Legend of the Female General

Chapter 233: My Sword

The square was deathly silent.

No one had expected that the person He Yan wanted to challenge to a sword duel was not Xiao Jue, but He Rufei.

Lin Shuanghe murmured, "Has Sister He gone mad?"

Yan He also frowned and asked Xiao Jue, "What's going on with her? Instead of coming to you, she went to He Rufei."

Xiao Jue remained silent, his expression calm, as if he had long anticipated this scene before him.

He Rufei looked at the woman before him. Dressed in official robes, she wore a bright smile, her tone so matter-of-fact. Though she appeared thin and short, it was unclear where she found the confidence to challenge him.

Did she truly think of herself as "He Yan"?

A cold sneer flashed in his heart. The woman before him bore no resemblance to the He Yan of the past. It was said that Marquis of Wu'an, He Yan, was bold and spirited, entirely different from his quiet and reserved cousin. Even if she intended to play tricks, shouldn't she have first inquired about the other's personality? Such a flawed imitation was so clumsy it could be seen through at a glance.

"You want to duel me with swords?" He Rufei spoke slowly.

"Everyone in the world says the Flying Goose General's sword is so fast it can even cut through the wind," He Yan said with a smile. "It's a pity I've never seen it. Since there's an opportunity today, Commander Xiao's words—there will be plenty of chances for sword duels in the future, so there's no need to rush this one. But the Flying Goose General's sword isn't something one can see every day."

"Young Master He," she chuckled lightly, "are you willing to face me in a duel?"

He Rufei curled the corner of his mouth. "Of course, but... swords have no eyes. If you lose..." He glanced in Xiao Jue's direction. "Will Commander Xiao blame me for it?"

The words were filled with blatant provocation.

Others had long spread rumors that the Flying Goose General and General Feng Yun were natural rivals, always at odds. However, rumors were just rumors—no one had ever truly seen them draw swords against each other. But today, it seemed the rumors might not be mere gossip, as even a fool could sense the undercurrents in this situation.

Among the military officials, the young man dressed in dark blue official robes with floral patterns merely smiled faintly and said, "No, but a duel should have a wager."

"A wager?" He Rufei asked. "How about..."

"An ordinary wager wouldn't be worthy of General He's sword," Xiao Jue interrupted before He Rufei could finish. "Since it's a sword duel, let the swords be the wager."

"If you win, I'll give you my Drink Autumn Sword. If you lose," he stared at He Rufei with a half-smile, "the owner of Qinglang will henceforth be the Marquis of Wu'an."

As soon as these words were spoken, the square erupted in an uproar.

"Really? I never expected Commander Xiao to wager so much this time!"

"That's Qinglang and Drink Autumn—to stake them for a woman is far too frivolous."

"I think Commander Xiao's Drink Autumn Sword is as good as lost. No wonder they say heroes are easily ensnared by beauties... Looking at Commander Xiao's demeanor, could it be that he has some misunderstanding about his fiancée?"

"That's the Flying Goose General—how could he possibly lose to a woman!"

Emperor Wenxuan frowned. The tension between He Rufei and Xiao Jue was clear to him. But these two had always kept their distance, coexisting peacefully for so many years. When did their relationship deteriorate to this extent? Discord among military officials was not a good sign for an empire.He Rufei looked at Xiao Jue. "Commander Xiao, are you sure you want to use your sword as the prize?"

"Not just 'my' sword," Xiao Jue replied meaningfully, "but also 'your sword.'"

He Rufei gave an indifferent smile. In his view, Xiao Jue's words were purely laughable. He had heard of He Yan's reputation on the battlefield, but the outcome of a battle depended on many factors. Perhaps He Yan had some clever tricks, but in a one-on-one, face-to-face sword duel, he was confident that He Yan was no match for him.

There could only be one "He Yan" in the world, and that one "He Yan" was already dead.

"Since Commander Xiao is so generous, I will gladly accept," he said. "Please."

"Wait," Xiao Jue said.

"What is it?" He Rufei turned to look at him. "Has Commander Xiao changed his mind? It's not too late to reconsider."

Xiao Jue curled his lips mockingly. "General He's weapon is a rare treasure, which would be unfair to your opponent." With a wave of his hand, he tossed Drink Autumn toward He Yan, who caught it steadily. "Use my Drink Autumn to compete with you."

He Rufei frowned, while He Yan smiled faintly. "Thank you, Commander."

She turned and walked toward the open space, saying, "Please, Young Master He."

He Rufei paused for a moment before following her.

The officials in the square and the imperial relatives on the Heavenly Star Platform were now all intently watching the two figures in the open space. This was far more thrilling than the wrestling match between the two burly men from the Wutu Kingdom. Ma Ningbu also stared at the woman in the red official robe. He truly hadn't expected He Yan to refuse to compete with the Wutuo People, nor had he anticipated that she would choose He Rufei.

It seemed the rift between the two great generals of Great Wei was deeper than they had imagined.

Guang Ji whispered to Guang Shuo beside him, "Fourth Brother, isn't this wrong? How can General He bully a woman?"

Even in Guang Ji's young mind, He Yan, as Xiao Jue's fiancée, was clearly not as perfect as Shen Muxue would have been in that role. Yet the principles he had learned since childhood taught him that men should not bully women or the weak.

Guang Shuo shook his head. "Let's wait and see."

He, too, was puzzled. If He Yan had chosen He Rufei out of ignorance of her own limitations, then Xiao Jue's failure to stop her—and even his proposal to use swords as the prize—was even more baffling.

Yan He whispered, "Xiao Huaijin, have you lost your mind? How could He Yan possibly defeat He Rufei? Even if He Rufei wouldn't take her life... but if your woman suffers a loss in front of so many people, how could she ever accept it? She has just entered the court as an official. If she loses to He Rufei here, she will likely become the subject of ridicule and gossip in the future."

"She will win," Xiao Jue said.

"Are you joking?" Yan He widened his eyes, looking at him as if he were a fool. "I didn't believe it when others said you were blinded by beauty, but it turns out you're just an ordinary man after all. No matter how lacking He Rufei may be, he has practiced swordsmanship and fought on the battlefield for years longer than your woman. Even if you don't care about your woman, at least care about your sword! I'm not trying to help you—I just don't want both legendary swords to end up in He Rufei's hands. I'd be furious!""Oh." Xiao Jue's voice still carried a hint of nonchalance. "Then you can rest assured, you won't be angered to death anytime soon."

"Me!" Yan He fumed. "I can't be bothered to talk to you!"

On the square, He Rufei slowly drew the Qinglang from his waist.

The Qinglang was verdant, and as soon as it left its sheath, a sharp sword aura could be felt. He Yan's gaze froze for a moment—that was her sword.

The Qinglang Sword had accompanied her through many years, witnessing her growth from a naive and inexperienced recruit to a fearless and invincible warrior. During the hardest times, she had even held the sword while sitting by the frozen river, pondering the path ahead. After so many years apart, the sword had finally been drawn again, yet it was now in He Rufei's hands.

"Young Master He has a fine sword," she remarked. "What a pity."

He Rufei asked, "What's the pity?"

He Yan merely smiled without answering, suddenly drawing the Drink Autumn from her waist. "Sword, come!"

In an instant, the two figures clashed.

The Qinglang was verdant, the Drink Autumn crystalline. The long swords crossed, one green, one white, like the early morning of an autumn valley, filled with a clear and desolate chill—distant green mountains and trees tinged with autumn hues. The sword aura whipped up the sand and soil on the ground, scattering it everywhere. Though it was a sword duel, it moved with the grace of a dance.

The Flying Goose General's swordsmanship was naturally exceptional—swift and precise, with an unstoppable momentum. Surprisingly, the woman wielding the Drink Autumn Sword fought against the Flying Goose General's long sword without falling behind in the slightest.

How was this possible?

She was merely a woman. Though she had been on the battlefield, she was only sixteen or seventeen now—how could she match a seasoned veteran of the battlefield? Could it be that the Flying Goose General was holding back?

A flicker of astonishment crossed He Rufei's mind.

Before the duel, He Rufei thought he had already overestimated He Yan's swordsmanship, but now it seemed he had underestimated her.

This woman's swordsmanship was polished, as if she had practiced since childhood. Her sword was steady and cunning, easily evading every one of his attacks. Her own attacks were no less fierce, coming like a sudden storm, matching him blow for blow. At times, due to her light and agile physique, she even seemed faster.

Lin Shuanghe stared in disbelief, muttering to himself, "Is my Sister He... this formidable?"

Though he knew He Yan was skilled, he had never witnessed her in a life-and-death struggle with his own eyes, only hearing about it. In his view, He Yan might excel in military strategy, but due to physical limitations, a woman's combat skills could never compare to a man's—especially when her opponent was He Rufei.

He Rufei had been somewhat weak during his youth studying at the Virtuous Prosperity Academy, but later, he became a commander on par with Xiao Jue in Great Wei. Lin Shuanghe's heart, which had been in his throat, now settled, only to be replaced by deeper confusion. If He Yan was this formidable, didn't it mean she was at least on par with He Rufei?

Had Xiao Jue known this all along, which was why he so boldly offered the Drink Autumn Sword as the prize for this duel?

Amidst the clash of swords, there was one more person overlooked by the crowd—Xu Zhiheng, hidden among the civil officials.

Ever since that day at the victory banquet when he had seen He Yan, Xu Zhiheng had felt uneasy. Fortunately, he hadn't encountered her again since then. From the moment Ma Ningbu mentioned He Yan today, Xu Zhiheng had sensed an ominous premonition.This premonition reached its peak when He Yan proposed to spar with He Rufei.

If not for everyone standing here in an orderly manner and the Emperor watching from the Celestial Star Platform, Xu Zhiheng might have already been unable to resist fleeing in panic. The woman holding the sword smiled brightly, and for a moment, her face overlapped with that of a certain woman in his memory.

Xu Zhiheng watched He Yan entangled in combat with He Rufei, listening to the sighs and exclamations from the surrounding crowd, feeling as if his entire body had turned to ice.

She had returned... It couldn’t be anyone else. Only she, He Yan, had returned.

He Yan blocked He Rufei’s sword with her own, leaped lightly, and turned to land behind He Rufei.

The Drink Autumn Sword understood her heart well. Although it was Xiao Jue’s sword, she wielded it with ease. Her gaze fixed on He Rufei, her expression turning cold.

He Rufei was imitating her sword techniques.

Perhaps because He Rufei feared his disguise as the "Flying Goose General" would be exposed, even without the mask and without going to the battlefield, he deliberately imitated He Yan’s sword techniques. In fact, his imitation was about eighty percent accurate. If not for those who were extremely close to He Yan and had often seen her wield the sword, they likely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

However... it was still missing twenty percent, and those twenty percent were precisely the most crucial parts of He Yan’s techniques. One part came from Xiao Jue’s guidance in his youth, and the other from her master Liu Buwang’s teachings. To be fair, He Rufei’s sword techniques were quite good, but for someone who had never been on the battlefield or experienced the brink of life and death, the sword’s aura always held something back.

He Yan smiled faintly and thrust her sword toward He Rufei. Startled, He Rufei raised his sword to block. The two swords clashed, the blades unmoving, but the person moved.

He took two steps back.

Low gasps immediately erupted from the surroundings.

The civil officials couldn’t quite understand, but the military officials saw it clearly. Someone remarked, "The Flying Goose General is actually at a disadvantage?"

"He must be holding back, allowing the Marquis of Wu’an to win."

He Yan’s smile seemed to carry a frosty chill: "Young Master He has a fine sword. It’s a pity you don’t know how to use it."

"Arrogant!" He Rufei spat out venomously, turning and charging forward.

He Yan laughed, leaning backward as the green blade of the sword brushed past her head, severing a strand of her black hair. Her laughter-filled voice echoed across the entire Celestial Star Platform.

"General He, has it been so long since you’ve been on the battlefield that even your sword techniques have become this sluggish?" She crooked her finger, her posture utterly arrogant. "Can you still lift the sword in your hand?"

He Rufei’s expression had already turned extremely unpleasant.

The Emperor’s expression was also unpleasant. If He Rufei performed like this, wouldn’t it tarnish the dignity of Great Wei? This woman was also unreasonable. Even if she was skilled, she shouldn’t be so aggressive. Besides, she had only gained a temporary advantage—how dare she speak so arrogantly?

Yan He watched with his arms crossed, frowning. "He Rufei’s swordsmanship doesn’t seem all that impressive now. But why do their sword techniques look somewhat similar?" A thought struck him, and he turned to Xiao Jue. "Did you also give He Yan pointers in swordsmanship?"

"You really are like a martial arts master performing on the streets," Yan He said disdainfully. "Anyone can become your disciple. Do you even remember you’re Xiao Huaijin?"

"You’re too noisy," Xiao Jue replied with displeasure."Hah," Yan He saw right through him. "Why are you pretending to be calm here? Aren't you already anxious to death inside? Don't you wish you could go up and help He Yan with the sword fight yourself? But don't worry, I don't think He Rufei will necessarily win. What your woman said isn't wrong either—maybe he hasn't been on the battlefield for so long that even his hands have gone soft. What a disgrace to the Virtuous Prosperity Academy!"

He Yan and He Rufei's sword fight had already gone far beyond everyone's expectations.

They had originally thought this duel would end quickly, because regardless of gender, one was a green recruit, while the other was an accomplished and renowned warrior. By all accounts, He Yan should lose. Even if she won, it would only be because He Rufei deliberately allowed it.

If He Yan won quickly, it would mean the Flying Goose General was considerate of women, unwilling to embarrass her, and preserving the Marquis of Wu'an's dignity. But He Yan had fought He Rufei for so long.

If they had fought for this long without a clear winner, it couldn't possibly be the Flying Goose General holding back.

And judging by the reactions of the military officers, He Rufei... hadn't even gained the upper hand.

Was it because Xiao Huaijin's fiancée was truly this formidable? Could even He Rufei not defeat her, or had the Flying Goose General's skills truly declined over the years?

Among the entire crowd, aside from Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei, the one with the ugliest expression was Xu Jingfu.

Today's events had truly taken Xu Jingfu by surprise.

Those Wutuo People were extremely cunning and had particularly close private dealings with Crown Prince Guang Yan. Guang Yan was short-sighted, narrow-minded, and acted without thinking. Aside from being ruthless and cruel, he possessed none of the qualities befitting a crown prince. Xu Jingfu had merely questioned whether the Wutuo People had left any backup plans, and Crown Prince Guang Yan had already grown suspicious of him. If not for the immense effort he had invested in Guang Yan over the years, and the fact that success was now within reach, he would have considered abandoning this dark path for a brighter one.

Guang Yan kept things from him, and the Wutuo People had been privately dissatisfied with him ever since the Battle of Jiyang. But so what? In the court of Great Wei, he held absolute power. Even if the Wutuo People wanted to stir up trouble, they couldn't make waves.

Today, Maningbu's proposal to compete with He Yan had taken Xu Jingfu by surprise, and the fact that the sword fight ended up being between He Yan and He Rufei made him sense that something was amiss.

He Yan, the daughter of a city gate captain, must have acted under Xiao Jue's instructions. Xiao Jue's proposal to use swords as the prize was clearly ill-intentioned. Xu Jingfu had been Xiao Jue's opponent for so many years, watching him grow from a young man struggling to uphold his family's honor to the Right Army Commander who commanded widespread support. Sometimes, he understood Xiao Jue better than he understood himself. It was obvious that he and He Yan had set a trap for He Rufei, and He Rufei had foolishly walked right into it.

Or perhaps He Rufei wasn't entirely unaware—he was just too arrogant to believe he could lose to a woman.

Everyone else was watching He Yan and He Rufei's sword fight, marveling at how evenly matched their skills were. But was that really the point?

Did Xiao Jue orchestrate all this just so his woman could publicly humiliate He Rufei in front of all the officials?

Xu Jingfu didn't think so. There had been no prior enmity between He Rufei and Xiao Jue. It was only later, when He Rufei sought Xu Jingfu's patronage, that he even sent his own trusted subordinate to Liang Province City in an attempt to assassinate Xiao Jue as a gesture of cooperation and to curry favor with Xu Jingfu—though it ultimately failed.But Xu Jingfu saw He Rufei's sincerity. He had the support of civil officials and also needed a military general's backing. He Rufei's appearance was perfectly timed, though Xu Jingfu had once wondered why He Rufei chose him when he could have easily stayed out of trouble. Later, however, it occurred to him that the officialdom was the most effective place to change a person. Even a brave and skilled general, when faced with greater benefits and higher positions, would willingly offer up his own sword.

He Rufei... He Rufei... A sense of unease surged in Xu Jingfu's heart like a thick ink stain, instantly enveloping him. He looked at He Rufei, who was locked in combat with the woman on the field, and his heart sank.

If something went wrong with He Rufei... would it implicate him?

After all, ever since Yuan Baozhen in Liangzhou City, he and He Rufei had already grown very close.

The tip of the sword, carrying a murderous aura, thrust diagonally from behind. Yet the person being attacked seemed to have eyes on their back, sidestepping lightly and letting the sword tip miss its mark.

"Your swordsmanship looks somewhat familiar," He Yan said with a smile. "But you’ve only grasped the form, not the spirit. How to wield this sword," she curled her lips, her tone laced with a subtle, deadly intent, "should I teach you?"

She spun around and thrust forward.

With a thud, the sword tip pierced He Rufei's chest, though only slightly, not advancing further.

"You actually wear soft armor to the Celestial Platform, Young Master He?" He Yan exclaimed in surprise. "How afraid of death must you be to do this? Do you have so many enemies that you fear someone might come for revenge midway?"

He Rufei sneered, "You talk too much!"

"It’s your swordsmanship that’s too weak."

When it came to provocation, He Rufei was no match for He Yan. Back in the Liangzhou Guard, He Yan could provoke every recruit into gritting their teeth with just a few words, let alone now.

He Rufei also felt the strain in his heart.

The swordsmanship of the woman opposite him was truly exceptional. There were no flaws to exploit—none at all. On the contrary, she could always spot his mistakes and see right through them. Several times, He Yan could have swiftly ended this duel, but she didn’t. Instead, she would occasionally slice off a button or cut a piece of his sleeve, unhurriedly, like a cat toying with a mouse, making him appear inferior to a woman in front of everyone.

Inferior to a woman!

He was the real He Rufei, the true eldest son of the He family, yet he had to live according to He Yan’s life. It felt as though he were He Yan’s substitute, and in the end, he was still being told he was inferior to He Yan.

Don’t think he couldn’t see it—the whispers and pointing behind his back, how the current General He couldn’t compare to the former Flying Goose General. Why?

Why did he have to be compared like this, living in someone else’s shadow, inferior to a woman? Ridiculous. That woman was already dead. How could a dead person compare to him? The one who lived to the end was the true winner.

He gripped his sword and thrust from a tricky angle behind He Yan. This was the most formidable move of the Flying Goose General, one he had practiced for a long time... It was said that no one could evade the Flying Goose General’s final strike.

The sword tip was about to pierce the woman’s back, and the hearts of everyone in the arena leaped into their throats.The next moment, Drink Autumn cleanly split his sword apart. The woman in red did not turn around, but instead thrust her sword backhanded with a sharp, fierce edge. He Rufei was startled and wanted to dodge, but the woman had no intention of actually striking him. She flipped over and landed behind him, delivering a powerful kick directly to the back of his knees. Caught off guard, He Rufei’s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees.

Immediately, a cold blade pressed against his neck.

The woman in red looked down at him from above, smiling as she silently moved her lips. It was too far for others to hear, but He Rufei saw it clearly.

"Big brother," she said. "Are you worthy of using my sword?"

He Rufei: I am not worthy.

(End of chapter)