Legend of the Female General

Chapter 11: The Moonlit Immortal

Night had fallen, and the alley was empty save for the occasional swift leap of a stray cat, its soft mewling scattering through the spring night of the capital.

The youth clutched the bulging bundle in their arms, moving through the alley like a ghost.

A commoner’s only crime is holding jade—winning so much silver at Letong Manor was bound to provoke others. Taking the main road risked being followed and exposing the He family, which would be a greater loss than gain. She had no intention of bringing trouble to the He household.

But… the more one feared something, the more it seemed to happen. He Yan came to a halt.

The alley ended at a street lined with small shops and taverns, far less bustling than the side near Letong Manor. By now, the doors were all shut, leaving the area dark and deserted. Only the light of the moon and stars cast a faint glow upon the ground.

He Yan turned back, crouched to pick up a few pebbles, and after a brief pause, suddenly spun around and hurled them.

The pebbles flew swift and sharp, like arrows loosed from a bow. With a series of soft thuds, figures tumbled out from the shadows of the night.

"Stop following me," He Yan said. "You won’t catch up."

"What if you add us to the mix?" Another voice rang out. From the other end of the alley emerged several men, led by a burly, bare-chested brute whose hands looked capable of snapping He Yan’s neck with ease.

"Brat, seems you’ve got quite a few enemies," the brute guffawed. "Did no one ever teach you not to stand out the first time you visit a gambling den?"

He Yan adjusted the silver in her arms and replied calmly, "Since it’s my first time, naturally no one taught me." But inwardly, she thought, Just as the brothers in the barracks once said, the people in these gambling dens are no good. Even their own rules can be broken.

"Daring to talk back even at death’s door?" The brute’s fury flared. "Today, I’ll teach you a lesson—I’ll rip your arms off and make you kneel and call me ‘Grandpa’!"

He Yan stood in the alley, trapped between the bare-chested brute and his lackeys ahead and the mysterious pursuers behind. There was no escape.

And she didn’t even have a weapon.

"Then let’s see if you have what it takes," she said, slowly clenching her fists.

"Arrogant!" The brute waved his hand, and his lackeys surged forward. He himself charged headlong, swinging wildly at He Yan’s back.

But under the moonlight, the youth ducked nimbly, evading the blow. The brute barely had time to blink before a heavy fist slammed into his back, fueling his rage. With a furious roar, he turned—only to see the youth already leaping onto the alley wall.

"Grab him!"

The pursuers seemed to catch on as well. Someone seized He Yan’s clothes and yanked her down. With a rip , the hem of her robe tore open.

"Ah," she sighed, deeply regretful. "Ruined."

"You’ve got the nerve to worry about your clothes?" The brute’s nostrils flared with anger. "I’ll beat you to death today!"He lunged at He Yan. The man was as massive as a small mountain, his movements making the ground seem to tremble. With so many servants at his disposal, teaching a reckless young lad a lesson had always been effortless in the past. But today, for the first time, he had kicked an iron plate. The youth before him didn’t look old, yet somehow he was as slippery as a loach—no one could lay a hand on him. Darting through the crowd, he didn’t strike often, but each hit landed with precision. Before long, the servants and guards were all sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

He Yan dodged a punch from the burly man, flipped midair, and aimed a kick at his abdomen. Unfortunately, her move was slightly off.

The man let out a piercing scream.

"Sorry, that wasn’t intentional," she muttered guiltily.

After all, this body wasn’t yet in perfect sync with her skills, and her strikes weren’t always accurate. The man collapsed, clutching his groin and moaning in agony. The sound, echoing in the night, was unsettling yet pitiful.

He Yan bent down to pick up the scattered silver coins. She had worked all night and even fought a battle to earn this money—she wasn’t about to let others take it.

Moonlight spilled onto the ground, illuminating the scattered silver and jewels. The youth stooping to collect them looked like a scholar from some mythical tale, stumbling upon a treasure trove in an enchanted realm and unable to resist claiming it for himself.

The thought amused He Yan, and she chuckled.

Once she had gathered the coins, she glanced at the groaning figures strewn across the ground and was about to make her escape when a gentle voice called out, "Young man, you dropped this."

He Yan turned to look.

Standing at the entrance of the darkened tavern was a young man. He wore an indigo wide-sleeved robe that fluttered in the wind, accentuating his slender frame. His dark hair was tied back with a blue jade crown, and his long brows and delicate eyes gave him an ethereal, almost immortal grace. A faint smile played on his lips as he stepped forward, holding out a silver coin—likely one she had dropped during the scuffle.

She had sensed someone else at the tavern earlier, but since they hadn’t intervened or joined the fight, she assumed they were just a passerby and paid no mind. She hadn’t expected to see this man now.

He Yan had encountered many men in her past life, having lived as one among them. Most were like the burly man tonight—brawny and unrefined, far from handsome. Xu Zhiheng had been an exception, elegant and refined, one of the few she’d consider "good-looking." But compared to the man before her, even Xu Zhiheng seemed to pale.

Just moments ago, she had imagined herself as the protagonist of a mythical tale, gathering treasures like a scholar stumbling upon a fairyland. Now, it seemed even more fitting—a destitute youth encountering a true immortal, awestruck by his beauty. Would the immortal now guide the youth to enlightenment?

As he drew closer, his otherworldly aura became even more pronounced, like a celestial being from an ancient mural. When she remained silent, he prompted again, "Young man?"

He Yan snapped out of her daze.

She took the nearly lost coin from his hand and grinned. "Thanks."

The man smiled back. "You're welcome."

Without another word, He Yan turned and left, not looking back.

She moved swiftly, like a wild cat leaping across rooftops, vanishing into the night before anyone could follow.In the night, another person stepped forward, approaching the blue-robed young master from earlier and speaking in a low voice, "Fourth Young Master, that youth..."

"Likely just passing by by chance, no need to concern ourselves with him." The immortal smiled, as if recalling something amusing, his grin widening slightly. "Quite clever, that one."

This celestial boy is the second male lead, don't get the pairing wrong~

(The chapter ends.)