Interesting Woman

"Shang Xin Lei."

Qian Gongyu's voice trembled as she leaned in to 'Jiang Shi's' ear and whispered, "She's the Shang Family's Fourth Young Miss, Shang Xuanwen's most beloved daughter. Her three elder brothers all hold significant power, and she herself is ranked eleventh on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, making her arguably one of the most powerful women in Liang Kingdom… I thought only a collateral branch of the Shang Family would come, but I never expected it to be her!"

Yan Qing wasn't as excited as Qian Gongyu. After all, he'd seen top-tier rich and beautiful women before, like Le City County Princess Ying Ru Shi, whom he'd met in Qi Kingdom—and even splattered with blood on the spot.

The Hidden Dragon Rankings thing was interesting, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"Fourth Young Miss Shang."

Even with his face covered in embarrassment, Luo Weijin still managed to force a decent smile. "There was no need to trouble you over such a small matter, right?"

"Since it's a small matter, why not just let it go?" Shang Xin Lei said, following his lead. "No need to let such a small matter ruin everyone's mood."

Luo Weijin was momentarily speechless, not because he couldn't refute Shang Xin Lei's words, but because he could tell that Shang Xin Lei was determined to protect Qian Gongyu and her guard. If he insisted on pursuing the matter, he would be disrespecting Shang Xin Lei.

Just as Qian Gongyu couldn't turn against Luo Weijin for insulting her family, Luo Weijin was now finding it difficult to decide whether to disregard Shang Xin Lei's face because he had been punched—when faced with incalculable consequences, people always tend to endure losses they can bear.

Humans are social animals, and even the heralds are no exception.

Those who can live apart from society are either gods or madmen.

Just when it seemed the storm was about to pass, an unexpected twist occurred.

"It is not a small matter."

A young woman in military attire pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, facing Shang Xin Lei directly. She was petite, dressed in tight clothes and long boots, standing out from the elaborately dressed crowd, but this did not detract from her nobility and arrogance—or rather, being able to dress as one pleased in such an occasion was itself a manifestation of nobility.

Because Shang Xin Lei was slightly taller, the young woman in military attire stopped three or four steps away, trying to maintain eye level with Shang Xin Lei.

"According to Volume 22 of the Great Liang Law, Litigation Law, those slaves who strike their master's relatives or maternal grandparents shall be strangled; if injury is caused, they shall be beheaded. Furthermore, according to the rules of etiquette, the royal family is the master of the world, followed by the Noble Class, then the Esteemed Class, and the Humble Class follows them." The young woman in military attire said, "As a Humble Class of low status, harming a higher-status Esteemed Class should be punished."

"Our Great Liang governs the world with law and clarifies the distinction between the honored and the lowly with etiquette. If the honored and the lowly are reversed, and slaves can deceive their superiors, then what difference is there between us and the barbarians to the north?"

The tent was quiet, and no one dared to join the conversation, because the young woman in military attire who was confronting Shang Xin Lei had a purple ribbon wrapped around her wrist.

Only three families in the entire Liang Kingdom were qualified to wear the purple ribbon. Behind her was a top-tier Noble Class that had existed as long as the kingdom itself!

How could their Clear Colors Esteemed Class interfere in the friction between the Vermilion Door Noble Class and the Purple Ribbon Noble Class?

"Jie Yuanshao, you're right."

Shang Xin Lei suddenly smiled, spread her hands, and said, "It was inconsiderate of me. Then let's push her out and kill her."

Qian Gongyu's face turned pale, her legs went weak, and she almost knelt down. Luo Weijin, on the other hand, revealed a look of ecstasy, his whole person beaming with pride, his eyes full of resentment as he looked at 'Jiang Shi' and the others.

"Hold on!"

Jie Yuanshao stopped the guards' actions, saying, "While the Qian Family's guard is indeed at fault, it was because Luo Weijin provoked Qian Gongyu first, humiliating her family, which led the Qian Family's guard to act out of anger to defend the honor of their master's family. From the perspective of loyalty and righteousness, the Qian Family's guard is meritorious and not guilty!"

"Violating the distinction between the honored and the lowly should be punished according to the law; embodying loyalty and righteousness should be rewarded according to etiquette!"

Shang Xin Lei suggested, "Then how about executing her and giving her a grand burial, erecting a monument to praise her?"

"People cannot be brought back to life, and loyal and righteous people cannot be wasted on such trivial matters?" Jie Yuanshao slowly shook her head, looking at Luo Weijin. "The Cloud Float Luo Family is descended from a prime minister, but Luo Weijin, you do not have the capacity of a prime minister. Instead, you are fond of bravery and aggression, making enemies everywhere. You also have no respect for your subordinates. We Noble Class aristocrats are not born to ride on the heads of our subordinates and act like tyrants, but to lead the ignorant commoners on the right path. This punch from the Qian Family's guard is the retribution you deserve. I hope you realize your mistake and correct it, and in the future, you can still become a pillar of our Liang Kingdom."

Luo Weijin stared at Jie Yuanshao, trying to discern something from her expression, but no matter how he looked, Jie Yuanshao's small face was so serious, without the slightest hint of jest. Only then did Luo Weijin truly confirm—she was serious about what she said.

That's really what she thought!

If those words had been spoken by someone from a Humble Class, Luo Weijin wouldn't have even bothered to acknowledge them; if they had been spoken by someone from an Esteemed Class of roughly his standing, he would have outwardly agreed while secretly mocking them; but the person who spoke those words was Jie Yuanshao of the Purple Sash Noble Class, the fifth-in-line heir to the Jiangbei Military Garrison!

"Young Miss Jie is right," Luo Weijin took a deep breath, lowering his head, which was still dripping blood. "I was wrong."

"But the death penalty can be waived," he looked at the expressionless 'Jiang Shi': "A subordinate assaulting a Noble Class scion can't go without any punishment, right?"

Even if it meant potentially offending Shang Xin Lei and Jie Yuanshao, Luo Weijin had to say these words. Being slapped in the face by a subordinate in such an important setting had already made many people secretly laugh at him. Even if he retaliated now, it wouldn't salvage the face he had lost, but if he didn't retaliate, it would be even more humiliating, even becoming a disgrace to the Luo Family, in which case he would only be able to stay in the family for the rest of his life, eating and waiting to die as a stud.

"Of course, there must be punishment."

Jie Yuanshao pointed to the forest outside the tent: "As everyone knows, the longer you persist in the Wandering Star Forest, the higher your individual and overall scores will be. According to the rules of the Wandering Star Forest, each person can stay inside for a maximum of six hours per day, and can enter for a maximum of three days."

"In that case, why not require the Qian Family's guard to persist in the Wandering Star Forest for a total of eighteen hours over three days? Any day they withdraw from the Wandering Star Forest early will be punished with whipping, five lashes for each hour less. If she can't do it, she will naturally be whipped; if she does, the reward will be shared by everyone, and everyone will benefit."

She looked around, "Do you have any objections to this arrangement?"

Qian Gongyu immediately said, "The Qian Family has no objections!"

Luo Weijin's mouth twitched, but he still said, "The Luo Family has no objections."

This farce finally came to an end. Luo Weijin left the tent without looking back, clearly too ashamed to stay with his mouth full of blood. Qian Gongyu also wanted to run, but someone she couldn't afford to offend blocked her path.

"Excuse me," Shang Xin Lei stood in front of them, politely saying, "I have something I want to ask your guard... May I ask, is your saber a Token?"

"Yes."

"Ah!?"

Qian Gongyu looked at 'Jiang Shi' in shock, then at the latter's White Iron Straight Blade. Because 'Jiang Shi' had never shown the power of a Herald, Qian Gongyu naturally assumed that she wasn't a Herald, and someone who wasn't a Herald would naturally not have a Token—the would-be Heralds of Great Liang had to seize opportunities to be dogs in order to compete for Tokens, who would have thought that an ordinary person would possess a Token?

Shang Xin Lei seemed to have seen through it long ago, asking, "Can I take a look?"

"No."

Even through the screen, Yan Qing could see Qian Gongyu frantically winking. Her beautiful double eyelids were practically flashing Morse code, her expression as if to say, 'As long as you agree to her, I'll do anything.'

Logically and emotionally, Yan Qing shouldn't refuse such a small request from Shang Xin Lei. Emotionally, Shang Xin Lei was the first to stand up and defend 'Jiang Shi'; logically, Shang Xin Lei had no reason to covet a common first-turn Token like the White Iron Straight Blade.

But Yan Qing still didn't change his mind.

For some reason, Yan Qing had a very bad first impression of Shang Xin Lei, like seeing a relative's brat standing in front of his Gundam display case, with a strong premonition that 'she will cause me trouble.'

Even though they had never met, Shang Xin Lei appeared as a good person, perfect in appearance, family background, and attitude, but aversion was aversion. Yan Qing couldn't explain why, and could only attribute it to compatibility issues—he never thought he would dislike a beautiful girl.

Being rejected so bluntly, Shang Xin Lei still wasn't angry, but asked with interest, "Are you really the Qian Family's guard? If you're worried about the Wandering Star Forest trial, I can help you avoid the punishment. Anyone the Shang Family wants to protect, Jie Yuanshao can't harm a hair on your head, no matter how much reason she has, but you have to become a member of the Shang Family..."

"She is the Qian Family's guard!" Qian Gongyu immediately stood in front of 'Jiang Shi', her face flushed red: "She is Qian Gongyu's guard!"

Shang Xin Lei looked at Qian Gongyu, who was like a hen protecting her chicks, and chuckled, "Alright, alright, I was presumptuous. After all, your guard is so beautiful and so loyal, it's hard not to be fond of her... I am Shang Xin Lei, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Qian Gongyu, she is called Jiang Shi."

"Then I'll see you two tomorrow, and I hope you'll be well-rested to face tomorrow's Wandering Star Forest trial." Shang Xin Lei waved goodbye, and then smiled: "But my promise still stands, Jiang Shi, you can come to me at any time."

Faced with such blatant poaching, even though the other party was the Shang Family's Fourth Young Miss, whom she couldn't afford to offend, Qian Gongyu still mustered her courage and glared at her very hard...

But even just glaring at her made her a little scared, and she quickly dragged 'Jiang Shi' back to her carriage.

Shang Xin Lei returned to the second floor of her carriage—yes, as a member of the Noble Class, her family could travel in a sixteen-horse-drawn, double-layered carriage, allowing her to reside in an extremely luxurious mobile palace even in the wilderness.

She sat at her desk, pulled out a piece of Xuan paper, and began to sketch. Before long, she completed a simple drawing of a White Iron Straight Blade. Then, she found a book from her bookshelf titled "Blade Language," which recorded most of the blade-type tokens that had appeared from ancient times to the present—of course, it only recorded tokens from the first to third ranks.

After spending a while, Shang Xin Lei quickly compared the appearance of all the blade-type tokens in the book, but none resembled the White Iron Straight Blade. She could conclude that the White Iron Straight Blade was a newly emerged blade-type token in recent times.

New tokens often meant new Secret Realms. If anyone else were investigating this, they would undoubtedly be overjoyed and start trying to extract the location of the new Secret Realm from the other party.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time Shang Xin Lei had seen the White Iron Straight Blade.

Jiang Shi of Wandering Star Forest.

An Wu of Anguo Temple in Chang'an.

And... Yellow Dog of the Thieves' Den.

These people appeared in different corners of the country, with almost nothing in common, yet they possessed tokens from the same Secret Realm.

"Things... are starting to get interesting."

Shang Xin Lei's body trembled slightly, and she subconsciously bit her nails. Although she still didn't know anything, just knowing that she 'didn't know' was enough to make her tremble with excitement.

She felt like she was standing before the curtain of the world. Although she still couldn't glimpse the secrets behind the curtain, she already knew how to lift a corner of it.

"However, Jiang Shi's attitude towards me is a bit strange. Could she have recognized me?"

Shang Xin Lei opened her jewelry box and took out a pair of sunglasses. When she put on the sunglasses, although there were no other obstructions on her face, her reflection transformed into a different appearance, looking somewhat similar to her, but upon closer inspection, it was definitely not her.

The others in the Thieves' Den thought she didn't value disguise, casually wearing a pair of sunglasses, but in reality, her disguise was more perfect than anyone else's.

First Rank Token - Mortal Sunglasses.

Although it was only a First Rank Token, it was obtained by her father when he accidentally entered a Secret Realm in his early years. There was only one such item in the entire Liang Kingdom. The effect was very simple: it made everyone unable to recognize the wearer.

Shang Xin Lei had tested the power of the sunglasses many times and was certain that the others in the Thieves' Den could not recognize her.

So, Jiang Shi's unfriendly attitude towards her was simply because Jiang Shi disliked her.

"To actually be disliked by me..." Shang Xin Lei opened the window and glanced at the Qian Family's carriage in the distance: "What an interesting woman."