Chapter 947: The Proud Maiden~

Zhao Yun led over five hundred personal guards on their journey, all riding fine horses. Originally, these men were intended to become the best seeds for the White Horse Cavalry, but after the White Horses charged to their death in the battle between Yuan and Liu, Zhao Yun knew that it was time for the name of the White Horse Cavalry to disappear. While they could inherit the spirit of the White Horses, no cavalry should ever again bear the name of the White Horse Cavalry. They had already followed Gongsun Zan to another world.

As Zhao Yun traveled with his five hundred men, he encountered increasing chaos in the lands of Ji Province. The aftermath of the Yuan-Liu war had erupted, and what had once been a peaceful province was now plagued by bandits and robbers.

Whenever Zhao Yun encountered bandits along the way, he swiftly captured them all. After a while, he had to openly declare his identity, yet even then, there were still blind robbers who crossed paths with Zhao Yun, causing him to sigh repeatedly. No matter the purpose of war, war itself was never a justifiable method—it impacted too many innocent lives.

"Sigh, Ji Province was once so prosperous, but now it’s in such disarray. Capture them all," Zhao Yun commanded when he encountered another group of strong bandits attacking a caravan at the border between Ji and Yan Provinces. Fortunately, the caravan had a skilled fighter who managed to fend off the bandits, preventing them from breaking through the guards' defenses.

The bandits had already sensed trouble upon seeing the dust clouds in the distance. Upon hearing that Zhao Yun was in the area, they had initially ceased their looting. But with no food left in the mountains, and upon spotting what they thought was a poorly guarded caravan, they had no choice but to strike, not expecting the caravan to have a fierce warrior among its guards.

After the Yuan-Liu war, many defeated soldiers became rebels, and before long, hunger forced them to turn into bandits. They swept up countless civilians, expanding their groups. This chain reaction created a large number of rebels in the areas surrounding the battlefield between Ji and Yan Provinces.

Zhao Yun quickly subdued the bandits, and as usual, prepared to order a dozen men to escort them to the nearest county.

"Greetings, General Zhao." The leader of the caravan stepped forward to pay his respects after confirming Zhao Yun’s identity.

"And you are?" Zhao Yun asked, looking at the elderly man curiously.

"I am Zhao Li of Xu Province’s Zhao family. I once saw General Zhao from afar when you were in Mount Tai," Zhao Li explained, recounting the events of his journey.

Zhao Li had been careless. Having traveled freely between Qing, Xu, and Mount Tai before, he had never had to rely on his guards, which led him to overlook many dangers.

After hearing that Ji Province had been conquered, Zhao Li had rushed to bring his goods there. Though he had prepared for danger, he hadn’t expected the situation in Ji Province to be so chaotic. If not for a gallant warrior who had joined them along the way, his goods would likely have been stolen, and even their lives might have been lost.

"Oh, if you're headed to Ye City, it would be best to hire more guards. You don’t have enough protection right now. Due to the war between our lord and Yuan Shao, many troubles have arisen along the way, and we haven’t yet had time to deal with them all," Zhao Yun advised with a nod, offering some guidance.

"People say that Liu Xuande is known for his benevolence. Yet it seems his actions are hardly so impressive," came a mocking voice that reached Zhao Yun’s ears at that moment.

Zhao Yun grew angry. It wasn’t that Liu Bei was unwilling to address these issues, but that there simply hadn’t been enough time. And even when action was taken, it wasn’t something that could be resolved so quickly.

Turning his head, Zhao Yun saw that the gallant fighter who had defended the caravan was, in fact, a woman. Though dressed in military attire, her exquisite features were not concealed in the least.

"Forget it, I won’t argue with you." Seeing that the person was a woman, Zhao Yun decided to let it go, choosing not to respond.

"Hmph, do you look down on me?" The woman, clearly stubborn, glared at Zhao Yun with her cold, beautiful eyes.

"..." Zhao Yun remained silent, knowing that the best way to deal with such a woman was to simply ignore her. The less attention given, the better.

"Wait, since he called you General Zhao, and said he saw you in Mount Tai, you must be Zhao Zilong, right?" The girl pulled the reins of her horse and rode over, her previous haughty attitude replaced with curiosity.

"And if I am?" Zhao Yun frowned slightly.

"Then are my father and brother still in Ye City?" The girl’s face lit up with a smile, her expression softening as she asked.

"Your father and brother?" Zhao Yun's frown deepened as he looked at her more closely. Her handsome appearance and delicate features bore a faint resemblance to someone familiar, with a hint of foreignness to her looks.

"Mengqi is your brother?" Before she could answer, Zhao Yun had already guessed, which made the girl even more proud.

"Are they still in Ye City?" she asked, her smile growing wider, clearly delighted to have news of her family.

"They left just two days ago," Zhao Yun answered casually. He wasn’t in a rush during his journey, and with the need to deal with bandits along the way, their progress had been slow.

"Ah! That’s so frustrating!" The girl’s smile quickly turned into a look of frustration as she shouted angrily.

"Did you come here to find your family?" Zhao Yun asked, glancing at her.

"Yes, isn’t my brother amazing?" The girl suppressed her emotions and tried to maintain a lady-like demeanor, though her military attire somewhat ruined the image.

"Mengqi? He’s not bad. At his current rate of improvement, I’d say in a few years he’ll be able to catch up to me," Zhao Yun said truthfully. Unfortunately, some people think you're joking when you’re merely being honest.

"I don’t believe it!" The girl gave Zhao Yun a disdainful look. Zhao Yun's youthful appearance worked against him—no matter how you looked at him, he didn’t seem to be in his thirties, but more around the same age as Ma Chao.

"..." Zhao Yun fell silent, unsure why, for the first time, he felt the urge to prove himself. Normally, he had no desire for such competition, but now, he found himself compelled. "Actually, as things stand, Mengqi likely couldn’t withstand twenty moves from me."

"Liar." The girl scoffed without hesitation.

"How should I prove it to you?" Zhao Yun sighed, glancing around. "See that mountain over there?"

"I see it. What about it?" The girl asked, confused. Zhao Yun calmly drew his Heavenly Sword, and with a swift slash toward the mountain, a section near the peak was cleanly severed. The cut surface was smooth as a mirror.

"Just like that." Zhao Yun exhaled, his tone casual, though even he was surprised by the result.

In truth, even without the support of his cloud energy, this slash was infused with numerous secret techniques and nearly twelve layers of his strength. It was arguably one of Zhao Yun's most powerful strikes—a peak-level attack that, in that moment, could have seriously injured even Lu Bu.

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