Hong Xiangjun’s expression was solemn, "Black Wind Camp emerged only in the last two years, a gang of thieves consisting solely of men, all notably brutal, many of whom have killed before. Especially that Su Lang—he may appear young, yet he is the Eldest Brother of Black Wind Camp, not only excellent with swords but also possessing Inner Strength. Just like before, he only used a pebble to smash our carriage to pieces, showing he’s indeed a formidable figure. But Master... I have never heard of this before."
Dong Huiying was stunned, "Inner Strength?"
Hong Xiangjun said in a very matter-of-fact tone, "Yes, Inner Strength. This kind of Inner Strength is developed through cultivation."
Dong Huiying said, "It seems I also have quite a bit of strength?"
Hong Xiangjun’s mouth twitched, "Yes, not only are you strong, but you have also killed before. Su Lang is just a child compared to you. If it were the old you, you would definitely have toyed with him to his death."
Dong Huiying was bewildered, looking rather foolish.
"Master Hong, we’ve had several dealings before, and now facing life and death together, we’ve become friends through adversity. So..."
This Hong Xiangjun, her attitude towards her was very strange.
Sometimes she could sense that, often times, Hong Xiangjun seemed to be deliberately accommodating her, intentionally trying to befriend her.
Hong Xiangjun gave her a meaningful look, knowing what Dong Huiying was about to ask.
"Actually, we have met before."
She paused, then quickly added, "By ’before,’ I don’t mean after your return to Taihang Mountain, but several years earlier. And at that time, I was the one paying attention to you, it’s likely you never noticed me."
Her expression drifted into the distance, she remarked with a sense of nostalgia, "Back in the day, my family fell into decline. In order to evade my enemies and hide my identity, I once left home and stayed at a teahouse at the frontier^"
In the teahouse, a few guards dressed in black emanated an intimidating presence like Asuras. They were vigilantly scanning their surroundings while guarding a skinny, dark-skinned girl covered in pockmarks.
From the aura of the guards and the group’s attire, Hong Xiangjun speculated that this unprepossessing girl might be the descendant of some noble merchant’s family.
But what happened afterward truly shocked her.
Assassins clad in black launched their attack, wielding hidden weapons, swords, and even dripping blood from arrows and bows as they swarmed out.
The entire teahouse plunged into chaos, the assailants’ target clear—they wanted the ugly girl’s life.
But the girl, unfazed and sitting solid as a rock, effortlessly dispatched dozens of assassins with her accompanying guards.
Until at last, a middle-aged assassin broke through the guards’ defenses, his longsword aimed straight for the ugly girl’s head.
At that moment, the guards were a mix of shock and fury, but the girl remained calm, striking out with her palm. With a "puff," she shattered the assassin’s body, turning him into a gory mist of blood, her method horrifyingly brutal.
Afterward, dozens of military officers rushed to the scene, all with faces stricken with fear and panic, as though afraid of being held accountable by the ugly girl.
However, the girl did not make trouble, she simply left behind a Golden Leaf, boarded her carriage, and, under the escort of guards and dozens of officers, gradually receded into the distance.
Hong Xiangjun had thought that she was merely an insignificant figure, and the other party too mysterious, with their statuses far apart, there shouldn’t be any intersection in their lives.
Yet fate is strange, years later, she encountered this important figure in her own gambling house, which truly gave her quite the fright.