Chapter 503

Shandong Province, Jiao Zhu City.

The Jiao Zhu mentioned in the “Records of the Three Kingdoms” refers to the area that is now combined with Guangdong and Guangxi, known as Yangguang, but the characters are different.

The name of the bay, which is deeply hollowed out by the coast that makes the peninsular sound majestic, is Jiao Zhu Bay.

Geographically speaking, Jiao Zhu City has a much more convenient position for trade than the peninsula, which requires a turn to the right as one enters the bay.

Jiao Zhu City doesn’t require ships to veer off course, and the land is also low enough to dock easily. Moreover, it’s closer to the Central Plains, which gives it trade advantages.

But in reality, Jiao Zhu City is void of trade, with not even fishing boats daring to venture nearby.

Why is that?

Because Jiao Zhu City is the military station of the Commander of the Daofeng Province in Shandong.

No matter what uproar happens in No Mountain, the soldiers are today sweating and working hard, focused on their duties.

However, you might wonder what the military’s actual duty is.

What on earth are they doing holed up in their barracks?

We wouldn’t know if bandits are running rampant.

We wouldn’t know if Japanese invaders are causing a ruckus.

And it’s not like there’s a war going on, so there’s nothing to fight back against.

So, are the soldiers diligently training with the spirit of “preparation is the best defense”?

No, it’s not that either.

Then what is the soldiers’ primary duty?

It’s farming!

Farming is the foundation of the world, a vital task that sustains the nation.

“Ah, another hard day. I’m going to die from exhaustion.”

“Yeon Chong-gi, did you hear? Martial artists are causing a stir in No Mountain.”

Chong-gi commands fifty men.

He’s got a Baekho under him commanding a hundred, so they split into two, and below him, he keeps five Small Officers leading ten men each.

Thus, the overall total in Baekho’s unit is one hundred and thirteen.

It’s vague, but the rough organization numbers out to about one hundred and twenty men.

“Those bastards are just munching on food while dancing with their swords. What’s so amazing about that?”

“They say the most powerful divine skill has appeared.”

“Powerful divine skill my ass, what does that have to do with us? We just need to focus on our own tasks. Shit, I don’t want to. I really don’t want to.”

“They also said there’s a beauty renowned as the most beautiful in the world—”

“Small Officer, report in detail.”

In any world, soldiers seem to share the same interests, so this could be called an innate instinct of humanity.

Being in the military suddenly awakens the desire for women.

“Well, you see, a most beautiful divine skill has appeared in No Mountain—”

“Hey, not about that, start with the most beautiful in the world. How pretty is this so-called beauty?”

Then, three Small Officers belonging to the Baekho unit clears their throat.

Yeon Chong-gi finds it a bit annoying, but this guy, hailing from Gangnam, is acting like he’s all intellectual, showing off because he got ink on his hands.

But curiosity gets the better of him, so he holds back.

“Hmm. To be called the most beautiful in the world, you have to consider an absolute beauty standard and how well one matches it, right? Firstly, the hair must be shiny, like ravens, flowing down without tangling, and the lips should be peach-colored, soft but not thick, while the bottom is plump and the top shines, and the teeth should be bright white with no gaps or chips, right?”

At that, Yeon Chong-gi swallows.

“Also, the chest should be as white as a snow-covered valley, and the eyebrows should flow like distant mountains, and the gaze… you know, just barely meeting eyes, slightly turning the head, with a look that seems like tears could drop any moment, a bit woeful…”

“Wow, damn, this is driving me crazy. And then? What’s next?”

The Officer spills out his ideal beauty standards without holding back.

“Speaking of gazes, the eyeballs should be slightly veiled, and a few glowing cold moons should rise and sparkle, and the whites should be entirely transparent without a single blotch or vein…”

“Wow, damn, that’s really enticing. Small Officer, you should write a book about that. You could totally make a fortune. Why are you even in the military? If you wrote a book, all the guys in the world would flock to you with gold coins.”

“Eh? Should I? Should I sell my military status?”

“Anyway, and? What’s next?”

He continues to pour out his well-guarded beauty concepts.

Theme of beauty among the Gangnam folks usually references people from Suzhou and Hangzhou, which are known as the biggest entertainment cities in the Central Plains.

These literary men of Gangnam would often be seen playing around with women, singing songs of elegance, and lately, they’re competing over whose beauty standard is the ultimate.

So the Small Officer’s cosmopolitan beauty ideals are quite a thrill for the rustic folks from Shandong.

Before long, soldiers began to gather around him, eagerly swallowing and perked up their ears, all serious to not miss a single word.

Thus, the Central Plains-style dirty talk about beauty ideologies was pouring out in abundance.

“And naturally, the waist should be as slim as an ant, the body should be slender, even if they’re not tall—”

“Wait, that’s not right. The waist can be slim, but the chest and butt must be large.”

Yeon Chong-gi interjects.

“If the waist is thin but appears gaudy and lewd, isn’t that just vulgar? Those extreme curves are something only a prostitute would flaunt.”

“Dude. Our ancestors liked women with big breasts and butts, you know.”

“Hey, those ancestors of ours said a slim woman was the best.”

Actually, the beauty standards in the Central Plains evolved from the skinny women of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties to the voluptuous figures of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

And in present times, while the waist is expected to stand out, the shape matters more than size, that’s the consensus.

At that, a commotion erupts.

“Indeed, it’s all about the chest for women! That’s where their maternal instinct lies!”

“This guy’s going to end up banging a pig. Do you get turned on looking at a cow? That’s all just an illusion, man.”

“I, well my chest is on the smaller side—”

“Shut up!” “You shut up!”

A squabble ensues between the voluptuous celebrates and the moderate ones.

A few quiet onlookers just gingerly observe, huddled together.

And thus, the peaceful daily life of soldiers continued after the autumn harvest.

Until it wasn’t.

Before a woman, who dropped down from the sky, made her entrance.

“Gasp! A fairy! It’s a fairy!”

“What the—?” “Oh my god!” “What, what is that!”

What’s going on? Why are they so shocked?

Is it their first time seeing a martial artist?

Qing tilted her head, confused.

The soldiers were practically swooning.

“Oh my. I’m so sorry if I startled you. Are you soldiers from the Shandong Commander’s residence? I’m headed that way and was wondering if you could help me with directions?”

With an apologetic expression, her lightly arched eyebrows and slightly squished up eyes bore large, captivating black pupils full of wisdom unique to martial artists.

The soldiers completely forgot how to breathe.

Ah, that’s a fairy for you.

That’s beauty from the celestial realm; no mortal can compete with that.

Lucky immortals. Stupid immortals!

In a daze among the soldiers, Yeon Chong-gi, the one in charge, finally opened his mouth.

Suddenly asking a military secret while disregarding the law? That’s a downright heinous act!

So Yeon Chong-gi replied:

“Yes, uh, over there…”

“Oh! Thank you so much! Then!”

Qing beams at him, her smile shining brighter than any flower, innocent and blooming like a child.

All soldiers spontaneously felt the same sensation.

Their hearts dropped and raced, threatening to burst with the rhythm of the pounding, sheer pleasure flooding their senses.

Qing elegantly floated forward with her Moon Lady’s Step towards the Commander’s residence.

Left behind were soldiers, dazed, still relishing the sweet fragrance lingering in the air, only heavy breaths echoing.

“Yeon Chong-gi! I was wrong! The woman’s waist can be as slim as an ant, but the chest and butt must be grander than a mountain, threatening to burst out of her clothes like they’re screaming! Compactness leads to a divine beauty! This is the ultimate beauty in the celestial realm!”

He mumbled to himself.

“I need to sell my military credentials. I need to write about what I just saw and spread the word; this is my duty!”

He clenched his fist.

If Qing were someone knowledgeable in Central Plains literature, she might connect the name Yeon to one of the greatest writers in Central Plains history.

But honestly, who even cares about Central Plains literary history?

So, the chance of Qing ever worrying about that is about one in a billion.

Qing knows just how much the bureaucrats in the Central Plains fuss over appearances, and that’s thanks to Cheon Yu-hak teaching her.

Even after experiencing it, she realized it only after being told, because she never thought about it!

As Qing hurried towards the Commander, Cheon Yu-hak had stopped her and swiftly bought her a beautiful silk dress, flowered shoes, and gold ornate decorations.

He said if she showed up like that, she’d look like just another military tent raider.

So Qing, dressed up, now possessed the brutal force of the Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady.

“Is the Deputy Commander inside? Um? Are you listening to me?”

Qing waved her delicate fingers with slender, pale hands in front of the soldiers, only to get no response.

What’s going on? Did they die while standing?

And then, someone gasped.

Even if the brain has stopped functioning, one has to breathe, but reaching the realm of supreme brain slaying might just make a person forget how to breathe altogether.

The Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady was pure, undeniable truth!

After ending up living a hundred years together with Qing, having eleven children to fill a full Small Officer squad, and finally reaching a peaceful rest among her grown-up offspring, while the remaining wife whisks away tears and softly begs for not to be too sad—

A soldier suddenly snapped back to his senses and anxiously asked,

“Uh, what brings you here, esteemed guest…?”

“Uh, this! Please pass it on to the Deputy Commander and let him know a guest has arrived.”

“Eh?”

The soldier took the item she offered, and upon viewing it, he was shocked.

Of course, an ordinary soldier wouldn’t recognize the Empress’s identity token.

However, it was only common sense for a soldier to recognize anything that’s clearly not an ordinary item.

“Gasp! Yes! I will heed your command! Loyalty!”

The Deputy Commander’s gatekeeper dashed off with life and vigor.

The Commander of the Daofeng Province is the top commander of the military stationed in the province.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all the soldiers are bunched up in one spot. The Deputy Commander’s authority extends over around twelve hundred troops belonging to the Tianhu unit.

He also commands four other Tianhu units nearby, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.

Thus, the Commander of the Daofeng Province possesses immense powerful authority, able to mobilize six thousand soldiers on any day.

So, you can only imagine how grand the Deputy Commander’s prestige is.

Wang Sang-ryong, the Commander of Shandong, was rolling around in his large, palace-like residence while bored out of his mind.

Normally during such a ramble, he would train his soldiers in military drills or whatever.

But during harvest time, even that wasn’t easy, since farming is such a major issue.

So he’s bored, really bored.

Lately, the harvest has been busy, with the kids getting messy, and he wondered if he should order a big cleanup around the barracks.

Then—

“Commander! Are you there?”

The Assistant banged on the door as if he were aware of the Commander’s malicious intent.

The Assistant handles the menial tasks around the military tent.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“There’s a guest who has arrived and presented an identity token, but since I’ve never seen it before…”

“Really? What about the gift?”

A gift typically refers to a respectful present, also known as a bribe.

However, saying ‘bribe’ carries too negative a connotation.

According to the traditional customs of the Central Plains, it merely means a basic sign of courtesy.

Especially, the higher the status of the person one intends to meet, the greater the expected size of the offering.

And the Deputy Commander is among the top leaders in the Central Plains.

If one wishes to make a visit without prior notice, they should at least bring a couple of carts or at least enough gold for two big men to struggle to carry.

“What? They just came empty-handed?”

“Seriously? Does the Deputy Commander think he’s some local low-ranking official? How dare they just show up without a proper offering? Send them back.”

“Yes. I will do that.”

Wang Sang-ryong snorted dismissively.

While he’s relatively honest as far as Commanders go, the lack of a present was a matter of not only gain but also dignity.

To look down upon someone is one thing, but how on earth could anyone just show up unannounced without a single item?

He wouldn’t even think of someone arriving empty-handed if they were indeed someone of worth.

A worthy guest would naturally prepare an entourage, so it would be unthinkable for them to show up alone.

But? In this world, there’s no such thing as a definite.

After a while, the Assistant spoke up again.

“Uh, they said, do you really dare to treat them so coldly while they’ve confirmed their token? They seem to be someone quite remarkable. What should we do?”

“Ha, really? Who the hell is ordering me around? Let’s at least take a look at the token.”

So the Assistant politely opened the door and presented the token with both hands.

Wang Sang-ryong glanced disdainfully at it at first, then—

“Gasp!”

“Commander!”

“Bring them in, right now! What are you doing? Quick! No, wait! Where are they!? They must have been accommodated in the finest guest hall, right? Tell them I was busy with crucial tasks and couldn’t greet them myself, I’ll be right there!”

“What!?”

Then Wang Sang-ryong exploded, shouting.

“Do you want to see everyone executed? Hurry!!”

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