Legend of the Female General

Chapter 65: Doubt

Liang Ping and Du Mao finally caught up from behind. When the two dismounted at the finish line, they saw He Yan happily drinking water to quench her thirst while Instructor Ma Damei stood nearby with a thoughtful expression.

This scene didn't look like Ma Damei had won.

The same thought occurred to both of them simultaneously: Could it be? Even Ma Damei couldn't surpass He Yan?

Liang Ping approached Ma Damei, who spoke before he could ask, "I lost."

She really lost?

Liang Ping was astonished. "How? How could you lose to him?"

Ma Damei was the best at mounted archery among their instructors. If even he couldn't beat He Yan, did that mean no one in Liang Province's garrison could surpass He Yan in horsemanship? Then why was He Yan even here to learn mounted archery? He could teach himself.

"Did that brat cheat?" Du Mao whispered. "Did he trick you?" He Yan had just used her whip to snatch all his arrows away, and the mere memory made Du Mao furious. Really, was this something a recruit would do?

Ma Damei glared at him. "I was outmatched, alright?" He walked over to He Yan and asked, "Kid, there's something I want to ask you."

"Instructor, are you wondering what I whispered to your horse at the end to calm it down and make it obey me?" He Yan tightened her waterskin. "If that's what you want to ask, then forget it. It's a family secret—can't be shared." She blinked at Ma Damei before turning to Liang Ping. "Instructor Liang, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I still have to train at the Martial Arts Field."

Liang Ping waved her off. Fine, out of sight, out of mind.

Du Mao watched her retreating figure, baffled. "After all that running around, she's still full of energy and even has the strength to train at the Martial Arts Field? What kind of person is she?"

"The kind who's nothing like you or me," Liang Ping retorted irritably.

...

"I've made a fool of myself in front of the Commander," Shen Han said awkwardly. His instructors had all lost to He Yan—even after resorting to underhanded tactics. Three of them working together still couldn't win. It was downright embarrassing.

"It's fine. You did well." Xiao Jue lowered his eyes as he sipped his tea. "The point wasn't to compete in mounted archery but to test someone. Now we have our answer."

"Does the Commander still suspect something is amiss with him?" Shen Han asked.

"Yes."

"Because He Yan is too outstanding?" If that were the reason, it would only count as suspicion without evidence.

"The way he controlled the horse at the end is a technique used by the barbarian tribes," Xiao Jue set down his teacup.

"Barbarian tribes?" Shen Han stood up abruptly.

The barbarian tribes included the Western Qiang, Southern Man, and the current Wutu people. The Western Qiang rebellion had been quelled by the Flying Goose General, while Xiao Jue himself had driven back the Southern Man invasion. Now the Wutu people were stirring again. The barbarian tribes and Great Wei had always been like fire and water—even the current relations with the Western Qiang and Southern Man were delicate, requiring constant vigilance.

"Could he be a barbarian?"

"Not necessarily." Xiao Jue shook his head. "Have you brought the military register?"

Shen Han presented the register. "He Yan's record is here."

"Since this person is suspicious, we mustn't alert him. Monitor his every move and proceed with caution."

"Does the Commander intend to..."

"Set a long line to catch a big fish. We must capture the mastermind behind this." His reply was unhurried.After Shen Han left, Xiao Jue flipped through the military register in his hands, lingering on He Yan's page for a long while. After a moment, he called out, "Fei Nu."

Someone appeared silently behind him like a shadow and replied in a low voice, "Young Master."

"Send someone to investigate whether the city gate captain of the capital, the He family, has a son named He Yan."

Fei Nu acknowledged the order and was about to leave when Xiao Jue stopped him again.

"Also check if there have been any secret dealings between the He family and Xu Jingfu."

...

When He Yan returned to the Martial Arts Field, a large group of eager people immediately surrounded her.

"How did it go? What was the result?"

"Why aren't the instructors here? Did you win or did they?"

He Yan smiled and only said two words: "Secret."

This answer clearly didn't satisfy everyone's curiosity, but He Yan's lips were sealed tight, and no one could pry anything out of her. Disappointed, the crowd dispersed, left to speculate and debate among themselves.

"She must have won. He Yan doesn't look like she lost," said those who believed in her.

"If she won, why not just say so openly? Not saying anything means she lost and is too embarrassed to admit it!" retorted those who doubted her.

"Arguing won't get you anywhere. If He Yan won't say, just ask the instructors when they come back!" reasoned the more level-headed ones.

So when the instructors arrived, the crowd rushed toward them in a frenzy. The instructors were initially confused, but when they heard the questions about the competition results, they all instinctively glanced at He Yan. They thought to themselves that this kid had some decency, at least knowing to save face for the instructors and not exposing the truth. The instructors waved their hands dismissively. "Stop asking, everyone. Disperse!"

In the end, they still didn't reveal anything.

When He Yan went to bed that night, Xiao Mai was still fixated on the outcome and asked, "Brother He, so what was the final result?"

"The result isn't important," He Yan patted Xiao Mai's head. "What's important is that I'm going to sleep now."

She turned over, facing the wall, leaving the back of her head to Xiao Mai. Unable to get an answer, Xiao Mai had no choice but to drop the subject.

He Yan couldn't sleep, her mind preoccupied with the events of the day on the horse track. No matter how she looked at it, the sudden challenge from the three instructors in mounted archery was just too strange. The three of them teaming up against her—any ordinary recruit would surely have been overwhelmed. Yet they didn't seem to consider whether she could handle such a test. It didn't feel like a challenge; more like... an assessment, or an attempt to confirm something.

In the end, the method she used to subdue Ma Damei's horse was a taming technique she had learned from a captured barbarian soldier during her military days. That prisoner had been a specialist in horse training, his skills so extraordinary that they had caused her unit considerable trouble. After He Yan captured him, the man, fearing for his life, wrote down his clan's prized horse-taming techniques and handed them over to her.

However, those techniques were too complex, and He Yan had only grasped the basics. Even so, it was enough to control ordinary horses. Without it, she definitely wouldn't have beaten Ma Damei today.

But if this really was a test, the only ones who could command the instructors of the Liangzhou Garrison were either the head instructor or Xiao Jue. If it was Xiao Jue, what was his purpose? Could he already be selecting candidates for the Nine Banners Battalion, hastily ordering the instructors to test whether she had the qualifications and skills to join?Is that so? He Yan felt she might have been mistaken, but she couldn't think of any other explanation. After pondering for a while, she simply stopped thinking about it. Since she was already here, she might as well make the best of it. After all, she hadn't lost this round.

(End of Chapter)