The old rogue was still bewildered—where had Shaodian Qingnu gone?
He clutched his sword and scanned the surroundings, but there was no sign of her.
Seeing Liu Ji looking around, Lu Wan slapped his thigh and said, "Ai, big brother! Why are you still looking for that woman? She was just trying to kill us!"
"What nonsense are you talking! Shaodian Qingnu is my brother. Would my brother harm me? Didn't you hear her tell us to stay at Mangdang Mountain? She even said she’d send us food and supplies."
Liu Ji barked a scolding at Lu Wan. "Is that trying to kill us? She was afraid we’d die if we went out."
Old Three Liu certainly had a way with words.
When he put it that way, many of the others actually agreed.
"Whether she was trying to kill us or worried about us, is now the time to obsess over it?"
Lu Wan looked up at the sky and said, "Big brother, shouldn't we leave?"
The sky was churning with thunderclouds; it didn't look safe at all.
"Good point!"
The old rogue looked at the sky and nodded in agreement.
The group quickly left Mangdang Mountain and headed toward Peixian.
Deep within a river valley in Mangdang Mountain...
Thunder crashed and boomed!
At the center of those thousands of lightning strikes, a thin figure was being relentlessly battered by heavenly lightning. Yet, even under the lashing of that infinite radiance, she refused to submit.
Shaodian Qingnu’s clothes were tattered, and her skin was marked with charred, lightning-scorched patterns.
The azure scales at the corners of her eyes flared up as she glared at the firmament.
"I defy you!" the snake girl roared.
"By what right must the whole world follow the path of your fate?"
"If nothing could be changed, then so be it. But you clearly allowed some alterations, so why must you forcibly reverse them now?"
"The Ying Zheng of this world... he was not meant to die!"
"Answer me, Heaven!"
Heaven remained silent, answering only with more lightning.
The heavenly light was majestic and vast. At the center of Shaodian Qingnu's brow, an azure scale slowly turned upward, and blood began to flow.
The gourd at her waist was shattered by a bolt of lightning. The three drops of heart-blood stored within floated out, dispersing into the thunderous light. A crimson glow wrapped around her entire body.
"Roar—!!"
A sound like a beast's howl seemed to emanate from the blood-mist.
The lightning over Mangdang Mountain lasted for more than a month before it finally subsided. By then, Liu Ji had already led his men to take over Feng and Pei, calling himself the Duke of Pei.
Since then, rumors spread that the lightning in this place was an auspicious omen, celebrating the Duke of Pei's uprising after slaying the white snake.
As these prophecies circulated, more people flocked to join Liu Ji.
Later, following Xiao He's suggestion, he changed his name. He was no longer called Old Three Liu, but Liu Bang.
There were also legends of a celestial bird descending to the mortal world to meet Liu Bang.
The title of Duke of Pei became even more legendary because of this.
By a stream...
An old woman was washing clothes.
A young man walked over from the side. Seeing the woman washing, he crouched down nearby. Just as he was about to speak, the old woman turned to look at him.
"Han Xin! You're here again? I don't have any food for you today, though."
Hearing this, Han Xin immediately shook his head. "Han Xin did not come to beg for food!"
The old woman looked him up and down and laughed.
She thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Go run an errand for me, and as a reward, I'll give you a cake. How does that sound?"
Han Xin nodded. "Please speak, old madam."
The old woman took some coins from her pouch and handed them to Han Xin. "Go buy some medicine for me—something to stop bleeding and remove scars. It's not convenient for me to go myself, so I must trouble you."
"Old madam, are you injured?"
Han Xin took the coins. Seeing bloodstains on the clothes she was washing today, his brow furrowed with concern.
The old woman shook her head. "Of course it's not me. It's a little girl at my house."
Han Xin was puzzled. He had known the old woman for a long time and had never heard of any little girl in her household.
However, it was her private business after all, so Han Xin didn't ask further. He simply nodded and said, "Leave this matter to Han Xin."
The old woman smiled and nodded.
After entrusting the medicine purchase to Han Xin, she carried her basin of clothes back home.
Inside the simple earthen hut, a fair-skinned girl rested quietly on a couch. Even in coarse linen clothes, her peerless beauty could not be hidden.
At this time, a grain-sized azure scale pattern adorned the space between Shaodian Qingnu's eyebrows.
Faint, dark-green horny protrusions could be seen among the stray hairs on either side of her head, resembling new deer antlers, though they were a bit too small.
Seeing the old woman return, Shaodian Qingnu tried to prop herself up.
The old woman hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her. "Oh, Little Immortal Maiden, don't move around. Be careful of your wounds."
She pressed Shaodian Qingnu back down and continued, "I've washed your clothes. Unfortunately, they were ruined in too many places. It will be quite a hassle to mend them. I'll head to the county town in a few days to see if I can find someone to fix them."
"Don't trouble yourself. It's just a garment. If it's ruined, it's ruined."
Shaodian Qingnu shook her head. She looked at the old woman and said softly, "You saved me. Thank you."
The old woman waved her hands in a fluster. "I wouldn't dare let an Immortal Maiden say thank you!"
"I should thank you. If you hadn't pulled me from the stream, I don't know where I would have drifted to."
Shaodian Qingnu smiled, putting the old woman at ease.
The old woman stopped declining her gratitude and added, "By the way, I've already asked someone to buy medicine for you. Those wounds on your body need to be treated properly."
Shaodian Qingnu frowned upon hearing this. Although she had never bought medicine before, she understood that medicine was not cheap these days.
She said, "My injuries will heal quickly. Go get your money back!"
The old woman still didn't believe her, but Shaodian Qingnu rolled up her sleeve. The lightning-scorched wounds on her arm were already more than half healed.
Seeing this, the old woman finally believed her. However, she still didn't go back for the money as Shaodian Qingnu suggested.
Shaodian Qingnu asked, "Who did you send to buy the medicine?"
"A lad from around here named Han Xin! Don't worry, Immortal Maiden, he is a reliable person."
As the old woman spoke, Shaodian Qingnu fell into a brief silence. She seemed momentarily dazed and instinctively asked, "Who?"
"Han Xin. Why? Do you know him, Little Immortal Maiden?" the old woman repeated.
Shaodian Qingnu paused, then suddenly smiled. "Old madam, when he arrives, tell him to come see me."
Although the old woman didn't know why Shaodian Qingnu wanted to see Han Xin, she didn't think too much of it and nodded in agreement.
However, it was quite a long time before Han Xin finally arrived.
When he came, his expression was quite poor, and his clothes were covered in dust.
Seeing him like this, the old woman's brow furrowed in concern. "Han Xin, what happened to you? Did you fall? Are you hurt?"
Han Xin shook his head. He handed the medicine to the old woman and cupped his hands. "Han Xin takes his leave!"
"Wait, wait, Han Xin, hold on!"
The old woman quickly grabbed him. "Someone wants to see you."
"See me?"
Han Xin was stunned and looked at the old woman strangely.
The old woman looked around and whispered to him, "It's a Little Immortal Maiden. Just follow me and don't ask questions."
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