princess really does fool people...

After thinking it over, Xi Heng got to the point:

"What brings you to Jinshi City during these turbulent times, sir?"

Guo Zhengwo hesitated for a moment, then said to the princess, "It is because my internal energy cultivation has the ability of premonition. Recently, I observed the celestial phenomena at night and realized that it is the time to pass on the skill and find a disciple. The destiny lies in metal and stone... I am of the metal element and lack water in my five elements. I should find a disciple of the water element, so I came to this city to find that destined person to take me on as a disciple."

"Have you found it?" she asked casually.

The other person slightly lowered his clasped hands and looked at the children in the courtyard: "There is a child in this courtyard who has some talent, but we still need to observe whether he has a sincere and devoted heart before we can teach him."

Seeing that the conversation had reached a key point, Xi Heng continued by asking:

"What kind of martial arts technique will the master teach me? Can I learn it?"

Guo Zhengwo was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness, please don't joke. As a member of the royal family, how can you learn such rough and uncouth skills from an old man like me?"

"I've heard that Senior Guo possesses a peerless internal skill manual?" Although Xi Heng's goal was the other party's Transformation Realm martial arts, she was still very interested in this peerless internal skill manual.

"Your Highness is right, but only those with sincere and loyal hearts can learn this internal skill." The other party shook his head.

Am I not sincere?

The other party did not answer directly, but stared at him quietly with half-closed eyes.

"Alright, maybe his sincerity isn't that obvious." Xi Heng clicked his tongue and continued:

"Let's not beat around the bush, Elder Guo. I need your Transformation Sword Technique. Is it possible to trade it for the Transformation Martial Arts I brought from the palace?"

"Oh?" Guo Zhengwo's expression became even more serious: "Why does Your Highness want this?"

"I need to deduce the Transformation Stage of the Bloodline Sword Technique, so naturally I need other Transformation Stage sword techniques as references," Xi Heng said simply.

Guo Zhengwo nodded slightly; this reason was not unexpected.

But instead of directly answering whether he agreed or not, he turned around and asked in return:

"Does Your Highness know the previous Princess Qianqiu?"

“Zhao Qianqiu? Of course I know her, she’s my aunt,” Xi Heng replied casually.

"When I went into seclusion back then, Princess Qianqiu also came to find me, asking for the Azure Waves Surging Sword Technique for the same reason." A look of reminiscence appeared in the other person's eyes.

"I entrusted the manual to her back then, but it is said that she died on the northern border. Perhaps she never managed to deduce the Bloodline Sword's power. It's truly a pity..."

"As for Princess Xiheng, she is her descendant, so I can naturally give it to her as well. There is no need for Your Highness to exchange it for royal martial arts. Just ask me."

"What's the problem?" Xi Heng replied.

She hadn't expected that getting the method of transforming internal energy from Guo Zhengwo would be so easy; she had thought she would have to exchange it for several martial arts manuals.

Before coming, she prepared silver and jewelry, copied secret manuals, bought a good sword, and even drew several magical runes on her arm...

So far, none of them have been of any use; all that's needed is to answer a so-called question.

I wish I hadn't prepared so much.

Guo Zhengwo blurted out: "Was the case of the demons in Jianchang City two months ago carried out by Your Highness using the Blood Sea Great Magic?"

"..." Xi Heng, who had been full of confidence, suddenly stopped and stood there stunned.

How does this guy know about the Blood Sea Technique?

Her mind suddenly raced, and she immediately recalled that in her previous life, the other party had mentioned the Blood Sea Technique... She had almost forgotten that there were people in the martial arts world who knew about the Blood Sea Technique.

And it seems that the magic she used in Jianchang City has been recognized by this person.

The girl pursed her lips, her fingertips unconsciously touching the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Upon hearing this question, Xi Heng's first thought was to silence him.