The moment the gates of Nangong City opened, two rows of guards immediately rushed out from either side of the entrance, surging in from left and right to surround Ziqing and her group.

After a long while, several important figures finally emerged from within the gates—clearly elders of considerable age and standing.

“How dare you, insolent fools, come to Nangong City and act so recklessly! State your names at once!” the leading elder barked sternly.

Ziqing didn’t respond. She merely knitted her brow and looked toward Yingzi—the task she’d entrusted to him didn’t seem to have been carried out.

Yingzi felt wronged. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried his best—it was that the guards the Lord of Nangong City had brought along were simply too formidable. Well, more to the point, Her Highness the Princess Consort had won this battle with terrifying speed!

The fighting had only just ended, and the shadow guards had only just finished dealing with Nangong City’s guards.

Seeing that neither mistress nor servant spoke, the elder grew furious and immediately gave the order. “Someone, seize them all! We’ll deal with them once the city lord returns!”

The moment those words left his mouth, the look Ziqing gave Yingzi turned even colder. Yingzi flinched and quickly spoke up. “The Lord of Nangong City will be here shortly! Please calm your anger, Your Highness!”

Yingzi certainly hadn’t meant to say it—but his voice really had carried much too far!

The words shocked the elders at the gate. What did that mean?

Suddenly, one of them spotted the three large characters carved into the stone tablet ahead and drew a sharp breath, his voice turning cold. “The Border of Great Zhou—what… what is the meaning of this?”

“You’re Han Ziqing! The Consort of Prince Yao!” the lead elder cried out, seeming to suddenly understand.

“Indeed, I am.” Ziqing’s voice was icy.

“You… you…” Looking into Ziqing’s piercingly cold eyes, the old elder felt an inexplicable chill of fear rising within him. “You… what are you trying to do?”

Hadn’t the Lord of Nangong City taken several of his most trusted disciples to assassinate Han Ziqing? Then how could Han Ziqing possibly be standing here?

Where was the city lord?

They had certainly heard the sounds of battle—but they’d assumed it was merely the troops of West Jing clashing with the Xiongnu and West Liang forces!

The Lord of Nangong City, in aiding the two nations, would naturally have made Han Ziqing his target.

But now…

“I have no intention of doing anything to you. I’ve simply come to plant a border marker.” Ziqing spoke coldly, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, amid the tense standoff, she calmly and unhurriedly dismounted.

What?

A border marker?

For a moment, everyone’s attention fixed on the stone tablet—the one carved with the three characters reading “Border of Great Zhou,” standing squarely facing the gates of Nangong City.

Could it be that the Lord of Nangong City’s assassination attempt had failed? Could the war possibly have ended so quickly?

Impossible!

Even if Jun Beiyue himself had come here in person, he surely couldn’t have accomplished such a thing!

Though West Liang’s troops weren’t numerous, the Xiongnu’s slave army was anything but small—their forces alone should have been more than enough to overwhelm Han Ziqing!

And yet, everything unfolding before their eyes… how could this be happening now?

Everyone present found it utterly unbelievable. No one knew what had truly happened; all they could do was wait anxiously for the Lord of Nangong City to return.

Ziqing walked up beside the border marker, resting her slender hand gently upon the stone tablet, and smiled. “Aside from the Lord of Nangong City, who else is in charge here?”

What did she mean by that question?

What did “aside from the Lord of Nangong City” imply?

Could something have happened to him?

The elders all felt an inexplicable unease. By all reason, nothing could possibly have happened to the Lord of Nangong City—even if he’d failed to kill this woman, surely no harm could have come to him!

Who was the Lord of Nangong City, after all? He was the very soul of the martial world, its most formidable master!

How could he possibly have been defeated so easily by some insolent girl?

“Han Ziqing, what exactly do you mean by this?” the lead elder demanded furiously.

Ziqing paid him no mind, her slender hand still gently stroking the stone tablet. “Since there’s no one currently in charge, then let everyone present listen well. From this moment forward, everything within this border marker belongs to the territory of Great Zhou. The Northern Desert belongs to Great Zhou. Should anyone from the martial world dare interfere in matters of state again, the Lord of Nangong City’s fate shall be theirs as well!”

With that, Ziqing suddenly threw her weight forward, driving the border marker hard into the snow-covered ground! At that very moment, several shadow guards dropped down from above, hauling with them a long string of severed heads, which they flung down before the gates of Nangong City!

These… these heads!

These were the heads of the very masters the Lord of Nangong City had taken with him!

How could this be…

Not only the elders at the gate, but even the surrounding guards stood frozen in shock, unable to believe their own eyes.

How could this be happening now?

A shadow guard respectfully presented a golden token to Ziqing. “Your Highness, the Lord of Nangong City has arrived.”

This token was what Yingzi had meant by “the Lord of Nangong City.”

Ziqing raised the token high and personally planted it at the base of the border marker, her voice cold. “Is that understood, all of you?”

For a moment, every eye turned toward the golden token. The lead elder’s vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious on the spot!

That token—that token was unmistakably the city lord’s seal of Nangong City!

Unless one were dead, that token could never possibly be handed over to another!

The Lord of Nangong City… was gone!

Just then, a young man suddenly burst forward, his sword raised and pointed directly at Ziqing, shouting in fury, “Han Ziqing! Don’t push people too far! If you have the courage, fight me to the death!”

This young man was none other than the youngest son of the Lord of Nangong City, the Fourteenth Young Master, Nangong Ye. He was only fourteen years old this year, yet he had already displayed astonishing talent in the martial arts. He was the most beloved son of the Lord of Nangong City.

As he rushed forward, several elders hurried to restrain him. “Young Master, you mustn’t!”

“She killed my father! She killed my eldest brother and my second brother! I’ll kill her! Vile woman!” the Fourteenth Young Master roared in fury.

Ziqing merely sneered coldly and ignored him, turning to leave.

That the elders would hold back the Fourteenth Young Master spoke volumes—the death of the Lord of Nangong City had struck enough fear into this family that even the elders dared not casually cross swords with her.

“Vile woman, if you have the nerve, don’t you dare walk away! Stand where you are! Vile woman!” the Fourteenth Young Master continued to curse without pause.

Yingzi’s patience finally snapped, and he was about to teach the boy a lesson, but Ziqing stopped him. She turned back with a smile. “Foul language pouring from your mouth, unable to fight, unable to accept defeat—is this the way of Nangong City?”

“You brought this on yourself, you deserve to be cursed!” the Fourteenth Young Master shouted.

A cold glint flashed in Ziqing’s eyes as she instantly raised her crossbow and took aim. The elders immediately threw themselves in front of the Fourteenth Young Master, bodies tensed and on guard. They had no idea what means this woman had used to kill the Lord of Nangong City, but whatever the method, it was more than enough to prove this woman was not to be trifled with.

“Brought this on myself? Let this princess consort tell you what truly means bringing it on oneself. Three nations at war, a matter unrelated to the martial world—yet the Lord of Nangong City colluded with West Liang and West Jing beforehand, then made an attempt on my life afterward. That is what it means to bring it on oneself. Inferior in skill, harboring resentment, snarling like a mad dog—that is what it means to bring it on oneself!”

Ziqing spoke each word with biting scorn, leaving the elders with nothing to say in response, while the Fourteenth Young Master clenched his teeth, wanting to curse but finding himself utterly speechless.

Han Ziqing hadn’t been wrong. Nangong City truly should never have interfered in matters of national warfare.

And yet—and yet Han Ziqing had been far too merciless.

Was Ziqing merciless?

On the battlefield, there was no such thing as mercy or cruelty. Had she not been ruthless, she would have died long ago beneath the Lord of Nangong City’s blade!

Ziqing reached out through the air and swiftly snatched up the golden token lying on the snow.

“This princess consort will keep this token for the time being. The martial world and the imperial court have always kept to their own affairs without interference. I hope the new head of Nangong City will keep this firmly in mind!”

With those cold words, she turned her horse and rode away.

Only the elders remained, gasping for breath. This woman… this woman was far too ruthless!

The token she had taken, the words she had left behind, this very act—all of it was more than enough to spark a bloody succession struggle within Nangong City for the position of city lord!

Who would still have the heart to think of revenge? Who would still have the heart to think of the Northern Desert?

…