Transmigrated as the Princess Consort of a Fallen Nation

Chapter 47

The sun had risen to its zenith, and the spectators outside were sweating profusely.

The big man scrutinized Chu Chengji from head to toe and snorted disdainfully, “You? Just based on you?”

Chief Ma also sneered, “Lin, I see this brother here probably can’t even lift a knife. If something goes wrong and there’s bloodshed, don’t blame me, Lin.”

He glanced at the onlookers and continued to provoke, “If we’re going to revolt, then it’s survival of the fittest. Today, the Qi Yun stronghold has indeed shown that they don’t accept me, Ma.”

Lin Yao exchanged a glance with Chu Chengji, and the latter gave him a reassuring look.

In front of the leaders of the various mountain factions, Lin Yao couldn’t lose face for the Qi Yun stronghold.

He immediately said in a deep voice, “Chief Ma, then you may try.”

There was a wild and fierce look in his eyes.

For a moment, Chief Ma couldn’t help but hesitate.

Besides having Zhao Kui’s fierce and invincible support, he had also heard rumors about Lin Yao’s injury.

But Lin Yao was so confident now.

Could that pretty boy really have some skills?

Chief Ma’s gaze swept over Chu Chengji. Seeing that his stature was insufficient compared to Zhao Kui’s and considering Zhao Kui’s natural strength, he felt a bit relieved.

He said, “Then I’ll wait and see.”

Chu Chengji stood in the middle of the arena, holding his sword, his long hair and robes gently fluttering in the light breeze.

The big man, Zhao Kui, on the opposite side, cracked his neck and made a series of cracking sounds with his bones.

The disdain in his eyes couldn’t be more obvious. “Kid, with one swing, I’ll turn you into minced meat!”

Chu Chengji raised his eyes slightly and said only one word, “Come.”

Zhao Kui picked up the sledgehammer at his feet, roared, and charged towards Chu Chengji.

Chu Chengji was already considered tall, but Zhao Kui was even taller by a head and much more muscular.

He was shirtless, and with every step he took, his fat and the muddy ground beneath him trembled together.

As the sledgehammer, carrying tremendous force, came crashing down towards Chu Chengji, he agilely dodged it.

But although Zhao Kui seemed clumsy, his movements were extremely agile.

Seeing Chu Chengji evade, he dragged the sledgehammer on the ground, leaving deep scratches, and continued swinging it towards Chu Chengji.

This time, Chu Chengji didn’t dodge.

As the sledgehammer was dragged, he stepped on it, causing it to sink halfway into the mud.

Zhao Kui felt a sudden force pulling down on the hand holding the sledgehammer, dislocating it.

Before he could react, Chu Chengji used the sledgehammer as leverage, leaped up, and kicked him hard in the chin.

Zhao Kui staggered backward several steps, his entire lower jaw seemingly numb.

He spat on the ground and unexpectedly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the spectators outside the arena.

No one had expected that the seemingly gentle and refined man would injure Zhao Kui as soon as he entered the arena.

“I didn’t expect it. The strategist from the Qi Yun stronghold is quite skilled in martial arts!” someone exclaimed from the sidelines.

“His martial arts foundation is indeed good, but after all, his physique is there, and in a head-on collision, Zhao Kui is still likely to win.

The strategist from the Qi Yun stronghold may be skilled, but he may not be able to match three-quarters of Zhao Kui’s strength.

As the fight progresses, he might easily exhaust himself,” remarked someone who seemed knowledgeable, shaking their head with some regret.

Zhao Kui looked at Chu Chengji, who stood immaculate on the other side.

He used his tongue to touch the inside of his mouth, which had been cut by his teeth earlier.

The wound was burning, but the taste of blood in his mouth only excited him more.

“Good lad!” he laughed heartily.

Holding his limp right arm with his left hand, he exerted force, and with a sour “crack,” he forced his dislocated right arm back into place.

Without the sledgehammer, he clenched his fists.

Just by adopting a boxing stance, he exuded a ferocious aura.

With no weapons in their hands, when Chu Chengji faced off against Zhao Kui again, he didn’t use his sword either.

Instead, they traded blows with fists and feet, testing each other’s instantaneous explosive power.

Zhao Kui’s thick and muscular arms swung punches in a continuous stream, leaving no room for respite.

His Boxing Skill, when paired with his massive back muscles, exerted several times more force than ordinary boxing techniques.

Even blocking a few punches caused excruciating pain in the hands.

But Chu Chengji dodged with ease, as if he knew Zhao Kui’s moves by heart.

He even managed to counterattack when he spotted an opening in Zhao Kui’s defense, hitting him hard in the elbow joint.

As the fight progressed, it was Zhao Kui who suffered, grimacing in pain as he shook both his arms, trying to shake off the waves of pain enveloping them.

“Damn it! No one has ever broken my Boxing Skill! Who are you?” Zhao Kui’s eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

Chu Chengji continued to spar with Zhao Kui using just his fists and feet, and even those who hadn’t formally studied martial arts could tell that the strategist from the Qi Yun stronghold was no ordinary fighter.

Chief Ma, fearing defeat on his side, shouted with a stern face, “Zhao, finish it quickly!”

Zhao Kui happened to return to where he had abandoned the sledgehammer earlier.

Upon hearing Chief Ma’s command, he gritted his teeth, pulled out the sledgehammer that was nearly half-buried in the mud, and pointed it at Chu Chengji.

“If you dare, don’t dodge. Take this sledgehammer blow head-on!”

He said, “Zhao Zhen heard about the plan to repair the ropeway for transporting provisions on the back mountain and mentioned that the old man who helped repair the pontoon bridge in the village had suggested it.

He said that while repairing a ropeway is time-consuming and labor-intensive, it’s more convenient for transporting goods. However, ordinary iron cables won’t suffice for transporting heavy objects between two mountain cliffs.

It’s difficult for us to come down from the mountain now, and it’s probably too late to find a blacksmith to make them.”

Chu Chengji listened to Lin Yao’s words, feeling a little strange, but he quickly returned to normal and said, “I’ll think of a solution for the provision issue.”

Lin Yao nodded. “Alright, then. I’ll have Uncle Wu cover for you in today’s military training. You go back and rest properly for a day.”

After Chu Chengji left, Lin Yao returned to the training ground to check on the formation.

The one hundred strokes had been completed, and Chief Ma had been beaten into a bloody mess, screaming in agony as he was dragged away.

On the other hand, Zhao Kui remained silent throughout the punishment.

To win over hearts, Lin Yao took an old doctor to treat Zhao Kui’s injuries.

However, as soon as Zhao Kui saw him, his first words were, “Chief Lin, does your stronghold’s strategist lead troops?”

Lin Yao’s eyelids twitched. “Of course.”

Those ruthless thugs would all be placed under Chu Chengji’s command.

These people couldn’t be kept, but after training them, they would become the most sharp weapons on the battlefield.

Zhao Kui grinned.

The pain from the kick he received from Chu Chengji’s jaw was still burning.

He said, “I followed Chief Ma for three years, repaying his kindness for that meal. Now I want to go under your strategist’s command. I won’t respect anyone else except him!”

Looking at the fervent admiration in Zhao Kui’s eyes, Lin Yao suddenly felt that he didn’t need to do anything more to win this guy over.

In another part of the stronghold, Qin Zheng was making roof tiles in the threshing ground.

The elderly, women, and children in the village heard that green tiles were going to be burned and came over to help.

Qin Zheng personally taught them how to make roof tile molds.

This was a laborious task.

The yellow clay had to be evenly wrapped around the tile molds. If it wasn’t done properly, the molded tiles would easily crack or become loose when removed.

It seemed simple, but it required some experience and patience.

Qin Zheng guided the women for the whole morning.

Such craftsmanship might not seem like much, but down in the valley, it was a skill passed down through generations, and outsiders couldn’t learn it without apprenticing under a master tilemaker.

The people in the stronghold weren’t so much there to help as they were there to learn.

Each of them put in great effort to learn, and by the end of the morning, they had all made molds that looked quite decent.

They were reluctant to leave even when it was time for lunch.

Since Qin Zheng had casually mentioned her surname to Lin Zhao, the women making the roof tiles felt that calling her “Madam Cheng” was too distant, and calling her “Mrs. Cheng” didn’t show enough respect.

Therefore, they unanimously addressed her as “Master Qin.”

In ancient times, “Master” was a term of great respect for craftsmen.

To Qin Zheng, regardless of what people called her, it was just a name.

She wasn’t bothered by it at all. Whether others called her “Madam Cheng,” “Mrs. Cheng,” or “Master Qin,” she responded with a gentle smile.

What surprised Qin Zheng was that the girl from the Wang family mentioned by Aunt Lu also came to make roof tiles.

Before this, Qin Zheng was not very familiar with most people in the stronghold.

Through teaching them how to make roof tile molds today, they had become more acquainted.

Perhaps out of a woman’s instinct, the girl surnamed Wang kept her head down the whole time, only sneaking glances at Qin Zheng occasionally, but Qin Zheng noticed anyway.

She didn’t know the other party, so when He Yunjing came over to put down the tile molds, she glanced at the girl surnamed Wang and whispered mysteriously to Qin Zheng, “That girl has been hanging around outside your courtyard since the day you and Zhao got captured by the river bandits. She probably has her eye on your husband. Be careful.”

Qin Zheng and He Yunjing had only met briefly before, so Qin Zheng was quite surprised by her sudden remarks.

Seeing Qin Zheng’s silence, He Yunjing also knew that their previous encounters hadn’t been pleasant, so she felt a bit awkward as she kneaded the clay in her hands.

“You saved the people in the stronghold, and I still have a conscience.

I can’t stand her pretending to be gentle and timid, but always talking behind your back about how you were taken into the bandit’s den and abused by those scum.

She used to fawn over Brother Lin, but I had to slap her a few times before she behaved herself.”

Qin Zheng thanked He Yunjing, who looked at her beautiful eyes and suddenly felt embarrassed. “I misunderstood your intentions towards Brother Lin before. I’m sorry.”

After the He Laozhi died, she had experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships firsthand.

Everyone in the stronghold seemed to be able to bully her, a lonely girl.

During her hardest times, it was Wang Dannie, who had always protected her, and He Yunjing slowly realized how annoying she had been in the past.

This apology came a bit late, but Qin Zheng looked at the girl in front of her and felt that she was quite adorable.

She smiled and said, “Since it was a misunderstanding, it’s all in the past. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Seeing Lin Zhao approaching, He Yunjing didn’t say anything else to Qin Zheng and hurried away.

Worried that Qin Zheng had been bullied, Lin Zhao’s first words were, “Sister Aizheng, did she give you a hard time?”

Qin Zheng shook her head. “No, I see that Miss He has changed a lot.”

Talking about this, Lin Zhao’s expression also became somewhat complicated. “After the He Laozhi died, she did have a hard time, but she’s become even fiercer than before. Anyone who annoys her, she’ll just slap. If it weren’t for Aunt Wang protecting her, she would have been bullied by a lot of people.”

Qin Zheng hesitated. “Her and your brother...”

Lin Zhao shook her head. “After the He Laozhi died, she never came to see my brother again.”

For a moment, Qin Zheng felt a twinge of sadness.

That girl who had been cherished by the Second Master He Laozhi had grown up overnight.