Takatsuji was utterly shocked that such a delicate woman would suddenly shoot an arrow at him. To his surprise, he lurched to one side. Though he avoided a direct hit, the arrow still shattered his monocular, scattering glass shards everywhere.
Some fragments cut Takatsuji’s face, leaving several bloody scratches.
A nearby subordinate urgently said, “General Takatsuji, we should leave quickly. We’re too close to their camp. They’ll be upon us soon.”
Takatsuji watched the woman giving orders to her guards, pointing in his direction. He knew they had to retreat, yet he felt reluctant to leave. An irrepressible curiosity grew within him—who was this extraordinarily beautiful woman with such remarkable archery skills?
Meanwhile, after shooting her arrow, Liu Mian Tang immediately sent men to search the hill. They found no one but discovered blood-stained glass shards behind some bushes.
The guards brought the fragments to the princess’s consort. When pieced together, they came from a Western monocular.
Examining the reconstructed monocular, Cui Xingzhou realized someone had been spying on their camp from the hill. Such foreign items weren’t common possessions—likely a Wokou scout gathering intelligence.
The shattered glass seemed to stir unpleasant memories for Cui Xingzhou. His expression darkened as he asked Mian Tang how she knew someone was watching just from a flash of light. Wasn’t she afraid of hitting the wrong person?
Mian Tang paused, puzzled by the question. “I’m not sure myself,” she admitted. “Logically, I’ve rarely encountered such situations before. But when I saw that reflection, I instinctively raised my bow and fired without hesitation…”
Cui Xingzhou remained silent. He couldn’t tell Mian Tang that during their past confrontations at Yangshan, he had once nearly glimpsed her true face. Unfortunately, just as he raised his monocular to observe the veiled Lu Wen, a retaliatory arrow had shattered his lens…
It seemed that even without her memories, her instincts remained intact, unconsciously repeating actions from her former life.
As Mian Tang spoke, Cui Xingzhou held one of her hands. Lost in thought, he gripped it tightly without realizing it.
When it became too painful, Mian Tang gently tapped the back of his hand. The Prince of Huaiyang snapped back to reality and said casually, “By the way, the Marquis of Zhennan has also arrived in Bei Hai. He’ll be here tomorrow. It’s a good opportunity to have him check on your chronic headaches.”
Mian Tang was surprised to hear about the Marquis’s arrival. “What? Has he recently angered the Emperor and been demoted to Bei Hai?”
Cui Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. “He’s too insignificant to incur imperial wrath. He’s just bored at home after getting married and sneaked away from his mother to seek adventure in this remote area.”
It turned out that the Dowager Lady of the Zhennan Marquis’s manor, unable to bear her son’s empty primary wife position any longer, had carefully selected a bride for him from among the daughters of various princes and nobles.
This young lady came from an excellent family, possessed outstanding beauty, and was well-educated—unlike the previous candidate who was so devoted to Buddhism that she never left the temple. The old Marchioness was extremely pleased with this choice.
However, Zhao Quan, still holding a torch for his past love, met the girl several times but refused to agree to the marriage. He claimed they lacked marital affinity and found her features too wooden and dull for engaging in conversation. This infuriated the old Marchioness, who fell seriously ill and declared she wouldn’t see her son again in this life if he didn’t marry.
Left with no choice, Zhao Quan reluctantly agreed to the marriage. He then found an excuse to travel and clear his mind before returning for the wedding.
Thus, under the pretext of visiting his good friend, the Prince of Huaiyang, Zhao Quan left the Zhennan manor. He took his time sightseeing along the way to Bei Hai, enjoying a leisurely journey.
Mian Tang was delighted to hear of Lord Zhao’s impending arrival. Bei Hai was swelteringly hot, and the local people had long been without a good doctor.
Mian Tang had set up a medical tent in Cangwu County. While she could handle minor ailments, she dared not treat more serious conditions. The military doctors were overwhelmed caring for the troops and couldn’t assist the princess in tending to the local populace.
With Zhao Quan’s arrival, they would have a capable physician at their disposal. Though the Marquis hadn’t yet arrived, Mian Tang thoughtfully arranged accommodation for him near the medical tent in the county, intending to make full use of his skills before allowing him to return to Zhen Prefecture.
As usual, Mian Tang went to the medical tent to see patients. This wasn’t out of boredom, but because there was a significant barrier between the newcomers and the locals. Asking direct questions yielded little information about the true local situation.
However, when Mian Tang, in her capacity as a doctor, chatted amiably with patients while treating them, she could learn many things. To this end, she hired several local interpreters fluent in various tribal dialects, facilitating communication with people from different villages.
The nearby villagers knew that the newly arrived commander was a prince, accompanied by his fairy-like beautiful princess consort. Not only was she beautiful, but she also possessed medical skills.
This greatly improved the locals’ perception of the newly arrived army. They felt that from top to bottom, the military exuded a sense of friendliness and had never harassed the civilians. As a result, many came seeking medical treatment.
As soon as Mian Tang sat down, the queue stretched far behind her.
After seeing several patients, a young man approached. He had thick, straight eyebrows and thin single eyelids that lent him a delicate air, but his dark skin suggested he spent much time at sea.
Mian Tang wore a hooded robe with a thin veil, but the young man stared directly at her, resembling a lovesick fool experiencing his first crush.
Such admiring looks from young men weren’t uncommon, and Mian Tang paid little heed. However, her jealous husband strongly disapproved and had initially wanted to dismantle her medical tent. After much negotiation, Mian Tang compromised by wearing a thicker veil, allowing her to continue her work.
Mian Tang felt his pulse and, finding nothing seriously wrong, asked, “What seems to be the problem?”
The young man replied in a slightly harsh tone, “I can’t sleep…”
Hearing his accent, Mian Tang tilted her head slightly and stated confidently, “You’re not Han Chinese, are you?”
The man nodded, “I’m Korean, here for trade.”
Indeed, many Korean merchants frequented Bei Hai due to its connections with Southeast Asia. Compared to the Wokou, they were much more law-abiding.
Mian Tang didn’t inquire further and began writing a prescription. Suddenly, the man grasped her delicate hand. “Aren’t you going to ask why I can’t sleep?”
While many young men acted lovestruck, none had dared to grab her hand so boldly before.
Before the guards could intervene, Mian Tang swiftly employed a joint-locking technique, freeing her wrist. She then grabbed an acupuncture needle and jabbed it into a pressure point on his hand. The pain would have made most people cry out.
However, the young man remained stoic, merely grunting softly. His gaze grew even more intense as he said, “You’re feisty. I like that…”
Before he could finish, an iron hand gripped his collar from behind, effortlessly tossing him to the ground.
The young man’s companions drew their swords upon seeing this.
Mian Tang observed closely. Although the swords were of Chinese make, their drawing technique was distinctly Japanese…
Thinking quickly, she called out to them in Korean, a phrase she had recently learned from some local children: “Come here, sister has food for you!”
Such an irrelevant statement would have elicited confused looks from anyone who understood. Yet these men showed no reaction, their faces remaining impassive.
Suddenly, the young man sprang up and lunged at the dressed Cui Xingzhou.
His movements were strange and lethal. However, his opponent was no pampered noble son. Cui Xingzhou didn’t call for his guards but engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the youth.
Initially, unfamiliar with the attacker’s style, Cui Xingzhou took a few hits. Soon, however, he identified the young man’s weaknesses. Using an eagle claw technique, he seized an opportunity and forcefully dislocated one of the attacker’s arms with a loud crack.
As Cui Xingzhou pinned the young man to the ground and ordered his men to tie them up, one of the companions suddenly pulled out several pellets from his clothes. He threw them on the ground, instantly creating a thick, acrid smoke.
Fearing for Mian Tang’s safety, Cui Xingzhou quickly shielded her.
When the dense smoke cleared, the previously battered group had vanished as if by magic.
Mian Tang, coughing, remarked, “They don’t seem to be Korean…”
Cui Xingzhou ordered a search of the area, then frowned, “This is Japanese ninjutsu…”
Mian Tang was startled. “These Wokou are so bold they even dare to come for medical treatment?”
Recalling the young man’s proper attire and how he had stared intently at Mian Tang, Cui Xingzhou scoffed coldly. Medical treatment? In his view, that nameless youth was suffering from lovesickness!
However, this commotion wasn’t entirely without benefit. Cui Xingzhou could now justifiably forbid Mian Tang from returning to the medical tent, at least until Zhao Quan arrived to take over her duties.
For the next period, Cui Xingzhou would be conducting naval patrols and couldn’t ensure Mian Tang’s safety. He would only be at ease if she remained within the confines of their residence in Cangwu County.
The Wokou’s base was on a small island, a two-day sail away. The local Bei Hai navy was in disarray and lacked combat effectiveness, helpless against the Wokou’s swift raids along the coast.
Cui Xingzhou knew that while they could repel the Wokou on land, they couldn’t eradicate them. Only by attacking their island stronghold could they thoroughly eliminate these pirates.
Thus, after establishing the military camp, Cui Xingzhou immediately began reorganizing the navy, training troops, repairing warships, and preparing naval combat equipment. His goal was to ready the fleet as quickly as possible to destroy the Wokou’s nest.
Meanwhile, on the pirate-infested island, as soon as Takatsuji disembarked, someone urgently approached him, saying, “General Takatsuji, how could you risk yourself by personally going to Cangwu County?”