"Please welcome Ruan Qiushui of Toothless Cavern!" Zuo Chen had no other choice. They could fight, but the troop losses would be too great, making it pointless. If they could win through strategy, he would use every possible means to avoid meeting force with force. That was his creed.
That was why Wei Ziling was more lovable than he was and more popular with the people.
Soon, a delicate, pretty young woman dressed in a general's armor, though only sixteen or seventeen, stood before our group of men.
The female ghost had a sweet appearance and fair skin. Her eyes rolled about restlessly, seeming full of spiritual vitality. Yet when she saw our group of ghost generals, she showed no trace of stage fright. She immediately said, "I am Ruan Qiushui of Toothless Cavern. Which one of you is the City God, Zuo Chen?"
Zuo Chen's sharp teeth emerged. Apart from Wei Ziling and me, no one else dared address him so directly by his full name. He slammed his palm on the table, scattering a chunk from its corner. "How dare you! Can't you see that I, the City God, am here? Ruan Qiushui, you command a small cavern in Toothless Ravine, harboring troops and plotting rebellion. You have rejected several amnesties, each time finding some excuse. Do you really take me for a pushover? Aren't you afraid that the City God's army will send overwhelming forces to wipe you out?"
Ruan Qiushui was named Qiushui, but she was no autumn-water beauty. Instead, she possessed extraordinary strategy and courage. Looking at her lively eyes, I gradually saw that her cleverness was no less than Dai Mei's.
"Zuo Chen, I came to seek refuge with you, not because I'm afraid of you. Toothless Ravine may be small, and you may