“Tell Turushan that I will return the gift.”
The situation was becoming urgent. Murong Xiangya quickly gathered the information she had and made a decision.
“Are you saying to send the Yan people’s assassin back?”
The leader tilted his head at the unexpected command.
“Tell them to come and collect it.”
“I want to know the reason.”
The Great Lord of Spear Peak knelt on one knee and looked up at Murong Xiangya to carry out his lord’s orders precisely.
“We will see how this Turushan reacts. Start a show of force around the Sacred Martial Library investigation team. There will be some movement if they hear news of an assassin.”
“Did you not want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed?”
A show of force? Did that not mean threatening the Yan tribe while armed?
The leader could only be surprised by a command that contradicted the previous direction of trying to avoid conflict.
“Given the circumstances, it is highly likely they are trying to sow discord between us and the Yan. However, I cannot be sure. If news of the assassin spreads and we neglect the Yan, they could easily panic and contact the Demonic Cult.”
Murong Xiangya continued to explain to the Great Lord of Spear Peak why her intentions must be carried out faithfully.
Is it merely bait for a war of attrition? Or are they forming an alliance behind the scenes? I cannot know for sure. But there is no need to wait idly.
‘Even if I don’t know the situation, I can understand their intent.’
I know my brother’s scheme. He wants me to waste my capabilities on the exploration of the Sacred Martial Library. He would think it a perfect situation if the Yan tribe went berserk.
Besides, the enemy’s enemy is my ally.
If I continue to give them time, eventually, the two forces can unite in some way.
“You don’t know the enemy’s situation precisely, but you mean the result will be the same.”
Murong Xiangya nodded at the leader, who finally understood her words.
“But there are also advantages to this matter.”
“Advantages, you say?”
“We’ve gained a justification to attack Turushan’s tribe.”
Murong Xiangya explained the opportunity she had found.
“Are you suggesting we pick them off one by one before they can unite? I will prepare at once.”
He was confident in battle. The leader rose energetically.
“No. That is what they want. I have no intention of being led by them.”
Once a war of attrition starts, rumors will spread. From then on, confrontation with the Yan tribe during the exploration of the Sacred Martial Library will be inevitable.
Murong Xiangya shook her head at the leader’s words.
“I want to hear more about my lord’s intentions.”
It is tough to grasp my lord’s deep thoughts. The leader decided to listen a bit more about how his master might wield his sword.
“Justification may serve as a reason to lift the sword, but it can also serve as a weight on the scales of negotiation.”
“A weight on the scale?”
Murong Xiangya smiled coldly and clenched her fist, as if seizing an opportunity.
“Since I hold the justification, I must move according to my will. I will not give them time to think. If we begin a show of force right away, this Turushan will surely seek a way to survive. He will definitely send a messenger.”
“What should I tell the messenger?”
Murong Xiangya organized her thoughts at the leader’s question.
The situation is topsy-turvy. Like swordsmanship. If the enemy’s sword is moving chaotically, simply waiting until my preparations are complete will only allow them to slice my neck.
In a situation where the opponent is still unprepared.
In a situation where the greatest openings are visible.
I strike swiftly.
“Tell him to crawl before me. If he doesn’t clarify in time, this will not end with just a show of force.”
The initiative is mine. I will not give them time to unite.
It is a precarious situation, like walking on thin ice. But the one standing here is not a woman indulging in despair and hoping for luck but the head of one of the greatest forces in Yodong Province.
Murong Xiangya knew how to walk forward before the ice broke.
—
The Yan tribe’s reaction was swift.
The owner of Changbong Hall was attacked by an assassin. Yet one of the assassins is from his own tribe.
The Murong family’s martial artists were recklessly rampaging through the Yan tribe’s camp. For now, there is only conflict, but one never knows when blood might spill.
“Chieftain Turushan is waiting in the tent.”
Chieftain Turushan urgently requested a meeting with Murong Xiangya.
“Guide me.”
In the heart of where Turushan’s tribe resides, Murong Xiangya arrived with the Great Lord of Spear Peak, heading towards the tent with confidence.
“A woman as a chieftain…”
“Be careful. A clan that went on a raid in the pioneering village was annihilated.”
In the heart of enemy territory.
Murong Xiangya showed no sign of intimidation. Each time she took a step toward the tent, the Yan tribe, terrified, made way for her.
Though it was a brief show of force, her commands were sufficiently terrifying to the Yan tribe.
“Great Murong family! The owner of Changbong Hall, Murong Xiangya is here!”
Of course, not everyone was filled with fear.
“Isn’t that an overblown introduction? I just asked to greet you.”
As soon as Murong Xiangya entered the tent, she was met with a mocking voice.
A brawny man with a broad shoulder, well-muscled, stood taller than the other Yan tribesmen.
Chieftain Turushan.
The provocative gaze above his disheveled beard made it clear who the chieftain of this tribe was.
“I see you have many servants to introduce me to.”
The Yan tribe’s warriors were tensed within the tent.
Murong Xiangya waved off Turushan’s threatening demeanor and replied in a mocking tone.
“Ha! Seeing a person from the Murong family, my worried subordinates must be abundant. I am Turushan, the chieftain leading this local clan.”
Turushan held out something small, like a lid for a pot, to Murong Xiangya.
“I am Murong Xiangya, the owner of Changbong Hall, of the Murong family.”
I have no intention of shaking your hand. Murong Xiangya lightly nodded, merely paying lip service.
“Tsk. Do people from the Central Plains cover their faces when they greet?”
I should have expected a retort to come right away. Turushan frowned and asked, glaring at Murong Xiangya, who wore a mask.
“Who do you think you are to criticize my lord?”
One of the Great Lord’s men raised his voice.
“No. People from the Central Plains might wear smiling skin while hiding different expressions inside, but we should at least see each other’s faces and talk, right?”
“You dare! You are not worthy of looking upon him, you!…”
“Alright, let’s take it off.”
Good. I just delivered a blow back. Seeing Murong Xiangya casually place her hand on the mask, Turushan inwardly smiled.
The opponent is from the Murong family. However, the owner of the Murong family, whose power had halved, came directly to him.
How did he come to sit in the position of chieftain? He must uphold the chieftain’s face no matter what. Turushan resolved himself.
“Well, it’s best to cover up a precious face like that… huh?”
Turushan’s mouth dropped open momentarily.
Even if I had to play the trump card, I must continue to fight for the initiative. Turushan thought, but his mind went blank.
“Cough?!”
“Gasp!”
“Ugh! What is this…”
Inside a tent that had just been noisy, suddenly, the silence of the night enveloped them.
A single, beautiful moon hung in the night sky.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Murong Xiangya.”
His thoughts froze. What was I going to say? All emotions evaporated. It felt like he was going to lose his breath.
The Yan tribesmen who had gathered in the tent found themselves dumbstruck, staring at a woman’s face they had never seen before.
“L-Let’s start the conversation.”
It wasn’t until someone barely regained their senses and spoke that everyone was still left staring blankly at this woman’s face.
—
“It was a solo act. Because the Murong family had the same clan killed, they must have been furious and lost their sense of reason.”
Turushan’s excuse mirrored the incident of raiding the pioneering village. It’s not my fault; I can’t control all my tribesmen.
He tried to avoid apology to prevent an awkward situation.
“My men may also get angry and start acting on their own.”
Murong Xiangya calmly replied as if she had expected Turushan’s excuse.
“Are you declaring war…?”
“War?”
Murong Xiangya looked at Turushan, wide-eyed, as if checking if she had misheard.
“W-Was that not what was said?”
“Just now.”
Murong Xiangya’s feet blurred.
“L-Lord!”
“Are you discussing war in front of the Murong family?”
By the time everyone realized it, Murong Xiangya was already before Turushan.
How? The prickly murderous intent was aimed at Turushan. Murong Xiangya, who seemed ready to take his life at any moment, imposed pressure on Turushan.
“Ugh!”
What nonsense. I can’t move. Turushan groaned as a painful sound escaped his lips under the oppressive energy.
“Did you think that just because I showed you mercy once, I would continue to do so?”
‘Am I really being overwhelmed by this small woman?’
Turushan’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“W-What are you doing to the chieftain!”
One of the panicked chieftain’s bodyguards moved his hand towards his sword.
“Draw it. If you want to know how much I can endure.”
Murong Xiangya’s ominous aura spread throughout the tent.
Only then did the Yan tribesmen realize they weren’t surrounding her; instead, she was the one surrounding them alone.
“I did not come here to negotiate…did I?”
As the intensity of her aura focused entirely on him, Turushan panted, asking Murong Xiangya. The initial mocking attitude had vanished.
“Perhaps you have forgotten what my family was like just because the Murong family was briefly in peril in the past. Very well. If you want, I will let you comprehend my surname.”
“T-This…”
One of the Yan tribesmen attempted to curse at her, but only his teeth were chattering under the pressure of Murong Xiangya’s aura.
Although there were many armed men in the tent, the only one with the authority to draw their swords was Murong Xiangya.
“If you are too cowardly to show your teeth, don’t even think about barking.”
Murong Xiangya’s voice cut the Yan tribesmen like an ice blade.
The men looked dumbfounded as they gazed at Murong Xiangya.
She possessed an appearance that didn’t belong to this world. But it felt like their necks could be severed at any moment by this woman.
‘Damn it.’
With that beautiful face and a hidden cruel blade.
The Yan tribesmen suddenly understood why that woman was known by such a nickname in the world.
“No matter how much you claim to be from the Murong family, would such an insult…”
There’s no way out of this. Just as Turushan was about to resist…
“If you’ll stop barking, wag your tail. Then I will give you what you want.”
Murong Xiangya had not come simply to intimidate the Yan tribesmen.
“What do you want?”
What she wanted was the exploration of the Sacred Martial Library.
She didn’t want the Yan tribe to interfere. She didn’t want them to ally with the Demonic Cult. She wanted them to comply with her words.
Murong Xiangya withdrew some of the pressure that filled the tent and presented her proposal to the astonished Yan tribesmen.
“I will open the horse market.”
“Horse market?!”
“Did you just say horse market?!”
Hearing Murong Xiangya’s words, the Yan tribesmen all stared at her with faces full of shock.
“With my powers, I will open the horse market that has been closed for decades.”
Murong Xiangya nodded again as if confirming her words. It was natural for the Yan people to be surprised.
The horse market.
Although it is called a market, it essentially meant trade between the Yan people and the Central Plains. The areas where the Yan tribe lived were among the most barren lands of Yodong.
There is little arable land, making it difficult to secure daily necessities, let alone grain.
The opening of a horse market that had not been held for decades signified that their barren lives could be improved.
“We do not have an ordinary number of horses.”
Turushan asked Murong Xiangya with a skeptical look.
“Did the person standing before you look like an ordinary person?”
“…”
The Yan tribe knew. They understood that the woman before them possessed more wealth than anyone else in Yodong Province.
“Choose.”
Will you show your teeth? Or will you wag your tail?
Surely, there were Yan tribesmen who had advocated war until Murong Xiangya entered the tent.
Before the sweet benefits in front of them, there was no one who wouldn’t bow their heads before Murong Xiangya.
—
“My lord, you really worked hard.”
After the negotiations with the Yan tribe concluded, on the way back, one of the Great Lord’s subordinates spoke with a joyous expression.
“I merely grasped the reins of a runaway wild horse. Do not be at ease yet.”
“As you said, while amidst the chaos, we checked the enemy’s main camp and discovered evidence suggesting Murong Bi was in contact with them.”
“We were one step ahead.”
Thank goodness. It’s not too late. Murong Xiangya finally let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
“You are truly impressive. I never imagined that you would find a solution through the horse market that hadn’t been opened for so long.”
“I just didn’t want to hand out free resources to those who rob innocent people.”
The assets left by the sky above her could not be wasted. Murong Xiangya spoke calmly.
“If we can open the horse market under our jurisdiction, it would not only grasp the reins of the Yan tribe but also enhance our power and leave a profit from selling horses in the Central Plains!”
As long as they taste the sweetness of the horse market, the Yan tribe won’t dare to attack the Murong family recklessly. In fact, they would continue to be cautious. Furthermore, the horses from the foreign tribes sell for a high price in the Central Plains.
To handle the Yan tribe freely while also benefiting is quite a strategy.
The leader could not help but admire his lord’s plan.
“It will also help when we explore the Sacred Martial Library in other regions.”
“I will have the attendants of the merchant guild under me do it. And…”
The leader looked at his lord with a slightly awkward expression.
“Do you have something else to say?”
“News has arrived from Joseon.”
